The influence of total quality management on customer satisfaction

ABSTRACT

Objective

As healthcare costs continue to rise, healthcare consumers expect service quality to improve. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of Total Quality Management by a healthcare facility on perceived service quality and patient satisfaction.

Method

A self-completion questionnaire was submitted to inpatients who were treated in April 2018 at a tertiary-level hospital in Vietnam. There were 516 respondents. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) ver. 25.0 and Amos ver. 25.0 programmes were used for frequency and descriptive statistical analysis, and structural equation modelling, respectively.

Results

Total Quality Management had a significant effect on perceived service quality and patient satisfaction; perceived service quality had a positive influence on patient satisfaction.

Conclusion

We used Total Quality Management and perceived service quality to develop a model showing that both factors directly influenced patient satisfaction. The work has significant implications for healthcare organizations; they may wish to consider these factors when engaging in strategic planning aimed at improving customer satisfaction. Those responsible for ensuring service quality should consider these factors.

KEYWORDS:

• Total quality management
• perceived service quality
• customer satisfaction

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge colleagues, local health authorities, and respondents in Vietnam for enabling this study. We greatly appreciate operational support from the Ministry of Health, the K Hospital, and the Coffee Club and the School of Medicine and Pharmacy at Vietnam National University (VNU).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributor

Thi Le Ha Nguyen has been a Medical Doctor for 18 years in Vietnam. She was graduated from the Mahidol University, Thailand, and was awarded Master of Primary Healthcare Management. Now, she is studying a doctoral programme in Healthcare Management at Kanazawa University, Japan.

Keisuke Nagase conducting research and teaching in hospital management, medical IT (including AI application), and Pulmonary Medicine for 20 years in medical schools, Keisuke Nagase provide service as a deputy director of the university hospital for finance, budget and IT.

ORCID

Keisuke Nagase http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1394-6538