AN ASSESSMENT OF SERVICE QUALITY IN WESTERN REGIONAL HOSPITAL POKHARA

Abstract

The objective of this study is to analyze the service quality expectations from healthcare institutions by customers in Pokhara and comparing their experiences in Western Regional Hospital (WRH). This study applies an adapted SERVQUAL model to compare patient perceptions of WRH against their expectations from an excellent hospital. SERVQUAL captured a general criteria using a scale composed of 21 items (statements) designed to load on five dimensions reflecting service quality. The service quality is the difference between customers’ perceptions and expectations. The data revealed a clear difference between what patients expected and what they received from WRH. It identified a significant consumer gap (Gap 5) between the expected and perceived services offered by the hospital. The most important finding was that all five dimensions have negative SERVQUAL scores, which implies that none exceeded patients’ expectations. The conclusions and discussions made are from evidence collected through a survey conducted in patients and the general public (outpatients/caretakers). Data were collected through 119 self-administered questionnaires. Staying at the exit, questions were asked to the patients and care takers while they were returning their home after the service. The statistical package SPSS 16.0 is used in analyzing data which are collected from questionnaire.