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A study of patients’ expectations and satisfaction in Singapore hospitals

Puay Cheng Lim (Manager (Healthcare practice), Singapore)
Nelson K.H. Tang (Lecturer in Operations and Information Management, Management Centre, University of Leicester, UK)

International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance

ISSN: 0952-6862

Article publication date: 1 December 2000

5445

Abstract

In today’s highly competitive healthcare environment, hospitals increasingly realise the need to focus on service quality as a means to improve their competitive position. Customer‐based determinants and perceptions of service quality therefore play an important role when choosing a hospital. This paper attempts to determine the expectations and perceptions of patients through the use of a generic, internationally used market research technique called SERVQUAL. An analysis covering 252 patients revealed that there was an overall service quality gap between patients’ expectations and perceptions. Thus, improvements are required across all the six dimensions, namely, tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and accessibility and affordability.

Keywords

Citation

Cheng Lim, P. and Tang, N.K.H. (2000), "A study of patients’ expectations and satisfaction in Singapore hospitals", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 13 No. 7, pp. 290-299. https://doi.org/10.1108/09526860010378735

Publisher

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MCB UP Ltd

Copyright © 2000, MCB UP Limited

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