Perceived quality of healthcare delivery in a rural district of ghana.

OBJECTIVE The study aimed at finding out clients' perceptions of the quality of healthcare delivery at the district level in rural Ghana, using the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem District as a case study. DESIGN 803 patients were purposively selected and interviewed after visits to health facilities using a pretested questionnaire, while focus group discussions were held in 13 communities. The study was done between October 2003 and August 2004. RESULTS The majority of respondents (70%) were females. The mean expected maximum waiting time for seeking medical help was 1 hr. About 98% said they were asked to explain their problem. However, lower proportions, 74%, 43% and 46% were physically examined, told what was wrong, or given advice about their illness, respectively. About 90% of the respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the care given during their visit to the health facility. The participants perceived poor attitude of some health workers, long waiting times, high cost of services, inadequate staff, policy of payment for health services, frequent referrals to hospitals, and lack of ambulances at facilities as being detrimental to effective delivery of quality healthcare. CONCLUSIONS The study found that generally the quality of healthcare delivery was perceived to be high for most of the indicators used. There were, however, some concerns that patients were not told the diagnosis or informed about the management of their illness. These need to be addressed. The level of satisfaction with quality of healthcare was high.