EVALUATION OF EXPECTED AND PERCEIVED SERVICE QUALITY IN HEALTH SERVICES WITH SERVQUAL SCALE

Abstract

Quality assessment in health institutions is important because it monitors current situation of the institutions and provides guidance to eliminate their deficiencies. This study aims to examine perceived service quality of healthcare recipients and providers from a university hospital. The study is a comparative and descriptive research. Its population is employees and patients of a university hospital in Turkey. The sample size calculated with Gpower program and determined as 257 patients and 161 employees. The data collected from June to September 2019 from the sample group selected by random sampling method. SERVQUAL Scale used as data collection tool. The collected data analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Analysis results show the quality of hospital service was evaluated as “low” by healthcare recipients and providers, and the quality perceptions of the providers were lower than those receiving service. Doctors' quality perceptions were higher than other hospital employees. Primary school graduates have lower quality perception than those of other education levels, 18-25 age group has lower perceptions than the other age groups, and married people lower than singles. To improve the service quality in line with the results, studies should be carried out at certain intervals in the hospital.