Investigating the Quality of Diagnostic Services Provided by Medical Centers During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Zanjan, Iran Using Parasuraman’ Quality Model

During the Covid-19 pandemic, quality of services provided by medical centers are importance. The present study aims to investigate the quality of diagnostic services provided by medical centers in Zanjan, Iran during the Covid-19 pandemic using Parasuraman’s quality model.

This is a descriptive correlational survey. The study population consists of all patients referred to medical centers in Zanjan province in 2020. Of these, 370 were selected using a convenience sampling method. The sample size was determined using Cochran’s formula. The data collection tool was a standard service quality questionnaire whose validity was assessed by experts, and a Cronbach’s reliability coefficient >0.7 showed its acceptable reliability. Its convergent validity was confirmed using the partial least squares (PLS) model with Average variance extracted > 0.5). Data analysis was performed in PLS and SPSS v. 21 Software. Hypotheses and model fitting were evaluated by structural equation modeling, PLS method, and importance-performance map analysis (IPMA).

There was a high gap between the perceived and expected status of the quality in terms of empathy. Regarding the dimension of tangibility, the services had good quality compared to other dimensions, since there was a small gap between the perceived and expected status. Based on the results of IPMA, the highest coefficient belonged to the assurance dimension, while the lowest coefficient belonged to the reliability dimension.

There is a gap between the current status and desired status in all dimensions of health service quality in Zanjan, Iran. People’ expectations are more than their perceptions; they expect to receive better quality health services during the Covid-19 pandemic.