The Servqual Model and Service Communication in the Medical Practice - Research Paper Example

Running Head: Services Marketing Report The Servqual Model and Service Communication in the Medical Practice Name Institution Date Application of the Servqual Model in Achieving Greater Service Communication in the Medical Practice Background Service communication is an important aspect of services marketing management. Firms that provide services to their customers have realized their attitudes on service quality. This has increased their need to take a more advance approach to service quality management. Service communication is used in the medical practice to communicate the quality of service that health institutions offer to their clients or patients. To communicate their services effectively, most of the medical institutions use the Servqual Model to determine the gaps of service quality to customers. The use of the Servqual Model by medical institutions has enabled the identification of the difference between customer expectations as well as perceptions. In service communication, the Servqual Model plays the role of classifying the major components that comprise of a high quality service including; assurance, responsiveness, reliability, tangibles as well as empathy. This model also identifies the five gaps that may lead to customers experiencing services that are of low quality. The articles that are presented in this assignment related to the Servqual Model and its use in communicating service quality in the medical practice. Abuosi & Atinga (2012) used the Servqual Model to investigate patient’s perceptions as well as expectations towards service quality in the hospital and outlining the major concepts that are used in assessing the perception of patients. Chakraborty& Majumdar (2011) described how the Servqual Model can be used in measuring patient’s satisfaction in the health care sector as a result of service quality provided in hospitals. The application of the model was used to investigate the quality of service in measuring patient satisfaction in the health care sector. The paper also estimated how the model can be modified and applied to justify patient’s satisfaction measurement in a Servqual method. Haque, Sarwar, Yasmin & Nuruzzaman (2012) established the use of the Servqual Model in measuring the impact of service quality as perceived by patients on patient satisfaction in hospitals. Peprah & Atarah (2014) used the Servqual Model to assess patient’s satisfaction as a result of service quality provided by health care providers in the hospital. Using this model, patients have the capacity to assess as well as evaluate the quality of service provided by the hospital and the providers will get the opportunity to manage the perceptions of patient in relation to service quality. Punnakitikashem, Buavaraporn, Maluesri (2012) measured the service quality in the hospital by using the Servqual Model to assess the expectations and satisfaction of patients as a result of the quality of service provided in the hospital. The purpose of this assignment is to identify the main issues presented in the article journals that are reviewed and then relating them to service communication area. The assignment is also aimed at commenting on the implications of the findings for services marketing theories and practices. Scope and Objectives The study carried out by Abuosi & Atinga (2012) focused on measuring the service quality in health care institution with the aim of establishing the gaps that exist using the Servqual Model so as to call for policy action. The main issues examined in this paper were assessing the perceptions of patients on service quality and their expectations in the health system in Ghana with the use of the Servqual Model. The paper also outlined the different ideas that are used in assessing the perceptions of patients. The study identified the gaps that exist between the perceived quality of service and the expected outcomes in public hospitals, for the purpose of enhancing the understanding of managers as well as separating the different ideas in relation to service quality using techniques of data reduction. The study was also aimed at establishing the factors that surround perceptions of service quality by patients in Ghana. In their study, Chakraborty& Majumdar (2011) were focused in establishing how patients evaluate service quality in the hospital with the use of Servqual Method. The paper majored in measuring patient satisfaction in relation to service quality provided by health care providers in the India’s health care industry. The study applied the Servqual Model to investigate on the relationship between service quality and patient perceptions which is useful in measuring patient satisfaction in the health care sector. Haque, Sarwar, Yasmin & Nuruzzaman (2012) were focused in developing and testing the modified Servqual Model for the purpose of measuring the quality of the private health care in Malaysia. Due to the ignorance experienced in hospitals, in their practice and how they go about in achieving their goals, this paper was aimed at verifying the relationship between hospital practices and the ways that are used in achieving their goals. The paper was also aimed establishing the factors that affect patient satisfaction in the health care industry. This provided a better understanding of the interdependence between hospital practices and their ways of achieving their goals as well as facilitating improvement of service quality. Peprah & Atarah (2014) carried out their study at Sunyani Regional Hospital in Ghana with the aim of assessing the satisfaction of patients with the use of the Serqual Model. In this study, the modification of the Servqual Model enabled better capturing of data. In their article Journal, Punnakitikashem, Buavaraporn, Maluesri (2012) measured the quality of service of a hospital in Thailand which was implementing lean management using the Serqual Model. They assessed the expectations of patients as well as their satisfaction in relation to service quality from the hospital. The study was aimed at establishing how an organization understands the importance of quality initiatives in enhancing its service quality dimensions. They wanted to provide an understanding of the use of lean implementation and how it helps in improving service quality. Since previous papers or studies lack the assessment of service quality in hospitals that are implementing lean management, this study was of great importance in contributing to the growing research about lean implementation in the healthcare industry. Methodology After getting consent from the hospitals, the researchers Abuosi & Atinga (2012) selected the target population using hospital admissions as well as follow up records. It was a random selection of patients that reduced biases to a greater extend. The main method of collecting data was the use of questionnaires which were distributed to the selected two hundred and fifty patients from the five hospitals in the selected region in Ghana. Fifty patients from each hospital participated in the exercise. The Servqual instrument was applied using contemporary research. The questionnaire that was distributed had twenty two questions that were paired and well designed to scrutinize customer perceptions and expectations of service quality. All the questions in the questionnaire were considered to avoid bias. The variables in the questions were measured using a five Likert scale that ranged from one and a quarter representing strongly disagree to five and a quarter representing strongly agree. Chakraborty& Majumdar (2011) used a literature survey where they depended on other researcher’s views to apply the modified Servqual Model in their study. The researchers applied the modified Servqual Model that considers seven dimensions by Reidenback & Sondifer-Smallwood (1990). This model was employed in three hospitals differently to establish the relationship that exists among the perceptions of patients from different groups and emergency room services. They considered both inpatients and outpatients to evaluate patient’s perceptions and their level of satisfaction of the service quality. The researchers also used other few items within the five dimensions of Servqual. However, it was difficult to fully replicate the five dimensions into the health care services. In their research, Haque, Sarwar, Yasmin & Nuruzzaman (2012) used only one focus group to experiment their study. A modified framework of Servqual Model was used together with twenty two items. A questionnaire was used to collect data. The questions in the questionnaire were set on a seven point Likert scale with seven representing strongly agree to one representing strongly disagree. Factor analysis was also conducted using the same Likert scale to analyse the data using Statistical Package of Social Sciences version 16. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was also performed with the use of Amos 16. A Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) followed. This helped in identifying and measuring the interactions as well as associations among the different service qualities of the conceptual model. In the study of Peprah & Atarah (2014), the researchers considered the population of the study to be represented by patients who were visiting the hospital at that particular time. Simple random method was used to select the respondents in the study. This method of selecting participants was preferred because data about the patients were available in the hospital and this is where the researcher randomly selected the participants. In this study, the researchers adopted and modified the Servqual instrument by Parasuraman for the purpose of capturing the data that was relevant. Questionnaire was the main method of collecting data using the Servqual instrument. The researchers used a descriptive analysis of data with the help of Statistical Package of Social Sciences Version 16.0. The gap that indicated satisfaction of patients was determined using the service quality gap model which presents service quality as a function of patient’s perceptions as well as expectations. In the journal of Punnakitikashem, Buavaraporn, Maluesri (2012), these researchers used the study done by Youssef et al.and Lim and Tang to measure the factors of service quality because these studies participated in evaluating the quality of health care service. A modification of the study done by Youssef et al.and Lim and Tang was done to get the final version of the survey instrument which consisted of twenty four items classified into five constructs. The survey instrument was rated using a five point Likert scale ranging from one representing strongly disagree to five representing strongly agree. Only one hospital in Thailand was used to conduct the study. Convenience sampling method was used to collect data in this study. Survey questionnaires were also distributed to the four hundred and fifty patients who had attended the outpatient clinic at that time. Evaluation of data was done using the Servqual scale while the analysis of data was done using Statistical Package of Social Sciences for Window 17.0 software. Testing of data was done with the use of statistical inferences. Major Findings The findings of Abuosi & Atinga (2012) clearly indicated that, patients usually have high expectations of quality service from hospitals. This study argued that, patients expect the health care providers to present themselves attractively. What they encountered after the service was not far from their expectations. This research demonstrates their feeling as fairly good due to the encounter with available medical equipment that are modern, the hospital was attractive, medical materials were quite attractive and the medical health providers were also attractive in their appearance. It was also found that, patient’s expectations diminished after encounter with the service in the hospital. The reason being the patients had a conception that, health care providers in hospitals usually have the responsibility of solving patient’s problems, provided medical services on time and are not prone to errors when carrying out their medical duties. However, this expectation was contrasted totally after the patients went through the process of medical treatment. According to the findings of this study, the mean scores clearly demonstrated the ability of the hospital in providing services that was promised were to some extend good. Dimensions in other reliability areas were reported to have episodes that were similar. The study also found out that, health care providers in the hospital did not provide services that are responsive to patient’s expectations. Patients in the hospital and especially those who were in critical conditions expected that, clinicians in the hospital would provide an immediate health care service as well as support. However, this was different and did not materialize. This prompted the patients to give a rating that was lower on the perceived items. As demonstrated in their study, Chakraborty& Majumdar (2011) found out that, the clinic had a poor rating on the dimension of assurance. They also found out that, the most significant dimension of the Servqual Model which affected service quality perceptions of patients was reliability. Empathy was the second dimension, responsiveness was third and assurance was the fourth in significance to influence patient’s perception on service quality. Tangibility was the least important dimension found to influence patient’s perceptions on service quality. The researchers also found out that, there is a very big difference between public and private hospitals when it comes to the quality of service depending on reliability, administrative, tangibles and empathy dimensions. Patients perceived public hospitals to provide better service quality than private hospitals. The researchers of this study also found out that, service quality dimensions of health care providers and in this case nursing staff including assurance, empathy as well as tangibles impacted positively on patient’s loyalty. In the article journal written by Haque, Sarwar, Yasmin & Nuruzzaman (2012), the researchers found out that there is a very strong relationship between health care personnel support and patient’s satisfaction. The study also found out that quality improvement has a direct relationship with strategic planning in hospitals. Peprah & Atarah (2014) found that, the biggest service quality gap as perceived by the patients occurs across the six dimensions of service quality in the Servqual Model. The significant gaps realized across the six dimensions were assurance, responsiveness, reliability and communication with reliability having the largest negative gap score. The study carried out by Punnakitikashem, Buavaraporn, Maluesri (2012), showed that, the perceptions of patients are usually higher than their expectations considering all dimensions. In addition, this study concluded that there is no difference between perceptions and expectations of patients as indicated by the service level that was moderate. The top service gap on patients expectations were assurance, reliability and tangibles while the top service gap on patients perceptions were empathy, tangibility and reliability. The researchers also found out that, in terms of tangibility, the current service quality level was high while in terms of assurance, the service quality level was low. The service quality level in relation to dimensions of empathy, reliability and responsiveness were moderate. Implication for Services Marketing Theories and Practices According to Abuosi & Atinga (2012), the attractiveness of health care providers, attractiveness of medical material, the availability of modern medical equipment and the attractiveness of the hospital physical amenities imply that, managers in hospitals have the responsibility of being attentive to maintenance that should be done regularly. They should ensure that the hospital environmental quality is maintained. The study also recommended that, managers in hospitals have the role of encouraging medical health providers in improving their appearance. According to the Ghana Health Service Code of Ethics, the clinical staff in any hospital is mandated to present themselves in a particular uniform. However, this Code is not followed strictly in practice. Therefore, managers in hospitals have the responsibility of reinforcing this Code by educating health care providers on the importance of personal attractiveness for the purpose of meeting or exceeding patient expectations. After being dissatisfied with the service, the patients suggested that, health care providers or hospital staff have the responsibility of providing the public with services that are in line with their promises as stipulated in the mission and vision statements of the hospital. In fact, a policy measure which is critical is required to streamline services and match them with their purpose in hospitals. Health care providers in hospitals should be focused with rendering services that are similar to insurance companies, banks as well as companies in the telecommunication industry. Therefore, hospital managers have the responsibility of continuously communicating the mission as well as the vision statement of the hospital to the hospital staff. This will help them in understanding the core values of the hospitals. It is also important to constantly emphasize on services that are reliable. These services have been established under the health insurance regime and are very profitable to the hospitals since they encourage loyalty of patients. The study carried out by Chakraborty& Majumdar (2011) had various implications for services marketing theories and practices. According to the researchers, hospitals have the responsibility of improving their quality management across all of the six dimensions of the Servqual Model. These dimensions include; reliability, assuarance, empathy, tangibles, accessibility, affordability as well as responsiveness. Managers in hospitals need to consider the dimensions of responsiveness, empathy and assurance more important than the other three dimensions that affect patient’s satisfaction. As demonstrated by Haque, Sarwar, Yasmin & Nuruzzaman (2012), the existence of a strong relationship between health care personnel support and patient satisfaction requires a careful implementation of different procedures of support and increased facility provision to enhance patient’s satisfaction. This would ensure an excellent outcome which is positive is achieved continuously. To remain competent, hospital staff needs to focus their attention to patient procedures and support provided by the hospital to the patients. Therefore, having an effective marketing policy will influence customers/patients in future hence improving hospital revenues. The article journal done by Peprah & Atarah (2014) had an implication that, reliability of service should be given priority in hospitals. Therefore, the management in hospitals must consider different methods of offering patients service promptly and on time. According to Punnakitikashem, Buavaraporn, Maluesri (2012), the expectations of patients in hospitals are reliable services. They also perceive that they receive services of good quality. The significant gap between patient’s expectations and perceptions in terms of tangibility require hospitals to maintain clean equipment, facilities and comfortable environments. Additionally, in terms of assurance patients usually have a higher expectation of quality service than perception. Therefore, the top management in hospitals has the responsibility of assuring patients that the service delivered in the hospital is of high quality. The management team in hospitals can also use this information when making decisions in relation to the effective use of hospital resources for the purpose of facilitating the delivery of services of high quality. Conclusions These journal articles bring to a conclusion that, every patient expects to the provided with high quality service in the hospital. When determining patient satisfaction, hospitals should consider the perception and expectations of patients in relation to service quality. The five journals recognized the Servqual model as one of the best models in measuring patient’s satisfaction in relation to service quality. The model depicts that; hospitals should improve their service quality for the purpose of meeting patient expectations and perceptions. References Chakraborty, R & Majumdar, A, (2011) Measuring Consumer Satisfaction in Health Care Sector: The Applicability of Servqual, Journal of Arts, Science & Commerce, Vol. 2, Iss. 4, pp. 149-156. Retrieved from http://www.researchersworld.com/vol2/issue4/Paper_17.pdf Abuosi, A and Atinga, R, (2012) Service Quality in Healthcare Institutions: Establishing the Gaps for Policy Action, Service Quality In Healthcare Institutions, pp. 481-489. Retrieved from http://s3.amazonaws.com Haque, A., Sarwar, A., Yasmin, F & Nuruzzaman, A, (2012) The Impact of Customer Perceived Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction for Private Health Centre in Malaysia: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach, Information Management and Business Review, Vol. 4, No. 5, pp. 257–267. Retrieved from http://irep.iium.edu.my/26464/1/Published_Copy_%28IMBR%29.pdf Peprah, A & Atarah, B, (2014) Assessing Patient’s Satisfaction Using SERVQUAL Model: A Case of Sunyani Regional Hospital, Ghana, International Journal of Business and Social Research (IJBSR), Vol. 4, Iss. 2, pp. 133-140. Retrieved from http://thejournalofbusiness.org Punnakitikashem, P., Buavaraporn, N., Maluesri, P & Leelartapin, K, (2012) Health Care Service Quality: Case Example of a Hospital with Lean Implementation, POMS 23 rd Annual Conference, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A, pp. 1-5. Retrieved from http://www.pomsmeetings.org/confproceedings/025/fullpapers/fullpaper_files/025-1232.pdf Read More