Evaluation of the Quality of Services Provided in Shohada Qaen Hospital and Its Effect on Patient Satisfaction and Loyalty

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Master of Marketing Management, Faculty Member of Payame Noor University, Qain, Iran

2 Ph.D. student of Operations Research Management, Faculty Member of Payame Noor University, Gonabad, Iran

Abstract

Background: Quality of services provided in hospitals has an important role in patient satisfaction. On the other hand, patients' satisfaction and loyalty lead to cost reduction and increase the hospital income. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the quality of hospital services with satisfaction and loyalty in hospitalized patients in Shohada Hospital in Qaen.
Methods: This is a descriptive-analytical study, which was conducted through cross-sectional analysis in 2016. The sample consisted of patients in Shohada Hospital in the city of Qaen, who were selected by simple random sampling method. Meesala and Paul questionnaire (2015) was used to collect data. In this questionnaire, the dimensions of quality (tangibility of services, staff reliability, staff accountability, staff empathy, access), satisfaction and loyalty of patients were examined. Data from the study group were entered into SPSS software version 20, and analyzed by Pearson correlation test.
Results: The results of this study showed that the majority of patients in Shohada Hospital in Qaen found the quality of the services provided in this hospital as being moderate. In addition, according to the statistical findings of this research, there was a direct and significant relationship between the quality of services provided and the level of customer loyalty and satisfaction.
Conclusion: Regarding the importance of health centers in providing and developing public health, it is essential for managers and officials in the strategic plans to pay attention to providing high-quality services, in order to strengthen the competitiveness of the centers based on competitive advantage.

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