Enhancing Healthcare Service Quality: The Role of Organizational Support in Stabilizing Health Policy Implementation

Abstract

Background Healthcare service quality is a core focus of China's health policy, aiming to achieve universal health coverage for its 1.4 billion population. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed threats to sustainable policy implementation, highlighting the need for organizational support to rebuild healthcare workers' confidence and ensure effective policy execution through enhanced commitment. Methods Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM), data were collected from 600 healthcare workers across 40 public hospitals in China. The study focused on evaluating how organizational support—including leadership, communication, and employee engagement programs—affects organizational commitment and how this commitment further impacts healthcare service quality. Data collection took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing a highly relevant context for analyzing these relationships. Findings The results demonstrate that organizational support positively influences healthcare service quality (H1), and this effect is mediated by organizational commitment (H3). During the pandemic, higher levels of perceived organizational support effectively reduced stress and trauma, enhancing healthcare workers' psychological resilience and job performance. Organizational support also increased emotional commitment among employees (H2), strengthening their sense of belonging and responsibility toward organizational goals. Employees who perceive high organizational support are more engaged and better equipped to maintain high standards of care under pressure. Additionally, the study found that organizational commitment significantly contributes to healthcare service quality, particularly in high-pressure environments. Employees with stronger organizational commitment exhibit behaviors that improve patient care, demonstrating greater resilience and adaptability in stressful situations. Conclusion This study provides critical insights into stabilizing the implementation of health policies by adopting a people-centered approach, emphasizing the role of hospital administrators in promoting organizational support to improve healthcare service quality and ultimately achieving the overarching goal of stable, universal health coverage. Sustaining these measures post-pandemic is essential for improving healthcare service quality, stabilizing health policy implementation, and achieving broader public health objectives, ultimately strengthening the healthcare system’s resilience and sustainability.