Monitoring patient dissatisfaction: a methodology based on SERVQUAL scale and statistical process control charts

Abstract

In this study, a methodology has been suggested to monitor patient dissatisfaction in hospitals. The proposed methodology uses the service quality (SERVQUAL) scale and statistical process control charts, namely standardised u-control chart. An empirical research including 618 random samples is conducted to show how the proposed methodology works in practice. A survey study based on the SERVQUAL scale is performed to obtain patient dissatisfaction level with respect to five major criteria, namely tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy, in a public hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. This study extends the current limited researches related to monitoring and obliterating patient dissatisfaction in hospital services. The current study also contributes to the literature on health-care research in the context of service business by proposing a methodology to monitor patient dissatisfaction in hospitals. The findings show that the proposed methodology can be easily and efficiently conducted in practice.