Service Quality, Patient Trust, and Outpatient Satisfaction Across Medical Centers, Regional Hospitals, and Clinics in Taiwan: A Comparative Analysis
Deprecated: htmlspecialchars(): Passing null to parameter #1 ($string) of type string is deprecated in /var/www/html/lib/pkp/lib/vendor/smarty/smarty/libs/plugins/modifier.escape.php on line 36
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53555/hsc.v1i2.2607Keywords:
Outpatient satisfaction, Patient trust, Service quality, Taiwan healthcare, Waiting-time evaluationAbstract
Outpatient satisfaction reflects patients’ evaluations of service processes, communication, waiting experiences, and institutional performance. This study compared service quality, patient trust, and outpatient satisfaction across medical centers, regional hospitals, and clinics in Taiwan. A secondary cross-sectional analysis used data from 345 outpatients, including 111 from medical centers, 114 from regional hospitals, and 120 from clinics. Service quality, patient trust, outpatient satisfaction, and waiting-time evaluation were measured with multi-item scales. Group differences were assessed with Welch analysis of variance, and multivariable linear regression with robust standard errors identified independent predictors. Mediation and institution-specific analyses were also conducted. Service quality, patient trust, outpatient satisfaction, and waiting-time evaluation did not differ significantly across institution types. The fully adjusted satisfaction model explained 83.3% of the variance. Overall service quality was positively associated with satisfaction, and waiting-time evaluation was the strongest predictor. Process quality was the only service-quality dimension independently associated with satisfaction. Process and environmental quality predicted patient trust. Trust did not independently predict satisfaction and did not mediate the service quality-satisfaction relationship. Outpatient experiences were broadly comparable across institution types within Taiwan’s stratified healthcare system. Quality improvement for outpatient care should prioritize efficient service processes, waiting management, communication, and supportive care environments rather than facility classification alone.
