Table 2 Variables and measurement scales for the outcomes, operational structures, and operational processes of health services for patients with type 2 diabetes
Components | Variables | Definition | Measurement scale |
|---|---|---|---|
Clinical outcomes | Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) | Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) | Mmol/mol |
Fasting blood glucose (FBS) level | Fasting blood glucose (FBS) | Mg/dl | |
Health experience | Perceived quality of life | Perception of quality of life was measured through EuroQol EQ-5D-5L. | Utility score of EQ-5D between 0 for death and 1 for full health. |
Evaluation of health status | Health status evaluation refers to comparing health status to the best and worst imaginable health status. | Visual analgene scale (VAS) of quality of life from 0 to 100 for death and full health. | |
Satisfaction with health status | Satisfaction with health status refers to judgement made about overall health status based on the patient’s interval values. | Measured in Likert scale from completely dissatisfied to completely satisfied and then standardized between 0 and 100. | |
Service experience | Evaluation of health services | The evaluation of diabetes services refers to judgement made about the overall quality of diabetes services by comparing the services with the worst and best imaginable diabetes services. | Measured on a scale between 0 for the worst and 100 for the best diabetes services. |
Satisfaction with type 2 diabetes services | Satisfaction with services refers to a judgement made about overall diabetes service quality based on patient’s interval values. | Measured in a Likert scale from completely dissatisfied to completely satisfied. It was also standardized between 0 and 100. | |
Operational structures | Human resource models | A human resource model refers to the main type of healthcare providers that provide diabetes services. Human resource models are categorized based on the type of medical professionals e.g. nurse, GP, and specialized medical doctor. Resource models are developed by quantifying the number of visits and time spent by medical professionals for patient care. | Only family physician or general practitioner (0) Family physician or general practitioner & specialist physician (1) Only specialist physician (2) |
Access to diabetes services | This refers to perceived overall access to a care provider. | Likert scale from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). | |
Continuity of care | This refers to whether patients have a regular medical professional such as GP or specialist (continuity) or patients are seen by a different provider for every visit (no continuity). | Being visited by the same doctor in every visit Being visited by a new doctor in every visit | |
Equipment | This refers to if the equipment used to treat the patients are up to date and modern. | Likert scale from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). | |
Operational processes | Comprehensiveness of consultation | The comprehensiveness of consultation determines if all diabetes-related questions of the patient were answered during the consultation visit. | Likert scale from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). |
Shared decision making | Shared decision-making refers to involving patients in deciding for their care. | Likert scale from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). | |
Consistency of treatment plans | Consistency of treatment plans refers to the situation that if providers involved in the care of the patient provided similar advice and recommendations. | Likert scale from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). | |
Perceived service quality | Perceived service quality refers to five dimensions of short SERVQUAL comprising responsiveness of providers, timeliness, caring providers, politeness of providers, and communication between the patients and providers. | In each dimension, a Likert scale from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). |