Abstract
BackgroundEstablishment and improvement of patients’ trust in healthcare organizations like hospitals necessitate delivery of high-quality services by nurses, as the largest group of healthcare providers. The present study aimed to compare hospital service quality based on the HEALTHQUAL model and trusting nurses at university and non-university hospitals in Iran.MethodsThis comparative cross-sectional study was conducted on 990 patients admitted to university and non-university hospitals located in Bushehr Province, southern Iran, who were selected using the stratified random sampling method. The data were collected through the HEALTHQUAL questionnaire and the Trust in Nurses Scale, and then analyzed via the SPSS Statistics software (version 22) as well as the General Linear Model (GLM) univariate procedure and the Chi-square test with a significance level of 0.05.ResultsThe study findings revealed that the mean values of real quality (perceptions) and ideal quality (expectations) were 3.89 ± 0.69 and 4.55 ± 0.47, respectively. The gap between the real and ideal quality (− 0.64) was also larger at non-university hospitals from the patients’ viewpoints. Comparing various dimensions of service quality, the largest gap at university and non-university hospitals was associated with “environment” (− 0.13) and “empathy” (− 0.18), respectively. Additionally, the mean scores of the patient trust in nurses at university and non-university hospitals were 10.34 ± 5.81 and 8.71 ± 4.05, respectively, being a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001).ConclusionThe study results demonstrated that hospital service quality and trusting in nurses were at higher levels at the university hospital than the non-university one; however, hospital service quality was at a lower level than what the patients had expected. Accordingly, hospital managers and policy-makers were suggested to focus on patients to reduce gaps in service quality, to promote service quality, and to provide better healthcare services to patients.
Highlights
Establishment and improvement of patients’ trust in healthcare organizations like hospitals necessitate delivery of high-quality services by nurses, as the largest group of healthcare providers
The study results revealed that the patients at both university and non-university hospitals had considered the highest and the lowest quality of services provided in the real situation regarding the dimensions of “empathy” and “efficiency”, respectively
This study aimed to compare hospital service quality based on the HEALTHQUAL model and patients’ trust in nurses at the selected university and non-university hospitals in Iran
Summary
Establishment and improvement of patients’ trust in healthcare organizations like hospitals necessitate delivery of high-quality services by nurses, as the largest group of healthcare providers. The present study aimed to compare hospital service quality based on the HEALTHQUAL model and trusting nurses at university and non-university hospitals in Iran. In Iran, university and non-university hospitals provide their nonstop health services to patients [1]. As one of the organizations providing continuous healthcare services, these hospitals have a special position in the health system [2]. Improved levels of satisfaction in patients as the frequent customers of hospitals are a fundamental objective by the managers and healthcare providers (HCPs) of such centers [7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
