Information usefulness of public disclosure in Taiwan: Does it vary across specific diseases/conditions and contexts?

TL;DR

This study explores what health information patients in Taiwan find most useful, finding that some information is consistently important across diseases and situations.

Contribution

The study identifies consistent essential quality information across diseases and contexts, and proposes simultaneous disclosure of interpersonal and technical quality in report cards.

Findings

Medical professionalism, physician communication skills, and accessibility were the top three information needs across diseases.

Patients with specific diseases valued only a few types of information, and context influenced their priorities.

Technical quality information was seen as basic, while most important information was considered expected.

Abstract

This study discusses issues regarding tailored information for report cards, including what kinds of information patients with different diseases need and how the necessary information changes for these patients given alterations to a specific context. This study aimed to determine whether there is consistent, essential quality information across different diseases and in diverse contexts. The priority of needs related to interpersonal and technical quality information for different diseases is also discussed.

Fifty-five patients from 5 hospitals in Taiwan were interviewed or invited to participate in a focus group. Patients were diagnosed with five different diseases or conditions: stroke, dialysis, AMI, diabetes, and knee problems. We conducted in-depth interviews to identify the most requested types of information for every disease or condition in general and in different contexts (e.g., relocation). We applied the Kano model to verify the relative priority of the information that emerged from the interviews for each disease.

The 3 most requested types of information among patients with various diseases or conditions in the general context were medical professionalism, physician communication skills, and accessibility. Only a few types of information were valued by patients with specific diseases. In addition, patients focused on specific and mutually relevant information in certain contexts (e.g., in the context of conflict with physicians, patients considered communication skills most important). This information was similar to the 3 most common types of information in the general context regardless of the disease, with the exception of stroke. Finally, technical quality information was treated as basic or necessary information. However, most important information was treated as expected information regardless of the disease.

There is somewhat consistent essential quality information across different diseases and diverse contexts. According to the results of the Kano model, the report card should disclose interpersonal and technical quality simultaneously.

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