An integrated methodology for evaluating patient service quality

Abstract

Customer satisfaction and perception of quality are important for the profitability and sustainability of any organisation. In healthcare, patients’ needs and perception of quality are dynamic considering the rapid changes in healthcare costs, technological advancements, and patient demographics. The purpose of this research is to explore the diverse range of patient needs based on the level of satisfaction and quality perception. A methodology is proposed to provide insights into the voice of the customer through visualisation of the relationship between the performance of quality attributes and customer satisfaction. Cronbach’s alpha is employed to ensure internal consistency in the instrument used to gather the voice of the customer. In addition, the chi-square test for goodness of fit is included in the proposed methodology to test the distribution. Fisher’s exact test value from the Chi-square test of independence is used to evaluate patients’ responses. The effect sizes were analyzed using Cramer’s V to determine the magnitude of effect between the variables. The proposed methodology enabled comparisons of patient responses by demographics. A cross-sectional study was conducted to explore the needs associated with the walk-in clinics in the United States and validate the proposed methodology.