The health service quality of the universal health care coverage in Chanthaburi Province.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in health service quality (HSQ) between before and after implementing the Universal Health Care Coverage (UC) and the factors influencing the quality of health services provided by the public health care agency in Chanthaburi. This research emphasized 5 categories of health services, including tangibles,responsiveness, empathy, assurance, and reliability. All 322 subjects as Chanthaburi residents aged 12 year old and older were randomized by the multi-stage sampling. Data were collected two times, one month before and 6 months after implementing the UC, using interview and questionnaire developed by the researchers. Data were analyzed in terms of frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, pair t-test, and multiple regression correlation-stepwise. Research results were as follows:

In regard to studying the health service quality (HSQ), it was found that before implementing the UC, a whole set of categories and most items of the HSQ were at the moderate level, except both categories of assurance and reliability were at the good level. In addition, after 6 months of implementing the UC,a whole set of categories and most items of the HSQ were at the good level, except only one category of tangibles was at the moderate level. There were no significant differences at the 0.05 level between before and after implementing the UC toward a whole set of categories and the most items of the HSQ. Only one category of reliability was significant differente. It was also found that the HSQ after implementing the UC was better than before.

As a result of influenced factors on the HSQ in Chanthaburi province, it was found that a) before implementing the UC, four of five selected factors (empathy,assurance, reliability, and tangibles) were the influenced factors toward the HSQ at the 0.05 level, could predict the HSQ at 56.10 percent. The best predictor was the empathy, could predict the HSQ at 39.80 percent. b) after implementing the UC, all 5 categories (responsiveness, assurance,empathy, tangibles, and reliability) were the influenced factors toward the HSQ at 61.90 percent. The best predictor of all was the responsiveness, could predict the HSQ at 42.50
percent.