Service Quality Perceptions from the Perspectives of Elderly Patients and their Families: Using SERVQUAL, 2016

Old-aged people are vulnerable with different health problems and refer to hospitals once or even several times in their lives. Therefore, considering the importance of aging and the need of elderly patients to hospital services, the current study aimed to explore the elderly and their families’ perceptions of provided service quality using SERVQUAL model.
The population of this descriptive, cross-sectional study consisted of 248 hospitalized elderly and their families in 7-E Tir and Firouzabadi hospitals during January and February 2016. A SERVQUAL questionnaire was used to collect data which were then analyzed using multivariate analysis of variation at a significant level of less than 0. 01 in SPSS 20.
The discrepancies between the patients and their families’ expectations and perceived services, indicated a gap in all five dimensions of service quality.
The highest and lowest negative mean scores, among the patients, were related to tangibles (-4. 09) and empathy (-1. 99) while the highest and lowest negative mean scores, among their families, were related to tangibles (-3. 56) and empathy (-2.14).
The study attempted to measure hospitalized elderly patients’ perceptions of provided service quality. The results can help decision makers make efficient and effective decisions to consider and remove the problems through effective planning.