Patient-centric quality assessment framework for healthcare services

- Patient-centric quality assessment framework based on expected/perceived quality
- Framework generates a quality score used to monitor patient experience.
- Patient experiential value divided into extrinsic and intrinsic values
- Specific survey instruments can be designed using the framework.

In this study we propose a quality assessment framework for healthcare services. The proposed assessment framework is patient centric as it is based on patient expectations and perceived quality of service through their personal experience with the healthcare provider, across the various touchpoints during patient care. The framework generates a quality score which is a measure of the degree to which the patient's expectations were met or exceeded. We model the patient's perceived experiential value as a combination of extrinsic and intrinsic values. The extrinsic value includes the functional or utilitarian value, and to some extent, the social value. The intrinsic value includes emotional, epistemic and intrinsic social value. Using this generic framework for healthcare providers, and using a computerized system, appropriate instruments, rubrics or metrics can be designed for specific types of healthcare services. We show how this framework can be utilized for creating an assessment instrument for a specific healthcare facility in Korea - the Childhood Asthma Atopy Center in a general hospital located in Korea.