Materla Tejaswi, Cudney Elizabeth A, Hopen Deborah
Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology , Rolla, Missouri, USA.
Deborah Hopen Associates, Inc., Auburn, Washington, USA.
Int J Health Care Qual Assur. 2019 Feb 11;32(1):137-151. doi: 10.1108/IJHCQA-02-2018-0056.
Healthcare providers are increasing their focus on patient satisfaction and patient-oriented services as they play a significant role in managing rising costs, elevating service quality and establishing sustainable quality improvement strategies. In recent years, the Kano model has gained popularity in the healthcare industry and has been employed to improve patient satisfaction. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how the Kano model can be deployed to identify a wide range of complex patient needs and convey its potential usefulness in the continuous improvement of the healthcare sector.
DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This paper provides a case study of implementing the Kano model to identify diverse patient needs and aims to eliminate the gaps identified in prior research, which include generically applying the Kano model to all service units of the healthcare system and using a predetermined service quality scale. This study emphasizes the importance of scale development and individual attention to each healthcare service unit in determining intricate patient needs. A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Student Health Services (SHS) of Missouri University of Science and Technology where the data were collected using the Kano survey. The respondents included undergraduate and graduate students that have utilized the healthcare services offered. A total of 138 patients were surveyed using a Kano model-based questionnaire that included demographics and treatment as well as service expectations.
Of the 21 quality attributes evaluated by the patients, 16 were categorized as one-dimensional, 3 as indifferent, and 2 as attractive attributes using the Kano model. None of the quality attributes showed a dominant must-be feature. The students considered the availability of appropriately qualified medical staff within 10 minutes of the check-in process and provision of after-hours care as attractive attributes that create greater satisfaction.
RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: The research was conducted at a university SHS center. Therefore, respondents in the survey are in a younger age group, which may affect patient expectations. In addition, expectations of an SHS center may be different than expectations of visiting a primary care physician and other healthcare units.
ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This study contributes to a better understanding of the identification of healthcare needs using the Kano model and advocates focusing on shifts in the categories over time and changes in the demographic environment.
医疗服务提供者越来越关注患者满意度和以患者为导向的服务，因为它们在控制成本上升、提升服务质量和制定可持续的质量改进策略方面发挥着重要作用。近年来，卡诺模型在医疗行业中颇受欢迎，并已被用于提高患者满意度。本文旨在说明如何运用卡诺模型来识别广泛的复杂患者需求，并阐述其在医疗行业持续改进中的潜在用途。
设计/方法/途径：本文提供了一个实施卡诺模型以识别不同患者需求的案例研究，旨在消除先前研究中发现的差距，这些差距包括将卡诺模型普遍应用于医疗系统的所有服务单元以及使用预先确定的服务质量量表。本研究强调了量表开发以及在确定复杂患者需求时对每个医疗服务单元给予个别关注的重要性。在密苏里科技大学学生健康服务中心进行了一项横断面研究，使用卡诺调查收集数据。受访者包括使用过所提供医疗服务的本科生和研究生。使用基于卡诺模型的问卷对总共138名患者进行了调查，问卷包括人口统计学、治疗情况以及服务期望。
患者评估的21个质量属性中，使用卡诺模型，16个被归类为一维属性（必备属性），3个为无差异属性，2个为魅力属性。没有质量属性显示出主导的必备特征。学生们认为在登记过程后10分钟内有资质合格的医务人员可供使用以及提供非工作时间护理是能带来更高满意度的魅力属性。
研究局限性/启示：该研究是在大学学生健康服务中心进行的。因此，调查中的受访者年龄较小，这可能会影响患者期望。此外，学生健康服务中心的期望可能与拜访初级保健医生和其他医疗单位的期望不同。
原创性/价值：本研究有助于更好地理解使用卡诺模型识别医疗需求，并主张关注类别随时间的变化以及人口环境的变化。
