Association between Social Capital and Quality of Health Services from the Perspective of Hospital Managers

Background and purpose: It seems that the quality of services can be improved through the promotion of social capital. This study aimed to determine the association between the social capital and the quality of health services from the perspective of managers of educational hospitals affiliated with Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. Method: The studies conducted were correlational and cross-sectional. The research population consisted of 120 managers of educational hospitals in Ahvaz. Sampling was not done due to the limited statistical population. Data collection tools included three questionnaires of demographic characteristics, social capital, and quality of healthcare services. For data analysis, Spearman correlation, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal–Wallis tests were used in SPSS. Findings: Managers' social capital was estimated as relatively appropriate. Also, from the respondents' perspective, the quality of medical services estimated higher than average, except for the technical quality. There was a positive, small and significant correlation between the social capital and the quality of health care services (P<0.002). Among the components of social capital, only "organizational trust" showed a medium-size positive correlation with the quality of health services. Conclusion: A small association was observed between social capital and the quality of therapeutic services. It seems that to improve the quality of therapeutic services, hospital managers should pay close attention to the organizational trust not only as an essential element in the individual communication but also in the social capital framework.

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