Gap Analysis between Perceptions and Expectations of Service Recipients through Servqual Approach in Yazd, Afshar Hospital

The quality of service is a key ingredient in the success of health care organizations. Parasuraman, et al (1985) defined service quality as the differences between predicted or expected service (customer expectations) and perceived service (customer perception). Recently, service quality has become an important research topic for of its significant relationship to costs, profitability, customer satisfaction, customer retention and service guarantee. Several tools have therefore been developed to measure service quality but the Parasuraman 22 item servqual questionnaire created based on the gap model remains the most widely used tool in a variety of industries. This study attempts to replicate the servqual measurement of Parasuraman et al in determining the gap between perceptions and expectations of service recipients in Afshar hospital. This descriptive - applied study was carried out cross-sectionally in 2010. The research population consisted of patients admitted to Afshar hospital wards. Totally 84 patients were selected by sample size formula. The data were collected by 22-item servqual questionnaire designed according to gap model. Data analysis was carried out through SPSS and LISREL software using Kolmosrof - Smirnoff and paired sample t -test. The results demonstrated that there was a quality gap in Afshar hospital,that is, there were significant differences between expectations and perceptions of patients in servqual dimensions. Also, the study identified some critical and problematic items that have main roles in constructing observed quality gap. The existing quality gap means patient's expectations exceed their perceptions.Thus improvements are needed to be made across servqual dimensions.