Author(s)

Erick Kinyenje^1*, Mbwana M. Degeh¹, Omary A. Nassoro¹, Radenta P. Bahegw¹, Joseph C. Hokororo¹, Talhiya A. Yahya², Chrisogone J. German¹, Mohamed A. Mohamed^3,4, Ruth R. Ngowi¹, Yohanes S. Msigwa¹, Laura E. Marandu¹, Syabo M. Mwaisengela⁵, Upendo Kimaro⁶, Janeth S. Masuma⁷, Faraja Msemwa⁷, Michael Habtu⁷, Grace Saguti⁷, Eliudi S. Eliakimu¹

¹Health Quality Assurance Unit, Ministry of Health, Dodoma, United Republic of Tanzania.
²Management Science for Health, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania.
³Tanzania Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (TFELTP), Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania.
⁴East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community, Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania.
⁵Division of Policy and Planning; Ministry of Health, Dodoma, United Republic of Tanzania.
⁶Health Quality Assurance and Clinical Audit Unit, Muhimbili National Hospital, United Republic of Tanzania.
⁷World Health Organization, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania.

Background: Effective patient-provider interaction plays a critical role in ensuring high-quality healthcare. Tanzania implemented the Star Rating Assessment (SRA) program since 2015/2016 to evaluate service delivery quality in primary healthcare (PHC). The SRA evaluates various aspects, including patient-provider interaction. This study analyzes data from the latest nationwide assessment conducted in 2017/2018 to provide insights into the status of Tanzanian facilities in this area and identify potential influencing factors. Methods: The quality of patient-provider interaction was assessed using five indicators: provider’s friendliness, thorough history-taking, complete examination, effective communication of diagnosis and treatment, and sufficient time spent with the patient. Facilities scoring at least four indicators (80%) were deemed to have good interaction. Proportions of facilities with good interaction overall and for each indicator were determined. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the associations between good interaction and different characteristics of PHC facilities, including location (rural or urban), facility level (dispensary, health center, or hospital), ownership (public or private), gender of the facility’s in-charge, and type of provider (nurse, clinician, or other non-clinical staff). Associations were considered statistically significant if the p-value was less than 0.05. Results: In our study, we included 6663 primary healthcare (PHC) facilities, of which 50.3% (3350) exhibited good interaction. The lowest scores were recorded for complete patient examination (50.4%) and thorough history taking (51.5%). The findings suggested that privately owned facilities, urban facilities, and facilities overseen by male facility in-charges were associated with good interaction. Provider type, consultation room facilities, and tracer medicines availability showed no significant associations with the quality of interaction. Conclusion: The quality level of patient-provider interaction in PHC facilities in Tanzania is still unsatisfactory. Improvements in infrastructure should go hand in hand with strengthening service delivery management, especially in rural areas and public PHC facilities.

Patient-Provider Interaction, Primary Health Care, Star Rating Assessment, Tanzania

Kinyenje, E. , Degeh, M. , Nassoro, O. , Bahegw, R. , Hokororo, J. , Yahya, T. , German, C. , Mohamed, M. , Ngowi, R. , Msigwa, Y. , Marandu, L. , Mwaisengela, S. , Kimaro, U. , Masuma, J. , Msemwa, F. , Habtu, M. , Saguti, G. and Eliakimu, E. (2023) Patient-Provider Interaction in Primary Healthcare Facilities in Tanzania: Findings from Star Rating Assessment. Journal of Service Science and Management, 16, 642-659. doi: 10.4236/jssm.2023.165034.