https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8000-1027
Abstract
Purpose
Recent literature on healthcare quality demands more contextualized and patient-perspective research, as models from developed countries are not suitable for developing countries. Moreover, research on private healthcare services in Vietnam has long been underestimated by academia, but it has significant economic and commercial value. Hence, this study explores the dimensions of service quality in private healthcare and how they impact in-patient satisfaction, perceived value, and customer loyalty in Vietnam.
Methods
This mixed-method study had a sample size of five inpatients for the qualitative phase and 368 inpatients for the quantitative phase from hospitals in Vietnam. The qualitative analysis explores service quality dimensions in private healthcare and incorporates them with the literature to develop a conceptual model. The quantitative phase tests the relationship between each construct in the conceptual model via structural equation modeling.
Results
The four dimensions of service quality were emotion, function, social influence, and trust. Most of these dimensions have a significant impact on customer perceived value and satisfaction. However, emotion does not significantly influence customer perceived value, and function does not considerably impact customer satisfaction. In addition, social influence is an underrepresented variable in the service quality literature, but it has the most substantial impact on customer perceived value and customer satisfaction. The quantitative results also confirm that customer satisfaction and customer perceived value significantly impact customer loyalty (word-of-mouth and revisit intention); however, customer perceived value does not significantly impact customer satisfaction.
Conclusion
The study suggests that private healthcare providers and the government in Vietnam should allocate resources to improve service quality. Practitioners should invest in social branding and e-services to reach out to their customers. Future research should focus on a cost-benefit analysis and compare the effectiveness of service quality dimensions on customer behavioral intention.
List of Abbreviations
CPV, Customer perceived value; WoM, Word-of-mouth.
Data Sharing Statement
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate
The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and the Vietnamese regulations. Under Circular No.4/TT-BYT, the scope of IRB covers only Biomed studies (defined in the Circular at Article 15, Section a: (1) clinical trials of drugs, (2) equipment, and (3) other products that have not yet been licensed for circulation in Vietnam). An ethics committee review was not required because the study was conducted for service evaluation. The institutional review board of Nguyen Tat Thanh University waived the IBR for this research because the recorded information could not readily identify the subject. Any disclosure of responses outside the research could not reasonably place the subject at risk. All participants provided written consent to participate in the study through acceptance of the invitation. Participants under 16 years of age provided written informed consent from their parents or guardians.
Consent for Publication
This manuscript does not contain any identifiable data.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge and thank all the participants in this study. We also express our gratitude to the medical and language experts who provided us with advice on questionnaire development and language editing.
Author Contributions
All authors made a significant contribution to the work reported, whether that is in the conception, study design, execution, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation, or in all these areas; took part in drafting, revising or critically reviewing the article; gave final approval of the version to be published; have agreed on the journal to which the article has been submitted; and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Disclosure
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest for this work. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of any organization or agency to which they are affiliated.