Huvudintresseområde Patients’ perception of the quality of care  
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	Otto M. Aareskjold Intensivsykepleier. Cand. San. Universitetslektor Universitetet i Stavanger, Norge Samfunnsvitenskapelig fakultet,  Institutt for helsefag E-mail: otto.m.aareskjold@uis.no

Abstract

Patients’ perception of the quality of care in a medical intensive care unit

The aim of this study was to carry out a theoretical-based survey of patients’ perception of the quality of care in a medical intensive care unit and focus on potential relationships between the patients’ perception of quality of care and their sense of coherence.

The sample consisted of 126 Norwegian in-patients.  The average age was 73 years of age.  Data was collected using the Quality from the Patient’s Perspective Questionnaire and the Sence of Coherence Questionnaire.  The quality questionnaire consists of 68 items designed to measure the following four quality dimensions: the medical-technical competence and the degree of identity-orientation in the action of the caregivers, the physical-technical conditions and the social-cultural atmosphere of the care organization.  Each question is posed in two different ways, one measure perceived reality of the item in question and one the subjective importance the patient ascribe to it.  Sense of coherence was measured with Antonowsky´s 13-item short version of the Sense of Coherence questionnaire. Subgroups of patients were compared and correlations were computed.

Patients gave the highest values for items which illustrated medical-technical competence of the staff and lowest values for items which illustrated their identity-oriented approach.  Results showed age and educational differences among the respondents.

Neither physical health nor psychological well-being was related to perceived reality or subjective importance in the patients’ perceptions of quality of care.

A methodical issue focused on in the present study is the question of whether patients’ responses to the questionnaire on quality of care reflect their opinions on the matter, or if these responses rather reflect the patients´ personality dispositions and mood states. Results showed that patients´ rating of perceived reality as well as subjective importance did not co vary systematically with their sense of coherence.

Keywords:  quality of care, patient perspective, sense of coherence,        questionnaire