Quality of Mental Health Care at the Suntreso Government Hospital

ABSTRACT

Background: Mental health disorder is a subtly debilitating non-communicable disease requiring formal and informal caregivers to actively participate in its treatment and recuperation. But the onus is on the formal caregivers (health professionals e.g. nurses, doctors) to render satisfactory quality health service to the diseased (mental patient). This study was carried out to assess the quality of healthcare delivered to mental health patients from caregivers perspective at Suntreso Government Hospital. 

Objectives: To evaluate caregivers’ perception on quality of care mental ill patients received; to examine the effect of socio-demographic characteristics of caregivers on quality of care for mental patients and to describe the challenges that confront quality of care mental patients received. 

Methods: This was a facility based descriptive cross-sectional study design. Chi square analysis was used to assess the association between the dependent variable (quality of care) and each independent variables (caregivers’ perception of quality of care). Quality of care is defined as a person’s evaluation of clinical care, effectiveness of clinical care and effectiveness of interpersonal care. Variables in bivariate analysis was fitted in the final multiple logistic regression model to describe the strength of association. Both Crude Odds Ratio (COR) and Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to show an association between the dependent variable and each independent variables. Proportions was used to measure challenges that confront quality of care from the perspective of caregivers 

Results: There was no significant association between perception of care and quality of care delivery (p>0.05). Not discriminating against mentally ill patients correlates with quality of care delivery (χ2=17.5687; p=0.000). Showing respect to caregivers and mental ill patients has significant association with quality of care delivery (χ2=17.5687; p=0.000). Caregivers who earned more than 1000 GHS on monthly basis were 4.82 times more likely to perceive the quality of service as good. Muslims were 0.11 times higher to be satisfied with quality of care provided to the mental ill relatives as compared with Christians. 

Conclusions: Caregivers studied in Suntreso Government hospital showed poor perception on the quality of care the hospital provides for their patients (relatives). Also, caregivers’ age, educational attainment, marital status and employment status did not influence their perception on quality of care delivered to their patients. There are variations in the challenges/barrier that confronts quality of care at the facility. Among these barriers are unavailability of drugs, lack of mental health specialists and lack of hospital beds.