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.

Impact of hospital atmosphere on perceived health care outcome

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ritu Narang ◽  
Pia Polsa ◽  
Alabi Soneye ◽  
Wei Fuxiang
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Healthcare Service ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Healthcare Quality ◽  
Clinical Effectiveness ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The People ◽  
Developed Nations

Purpose – Healthcare service quality studies primarily examine the relationships between patients ' perceived quality and satisfaction with healthcare services, clinical effectiveness, service use, recommendations and value for money. These studies suggest that patient-independent quality dimensions (structure, process and outcome) are antecedents to quality. The purpose of this paper is to propose an alternative by looking at the relationship between hospital atmosphere and healthcare quality with perceived outcome. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from Finland, India, Nigeria and the People ' s Republic of China. Regression analysis used perceived outcome as the dependent variable and atmosphere and healthcare service quality as independent variables. Findings – Results showed that atmosphere and healthcare service quality have a statistically significant relationship with patient perceived outcomes. Research limitations/implications – The sample size was small and the sampling units were selected on convenience; thus, caution must be exercised in generalizing the findings. Practical implications – The study determined that service quality and atmosphere are considered significant for developing and developed nations. This result could have significant implications for policy makers and service providers developing healthcare quality and hospital atmosphere. Originality/value – Studies concentrate on healthcare outcome primarily regarding population health status, mortality, morbidity, customer satisfaction, loyalty, quality of life, customer behavior and consumption. However, the study exposes how patients perceive their health after treatment. Furthermore, the authors develop the healthcare service literature by considering atmosphere and perceived outcome.

The Role of Anthropology in Facilitating Community Health Initiatives

1998 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 25-28
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Onjoro ◽  
Lisa Stahl
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
The United States ◽  
Childhood Diseases ◽  
Health Clinics ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Health Initiatives ◽  
Public Health Clinics ◽  
Complete Series

Immunization is widely recognized by health professionals as a tool for preventive medicine. However, large numbers of children in the United States do not receive the complete series of immunizations for childhood diseases (i.e., pertussis, diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, smallpox) on schedule or at all. Reasons cited for this poor participation range from lack of awareness of the importance of timely immunizations, lack of transportation, long lines at public health clinics, and other realities posed by competing personal priorities.

Customers’ value co-creation with healthcare service network partners

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiyoung Kim
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Healthcare Service ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Group Analysis ◽  
The Body ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Service Network ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Service Quality ◽  
Service Value

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify customers’ service network partners in medical encounters and demonstrate the extent to which customers’ evaluation of each co-creation practice with their service network partners affects their perceived service quality and satisfaction. In addition, the moderating effect of patient age is examined. Design/methodology/approach By using a field survey, data collected from 164 inpatients were examined through structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis. Findings The value-creating activities of customers with service providers, companions and other customers during healthcare service encounters have a positive effect on their perception of service quality and satisfaction related to behavioral intentions. Co-creating with service value network partners has a greater impact on perceived service quality and service satisfaction for patients aged 60 or older. Research limitations/implications By focusing on participants in customers’ service value co-creating networks, this study contributes to the body of knowledge by confirming the importance of each actor and analyzing customers’ value co-creating activities. Originality/value This is the first study to show that when customers’ level of involvement is high, such as in healthcare services, their value-creating activities when interacting with medical staff, companions and other patients positively affect perceived service quality and satisfaction.

Hospital healthcare service quality, patient satisfaction and loyalty

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 1195-1214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taqdees Fatima ◽  
Shahab Alam Malik ◽  
Asma Shabbir
Keyword(s):  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Healthcare Service ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Quality Of Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Private Healthcare ◽  
Patient Loyalty

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explain the patients’ views towards private healthcare service providers. The study focussed on hospital service quality and analysed the relative significance of quality measurements in anticipating the patients’ satisfaction and loyalty. The mediating role of patient satisfaction is assessed between quality of hospital healthcare services and patient loyalty. Design/methodology/approach A total 611 patients (both indoor and outdoor) participated in a questionnaire survey from the six private hospitals of capital city, Islamabad, Pakistan. Data were analysed through descriptive statistics, common method variance, reliability, correlation and regression in order to investigate customer perceived service quality and how the quality of services stimulates loyalty intentions towards private service suppliers. Findings Findings depict that private healthcare service providers are attempting to deliver well improved healthcare services to their customers. Results confirmed that better quality of healthcare services inclines to build satisfaction and loyalty among patients. The healthcare service quality aspects (i.e. physical environment, customer-friendly environment, responsiveness, communication, privacy and safety) are positively related with patient loyalty which is mediated through patient satisfaction. Practical implications Findings will help the hospital managers to articulate effective strategies in order to ensure superior quality of healthcare services to patients. The study will induce hospital management to deliver attentions towards the quality of private healthcare service systems and improvements towards the deficient healthcare services. Furthermore, the study will present a clear picture of patient’s behavioural attitudes; satisfaction and loyalty intentions towards the quality of healthcare services. Originality/value The study provides the views and perceptions of patients towards the quality of healthcare services. The healthcare service quality dimensions, i.e., physical environment, customer-friendly environment, responsiveness, communication, and privacy and safety were assessed. Hospital healthcare service quality was examined in order to find out its effect on patient satisfaction and patient loyalty.

Service quality and satisfaction in healthcare sector of Pakistan— the patients’ expectations

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 489-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saad Ahmed Javed ◽  
Fatima Ilyas
Keyword(s):  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Healthcare Service ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Private Hospitals ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the influence of patients’ expectations from healthcare service quality on their satisfaction with nursing in public and private hospitals of Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach Data (n=456) were collected from three public sector hospitals and three private sector hospitals of Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s most populous province. Male and female patients who have experience of both sectors were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire developed using the original SERVQUAL approach. Data were analyzed using the statistical techniques and the Laplace criterion. Findings This paper attempts to explain degree of influences of five service quality constructs (empathy, responsiveness, tangibility, reliability and assurance) on Pakistani patients’ expectations from the private and public sector hospitals and thus patient satisfaction. Further, this work can offer several intuitions into the effect of five constructs of service quality on patients’ expectations of healthcare service quality and patient satisfaction with the service providers/nursing. The results reveal that the patient satisfaction is most strongly related to empathy in public sector and to responsiveness in private sector. Research limitations/implications In light of the previous studies and the current research findings, the study anticipates no apparently significant improvement in healthcare sector of Pakistan in near future considering various factors discussed in the study. The study will also help the service providers and the policy makers in understanding the deteriorating situation of the Pakistani healthcare sector and will guide them in identifying the areas by improving which not only the healthcare service quality in the country can be improved but also the image of healthcare sector among the masses and competitiveness of the healthcare sector can be enhanced. Originality/value The value of the study rests in its critical analysis of the current status of the healthcare sector of Pakistan with a view to suggest the areas that need to be worked on by the service providers and policy makers. Also, the study tries to settle a controversy within Pakistani healthcare literature concerning the question that who is producing more satisfied patients: private hospitals or their public counterparts?

Equating the expected and perceived service quality

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 1295-1317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asma Shabbir ◽  
Shahab Alam Malik ◽  
Saquib Yusaf Janjua
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Healthcare Service ◽  
Gap Analysis ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Service Quality ◽  
Private Healthcare

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate patients’ views toward the perceived service quality of public and private healthcare service providers. Determinants of healthcare service quality were compared by carrying out a GAP analysis to equate perceived and expected services and examined differences in the service quality. Design/methodology/approach The study sample comprises 310 inpatients of public and private healthcare service providers. Self-administered questionnaires were used along a five-point Likert scale and analyzed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. GAP analysis was used to observe the difference between expectations and perceived service quality. Findings A cross-sectional study revealed significant quality gaps between the expected and perceived services of public and private healthcare service providers; conversely patients’ expectations are not fully met in both types of hospitals. Private hospitals surpassed in terms of overall perceived service quality from their counterparts. Perceived services were found better in terms of physician medical services in public sector hospitals, while rooms and housekeeping services were found better in terms of private sector hospitals. Practical implications The result can be used by both public and private healthcare service providers to restructure their quality management practices which could only be possible through effective management commitment, regular patients’ feedback and translucent complaint procedures. Originality/value The study conceptualizes the expected and perceived hospital service quality dimensions as an eight-dimensional framework. A comparison between public and private sector hospitals is made to get a better understanding about the differences in the perceived healthcare services among two sectors. Consequences of the study will aid hospital managers and policy makers to get a fuller picture of healthcare services in order to contrive enhancement practices.

Accommodating ethnic minority consumers during service encounters: the fine line

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Mady ◽  
John B. Ford ◽  
Tarek Mady
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Encounter ◽  
Service Encounters ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quality Perceptions ◽  
Language And Ethnicity ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to examine the effect of intercultural accommodation efforts on service quality perceptions among ethnic minority consumers. Specifically, the paper postulates that during an intercultural service encounter, the impact of the service provider’s language and ethnicity on the consumer’s service quality perceptions is moderated by the level of service involvement, consumer acculturation and perceived discrimination, which, in turn, influence purchase intent. Design/methodology/approach A 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental design with an online nationwide consumer panel of Hispanic consumers was conducted where 377 participants were randomly assigned to a series of service encounter scenarios in the banking service context to manipulate accommodation efforts (yes vs no) and the level of involvement with the service (high vs low). Findings When such language and ethnicity accommodations were offered, highly acculturated minority consumers regarded the service encounter less favorably than low acculturated minority consumers. Moreover, during low-involvement service encounters, intercultural accommodations positively impacted consumer’s service quality perceptions compared to situations involving high-involvement services. Also, minority consumers with perceptions of past discrimination had less favorable evaluations of the service quality than when such perceptions were nonexistent when intercultural accommodation efforts were made by the service provider. Research limitations/implications The findings add to the sparse literature that examines the effectiveness of intercultural accommodation and focuses on the combined use of service provider’s language and ethnicity as a means to enhance service quality. Practical implications The study delivers cautions for service firms not to generalize the receptivity of intercultural accommodation efforts. Given the increasingly sizable segments of minority customers, this study offers insights for service providers to develop suitable recruitment strategies and training programs when devising effective ethnic targeting strategies. Originality/value This research is among the first to explain why the effect of target marketing is not homogenous by expanding the research on intercultural accommodations toward a new context considering service involvement levels among varied minority consumer groups.

Evaluating the total quality and its role in measuring consumer satisfaction with e-healthcare services using the 5Qs model: a structure equation modeling approach

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Prachi Verma ◽  
Satinder Kumar ◽  
Sanjeev K. Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Consumer Satisfaction ◽  
Healthcare Service ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quality Perceptions

PurposeThis article initially aims to explore the factors of every quality construct of the 5Qs model of service quality and, second, identify the significant factors affecting the total quality of e-healthcare services and its association with consumer satisfaction using a multidimensional hierarchical 5Qs model of e-healthcare service quality.Design/methodology/approachQuestionnaire-oriented research was performed at three public hospitals of Punjab and Chandigarh. In total, 53 variables were covered in all quality constructs for data collection from the designated public hospitals. The respondents who agreed to have knowledge regarding e-Healthcare services and were availing these services were included in the study. The analysis comprised structural equation modeling technique using AMOS 21.FindingsThe outcomes suggest that the 5Qs model is more comprehensive and can be used to evaluate service quality perceptions using e-Healthcare services. The research identified 11 sub-dimensions for the five quality constructs of the 5Qs model, representing total quality, which is primary to consumer satisfaction. “Overall objectivity” and “technical objectivity” defined the quality of object. The quality of process of e-Healthcare services was characterized by “functionality,” “timeliness” and “responsiveness.” Quality of infrastructure was defined by “technical infrastructure,” “physical infrastructure,” “manpower skills” and “organizational infrastructure.” “Manner of interaction” and “timely interaction” defined the quality of interaction. The atmosphere was represented by only one factor. The results also suggest that quality of infrastructure, quality of interaction and quality of atmosphere play the most significant role in total quality leading to consumer satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsTheoretical implications: The multidimensional hierarchical model will help the researchers study the e-Healthcare service quality in a more organized manner, and the outcomes of this study can be linked with that of future studies for more generalized application in other public hospitals. The sub-dimensions of each quality construct of the 5Qs model can be applied in private hospitals, and the hierarchical model can be tested in different industries to measure service quality perceptions of the consumerPractical implicationsThe outcomes of the study can be applied in various public sector hospitals to redesign the e-Healthcare services based on consumers' perception for better consumer satisfaction and quality services. This paper identifies the role of each quality construct in e-Healthcare services for improvement in the total quality, which in turn will lead to higher satisfaction for the consumers.Originality/valueIn this study, the original 5Qs model has been used for the first time in a new instrument to understand better and design quality e-Healthcare services. The paper explores the sub-factors of each quality construct and its significance in measuring the total quality.

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