Estimation of the impact of providing outpatients with information about SARS infection control on their intention of outpatient visit

Health Policy. 2004 Sep;69(3):293-303. doi: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2004.04.008.

Abstract

To examine the effect of provision of information about the infection control in the specific infection disease treatment unit in a city hospital on the outpatient's intention of outpatient service use, respondents who underwent outpatient medical care at the hospital (N = 821) were asked whether or not they intended to continue the outpatient visit at the hospital if a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) patient was admitted to the unit. Although 56% of respondents replied that they could continue to visit the department if a SARS patient was admitted to the unit in the hospital before they read the information, the proportion of those who intended to continue outpatient care significantly increased by 15% after they read it. The logistic regression analyses revealed that respondents who had frequently visited the outpatient department (P < 0.001), those who felt relieved by reading the information about the unit (P < 0.001), and those who did not worry about nosocomial SARS infection inside the hospital (P < 0.001) were significantly more likely to reply that they would continue outpatient visits. We estimated that admission of a SARS patient to the unit would result in a 20% decrease in the cumulative total number of outpatients in the hospital during a 180-day interval after admission of a SARS patient to the unit, and the cumulative total number of outpatients increased by 7% after they read the information. This study suggests that providing outpatients with appropriate information about SARS infection control in the hospital had a statistically significant and substantial impact on the outpatients' intention to continue outpatient visits at the hospital.

MeSH terms

  • Cross Infection / prevention & control*
  • Cross Infection / virology
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Health Care Surveys
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
  • Hospitals, Urban / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Infection Control / methods*
  • Information Services / supply & distribution*
  • Intention
  • Japan / epidemiology
  • Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / standards
  • Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / statistics & numerical data*
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care / statistics & numerical data*
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / epidemiology
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / prevention & control*
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / transmission
  • Surveys and Questionnaires