ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the influence of policy support on attitude of staff toward contracted service in community health service ( CHS) centers in different areas of China. Methods A multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method was used to select participants, and questionnaire survey was conducted among 192 staff (99 from Chengdu and 93 from Xiamen) from 4 community health service centers in Chengdu and Xiamen. In addition, documents on contracted service in CHS were collected and analyzed. EpiData software was used to establish database. Double input and cross-check were implemented. SAS version 9.4 was used for data analyses. Results Differences were found in goals, financial modes and insurances coverage in contracted service in the two areas. Among the 192 participants, 80.7% considered that contracted service was worth to carry out; 90.8% supported the implementation of contracted service in local settings and 78.1% were willing to take more work load on contracted service. In contrary, only 41.6% wished their child work as a family doctor. The main reasons for the negative attitudes were that the performance-based salary system had not been well established or implemented, and there was much more work load that resulted from contracted service. Conclusions The majority of the study subjects held positive attitude toward contracted service, but there were disparities between the four study sites. Relative policy and financial support, proper human resource distribution were critical determinants of contracted service.