PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which the perception of crowding by medical staff and patients impacts patients’ perceived service quality (SQ), overall satisfaction and emotional well-being.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 258 matched pairs of medical staff members and their patients at six public hospitals.FindingsMedical staff-perceived crowding negatively influences patients’ perceived SQ. The perceived SQ then impacts patients’ overall satisfaction and emotional well-being. Patients’ perceived crowding does not significantly impact their perceived SQ but increases the positive emotional well-being of patients.Originality/valueScant research has investigated a matched pair of service providers and their customers. This study concentrates on how individuals’ perceived human crowding and medical staff SQ affect consumers’ emotional well-being. This research leads to the formulation of theoretical and public policy suggestions to improve the quality of interactive services with minimal cost and disruption.

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