Assessing the Quality of Health Care Services from Customers’ Perspective Using Mixed Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Tools (Case Study: Shahrood Health Centers)

Awareness of patient satisfaction from service quality is vital to advance performance improvement strategies. The main goals to evaluate the quality of services in the health and treatment system are service performance, service identification, service performance improvement evaluation and finally providing favorable service to customers.

In this research, seven key aspects were identified to assess the quality of health care system. Then, they weighted by the best-worst fuzzy developed method. In the following by using a researcher-made questionnaire, the openions of referrals to selected departments of the treatment center have been reviewed as a statistical sample of service quality. Finally, the complex of treatment centers, hospital departments, and quality dimensions were analyzed and ranked by Fuzzy Vikor Method, Friedman statistical tests and Analysis of variance.

Development of comprehensive satisfaction assessment model could include desirable range of criteria affecting the satisfaction of the referrers to health centers. In addition, using developed multi-criteria fuzzy hybrid decision making has been able to consider the uncertainty of the assessment process for the qualitative criteria considered by the evaluators. Key findings of the research suggest that the final weights in order of priority are: pivotal patient (0.198), time (0.188), effectiveness (0.178), responsiveness (0.123), warranty (0.112), financial (0.108), and health communication (0.9).

Health centers by focusing on priority-based performance improvement programs can offer a better level of service quality and can achieve higher customer satisfaction. Therefore, they will be able to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.