The Theoretical Aspects of Measuring Service Quality - Essay Example

?Analysing Aspects of Service Recovery Analysing Aspects of Service Recovery Service recovery is a critical element of healthcare systems. This paper is based on the analysis of the various aspects of service recovery. Among other issues, the paper will discuss the theoretical aspects of measuring service quality in healthcare; intergenerational service preferences in health service management and delivery; current issues in service delivery from a service quality perspective and finally a look at methods and systems for service recovery and resolution. In relation to theoretical aspects of measuring service quality in healthcare, it is important to note that the issue of quality in healthcare services always generates immense pressure to the healthcare providers (Rubenstein 2006, p. 70). It is of paramount importance that the patients get assurance of quality care and services that they subscribe to. It is also reasonable when the customers and patients expectations are not only met but also clearly understood under the constraints the hospitals must operate in. It can be quite difficult to measure the quality of services because intangible specifications are the ones used to determine it. An example is colour, width, height, depth among others. Many organizations have chosen a methodology called SERVQUAL (service quality) to measure the quality of their services. It is a service quality questionnaire that uses 5 dimensions in its quest for quality. The five dimensions include: responsiveness, reliability, assurance, empathy and tangible qualities such as appearance of physical facilities among others. Each dimension is measured on a scale of 1 to 7 together with its expectation and perception. The weight of each point is done according to customer importance (Schoeman 1992). The score from each dimension is then multiplied by the weighting. After this, the expectation score is subtracted from the perception score to get the Gap Score. If the Gap Score is negative, it indicates that the actual service (the perception score) is below expectation (the expected score). The Gap is the reliable indicator of the five dimensions of service quality. Decision making models can help the health care sector to assess the perceived service quality in the sector (LaCombe 1995, p. 558). . The model rates performance of hospitals. Hospitals should put more emphasis on providing health care services with empathy, reliability and professionalism to give qualified services that are satisfactory. The hospitals can improve their service quality and better service delivery to their consumers if they addressed their individual issues highlighted by SERVQUAL methodology. Considering intergenerational service preferences in health service management and delivery, health care needs vary with age and health care for the older persons has generated a number of services and programmes. This is in response to the need of a more oriented and community-based care for the ageing population. In America, the young population is fast changing to the middle-age population. This has resulted to a greater demand for health care services and products and vast competition amongst the health care providers (Porter and Teisberg 2004, p. 66). The development of a health care plan for the elderly has been directed by a range of principles and concepts that influence it. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also come up with guidelines and policy statements through the WHO Active Ageing Policy Framework that influence the community health care development program. The health care programs aim is to introduce value and new scope to the existing primary health care program by adding integrated social and health services. This will be achieved through a partnership with the public and private health care providers to meet the increasing needs of the elderly. The process of building a comprehensive program for the elderly requires consideration of some overarching facts as a guiding principle. Theses include: rights of the elderly, the perspective of life course, health ageing, cultural perspective, cultural perspective, access to comprehensive health care, family or community orientation, gender variation, cohort perspective, age-friendly services and integration of community and health and welfare services. It is important to acknowledge the elderly as an integral part of the society and that they too have aright to quality health care and good quality of life. Health in old age is influenced by living patterns, access to health protection over the life course and level of exposure. The primary objective of any health care policy should be promotion of attaining and maintaining healthy and successful ageing in one’s sunset years (Carr-Hill 1992, p. 240). As people age, comprehensive health care ought to available at their disposal. A lot of consideration and support should be directed to networks of older persons and their families, communities and neighborhoods since they offer significant care to the elderly. Long term care is an element of health care that has received recognition by all cultures, least and most developed countries and all health care givers (Bernhart, Wiadnyana, Wihardjo, & Pohan 1999, p. 989). It is also important to recognize and response to differences in ageing experiences in men and women. More women are more likely to be affected by poverty and reduced economic venture. The increase in competition of many health care providers to cater for provide healthcare and services to the elderly intensifies the need for marketers to reach their clients effectively (Sitzia & Wood 1997, p. 1830). However, reaching the intended target to provide the required health care is challenging because in most cases the recipient is not usually the decision maker. In most cases, the patient’s children decide on the health care for their ageing parents. Therefore, marketers need to understand the preferences of the recipient and the decision maker preferred of their health care treatment and services. The difference in preferences by the children and the patient illuminate underlying values. Generational values have a major influence on preferences of health care. The US government has played a significant role in the development health care systems that advance quality of life and life expectancy. However, despite the advances and development, the current health care system faces the challenges of quality, cost and accessibility. The next generation health care services consumer will be more technologically savvy, more informed, more engaged in decision making process with care givers and more knowledgeable about managing health care (Cogan, Hubbard & Kessler 2005, p. 1450). Their environment will be strongly influenced by the political, economic and societal events. Already, limited resources are motivating health care treatment and service providers across the nation to partner in service delivery. It is important to analyse current issues in service delivery from a service quality perspective. It is no doubt that the health care industry stretches the financial resources of the nation and it has been put under pressure to avail evidence of quality improvements and quality controls. Evidence that shows that the aspects of service in health care are linked very closely to OUTCOMES has interested industry leaders. The good thing is that the present health care consumers are well informed and better educated than ever before. It is mandatory for health care organizations to tackle the service aspects that consumers most readily acknowledge. These include: information that is understandable and meaningful, a rapport between the physicians and their involvement and decision making in their own health care. The influence of patient perception is one of the aspects of health care quality that is gaining recognition. Although the perception of the patient depends more on the aspects of service of health care, it CORRELATES pretty well with health care quality’s objective measures. The ability of a health care organization to meet the demand for consumer convenience and information can have a great influence on the quality of health care it delivers (Ross, Steward, & Sinacore 1995, p. 400). Complexity characterizes the health care service since it is made up of many levels of organization and facets. Previously, the management of health care system was marred with incoherence and inefficiency (Frenk, Ruelas & Donabedian 1989, p. 200). Consumers were kept in the dark concerning the product design, delivery process and development. This is not the case today. There is a move from the old to a new organization model where the consumer has a say on every function. Managers of the health care centers must then comply and play a key role in implementing a cultural change that embraces the new focus on quality. However, many care givers and physicians are highly doubtful that the emphasis on quality is actually committed to improving the health of the consumers. Some of the evidence shows that in the real sense, quality initiatives do not do much to improve the patients’ outcome. Despite of this, physicians are best placed to present a strong case for improving quality. The best thing to do is to offer leadership in evaluating and improving the quality of health care. This is not only beneficial to the patients’ outcome but also to the physicians who have a restored autonomy in practicing medicine. The consumers and the community can take advantage of several ways to involved in making the policy of the health care. These ways include participating in the structural development process in which the community influence is dominant and consulting passively (Peterson & Wilson 1992, p. 64). The bad news is that entrenched biases by practitioners and researcher can limit community participation. A call for reforms of the research and curriculum methodology and bureaucracies is needed in order to include the consumer fully. In relation to methods and systems for service recovery and resolution, every consumer of health care services and products assumes that they will get what they pay for. Unfortunately, this is not usually the case in every circumstance. An example is when a patient books a lab test appointment only to get to the hospital to find that the doctor canceled her appointment without her knowledge. The patient will of course be disappointed and can decide to avenge the poor services to family, friends or the worst still the media. However, service errors are inevitable. In as much as many health care providers plan well for clinical failures, the same is not done for unprecedented service problems. There is the general assumption and hope that all services would be available and function as designed (Thompson & Sunol 1995, p. 130). Also, there is the assumption that all the staff who will be handling the equipment are well-trained and will be consistent all the time. Well-managed service sectors prepare adequately and in advance for any eventualities that may arise bearing in mind that problems differ in their timing, frequency and severity. Meeting consumers needs adequately can fail once or happen repeatedly within the same organization. A problem that takes place at the initial stages of health care delivery can linger very much on the consumer’s head more than one that happens much later. The bigger the error, the more it counts. Consumers endure poor services rather than poor servicer recovery (Michael, Bowen, and Johnston 2008). If a consumer goes through the same failure for the same service in the same organization, very little can be done to recover or retain that consumer. The consumer is not only disappointed in the poor service delivery, but also by the double failure of the system that remains unchanged. Learning from the mistakes and failures is of more importance than just fixing the problems without learning. Improvements made from the failures impact health care delivery by increasing customer satisfaction, reducing costs of service errors and improve employee efficiency (Aspden, Wolcott, Bootman & Cronenwett 2007). It is important to find and fix service failures, find out why the failures occur and come up with strategies for service recovery and service failure prevention (Citizens’ Health Care Working Group 2006). Those are the important points that will increase the credibility and management of any health care provider. Service recovery should and must be developed for employees. For example, a member of staff should be able to spend a specific amount of money to rectify a service problem. Employees need not be criticized for going out of their way to help patients. Service recovery failure and recovery should be monitored always by installing systems that collect such information plus consumer defection and dissatisfaction. It is very crucial to correct and address system failures and process problems as soon as they come. In conclusion, it is worth noting that one thing that has greatly transformed American business is the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. It has surpassed all other initiatives by reshaping the behavior and thinking of managers. This award codes the principles of quality management in an accessible and easy language (Beauchamp & Childress 1989). It further gives companies a framework for evaluation their progress that is comprehensive. The progress of the companies is geared towards achieving a new perspective of management that satisfies the needs of their customers and increases the involvement of their employees. However, the Baldrige Award has come under much criticism despite its popularity. Some critics feel that the award is not credible since some of the past winners were investors in Baldrige like Xerox which won the award in 1989. 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Thompson, A.G., & Sunol, R., 1995, Expectations as determinants of patients satisfaction: concepts, theory and evidence, International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 7(2), p. 127-141. Read More