Factors that Affect the Quality of Healthcare Services in Ethiopia

Berhanu Endeshaw

doi:10.11648/j.sjbm.20210903.15

Abstract

Service-quality dimensions are controversial and they continue to debate about the factors (also called determinants) and indicators (also called criteria). Service quality still constitutes an undecided critical issue. This gives rise to challenges as far as the improvement of healthcare service-quality is concerned, and there Ethiopia is no exception. The main objective of this study is to identify the factors that affect the quality of healthcare services in Ethiopia. This study used a qualitative research design. The study was initially investigated through a comprehensive review of the extant literature regarding factors and indicators of healthcare service quality. Then focus-group discussions and panel of experts were conducted for confirming the indicators identified and also exploring additional indicators as per the Ethiopian context. Lastly, indicators were grouped in to factors. Three hospitals administered by the Federal Ministry of Health, Ethiopia, namely, St. Paul‟s, Tikur Anbessa and ALERT hospitals. Managers, healthcare providers, patients and support staff were participated in the study. This study came up with 60 indicators, 36 indicators were generated from the literature review, and the rest were added by the focus groups and the panel of experts. The panel of experts grouped these indicators into 6 factors, namely tangibles, technical quality, personal care, assurance, medical-administration procedures, and reliability. The factors and indicators of factors identified in this study were the unique characteristics of the healthcare services in Ethiopia. It could also be a basis for every country and even a basis for every organization in the developing world.

Highlights

Quality seems to be varying understanding and definitions, and even well-known authors define quality in different ways and views
What are the factors that affect the quality of healthcare services in Ethiopia?
The main purpose of this study is to identify the factors that affect the quality of healthcare services in Ethiopia

Summary

Introduction

Quality seems to be varying understanding and definitions, and even well-known authors define quality in different ways and views. Some of the influential contributors and thought leaders defined quality as follows: Crosby’s definition focused entirely on quality as conformance to specification, while Deming, Feigenbaum, and Ishikawa’s defined quality as products and services that need to satisfy customers’ in accordance with their needs and expectation. The definition of quality has not yet given the same results throughout [1]. These authors emphasised the fact that irrespective of the time or context whereby quality is inspected, quality has got numerous definitions. The nature of service quality can be elusive because customers‟ needs, and expectations are always changing. To keep up with the change, quality must be constantly managed and continually improved [2]

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