Factors Influencing Inpatient Satisfaction and Loyalty Based on the SERVQUAL Model: The Moderating Effect of Family and Friends' Recommendations
Keywords:
Inpatients; SERVQUAL model, satisfaction, loyaltyAbstract
This study is based on the service quality model and the National Center for Medical Management Inpatient Satisfaction Questionnaire. The study surveyed 415 inpatients at a tertiary hospital from January to May 2024 to understand their perceived experience with medical service quality, satisfaction, loyalty and advice. Objective To explore the factors that affect their medical experience and loyalty, and provide a basis for improving hospital service quality. Methods: This study used the SERVQUAL model to classify patients' perspectives, and applied SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 24.0 for data analysis, including descriptive statistics, reliability and validity tests, correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The results showed significant correlations between service quality (tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy), satisfaction and loyalty dimensions. Notably, the moderating effects of family and friend recommendations have a positive impact on the impact of service quality on both satisfaction and loyalty. Conclusion: Inpatient satisfaction and loyalty, as key indicators for measuring hospital performance evaluation and service quality, have received increasing attention. This study aims to conduct an in-depth analysis of the intrinsic link between inpatient satisfaction and loyalty, and innovatively considers recommendations from family and friends as a moderating variable, in order to reveal its unique role in the influencing path.The effectiveness of the service quality gap model in analyzing inpatient satisfaction is highlighted, and the importance of increasing the tangibility and reliability of healthcare facilities to improve patient experience is highlighted. In addition, the study recommends strengthening nurse-patient communication, optimizing medical procedures, and reducing waiting times to further improve patient satisfaction and loyalty.
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