The effects of service quality and perceived price on revisit intention of patients: the Malaysian context

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 541-558
Author(s):  
Kim Piew Lai ◽  
Yuen Yee Yen ◽  
Chong Siong Choy
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Health Care Service ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Revisit Intention ◽  
Medical Fees ◽  
Perceived Price

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the effects of service quality and perceived price (monetary and behavioural price) on the revisit intention of patients to hospitals, as well as the mediating role of perceived price on the relationship between service quality and revisit intention. Design/methodology/approach This paper distributes questionnaires to outpatients in three major cities in Malaysia, namely, Penang, Melaka and Johor. Patients who were in the foyer, dispensary area and waiting area were intercepted where their responses were sought. The responses obtained from 400 patients were analysed using the structural equation modelling technique. Besides analysing the path coefficients, this study has examined the common method variance, bias and indirect effects of the relationships. Findings The results suggest that patients pay more attention to certain values in their search for the best health-care service and subsequently move on to new values. Pricing is an effective strategy to promote favourable behavioural intentions amongst patients. Better service quality is reflected in the reasonableness of monetary costs incurred by patients in acquiring health-care services. Patients who received poor services will be more likely to compare such services to the medical costs incurred to ascertain the worthiness of the amount paid. In addition, service quality also influences how patients perceive spending their time and efforts (waiting for nurses and physicians, as well as queueing in hospitals) as worthy and vice-versa. Their revisit intention will also be affected by the extent of which they invest their time, energy and efforts to search for relevant information. Practical implications The hospitals which desire to charge additional fees should enhance their service quality to reflect price equity. This is imperative in view of the pricing structure which can be relatively complex in subsequent follow-up treatments that may affect the decision of patients on the sources of health-care services. Originality/value Given the inevitable increase in medical fees, the perceived price can be a key determinant to the overall judgement patients had in terms of the health-care services received and the time and efforts sacrificed. However, the importance of monetary price and the behavioural price is still relatively unstudied, particularly their influence on revisit intention in the health-care setting.

Measuring gaps in healthcare quality using SERVQUAL model: challenges and opportunities in developing countries

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Firas AlOmari
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Health Care Service ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
Patient’S Perspective ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Patient’S Perception

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to gauge the health-care services from a patient’s perspective in five private hospitals in the Syrian capital Damascus. Design/methodology/approach The five dimensions-SERVQUAL model (tangibility, empathy, assurance, reliability and responsiveness) was implemented to measure the gap between patient’s perception and expectation in health-care service quality. Findings The SERVQUAL tool proved to be reliable and valid in assessing service quality in Syrian health-care setting. The assessment of the service quality from a patient’s perspective shows that all SERVQUAL dimensions were negative except for tangible element that scored (+0.57) gap. Based on patient’s expectation, empathy scored the highest score with (4.37), followed by responsiveness (4.17), reliability (3.90), tangibility (3.82) and assurance (3.45). The widest negative gaps among the 22 SERVQUAL items were related to listening skills of hospital staffs (−1.52) and for spending enough time with patient (−1.81). This study indicated that tangible dimension plays a significant role in balancing the deficiency in other service quality dimensions. In addition, communication skills of medical and paramedical staff should be improved to ameliorate patient’s perception about health-care services. Research limitations/implications This study provides valuable insights into the patient’s perception, but the feedback from hospital staffs (doctor, nurses) and hospital’s senior managers also considered potential rich information sources. This survey is conducted in the capital, and future research should include replication of this study in the other 13 Syrian governorates before generalizing the findings of this research. Practical implications Hospital administrator could use SERVQUAL model to improve their operational performance as well as to benchmark their behavior against other competitors in the health-care market in Damascus. This paper provides valuable information to policymakers and top hospital management to understand patient-centered care and to improve health-care system in Syria. Besides, this research provides a marketing insight to realize what patient expects and how she/he assesses the care service. Originality/value To the author’s knowledge, this is one of very few studies conducted to assess service quality in private health-care sector in Damascus. The main contribution of this study is providing the empirical evidence that the five dimensions-SERVQUAL scale proved to be reliable and valid instrument for measuring and analyzing health-care service quality in Syria.

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.

Recovery colleges in mental health-care services: an Australian feasibility and acceptability study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liza Hopkins ◽  
Andrew Foster ◽  
Sue Belmore ◽  
Shelley Anderson ◽  
Di Wiseman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Community Care ◽  
Health Care Service ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Services

Purpose This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of establishing a recovery college in an Australian acute and community adult mental health service. Very little has been published on efforts to incorporate recovery colleges in inpatient settings other than forensic. This study offers an evaluation of feasibility and acceptability of this service model within a health-care setting. Design/methodology/approach Participant feedback and qualitative implementation data, from an acute mental health-care inpatient ward and adult community care were used. Participants were mental health service consumers and staff. The intervention involved a co-produced, co-designed, co-delivered and co-received educational opportunity for mental health consumers, carers, staff and the community. Findings Feedback from course participants indicates that learning objectives were met by the majority of participants, while stakeholders identified that establishing a recovery college within both the inpatient and community health-care service was feasible at a service level and broadly acceptable to consumers. Originality/value Establishing an adult recovery college in inpatient and community care is likely to be effective re-orientating mental health-care services as well as improving outcomes for consumers.

A Structural Model to Investigate Factors Affect Patient Satisfaction and Revisit Intention in Jordanian Hospitals

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 43-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abbas Al-Refaie
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Hospital Stay ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Hospital Performance ◽  
Security Culture ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Revisit Intention ◽  
Stay Hospital

By measuring to what extent hospitals meet or exceed patient’s expectations, hospital managers can determine the needed service design and delivery improvements that contribute to patient satisfaction and revisit intention. It is necessary to evaluate quality of health care services from patient perspective. This research investigates the factors, including hospital performance, hospital stay, hospital facilities, interaction with patients, service quality, and patient security culture, that affect significantly patient satisfaction and revisit intention in Jordanian hospitals using structural equation modeling. Data were collected from five main hospitals. The results showed that hospital performance has no significant effect on patient satisfaction and revisit intention. This result indicates that the patients are facing troubles in admission, registration, waiting time, and response time for results of medical tests. Also, the hospital stay, hospital facilities, service quality, and patient security culture are found significantly important in achieving patient satisfaction and revisit intention. Further, the interaction with patients’ requirements and needs significantly related to service quality and hospital stay. These results shall provide policy and planning manager a great assistance in determining the factors that improve hospital performance, maintain quality medical services, and plan future improvements in the design and development of medical health care services in Jordan.

A Structural Model to Investigate Factors Affect Patient Satisfaction and Revisit Intention in Jordanian Hospitals

2013 ◽  
pp. 136-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abbas Al-Refaie
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Hospital Stay ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Hospital Performance ◽  
Security Culture ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Revisit Intention ◽  
Stay Hospital

By measuring to what extent hospitals meet or exceed patient’s expectations, hospital managers can determine the needed service design and delivery improvements that contribute to patient satisfaction and revisit intention. It is necessary to evaluate quality of health care services from patient perspective. This research investigates the factors, including hospital performance, hospital stay, hospital facilities, interaction with patients, service quality, and patient security culture, that affect significantly patient satisfaction and revisit intention in Jordanian hospitals using structural equation modeling. Data were collected from five main hospitals. The results showed that hospital performance has no significant effect on patient satisfaction and revisit intention. This result indicates that the patients are facing troubles in admission, registration, waiting time, and response time for results of medical tests. Also, the hospital stay, hospital facilities, service quality, and patient security culture are found significantly important in achieving patient satisfaction and revisit intention. Further, the interaction with patients’ requirements and needs significantly related to service quality and hospital stay. These results shall provide policy and planning manager a great assistance in determining the factors that improve hospital performance, maintain quality medical services, and plan future improvements in the design and development of medical health care services in Jordan.

Impact of restricting access to health care services on Syrian refugees in Jordan: evidence from cross-sectional surveys

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibraheem Khaled Abu Siam ◽  
María Rubio Gómez
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Access ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Health Care Cost ◽  
Syrian Refugees ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Access ◽  
Care Services

Purpose Access to health-care services for refugees are always impacted by many factors and strongly associated with population profile, nature of crisis and capacities of hosing countries. Throughout refugee’s crisis, the Jordanian Government has adopted several healthcare access policies to meet the health needs of Syrian refugees while maintaining the stability of the health-care system. The adopted health-care provision policies ranged from enabling to restricting and from affordable to unaffordable. The purpose of this paper is to identify the influence of restricted level of access to essential health services among Syrian refugees in Jordan. Design/methodology/approach This paper used findings of a cross-sectional surveys conducted over urban Syrian refugees in Jordan in 2017 and 2018 over two different health-care access policies. The first were inclusive and affordable, whereas the other considered very restricting policy owing to high inflation in health-care cost. Access indicators from four main thematic areas were selected including maternal health, family planning, child health and monthly access of household. A comparison between both years’ access indicators was conducted to understand access barriers and its impact. Findings The comparison between findings of both surveys shows a sudden shift in health-care access and utilization behaviors with increased barriers level thus increased health vulnerabilities. Additionally, the finding during implementation of restricted access policy proves the tendency among some refugees groups to adopt negative adaptation strategies to reduce health-care cost. The participants shifted to use a fragmented health-care, reduced or delayed care seeking and use drugs irrationally weather by self-medication or reduce drug intake. Originality/value Understanding access barriers to health services and its negative short-term and long-term impact on refugees’ health status as well as the extended risks to the host communities will help states that hosting refugees building rational access policy to protect whole community and save public health gains during and post crisis. Additionally, it will support donors to better mobilize resources according to the needs while the humanitarian actors and service providers will better contribute to the public health stability during refugee’s crisis.

Measuring reopening readiness: a universal COVID-19 index for US states

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunju Suh ◽  
Mahdi Alhaery
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Counter Measures ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Future Health Care ◽  
Pandemic Severity ◽  
Occupancy Rates ◽  
Bed Occupancy Rates

PurposeWhile United States is among countries with the world’s highest coronavirus infections, its approaches and policies to reopen the economy vary by state. A lack of objective criteria and monitoring toward satisfying the criteria can lead to another COVID-19 outbreak and business closures. Considering the pressing need to return to normalcy without a rebound of COVID-19 infections and deaths, an index that provides a data-driven and objective insight is urgently needed. Hence, a method was devised to assess the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the degree of progress any state has made in containing the spread of COVID-19.Design/methodology/approachUsing measures such as the weekly averages of daily new deaths, ICU bed occupancy rates, positive cases and test positivity rates, two indexes were developed: COVID-19 reopening readiness and severity.FindingsA clear difference in the pandemic severity trends can be observed between states, which is possibly due to the disparity in the state’s response to coronavirus. A sharp upward trend in index values requires caution prior to moving to the next phase of reopening.Originality/valueThe composite indexes advanced in this study will provide a universal, standardized and unbiased view of each state’s readiness to reopen and allow comparisons between states. This in turn can help governments and health-care agencies take counter measures if needed as to the anticipated demand for future health-care services and minimize adverse consequences of opening.

The Finnish healthcare services lean management

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanna Hihnala ◽  
Lilja Kettunen ◽  
Marjo Suhonen ◽  
Hanna Tiirinki
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Lean Management ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Development Processes ◽  
Specialized Health Care

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss health services managers’ experiences of management in a special health-care unit and development efforts from the point of view of the Lean method. Additionally, the aim is to deepen the knowledge of the managers’ work and nature of the Lean method development processes in the workplace. The research focuses on those aspects and results of Lean method that are currently being used in health-care environments. Design/methodology/approach These data were collected through a number of thematic interviews. The participants were nurse managers (n = 7) and medical managers (n = 7) who applied Lean management in their work at the University Hospital in the Northern Ostrobothnia Health Care District. The data were analysed with a qualitative content analysis. Findings A common set of values in specialized health-care services, development of activities and challenges for management in the use of the Lean manager development model to improve personal management skills. Practical implications Managers in specialized health-care services can develop and systematically manage with the help of the Lean method. This emphasizes assumptions, from the point of view of management, about systems development when the organization uses the Lean method. The research outcomes originate from specialized health-care settings in Finland in which the Lean method and its associated management principles have been implemented and applied to the delivery of health care. Originality/value The study shows that the research results and in-depth knowledge on Lean method principles can be applied to health-care management and development processes. The research also describes health services managers’ experiences of using the Lean method. In the future, these results can be used to improve Lean management skills, identify personal professional competencies and develop skills required in development processes. Also, the research findings can be used in the training of health services managers in the health-care industry worldwide and to help them survive the pressure to change repeatedly.

Creating a competence profile of a new profession: social service agents in welfare centers

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 362-380
Author(s):  
Riitta Forsten-Astikainen ◽  
Pia Heilmann
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Practical Knowledge ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Services ◽  
The Future ◽  
To Come ◽  
Context Specific

Purpose This study examines in detail how a new occupational group in a field creates and defines its professional competences. The background of the study refers to a new way of organizing social and health care services that requires new type of expertise. The authors examine the professionals of this new sector – service agents and the competences – they need in a multi-professional networking organization. The goal of this organizational pilot project is to gather both experience and practical knowledge of how the “gatekeeper” model can work between the customer and the service provider. The purpose of this paper is to learn the service agents’ perspective on their own work, namely, how they create their work, what their visions of the future are, and what can be learned from the new organizing model. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative data collection and small-scale exploratory study of a new profession: eight service agents and their two supervisors were interviewed to raise awareness of what professional competences these new job contents require, how service agents can influence the content of their work, and what competence needs will emerge in the future. Findings The key findings indicate that service agents lack the courage to modify their own mission. When a new profession is created, they are uncertain about how to create self-content on their own terms. They assume they need a certain degree and to know something more than they already know. They do not dare define their own new professional territory, but rather wait for that definition to come from their organization or society. However, the results also show that some service agents have a hidden willingness to be creative even when there is a lack of courage. There is a need to take more initiative and for agents to think freely outside the box in this new situation. Research limitations/implications The number of interviewees is small and the context specific. However, the study gives an indication of the factors that need to be taken into account when the dissemination of the model starts. Originality/value The paper describes the results of the pilot project of a new profession and a customer-oriented model in the social and health care sector.

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