Patients’ perception of quality of care in health facilities empanelled under Sehat-Card-Plus programme, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Objective:This study aims to assess perceived quality of care among users of hospitals empanelled under SCP Programme,KP.Methods: The assumed satisfaction level was 80% among SCP users, and 10%-point lower satisfaction among SCP nonusers.With a design effect of 1.5, 95% confidence level, and 80% power, the estimated total sample size was 972 patients,with equal group sizes of SCP users and SCP non-users. However, a total of 1,006 patients were included in the study, ofwhich 517 were SCP users and 489 were non-SCP users. Total samples were distributed across 38 facilities in KP, proportionalto average monthly admissions at each sampled facility. The data collection tool included 18 indicators of perceived qualityof care, spread across 6 domains.Results:The overall satisfaction level with the quality of care among SCP users was found higher, 81%, relative to non-users,79% (p<0.001). Disaggregated analysis across the study domains showed that the SCP non-users expressed higherperception about quality of hospital infrastructure and amenities relative to SCP users, whereas SCP users reported highersatisfaction with promptness of service, healthcare provider conduct, healthcare provider communication and quality ofhealth service delivery. Only 326 (63%) users and 299 (61%) non-users were satisfied with healthcare providercommunication. A total of 344 (67%) SCP users reported that Sehat Card Desk Representative gave them completeinformation about benefits and services under the programme.Conclusions: The SCP users reported high perceived quality of care. Further in-depth qualitative assessment isrecommended to explain these findings.Keywords: Social health insurance, Quality of care, Sehat Card Plus Programme, Patient satisfaction, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa