Correlation between Social Accountability and Quality of Service Delivery in "Health Assistant Plan" of Imam Hossein Medical Education Center, Tehran

"Health Assistant Plan" is one of the health system designs whose effectiveness has been less considered.The aim of this study is to determine the correlation between social accountability and quality of service delivery in "Health Assistant Plan" of Imam Hossein Medical Education Center, Tehran.

In this descriptive-correlational study, 384 patients referred to Imam Hossein Medical Education Center of Tehran participated by convenience sampling method. Data were collected using “Health Assistant Plan Evaluation Questionnaire” which developed in this study. Validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by content, face and construct validity through factor analysis. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by internal consistency and Cronbach alpha. Data was analyzed by SPSS. 16.

There was a significant and positive correlation between social accountability and the quality of service delivery (r = 0.562, P = 0.001). The mean scores for the dimensions of human of dignity, autonomy, quality of facilities, access to support, communication clarity and behavioral aspects were less than average. The mean scores dimensions of privacy and confidentiality, the choice of therapist, equipment and physical facilities, environmental health, access and care were more than average.

There was a correlation between social accountability and the quality of services delivery at Imam Hossein Hospital. It is suggested that health planners and health officials consider the two main principles of social accountability and quality of service delivery.