The Relationship between Hospital Service Quality and Patient's Perceived Value

Background and perceived value is defined as customer’s overall assessment of the utility of a product or service based on perceptions of what is received and what is given. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between service quality and perceived value by patients in private hospitals of Tehran. This cross-sectional descriptive and analytic study was conducted in 2010. The study population included 969 patients selected from eight private general hospitals in Tehran. The data was collected through a questionnaire containing 18-items (service quality: 14 items and perceived value: 4 items), which its reliability and validity were confirmed. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and multivariate regression in SPSS.17. The mean score for patient's perception of service quality and perceived value were 4.01, and 3.43 out of 5. Regression analysis showed that about 27% of the variance in perceived value could be explained by the service quality. The interaction quality is the strongest factor influencing patient perceived value and its predictive power is about twice more than two other dimensions of service quality (process quality and environmental quality). Three dimensions of service quality were the key determinants of perceived value in private hospitals of Tehran. To promote the perceived value by patients, the quality improvement activities must focus on reduction and rationalizing monetary costs, accurate service scheduling, and strengthening the interpersonal relationships and communication skills of doctors, nurses and staff.