Perspectives of adolescents on the quality of youth friendly health services at Chikwawa District Hospital
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Date
2017-06-01
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Abstract
This descriptive quantitative study aimed at assessing the quality of Youth Friendly Health Services offered to adolescents at Chikwawa district hospital. Sample size was 110 adolescents aged 15 to 19 years who came for reproductive health services at antenatal clinic, family planning clinic, HIV testing and counseling clinic and ART clinic. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20.0. SERVQUAL (Service Quality) model developed by Parasuraman, Berry, and Zeithaml (1985) was used to guide the study. SERVQUAL model uses 5 elements namely tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy to assess quality from the perspective of the service user. SERVQUAL tool was used to measure the gap between quality expectations and quality perceptions using gap score analysis. Associations between expectations, perceptions and demographic characteristics were done using Independent- samples t- test. Findings revealed that there was an average gap score of -5.31 meaning that reproductive health services that are provided to adolescents are not of good quality in relation to the expectations of adolescents in all the dimensions of quality. One of the limitations of the study was use of one method of data collection (SERVQUAL tool). There was need to use observation as another method of collecting data in order to validate some of the variables in tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy dimensions of quality. In conclusion, the study revealed that adolescents have high service quality expectations in all the five dimensions of quality. The study also revealed that service quality perception of adolescents towards YFHS was lower than their expectations mostly in tangibles and responsiveness dimensions. This calls for service providers to provide quality services in order to meet the expectations of adolescents.