Assessment of healthcare service quality effect on patient satisfaction and care outcomes: A case study in India

Patient-centered care has become a key driver in recent healthcare reform. Meanwhile, healthcare consumers have become more aware and concerned about the quality of services. This has made healthcare organisations accentuate evaluating healthcare service quality and patient satisfaction. This paper aims to assess the dimensions of the patient-perceived healthcare service quality and its effect on patient satisfaction and care outcomes. A total of 1169 responses were collected from patients of 10 hospitals in India using a pre-validated structured questionnaire. Our study has identified five primary dimensions of healthcare service quality such as quality of clinical services, diagnostic services, administrative services, supportive services, coordination among healthcare professionals, and integration of patients in healthcare decisions. The result also reveals the mediation effect of patient satisfaction on the relationship between healthcare service quality and care outcomes. This research immensely contributes to the body of knowledge in the area of healthcare service quality. The study findings will benefit healthcare administrators to devise effective and valuable strategies to deliver superior quality healthcare services to their patients. Furthermore, this research has presented a clear understanding of the direct and indirect effect of healthcare service quality dimensions on patient satisfaction, which is essential for hospital administrators and marketing managers to take suitable actions for improving patient satisfaction and care outcomes.