Affect, attribution, and disconfirmation: their impact on health care services evaluation

The paper simultaneously assesses the influence of affect toward the health care provider, attributions of the health care provider, and disconfirmation on patient satisfaction with the health care provider and their intention to return to the health care provider in the future. The findings indicate affect and disconfirmation play a role in patients' judgements, but attribution does not. Also, patients appear to have a zone of tolerance as to the events that constitute the health care service delivery. This suggests that health care providers may have a zone of variation in the action they take and still maintain a satisfied patient.