A patient-centred comparison of the public and private healthcare service quality: insights from the SERVQUAL model

Background The quality of healthcare services is a critical factor influencing patient satisfaction, trust, and overall health outcomes. In many countries, both public and private healthcare sectors operate simultaneously, often differing in resources, efficiency, accessibility, and patient experien...

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Veröffentlicht in:Discover health systems Jg. 4; H. 1; S. 137 - 15
Hauptverfasser: Adongo, Awinaba Amoah, Mokulogo, Robert Kuchengye, Bodpii, Dominic Nabil, Akazili, James, Yar, Denis Dekugmen
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.12.2025
Springer Nature B.V
Springer Nature
Schlagworte:
Comparative analysis
Health care delivery
Health Care Management
Health care policy
Health disparities
Health Economics
Health facilities
Health Informatics
Health Services Research
Hospitals
Infrastructure
Institutionalism
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Patient satisfaction
Patients perceptions and experiences
Perceptions
Practice and Hospital Management
Private hospitals
Public Health
Public hospitals
Quality healthcare
Quality of service
SERVQUAL model
Ghana
SERVQUAL model
Quality healthcare
Private hospitals
Public hospitals
Patients perceptions and experiences
ISSN:2731-7501, 2731-7501
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Zusammenfassung:Background The quality of healthcare services is a critical factor influencing patient satisfaction, trust, and overall health outcomes. In many countries, both public and private healthcare sectors operate simultaneously, often differing in resources, efficiency, accessibility, and patient experience. The purpose of this study is to compare patient perceptions of service quality in public and private healthcare settings using a modified SERVQUAL model in the context of Ghana. Methods A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted with a sample of 383 respondents selected through random sampling from two public and two private hospitals. Non-parametric test was used to compare patient perceptions and experiences among the service dimensions, comparing differences in mean scores, significance levels, and direction of preference. Findings Private healthcare was perceived as superior in responsiveness, availability, and empathy (all p  ≤ 0.001), while public facilities were viewed as more reliable ( p  = 0.003). Accessibility strongly favoured private services ( p  < 0.001), suggesting better reach and convenience. Assurance showed a modest difference ( p  = 0.009), slightly in favour of public care, while no significant difference was observed in tangibles ( p  = 0.692), indicating similar quality in physical infrastructure and appearance. Affordability emerged as the most distinct factor, with public healthcare significantly more affordable ( p  < 0.001). Conclusion This study offers a comprehensive comparison of perceived service quality in public versus private health care settings in Ghana. It highlights the strengths of public facilities in affordability and reliability, and the advantages of private facilities in responsiveness, empathy, and accessibility. The findings provide actionable insights for policymakers and health administrators to develop targeted interventions that bridge service quality gaps and improve patient satisfaction between both sectors.
Bibliographie:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
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ISSN:2731-7501
2731-7501
DOI:10.1007/s44250-025-00317-4