A Comparison of Human Elements and Nonhuman Elements in Private Health Care Settings: Customers’ Perceptions and Expectations

Abstract

In today's highly competitive health care environment, many private health care settings are now looking into customer service indicators to learn customers' perceptions and determine whether they are meeting customers' expectations in order to ensure that their customers are satisfied with the services. This research paper aims to investigate whether the human elements were more important than the nonhuman elements in private health care settings. We used the internationally renowned SERVQUAL five-dimension model plus three additional dimensions-courtesy, communication, and understanding of customers of the human element-when evaluating health care services. A total of 191 respondents from three private health care settings in the Klang Valley region of Malaysia were investigated. Descriptive statistics were calculated by the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer program, version 15. Interestingly, the results suggested that customers nowadays have very high expectations especially when it comes to the treatment they are receiving. Overall, the research indicated that the human elements were more important than the nonhuman element in private health care settings. Hospital management should look further to improve on areas that have been highlighted. Implications for management practice and directions for future research are discussed.

Service quality of private hospitals: The Iranian Patients' perspective

“…This is similar to the results gained from the study by Huang et al [26], but contrary to the results of Jabnoun and Chaker study [27]. The human elements have higher importance relative to nonhuman elements in the patients' perception of the quality of the private health care services [28], and the interpersonal relationships are one of the most important factors in the perception of service quality [29,30]. Results from several studies have shown the importance of the interpersonal relationship component of service quality regarding satisfaction [28,29,31,32] and patient loyalty [2].…”

“…The human elements have higher importance relative to nonhuman elements in the patients' perception of the quality of the private health care services [28], and the interpersonal relationships are one of the most important factors in the perception of service quality [29,30]. Results from several studies have shown the importance of the interpersonal relationship component of service quality regarding satisfaction [28,29,31,32] and patient loyalty [2]. The practitioners/personnel must make the patients aware of their disease conditions, answer their questions, recognize and pay attention to their emotional and social needs and be available when needed.…”

Evaluation of service quality from patients’ viewpoint

“…Patients often lack sufficient information and knowledge to assess the medical staff, and perhaps this is the reason why they tend to assess them positively [16]. It should also be noted that in the process of health service delivery, patients are more sensitive to care provided by physicians and nurses [17, 18]; in fact, human elements are more important compared with non-human elements in patient perception of care quality [19]. Doctor-patient interpersonal relationship also plays a key role in shaping service quality judgments [20].…”

Measuring the Quality of Provided Services for Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease

“…Because the services are inherently untouchable, interpersonal interaction during the process of service delivery has an important effect on the patients' perceptions of service quality. In addition, the results of several studies have shown that human factors have greater effect on the patients' perceptions of the quality of services than non-human factors, and interpersonal interaction and relationship is one of the most important factors affecting the patients' perceptions of service quality ( 42 - 44 ). Therefore, physicians and staff should recognize and pay attention to the patients' social and emotional needs and wants and should be available for patients when needed.…”