Customer Satisfaction in Healthcare Services Research Report

This report, titled "Factors Influencing Customer Satisfaction in Health Care Services," delves into the critical aspects of patient satisfaction within the healthcare industry. It begins by defining the research problem, which centers on the importance of customer satisfaction for long-term growth and patient loyalty in a competitive healthcare market. The research sets out to measure customer satisfaction, explore factors influencing patient satisfaction, and identify strategies to eliminate negative factors. A comprehensive literature review examines existing research, highlighting factors such as service quality, staff behavior, and the impact of facilities on patient satisfaction. The report references key studies and articles to support its findings, emphasizing the need for healthcare providers to understand patient expectations and implement effective strategies to enhance service delivery. The conclusion underscores the importance of market research and continuous improvement to meet and exceed patient needs, thereby fostering satisfaction and loyalty.

Running Head: MARKETING RESEARCH 1
Marketing Research Essentials

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Table of Contents
Research problem.......................................................................................................................................3
Research Objectives....................................................................................................................................3
Literature Review........................................................................................................................................3
References...................................................................................................................................................5

MARKETING RESEARCH 3
"Topic: Factors Influencing Customer Satisfaction in Health Care Services”
Research problem
In today’s health care industry, customer satisfaction is a foundation which enhances growth and
ensures the patient loyalty in the long term. The health care organizations believe that services
can be best provided by knowing about the needs and demands of customers and market trends
about the services. In this sector, competition is going intense so organizations need to focus on
enhancing the service delivery process. There are various factors which influence the customer
satisfaction in health care service industry. Generally, patients compare the services they receive
from one hospital to other and analyze the service performance. It is very important for every
health care service provider to focus on the expectations of patients so that they can satisfy their
patients.
Research Objectives
The major aim of this research is to address different factors which can influence the customer
satisfaction in health care service industry. The primary objectives of this research are:
 To measure the customer satisfaction in health care sector.
 To explore different factors that affect patient satisfaction in chosen sector.
 To identify the potential strategies for eliminating negative factors.
Literature Review
In today’s era, customers are very well educated that they include utility in every service for
which they are paying money. Specifically in the health care sector, they are highly engaged, due
to this service provides need to make more focus on their service delivery process. According to
Ragaur (2008), customer satisfaction is one of the major elements in every sector for long term
growth and profitability. Over few years, the issue of patient satisfaction has attained a
significant attention in this sector (Ragaur, 2008). So, organizations are making different efforts
to enhance the level of satisfaction via different initiatives. According to Saeed et al. (2013),
there are several factors which can affect the patient satisfaction in health care industry (Saeed,
et al, 2009). In their article, the authors stated that some of these factors are patient safety,
quality control, quality of basic facilities, behavior of staff, doctors’ attention etc. In its contrast,

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Nketiah-Amponsah and Hiemenz (2009) stated that there are some factors which can create
dissatisfaction among customers (Nketiah-Amponsah and Hiemenz, 2009). Lack of appropriate
signage can have adverse effect on patient satisfaction as they don’t wish to waste their time to
find the place. Naidu (2009) stated that service quality is the most positive factor that contributes
to patient satisfaction. There are two dimensions of service quality i.e. functional quality and
technical quality (Naidu, 2009). As per the article of Efuteba (2009), the single way a health
service provider can effectively align to the demanding patients and retain them is to meet their
expectations by measuring their perceptions and needs. Moreover, the behavior of doctors and
nurses is also a significant factor affecting customer satisfaction (Efuteba, 2009). It can be the
behavior and treatment which they receive from staff that can satisfy or dissatisfy them.
Generally, people expect to get care which is polite, empathetic, courteous and caring. In order to
provide complete satisfaction, service providers need to implement effective strategies and take
initiatives (Ragaur, 2008). They need to conduct market research to understand patients’
requirements and improve the service accordingly.
Thus, the literature review summarizes that these factors play an important role in delivering
patient satisfaction at its fullest. By taking effective initiatives, the organizations can overcome
the negative factors.

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References
Efuteba, C. (2009) Factors Influencing Customer Satisfaction in Health care services: The Case
of Public and Private Hospitals in North Cyprus. Available from
http://i-rep.emu.edu.tr:8080/jspui/bitstream/11129/1993/1/EfutebaCatherine.pdf [Accessed on 9
August 2018].
Naidu, A. (2009) Factors affecting patient satisfaction and healthcare quality. International
Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 22 (4), 366-381.
Nketiah-Amponsah, E. and Hiemenz, U. (2009) Determinants of Consumer Satisfaction of
Health Care in Ghana: Does Choice of Health Care Provider Matter? Global Journal of Health
Science, 1 (2), 50-60.
Ragaur, S. (2008) Factors Affecting Customer Satisfaction In Health Care Services.
International Research Journal of Commerce , Arts and Science, 4 (3), 766-768.
Saeed, R., Ghafoor, M.O., Sarwar, B., Lodhi, R.N., Ahmad, H.M. and Ahmad, M. (2009)
Factors Affecting Customer Satisfaction in Health Care Services in Pakistan. Journal of Basic
and Applied Scientific Research, 3(5)947-952.

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