Quality of Outpatient Visits in Selected Public and Private Clinics in Tabriz City in 2018

Quality of Outpatient Visits in Selected Public and Private Clinics in Tabriz City in 2018 Raana Gholamzadeh Nikjoo1, Mobin Sokhanvar2, Khadijeh Motahari rad*3, mohamad taghi khodayari4 1Faculty member. School of Management & medical informatics, Iranian center of excellence in health management, health services management research center, Tabriz University of medical sciences, Tabriz, Iran. 2Ph.D. Candidate in Health Services Management, Iranian Center of Excellence in Health Management (ICEHM), Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. 3B.Sc. Student in Health Services Management, School of Management & medical informatics, Iranian center of excellence in health management, Tabriz University of medical sciences, Tabriz, Iran. (Corresponding Author). 4Assistant professor of Biostatistics, Department of Biostatistics & Epidemiology, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Abstract Introduction: An outpatient visit is the start of the treatment process, the accuracy of which determines the outcome of patient treatment. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the quality of visits in selected public and private clinics in Tabriz. Methods: This is a descriptive-analytic study conducted in the clinics of Imam Reza Hospital, Sheykh Al-Raees, and Shahid Taleghani Hospital (public sector) and the clinics of Behboud Hospital and Tabriz International Hospital (private sector) in 2018. The sample size was 384 patients. A standard quality questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22 software. Results: The mean values of structural quality in public and private clinics were 75.60% ± 18.90 and 50.26% ± 15.10, respectively. The mean value of process quality was 84.08% ± 6.70 in public clinics and 81.05% ± 8.77 in private clinics. Moreover, 77.45% ± 18.45 of patients in public clinics and 77.60% ± 16.76 of patients in private clinics were satisfied with the outcomes of visits. The overall quality of services was 79.04% ± 10.05 in public clinics and 69.64% ± 9.26 in private clinics. Conclusion: The overall quality of services was at a moderate level. The average quality of visits was better in public clinics than in private ones. Officials can adopt measures to improve the service quality, such as infrastructure development in private clinics, the use of the Internet and telephone reception systems, time-based scheduling programs, and requiring physicians to attend the clinic regularly. Keywords: Quality; Visit; Outpatient Clinics; Private; Public   Please cite this article as follows: Gholamzadeh Nikjoo R, Sokhanvar M, Motahari rad KH, Khodayari MT. Quality of outpatient visit in selected public and private clinics of Tabriz city in 1397. Hakim Health Sys Res. 2019; 22(3): 249-257.   *Corresponding Author: B.Sc. Student, Iranian Center of Excellence in Health Management, School of Management & Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Tel: +98-9145251816, Email: [email protected]