Assessing the Perceived Quality towards Health Services: An Empirical Investigation on Public Hospitals Affiliated to the Syrian Ministry of Health in Damascus
Assessing the Perceived Quality towards Health Services: An Empirical Investigation on Public Hospitals Affiliated to the Syrian Ministry of Health in Damascus
1. Zarqa Journal for Research and Studies in Humanities Volume 13, No 1, 2013
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Assessing thePerceived Quality towards Health Services: An
Empirical Investigation on Public Hospitals Affiliated to the
Syrian Ministry of Health in Damascus
Dr. Ali Bassam Mahmoud
Higher Institute of Business Administration (HIBA), Damascus, Syria
AbstractThe assessment of health service quality is considered one
of the key indicators used by decision makers in the process of
enhancing the quality of the health services provided in hospitals.
This study aims at investigating the dimensionality of the perceived
quality of health services in respect to patients’ perspectives being
treated at public hospitals in Damascus as suggested by Haddad et
al. (1998b). The present study aims also at assessing patients’
perception towards the quality of health services provided at the
public hospitals affiliated to the Syrian ministry of health in
Damascus. A survey has been conducted using the tool of
questionnaire. Consequently, (677) valid responses were extracted.
Using the technique of “Confirmatory Factor Analysis” as one
procedure of “Structural Equation Modeling”, the results come to
confirming the good fitting of Haddad et al. (1998b) model for the
dimensionality of “Perceived Quality towards Health Service”. That
is, “Perceived Quality towards Health Service” is a multi-
dimensional three-factor variable (i.e. Health Care, Health
Personnel, and Health Facilities). One-sample T-test was used to
assess the perceived quality. The results have indicated that patients
perceive positively the three dimensions of health service quality. This
positive perception towards the quality of health services provide by
public hospitals rhymes with the efforts of Syrian ministry of health
regarding its program for reforming the health sector.
Keywords:Health Marketing, Quality, Health Service Perceived Quality.
Received July 6, 2011; Accepted August 16, 2012
161. ž
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