Bikash Debata
University of Macau, FBA, Post-Doc
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the dimensions of service quality as well as of service loyalty in the context of medical tourism. It seeks to demonstrate the conceptualization of medical tourism service loyalty (MTSL)... more
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to identify the dimensions of service quality as well as of service loyalty in the context of medical tourism. It seeks to demonstrate the conceptualization of medical tourism service loyalty (MTSL) construct. This research also attempts to examine the effect of service quality dimensions on service loyalty dimensions of medical tourism.
Design/methodology/approach
– The dimensions of service quality as well as of service loyalty are identified using an exploratory factor analysis. Next, the reliability and validity of the quality factors and loyalty factors are established through confirmatory factor analysis using AMOS 18.0 version. The related hypotheses are tested using structural equation modeling (SEM).
Findings
– The paper identifies eight-factor construct for medical tourism service quality and three-factor construct for MTSL. It is found that the treatment satisfaction dimension of service quality has positive and significant impact on MTSL. It is also observed that, overall, medical tourism service quality has positive impact on MTSL.
Practical implications
– These dimensions of service quality should be viewed as the levers of improving perceived service quality with respect to medical tourism. Examining the service quality dimensions’ impact on customer loyalty for medical tourism sector can offer the industry valuable insights regarding which aspects of the service to focus on in order to improve medical tourist’s satisfaction and loyalty toward the firms.
Originality/value
– This paper introduces the concept of service quality and service loyalty in medical tourism sector. In conceptualizing MTSL, the authors propose an integration of behavioral measures, attitudinal measures and cognitive measures. The interrelationship between the service quality construct and medical loyalty construct was established using SEM. This is useful for the healthcare manager to measure the medical tourist’s perceptions of service quality on these dimensions as related to medical tourism performance
– The purpose of this paper is to identify the dimensions of service quality as well as of service loyalty in the context of medical tourism. It seeks to demonstrate the conceptualization of medical tourism service loyalty (MTSL) construct. This research also attempts to examine the effect of service quality dimensions on service loyalty dimensions of medical tourism.
Design/methodology/approach
– The dimensions of service quality as well as of service loyalty are identified using an exploratory factor analysis. Next, the reliability and validity of the quality factors and loyalty factors are established through confirmatory factor analysis using AMOS 18.0 version. The related hypotheses are tested using structural equation modeling (SEM).
Findings
– The paper identifies eight-factor construct for medical tourism service quality and three-factor construct for MTSL. It is found that the treatment satisfaction dimension of service quality has positive and significant impact on MTSL. It is also observed that, overall, medical tourism service quality has positive impact on MTSL.
Practical implications
– These dimensions of service quality should be viewed as the levers of improving perceived service quality with respect to medical tourism. Examining the service quality dimensions’ impact on customer loyalty for medical tourism sector can offer the industry valuable insights regarding which aspects of the service to focus on in order to improve medical tourist’s satisfaction and loyalty toward the firms.
Originality/value
– This paper introduces the concept of service quality and service loyalty in medical tourism sector. In conceptualizing MTSL, the authors propose an integration of behavioral measures, attitudinal measures and cognitive measures. The interrelationship between the service quality construct and medical loyalty construct was established using SEM. This is useful for the healthcare manager to measure the medical tourist’s perceptions of service quality on these dimensions as related to medical tourism performance
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
"India is fast emerging as one of the worlds’s preferred medical tourism destinations. It is estimated that the size of the Indian medical tourism market may reach between USD 50 and 69 billion by the year 2012. In the present... more
"India is fast emerging as one of the worlds’s preferred medical
tourism destinations. It is estimated that the size of the Indian medical tourism market may reach between USD 50 and 69 billion by the year 2012. In the present competitive environment, it is highly desirable to extend quality service to medical tourists so that market share can be retained or improved. This paper attempts to develop an instrument to measure the international patients’ perception towards the quality of service provided by the selected hospitals. The instrument covers 36 variables over 10 dimensions. The results indicate that respondents perceive accessibility/convenience and treatment satisfaction as most important dimensions. However, improvement in the aspects of
medical visa assistance and tie-up with international insurance company is needed to improve customer satisfaction."
tourism destinations. It is estimated that the size of the Indian medical tourism market may reach between USD 50 and 69 billion by the year 2012. In the present competitive environment, it is highly desirable to extend quality service to medical tourists so that market share can be retained or improved. This paper attempts to develop an instrument to measure the international patients’ perception towards the quality of service provided by the selected hospitals. The instrument covers 36 variables over 10 dimensions. The results indicate that respondents perceive accessibility/convenience and treatment satisfaction as most important dimensions. However, improvement in the aspects of
medical visa assistance and tie-up with international insurance company is needed to improve customer satisfaction."