title: Public perceptions of key performance indicators of healthcare in Alberta, Canada.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationship between public perceptions of key performance indicators assessing various aspects of the health-care system.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sequential survey research. Annual telephone surveys of random samples of adult Albertans selected by random digit dialing and stratified according to age, sex and region (n = 4000 for each survey year). The survey questionnaires included single-item measures of key performance indicators to assess public perceptions of availability, accessibility, quality, outcome and satisfaction with healthcare. Cronbach's α and factor analysis were used to assess the relationship between key performance indicators focusing on the health-care system overall and on a recent interaction with the health-care system.
  
  
  METHODS
  The province of Alberta, Canada during the years 1996-2004.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four thousand adults randomly selected each survey year.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survey questions measuring public perceptions of healthcare availability, accessibility, quality, outcome and satisfaction with healthcare.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Factor analysis identified two principal components with key performance indicators focusing on the health system overall loading most strongly on the first component and key performance indicators focusing on the most recent health-care encounter loading most strongly on the second component. Assessments of the quality of care most recently received, accessibility of that care and perceived outcome of care tended to be higher than the more general assessments of overall health system quality and accessibility.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Assessments of specific health-care encounters and more general assessments of the overall health-care system, while related, nevertheless comprise separate dimensions for health-care evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of Alberta, 6-25 Tory Building, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2H4. herb.northcott@ualberta.ca
authors.forename: Herbert C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Northcott
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Harvey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000416:Alberta; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011639:Public Opinion; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult