Conceptual Development on Factors influencing Customers Satisfaction in Private Rehabilitation Hospitals in Klang Valley

Abstract

Rehabilitation medicine is a specialized interdisciplinary medicine that requires the cooperation and involvement of multiple healthcare teams working together towards the recovery and improvement of the quality of the involved patients. The increasing incidence of acute diseases such as stroke and the ageing population brings an increasing need for rehabilitation in Malaysia. However, there are limited academic studies conducted on customer satisfaction in private rehabilitation services, especially in Malaysia. Thus, this conceptual paper is visualized to demonstrate the antecedents of customer satisfaction in private rehabilitation hospitals from a Malaysian perspective, particularly in Klang Valley. A total of fifteen studies with regard to patient and family satisfaction in various healthcare services were reviewed and analysed. In order to determine the independent variables for conceptual framework development, a frequency analysis was done. The finding specified that information communication, treatment service quality, healthcare delivery process, infrastructure and facilities and physician factors are significantly influencing customer satisfaction in healthcare services. Based on the conceptual framework, an empirical study is planned in the future to investigate the factors influencing customer satisfaction in private rehabilitation hospitals. All five independent variables are found to correspond with the five dimensions of the SERVQUAL model.