Impacts of service quality, brand image, and perceived value on outpatient’s loyalty to China’s private dental clinics with service satisfaction as a mediator

Abstract

Background This study explores the effects and influence paths of service quality, brand image, perceived value, and service satisfaction on outpatients’ loyalty to China’s private dental clinics. Methods A cross-sectional survey study was conducted in Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, China in January 2019. The participants were selected using the convenience sampling method. Of the 230 residents surveyed, 125 had received services in private dental clinics, being the valid sample of this study. A multiple linear regression model was used in exploring factors influencing patient loyalty. Subsequently, the path analysis was used in investigating the relationships among service quality, brand image, perceived value, patient satisfaction, and patient loyalty. Results After the effects of demographic and socioeconomic variables were controlled, perceived value and patient satisfaction showed significant influences on patient loyalty. Path analysis indicated that perceived value, perceived quality, and expected quality have direct effects on patient satisfaction and have indirect effects on patient loyalty, and patient satisfaction is a mediator. Conclusion Perceived service quality influences patient loyalty through the effect of patient satisfaction, which plays a key role in promoting patient loyalty. This study implies that managers in private dental clinics can gain support from customers by building customer loyalty toward dental clinics.

Creating Millennial Generation Loyalty Through Customer Perceived Value on Halal Local Cosmetic Products

“…Perceived value is the beginning of a change in consumer behavior and is a new paradigm that offers a more comprehensive approach to greater service satisfaction ( (Tran & Le, 2020). The results of this study are in line with the results of the study Slack et al(2020) which states that quality is a specific component of satisfaction, which leads to a good relationship between perceived value and satisfaction; Samudro et al (2020) stated that the higher perceived value would affect increasing satisfaction more strongly, so did research from Lin & Yin (2022); Dai et al (2022); and Uzir et al (2020). Value perception among customers is frequently correlated with the caliber of the good or service they obtain.…”

“…The fourth hypothesis (H4) states that customer perceived value has a positive and significant influence on consumer loyalty through consumer satisfaction. Patient satisfaction is the medium that connects perceived values and patient loyalty, (Lin & Yin, 2022) stating the value perceived by the customer positively influences the behavioral intentions. The results of this study are consistent with Dai et al(2022).…”

“…According to Lin & Yin (2022) The satisfaction of the patient serves as a mediator between the value the patient perceives and their loyalty. According to other researches, when consumer value in consuming a product increases, they are more satisfied and more loyal to the company.…”

Factors Influencing Patient Satisfaction and Loyalty as Perceived by Dentists and Their Patients

“…In the field of general medicine, studies have pointed out that patients prefer to be involved in the decision-making [ 23 , 24 , 25 ], and the few studies that are available on this specific question in dentistry, show the same [ 26 , 27 ]. It is also known that the perceived service quality influences patient loyalty through the effect of patient satisfaction which plays a key role in promoting patient loyalty [ 28 ].…”

Identifying patient perceived values during outpatient encounters: an empirical study from Chinese public hospitals

“…Previous research on patient perceived value has primarily concentrated on the clinical diagnosis and treatment effects of specific diseases collected from particular inpatient specialties [ 3 ]. These studies have analyzed patients’ perceived quality and satisfaction with healthcare services [ 4 , 5 ]. However, few scholars have identified the overall value of the patient experience throughout the entire consultation process.…”