Influence of service quality and corporate image on the satisfaction of patients with Brazil’s National Cancer Institute

Patient engagement behaviors in hospitals: the role of word of mouth and patient helping behaviors

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate patient perceived value as a stimulus of patient engagement behaviors both from the conceptual and empirical perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the stimulus–organism–response framework, the authors developed a model to determine the impact of patient perceived value on patient engagement behavior in health care. The data were collected from a sample of 391 patients hospitalized in private hospitals. Structural equation modeling technique was used to test the research hypotheses.

Findings

The findings confirmed relevance of the service quality dimensions reliability, tangibility, responsiveness and empathy as significant antecedents of patient perceived value. Perceived value plays a significant role in shaping word of mouth and patient helping behaviors.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study are relevant and applicable to patients in private hospitals.

Practical implications

This study contributes to the literature by providing new evidence on patient perceived value and engagement behaviors as a response to care quality. With adequate focus on perceived value and service quality, service providers can strengthen the relationship with patients and build a sustainable competitive advantage, by stimulating engagement behaviors in patients.

Originality/value

This study is of unique value to the health-care literature, both from the theoretical and managerial point of views. This study proposes a conceptual model of patient perceived value which can be used in the private health sector. Moreover, this study contributes to the health-care literature by introducing patient-helping behavior.

Antecedents, Consequences, and the Role of Third Parties in the Trust Repair Process: Evidence Taken from Orthodontics

Orthodontic treatment has popularized in Taiwan. Healthcare institutions can be responsive in their coping strategies and determine whether third-party intervention should take place involving medical disputes related to orthodontics in order to repair patient trust. This study draws on orthodontic treatment to explore the effect of various trust repair strategies employed by healthcare institutions and third-party involvement positively affecting outcomes related to trust repair. Patients were recruited among those who have undergone orthodontic treatments, and 353 valid scenario-based questionnaires were collected through an online survey. Results revealed that: (1) the affective and informational repair strategies positively impacted trust repair while the functional repair strategy did not; (2) trust repair positively impacted patient satisfaction/word-of-mouth and mediated between repair strategies and satisfaction/word-of-mouth; and (3) third-party involvement moderated the relationship between trust repair and word-of-mouth. The findings suggest that rather than receiving monetary compensation, patients usually prefer that healthcare institutions acknowledge their fault, offer apologies, and engage in active communications to clarify the causes of medical dispute. Further, an objective third party should be involved to mediate the medical disputes to afford satisfaction all around.

Perceived quality factors that discriminate parents of orthodontic patients according to their satisfaction

Purpose

Monitoring the perception of quality by parents and the satisfaction with their children’s treatment is crucial in developing high-level health-care services. The purpose of this paper is to identify the perceived quality factors by parents of paediatric orthodontic patients according to the levels of satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey with 316 parents of paediatric orthodontic patients of 45 offices in a big Brazilian city was conducted. The questionnaires included statements on the parents’ satisfaction and perception of quality concerning their children’s treatment. The data were analysed using multivariate statistics (exploratory factor analysis, cluster analysis and discriminant analysis).

Findings

Parents were classified into three clusters according to their level of satisfaction. This survey identified 11 quality factors perceived by parents of patients regarding their children’s orthodontic treatment. Among them, five factors discriminated the clusters: orthodontist’s technical skills, administrative organisation, location (accessibility and convenience), treatment duration and dental supplies.

Practical implications

This research identified the perceived quality factors that most impacted parents of orthodontic patients’ satisfaction, contributing to dentists in developing strategies and actions to improve the quality of services in dental offices.

Originality/value

This paper included 11 perceived quality factors in the hypothetical model, identified through literature review and a qualitative phase. Moreover, multivariate statistical analyses confirmed the validity and reliability of the questionnaires, classified respondents in clusters and identified the perceived quality factors that most discriminated them. Therefore, the current investigation presented a more comprehensive and robust analysis than the previous studies on this topic.

Pro-environmental behavior in nutricosmetics product purchase context

Purpose

Though the concern over pro-environmental behavior is growing, there is a lack of a valid scale to measure pro-environmental behavior in nutricosmetics context. Nutricosmetics products are believed to boost health and fitness and thus gained worldwide popularity. Many consumers in recent days are purchasing nutricosmetics products because of its positive impact toward human health and less harm toward the environment. However, to date, there is no valid instrument to measure this construct. To fill this gap in the existing literature, this study aims to develop a valid and reliable scale to measure pro-environmental behavior in nutricosmetics purchase (PEB-NP).

Design/methodology/approach

To develop and validate the PEB-NP scale, a sequential process is followed which includes item generation, item selection, item purification and item validation. Relevant literature was reviewed and qualitative interviews were carried out to generate the items. Next, experts’ opinion was sought to select the items. Two studies were conducted (N= 150,N= 448) to explore the factor structure and to validate the scale. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to purify the scale, whereas confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using SmartPLS (version 3) was used to validate the scale.

Findings

Based on EFA output, 14 items were retained which were then validated using CFA. The results revealed that, PEB-NP is a hierarchical multi-dimensional construct. The dimensions are “environmental aesthetics,” “conservation behavior (reduce and recycle)” and “health consciousness.” The findings from CFA confirmed the EFA results and established that pro-environmental behavior is a third-order factor model in which conservation dimension is consisted of two sub-dimensions, namely, “reduce” and “recycle” behavior.

Practical implications

The newly developed scale will enable the marketers and policymakers to segment their consumers based on this scale to better strategize the marketing efforts in fulfilling their needs. Not only this, the PEB-NP scale will benefit marketers in understanding the behavioral pattern and purchase preference of the pro-environmental consumers with regard to the nutricosmetics consumption. This research also provides suggestions for future researchers in the pro-environmental behavior and nutricosmetics fields.

Originality/value

This study is a pioneer study to develop and validate the PEB scale in the context of nutricosmetics purchase.