Impact of hospital atmosphere on perceived health care outcome

Antecedents and outcomes of patient satisfaction in healthcare: A conceptual model

This study develops a conceptual model and establishes the relationships between the variables, both influencing and affected by patient satisfaction. The authors conducted a thorough search for peer-reviewed articles obtaining a final sample of 64 studies. Service quality was found to be the only antecedent influencing patient satisfaction, while patient satisfaction was found to impact trust, loyalty and word of mouth, also mediating the influence of service quality on these variables. While the study integrates the scattered literature, from a practical standpoint it exhibits how increased patient satisfaction plays a key role in influencing patient trust, loyalty and word-of-mouth.

Cultural values and consumers’ expectations and perceptions of service encounter quality

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to explore the impact of cultural values on perceptions of service encounter quality by examining the potentially mediating role of service encounter expectations.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was designed to collect data from 30 cosmetic clinic patients in Tehran, Iran. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the convergent and discriminant validity of the scales. Moreover, path modeling and bootstrapping were implemented using Smartpls 2.0 (M3) software to analyze the collected data and to assess the research model (Figure 1).

Findings

Cultural values have a significant impact on both expectations and perceptions of service encounter quality. Moreover, findings show that expectations of service encounter quality have an impact on perceptions of service encounter quality. The mediating role of service encounter expectations was confirmed.

Research limitations/implications

There are additional issues that should be addressed about different aspects of service encounters in developing countries. Moreover, subcultures provide attractive context for service quality perception research; subcultures comprise a large consumer market having its own cultural values that future research could examine.

Practical implications

Healthcare service providers should understand the cultural values of patients that may differ by social demographic characteristics. Providing a service that enhances patient cultural values might enhance success in the plastic surgery market, because such surgery may assist one in gaining recognition and improving their relationships with others. Clinic managers should consider Iran as a developing country, with its considerable young population having modern self-oriented demands, should be a desirable market for cosmetics and beauty care products.

Originality/value

Using the concept of Schwartz’s basic human values model to assess consumers’ cultural values and its impact on service encounter quality was the study’s main contribution. Moreover, it is among few studies conducted in the cosmetic surgery industry in a developing country’s context.