Quality Of Service Assurance Research Articles

Influence of Quality Assurance Services towards Improving Supervision of Public Secondary Schools in Arusha City Council, Tanzania

Influence of Quality Assurance Services towards Improving Supervision of Public Secondary Schools in Arusha City Council, Tanzania

Impact of customer satisfaction on commercial banks in Nepal: Insights from a survey-based study

This study investigates how various service quality dimensions affect customer satisfaction in commercial banks across Nepal. The objective of this study is to examine the impact of key service quality dimensions (responsiveness, empathy, assurance, communication, and overall service quality) on customer satisfaction in commercial banks in Nepal. A survey-based quantitative approach was employed, collecting data from 399 customers in Nepal. The study utilizes multiple linear regression analysis and hypothesis testing to determine the relationship between these factors and customer satisfaction. The results indicate that communication, assurance, and service quality positively influence customer satisfaction, with a moderate mean score of 2.317949 out of 5 and moderate variability (SD = 0.479612). These three factors are key contributors, accounting for 41.5% of the variation in satisfaction, whereas empathy and responsiveness have weaker or insignificant impacts. The study concludes that enhancing communication and service quality is crucial for improving customer satisfaction, which is essential for sustainable growth in Nepal’s financial sector.

Assuring Service Quality through SERVQUAL at the Land Bank of the Philippines North NCR Branches

This study aims to assess and assure service quality through SERVQUAL in the Land Bank of the Philippines North NCR Branches. Quantitative methods were employed, with 100 clients/customers, 216 front-liners, and 66 administrators from 82 LANDBANK North NCR Branches participating as respondents. A structured questionnaire served as the primary data collection tool. Statistical analyses included weighted mean, frequency and percentage distribution, standard deviation, Slovin’s formula, and Cronbach alpha reliability test. This study assesses the service quality perceptions among administrators, front-liners, and clients at LANDBANK. Results revealed a majority of female presence across all respondent groups. Administrators, aged 51 years and above, are mainly single and highly educated with postgraduate degrees. In contrast, majority of the front-liners and clients are aged 26-30 years and are married and hold mostly college degrees. Assessment across five dimensions of LANDBANK's service quality – tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy – revealed different perceptions. Tangibility was rated as commonly observed, with concerns about outdated equipment and system functionality. Reliability was rated higher by administrators than the front-liners and clients, issues encountered include long waiting times, system maintenance, ATM failures, and client-reported poor customer service. Administrators rated responsiveness higher than frontliners and clients, who highlighted delays and system failures. Assurance received higher ratings from administrators and front-liners but there are concerns encountered regarding hidden charges and security from clients. Empathy was consistently rated higher by administrators and front-liners compared to clients, citing instances of unsatisfactory customer service. Administrators rated LANDBANK’s service quality higher than the front-liners and clients, suggesting opportunities for enhancing alignment with customer expectations. Key issues identified include system reliability, long waiting times, and ATM failures. Recommendations focus on facility upgrades, IT enhancements, staffing increases, professionalism development, and improved customer service training to elevate service quality, customer satisfaction, and competitiveness at LANDBANK North NCR Branches.

Nurses' Experiences of Internet + Nursing Service Based on Service Quality: A Qualitative Study.

Internet + Nursing Services began operating from 2019 in China. The Internet+Nursing Service offers convenience to patients with limited mobility. As the application gains traction and order volume increases, guaranteeing service quality becomes the next challenge. Nonetheless, there is still a dearth of study on service quality assurance. In order to investigate nurses' experiences in the service process, this study used a qualitative research approach from the perspectives of the nurses. It is intended to serve as a guide for the creation of Internet+ nursing services. Two primary topics emerged from the analysis: Factors influencing service motivation (Getting Returns, Discontent, Concerns) and Experience of the service process (Trust contributes to smooth service delivery, Nurses' competence affects service quality, Correct assessment of whether the service is available or not, Shortcomings existing in the service process).

Analysis of Risk Factors for the Quality of Health Services in Primary Health Facilities: An Observational Study in North Bengkulu Regency, Indonesia

Primary health care (PHC) is crucial for overall health system performance, particularly in developing nations. However, variations in the quality of PHC services in Indonesia, particularly in North Bengkulu Regency, raise concerns. This study aimed to identify and analyze risk factors associated with suboptimal quality of health services in these facilities. This observational, cross-sectional study was conducted in 20 primary health centers (PHCs) in North Bengkulu Regency. A multi-stage random sampling technique was used to select 400 patients and 80 healthcare providers. Data were collected using validated questionnaires assessing various dimensions of service quality (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy), patient satisfaction, and potential risk factors (socio-demographic, facility-related, and provider-related). Descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and multivariate logistic regression were used for data analysis. The study found a significant association between perceived service quality and patient satisfaction. Socio-demographic factors (lower education and income), facility-related factors (inadequate staffing and lack of essential medicines), and provider-related factors (insufficient communication and perceived lack of empathy) were identified as risk factors for lower service quality. The quality of health services in North Bengkulu PHCs is influenced by a complex interplay of patient, facility, and provider factors. Interventions targeting these risk factors, such as community education, capacity building for providers, and improvements in resource allocation, may improve PHC service quality and patient satisfaction in this region.

Policy Guidance for Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Services: Framework Development Study.

The online offer of commercial genetic tests, also called direct-to-consumer genetic tests (DTC-GTs), enables citizens to gain insight into their health and disease risk based on their genetic profiles. DTC-GT offers often consist of a combination of services or aspects, including advertisements, information, DNA analysis, and medical or lifestyle advice. The risks and benefits of DTC-GT services have been debated and studied extensively, but instruments that assess DTC-GT services and aid policy are lacking. This leads to uncertainty among policy makers, law enforcers, and regulators on how to ensure and balance both public safety and autonomy and about the responsibilities these 3 parties have toward the public. This study aimed to develop a framework that outlines aspects of DTC-GTs that lead to policy issues and to help provide policy guidance regarding DTC-GT services. We performed 3 steps: (1) an integrative literature review to identify risks and benefits of DTC-GT services for consumers and society in Embase and Medline (January 2014-June 2022), (2) structuring benefits and risks in different steps of the consumer journey, and (3) development of a checklist for policy guidance. Potential risks and benefits of DTC-GT services were mapped from 134 papers and structured into 6 phases. In summary, these phases were called the consumer journey: (1) exposure, (2) pretest information, (3) DNA analysis, (4) data management, (5) posttest information, and (6) individual and societal impact. The checklist for evaluation of DTC-GT services consisted of 8 themes, covering 38 items that may raise policy issues in DTC-GT services. The themes included the following aspects: general service content, validity and quality assurance, potential data and privacy risks, scientific evidence and robustness, and quality of the provided information. Both the consumer journey and the checklist break the DTC-GT offer down into key aspects that may impact and compromise individual and public health, safety, and autonomy. This framework helps policy makers, regulators, and law enforcers develop methods to interpret, assess, and act in the DTC-GT service market.

The Performance of ChatGPT-4 and Gemini Ultra 1.0 for Quality Assurance Review in Emergency Medical Services Chest Pain Calls

Objectives This study assesses the feasibility, inter-rater reliability, and accuracy of using OpenAI's ChatGPT-4 and Google’s Gemini Ultra large language models (LLMs), for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) quality assurance. The implementation of these LLMs for EMS quality assurance has the potential to significantly reduce the workload on medical directors and quality assurance staff by automating aspects of the processing and review of patient care reports. This offers the potential for more efficient and accurate identification of areas requiring improvement, thereby potentially enhancing patient care outcomes. Methods Two expert human reviewers, ChatGPT GPT-4, and Gemini Ultra assessed and rated 150 consecutively sampled and anonymized prehospital records from 2 large urban EMS agencies for adherence to 2020 National Association of State EMS metrics for cardiac care. We evaluated the accuracy of scoring, inter-rater reliability, and review efficiency. The inter-rater reliability for the dichotomous outcome of each EMS metric was measured using the kappa statistic. Results Human reviewers showed high interrater reliability, with 91.2% agreement and a kappa coefficient 0.782 (0.654-0.910). ChatGPT-4 achieved substantial agreement with human reviewers in EKG documentation and aspirin administration (76.2% agreement, kappa coefficient 0.401 (0.334-0.468), but performance varied across other metrics. Gemini Ultra’s evaluation was discontinued due to poor performance. No significant differences were observed in median review times: 01:28 min (IQR 1:12 − 1:51 min) per human chart review, 01:24 min (IQR 01:09 − 01:53 min) per ChatGPT-4 chart review (p = 0.46), and 01:50 min (IQR 01:10-03:34 min) per Gemini Ultra review (p = 0.06). Conclusions Large language models demonstrate potential in supporting quality assurance by effectively and objectively extracting data elements. However, their accuracy in interpreting non-standardized and time-sensitive details remains inferior to human evaluators. Our findings suggest that current LLMs may best offer supplemental support to the human review processes, but their current value remains limited. Enhancements in LLM training and integration are recommended for improved and more reliable performance in the quality assurance processes.

Optimization Algorithms in SDN: Routing, Load Balancing, and Delay Optimization

Software-Defined Networking is today a mature technology, which is developed in many networks and also embedded in novel architectures like 5G and 6G. The SDN control centralization concept brings significant advantages for management and control in SDN together with the programmability of the data plane. SDN represents a paradigm shift towards agile, efficient, and secure network infrastructures, moving away from traditional, hardware-centric models to embrace dynamic, software-driven paradigms. SDN is compliant also with the virtualization architecture defined in the Network Function Virtualization framework. However, SDN should cooperate seamlessly for some years with the distributed TCP/IP control developed during the years all over the world. Among others, the traditional tasks of routing, forwarding, load balancing, QoS assurance, security, and privacy should be solved. The SDN native centralization brings also some new challenges and problems which are different from the traditional distributed control IP networks. The algorithms and protocols usable in SDN should meet requirements like scalability, convergence, redundancy assurance, sustainability, and good real-time response, and allow orchestrated automation in enhancing network resilience and adaptability. This work presents a theoretical review of state-of-the-art SDN optimization techniques, offering a critical and comparative discussion of various algorithms having tasks such as routing (including dynamic ones), forwarding, load balancing and traffic optimization, and forwarding delay minimization. Attention is pointed to general algorithms which can offer pragmatic solutions for large systems or multiple metric routing.

Supply Chain Service Quality and Customers Satisfaction in Nigerian Airports

The study examined supply chain service quality and customers’ satisfaction in Nigerian Airports: a case study of Calabar Airport. The specific objectives are to examine the relationship between supply chain service quality reliability, service quality responsiveness, service quality tangibility, service quality empathy, service quality assurance and customer satisfaction in Nigerian Airport. Survey design was employed in the study. Data information for this research work was collected from primary sources. The study employed correlation coefficient analysis to measure the degree of relationship between variables tested in the study. The major findings of the study revealed that a significant relationship exists between supply chain service quality reliability, service quality responsiveness, service quality tangibility, service quality empathy, service quality assurance and customer satisfaction. The study recommended that supply chain managers in Nigerian air ports should adopt the dimensions of supply chain service quality discussed in the current article to provide effective customer service that addresses the needs and requirements of customers in Nigerian airports. Management of Nigerian airports should be prudent in monitoring and encouraging the activities that create customer satisfaction.

The Effect of Service Quality on Financial Performance and Satisfaction of Cooperative Members in Gianyar Regency

This study aims to determine the effect of service quality on financial performance and member satisfaction as well as the level of profitability in Amertanadi Farmer Cooperative and Lumbung Sari Farmer Cooperative. The data collection method uses the interview method with a questionnaire as the main instrument in the research. The sample used in this study were members or family members of the Amertandi Tani Cooperative totalling 81 respondents and members of the Lumbung Sari Tani Cooperative totalling 86 respondents. The research data were obtained from the results of filling out the questionnaire and analysed using SEM analysis techniques with the help of the SmartPLS program. The results of this study indicate that service quality (tangible, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy) has a positive and significant effect on financial performance and financial performance has a positive and significant effect on member satisfaction, based on the results of the study, it is hoped that the Amertandi Farmer Cooperative and Lumbung Sari Farmer Cooperative will be able to improve service quality so that members feel very satisfied.

Perceived service quality and risks towards satisfaction of online halal food delivery system: from the Malaysian perspectives

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to ascertain service quality (halal values, assurance, meal quality, reliability, security, system and traceability) and perceived risks (financial, quality, environment, social, time, psychology and health) and its influence on satisfaction, as well as trust concerning online halal food delivery system (OHFDS).Design/methodology/approachThis study uses quantitative methodology, through an online survey, by using purposive sampling across a sample size of 423 respondents. The analysis of data was conducted using SmartPLS.FindingsThe results of the findings indicate that assurance and halal values have an influence on satisfaction, as well as trust; nonetheless, only reliability has an impact on satisfaction. On the other hand, perceived health and financial risks have negative influence on trust and satisfaction toward OHFDS. In addition, perceived psychological and financial risks are found to have negative impacts on trust of OHFDS.Research limitations/implicationsThe theoretical value of this study is the testing of perceived service quality and risks concerning OHFDS in the same model, thereby contributing to a deeper understanding of its impact on trust and satisfaction toward the online food service delivery industry. The results of this study may appear as a starting point for researchers who wish to conduct further studies on the same topic.Practical implicationsThis study suggests that the service providers need to boost their efforts in establishing high quality service and, simultaneously, reduce perceived risks, to develop satisfaction and trust toward OHFDS.Social implicationsThe long-term consequence of the business's achievement is that it makes it simpler for customers to have confidence in, be satisfied with and recommend the service providers to others.Originality/valueA number of research investigations have been conducted among Muslims, specifically in the Asian region, which have yielded crucial data regarding consumer behavior toward halal products, such as food and tourism. This study, nonetheless, remains close with other studies on halal food, except that it adds together the knowledge of perceived quality and risks, as to gain a deeper understanding of the experience customers have on food, through online service delivery.

Analisis Faktor-Faktor Penentu Kualitas Pelayanan Terhadap Kepuasan Konsumen Pada Pasar Desa Bojongkulur, Bogor

This research is entitled "Analysis of Determining Factors of Service Quality on Consumer Satisfaction at the Bojongkulur Village Market, Bogor". The aim of the research is to determine the significant positive influence simultaneously and partially between the independent variables, namely service quality consisting of physical evidence (X1), reliability (X2), responsiveness (X3), assurance (X4), and empathy (X5) towards the dependent variable, namely customer satisfaction (Y) at the Bojongkulur Village Market. The population in this study were consumers at the Bojongkulur Village Market. Furthermore, the sampling technique used in this research was "Simple Random Sampling" where respondents were shopping at the Bojongkulur Village Market. Data collection was carried out using a questionnaire technique. The results of this research are; (1)Simultaneously, service quality (physical evidence, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy) has a positive, strong and significant effect on consumer satisfaction at the Bojongkulur Village Market. This is shown by the R-Square gain of 63%. (2)Partially, physical evidence has a positive, quite strong and significant effect on consumer satisfaction at the Bojongkulur Village Market. This is shown by the R-Square gain of 54%. (3)Partially, reliability has a positive, quite strong and significant effect on consumer satisfaction at the Bojongkulur Village Market. This is shown by the R-Square gain of 58%. (4)Partially, responsiveness has a positive, relatively strong and significant effect on consumer satisfaction at the Bojongkulur Village Market. This is shown by the R-Square gain of 60%. (5)Partially, guarantees have a positive, strong and significant effect on consumer satisfaction at the Bojongkulur Village Market. This is shown by the R-Square gain of 62%. (6)Partially, empathy has a positive, quite strong and significant effect on consumer satisfaction at the Bojongkulur Village Market. This is shown by the R-Square gain of 52%.

Autonomic end-to-end quality-of-service assurance over QKD-secured optical networks

Quantum key distribution (QKD) provides future-proof security for data communications over optical networks. Currently, sophisticated QKD systems are developed and the scale of QKD-secured optical networks (QKD-ONs) becomes larger. Given the complex network conditions and dynamic end-to-end security services in QKD-ONs, autonomic management and control becomes a promising paradigm to support end-to-end quality-of-service (QoS) assurance in an efficient and stable way without requiring human intervention. Hence, to enable and utilize the autonomic functionalities over QKD-ONs for realizing the end-to-end QoS assurance becomes a challenge. This work enhances the software defined networking (SDN) technique to tackle this challenge because SDN can add programmability and flexibility for QKD-ON’s management and control. A new architecture of SDN-based QKD-ONs supporting autonomic end-to-end QoS assurance is designed, where a knowledge engine with autonomic control loops is developed in the SDN controller. We present the autonomic end-to-end QoS assurance procedure, and the cross-layer collaborative QoS assurance (CLC-QA) strategy for implementing the autonomic functionalities in the network level over QKD-ONs. We also establish an experimental testbed of SDN-based QKD-ONs supporting autonomic end-to-end QoS assurance, and perform the numerical simulation to verify our proposed approaches. Experimental results demonstrate that our presented approaches can achieve the millisecond-level overall latency of 337 ms and 618 ms, during the first and second autonomic adjustment without human intervention in case of the autonomic QoS protection. Moreover, the CLC-QA strategy is evaluated under different traffic loads by being compared with the baseline strategy without cross-layer collaboration. It can improve 22.5% protection success ratio and save 5.7% average key consumption.

Marketing Strategies through Product Awareness, Service Quality and Product Quality Assurance on Consumer Purchasing Decisions

In the dynamic pharmaceutical industry, companies are undergoing significant transformations in their interactions with consumers. The health industry involves various stakeholders, and pharmaceutical products, such as medications, are predicted to continually increase in demand with the growth of the middle class in Indonesia. Pharmaceutical manufacturers compete through distribution channels such as pharmacies and large pharmaceutical retailers to meet the demands of the government, patients, and entrepreneurs. With the rising number of patients, PT. Satoria Aneka Industri needs to develop a marketing strategy to remain competitive by enhancing the quality of products, services, and quality assurance. Positioned as the second-largest market share holder, PT. Satoria Aneka Industri aims to become the leader in the Indonesian market with a marketing strategy focused on the Unique Selling Point (USP), improving service quality, and ensuring product quality. Product awareness, service quality, and product quality assurance are considered determining factors in consumer purchasing decisions, with marketing strategy analysis focused on the company's infusion products.

ANALISIS DIMENSI KUALITAS PELAYANAN TERHADAP KEPUASAN PASIEN PADA RUMAH SAKIT SANTA ELISABETH MEDAN

This research aims to examine the influence of service quality dimensions, including reliability, responsiveness, assurance, tangibles, and empathy, on patient satisfaction at Santa Elisabeth Hospital in Medan. The study sample consists of 96 patients, with data collected through questionnaires and documentation. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive and inductive methods. The results indicate that reliability, responsiveness, assurance, tangibles, and empathy positively affect patient satisfaction, with assurance having a greater impact on patient satisfaction compared to reliability, responsiveness, tangibles, and empathy. Both t-tests and F-tests show that reliability, responsiveness, assurance, tangibles, and empathy have a positive and significant partial and simultaneous effect on patient satisfaction at Santa Elisabeth Hospital in Medan. The coefficient of determination (R Square) value is 0.514, indicating that 51.4% of patient satisfaction can be explained by the service quality dimensions (reliability, responsiveness, assurance, tangibles, and empathy), while the remaining 48.6% is explained by other factors not covered in this study, such as security, promotion, and communication. To enhance the service quality dimensions related to reliability, responsiveness, assurance, tangibles, and empathy, continuous improvements are necessary to increase patient satisfaction.

Estimating the composition ratios of network services carried in mixed traffic

Network performance management (NPM) and quality of service (QoS) guarantee are the key concerns of network operators and service providers/consumers, respectively. The basis for traffic scheduling is one of the vital elements guiding the implementation of both NPM and QoS assurance. Although traffic identification technologies can theoretically be applied to providing basis for traffic scheduling, the computational complexity caused by the flow-by-flow processing makes them unsuitable for actual large-scale high-throughput network scenarios. In this work, we introduce a new scheme to provide a basis for service-oriented NPM and QoS guarantee. The proposed scheme treats the mixed traffic as a whole and estimates the composition ratios of network services carried in mixed traffic, which makes traffic scheduling for NPM and QoS more reasonable and flexible. To estimate the composition ratios, the observed mixed traffic is expressed as a bipartite graph according to the communication relationship. Then, the bipartite graph is further projected to a multi-dimensional hyper-image based on node coding, random walking and embedding mapping. By this way, we convert the service composition ratio estimation into a problem similar to image classification and enable it to be solved by general machine learning methods like convolutional neural networks. The proposed scheme facilitates batch traffic scheduling and can reorganize the distribution of compositions of network services for each link based on given management strategies. Its computational complexity is significantly lower than that of flow-by-flow processing methods. We validate the proposed solution via real network data and evaluate its performance with some benchmark methods based on traffic identification. The experimental results show that the proposed solution can accurately infer the service composition ratios of mixed traffic with low computational complexity.

Comparison of the sigma metrics using the total error allowable algorithm with variation of bias source

Sigma Metrics, as a quality indicator, have been widely applied in clinical laboratories to assess the performance of analytical methods. Described in the document Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) EP15- A3, the use of target values can be sourced from certified reference standards, survey materials from the Proficiency Testing (PT)/External Quality Assessment (EQA), materials used in inter-laboratory quality control programs and internal quality control materials with predetermined targets. This research aims to determine whether there is a difference in the sigma metrics between the bias derived from the manufacturer's target value and those from the peer group source in the External Quality Assurance Services (EQAS) program. The research methodology employed is descriptive comparative analysis, utilizing the results of material inspection data for 15 internal quality control parameters of Clinical Chemistry over a span of 2 years at the Pramita Laboratory in Bandung. The calculation of the sigma metrics commences with computing the coefficient of variation (CV), and the appropriate Total Error aalowable (Tea) sources for each parameter are determined beforehand using the TEa algorithm. The research findings indicate a difference between the sigma metrics derived from the manufacturer's target value and those from the EQAS-peer group target value, accounting for 33% or 10 parameters out of the total parameters with 2 levels of inspection are calculated on the sigma scale. However, in 67% or 20 parameters out of the total parameters, no such difference is observed. Bias associated with the target value from the manufacturer and the EQAS peer group shows no significant difference, suggesting that the laboratory can utilize pre-existing target values confidently.

A Study on the Influence of Service Quality in Customer Satisfaction; Application of Servqual Moel with Special Reference to Home First Finance Company

Service Quality in finance sector is the most important criteria and asset for evaluating and satisfying customers and thereby increases the customer loyalty and average retention rate of customers. Among the service quality determinants, reliability, assurance and empathy have always played a pivotal role. Prior research suggests that customer perceptions and expectations are more likely to be different across service sectors. Hence, this paper examines the effect of service quality determinants on the degree of customer satisfaction in Home First Finance Company. By realizing the gap between the perceived and actual service quality, customer satisfaction can be extremely improved. Keywords: Customer Relationship, Generating Leads, Customer Satisfaction

Research on the Quality Assurance of Primary and Secondary After-school Services in Guizhou under the Perspective of High-Quality Development

In the context of the “double-decrease” policy, the construction of an after-school service system for primary and secondary schools is of great significance to the creation of a good educational ecology and the return of the public nature of education, and has become an indispensable part of the development of after- school services. Given the differences in resources, there are many problems with after-school services in Guizhou Province. Through the implementation of the survey on the white list of the number of afterschool services in Guizhou Province, and comparing the data between cities, it is found that the situation in the field of after-school services for primary and secondary schools in Guizhou Province has improved after the remediation, but there are still the following quality problems: unclear rights and responsibilities of the main body of after-school services, insufficient precision of the content of after-school services, lack of after- school services funding synergy, and an imperfect evaluation system of the results of after-school services. In order to solve these problems, this study proposes the following after-school service quality measures under the guidance of the concept of high-quality development of education: constructing a mechanism for the mutual sharing of rights and responsibilities among after-school service subjects, improving the accuracy of after-school service content, adjusting the mode of after-school service funding, and improving the evaluation system of after-school service quality. These measures are designed to improve the quality and effectiveness of after-school services in Guizhou's primary and secondary schools, to achieve high-quality development of after-school services in Guizhou's primary and secondary schools with the goal of the comprehensive development of students, and to promote the progress of education in Guizhou Province. Under the background of “Double Reduction” policy, the construction of after-school service guarantee system for primary and secondary schools plays an important role in the creation of good education ecology and the return of education publicity, and it is an indispensable part of the development of after-school service. Through literature research and field research, it is found that primary and secondary school afterschool services in Guizhou Province are facing quality assurance problems such as unclear rights and responsibilities of the main body of after-school services, insufficient precision of the content of after-school services, lack of synergistic funding for after-school services, and an imperfect evaluation system for the results of after-school services. Guided by the concept of high-quality development of education, a series of after- school service quality assurance measures are proposed to build mutual sharing of rights and responsi- bilities of after-school service subjects, enhance the accuracy of after-school service guarantee contents, adjust the mode of allocation of after-school service guarantee funds, and improve the evaluation system of after- school service quality assurance, aiming to improve the quality and effectiveness of after-school services in Guizhou's primary and secondary schools, and realize high-quality development of the quality assurance of Guizhou's primary and secondary schools' after-school services, with the aim of promote the overall development of students as an important goal, so as to achieve the ultimate goal of promoting the progress of education in Guizhou Province.

Patient perceptions of healthcare service quality in Romania: Public versus private hospitals – Implications for developed and developing healthcare systems

Objective: Recent increases in per capita income and longevity in Central and Eastern European counties (CEECs), alongside a slow-changing soviet-era public healthcare system, has led to the emergence of private hospitals. This paper investigates the differential patient service quality perceptions for private versus public hospitals, as well as for three types of healthcare services: primary, ambulatory, and inpatient care.Methods: Data from 1,673 patients of private and public hospitals in the capital of Romania were collected in face-to-face interviews. Analysis of covariance and partial-least-squares techniques were used to examine the relationships between perceived service quality, hospital ownership status and the type of health service patients received.Results: Over 70% of women prefer private health facilities to public hospitals (compared to less than 30% of men). While private hospitals rank higher than public hospitals on most attributes, the interaction effect of gender and hospital type reveals that assurance and empathy are the only significant attributes in driving women to private hospitals. (Physical facilities and staff appearance) as well as intangible dimensions of service quality (assurance, responsiveness, reliability, and empathy) have a positive impact on perceived overall service quality of healthcare. Improvements in perceptions of hospital’s tangibles, staff’s responsiveness and empathy have the greatest potential to enhance perceived overall service quality.Conclusions: This paper demonstrates the importance of breaking down health services into various sub-categories both in terms of perceived healthcare attributes and in terms of tangible healthcare facilities, such as public and private hospitals.