Examining the effect of perceived service quality of health care delivery in Ghana on behavioural intentions of patients: The mediating role of customer satisfaction

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating role of patients’ satisfaction in the relationship between perceived service quality (PSQ) and behavioural intentions. Data were collected from 178 patients selected from 35 health facilities in Ashanti Region of Ghana. A structural equation modelling technique was employed in estimating the proposed model using LISREL 8.5 and inter-construct correlation conducted in SPSS 16.0 to preview the associations among main constructs. Perceive service quality was positively and significantly related to both patients’ satisfaction and behaviour intentions which was also influenced by patient satisfaction in healthcare. The study confirmed the mediating role of satisfaction in the link between PSQ and behaviour intentions in healthcare. Based on these findings, it was suggested that, hospital managers must design patient-centered strategies to meet clients’ expectation and emphasizing both the technical and functional competence of the service providers to better serve their customers. The study has contributed to the literature by establishing the direct effect of service quality on behaviour intentions among patients and also establishing the indirect effect of service quality on behaviour intentions of patients through customer satisfaction.

KEYWORDS:

• Service quality
• customer satisfaction
• behavioural intentions
• patients
• Ghana

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Contributors: None.

Ethics approval: None.

Note on contributors

Ahmed Agyapong holds Ph.D. in Strategic Management from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). Dr Agyapong lectures in Strategic Management and Policy, Marketing Management, Competitive Analysis and Sociology. Ahmed is a researcher specialized in Corporate Development and Strategic Management of organizations. His research interests focuses on issues of entrepreneurship development in the informal sector and management strategy execution for performance. He serves as a mentor, consultant, and trainer for private and public organizations at both national and international levels. He coordinates a research and intervention programmes aimed at improving the practices of strategic management in micro, small, and large scale enterprises in Ghana. Ahmed has held several positions in the University including Head of Department for Marketing and Corporate Strategy, Vice Dean and Acting Dean for the School of Business, KNUST. He is currently the Deputy Director of the Institute of Distance Learning, KNUST.

Joel Duah Afi is an enterprising medical doctor with MBChB (Medicine and Surgery) and MBA strategic management and consulting. He works with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Hospital. He has research interest in patient care and safety, sustainable healthcare delivery, maternal and child health. He is a member of the Ghana Medical Association.

Kwame Owusu Kwateng has been lecturing undergraduate courses in information systems and logistics as well as postgraduate course in management information systems in the Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNSUT), Kumasi. Kwame’s research interests focuses on information Systems, management, logistics and supply chain management, intelligent transportation systems and entrepreneurship. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, Ghana. He can be reached at Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems, KNUST School of Business, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.