Open AccessASSESSMENT OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS OF PATIENTS
Author(s) -
Ayesha Ashfaq,
Noor Fatima,
Seema Daud,
Ahsen Nazir Ahmed,
Zine Eddine El imam,
Khayyam Shamshai,
Salwa Hussain
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the professional medical journal/the professional medical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2071-7733
pISSN - 1024-8919
DOI - 10.29309/tpmj/2008.15.02.2810
Subject(s) - socioeconomic status , medicine , public hospital , family medicine , tertiary care , patient care , emergency medicine , environmental health , nursing , population
Objective: To determine whether or not doctors assess the socio-economicstatus of their patients in order to customize treatment and improve compliance. Design: A cross-sectional Setting:Jinnah Hospital and Shalimar Hospital Lahore. Period: From March to June 2005 Methods & Material: Ninety-threepatients were included from each of the two randomly selected tertiary care hospitals (one public, one private) ofLahore. Doctor-patient encounters were observed. Results: No assessment was made for 134/186(72%) patients.51/186(27.4%) received an inadequate assessment. Only 01/186(0.5 %) patient received a thorough assessment ofhis socioeconomic status. Doctors in the private hospital made better effort to assess the socioeconomic backgroundof the patient (albeit inadequately), compared to those in the public hospital (p: < 0.0001). Conclusion: Doctors shouldbe regular and meticulous in patients’ socioeconomic status assessment.