QUALITY OF CARE AND CLIENT SATISFACTION

Key words: Quality of care, Client satisfaction, Health systems

Assessment of client satisfaction is increasingly popular among health managers. However, it is a matter that must be handled with care. The patient’s perception is easily distorted by inappropriate information and cannot easily discriminate real from apparent quality of care, particularly when sophisticated technologies are involved. More, patients are not keen to consider the public interest. The private sector may well build its fortune on client satisfaction, but this does not automatically mean that better quality of care will be delivered. The public health system should not be a competitor on this ground. Paediatricians should face the current rhetoric about quality by developing professional competence, communication skills and information to the patients.