Objectives: To explore the needs, expectations, feelings and experiences of people with type 2 diabetes for developing quantitative instruments for a questionnaire study of service quality.
Methods: Using two focus group discussions (n=33), potential service quality dimensions for type 2 diabetes were assessed for Australian relevance. These included 11 indicators identified from a systematic literature review: communication, autonomy, choice of care provider, continuity of care, quality of basic amenities, dignity, timeliness, prevention and early detection, safety, confidentiality and availability.
Results: The focus group discussions supported the importance of the 11 service quality indicators but gave more importance to education, diet, communication, autonomy, choice of care provider and support group and less to confidentiality and availability. Three new themes were generated from the discussions: education, diet and support group.
Conclusion: Measuring service quality for type 2 diabetes requires considering health system, culture and disease-specific factors.