Aryankhesal A¹ * (PhD), Alihosseini S² (BSc)

  ¹ Department of Health Services Administration, School of Health Management and

  Information Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

  ² Department of Public Health and Management, School of Health & Nutrition,
Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

  Received: 30 Nov 2010, Accepted: 6 July 2011

  Abstract

  Introduction: There are increasing international interests in the use of performance measurement and their public release in order to improve the quality of care. However, few studies have assessed stakeholders’ awareness and use of performance data. Iranian hospitals have been graded annually since 1998 and hospital hotel charges vary by grades however, system has never been evaluated.

  Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 104 outpatients at eight Teheran hospitals, and 103 general practitioners (GPs) to assess the awareness of and attitudes towards hospital grading system.

  Results: Only 5.8% of patients (95% CI: 1.3–10.3%) and 11.7% of GPs (95% CI: 5.5–17.9%) were aware of grading results. Patients’ awareness was positively associated with their education level (P-value = 0.016). No patient used the grading results for choosing a hospital and only one GP (1%, 95% CI: 0–2%) reported using hospital grade to decide on referrals. Patients were more influenced by hospitals’ public reputation and that of their specialists. GPs believed that the grading system did not reflect the quality of care in hospitals.

  Conclusion: The hospital grading system had nearly no effect on choosing hospital among patients and GPs . When developing performance measurement systems, public release of data should be accompanied by evaluation of its impact on awareness and health-care choices.

  Key words: Hospital grading, Dissemination of performance data, Patients, GPs, Awareness, Attitudes

  Please cite this article as follows:

  Aryankhesal A, Alihosseini S. Patients’ and General Practitioners’ Awareness of and Attitudes towards Iranian Hospital Grading System and its Impact on Choosing Hospital, 2009. Hakim Research Journal 2011 14(2): 115- 122.

  * Corresponding Author: School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Rashid Yasemi St, Vali-e Asr Ave, Tehran, Iran. Postal Code: 19395/4798. Tel: +98-21-88788765, Fax: +98-21-88788827, E-mail: a-aryankhesal@tums.ac.ir