ASSESSMENT OF QUALITY OF HEALTHCARE FOR TUBERCULOSIS PATIENTS IN TEMA METROPOLIS

ABSTRACT 

The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of tuberculosis (TB) care rendered to TB patients within Tema Metropolis. The study examined three domains within which quality of care is assessed namely: structural factors, process factors and client satisfaction with services. Using a concurrent mixed method design, data was gathered through a survey among 113 TB clients and, by means of an interview among four healthcare professionals who provide care for TB patients. Purposive sampling techniques (maximum variation sampling technique and criterion sampling) were used in combination with convenience sampling technique to gather data from 113 respondents from a population of 170 TB patients and 4 health professionals directly involved in the care of TB clients. Findings from the study showed that structural quality of TB management was not encouraging (average mean score (2.75± 0.40) compared to process quality and outcome (client satisfaction) which had average mean scores of 3.6 ± 0.49 and 3.35 ± 0.87 respectively. Inadequate counselling rooms, lack of relaxed waiting area with comfortable chairs and inadequate staff were identified as the major challenges pertaining to structural quality of care. With regards to process quality, lack of privacy, poor supervision in taking medication, and inability of client to seek care beyond working hours were identified as the major shortcomings for process quality of TB case management. The study also revealed that although TB clients acknowledged improvement in their illness following intake of medications, they were dissatisfied with waiting time as well as reporting time to seek care. Based on these findings that emerged from the study, it is recommended that both non-governmental organizations and government institutions such as Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service collaborate to provide adequate counselling rooms, comfortable waiting area to address these challenges in order to improve quality of TB care.