Patients’ Perception of Health Care Services in Malaria Endemic Area in Mali: Villages with Health Care Services Versus villages Without Health Care Services

Aims: To assess the distribution of diseases and the reality of health service by taking the patients ‘perception in villages with health center versus those without health center.

Study Design: The assessment of distribution of diseases was done through a retrospective study from January 2010 to October 2011. The patients‘ perception of health care service was done through a prospective descriptive study conducted from September to October 2011.

Methodology: Five hundred fifty eight (558) patients from Bacoumana health district register database were included in the study for the assessment of malaria and other infectious diseases parameters using data already collected and recorded in the register. In additional, 464 adults living for at least 6 months in the rural community of Bancoumana located 60 km from Bamako (the capital of Mali) in the health district of Kati were included in the study during malaria transmission season to check their perception about health care service via the interview technique.

Results: Malaria was the most prevalent disease with 43.4% of cases. Plasmodium falciparum was the most prevalent with 97.6% of malaria cases. There was a statistical significant negative association between age and malaria (P= .007) and respiratory infections (P = .04). The village with health center rated significant interpersonal communication higher than those without health center such as compassion and support patients, reception of patients and quality of clinical examination and diagnosis.

Conclusion: Malaria remain a public health problem especially Plasmodium falciparum, the most parasite causing malaria. The study contributes for better understanding of the behaviors and the relationships between patients and health care service workers, which has a practical value for designing personalized health care services in Mali and provides a more accurate way to reflect public’s opinion in reality of health care service.