Continuity of care as a customer service quality indicator in health sector

Abstract

PURPOSE: The aim of this article is an assessment of the psychometric properties of a scale measuring customer service quality in health care networks. Continuity of care has been considered as a main construct describing the service quality.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Regional study involved 320 chronically ill patients of the Polish ambulatory system. They completed proposed questionnaire, measuring continuity of care. The scale has been validated using confirmation factor analysis (CFA) and LarckerFornell index.

FINDINGS: The analysis showed that the values of factor loadings (correlation between a questionnaire item and a factor) for almost all test items are high. They exceed the accepted threshold of 0.5 in absolute value. The proposed patient service quality rating scale has a unidimensional structure. It is a relevant assessment tool.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The proposed instrument can be used in health care settings to assess the quality of the service process. It can be helpful in decision making process as far as the quality improvements are concerned. The scale can be especially eligible for health care networks, caring for chronically ill patients.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The study presented a unique tool to assess continuity of care in health sector. The scale proved to accurately measure the quality of service perceived by chronically ill patients.