title: Can nurse innovation improve customer perception of service quality and experience?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to clarify how nurse innovation is related to customer perception of medical service quality and experience.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Recently, many hospitals have put much emphasis upon the development of nurse innovation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was employed.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study adopted questionnaire survey method with nurses and customers of the inpatient wards from three Taiwanese hospitals as the research subjects. After pairing, there were 294 valid questionnaires. Hierarchical regression analysis was utilised to test the possible impact of nurse innovation on medical service quality and experience.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In terms of the dimensions of nurse innovation, 'innovation behaviour' ranked the highest (3·24), followed by knowledge creation and innovation diffusion; in terms of the degree of the medical service quality, 'reliability' ranked the highest (4·35). As for the degree of the medical service experience, 'feel experience' ranked the highest (4·44). All dimensions of nurse innovation have no significant effects on medical service quality and experience.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Of these three dimensions of nurse innovation, the level of innovation behaviour was perceived by the nurses as the highest. The study found that nurse innovation has no significant effects on customer perception of service quality and experience.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hospitals shall provide sufficient resources and budget for fostering innovation development and encourage their nurses to develop nursing innovation for patents. The education and training courses on 'patient-centred' shall be enhanced among hospital nurses. Healthcare managers shall also explore the difficulties about innovation diffusion and find the solutions for nurses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Long-Term Care, National Quemoy University, Kinmen, Taiwan.|Department of Health Services Administration, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Rhay-Hung
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.affiliation: Administrative Section, Kaohsiung Municipal Gangshan Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wan-Ping
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of International Business and Trade, Shu-Te University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Yuan
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Tainan Municipal Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chiu-Hsia
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Madou Sin-Lau Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Tai
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Hsu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan
keywords: hospital; management; nurses