In search of simple factor structures: A patient perspective on hospital healthcare service performance

The aim of this paper is to identify key dimensions of hospital health care service quality in a New Member State. An extensive review of the literature on health and services marketing, interviews with health professionals and patients in Romania has informed the development and testing of a model of hospital health care service performance (SERVHOSP). Key dimensions of patients’ evaluation of health care services are identified. The results enhance the understanding of health care provision in transitional economies. Mapping the service performance against the identified patient expectations may lead to gains in the service profit chain via improved customer satisfaction and loyalty and further the conceptual underpinning of reforms in the public hospital sector.