ArticleInternational journal of nursing sciences2018
A mixed method analysis of patients' complaints: Underpinnings of theory-guided strategies to improve quality of care.
Article in International journal of nursing sciences, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed.
- Organisational responses to patient complaints in healthcare service delivery in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review.BMJ open quality · 2026Article
- Beyond gratitude: a qualitative investigation of compliment letters received by a neonatology service.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- General Male Patients' Experiences When Visiting Public Health Facilities in Limpopo Province, South Africa.Public health challenges · 2025Article
- Implementation of Patient Complaint Management Mechanisms for Quality Improvement in Maternal Health Services: Exploration of Provider Perspectives at Mkuranga District Hospital.International journal of women's health · 2025Article
- Systematizing Complaints About Healthcare and Services at University Hospitals: Content Analysis of Patient/Family Letters.Journal of patient experience · 2024Article
- Organizational culture and roles in promoting nurse specialty certifications: A qualitative study in the United States.International journal of nursing sciences · 2023Article
- Improving heart failure care with an Experience-Based Co-Design approach: what matters to persons with heart failure and their family members?BMC health services research · 2023Article
- The development of an evidence-informed Convergent Care Theory: Working together to achieve optimal health outcomes.International journal of nursing sciences · 2022Article
- A unitary caring science resilience-building model: Unifying the human caring theory and research-informed psychology and neuroscience evidence.International journal of nursing sciences · 2021Article
- Restoring the Performance of a Health Care Organization Following the First Wave of COVID-19 by Using Patient Complaint Data.Journal of patient experience · 2021Article
- The impacts of faculty caring on nursing students' intent to graduate: A systematic literature review.International journal of nursing sciences · 2020Review
- Healthcare interprofessional team members' perspectives on human caring: A directed content analysis study.International journal of nursing sciences · 2019Article
- Letter to the Editor: Critical need for effective communication skills education in nursing.International journal of nursing sciences · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposePatients' complaints can be predictors of patient care quality and safety. Understanding patients' complaints could help healthcare organizations target the areas for improvements. The purpose of this study is to use a mixed method analysis to a) examine the characteristics and categories of patients' complaints, b) explore the relationships of patients' complaints with professions and units, and c) propose theory-based strategies to improve care quality.
methodsThis is a descriptive mixed method study. Data examined are patients' complaints filed at a university-affiliated hospital in China from January 2016 to December 2017. A qualitative content analysis was conducted to categorize complaints. A TwoStep cluster analysis was performed to provide an overall profile of patients' complaints. Chi-Square tests were conducted to investigate the relationships among complaints, professions, and units.
results838 complaints were filed, with 821 valid cases for analysis. Six categories surfaced from the qualitative analysis: uncaring attitudes, unsatisfactory quality of treatment or competence, communication problems, the process of care, fees and billing issues, and other miscellaneous causes. Physicians received most of the complaints (56.6%). The unit receiving the most complaints were outpatient clinics and medical support units (52.7%). The cluster analysis indicated four distinct clusters. Significant relationships existed between complaints and professions (
conclusionsPatients' complaints are valuable sources for quality improvements. Healthcare providers should be not only scientifically knowledgeable, but also humanistic caring. Caring-based theories may provide guidance in clinical practice.
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