title: Exploring the role nurses play at different stages of the birthing process. Developing strong and long-term relationships with women by examining relationship-building stages prior to delivery, during delivery, and after delivery.
abstract: The health care community is becoming increasingly aware of the need to develop strong and long-term relationships with the women who make up the majority of the health care market. The perceived quality of obstetric care positively impacts future revenue streams by creating "family" loyalty for an umbrella of other health services offered by the provider organization. This article examines the differential impact that various service performance dimensions have on women's perceptions of quality for different stages of the birthing process, and how relationship-marketing principles can be utilized to develop loyal partnerships. The three distinct relationship-building stages are examined--birthing experiences prior to delivery, during delivery, and after delivery--along with their implications for perceptions of quality analyzed.
authors.affiliation: College of Business and Economics, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, USA.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Peltier
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Schibrowski
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Westfall
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D008389:Marketing of Health Services; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D008880:Midwifery; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D011247:Pregnancy; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D014481:United States