Patient's perceived quality as a strategy for the identification of opportunities for improvement in the care of the tuberculosis service in a health center in Ecuador.

OBJECTIVE: Service quality determines user perception and satisfaction with the service. Therefore, a low perception of quality reflects dissatisfaction and potential problem areas. The objective of this research was to analyze the perception of quality of care in the Tuberculosis Control Program among adult patients treated at the La Troncal Type C Health Center (Ecuador). This research aimed to identify critical issues as opportunities for improvement in service delivery.

METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. A sample of 257 individuals was established. Patients were treated in the Tuberculosis Control Program from February to May 2023 at the La Troncal Type C Health Center (Ecuador). Simple random sampling was used. A sociodemographic and clinical data survey and ServQual were administered simultaneously to participants after receiving care at the tuberculosis service. Descriptive statistics tools, absolute and relative frequencies were used for qualitative variables. For quantitative variables, the Kolgomorov-Smirnov test, mean, standard deviation, median, and interquartile range were used. An inferential analysis was performed, determining differences in the level of perceived quality using the Kruskal-Wallis H test and the Mann-Whitney U test.

RESULTS: A mean of 4 was obtained for all dimensions of perceived quality. With the exception of age group and marital status, no other sociodemographic variables led to significant differences in the scores for the ServQual dimensions. The 18-25 age group had significant differences in the dimensions of reliability, security, sensitivity, and empathy. Statistical significance was observed for singles and people in a common-law relationship (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Patients treated in the Tuberculosis Control Program at the La Troncal Type C Health Center report a high level of satisfaction, reflected by a positive perception of the quality of care in the service. Quality perception allow us to identify opportunities for improvement related to service performance and records, as well as the root causes of these problems.