Influential Dimensions of Healthcare Service Quality on Patient Satisfaction in Public Hospitals of Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abstract

Enhancing healthcare service quality is crucial for increasing patient satisfaction, fostering loyalty, and improving overall patient outcomes. This study develops and empirically validates a conceptual model of Healthcare Service Quality in Public Hospitals in Abu Dhabi, incorporating four independent constructs: admission, staff behaviour, responsiveness, and laboratory services. These constructs are hypothesized to influence patient satisfaction directly and indirectly through loyalty as a mediating factor. Data were collected from 385 randomly selected patients and analysed using SmartPLS software with a partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach. The results indicate that admission, staff behaviour, and responsiveness significantly impact patient satisfaction directly, whereas laboratory services do not. Indirectly, admission, responsiveness, and laboratory services significantly influence satisfaction through loyalty, while staff behaviour does not. Mediation analysis shows that loyalty partially mediates the relationships between admission, responsiveness, laboratory services, and satisfaction, but not for staff behaviour. These findings provide valuable insights for healthcare administrators and policymakers to prioritize key service quality factors, enhance patient satisfaction, and cultivate loyalty in public hospitals.