Developing a framework of service convenience in health care: An exploratory study for a primary care provider

ABSTRACT

From retail health clinics and online appointment scheduling to (mobile) kiosks that enable patient check-in and automate the collection of copays and open balances, convenience has become an important topic in the health care sector over the last few years. While service convenience has also gained much interest in academia, one common limitation is that authors have adopted a “goods-centered” perspective focusing primarily on retail settings. Results of this exploratory study reveal that health care service convenience encompasses seven different dimensions: decision, access, scheduling, registration and check-in, transaction, care delivery, and postconsultation convenience. Implications and future research suggestions are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Health care
• primary care practice
• self-service technology
• service convenience
• service encounter

Notes

One noteworthy exception is the qualitative work by Geissler, Rucks, and Edison (2006) who conducted focus group interviews to investigate the role of service convenience among art museum visitors.