Patient management: measuring patients' expectations and perceptions of service quality in a dental training hospital

The difference between service quality expectations and perceptions (experiences) of patients (customers) attending a dental training hospital was investigated by using a modified version of the Parasuraman SERVQUAL model. A questionnaire comprising 28 service quality-related statements and four open-ended questions was used at the interviews. The study showed that 11.6% of respondents experienced problems with the service. A principal component factor analysis indicated that two of the five dimensions of service quality, namely reliability and assurance, contributed to 59% of service level variance. Female patients showed larger mean differences than male patients. The greater the number of visits to the hospital, the smaller the difference between expectations and perceptions. Patients in the category 36-45 years of age, showed larger mean differences than younger or older patients. Respondents with no academic qualifications had lower expectations of the service, while professional people seemed to have more realistic expectations prior to a visit to the hospital than respondents in the technical/clerical category.