Turpanjian School of Public Health Publishes Article on Public Opinion of Health Care in Armenia

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The Turpanjian School of Public Health (SPH) of the American University of Armenia (AUA) published an article titled “Public opinion about the health care system in Armenia: findings from a cross-sectional telephone survey” in BMC Health Services Research, an open access, peer-reviewed and internationally ranked academic journal that focuses on eHealth, governance, health care policy, health care system quality and safety, health care delivery and access to health care, health care financing and economics, implementing reform, and the health care workforce.

The article, authored by SPH Associate Professor Tsovinar Harutyunyan, MPH (’99), PhD and Research Associate Varduhi Hayrumyan, MS, MPH (’16), describes the 2016 study, which explored the Armenian population’s satisfaction with the country’s health care system and identified factors associated with it. The study revealed that a substantial proportion of respondents were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the health care system in 2016. The factors associated with the level of satisfaction included the health status of respondents, ratings of equal access and respect provided by the system to patients, perceptions of the government’s and individuals’ responsibilities toward health, and trust in the government. The study helped shed light on the factors that shape satisfaction with the health care system in different cultural and political contexts. The study also recommended further exploration of public opinions of system attributes that are not directly linked to patients’ experiences of care.

The study was funded by the AUA Faculty Research Award, granted to Dr. Tsovinar Harutyunyan in 2016.

The AUA Turpanjian School of Public Health works actively to improve population health and health services in Armenia and beyond through interdisciplinary education and development of public health professionals to be leaders in public health, health services research and evaluation, and health care delivery and management.