Search Results (79)

Introduction: Assessing the quality of patient care within healthcare systems remains a multifaceted challenge due to varying definitions of “quality” and the complexity of care delivery structures worldwide. Patient-centeredness, institutional responsiveness, and contextual adaptability are increasingly recognized as core pillars in quality assessment. Objective: This narrative literature review aims to explore conceptual models and practical frameworks for evaluating healthcare quality, emphasizing tools that integrate technical, functional, and emotional dimensions and proposing a comprehensive model adaptable to diverse health system contexts. Methodology: A systematic literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases, covering the years 2000 to 2024. Studies were selected based on relevance to quality assessment models, patient satisfaction, accreditation, and strategic improvement methodologies. The review followed a thematic synthesis approach, integrating structural, process-based, and outcome-driven perspectives. Results: Core frameworks such as Donabedian’s model and balancing measures were reviewed alongside evaluation tools like the Dutch Consumer Quality Index, SERVQUAL, and Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA). These models revealed significant gaps between patient expectations and actual service delivery, especially in functional and emotional quality dimensions. This review also identified limitations related to contextual generalizability and bias. A novel integrative model is proposed, emphasizing the dynamic interaction between institutional structure, clinical processes, and patient experience. Conclusions: High-quality healthcare demands a multidimensional approach. Integrating conceptual frameworks with context-sensitive strategies enables healthcare systems to align technical performance with patient-centered outcomes. The proposed model offers a foundation for future empirical validation, particularly in resource-limited or hybrid settings. Full article

(1) Background: The Peruvian healthcare system is widely regarded as deficient, with ongoing improvements identified as a key area of need. This study sought to assess user satisfaction and the quality of care in two public hospitals in Trujillo. (2) Methods: A non-experimental, cross-sectional, and correlational study was carried out. A group of 384 people who used two public hospitals in the city of Trujillo was studied. The people in the study were chosen based on the researchers’ convenience sampling. Information was collected using a survey based on the SERVQUAL model. This survey was used to evaluate the quality of service. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed, including Spearman’s correlation and multinomial logistic regression to assess associations and identify key predictors of perceived service quality. (3) Results: The results indicated that 97.66% of the users perceived a low quality of care and 100% expressed dissatisfaction with the services. The most critical dimensions were reliability and responsiveness, while tangible items obtained better results. A positive correlation (rho = 0.723) was identified between quality of care and user satisfaction, with empathy (rho = 0.559) and safety (rho = 0.543) emerging as the most influential dimensions. (4) Conclusions: Responsiveness and Security were identified as key predictors of the perceived service quality in two public hospitals in Trujillo, Peru. Despite high empathy correlations, only timely care and safety significantly influenced satisfaction. The findings align with SDG 3, calling for improved efficiency and humanized care in public health services. Full article

Service quality is important for the survival of all businesses, including the hospitality business. Service quality can be measured by a model referred to as SERVQUAL, which comprises five parameters, namely, tangibility, reliability, assurance, empathy, and responsiveness. It is very important to examine publications to ascertain trends in service quality in the hospitality industry during the previous decade (2014–2024). Data were collected from the Scopus database, the article search having yielded 876 documents. The eligibility criteria were as follows: papers had to be published between 2014 and 2024, had to be written in English, and were restricted to articles, conference papers, book chapters, and review papers. The collected data were analyzed with the biblioshiny package in RStudio. The results revealed that the journal with the highest number of articles published during the period under study was Sustainability (Switzerland). Hong Kong Polytechnic was the institution with the highest number of publications vis-à-vis service quality in the hospitality industry, followed by Bina Nusantara University and Eastern Mediterranean University. It is notable that customer satisfaction featured prominently in different clusters, which emphasizes the fact that service quality is targeted at satisfying customers. Full article

This study investigates how service quality, emotional experience, and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices jointly influence students’ behavioral intentions in higher education. Drawing from the SERVQUAL model, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), and ESG-related frameworks, this research develops and empirically tests a comprehensive conceptual model using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The study employed a stratified sampling strategy and collected 462 valid responses from university students across various disciplines, regions, and academic levels in Taiwan. The results reveal that both service quality and ESG practices significantly and positively impact students’ behavioral intentions, with emotional experience serving as a critical mediating variable. Service quality—characterized by responsiveness, reliability, assurance, empathy, and tangible resources—was found to shape students’ affective responses and loyalty behaviors, such as recommending the university and engaging in alumni activities. Likewise, ESG initiatives, such as green campus practices, community involvement, and transparent governance, enhanced students’ emotional attachment and behavioral support. Hierarchical regression analysis, conducted alongside SEM, confirmed the robustness of the model and further highlighted demographic variations. This study contributes to the literature by integrating ESG principles into the higher education service quality framework and validating the mediating role of emotional experience. It provides both theoretical advancement and actionable insights for university administrators. Practical recommendations include enhancing frontline service delivery, embedding ESG practices into institutional culture, and designing emotionally engaging student experiences. The findings underscore the strategic value of adopting a holistic, value-based approach to educational quality management in fostering long-term student loyalty and institutional sustainability. Full article

Over recent years, digital and intelligent technologies have been driving the transformation of discipline-specific information services in academic libraries toward user experience optimization and service innovation. This study constructs a quality evaluation framework for discipline-specific information services in academic libraries, incorporating digital-intelligence characteristics to provide theoretical references and evaluation guidelines for enhancing service quality and user satisfaction in an information-ubiquitous environment. Drawing on LibQual+TM, WebQUAL, and E-SERVQUAL service quality evaluation models and integrating expert interviews with the contextual characteristics of academic library discipline-specific information services, this study develops a comprehensive evaluation system comprising six dimensions—Perceived Information Quality, Information Usability, Information Security, Interactive Feedback, Tool Application, and User Experience—with fifteen specific indicators. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was applied to determine the weight of these indicators. To validate the practicality of the evaluation system, a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method was employed for an empirical analysis using discipline-specific information services at Tsinghua University Library in China as a case study. The evaluation results indicate that the overall quality of discipline-specific information services at Tsinghua University Library is satisfactory, with Tool Application, Perceived Information Quality, and Information Usability identified as key factors influencing service quality. To further enhance discipline-specific information services in academic libraries, emphasis should be placed on service intelligence and precision-driven optimization, strengthening user experience, interaction and feedback mechanisms, and data security measures. These improvements will better meet the diverse needs of users and enhance the overall effectiveness of discipline-specific information services. Full article

This study examined the relationship between service quality, trust, and passenger satisfaction in sustainable e-public transportation, using the Doha Metro in Qatar as a case study. Despite its advanced automation, the metro faces low adoption, with less than 30% of the economically active population utilizing it. To address this, this study integrated the Social Exchange Theory (SET) and the SERVQUAL RATER model with machine learning techniques to assess commuter perceptions and satisfaction. Neural network and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) models outperformed traditional statistical methods, offering enhanced predictive accuracy. Based on the 319 survey responses, key service quality factors were identified, emphasizing customer experience (NI = 100.0%), security (NI = 99.9%), and service reliability (NI = 90.8%). Findings suggested that improving affordability and dynamic pricing could increase metro ridership while reducing private vehicle reliance. Additionally, predictive maintenance and crisis management strategies are recommended to enhance service reliability. This study contributes to sustainable urban mobility by providing data-driven recommendations for efficient and environmentally friendly e-public transportation. Policymakers and urban planners can utilize these insights to improve commuter satisfaction and transit system adoption. Future research may explore multi-city comparisons and hybrid modeling techniques for further refinement. Full article

Higher education serves a pivotal role in enhancing citizens’ quality of life and, therefore, must uphold high standards of quality. This study evaluated the quality of services provided by departmental administrative offices using the SERVQUAL instrument, which measures quality through the difference between perceived and expected service performance. Our primary aim was to investigate the marginal behavior of this assessment by capturing the underestimated and overestimated perceptions and expectations. To achieve this, we introduced a modified version of SERVQUAL, replacing traditional Likert scales with continuous scales. This enabled a detailed mapping of the area between underestimation and overestimation, enhancing the instrument’s ability to yield more comprehensive insights. The study focused on the secretariat of the Department of Tourism Management, at the University of Patras, Greece, with second- and third-year students as assessors. Data analysis utilized the endpoints of these continuums. The results revealed that perceived service performance consistently and significantly fell below expectations, with reliability identified as the most important dimension. Furthermore, perception was found to be relatively objective, whereas expectation exhibited greater subjectivity. The findings demonstrate that this approach not only enhances service quality assessment but also provides a new perspective for evaluating tourism services, as a novel research tool. Full article

The importance of measuring service quality for business performance has been widely recognized in service marketing literature due to its pivotal influence on customer satisfaction and its long-term impact on customer loyalty. The SERVQUAL model, comprising five dimensions—reliability, assurance, tangibility, empathy, and responsiveness—provides a measurable framework for evaluating the overall customer satisfaction. This study endeavors to ascertain whether all SERVQUAL dimensions carry equal weight in their effect on the overall service quality and to estimate the service quality based on various input features. To achieve this, questions were framed to assess the impact of variables such as gender, age, marital status, highest level of education, and frequency of hotel stays. The importance of each feature relative to the five SERVQUAL dimensions was investigated using machine learning models, specifically, CatBoost and Microsoft Azure Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) studio. This study revealed that both CatBoost and Azure AutoML identified the frequency of hotel stays and age group as the dominant predictors of service quality. Additionally, Azure AutoML highlighted the marital status as a more significant factor, suggesting its potential influence on customer preferences. The comparative modeling results demonstrated a strong alignment between the feature importance derived from CatBoost and Azure AutoML, enabling decision-makers to identify which dimensions are influenced by specific predictors and focus on targeted improvements. Full article

This paper applies Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) to investigate potential satisfaction or dissatisfaction with service quality at the internationally recognized Nisville Jazz Festival. The research was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20, including the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, factor analysis, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation for data analysis. The study involved 250 festival attendees, focusing on their motivation and identification of both tangible and intangible attributes of the festival, with 227 providing valid responses to the survey questionnaire. The Service Quality Model (SERVQUAL) was used to identify quality factors. The results indicate that cultural content and hospitality are the most important factors significantly contributing to visitor satisfaction and positively influencing recommendations and repeat visits to the festival. Another important factor in the study is accessibility, while comfort, amenities, safety, and cleanliness require improvement to enhance the overall visitor experience. The findings provide concrete guidelines for the further development of the festival and the enhancement of the tourism offerings in Nis. Full article

Omni-channel retailing is a novel form that combines online, offline, and mobile channels to provide consumers with a seamless shopping experience. Nevertheless, the implementation of omni-channel retailing necessitates effective logistics support. Hence, the quality of logistics services is critical for omni-channel retailing services. This research aims to investigate logistics service quality (LSQ) and its impact on consumer satisfaction by combining the decomposed SERVQUAL framework, Kano model and hierarchical regression analysis. A total of 460 valid responses were obtained. Building upon the SERVQUAL framework, this study presents a comprehensive framework for evaluating omni-channel retail logistics service quality. Using the Kano model, 11 logistics service quality attributes were categorised into three categories: must-be, one-dimensional, and attractive, based on their respective impact on satisfaction. The results of the hierarchical regression analysis confirm that the attributes belonging to the must-be category exert the most significant influence on satisfaction. The findings add to theoretical studies of omni-channel retailing LSQ and provide insights for omni-channel retailers and logistics service providers. Full article

This study explores the impact of guest satisfaction on the financial performance of 5-star hotels, with a focus on both service quality and environmental sustainability. The purpose of the research is to understand how improvements in key satisfaction dimensions influence hotel profitability, as measured by EBITDA, ROA, and ROE. Satisfaction was measured across SERVQAUL dimensions and the dimension of environmental sustainability. The data were analyzed using the Multicriteria Satisfaction Analysis (MUSA) method and linear regression models to determine the effect of satisfaction on financial performance. Results indicate that responsiveness is the most important factor for guests, while environmental sustainability ranks high in importance but shows lower satisfaction scores. The findings suggest that investing in both service quality and sustainability can significantly enhance a hotel’s financial returns. The study concludes that hotel managers should prioritize improvements in environmental sustainability and responsiveness to optimize guest satisfaction and financial performance. Full article

Tuktuk, as a generalized connotation, serves as a widely used vehicle for urban transportation, adapted from Thailand by the Philippines. The creation of the electric-typed public vehicle has now been recognized as one of the modalities of public transportations, the etuktuk. This study investigated the factors influencing passengers’ intention to use etuktuks as a mode of transportation in the Philippines by integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior with higher-order SERVQUAL dimensions. The objective was to understand how service qualities, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control impact passenger satisfaction and intention to use etuktuks. Data were collected from 501 respondents who had used etuktuks and were analyzed using partial least square structural equation modeling. The findings revealed that assurance, empathy, reliability, tangibility, and responsiveness significantly affected passenger satisfaction and intentions, with assurance being the most influential factor. Conversely, tangibles, such as the physical attributes of the etuktuk, were the least significant in shaping passenger preferences. Notably, a negative significant effect was observed between service quality and behavioral intention, indicating that while passengers are generally satisfied with etuktuk services, they may opt for alternative transportation options when available. These results highlight the need for improvements in etuktuk services, particularly in enhancing comfort, safety, and accessibility. Such improvements are crucial for encouraging wider adoption of etuktuks and fostering cleaner, more sustainable urban environments. By addressing the identified service quality issues and leveraging the research findings, stakeholders can better support the transition to more environmentally friendly and efficient transportation options. Full article

In the Philippines, where agriculture plays a vital role in the economy, nearly half of the country’s 30 million hectares of land is used for agricultural purposes. Despite government efforts to support rice farmers, challenges, such as production failures and profit losses, remain prevalent. This study evaluates the quality of government services provided to rice farmers through a service quality-based framework (SERVQUAL), assessing five key dimensions: assurance (AS), empathy (EM), reliability (RL), responsiveness (RS), and tangibility (TA). Structural equation modeling (SEM) is employed to examine the relationships among these service quality dimensions and other latent variables, including service quality (SQ), farmers’ satisfaction (FS), farmers’ trust (FT), perceived security (PS), and perceived effectiveness (PE). Data were gathered from 400 respondents using a 55-item survey. The findings indicate that perceived security (PS) is the most critical factor in enhancing the overall quality of government services. The study emphasizes the importance of adopting a SERVQUAL-based approach, with a focus on reliability and responsiveness to improve farmers’ satisfaction and trust. Additionally, fostering trust between farmers and the government is crucial to increasing the effectiveness of government programs and strengthening farmer–government collaboration. The study further advocates for prioritizing sustainable agricultural practices to ensure long-term productivity and environmental resilience. By improving service quality with a focus on sustainability, the Philippines can work towards achieving broader sustainable development goals. Full article

This study investigates the perceived quality of tourist transportation services in Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador, utilizing the SERVQUAL model to assess service quality. Through an examination of the gap between tourists’ expectations and their actual experiences, the research aims to evaluate service quality. A survey of 203 tourists who utilized the “Chivas” tourist ground transportation service forms the basis of the analysis. The findings reveal significant negative gaps across all dimensions of service quality, indicating a shortfall in meeting tourists’ expectations. Notably, the reliability dimension exhibits the most pronounced gap, highlighting the importance of fulfilling service commitments to cultivate trust. The study underscores the crucial role of service quality in the tourism sector and proposes targeted improvements, including enhancing facility modernity, providing staff training, and enhancing service responsiveness and reliability. Addressing these gaps has the potential to enrich the tourist experience, bolster the positive image of transportation services, and enhance the city’s appeal. Full article

Accessibility is commonly defined and operationalised through objective measurements, such as travel time and physical distance to destinations; however, there is a lack of empirical studies capturing perceived accessibility from individual perspectives. With the aim of sustainable transport for inclusive communities, it is crucial to investigate the impact of socio-economy and travel mode on perceived accessibility and key driving factors of perceived safety and service quality. Through the collection of primary data from one of the fastest-growing suburbs in Melbourne, this study examined variation of perceptions towards accessibility, safety, and service quality among diverse social groups and travellers using different modes of transport. The findings of this study would assist transport planners in making informed decisions in creating inclusive transport networks that can improve community health and well-being. Full article