Quality Care Dimensions in Private Hospitals of Kathmandu: An Analysis of Patient Perceptions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63682/jns.v14i32S.7733Keywords:
quality care, nursing, private hospitals, Kathmandu, service quality, patient satisfaction, empathy, reliability, responsivenessAbstract
This paper examines the dimensions of the quality of patient care in the nursing service in the private hospitals of Kathmandu. The patients' perceptions are measured in a variety of dimensions of health service quality such as reliability, assurance, tangibility, empathy, and responsiveness. Quantitative data were collected from 225 respondents such that they serve as a proxy for perceived service quality. Highest score were reported for empathy and tangibles, with high level of satisfaction in all areas. Staff's competency and professionalism were highly rated, but there were some moderate concerns about their accessibility and willingness to listen. The findings also indicate potential scope for enhancing communication, empathy and hygiene practices and system responsiveness.
Downloads
Metrics
References
Acharya, R. P., Wagle, R. R., & Bhandari, G. P. (2018). Health system performance in Nepal: Challenges and opportunities. Journal of Nepal Health Research Council, 16(1), 56-61. [https://doi.org/10.3126/jnhrc.v16i1.19383](https://doi.org/10.3126/jnhrc.v16i1.19383)
Aiken, L. H., Clarke, S. P., Sloane, D. M., Sochalski, J., & Silber, J. H. (2002). Hospital nurse staffing and patient mortality, nurse burnout, and job dissatisfaction. JAMA, 288(16), 1987-1993.
Aiken, L. H., Sermeus, W., Van den Heede, K., et al. (2012). Patient safety, satisfaction, and quality of hospital care: Cross-sectional surveys of nurses and patients in 12 countries in Europe and the United States. BMJ, 344, e1717. [https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e1717](https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e1717)
Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D. M., Bruyneel, L., Van den Heede, K., Griffiths, P., Busse, R., ... & Sermeus, W. (2012). Nurse staffing and education and hospital mortality in nine European countries: a retrospective observational study. The Lancet, 383(9931), 1824–1830. [https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62631-8](https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736%2813%2962631-8)
Alasad, J., & Ahmad, M. (2005). Communication with critically ill patients. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 50(4), 356-362.
Almalki, M. J., FitzGerald, G., & Clark, M. (2012). Quality of work life among primary health care nurses in the Jazan region, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study. Human Resources for Health, 10(1), 1–13. [https://doi.org/10.1186/1478-4491-10-30](https://doi.org/10.1186/1478-4491-10-30)
Andaleeb, S. S. (2001). Service quality perceptions and patient satisfaction: A study of hospitals in a developing country. Social Science & Medicine, 52(9), 1359–1370.
Bleich, S. N., Özaltin, E., & Murray, C. J. L. (2009). How does satisfaction with the health-care system relate to patient experience? Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 87(4), 271-278. [https://doi.org/10.2471/BLT.07.050401](https://doi.org/10.2471/BLT.07.050401)
Brunetto, Y., Xerri, M., Shriberg, A., Farr-Wharton, R., Shacklock, K., & Newman, S. (2013). The impact of workplace relationships on engagement, well-being, commitment and turnover for nurses in Australia and the USA. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 69(12), 2786–2799. [https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12165](https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12165)
Donabedian, A. (1988). The quality of care: How can it be assessed? JAMA, 260(12), 1743-1748.
Donabedian, A. (1988). The quality of care: How can it be assessed? JAMA, 260(12), 1743-1748.
Donabedian, A. (1988). The quality of care: How can it be assessed? JAMA, 260(12), 1743-1748. [https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1988.03410120089033](https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1988.03410120089033)
Foster, K., Roche, M., Delgado, C., Cuzzillo, C., Giandinoto, J. A., & Furness, T. (2015). Resilience and mental health nursing: an integrative review of international literature. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 24(1), 23–35. [https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.12034](https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.12034)
Freeney, Y., & Tiernan, J. (2009). Exploration of the facilitators of and barriers to work engagement in nursing. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 46(12), 1557–1565. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2009.05.003](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2009.05.003)
Haddad, L. M., Annamaraju, P., & Toney-Butler, T. J. (2020). Nursing shortage. StatPearls Publishing. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493175/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493175/)
Halldorsdottir, S., & Hamrin, E. (1997). Caring and uncaring encounters in nursing and health care–Developing a theory of caring. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 11(2), 79-86.
Hayes, B., Douglas, C., & Bonner, A. (2010). Work environment, job satisfaction, stress and burnout among haemodialysis nurses. Journal of Nursing Management, 18(5), 614–625. [https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2834.2010.01088.x](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2834.2010.01088.x)
Herzberg, F., Mausner, B., & Snyderman, B. B. (1959). The motivation to work. Wiley.
Herzberg, F., Mausner, B., & Snyderman, B. B. (1959). The motivation to work. Wiley.
Hojat, M., Louis, D. Z., Markham, F. W., et al. (2011). Physicians’ empathy and clinical outcomes for diabetic patients. Academic Medicine, 86(3), 359-364. [https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0b013e3182086fe1](https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0b013e3182086fe1)
Institute of Medicine. (2001). Crossing the quality chasm: A new health system for the 21st century. National Academies Press. [https://doi.org/10.17226/10027](https://doi.org/10.17226/10027)
Islam, M. S., Siddiqui, M. A. B., Rahman, M. M., & Billah, M. M. (2022). Factors affecting the patient satisfaction in healthcare services: Evidence from hospitals in Bangladesh. Health Services Management Research, 35(2), 87–98. [https://doi.org/10.1177/09514848211043130](https://doi.org/10.1177/09514848211043130)
Kumar, R., & Kumar, N. (2019). Work environment and job satisfaction among health professionals. International Journal of Scientific Research, 8(6), 1–3.
Kutney-Lee, A., McHugh, M. D., Sloane, D. M., et al. (2009). Nursing: A key to patient satisfaction. Health Affairs, 28(4), w669-w677. [https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.28.4.w669](https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.28.4.w669)
Liu, Y., Aungsuroch, Y., & Yunibhand, J. (2022). Job satisfaction in nursing: a concept analysis study. International Nursing Review, 69(1), 64–72. [https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12707](https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12707)
Lu, H., Zhao, Y., & While, A. (2019). Job satisfaction among hospital nurses: A literature review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 94, 21–31. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2019.01.011](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2019.01.011)
Manzoor, F., Wei, L., Hussain, A., Asif, M., & Shah, S. I. A. (2019). Patient satisfaction with health care services; An application of physician’s behavior as a moderator. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(18), 3318.
McCabe, C. (2004). Nurse–patient communication: An exploration of patients’ experiences. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 13(1), 41-49.
McHugh, M. D., Kutney-Lee, A., Cimiotti, J. P., et al. (2011). Nurses’ widespread job dissatisfaction, burnout, and frustration with health benefits signal problems for patient care. Health Affairs, 30(2), 202-210. [https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2010.0100](https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2010.0100)
Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP). (2021). Annual report: Department of Health Services 2019/2020. [https://dohs.gov.np](https://dohs.gov.np)
Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP). (2021). Annual report: Department of Health Services 2019/2020. [https://dohs.gov.np](https://dohs.gov.np)
Nepal, D. and Nepal, Y.J. (2021). Quality of Health Service: Issues and Measures to Improve. In PRASHASAN, Volume 52, Issue 1, No. 134, p.181-188.
Nepal, P., & Nepal, S. (2021). Factors influencing patient satisfaction in private hospitals: A study in Kathmandu. Journal of Nepal Health Research Council, 19(1), 66-72. [https://doi.org/10.33314/jnhrc.v19i1.3076](https://doi.org/10.33314/jnhrc.v19i1.3076)
Oja, K., Klemets, J., & Länsisalmi, H. (2019). Work environment factors and hospital nurses’ self-rated professional competence and work-related well-being: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(11), 1940.
Oner, B., Zengul, F. D., Oner, N., & Breland, B. (2019). Organizational determinants of hospital responsiveness to patient feedback. BMC Health Services Research, 19, 726.
Pajnkihar, M., McKenna, H. P., Stiglic, G., & Vrbnjak, D. (2017). Fit for practice: Analysis and evaluation of a national study of nursing education in Slovenia. International Nursing Review, 64(3), 401–409. [https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12362](https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12362)
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(1), 12-40.
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(1), 12-40.
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(1), 12-40.
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(1), 12–40.
Pokharel, B. (2019). Cultural perspectives in healthcare: A Nepalese context. Nepal Medical Journal, 2(1), 10-15. [https://doi.org/10.3126/nmj.v2i1.24563](https://doi.org/10.3126/nmj.v2i1.24563)
Reynolds, W. J., & Scott, B. (2000). Do nurses and other professional helpers normally display much empathy? Journal of Advanced Nursing, 31(1), 226-234.
Shafiq, M., Naeem, M. A., & Hadi, N. U. (2019). Impact of tangibility on customer satisfaction in the healthcare sector of Pakistan. Journal of Quality and Technology Management, 15(1), 1–19.
Sharma, J. R. (2015). Health care in Kathmandu: An overview of challenges and opportunities. Kathmandu Medical Journal, 13(2), 101-106.
Sharma, P., & Joshi, S. (2022). Equity and quality in Nepal’s health system: A review. Nepal Journal of Epidemiology, 12(3), 1178-1183. [https://doi.org/10.3126/nje.v12i3.47478](https://doi.org/10.3126/nje.v12i3.47478)
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
Terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
