EGHAGHE OSAWONAMEN AMBROSE

The state of healthcare service delivery in Edo State public hospitals has been an ongoing challenge due to persistent cases of ill treatment of patients arising from weak application of ethical standards rules. The aim of study was to determine whether ethical standards compliance influences healthcare service delivery in Edo State public hospitals from 2019 to 2024. The descriptive survey research design was adopted. Using the multi-stage sampling techniques and Slovin’s (1960) formula, 779 sample size was derived from the three senatorial districts of Edo State. Two (2) hospitals were selected from each senatorial 29 districts (Edo South, Edo Central, and Edo North). The respondents comprised 80% patients, 18.5% doctors and nurses, and 1.5% management staff. Data were collected through the use of questionnaires and in-depth interviews. In the retrieval process, the study observed that of 767 questionnaires sent to respondents, 712 were retrieved, thus, changing the study analysis total sample to 712 which had 92.83% rate of retrieval. Both
descriptive and inferential statistics methods of analysis were adopted. The descriptive statistics included the use of frequency distribution tables and percentages to get the figures of categories of the response to the questionnaire. The inferential statistics on the other hand, was used to measure the type of relationship between variables. The type of inferential statistics that was deployed was the Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) tool. These were done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 25.0 version) software at 0.5 level of significance. The findings revealed a positive relationship between ethical standards compliance and healthcare service delivery; positive relationship between effectiveness of ethical standards compliance and quality service delivery; accessibility to public healthcare centers was still a challenge due to insufficient beds in the hospitals; workforce in public hospital did not meet the minimum standards set by the World Health Organization and that some doctors secretly referred patients to their own hospitals for treatment. It was also found that patients’ ease of accessing healthcare services in public hospitals strongly relates to improved service delivery. The study concluded that there was a strong correlation between the inadequacy of healthcare workers in secondary healthcare facilities and compliance with ethical standards. It was thus recommended that key indicators of quality healthcare like physical infrastructure, workforce, and material resources should be improved upon. Greater attention should be given to ethical standards values, including respect for patients’ confidentiality, diligence in service delivery, and the prevention of breaches of trust in patient doctor relationships and the development of human resources to enhance service delivery