Effect of relationship marketing on hospital loyalty: the mediating role of patient satisfaction

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to reveal the mediating role of patient satisfaction on the impact of relationship marketing on hospital loyalty.Design/methodology/approachThe scale questionnaires used in the study was the Relationship Marketing, Hospital Loyalty and the Patient Satisfaction Scale. The population of the study is made up of the patients who received in-hospital services in private hospitals operating in Kocaeli province. The field study was conducted between August 1 and October 31, 2019. After determining the sample size, the study was conducted on 401 patients in private hospitals primarily using the purposive sampling method. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and statistical package for the social sciences Process Macro were used to analyze the data.FindingsAccording to the findings of this study, patient satisfaction has an effect on hospital loyalty. Relationship marketing has an impact on hospital loyalty, and this effect is further enhanced by patient satisfaction. In other words, patient satisfaction has a mediating role in the impact of relationship marketing on hospital loyalty. Relationship marketing plays an important role in creating hospital loyalty and patient satisfaction. For this reason, it is recommended that health institutions adopt relationship marketing practices. Hospital loyalty and patient satisfaction will be ensured through relationship marketing. This will allow the health-care institution to continue to exist and to be more advantageous than other institutions.Originality/valueThe uniqueness of the paper lies not only in the only regression findings but also in the methodology used to capture the impact of the lagged effect of marketing relationships on hospital loyalty. Specifically, a regression model is based on both direct and indirect effects.