Designing a branding model for providing healthcare services in Iran

Abstract

Background: Branding in the field of healthcare services leads to transparency and utility in the type of services, differentiation of services in the minds of patients, and their trust in health centers. Therefore, the present study aimed to provide a branding model in the field of healthcare services. Methods: A mixed-method approach was utilized to develop a branding model for providing healthcare services. The study population for the qualitative phase included 20 academic and organizational experts using snowball sampling and the Delphi technique. For the quantitative phase, 830 people who were referred to health centers were selected as service recipients, and 415 medical staff were selected as health care providers. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by face, content, and structural validity; moreover, its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha of 0.96. Quantitative data were presented by EQS software (version 6.1) with confirmatory factor analysis and structural equations. Results: According to the results of factor structure and measurement equivalence, the branding of healthcare services had six main themes of competitive position, brand equity, brand accessibility, brand consolidation in the minds of clients and the market, branding strategies, and consumer-brand relationship with 19 sub-themes for clients and providers (Comparative fit index=0.9, Tucker Lewis index=0.8, Root mean square error of approximation=0.085, Root mean square error=0.049). Moreover, the items had a good fit and internal consistency at significant levels (P<0.05). Conclusion: According to the results, six main themes of competitive position, brand equity, brand accessibility, brand consolidation in the minds of clients and the market, branding strategies, and consumer-brand relationship with 19 sub-themes can be used in the field of health services branding.