Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.20471/acc.2018.57.02.02

Measuring Healthcare Quality – Paradigm of MEDQUAL

Ksenija Musa-Juroš ; Department of Surgery, Osijek University Hospital Center, Osijek, Croatia
Josipa Mijoč ; Department of Quantitative Economics and Informatics, Osijek Faculty of Economics, Osijek, Croatia
Jasna Horvat ; Department of Quantitative Economics and Informatics, Osijek Faculty of Economics, Osijek, Croatia
Vesna Ilakovac ; Department of Medical Statistics, Osijek Faculty of Medicine, Osijek, Croatia
Suzana Marković ; Department of Quantitative Economics, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management, University of Rijeka, Opatija, Croatia
Aleksandar Racz ; University of Applied Health Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

Medical activity is assumed to be service activity the effects of which can be measured. The SERVQUAL scale was used as a starting point for our research, which resulted in a new, adopted scale called MEDQUAL. The MEDQUAL scale aims to measure the quality of healthcare provided by medical staff of one hospital department instead of the overall quality of hospital services or parts of services on which medical staff in one department has no influence. The study was conducted in a clinical hospital department in Croatia and included 300 respondents (169 patients and 131 medical staff members). The MEDQUAL scale, designed and tested in the study, showed high reliability in all established dimensions, i.e. trust in doctors (Cronbach’s Alpha 0.923), nursing professionalism (0.913), medical professionalism (0.938), and departmental organization (0.810). The scale proposed evaluates both patient satisfaction with the quality of healthcare received and medical staff satisfaction with the quality of healthcare provided. The results were comparable to the groups of respondents, departments, and institutions with potential longitudinal studies of this phenomenon. MEDQUAL is a simple, repeatable and cost-eff ective scale, applicable to almost all departments and used for measuring the quality of healthcare services both provided and received, the aim of which is to contribute to the assessment of healthcare quality and its improvement.

Keywords

Quality of Health Care; Medical Staff; Hospital Departments; Croatia; Patient Satisfaction; Quality Indicators

Hrčak ID:

207503

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/207503

Publication date:

1.6.2018.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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