Private healthcare quality: applying a SERVQUAL model.
OBJECTIVE
This paper seeks to develop and test the SERVQUAL model scale for measuring Malaysian private health service quality.


METHODS
The study consists of 340 randomly selected participants visiting a private healthcare facility during a three-month data collection period. Data were analyzed using means, correlations, principal component and confirmatory factor analysis to establish the modified SERVQUAL scale's reliability, underlying dimensionality and convergent, discriminant validity.


RESULTS
Results indicate a moderate negative quality gap for overall Malaysian private healthcare service quality. Results also indicate a moderate negative quality gap on each service quality scale dimension. However, scale development analysis yielded excellent results, which can be used in wider healthcare policy and practice.


CONCLUSIONS
Respondents were skewed towards a younger population, causing concern that the results might not represent all Malaysian age groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The study's major contribution is that it offers a way to assess private healthcare service quality. Second, it successfully develops a scale that can be used to measure health service quality in Malaysian contexts.
Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Malaysia, Sarawak, Malaysia. mohsinbutt@hotmail.com
Mohsin Muhammad
MM
Butt
Ernest Cyril
EC
de Run
D000328:Adult; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010465:Perception; D017149:Private Sector / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards