Modeling Service Quality in Hospital as a Second Order Factor, Thailand

The objective of the research was to examine the service quality in Thabo Crown Prince Hospital, Nongkhai province. Given the literature review, a model proposed the service quality which was identified as a one-dimensional construct consisting of five components such as reliability, tangible, response, cost, and empathy. Using a survey design, data were collected via questionnaires interviewing 455 samples. They included the patients of hospitals in Nongkhai province. The author argued that the second-order factor structure for the service quality was significantly supported. This suggested that patients evaluated the healthcare service quality on five basic dimensions, but they also viewed overall service quality as a higher order factor that captured a meaning common to all dimensions. The managerial implications are discussed.