[Patients and quality of primary health care services. Survey of practitioners at the Bahía de Cádiz and La Janda health centers].
OBJECTIVE
To report the opinions of practitioners at health centers on dimensions of quality that affect user satisfaction.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study of focus groups (FG).


METHODS
Bahía de Cádiz and La Janda health centers in southwestern Spain.


METHODS
We studied 4 FG whose participants were staff members of the two health centers: FG1, physicians; FG2, user satisfaction service staff; FG3, social workers; FG4, nurses. The groups were based on the different functions of staff at the two centers.


METHODS
The analysis was based on variables in the SERCAL model (an adaptation of the SERVQUAL model for the Spanish health care system) of opinions regarding service quality: access, comfort (tangibles), personalized service (courtesy), competence, and loyalty. The data were analyzed with version N-Vivo of the NUDIST program.


RESULTS
All dimensions of the theoretical model were identified by practitioners as constructs of users' perceptions of service quality. Users' and practitioners' views contrasted with and complemented each other to generate a model that could be validated. Access, personalized service and problem-solving (responsiveness) were key variables.


CONCLUSIONS
Practitioners' opinions provided information of use in improving the quality model. Differences in opinion between users and practitioners merit further study based on an understanding of these groups' values and interests, and on the care provision context. Practitioners identified access, personalized service and problem-solving as features that influenced users' opinions of the quality of the health center.
Hernán García
M
M
Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública, Granada, España. mhernan@easp.es
Gutiérrez Cuadra
J L
JL
Lineros González
C
C
Ruiz Barbosa
C
C
Rabadán Asensio
A
A
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000592:standards; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D013030:Spain