QFD application using SERVQUAL for private hospitals: a case study

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe how quality function deployment (QFD) methodology was employed for translating customer needs and expectations into the quality characteristics in a private healthcare setting. This case study illustrates how an existing approach of SERVQUAL and QFD...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of health care quality assurance incorporating Leadership in health services 2013-07, Vol.26 (3), p.175-183
Main Authors: Camgöz-Akda, Hatice, Tar m, Mehve, Lonial, Subash, Yatk n, Alim
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case studies
Consumer organizations
Customer satisfaction
Customer services
Customers
Design
Health care
Health care industry
Hospitals
Integrated approach
Methodology
Methods
Perceptions
Professional attitudes
Quality improvement
Quality of service
Questionnaires
Service industries
Success
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Summary:Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe how quality function deployment (QFD) methodology was employed for translating customer needs and expectations into the quality characteristics in a private healthcare setting. This case study illustrates how an existing approach of SERVQUAL and QFD integration can be applied for quality improvement.Design methodology approach - Integrating SERVQUAL into QFD to set the success factors to improve quality in the healthcare industry is the main aim of this paper. A privately-held university hospital, within the city of Istanbul in Turkey, was selected as the sampling frame. A SERVQUAL-type of questionnaire was used and a total of 250 questionnaires were distributed and 210 of them were received. Usable responses were 170, comprising a response rate of 68 percent.Findings - From the results of the QFD application it is seen that behavior and attitude of staff has the highest weight score, meaning that when behavior and attitude of staff is improved there will be almost 25 per cent of improvement in the hospital. Another finding was that there is strong relationship among skills of physician, behavior and attitude of staff, and having enough modern equipment.Research limitations implications - QFD technique is able to provide hospitals with a better understanding of customers' expectations to translate these expectations into appropriate service specifications and perform existing process assessment.Originality value - The case study was a first attempt to apply this integrative approach to a service sector and thus offers practical and applied information useful to both academicians and practitioners.
ISSN:1751-1879
1751-1887
DOI:10.1108/LHS-02-2013-0007