A Study on the Healthcare Service Quality Expectation and Perception of Patients

Abstract

This study was aimed to measure the quality of health services which expected and perceived by adult patients who were referred to the health institution and to provide feedback to the institution. In the study, the Servqual scale developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry in 1985 was used. The study was carried out on adult patients referred to a university hospital. The sample size of the study was determined as 552 persons. 565 patients participated in the study. Significance level was taken as p < 0.05. Participants of the study were examined for their participation in the questionnaires and it was found that the perceptions of the quality of the health services of the patients differ from the Servqual scale sub-dimensions in terms of tangibles, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. It was also found that the expectations did not differ according to sub-dimensions. It is proposed that the institution should consider customer expectations for the quality perception in healthcare services and make the necessary changes as much as possible in the areas where the expectations are not provided.