Evaluation Of Public Relations Practice Of Ekiti State Teaching Hospital

This study was carried out to evaluate the public relations practice of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital. The study was specifically carried out to find out the effectiveness of public relation in management of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, find out the practices associated with public relation in Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, find out whether public relation strategies and techniques adopted and utilized in Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital satisfies her target audience, and find out the strategies and techniques which can be adopted to aid Public Relations in Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital. The survey design was adopted and the simple random sampling techniques were employed in this study. The population size comprise of senior staff of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital. In determining the sample size, the researcher conveniently selected 57 respondents and 50 were validated. Self-constructed and validated questionnaire was used for data collection. The collected and validated questionnaires were analyzed using frequency tables, and mean scores. While the hypotheses were tested using Chi-square statistical tool. The result of the findings reveals that the practices associated with public relation in Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital includes: good parking lawns, reception of complaint and suggestion, communication with patients, good seating arrangement in OPD, and the use of media tools for information dissemination. The study also revealed that Public relation strategies and techniques adopted and utilized in Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital satisfies her target audience. Therefore, it is recommended that public relations for hospitals need to be more concerned with prevention rather than "doctoring" unacceptable practices which tend to hinder good relationships. To mention but a few.

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

The healthcare industry is an ever-evolving field that requires continuous effort and evaluation to ensure that the best quality of services is provided to patients. Public relations (PR) is an essential component of any healthcare facility"s marketing strategy, as it helps to establish and maintain relationships with the public. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the public relations practice of Ekiti State Teaching Hospital with a focus on their effectiveness in enhancing the hospital"s reputation and improving patient outcomes.

Meanwhile, public relations plays a vital role in the healthcare industry. Hospitals rely on PR to manage their reputation, attract patients, and secure funding. PR efforts also help hospitals to communicate with the public about health-related issues, such as disease prevention, health promotion, and healthcare policy (Baker, 2018).
Effective PR strategies are essential for building trust and credibility with patients and the community. A hospital"s reputation is critical to its success, as it can influence the decisions of patients, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders. Hospitals must develop and implement effective PR strategies that address the unique needs of their patients and communities (Baker, 2018).

The evaluation of PR practice in hospitals involves assessing the effectiveness of PR strategies in achieving their objectives. There are several methods of evaluating PR practice, including media monitoring, surveys, and focus groups. The following sections outline some of the key areas that should be evaluated when assessing the effectiveness of PR practice in hospitals (Makaryus & Friedman, 2015).

Equally, reputation management is an essential aspect of PR practice in hospitals. Hospitals must maintain a positive reputation to attract patients and healthcare providers and secure funding. PR strategies that focus on reputation management should be evaluated based on their effectiveness in enhancing the hospital"s reputation (Makaryus & Friedman, 2015).

One way to evaluate the effectiveness of PR strategies for reputation management is to monitor media coverage of the hospital. Media monitoring involves tracking the number and tone of news stories and social media posts about the hospital. Positive media coverage can indicate that the hospital"s PR strategies are effective in managing its reputation (Makaryus & Friedman, 2015).

Similarly, patient satisfaction is a critical factor in evaluating the effectiveness of PR practice in hospitals. Hospitals must provide high-quality care and excellent customer service to ensure that patients are satisfied with their experience. PR strategies that focus on improving patient satisfaction should be evaluated based on their impact on patient outcomes (Makaryus & Friedman, 2015).

One way to evaluate the effectiveness of PR strategies for improving patient satisfaction is to conduct patient surveys. Surveys can help hospitals to understand patients" experiences and identify areas for improvement. The results of patient surveys can be used to develop and implement PR strategies that address patients" needs and concerns (Makaryus & Friedman, 2015).

Hence, community engagement is another essential aspect of PR practice in hospitals. Hospitals must engage with their communities to build trust and credibility and to promote health and wellness. PR strategies that focus on community engagement should be evaluated based on their effectiveness in connecting the hospital with the community. One way to evaluate the effectiveness of PR strategies for community engagement is to conduct focus groups with community members. Focus groups can help hospitals to understand the community"s perceptions of the hospital and identify opportunities for engagement. The results of focus groups can be used to develop and implement PR strategies that address the community"s needs and concerns (Arowosegbe, 2005).

By and large, the effective PR practice is essential for the success of hospitals. PR strategies must focus on reputation management, patient satisfaction, and community engagement to build trust and credibility and to promote health and wellness. Hospitals should evaluate their PR practice regularly to ensure that their strategies are effective in achieving their objectives. Media monitoring, surveys, and focus groups are some of the methods that hospitals can use to evaluate their PR practice. By evaluating their PR practice, hospitals can identify areas for improvement and develop strategies that address the unique needs of their patients and communities. It is against this backdrop that the research evaluates public relations practice of Ekiti State Teaching Hospital with the view to know the extent to which public relations department has enhanced the performance of the State Hospital.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The evaluation of public relations practice of hospitals has become increasingly important in today"s healthcare industry. Public relations play a critical role in creating a positive image for hospitals, building trust among patients and their families, and enhancing the hospital"s reputation in the community. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive evaluation framework that can help hospitals assess the effectiveness of their public relations efforts.

This problem is exacerbated by the fact that hospitals often have multiple stakeholders with different communication needs, including patients, families, physicians, employees, and the broader community. Moreover, the rapid evolution of communication channels and the increased use of social media platforms have made it challenging for hospitals to keep up with the changing landscape of public relations.

Therefore, the problem at hand is how to develop an effective and comprehensive evaluation framework that can help hospitals assess the impact of their public relations efforts, identify areas for improvement, and stay ahead of the ever-changing communication landscape.

Hence, the research is geared towards evaluating public relations practice of Ekiti State Teaching Hospital with the view to know the extent at which public relations department has enhanced the performance of the State Hospital.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the public relations practice of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital. Specifically but not limited to, other objectives of this study are:

Find out the effectiveness of public relation in management of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital.

Find out the practices associated with public relation in Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital.

Find out whether public relation strategies and techniques adopted and utilized in Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital satisfies her target audience.

Find out the strategies and techniques which can be adopted to aid Public Relations in Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital.

1.4. Research Questions

What is the effectiveness of public relation in management of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital?

What are the practices associated with public relation in Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital?

Does public relation strategies and techniques adopted and utilized in Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital satisfies her target audience?

What are the strategies and techniques which can be adopted to aid Public Relations in Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

Ho: Public relation is not effective in management of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital.

Ha: Public relation is effective in management of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The study on evaluating the public relations practices of Ekiti State Teaching Hospital is significant for several reasons, including:

Improved Stakeholder Engagement:

The study will help the hospital to understand how well it is communicating with its stakeholders, such as patients, employees, and the public, and identify opportunities to improve engagement.

Enhanced Reputation Management:

The findings of the study will enable the hospital to assess the effectiveness of its current reputation management efforts and make necessary adjustments to protect and enhance its image.

Cost-Effective Resource Allocation:

By evaluating the effectiveness of current public relations practices, the hospital can identify areas that require improvement and allocate resources effectively, ensuring that the most cost-effective strategies are utilized to achieve desired outcomes.

Bench-marking against Best Practices:

The study can help the hospital to benchmark its public relations performance against industry best practices, thus helping it to identify areas for improvement and set goals for future success.

Improved Healthcare Services Delivery:

Effective public relations practices can positively influence the hospital"s reputation and the perception of the quality of its healthcare services. The study can help identify opportunities to enhance the hospital"s communication with its stakeholders, leading to improved healthcare services delivery.

Overall, the study on evaluating the public relations practices of Ekiti State Teaching Hospital is important as it will help the hospital to build and maintain strong relationships with its stakeholders, promote its services, and improve healthcare services delivery.

1.7 Scope of the Study

The study which evaluates the public relations practice of Ekiti State Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti has through the topic narrowed itself. Thus, the geographical location of this study is Ekiti State. Hence, the choice of Ekiti State Hospital in Ado-Ekiti is due to its proximity to the researcher and inadequate time to cover all hospital in Ekiti State.

1.8 Limitations of the Study

In the course of carrying out this study, the researcher experienced some constraints, which included time constraints, financial constraints, language barriers, and the attitude of the respondents. However, the researcher were able to manage these just to ensure the success of this study.

Moreover, the case study method utilized in the study posed some challenges to the investigator including the possibility of biases and poor judgment of issues. However, the investigator relied on respect for the general principles of procedures, justice, fairness, objectivity in observation and recording, and weighing of evidence to overcome the challenges.

1.9 Definition of Terms

Evaluation:

In this study, evaluation refers to the critical the process of judging the quality, importance, value of public relations in a hospital.

Public Relations Practice:

It refers to a deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between Ekiti State Teaching Hospital and its public (stakeholders).

Ekiti State Teaching Hospital:

It refers to the Ekiti State Teaching Hospital and other related health care centres particularly Ekiti State Hospital.

Public:

These are the people (management, staff, government, patients, e.tc) that are dealing with Ekiti State Hospital.

1.10 Organization of the Studies

The study is categorized into five chapters. The first chapter presents the background of the study, statement of the problem, objective of the study, research questions and hypothesis, the significance of the study, scope/limitations of the study, and definition of terms. The chapter two covers the review of literature with emphasis on conceptual framework, theoretical framework, and empirical review. Likewise, the chapter three which is the research methodology, specifically covers the research design, population of the study, sample size determination, sample size, and selection technique and procedure, research instrument and administration, method of data collection, method of data analysis, validity and reliability of the study, and ethical consideration. The second to last chapter being the chapter four presents the data presentation and analysis, while the last chapter(chapter five) contains the summary, conclusion and recommendation.

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