Assessment of Laboratory service interruption and its associated factors in governmental Hospitals, West Bank, Palestine رسالة ماجستير

Abstract

Introduction: Laboratory services are an integral part of healthcare systems, playing a vital role in providing essential information for diagnosing diseases, determining appropriate treatment, and monitoring their progression. Aim: The study aimed to assess the quality of laboratory services provided to patients in the West Bank government hospitals in Palestine. Due to the importance of laboratories, which are an essential part of hospitals and have a crucial role in satisfying patients receiving treatment at a particular hospital and conducting examinations. Methods: The current study was conducted using the cross-sectional descriptive analytical approach to assess factors that affect the interruption of medical laboratory services in 18 government health facilities. The total number of laboratory technicians and laboratory administrators was 352, and using a 5% margin of error and 95% confidence interval, the sample size was 196 laboratory technicians and members of laboratory administrators. The evaluation of laboratory quality determinants, equipment availability, management practices, and workforce motivation, was studied, in addition to studying the economic and political situation in the West Bank and determining the impact on the quality of laboratories using a data analysis questionnaire. Findings: The results of the study showed that 28.1% of laboratory workers believe that supplies are available and the quality of laboratories is high enough. As for the quality of equipment, 20.9% believe that the quality of work in laboratories is high if the quality of equipment is high. As for budgetary matters, the results proved that no budget is known and announced by the manager. As there are no annual plans for laboratories by 44.9%. The majority of employees believe that the manager is following up on supplies promptly, 38.8%. And 35.2% confirmed that the manager follows up his daily activity in the laboratories. As for the economic and political situation, 90% of the employees confirmed that these crises affect the continuity of work in laboratories. About 90% of employees are dissatisfied with their salaries, as the most satisfied with their salaries were between 31-40 and the least 51-60. Conclusion: The study contributed to the knowledge of the quality of laboratories in government hospitals in the West Bank, and the results of the study showed that the laboratories suffer from a lack of supplies and equipment, which negatively affects the quality of work in laboratories. In addition, frequent political and economic crises also hurt laboratory quality and staff satisfaction, as employees suffer from work stress and dissatisfaction with their salaries. These results should be implemented by laboratory managers and officials to improve the quality of laboratories.