The impact of a reproductive health franchise on client satisfaction in rural Nepal

• Published in: Health policy and planning Vol. 22; no. 5; pp. 320 - 328
• Main Authors: Agha, Sohail, Karim, Ali Mehryar, Balal, Asma, Sosler, Steve
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01.09.2007; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Ambulatory Care Facilities - organization & administration; Ambulatory Care Facilities - supply & distribution; Ambulatory Care Facilities - utilization; client perception; Clinics; Community Health Services; Consumer Behavior - statistics & numerical data; Customers; Data Collection; Developing countries; Family planning; Female; Franchisees; Franchising; Health administration; Health care delivery; Health services; Health services utilization; Humans; Interviews as Topic; LDCs; Male; Marketing; Medicine; Nepal; Nurses; Original articles; Paramedics; Patients; Public health; Quality of care; Quality of Health Care; Quality of service; Reproductive health; rural; Rural areas; Rural Population; Satisfaction; Social perception; Studies; Nepal; Reproductive health; franchising; quality of care; rural; client perception
• ISSN: 0268-1080; 1460-2237
• DOI: 10.1093/heapol/czm025

This study evaluates the impact of a nurse and paramedic reproductive health franchise in rural Nepal on client satisfaction and utilization of services. A quasi-experimental study design, with baseline and follow-up measurements on nonequivalent control groups, was used to assess the effects of the intervention. The study collected data from exit interviews with male and female clients at clinics and from household interviews with married women. Our assessment covers the project's performance for about a year of actual implementation. Client satisfaction with the quality of services increased across a range of indicators at intervention clinics but not at control clinics. Overall satisfaction with services also increased only at intervention clinics but not at control clinics. Consistent with these changes, loyalty increased among clients of franchised clinics. The analysis showed a positive relationship between client satisfaction and loyalty. Although the project's implementation was examined over a relatively short period of time, there appears to have been a net positive effect of the intervention on obtaining family planning products from medical stores/pharmacies. The study shows that franchising reproductive health services increases a provider's interest in delivering better quality services in rural areas of a developing country.