MEASUREMENT OF SERVICE QUALITY OF MULTI-SPECIALITY

TERTIARY CARE HOSPITALS IN CHANDIGARH:

AN APPLICATION OF THE GLOBAL KQCAH SCALE

Dr.Vipin Kaushal
Medical Superintendent, Department of Hospital Administration, GMCH 32, Chandigarh
Dr. Dinesh Mirok
PGJR, Department of Hospital Administration, GMCH 32, Chandigarh
Garima Kamboj Mirok
Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, GGDSD College, Chandigarh.

Introduction: In today's highly competitive environment, hospitals are increasingly realizing the
need to focus on service quality as a measure to improve their competitive position. Customer
based determinants and perceptions of service quality, therefore, play an important role when
choosing a hospital. Also, delineating the factors that have a direct or indirect linkage in the
perception of service quality is also becoming increasingly important keeping in view the current
scenario.
Objective: The present study aims to find out the perceptions of service quality, trust and other
factors that have been hypothesized as to have a positive or negative impact on the perception of
service quality.
Setting: Top five multi-specialty tertiary care hospitals on the basis of number of beds located in
the tri-city have been taken for the purpose of the study.
Instruments: Service quality was measured using the 15 item global KQCAH (Key Quality
Characteristics Assessment of Hospitals) Scale developed by Sower V, Duffy J, Kilbourne W,
Kohers G and Jones P. in 2001 and trust has been measured through the 15 item The Health Care
Relationship (HCR) Trust Scale developed by Bova C, Fennie KP, Watrous E, Dieckhaus K and
Williams AB. in 2006. Certain other variables as taken relevant indicators of perception of service
quality were also included in the survey design.
Methodology: Reliabilities of the instruments were measured through Cronbach Alpha. Further
Pearson’s Correlation and both simple and probabilistic regression was used to bring out the
important indicators of service quality. Also, cross tabulations and chi-square were used to bring
out the demographic variants in the perceptions of trust and service quality.
Results: High alphas ranging from .87 to .95 were observed for the instruments taken for the
purpose of the study. Trust in health care professional was seen to be a very significant predictor
of positive service quality perceptions
Applicability: The study taken in the current context is very relevant to hospitals managements
and administrators as hospitals are soon evolving as competitive corporate entities in the currently
globalizing environment.

Keywords: Service Quality, KQCAH, HCR trust, Service quality and trust.