A Study on Effects of Customer Orientation Factors in Relation to Medical Services on the Values of the Services and Customer Satisfaction

의료서비스에서 고객지향요인이 서비스가치와 고객만족에 미치는 영향

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of customer orientation factors in relation to medical services on the values of the service and customer satisfaction and loyalty. Those factors include patient safety and, as found by previous studies, specialization, explanation of what to be medically examined and customer orientation itself. Based on these pervious studies, this study surveyed customers of 7 general hospitals located in Busan to empirically identify relations between customer orientation factors of medical services and the values of the services and customer satisfaction. Results of the study can be summarized as follows. First, this study is very meaningful in that it established a basic theory of patient safety as one of the above customer orientation factors, and tried to empirically demonstrated the theory by applying it to medical services. Second, another of the factors, specialization was found positively affecting the values of medical services, but not affecting customer satisfaction. Customers are likely to choose specialized medical institutions even at higher cost when they undergo an accident or disease. Nevertheless, in factors, whether medical service providers are specialized is not influencing customer satisfaction. This is because medical institutions are failing to properly make recognized their specialization to customers who want to receive specialized medical services. Third, another of customer orientation factors, that is, explanation of what to be medically examined was found not having positive effects on the values of medical services and customer satisfaction. This is probably because enough time was not given for the explanation or because the explanation itself was not provided enough. Fourth, medical service providers' customer orientation was found positively influencing the values of medical services and customer satisfaction. In other words, it seems that customer-centered attitudes and behaviors of medical service providers had positive effects on customers' perception of medical services. Fifth, another of the factors, that is, patient safety was found positively affecting the values of medical services and customer satisfaction. This is probably because medical services' accurate diagnoses and reliable services had positive effects on customers' perception of medical services. Sixth, customers' perceived values of medical services were found having positive effects on customer satisfaction and loyalty. This suggests that the values of medical services are an antecedent variable that directly influences customer satisfaction and loyalty. Seventh, customer satisfaction was found positively affecting customer loyalty. This suggests that customer satisfaction is an antecedent variable of customer loyalty. In conclusion, this study showed that in relation to medical services, customer orientation factors' significant influences on the values of the services and customer satisfaction requires continuous efforts for raising customers' perceived qualities of medical services.