title: Hospital choice factors: a case study in Turkey.
abstract: In an attempt to test the robustness of the numerous American findings related to hospital choice in the context of another country, this study examines the factors affecting hospital choice decisions of 869 patients in three public and one private hospital policlinics in Ankara, Turkey and attempts to determine their importance levels. Identification of these factors and determining their effect levels is important in concentrating management efforts on these key areas and in formulating effective marketing strategies to retain and expand hospital patient bases in the future. Our findings highlight the importance of accessibility of hospital services to consumers in hospital choice as well as the role of hospital's image, its physical appearance, and technological capabilities in informing such choices. American health care managers can use these findings to further understand how patients make choices related to health care facilities and to develop marketing strategies that may more effectively market their facilities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Administration, Spokane, WA 99210-1495, USA. akinci@mail.wsu.edu
authors.forename: Fevzi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Akinci
authors.forename: A Ezel
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Esatoğlu
authors.forename: Dilaver
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tengilimoglu
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parsons
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D005260:Female; D016304:Hospitals, Private; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D014421:Turkey