Outpatients’ endorsement of societal recognition and respect for healthcare professionals in China’s tertiary public hospitals: a national multicenter cross-sectional study
- 1School of Health Policy and Management, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College , ,
Abstract
Background: Societal recognition and respect for healthcare professionals are important for professional dignity and patient–clinician relationships. However, evidence remains limited on whether patients endorse healthcare professionals as deserving such recognition and respect. This study examined outpatients’ endorsement of societal recognition and respect for healthcare professionals and its associated factors in China’s tertiary public hospitals.
Methods: We used data from a national multicenter cross-sectional survey conducted in the first quarter of 2021 across tertiary public hospitals in all 31 provincial-level administrative regions of mainland China. A total of 31,599 outpatients were included. The outcome was assessed using a single five-point Likert-scale normative item and dichotomized into endorsement versus non-endorsement. Mixed-effects logistic regression models with a hospital-level random intercept were used to identify associated factors. Sensitivity analyses and latent class analysis were further conducted.
Results: Overall, 30,787 outpatients (97.4%) endorsed that healthcare professionals deserve societal recognition and respect. In the fully adjusted model, urban household registration, higher annual household income, and absence of chronic disease were associated with higher endorsement. Outpatient experience indicators showed the strongest associations, including satisfaction with privacy protection (OR = 3.26, 95% CI: 2.55–4.17), treatment and medication explanations (OR = 3.08, 95% CI: 2.40–3.96), registration convenience (OR = 2.38, 95% CI: 1.85–3.05), perceived respect and comfort (OR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.47–2.49), consultation duration (OR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.45–2.38), and waiting time (OR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.25–2.03). Sensitivity analyses yielded consistent findings. Patients with poorer outpatient experience patterns were substantially less likely to endorse such recognition and respect.
Conclusion: Most outpatients endorsed societal recognition and respect for healthcare professionals. Such endorsement was strongly linked to concrete outpatient experiences, especially privacy protection, communication, service convenience, perceived respect and comfort, consultation duration, and waiting time.
Related
- Knowledge and practices regarding postoperative neonatal pain assessment among healthcare professionals in Kinshasa: a multicenter cross-sectional survey.
- Association of healthcare access, demographic and psychosocial factors with herbal medicine use: a survey of paediatric and adult outpatients
- Nutritional status, clinical burden, and healthcare utilization among pediatric outpatients with congenital heart disease: A retrospective cross-sectional study from Indonesia
- How healthcare professionals manage uncertainty around hormone replacement therapy (dis-)continuation: the TAPER qualitative Study
- Association Between Consulting Multiple Healthcare Facilities and Medication Burden Among Older Outpatients
BibTeX
@article{mi2026outpatients,
title = {{Outpatients’ endorsement of societal recognition and respect for healthcare professionals in China’s tertiary public hospitals: a national multicenter cross-sectional study}},
author = {Jiarun Mi and Yuanli Liu},
journal = {Frontiers in public health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1893761},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13672632},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Outpatients’ endorsement of societal recognition and respect for healthcare professionals in China’s tertiary public hospitals: a national multicenter cross-sectional study
AU - Jiarun Mi
AU - Yuanli Liu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/02
JO - Frontiers in public health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1893761
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13672632
AB - Background: Societal recognition and respect for healthcare professionals are important for professional dignity and patient–clinician relationships. However, evidence remains limited on whether patients endorse healthcare professionals as deserving such recognition and respect. This study examined outpatients’ endorsement of societal recognition and respect for healthcare professionals and its associated factors in China’s tertiary public hospitals. Methods: We used data from a national multicenter cross-sectional survey conducted in the first quarter of 2021 across tertiary public hospitals in all 31 provincial-level administrative regions of mainland China. A total of 31,599 outpatients were included. The outcome was assessed using a single five-point Likert-scale normative item and dichotomized into endorsement versus non-endorsement. Mixed-effects logistic regression models with a hospital-level random intercept were used to identify associated factors. Sensitivity analyses and latent class analysis were further conducted. Results: Overall, 30,787 outpatients (97.4%) endorsed that healthcare professionals deserve societal recognition and respect. In the fully adjusted model, urban household registration, higher annual household income, and absence of chronic disease were associated with higher endorsement. Outpatient experience indicators showed the strongest associations, including satisfaction with privacy protection (OR = 3.26, 95% CI: 2.55–4.17), treatment and medication explanations (OR = 3.08, 95% CI: 2.40–3.96), registration convenience (OR = 2.38, 95% CI: 1.85–3.05), perceived respect and comfort (OR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.47–2.49), consultation duration (OR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.45–2.38), and waiting time (OR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.25–2.03). Sensitivity analyses yielded consistent findings. Patients with poorer outpatient experience patterns were substantially less likely to endorse such recognition and respect. Conclusion: Most outpatients endorsed societal recognition and respect for healthcare professionals. Such endorsement was strongly linked to concrete outpatient experiences, especially privacy protection, communication, service convenience, perceived respect and comfort, consultation duration, and waiting time.
SN - 2296-2565
ER -