Factors Influencing Patient Satisfaction Within the Multistage Online Consultation Process in Internet Hospitals in...

Internet hospitals are playing a significant role in medical care with their potential to provide widely accessible outpatient service delivery via information technologies. Current research on patients' satisfaction with internet hospitals mainly focus on physician-patient relationship and patient demand, and less is considered about the whole process of online consultation.

This study aims to identity the factors influencing patient satisfaction considering the entire process of online consultation to help physicians deliver better online medical services and to help physical hospitals operate internet hospitals more effectively.

Based on the service quality (SERVQUAL) theoretical model, questionnaire items were designed for the 5 dimensions of reliability, assurance, responsiveness, empathy, and tangibility. The research samples for data collection were 355 patients on the internet hospital platform operated by a tertiary general hospital in Beijing. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed for dimensions of the measurement model, and path analysis was performed for the structural model.

The current consultation process of internet hospitals, as perceived by patients, did not yet meet their expectations, and the overall satisfaction rate of patients was only 7.15. The 5 dimensions of reliability, responsiveness, empathy, tangibility, and assurance had different positive predictive effects on patient satisfaction in internet hospitals to a certain extent. Among them, tangibility exerted the greatest impact on patient satisfaction in internet hospitals (β=0.25) but obtained the lowest score among the sampled participants (mean=6.78).

Internet hospitals and physicians should focus on the factors of the above dimensions, especially the tangibility of medical services in the multistage online consultation, thus better serving patients and promoting the sustainable development of internet health care.