Analysis of Service Quality Gap in Outpatient Wards Using SERVQUAL Model in Shahid Motahhari Clinic of Shiraz in 2014

Assessing quality dimensions in health care sector according to the sensitivity of the services is very important. This study was conducted to assess the quality of services in outpatient wards in Shiraz. This was a discriptive study conducted in summer 2014 on 200 patients referring to Shahid Motahari Health Center. The standard questionnaire of SERVQUAL was used for assessing 6 dimensions of the services quality (Physical factors, Creditability, Responsiveness, Assuredness, Empathy and Access) were used. Data was analyzed using independent t-test, paired t-test and one-way ANOVA. There were significant differences between patients’ perceptions and expectations in all six dimensions of quality (p<0.05). There were negative gaps in all the quality aspects so that means expectations were beyond perceptions. The mean of general quality gap was -0.63 and the highest mean was related to responsiveness (-0.85) and the lowest was for physical aspect (-0.45). There were significant associations between marital status and empathy (p= 0.031) and also between education level and physical aspect (p=0.011), assuredness (p=0.012), responsiveness (p= 0.032) and empathy (p= 0.020). Patients referring to this center did not consider the present quality of services in an acceptable level. It is necessary to plan effectively in order to decrease quality gap and improve it by related managers to achieve patients’ expectations.