Determination of rate of customer focus in educational programs at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(1) based on students’ viewpoints

BACKGROUND: Today, the challenges of quality improvement and customer focus as well as systems development are important and inevitable matters in higher education institutes. There are some highly competitive challenges among educational institutes, including accountability to social needs, increasing costs of education, diversity in educational methods and centers and their consequent increasing competition, and the need for adaptation of new information and knowledge to focus on students as the main customers. Hence, the purpose of this study was to determine the rate of costumer focus based on Isfahan University of Medical Sciences students’ viewpoints and to suggest solutions to improve this rate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in 2011. The statistical population included all the students of seven faculties of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. According to statistical formulae, the sample size consisted of 384 subjects. Data collection tools included researcher-made questionnaire whose reliability was found to be 87% by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Finally, using the SPSS statistical software and statistical methods of independent t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Likert scale based data were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean of overall score for customer focus (student-centered) of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences was 46.54. Finally, there was a relation between the mean of overall score for customer focus and gender, educational levels, and students’ faculties. Researcher suggest more investigation between Medical University and others. CONCLUSION: It is a difference between medical sciences universities and others regarding the customer focus area, since students’ gender must be considered as an effective factor in giving healthcare services quality. In order to improve the customer focus, it is essential to take facilities, field of study, faculties, and syllabus into consideration.