An Empirical Study of the Impact of Service Quality on Patient Satisfaction in Private Hospitals, Iran

Abstract

Objective:Perceived service quality is the most important predictor of patient satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the service quality on the overall satisfaction of patients in private hospitals of Tehran, Iran.Method:This cross-sectional study was conducted in the year 2010. The study’s sample consisted of 969 patients who were recruited from eight private general hospitals in Tehran, Iran using consecutive sampling. A questionnaire was used for data collection; contacting 21 items (17 items about service quality and 4 items about overall satisfaction) and its validity and reliability were confirmed. Data analysis was performed using t-test, ANOVA and multivariate regression.Result:this study found a strong relationship between service quality and patient satisfaction. About 45% of the variance in overall satisfaction was explained by four dimensions of perceived service quality. The cost of services, the quality of the process and the quality of interaction had the greatest effects on the overall satisfaction of patients, but not found a significant effect on the quality of the physical environment on patient satisfaction.Conclusions:Constructs related to costs, delivery of service and interpersonal aspect of care had the most positive impact on overall satisfaction of patients. Managers and owners of private hospitals should set reasonable prices compared to the quality of service. In terms of process quality, waiting time for visits, admissions, and surgeries must be declined and services provided at the fastest possible time. It should be emphasized to strengthen of interpersonal aspects of care and communication skills of care providers.

Factors affecting the quality of hospital hotel services from the patients and their companions' point of view: A national study in Iran

“…Moreover, hospital managers and supervisors should identify the required standards and outstanding issues of hospital hospitality from the viewpoint of patients and the way it affects the patients. [20] Literature review showed that previous studies only addressed the physical aspects of hotel services such as environment, physical space, light, ventilation, and nourishment. However, the present study examined 11 dimensions of hotel services and the human, performance, financial, economic, cultural, and personnel identification dimensions were not studied in any of the previous researches.…”

“…In medical sciences, one of the central principles of the charter of human ethics is respecting the dignity of the patient. [1920] In fact, dignity is closely linked to privacy, respect, independence, and control. [21] The Ministry of Health and Medical Education of Iran in 2010 implemented the patients’ rights in five topics, including the right to receive quality services, the right to receive appropriate information, the right to choose and decide, the right to receive health services, the right to privacy and confidentiality, and the right to access an effective complaints service to all its affiliated centers.…”

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“…The study then concluded that there is a significant relationship between emotional satisfactions with customer loyalty as emotions can influence the decision making of a person. Consequently, positive emotions can influence customers to stay and being loyal whereby negative emotions could result in complaints and customers no longer use the products and services [18,20,21] …”

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“…Utvrdili su znatnu povezanost između kvalitete usluga i zadovoljstva pacijenata, pri čemu su "troškovi usluga", "kvaliteta procesa" i "kvaliteta interakcija" imali najveći utjecaj na sveukupno zadovoljstvo pacijenata 35 .…”