Quality attributes of primary health care services

Quality in primary health care is gaining a predominant role. Both public and private providers of primary health care services increasingly focus on quality issues, which allows them to gain a competitive advantage. In the article, fifty attributes determining the quality of services identified in literature are considered and evaluated in the context of primary health care services. Both technical attributes relating to the medical process itself and functional attributes resulting from patient experience as a client are studied. An analysis aiming to rank the importance of attributes was made on the basis of surveys carried out among 98 primary health care PHC managers. The research allowed for the identification of the most and the least important primary health care service attributes determining quality from the perspective of PHC managers. Functional attributes relating to patients` experience of care are being noticed as important and desired by patients. The findings resulting from this study can be practically applied at primary health care entities in order to maximise the satisfaction of patients through proper adjustment of business models.