Effects of Hospital Decentralization Processes on Patients’ Satisfaction: Evidence from Two Public Romanian Hospitals across Two Decades

Dorel Dulău, Lisa Craiut, Delia Mirela Tit, Camelia Buhas, Alexandra Georgiana Tarce and Diana Uivarosan
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Dorel Dulău: Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, 410028 Oradea, Romania
Lisa Craiut: Doctoral School of Engineering Sciences, University of Oradea, 410087 Oradea, Romania
Delia Mirela Tit: Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, 410028 Oradea, Romania
Camelia Buhas: Doctoral School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Oradea, 410087 Oradea, Romania
Alexandra Georgiana Tarce: Medicine Program of Study, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, 410073 Oradea, Romania
Diana Uivarosan: Department of Preclinical Disciplines, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Oradea, University of Oradea, 410073 Oradea, Romania

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 8, 1-16

Abstract: Patient satisfaction represents an essential indicator in assessing healthcare quality, as it is an extensive source of information regarding the healthcare provider’s ability to meet patients’ expectations and is a key predictor of patients’ behavioral approaches. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the degree of satisfaction of patients who have been admitted for inpatient hospitalization in two public hospitals located in the North-West of Romania, during two different periods of administration/management of healthcare services, in the context of an ongoing decentralization process of public healthcare services (initiated in 2010). An exploratory study was conducted in the period of April–December 2021, based on a patient satisfaction survey, through which the quality of in-hospital services was evaluated at present and up until 2010, by the hospitalized patients in both periods. In total, 208 survey responses were validated and analyzed. The chi-square test and t-test were used for statistical processing. The results of the survey revealed that the percentage of patients that evaluated the inpatient experience as excellent was significantly higher during the period when hospitals were administered by local authorities than during the period of centralized administration (68.27% vs. 28.37%; p < 0.001), both in medical care as well as in hospital hotel services (71.63 vs. 29.81%), respectively (56.25 vs. 27.40; p < 0.001). The results obtained from this survey indicate that the decentralization of hospital units has had a positive effect on the quality of inpatient medical services and highlight the need for formulating and finalizing a policy aimed at developing and enhancing medical services.

Keywords: hospital decentralization; patient satisfaction; public health system; healthcare sector management; Romania (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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