Service Quality
As seen in the case of RUH, some health service providers need improvements when it comes to their operational processes. While the provisioning of health services is often limited by factors such as budget restraints and staff limitations, there are other factors at work that influence the quality of service provided by hospitals. One way in which service quality can be evaluated is by involving the users of these services through aspects of evaluation that entail an examination of their opinion on the level of patient care provided, the perspective of the patient’s regarding the type of service they utilized as well as how patients generally feel regarding the hospitals. By evaluating the experiences of users regarding the service quality they encountered, healthcare facilities are better able to determine where they are lacking and what aspects need improvement (Papageorgiou, Janmohamed, King, Davidson and Dawson 2004). This is all based on the fact that hospitals are, at the end of the day, service providers and, as such, it is important to listen to the feedback provided by their “customers” to provide services in the way that ensures that these “consumers” have a great experience.
Internal
When it comes to the impact of users on service quality, it is important to note that health service organizations such as the RUH do have aspects related to continuous improvement when it comes to their operational procedures. As such, feedback from users is essential for the hospital staff to determine where they need to improve and how they need to do so to become better health service practitioners (Rise, Eriksen Grimstad and Steinsbekk 2012). User feedback, in essence, acts as the measure by which hospital workers can determine whether they are in line with aspects related to proper care and handling, respect for the patient as well as whether or not they have acted in a sufficiently professional manner that it is reflected in the quality of service that the patients perceive (Narayanan, Greco, Powell and Bealing 2011).
External
Aside from aspects related to continuous improvement, user feedback also helps health service providers determine whether they are in line with the requirements of inspection agencies. This can often entail whether the rooms are clean, the services provided by nurses are done respectfully and properly as well as acts as a sufficient overview regarding the level of professionalism that is being utilized within the hospital (Snow and Kendall-Raynor 2008). Health service providers such as the RUH need to ensure that they comply with at least the minimum standards of inspection agencies and, as such, external opinions via users help the hospital determine whether they are failing in one aspect of their service or not.
Mechanisms for Improvement
Some of the mechanisms for improvement entail the use of surveys, consultations, or user panels for the hospital to gain user feedback for the type of healthcare service they were subjected to. There are several benefits of this methodological approach ranging from increased self-esteem on the part of the users, the feeling of greater control over their lives, and finally is likely to cause health service personnel to be more assertive with the type of service they provide.
Reference List
Narayanan, A, Greco, M, Powell, H and Bealing, T 2011, ‘Measuring the quality of hospital doctors through colleague and patient feedback’, Journal Of Management & Marketing In Healthcare, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 180-195.
Papageorgiou, A, Janmohamed, A, King, M, Davidson, O and Dawson, J 2004, ‘Advance directives for patients compulsorily admitted to hospital with serious mental disorders: Directive content and feedback from patients and professionals’, Journal Of Mental Health, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 379-388.
Rise, M, Eriksen, L, Grimstad, H and Steinsbekk, A 2012, ‘The short-term effect on alliance and satisfaction of using patient feedback scales in mental health out-patient treatment. A randomised controlled trial’, BMC Health Services Research, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 348-359.
Snow, T and Kendall-Raynor, P 2008, ‘Patients to give instant feedback on the standard of nursing care’, Nursing Standard, vol. 23, no. 4, p. 9.