| Summary: | 碩士 === 臺北醫學大學 === 醫務管理學研究所 === 98 === Background:
Diabetes mellitus is a common chronic disease. In recent years, it has ranked top five among ten leading causes of death. Every year, many citizens pass away because of diabetes. Diabetes not only has a significant impact in Taiwan, but also is a common medical issue for the world. To understand diabetic patients’ choice of hospital can help improve medical quality and reduce the abuse of medical resources.
Objective:
This study aimed to investigate the factors affecting the choice of hospital of diabetic patients in Gueishan Township, to understand diabetic patients’ satisfaction with current hospitals, and to propose suggestions to increase people’s visit to primary health care institutions.
Methods:
A structured questionnaire was used as the main research tool to collect the data of a total of 277 diabetic patients who had participated in the program of the Adults'' Preventive Care Service of the Integrated Preventive Healthcare Services in Gueishan Township. The questionnaires were distributed and returned in April and May, 2010. A total of 180 questionnaires were returned and the return rate of effective questionnaires was 65%. The data of 199 non-diabetic patients (general public) were collected additionally for comparison.
Results:
The top three factors affecting the choice of hospital of diabetic patients in Gueishan Township are “medical skills and expertise of the doctor,” “better efficacy of the drug,” and “service attitude of the doctor.” As for general public, the top three factors are “medical skills and expertise of the doctor,” “service attitude of the doctor,” and “better efficacy of the drug.” MANOVA was used to compare the difference in personal attributes, medical history, and disease status between diabetic patients and general public. Results showed that there is no significant difference in the factors affecting their choice of hospital. Pearson''s correlation coefficient test was use to measure diabetic patients’ overall satisfaction with hospital, and it was found that “medical skills and expertise of the doctor,” “service attitude of the doctor,” “waiting time spent on the visit and at dispensary,” “Medical equipment and scale of hospital,” “better efficacy of the drug,” “total expense of outpatient service,” and “environment of hospital” have a significant positive influence on overall satisfaction.
Conclusion and Suggestions:
For diabetic patients and general public in Gueishan Township, there is no significant difference in the factors affecting their choice of hospital. Therefore, whether the disease itself or the national health insurance system affects the choice of hospital is left to be discovered. It is advised that medical institutions may evaluate their own pros and cons, improve service quality, and increase the level of satisfaction according to the factors affecting patients’ choice of hospital, and the competent authority of medical institutions shall formulate specific measures to allocate medical resources more efficiently to reduce medical waste.
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