Consumer Perceived Value and Consumer Loyalty in the Healthcare Sector

Abstract

This study provides conceptual as well as empirical investigation of consumer perceived value (CPV) and consumer loyalty (CL) measures in the healthcare sector. It also offers an insight regarding the role of CPV in influencing CL. The data were collected from 515 hospitalised patients of 2 tertiary hospitals, namely the Government Medical College and Hospital (public) and Acharya Shri Chander College of Medical Sciences and Hospital (private) sector operating in Jammu, North India, from July 2009 to October 2009. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used to analyse CPV and CL. The results suggest that CPV is a function of acquisition value, transaction value, efficiency value, aesthetic value, social interaction value, and self-gratification value. Similarly, CL is related to preference loyalty (i.e., using provider again for same services, using provider again for different services), recommending provider to others, price indifference loyalty, and dissatisfaction response. The study underscores significant dimensions of consumer value and CL and validates the relationship between value and loyalty in healthcare service sector. The CPV and CL instruments include important aspects of patients’ perceptions of healthcare services. The scales are psychometrically adequate and are recommended for evaluating patients’ experiences of the quality of healthcare services. The study is limited theoretically to assessing the relationship between CPV and CL. Their relationships with other measures, such as consumer experiences, quality, satisfaction, service dominant logic, and image, need to be assessed in further works.