Assessment of satisfaction with a healthy life center, a new service model

Abstract

Background: Healthy Life Centers have recently been added to Turkey's health system as a new service model.

Aim: This study aims to determine the level of satisfaction among service receivers with a Healthy Life Center by comparing their expectations at the application stage with their perception after receiving service, via the Servqual service quality measurement model.

Subjects and methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted in a Healthy Life Center in Kırklareli City in Turkey. Four hundred and thirty-two participants were included in the survey. In our study, the Servqual scale developed by A. Parasuraman, V. A. Zeithaml, and L. L. Berry and a reliability assessment of the Turkish form performed by Devebakan were used.

Results: The Tangibles dimension got the lowest (-0.68 ± 1.04) and the Empathy dimension got the highest (-0.02 ± 0.84) Servqual dimension score among all the dimensions of the scale. The overall Servqual scale score was computed as -0.27 ± 0.63 and there was a statistically significant difference between expectations and perceptions (<0.001).

Conclusions: Satisfaction from a healthy life center which is built as a new service model is not at the expected level yet. More studies like this one which is a first in its field in terms of methodology will set the ground for a better understanding of the service receivers' expectations and perceptions. That is how the decision-makers can shape up this new service model according to expectations.

Keywords: Healthy life center; Servqual; healthy living center; patient satisfaction; preventive medicine.