Quality Perception and Utilization of Clinical Laboratory Test Results to Increase Physicians towards Laboratory service in Hospitals of South West Ethiopia

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Date

2018-06

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Addis Ababa Universty

Abstract

Background: Medical laboratory work is composed of the technical activities that produce laboratory results for patient care and the management activities that support the technical work. It is crucial for proper treatment of patients and surveillance of the disease. However, laboratory diagnosis in Ethiopia is constrained by inadequate infrastructure, consumables and insufficient skilled personnel. Furthermore, the perceptions and attitude of physicians on the quality of laboratory services also present a significant challenge in the utilization of the available services. Objectives: The objective of the study is to assess the quality perception and utilization of laboratory test result among physicians. Methodology: A prospective and retrospective hospital based cross sectional study design was conducted to assess the quality perception and utilization of clinical laboratory test results among 227 physicians on 12 hospitals of south-west Ethiopia from January to March, 2018. The reliability of the response was checked using Cronbach’s alpha and it was 69%. The data entry and analysis were double checked before result reporting. Result: Of 214 total respondents, 167(77%) were male and the age of participant’s lies 18-46. The participants 144(67.3%) and 110(51.4%) had poor quality perception and utilization of laboratory test result respectively. Participants’ educational level and type of institution had significant association with quality perception and utilization in addition formal customer handling training, system for physician feedback, physician survey & internal audit and service interruption had significant association for quality perception while participants’ working department type, quality perception level and recording of results on patients’ card had significant association for utilization of laboratory result. Conclusion: The overall findings illustrate that formal customer handling training, system for physician feedback, physician survey & internal audit, service interruption, good quality perception creation and recording of results on patients’ card are factors for quality perception and utilization of laboratory test result among physicians and intervention that should focus on those factors.

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Keywords

Perception, Physicians, Quality, Test result and Utilization

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