Patient perception of service quality in Ghana: an empirical study in Christian Health Association of Ghana Hospitals

Abstract

Background/aims Understanding patients' views on healthcare quality allows healthcare managers and policy makers to address any gaps and promote a patient-centred approach in healthcare delivery. A study was carried out to evaluate patients' perception of the quality of services in hospitals affiliated with the Christian Health Association of Ghana. Methods The SERVQUAL scale was used to survey 540 patients in 18 Christian Health Association of Ghana hospitals. Using STATA software package (version 13.0), mean scores of the patients' expectations and perceptions of service quality were computed. A t-test was performed to determine the significance levels of the difference between the mean scores for expectation and perception. Results The patients' expectations were not met. The five SERVQUAL dimensions showed statistically significant negative mean service quality gap scores. Conclusions Further investigations into the reasons that the patients responded in this way are warranted to help in stepping up patient-focused interventions to bridge the perceived service quality gaps identified.