Measurement of healthcare quality by SERVQUAL

Abstract

Assessing the quality of health care is a highly complex topic. Its economic approaches focus on technical quality measured by the professional appropriateness of procedures used. However, it is a generally accepted view that patients’ considerations should also be taken into account when determining quality. This is important because patients’ subjective experiences are related to their compliance, having considerable implications in our healthcare system that is already struggling with financial difficulties. This paper describes the results of a research that measured perceived (functional) quality as part of patients’ subjective experience in regard of primary care, with the adaptation of the SERVQUAL model. The results of the research concluded that this model is applicable to primary medical care.