Relationship Between Patients' Perceptions of Care Quality and Health Care Errors in 11 Countries: A Secondary Data Analysis

Qual Manag Health Care. 2016 Jan-Mar;25(1):13-21. doi: 10.1097/QMH.0000000000000079.

Abstract

Patients may be the most reliable reporters of some aspects of the health care process; their perspectives should be considered when pursuing changes to improve patient safety. The authors evaluated the association between patients' perceived health care quality and self-reported medical, medication, and laboratory errors in a multinational sample. The analysis was conducted using the 2010 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey, a multinational consumer survey conducted in 11 countries. Quality of care was measured by a multifaceted construct developed using Rasch techniques. After adjusting for potentially important confounding variables, an increase in respondents' perceptions of care coordination decreased the odds of self-reporting medical errors, medication errors, and laboratory errors (P < .001). As health care stakeholders continue to search for initiatives that improve care experiences and outcomes, this study's results emphasize the importance of guaranteeing integrated care.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Communication
  • Continuity of Patient Care / organization & administration
  • Diagnostic Errors / statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • Health Care Surveys
  • Health Services Accessibility / organization & administration
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Medical Errors / statistics & numerical data*
  • Medication Errors / statistics & numerical data
  • Middle Aged
  • Patient Safety
  • Patient Satisfaction / statistics & numerical data*
  • Perception*
  • Quality of Health Care / organization & administration*
  • Young Adult