Service Quality and Performance in the Public Health-Care Sector

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to evaluate service quality and service performance relationship in the health-care sector using respective developed multidimensional scales. Data were collected from 400 inpatient respondents, using stratified sampling method from five departments, namely general medicine, surgery, pediatrics, orthopedics, gynecology, and ENT of a tertiary hospital (North India). The results confirm significant relationship among subdimensions of physical environment quality and interaction quality (service quality) and four service performance measures, namely waiting time, patient satisfaction, patient loyalty, and image in public hospitals.

KEYWORDS:

• image
• patient loyalty
• interaction quality
• patient satisfaction
• service quality
• physical environment quality

Notes

Note. PEQ = physical environment quality; IQ = interaction quality; OQ = outcome quality.

Note. PEQ = physical environment quality; AC = ambient condition; TAN = tangibles; SF = social factor; IQ = interaction quality; AB = attitude and behavior; E = expertise; PQ = process quality; OQ = outcome quality; WT = waiting time; PS = patient satisfaction; PL = patient loyalty; IM = image.

Note. PEQ = physical environment quality; IQ = interaction quality; WT = waiting time; PS = patient satisfaction; PL = patient loyalty; IM = image.

Note. AC = ambience condition; TAN = tangibles; SF = social factor; AB = attitude and behavior; E = expertise; PQ = process quality; WT = waiting time; PS = patient satisfaction; PL = patient loyalty; IM = image.