Tamiru Bogale, Mesfin Beharu, Temamen Tesfaye, Yeshitila Belay
Background: Patient centered care has received a new emphasis in recent years due to the rise in health care demand. It is increasingly recognized as a key dimension of quality healthcare, but remains poorly implemented in practice. Despite the need to transform the existed health care delivery practice into patient centered care, few have dealt on the implementation of patient centered care practice in public health care organizations in the region.
Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the scope of patient centered care practice and to identify potential factors that drive or hinder patient centered care practice in public hospitals of Benishangul Gumuze regional state, South West Ethiopia.
Methods: Institution based Qualitative case study design was employed. Thirty-two purposively selected participants from different category were interviewed. Ethical clearance sheet was obtained from Jimma University ethical review board. Seventeen face to face in depth interview, two focused group interview, document review and systematic observation was conducted. Deductive analysis was employed manually to analyze text data.
Results: The analysis result showed that the concept of patient-centered care was perceived as; providing quality care, making partnership, provision of information, patient involvement and understanding patient preference. Patient centered care practice had occurred in the health care organizations.
Conclusion: Patient centered care practice in public hospitals had clearly occurred in some degree. However patient empowerment and family and friend involvement in patient care were found far from the existed practice and which was favored by low patient health literacy levels. Investing on the improvement of patient health literacy and staff capacity may fasten the transformation of the current health care practice in to patient centered care practice in the settings.
