Resumo

TAIT, M  e  BYARUGABA, JM. Inside-out mindsets and quality of health services: a case of Kampala Capital City Authority referral hospitals. JCMAN [online]. 2015, vol.12, n.1, pp.104-125. ISSN 1815-7440.

In the contemporary health service setting and the era of the health service client, delivering quality health service is an integral part of the ongoing strategy of most health service providers. The aforementioned strategy notwithstanding, this study investigated whether medical staffs understand their patients' expectations (known as Gap 1) in the five referral hospitals in Kampala City Capital Authority. Samples of 146 medical staffs and 215 patients from 5 referral hospitals were investigated. Pilot tests indicated that the instruments had good internal consistency, with all Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients greater than 0.9. Two focus group interviews were conducted for each sub-sample. Structural equation modelling was used to test the theory through confirmatory factor analysis and goodness-of-fit tests. Goodness-of-fit tests established that the model did not fit the sub-sample data. The independent samples t-test indicated that a positive Gap 1 existed among medical staffs in KCCA referral hospitals; hence they did not understand their patients' expectations. Qualitative findings also showed that Gap 1 existed among medical staffs. This study should be replicated in countries that mirror the socio-economic characteristics of Uganda. A methodological contribution through adoption of triangulation approach was made.

Palavras-chave : health service; inside-out mindset; patient expectations; patient experiences; referral hospital; service quality.

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