摘要
Purpose:Patients'complaints can be predictors of patient care quality and safety.Understanding patients'complaints could help healthcare organizations target the areas for improvements.The purpose of this study is to use a mixed method analysis to a)examine the characteristics and categories of patients'complaints,b)explore the relationships of patients'complaints with professions and units,and c)propose theory-based strategies to improve care quality.Methods:This is a descriptive mixed method study.Data examined are patients'complaints filed at a university-affiliated hospital in China from January 2016 to December 2017.A qualitative content analysis was conducted to categorize complaints.A TwoStep cluster analysis was performed to provide an overall profile of patients'complaints.Chi-Square tests were conducted to investigate the relationships among complaints,professions,and units.Results:838 complaints were filed,with 821 valid cases for analysis.Six categories surfaced from the qualitative analysis:uncaring attitudes,unsatisfactory quality of treatment or competence,communication problems,the process of care,fees and billing issues,and other miscellaneous causes.Physicians received most of the complaints(56.6%).The unit receiving the most complaints were outpatient clinics and medical support units(52.7%).The cluster analysis indicated four distinct clusters.Significant relationships existed between complaints and professions(x2(20)=178.82,P<0.01),and between complaints and units(x2(15)=42.72,P<0.01).Conclusions:Patients'complaints are valuable sources for quality improvements.Healthcare providers should be not only scientifically knowledgeable,but also humanistic caring.Caring-based theories may provide guidance in clinical practice.
