Strategic analysis of healthcare service quality using fuzzy AHP methodology

Managers in the service sector are under pressure to demonstrate that their services are customer-focused and that continuous performance improvement is being delivered. It is essential that customer expectations are properly understood and measured under the constraints that organizations must manage. The majority of the work to date has attempted to use the SERVQUAL (service quality) methodology in an effort to measure service quality. In this study, firstly the concept and factors of service quality are examined. Then a fuzzy AHP (analytic hierarchy process) is structured to evaluate the proposed service quality framework. A case study in healthcare sector in Turkey is presented to clarify the methodology.

Research highlights
► The aim of this study is to develop a decision making model that can assist in evaluating the perceived service quality in healthcare sector. The model is used to rate the performance of some leading hospitals in Turkey. Data are collected by consulting five specialist doctors. The result shows that hospitals should focus more on empathy, professionalism and reliability to provide satisfactory and qualified service. The findings of this study provide the managers with valuable insights into the dimensions that reflect customers’ healthcare service quality perceptions. By addressing their individual weaknesses, hospitals can increase their service qualities and provide better service to patients/customers.