Patients' Perceptions of Healthcare Quality at Hospitals Measured by the Revised Humane Caring Scale.

Abstract

The patients’ perceptions are central to quality improvement of the healthcare system worldwide. This study aimed to examine patients’ perceptions of quality care and investigate the demographic factors related to the overall patients’ perceptions. The Revised Humane Caring Scale was distributed to 367 adult patients who were admitted at medical, surgical, and obstetrics and gynecology departments in 2 tertiary hospitals in Oman. Overall patients’ perceptions of quality of care were high, with professionalism being rated the highest, and cognition of physical needs and human resources rated the lowest. Significant differences in patients’ perceptions between hospitals as well as in the subscales of interdisciplinary collaboration and outcome variables, between planned- and emergency-admitted patients were found. The linear regression analysis indicated a relationship between gender and overall quality care where male patients reported higher satisfaction compared to counterparts. This study suggested the need to improve the cognition of physical needs (food quality and environmental sanitation) and human resources (staff to patient ratio) as well as pay attention to the individual patients’ needs especially for emergency-admitted patients.