Assessing Intrinsic Mechanism of Service Quality Factors and it Effect on Patient Retention in Ghanaian Private Hospitals

Abstract

The achievement of patient retention by a healthcare facility can be established by the provision of quality service delivery. The main objective of this paper is to assess the intrinsic mechanism of service quality factors and it effect on patient retention in Ghanaian private hospitals. The sample size of the study was 880 patients. Data collection was done among inpatient and outpatients of four selected private hospitals in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Due to population density of private hospitals, most of the respondents hailed from the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Western-South, Central and Eastern Regions from Ghana. The questionnaires used for the study were made up of 37 items that include 33 items on intrinsic mechanism of service quality; two items on trust and 4 items of patient satisfaction were use as mediators of service quality factors and patient retention, lastly, 4 items on Patient retention. The validity and reliability of the data was confirmed. SPSS statistical software and WarpPLS software were use to analysis the data. It was revealed that there is a strong relationship between the factors of service quality (Empathy, Safety, Improvement of care and Efficient) and patient retention. The mediators (trust and patient satisfaction) shown positive significant between factors service quality and patient retention. This study recommends that if private hospitals management pays much attention to the above factors of service quality, they are going to retain most of their patients. This paper further stress that trust and patient satisfaction should be the benchmark of every private hospitals to retain their patients.