Implementation of patient-centered care in primary medical care reform in Ukraine 2018-2020: an exploratory study of stakeholder perceptions in Kiev and Ivano-Frankivsk
Date
2021
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Tartu Ülikool
Abstract
The Master’s Thesis is focused on the perceptions of patient-centered care by different
stakeholders on the primary health care level in Ukrainian two cities, Kiev and
Ivano-Frankivsk. To improve the quality of primary health care services in Ukraine,
population health in general and make sure that the citizens are provided with equal
access to health care services at all levels, the new health care reforms were
implemented by the Ministry of Health in late 2017. An essential role in these reforms
is the focus on the patient, the so called, patient-centered care (PCC), which should
improve the quality of care, make the primary care level more reliable and leave
satisfied patients and doctors. This is a comparatively new approach for Ukraine, as
before there was a doctor-centered model where the patient’s point of view was not
required, as the healthcare sector worked just as a system and for the system. There is
evidence that doctors are not ready for this new approach as they were always
considered as the center of the system and were in charge of the patient’s health.
Therefore, the aim of the research is first of all to find out the main objectives of the
PCC approach and understand the perception of PCC from different stakeholders'
viewpoints, because the literature review demonstrated that there should be the same
understanding of the certain element of the reform by all stakeholders in order to have a
successful reform implementation. Last but not least, it is also important to find out how
PCC contributes to the quality of care. It is also important to compare and contrast the
findings from both cities and to see how the reform is implemented and whether there
are different understandings of the PCC approach. The research contributes to the
understanding of the PCC approach in health care not only in Ukraine but to the
literature regarding PCC. The researcher also identified policy implications that can be
introduced for improving the reform implementation process in Ukraine. Additionally,
the research findings may have useful applications in other countries who still suffer
from the doctor-centered or system-centered healthcare system and wish to implement
another approach in health care. The framework may be also useful for conducting
similar research.