Abstract
Background and Objectives : Due to unique characteristics of the health sector, measuring the efficiency and quality of services provided are the top priorities of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education. In health systems, an appropriate response to the needs and demands of patients is a priority. This study was conducted to assess hospital’s services quality using logit model for prioritizing service attributes based on patients’ perception in 2012.
Material and Methods : In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 330 patients in Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran were entered into the study based on Cochran method. Data were gathered using questionnaire in 5 dimensions and 10 scenarios. Reliability and validity of the questionnaire were approved. Data were input into STATA software 10th edition and utility function was estimated to calculate the marginal utility specifications.
Results : According to the patients’ perception, type of examination and treatment was ranked as the first and cleaning services of the departments and toilets was ranked as the last priority. The results about waiting time between hospital arrival until admission was negative which means reverse influence on patient perception of quality. Except cleaning services of the departments and toilets and handling patients, other features had significant relationship with patient preferences.
Conclusion : In order to increase the desirability of visiting patients in hospitals and delivering high quality services and considering patient preferences; hospital administrators need to be focused on improving the quality of the programs.