Factors associated with patient loyalty in private healthcare sector in Egypt

Abstract

Purpose – This paper explores the effect of perceived service quality, trust, perceived value and perceived cost on patient satisfaction and loyalty as well as exploring the moderating role of the sociodemographic factors. Design/methodology/approach – The data were gathered from 462 patients via a structured questionnaire, while structural equation modeling was utilized for the analysis. Findings – Results indicated that trust, perceived value and patient satisfaction have important roles in shaping the patient loyalty, while patient satisfaction was found to fully mediate the patient’s perceived service quality. Loyalty relationship was also found to partially mediate the trust–loyalty relationship. Nonetheless, the patient’s satisfaction–loyalty relationship was found to be only moderated by the age factor. Practical implications – Implications are provided to the Egyptian private hospitals in order for them to formulate improvement plans as well as set higher standards of conduct. Originality/value – This original research is the first one, up to the researcher knowledge, that explores the drivers of patient satisfaction in the private hospitals in Egypt.

Keywords

• Perceived service quality
• Trust
• Perceived value
• Perceived cost
• Patient satisfaction
• Patient loyalty and sociodemographic factors