Evaluation of Service Quality on Patient Satisfaction at the Hialu Community Health Center in North Konawe Regency Using an Integration of the Servqual and Quality Function Deployment (QFD) Models

Abstract

On the front lines of primary health care in Indonesia, especially in rural areas and geographical conditions that pose challenges (North Konawe). Growing public expectations require the ongoing monitoring of service quality to provide assurance that patients are satisfied with their care. This study aims to evaluate service quality and determine priority improvement strategies in inpatient health centers using an integrated SERVQUAL and Quality Function Deployment (QFD) approach. This study used a quantitative descriptive-analytical design conducted at the Hialu Inpatient Health Center, North Konawe Regency. The data was collected using a SERVQUAL-based structured questionnaire that assessed the patients' expectations and perceptions about five service quality dimensions: tangible, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. The questionnaire included 24 statements items value evaluated by the five-step Likert scale. The research participants were outpatients and inpatients, patients or their guardians who received services based on purposive sampling techniques. There were 97 respondents in the sample. The SERVQUAL method was used to analyze the data, which calculated the difference between patients' perception and expectations. Subsequently, the attributes with negative gap values were considered as voice of customer that was to be arranged in a QFD analysis, whereby HOQ would exhibit the priorities for improvement of service quality. Eight service indicators possessed negative gap values in the dimensions of tangibles, reliability, responsiveness and assurance. There was no negative gap to the empathy dimension, suggesting that we met patient expectations around empathy. Based on a QFD analysis, the facility's structure enhancements, staff responsiveness improvement and service procedures optimization were found the key technical priorities. SERVQUAL and QFD together provide an effective tool in identifying service quality gaps as well as prioritizing improvements at the Inpatient Community Health Center. These technical priorities are expected to enhance services provision and patients satisfaction.