Quantitative comparisons of urgent care service providers

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 574-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Qin ◽  
Gayle L. Prybutok ◽  
Victor R. Prybutok ◽  
Bin Wang
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Survey Instrument ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
Emergency Rooms ◽  
Hospital Emergency ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop, validate, and use a survey instrument to measure and compare the perceived quality of three types of US urgent care (UC) service providers: hospital emergency rooms, urgent care centres (UCC), and primary care physician offices. Design/methodology/approach – This study develops, validates, and uses a survey instrument to measure/compare differences in perceived service quality among three types of UC service providers. Six dimensions measured the components of service quality: tangibles, professionalism, interaction, accessibility, efficiency, and technical quality. Findings – Primary care physicians’ offices scored higher for service quality and perceived value, followed by UCC. Hospital emergency rooms scored lower in both quality and perceived value. No significant difference was identified between UCC and primary care physicians across all the perspectives, except for interactions. Research limitations/implications – The homogenous nature of the sample population (college students), and the fact that the respondents were recruited from a single university limits the generalizability of the findings. Practical implications – The patient’s choice of a health care provider influences not only the continuity of the care that he or she receives, but compliance with a medical regime, and the evolution of the health care landscape. Social implications – This work contributes to the understanding of how to provide cost effective and efficient UC services. Originality/value – This study developed and validated a survey instrument to measure/compare six dimensions of service quality for three types of UC service providers. The authors provide valuable data for UC service providers seeking to improve patient perceptions of service quality.

The effect of employee ability, hospital’s ethic and leadership on job satisfaction through employee commitment

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ria Mardiana Yusuf
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Indirect Effect ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Employee Commitment ◽  
Type A ◽  
Survey Instrument ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to confirm the direct and indirect effect of employee ability, perceived ethic, and leadership and leadership to service quality through employee commitment. Design/methodology/approach A survey instrument is using to collect the data and to measure the effect of employee ability, perceived ethic, and leadership directly to the quality of inpatient health care services was developed. This study also used the self-perception, leadership evaluation and customer evaluation questionnaires. The effects among variables were also analysed by using the structural equation modelling method. Findings The results of the analysis show that the survey instrument was reliable and valid; the implementation of hospital ethic was more emphasised on the nurses (as a front liners); the study proved that there is a direct and indirect effect among variables of employee ability, hospital’s ethic, and leadership to the service quality through the employee commitment; the direct effect of employee commitment variables against the service quality was significantly negative. Research limitations/implications Analyses are developed within the context of a government single hospital of Type A. According to the time sequence of study, this field of study research considered for purpose only (one time study), and was not conducted for experimental study. Originality/value This paper’s main contribution is to propose and empirically test a set of constructs that complement the effect of employee ability, hospital’s perceived ethic, leadership on the service quality of inpatient health care through the employee commitment direct and indirectly in the Type A hospital.

A new service quality scale for hospital emergency rooms

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 1133-1147
Author(s):  
Avichai Shuv-Ami ◽  
Tamar Shalom
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Emergency Room ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Emergency Rooms ◽  
Hospital Emergency ◽  
Internal Reliability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Loved One

Purpose Service quality and patient satisfaction have a significant impact in healthcare. Health organizations have also begun to put the customer at the center and meet his or her needs. This study aims to indicate the need to develop a simple and appropriate scale for measuring quality of service in hospital emergency rooms. Design/methodology/approach The validity and reliability of the scale were established by three separated and independent studies that used exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and correlation analysis to test the nomological network validity of the scale. The data was collected randomly from an internet panel that comprises more than 50,000 people over the age of 18. The research is based on 1,002 Israelis who accompanied a patient to a hospital emergency room. Findings In total, 23 items comprised the new scale of emergency room service quality with three dimensions: “staff professionalism”, “staff caring” and “tangibles”. The internal reliability for the total scale was high with Cronbach's α of 0.97. Research limitations/implications In Israel, there is a state health system, and therefore, it is necessary to check the scale elsewhere in the world. Originality/value The measurement of service quality for emergency room needed to be focused on the unique charters of the service provided in hospitals’ emergency room. The findings show that a client may assesses the service their loved one has received to decides whether to return to the same hospital and recommend it to his or her friends.

“Community and health-care service quality in Kosovo”: “a confirmatory analytical approach”

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Myesere Avdyl Hoxha
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Health Care Service ◽  
Test Theory ◽  
Commercial Application ◽  
Measurement Tool ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a modified service quality (SERVQUAL) model scale for measuring healthcare service quality in Kosovo. Design/methodology/approach An initial dimensions area methodology in construct development, followed by combined exploratory-analytical deductive research with the goal to test theory concepts and validate the measurement tool known from the theory of service quality using new empirical data in a specific context. A cross-sectional survey on a sample of 200 post-encountered patients and using structural equation modelling (SEM) and SEM path analysis to determine satisfaction. Findings The findings confirmed that a six-dimensional scale of SERVQUAL is not appropriate for the Kosovo health-care context. The scale development analysis with a new reduced four-dimensional model can be used to measure health service quality in the Kosovan context. Research limitations/implications The initial study concept was not piloted. It was developed by the researcher based on secondary data. Systematic random sampling was used, which may have resulted in conclusions that are not applicable to the general population. Finally, this study is applicable to the Kosovo context and cannot be generalized nor represent all patients treated in Kosovo hospitals and clinics. However, the above limitations are less significant compared to the importance of carrying out this type of study for the first time in Kosovo. Practical implications This study can help Kosovo health authorities to guide health system-wide improvements and health-care providers to remove quality shortfalls based on a culturally sensitive and validated multiple-item scale for the quality of their service. Originality/value This is the first research conducted to identify which of the service quality dimensions require attention by the health-care service providers in Kosovo and develop a validated tool for patient satisfaction measurement that can be used for commercial application.

Leading with love: learning and shared accountability

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Pronovost ◽  
Todd M. Zeiger ◽  
Randy Jernejcic ◽  
V. George Topalsky
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health System ◽  
Management System ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
Peer Learning ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Learning Networks ◽  
Improve Performance ◽  
Content Type

PurposeTo describe peer learning and shared accountability and their use within our management system to improve the rate of patient annual wellness visits completed by primary care physicians.Design/methodology/approachOur management system implements programs to improve performance on a measure, initially declaring the goal, roles and responsibilities. In the illustrative case in this article, primary care physicians are assigned the goal of completing annual wellness visits for 65% of their patients by the end of 2021. To support physicians, peer learning networks are established, connecting teams, physicians and others to broadly share best practices and support better performance. Shared accountability means higher-level leaders in the organization need to first set lower-level leaders up to succeed before holding lower-level leaders accountable for achieving the declared goal. Our shared accountability model describes processes of the higher-level leader to ensure lower-leader success. The accountability process if a lower-level leader does not improve performance involves 3 steps: (1) a letter; (2) meeting with hospital executives for peer review; (3) review for sanctions/disciplinary action.FindingsIn quarter 1 of calendar year 2021, we identified 30 physicians that were behind pace for reaching the 65% goal of AWVs with patients for 2021 and also had not achieved the 2020 60% goal. After step 1, 22 of 30 (73%) physicians were on target for the goal. After step 2, 3 of 8 physicians were on target for the goal.Originality/valuePeer learning and shared accountability are underdeveloped in health care, and often viewed as at odds with each other. In our framework we integrate them. Thus, we formed learning networks, connecting every level of the organization and branching out across the health system to share ideas and build capability. Our shared accountability model removes the punitive connotation often connected to accountability by aligning higher and lower-level leaders to work together as a team. This model is improving personal performance among primary care physicians, and now being used for all quality and value efforts in our health system. We believe if broadly applied, this model could help improve value in health care.

scholarly journals Primary Care Physicians’ Perceptions of Barriers To Preventive Reproductive Health Care In Rural Communities

2012 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia H. Chuang ◽  
Sandra W. Hwang ◽  
Jennifer S. McCall-Hosenfeld ◽  
Lara Rosenwasser ◽  
Marianne M. Hillemeier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
Reproductive Health Care

Role of internal service quality in enhancing patient centricity and internal customer satisfaction

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gyan Prakash ◽  
Shefali Srivastava
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Coordinated Care ◽  
Health Care Environment ◽  
Care Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Patient Centred Care ◽  
Internal Customer ◽  
Organisational Support

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the antecedents and outcomes of internal service quality (ISQ) in a health-care environment. The relationships among the heterogeneous health-care environment, coordinated care, perceived organisational support (POS), ISQ, internal customer satisfaction and patient-centred care were explored. Design/methodology/approach Based on a review of the literature, a structural model was developed. A 37-item questionnaire was circulated among service providers in the health-care system, including doctors, nurses and system staff, all over India. The random sampling method was adopted to collect data. A total of 238 valid responses were received. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings The results show that the heterogeneous environment, coordinated care and POS act as antecedents of ISQ, which drives internal customer satisfaction and patient centricity in health care. Research limitations/implications The paper contributes to the health-care literature by identifying the antecedents and consequences of ISQ and developing a structural relationship among ISQ, the heterogeneous health-care environment, coordinated care, POS, internal customer satisfaction and patient-centred care. Practical implications Hospital administrators may use various constructs of POS, ISQ and coordinated care to measure process and employee performance, which may aid the design of appropriate processes and improve employee selection. The constructs of patient centricity and internal customer satisfaction may be used as benchmarking tools to facilitate the formulation of immediate corrective actions and policies for future courses of action. Social implications This paper highlights how patient centricity may be achieved by focussing on ISQ, coordinated care processes and a facilitative internal environment. This understanding may aid the design of processes that in turn deliver health as a social good in an effective manner. Originality/value This paper extends past research on ISQ by showing that ISQ affects internal customer satisfaction and, in turn, the quality of service delivery in the system. In the health-care context, heterogeneity in patient needs, coordinated care and organisational support play crucial roles in determining ISQ, which in turn influences the level of patient-centred care.

Service quality in public health clinics: perceptions of users and health professionals

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 680-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Domingos Fernandes Campos ◽  
Rinaldo Bezerra Negromonte Filho ◽  
Felipe Nalon Castro
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Service ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health Clinics ◽  
Public Health Clinics ◽  
The City

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the expectations and quality gaps in services provided at city public health clinics in the city of Natal, Brazil, from the perspective of patients and healthcare service providers. Design/methodology/approach The research sample consisted of 1,200 patients who used public health services and 265 providers – doctors, nutritionists, physiotherapists, psychologists, pharmacists and managers at three health clinics in the city of Natal, Brazil. A scale with 25 health service attributes was used in data collection. Summary statistics and t-test were used to analyze the data. Findings The results show that the providers think that users have lower levels of expectations than those indicated by the users in all attributes. Providers and users have the most approximate insights into what attributes are considered most important: explanations, level of knowledge and attention dispensed by health professionals. Users and providers perceived similar quality gaps for most of the attributes. The gaps were statistically the same, when comparing the mean quality shortcomings by means of a Student’s test, considering a significance level of 5 percent, obtained independently by the manifestation of users and providers. Research limitations/implications The results reveal only a photograph of the moment. The study did not consider the differences that may exist between groups with different income levels, genders or age groups. A qualitative study could improve the understanding of the differences and coincidences of the diverse points of views. A more advanced research could even study possibilities so that health managers could promote changes in the service, some of them low cost, as the health professionals training for contact with patients. Practical implications The evaluation of the service quality complemented by the matrix of opportunities, importance × quality gaps generates information to help make decisions in the rational allocation of available resources and improvement of the quality of the service delivered to patients. Besides, it offers a focus to prioritize specific actions. Originality/value It is important to compare the perceptions of service quality between patients and the healthcare service providers who work in direct contact with them. The managers can smooth out these differences and ensure, over time, customer satisfaction. In this study, providers were asked to express what they think about the expectations of patients and about their own service performance delivered. Thus, not only the traditional gap 5 was measured, but it was also possible to evaluate the distance between what providers think that patients need and their actual needs.

scholarly journals An evaluation of factors affecting the management of COVID-19 in Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed S.M Sadrul Huda ◽  
Afsana Akhtar ◽  
Segufta Dilshad ◽  
Syeeda Raisa Maliha
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Care Management ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Health Care Service ◽  
Health Care Management ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social

PurposeThe study aims to gain insights into the management of COVID-19 in Bangladesh to identify the factors that are relevant to managing the pandemic in a developing country.Design/methodology/approachThe study was carried out by pursuing the archival method. The information was collected from credible newspaper reports over the previous months, as well as articles published on the subject of COVID-19.FindingsThe research revealed important and relevant dimensions of the health sector in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. The major factors were doctors, nurses (health service providers), patients, (customers) and society. This is a pioneering paper, which documents the major lessons learned from the management of COVID-19 in Bangladesh concerning three stakeholders of the health-care system, i.e. providers, patients and society. This paper covers the situation regarding the ongoing pandemic from three perspectives – provider, customers and society, and thus, may help to develop future research regarding the development of health-care management models for addressing the pandemic.Research limitations/implicationsThe major limitations of this paper is its over dependence on secondary sources for collecting the information.Practical implicationsThis paper presents the learnings from the pandemic in health-care management in different categories (e.g. social, doctor/nurse, patients), which can help the managers in understanding different dimensions of the health-care sector from different perspectives. The problems as well as the learnings stated in the paper can help the policy makers implement such strategies to ensure better delivery of the medical health-care service during a pandemic.Social implicationsThis paper clearly reveals the social dimensions of the COVID-19 by assessing the social aspects of COVID-19 management. Both social stigma and support are traced out during evaluating the situation. Thus, the social forces will be able to rethink about their role in addressing the social costs of pandemic.Originality/valueThis is a commentary piece.

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