Responsiveness of the health system towards patients admitted to west of Iran hospitals

Abstract

Objective: Responsiveness refers to non-clinical aspects of the health system and responds to this question that whether health system is responsive to rightful expectations of people. This study aimed to assess the responsiveness of the health system towards patients admitted to hospitals in Khorramabad city in 2017. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 700 patients hospitalized in hospitals affiliated to Lorestan University of Medical Sciences in Khorramabad, 2017, who were included into the study using multi stage method. Data collection was performed using valid questionnaire that designed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for measurement of responsiveness. Data were entered into SPSS 22 software and analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics. Results: In this study, the highest responsiveness was related to social support networks dimension with a mean score of 3.95 ± 0.92 and the least responsiveness was related to choice of therapist (2.70 ± 0.33) and autonomy (2.81 ± .0.71) dimensions. According to the viewpoint of patients the most important dimensions were prompt attention (41%) and dignity (28%). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it seems logical and necessary to take steps to improve the health system’s responsiveness for patient care by paying pay more attention to patients’ rights, in particular, regarding the provision of conditions and facilities for choosing a health provider and considering their autonomy.