Patient Satisfaction and Service Quality Dimensions

Abstract

The issues surrounding the expectations of patients and relatives from hospitals and provisions of qualitative ser vice are becoming very important now days. This research study aims to apply the SERVQUAL measurement instrument in five hospitals of Kolhapur city. The study involved adopting the SERVQUAL instrument to the service quality dimensions and asking a sample of patients to complete the questionnaire. Patient's opinions on the basis of service quality dimensions were obtained. Later, the relationship between service quality provided at hospitals and patient satisfaction is analyzed. The geographical scope of the study was the Kolhapur city. The periodical scope extends to the existing situation when the empirical data was collected. The SERVQUAL instrument has played a diagnostic role in assessing and monitoring service quality in hospitals. It has enabled to identify where improvements are needed from the patients perspective. But as the SERVQUAL instrument can be used to measure the gaps between perception, service provided and expectation, the above research study is not including the gap measurement. The study is confined to general hospitals based at Kolhapur city only.