Perceived service quality and its influence on behavioral intention in South Korean public dental hospitals.
South Korean national university dental hospitals (NUDHs) face unprecedented challenges in maintaining primary function as public hospitals and surviving in intensified competition. The aim of the study was to evaluate the perceived service quality of NUDH patients and its influences on behavior and to gain managerial implications. Perceived service quality, value, satisfaction, and behavioral intention were measured in 438 NUDH patients from 3 NUDHs. With demographic analyses, the authors used structural equation models to test the validity to prove the relationship between dimensions.


RESULTS
showed that the dimension of dentist concern directly influenced satisfaction and behavior, and tangibles was the only significant antecedent factor of value that had a significant positive effect on satisfaction. Based on demographic characteristics, highly educated, self-motivated patients who underwent multiple treatments had lower perceptions of value and satisfaction. NUDHs need to maintain their public image and to improve the dimensions of communication and tangibles to gain competitiveness.
Kim
Yukyoung
Y
Department of Airline Service, College of Social Science, Korea National University of Transportation.
Kim
Soungmin
S
Myoung
Hoon
H
Lee
Hyung Ryong
HR
D000328:Adult; D003749:Dental Facilities / Q000592:standards*; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D005260:Female; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000592:standards*; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D056910:Republic of Korea; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult