Client Perception on Quality of Health Care Offered To In-Patients in Public and Faith-Based Hospitals in Kiambu and Nairobi Counties, In Kenya A Comparative Study

Abstract

bstract- Introduction Quality is the ability to deliver services that satisfy the consumer’s needs whereas service quality is the ability to meet or exceed customer expectations, providing quality healthcare is an ethical obligation of all healthcare providers and receiving quality care is a right of all patients. Africa Countries including Kenya has witnessed general deterioration in health indicators due to rapid population growth, child nutrition problems, poverty, HIV/AIDS, acute respiratory infections, malaria, diarrhea, and poor quality health facilities and services. Nairobi city with high population and Kiambu a neighboring County, the Public and some Faith-based hospitals in these two counties experience shortage of drugs and medical supplies, unaffordable out-of-pocket costs for health services’ consumers, poor quality of care due to overcrowding of the patients, thus services provided are considered unsatisfactory. Objective To compare client perceptions on quality of health care offered to patients admitted into public and Faith-based hospitals in Nairobi and Kiambu Counties in Kenya. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study of client perception on quality of health care offered to in-patients in public and faith based hospitals in Kiambu and Nairobi, Kenya was conducted. A sample of 384 patients, 238 from public hospitals and146 from Faith- based hospitals, and 276 were female and 146 male. Comparative analysis of quality of health care in faith based hospitals with public hospitals by use of SERVQUAL dimensions to asses’ patient perception was carried out. Results: Faith-based hospitals overall mean was (4.23 on a scale of 1 to 5 & SD 0.347) showing positive opinions and public hospitals mean was 2.62 (on a scale of 1 to 5 & SD 0.760) indicating negative opinions among all five (Tangibility, Responsiveness, Reliability, Assurance and Empathy) dimensions. The overall T test was -24.688; there was a mean difference in the patient’s opinions of public and faith-based hospitals on perception of service quality. There was significance difference at p ≤ 0.05; T test and Chi-Square p value was .000 for all five dimensions. Conclusion Patients had positive perception on service quality in faith-based and negative perception on service quality in public hospitals. There is need for re-structuring health service in public hospitals, to put in empowerment strategies to provide patient centeredness which is continuous quality health care improvement process.