Service quality in hospitals: more favourable than you might think

Abstract

This paper examines and measures the quality of services provided by private hospitals in Malaysia. Empirical research is used to determine patients’ expectations and perceptions of the quality of service, and a comprehensive scale adapted from SERVQUAL is empirically evaluated for its usefulness in the Malaysian hospital environment. Results based on testing the mean differences between expectations and perception indicate that patients’ perceived value of the services exceed expectations for all the variables measured. A comparative analysis with similar studies in other regions is reported, and the implications are discussed.