title: Patients' and professionals' evaluations of quality of care in oncology outpatient clinics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to compare patients' and professionals' evaluations of the quality of care in oncology outpatient clinics.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data were drawn from a 2011 survey of 1,379 patients and 155 professionals conducted in 15 % of oncology outpatient clinics in Quebec, Canada. Respondents completed self-administered questionnaires that addressed the aspects of timeliness (TIM), patient-centred care (PCC), communication (COM), quality of the physical environment (QPE), and continuity (CONT). Patients' and professionals' mean scores (maximum = 4) for each aspect were compared using mixed model analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients' and professionals' perceptions of quality of care were largely positive, with mean scores for all items of 3.66 and 3.37, respectively. However, for the majority of aspects of quality, the professionals' scores were lower than those of patients. The aspects rated most positively by both groups were PCC, COM and CONT. Timeliness was the least positively evaluated, with mean scores of 3.34 for patients and 3.16 for professionals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In many respects, cancer patients and professionals share relatively common views about the most and least positive aspects of the quality of care, although professionals tend to be more critical. Aspects evaluated less favourably by both groups and those on which opinions differ are good candidates for improvements. Some ideas for solutions are proposed. Positive patient feedback is especially important in cancer care, where attraction and retention of professionals is a key concern.
authors.affiliation: Community Health Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Longueuil, QC, Canada, daniele.roberge@usherbrooke.ca.
authors.forename: Danièle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Roberge
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tremblay
authors.forename: Marie-Ève
authors.initials: MÈ
authors.lastname: Turgeon
authors.forename: Djamal
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Berbiche
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000592:standards*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003142:Communication; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008503:Medical Staff / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000523:psychology*; D010045:Outpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000592:standards*; D011792:Quebec; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires