Assessment of in-patient satisfaction using importance-performance map analysis

In recent decades, hospital management has emphasized on measuring quality of healthcare services. Assessing healthcare service quality provides an insight for hospital managers and administrators to improve their service quality and patient satisfaction. The purpose of this study is to assess the hospital service quality and its effect on inpatient satisfaction in private hospitals. A cross-sectional study was conducted comprising of 204 patients from two private hospitals in coastal Karnataka. A structured questionnaire was used to gather the patients’ perception on quality of health care services and satisfaction. SmartPLS was used for testing the reliability and validity of the instrument and for analyzing the data. Importance performance map analysis was done for exploring the importance of various dimensions of hospital service quality that effects inpatient satisfaction. Findings revealed that quality of clinical and administrative services are the two important factors that determine patient satisfaction. However, healthcare managers should focus on all the dimensions of hospital service quality with a special focus on quality of clinical services and supportive services for enhancing patient satisfaction. The findings of the study provide an insight to hospital administrators and mangers in terms of a better understanding of preferences and perceptions of patients in meeting or exceeding their expectations. Hence adds value in terms of sustaining and improving patient-centered care in healthcare organizations.