Dataset Information

Patients' perceptions of service quality in China: An investigation using the SERVQUAL model.

ABSTRACT: The doctor-patient relationship has been a major focus of society. Hospitals' efforts to improve the quality of their medical services have been to reduce the probability of doctor-patient conflicts. In this study, we aimed to determine the gap between expectations and perceptions of service quality according to patients to provide reference data for creating strategies to improve health care quality.Twenty-seven hospitals in 15 provinces (municipalities directly beneath the central government) were selected for our survey; we sent out 1,589 questionnaires, of which 1,520 were collected (response rate 95.65%) and 1,303 were valid (85.72% effective recovery rate). Paired t-tests were used to analyze whether there were significant differences between patients' expectations and perceived service quality. A binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine whether there were significant differences in the gap between expectation and perception of service quality according to patients' demographic characteristics.There was a significant difference between the expected and perceived service quality (p < 0.05) according to patients both before and after receiving medical services. Furthermore, the service quality gap of each service dimension was negative. Specifically, the gaps in service quality were as follows: economy, responsiveness, empathy, assurance, reliability, and tangibles. Overall, we can conclude that patients' perceptions of service quality are lower than their expectations.According to the study results, the quality of health care services as perceived by patients was lower than expected. Hospitals should make adjustments according to the actual situation and should strive to constantly improve the quality of medical services for patients.

SUBMITTER: Fan LH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5741236 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Patients' perceptions of service quality in China: An investigation using the SERVQUAL model.

Fan Li-Hua LH Gao Lei L Liu Xin X Zhao Shi-Hong SH Mu Hui-Tong HT Li Zhe Z Shi Lei L Wang Ling-Ling LL Jia Xiao-Li XL Ha Min M Lou Feng-Ge FG

PloS one 20171222 12

<h4>Background and aim</h4>The doctor-patient relationship has been a major focus of society. Hospitals' efforts to improve the quality of their medical services have been to reduce the probability of doctor-patient conflicts. In this study, we aimed to determine the gap between expectations and perceptions of service quality according to patients to provide reference data for creating strategies to improve health care quality.<h4>Methods</h4>Twenty-seven hospitals in 15 provinces (municipalitie ...[more]

PMID: 29272312

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Project description:BackgroundA phase-III interdisciplinary quality improvement program, the preanesthetic oral examination (PAOE), was implemented as a new program in an academic medical center to prevent perioperative dental injuries. This study was aimed at surveying the perceived service quality and satisfaction of patients who had undergone PAOE based on the SERVQUAL model.MethodsThis cross-sectional survey was conducted at the Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital using convenience sampling. Patients referred for PAOE (PAOE group) and those who had voluntarily availed dental services (control group) were recruited. A modified SERVQUAL questionnaire was used to assess the perceived service quality and patient satisfaction with dental services. Cronbach's alpha for SERVQUAL was 0.861.ResultsWe enrolled 286 (68.8%) and 130 (31.2%) participants in the PAOE and control groups, respectively. The path analysis revealed that the PAOE group scored lower in dimensions of reliability (β = -0.074, P = 0.003), responsiveness (β = -0.148, P = 0.006), and empathy (β = -0.140, P = 0.011). Furthermore, reliability (β = 0.655, P < 0.001) and responsiveness (β = 0.147, P = 0.008) showed a direct effect on patient satisfaction. Overall, participants were highly satisfied with the dental services.ConclusionsThe PAOE group showed lower satisfaction and perceived quality of dental services compared to the control group. Although implementing an interdisciplinary program reduces the perceived service quality, its influence is limited. Employing an interdisciplinary teamwork is a win-win strategy encouraged to improve patient safety and reduce malpractice claims. Future suggestions should focus on establishing waiting times that are considered reasonable by patients. Patient-centered education related to the risk of perioperative dental injuries should be provided, and awareness of oral conditions for patient safety should be improved. Moreover, interprofessional education in continuous and undergraduate programs is necessary to improve professional quality.

Project description:IntroductionThe Servqual (an acronym from the words "service" and "quality") method is used to assess the quality of provided services on the basis of standardised evaluation parameters. This method is based on five gaps resulting from the discrepancy between expected and received service quality. The aim of this meta-analysis and the systematic review was to view and assess the major differences in the five dimensions of the Servqual method used to evaluate the quality of delivered health care services in selected Asian countries. Another goal of the study was to confirm the use of the Servqual method as a suitable tool for assessing the quality of health care services.MethodsThis study followed the PRISMA guidelines for systemic reviews and meta-analyses. The following electronic databases for medical publications were used: PubMed, Medline, Scopus, and Cochrane were searched for articles published from January 2000 to April 2020. The databases were explored with original search queries containing the following terms: "Servqual", "service quality", "Servqual model", "servqual questionnaire", "health service quality", "health care services", "patients' expectation", "patients' perception", "expectation", "perception", and "health care services", in combination using "AND" and "OR". In order to minimize bias, two researchers (PK and DK) independently performed an online search for peer-reviewed papers, using the combinations of the above-mentioned words. In addition, references of eligible publications were checked. All disagreements, regarding the inclusion or exclusion of specific studies, were resolved through consultations among all the authors.ResultsA total of 96 reports were identified and submitted to a preliminary screening selection. As a result of the pre-screening stage, 64 papers were qualified to further evaluation. The output of the evaluation brought 15 reported studies, meeting the pre-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria. The total number of participants was 5903 (ranging from 20 to 439 in individual reports), and 54% of them were women. Eight studies (53%) were from Iran, two from Pakistan (13%) and one each from Arabia, Malaysia, South Korea, Bangladesh, and Iraq (each-about 7%). The results showed gaps between patients' expectations and perceptions in all five dimensions of Servqual in almost each analysed study. The highest and lowest values of the gaps in quality scores were associated with the dimensions of reliability, tangibility, empathy, and responsiveness, respectively.ConclusionsThe study demonstrated that the method of Servqual is broadly used in various medical sectors to assess the quality of medical services provided. In addition, the study demonstrated that patients had significantly higher expectations of the medical services offered in the five dimensions studied. The results, obtained through the Servqual method, may help improve and monitor the quality of services provided by different institutions.

Project description:BackgroundAs the Chinese society ages and the concern for health and quality of life grows, the demand for care services in China is increasing. The widespread use of internet technology has greatly improved the convenience and efficiency of web-based services. As a result, the Chinese government has been implementing "Internet+Nursing Services" since 2019, with mobile apps being the primary tools for users to access these services. The quality of these apps is closely related to user experience and the smooth use of services.ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the functionality, services, and quality of "Internet+Nursing Service" apps; identify weaknesses; and provide suggestions for improving service programs and the research, development, improvement, and maintenance of similar apps.MethodsIn December 2022, two researchers searched for "Internet+Nursing Service" apps by applying the search criteria on the Kuchuan mobile app monitoring platform. After identifying the apps to be included based on ranking criteria, they collected information such as the app developer, app size, version number, number of downloads, user ratings, and number and names of services. Afterward, 5 trained researchers independently evaluated the quality of the apps by using the Chinese version of the user version of the Mobile App Rating Scale (uMARS-C). The total uMARS-C score was based on the average of the five evaluators' ratings.ResultsA total of 17 "Internet+Nursing Service" apps were included. Among these, 12 (71%) had been downloaded more than 10,000 times, 11 (65%) had user ratings of 4 or higher, the median app size was 62.67 (range 22.71-103; IQR 37.51-73.47) MB, 16 (94%) apps provided surgical wound dressing change services, 4 (24%) covered first-tier cities, and only 1 (6%) covered fourth-tier cities. The median total uMARS-C score was 3.88 (range 1.92-4.92; IQR 3.71-4.05), which did not correlate with app store user ratings (r=0.003; P=.99). The quality of most apps (11/17, 65%) was average. Most apps (12/17, 71%) were rated as "good" or above (≥4 points) in terms of information quality, layout, graphics, performance, and ease of use; however, the vast majority of apps were rated as "fair" or even "poor" (<4 points) in terms of credibility (14/17, 82%) and demand (16/17, 94%).Conclusions"Internet+Nursing Service" apps need to broaden their service coverage, increase service variety, and further optimize their service structure. The overall quality of these apps is generally poor. App developers should collaborate with medical professionals and communicate with target users before launching their products to ensure accurate content, complete functionality, and good operation that meets user needs.

Project description:Building resilience in health systems is an imperative for low- and middle- income countries. Health service managers' ability to implement health innovations may be a key aspect of resilience in primary healthcare facilities, promoting adaptability and functionality. This study investigated health service managers' perceptions and experiences of adopting health innovations. We aimed to identify perceptions of constraints to adoption and emergent behaviours in response to these constraints. A convenience sample of 34 facility, clinical service and sub-district level managers was invited to participate. Six did not respond and were not contactable. In-depth individual interviews in a private space at participants' place of work were conducted with 28 participants. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. NVivo 11 was used to store data and facilitate framework analysis. Study participants described constraints to innovation adoption including: staff lack of understanding of potential benefits; staff personalities, attitudes and behaviours which lead to resistance to change; high workload related to resource constraints and frequent policy changes inducing resistance to change; and suboptimal communication through health system structures. Managers reported employing various strategies to mitigate these constraints. These comprised (1) technical skills including participatory management skills, communication skills, community engagement skills and programme monitoring and evaluation skills, and (2) non-technical skills including role modelling positive attitudes, understanding staff personalities, influencing perceptions of innovations, influencing organizational climate and building trusting relationships. Managers have a vital role in the embedding of service innovations into routine practice. We present a framework of technical and non-technical skills that managers need to facilitate the adoption of health innovations. Future efforts to build managers' capacity to implement health innovations should target these competencies.

Dataset Information

Patients' perceptions of service quality in China: An investigation using the SERVQUAL model.

Publications

Patients' perceptions of service quality in China: An investigation using the SERVQUAL model.

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