Service Quality, Perceived Gaps, and Predictors of Patient Satisfaction in a Public Hospital: A SERVQUAL-Based Study

The purpose of this study was to determine the quality of service and factors that are related to patient satisfaction on a Level II public hospital based on the SERVQUAL model. A cross-sectional descriptive-analytic design was used in which data were gathered through a structured survey on the patients who took part in answering five dimensions of SERVQUAL, namely, the tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. The qualitative observations were also incorporated in the study to determine gaps in service quality. Perceived service quality was assessed by the use of descriptive statistics such as frequencies and weighted means whereas chi-square tests and multiple linear regression analysis were utilized to assess the factors affecting patient satisfaction. Findings showed that patients were very satisfied with all the dimensions of SERVQUAL with empathy and reliability satisfaction levels being the highest. The areas that were found to have some gaps included missed appointments, less intimate treatment caused by staff shortages and lack of infrastructure. The chi-square analysis indicated that, there were significant relationships between service quality dimensions and patient satisfaction as empathy and reliability showed to be the strong predictors of satisfaction. The main drivers of satisfaction were promptness of care provided, communication and the general healthcare conditions. The study will suggest specific suggestions on how the hospital can be improved including streamlining the patient flow, improving the staff workload and investing in the infrastructure as per such findings. These strategies are capable of increasing service delivery, patient experiences and making long term changes that can improve patient satisfaction. The research study can give useful information to the health care administrators who wish to introduce quality improvement programs in the state hospitals.