• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.57-101
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• 2002

These days, the environment of hospital marketing is changing rapidly. The level of expectation and demand of patients have become greater and more diversified, and patients have more alternatives in selecting hospitals. The standard of hospital selection and the type of using hospital have been changed, and competition among hospitals has been accelerated due to the opening of the medical market through globalization. Accordingly, differentiation strategies are critical in hospital marketing. The quality of medical service oriented toward patient satisfaction becomes a strong strategic weapon to secure a hospital's competitive advantage. Therefore, marketing and communication strategies should be focused on patient-oriented, rather than hospital-oriented. Considering the changes in the hospital environment and the increase in the patients' expectation level, this study categorizes doctors' communication styles into four different ones: trust-type, professional-type, cooperation-type, and control-type. The effects of these communication styles on patient satisfaction were empirically examined. The moderating roles of the patient's characteristics and clinical characteristics between the doctors' communication styles and patient satisfaction were also investigated to find out managerial implications for hospital management. To achieve such goals, data were collected from patients of 12 general hospitals in Busan. The data were analyzed to test research hypotheses that examine 1) the relationships between doctors' communication styles and patient satisfaction, 2) the moderating roles of the patient characteristics and clinical characteristics in the research model, and 3) the impact of patient satisfaction on positive word-of-mouth and repurchase. The following summarizes the major results of this research. First, the data showed that patient satisfaction varied across doctors' communication styles. Trust-type style had the strongest impact on patient satisfaction while control-type style had the weakest influence on patient satisfaction. Professional-type style and cooperation-type style also had positive effects on patient satisfaction but the impact of the two are not statistically different. Second, significant differences in terms of patient satisfaction were found depending upon demographic variables such as gender, marital status, age, occupation, and education. Patient satisfaction, however, was consistent across varying income groups. Third, patients' medical insurance types were also related to patient satisfaction. It implies that a doctor may need to use different communication styles depending on a patient's medical insurance type. Fourth, out-patient and in-patient showed a different level of satisfaction with varying communication styles. Fifth, highly professional knowledge and strong control can influence patient satisfaction depending on the characteristics of the patient treatment field. Sixth, patient satisfaction were proved to have significantly positive effects on word-of-mouth and repurchase. The implications drawn from this study must be tempered by its limitations. First of all, the subjects used in this study were patients in Busan and small- and medium-size hospitals were excluded from the research. Therefore, future research should examine the research model by using a variety of hospitals and clinics throughout Korea. Another research agenda has to do with finding more determinant and moderating variables which will increase an explanatory power of the model. In short, this study may be the first empirical research that investigates the effects of doctors' communication styles on patient satisfaction. Interestingly enough, the results showed that each communication style had a unique impact on patient satisfaction. The findings from this research can be very useful in developing hospital marketing strategies.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.345-351
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• 2007

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between patient characteristics and patient satisfaction. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted in an acute care hospital. The subjects were 317 patients discharged from general medical and surgical nursing care units during September, 2005. Patient satisfaction was measured using the short-form satisfaction scale of Hwang and Park(2001). Additional information about patient characteristics, including general demographics and health care utilization variables, was collected from the hospital information systems. Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine patient characteristics influencing patient satisfaction. Results: Patients were satisfied with hospital care with an average of 4.10 on a five-point Likert scale. Patient characteristics explained 13.5% of the variance of patient satisfaction. The significant factors influencing patient satisfaction were patients' age and perceived health status. There was no significant relationship between structural variables and patient satisfaction. Conclusion: This study showed that patients' characteristics were significant factors explaining patient satisfaction. Therefore, these characteristics should be adjusted in reporting patient satisfaction as an indicator for hospital-level or department-level rating.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.145-151
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• 2013

Background: The objective of this study was to explore patient family's evaluation of emergency department (ED) service satisfaction and to compare these with ED staff perception of patient family's evaluation. Methods: Based on two surveys of the National Emergency Medical Center: the 2008 National Survey for Recognition and Satisfaction towards Emergency Medical Services and the 2008 Opinion Survey of Emergency Medical Service Providers, satisfaction gaps among physicians, nurses, and patient family were evaluated by Kruskal-Wallis tests and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests. Furthermore, the factors associated with satisfaction of emergency medical service were identified by ordinal logistic regression models. Results: There were statistically significant gaps among physicians, nurses, and patient family in overall satisfaction with ED visit, length of stay in ED, enough explanation, physicians/nurses kindness, and ED facilities. Age and income in the patient family model, the number of beds in hospital, job satisfaction and year of service in the physicians model, and the number of beds in hospital, job satisfaction and the number of patients per duty hour in the nurses model were statistically significant factors associated with evaluation/ perception of ED service satisfaction. Conclusion: Patient satisfaction is an important indicator of the quality of care and service delivery in the ED. To improve and understand satisfaction in ED service, a dyadic view of the evaluation of service quality and satisfaction-that is, from the perspectives of both the patient and the emergency medical service providers-should be concerned.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.98-108
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• 2007

Purpose: The objective of this research was to explore the levels of patient satisfaction and job satisfaction according to the level of nurse manpower, in order to provide effective management for nurses. Methods: The research was conducted from November 1 to December 30, 2006, with a survey of 310 nurses and 240 patients at eight tertiary hospitals in Seoul. Data were collected according to the level of nurse manpower from the first (a nurse vs. patient ratio of below 2.0) to the sixth (a ratio of over 4.0) rank. The survey tools were used Park-Yoon's job satisfaction (1992) and Wandelt and Ager (1974)'s patient satisfaction. The acquired data were analyzed with SPSS $PC^+$ 12.0 program using descriptive methods, ${\chi}^2$ test, ANCOVA, and Scheffe. Results: Overall job satisfaction of nurses showed 3.10 and patient satisfaction of patients showed 4.15. Analysis based on the level of nurse manpower showed that hospitals of first and second rank had higher scores than those of lower rank for nurse's job satisfaction and patient satisfaction. Conclusion: Hospitals with a higher level of nurse manpower showed higher score of nurse's job satisfaction and patient satisfaction.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.245-251
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• 2021

Purpose: This study sought to identify the effect of various types of communication by physical therapists on patient satisfaction and revisit intention. Methods: A total of 212 patients who received physical therapy in Seoul and the Gyeonggi province were surveyed on patient satisfaction and revisit intentions depending on the types of communication by physical therapists. Frequency and correlation analyses were conducted to process the data using the SPSS 22.0 program, and the AMOS 18.0 statistical package was used for confirmatory factor analysis. A structural equation modeling analysis was also performed to verify the model and the hypothesis that was set up in the present paper. Results: The survey showed that patient satisfaction correlates positively and significantly with patient-centric communication, physical factors, and spatial behavior. A significant negative correlation was also found between patient satisfaction and therapist-centered communication. Patient satisfaction positively correlated with revisit intentions. Conclusion: These results showed that there was a positive correlation between the communication of the physical therapist and the satisfaction recognized by a patient. This implies that the patient satisfaction with a physical therapist increases as the communication skills of a physical therapist improve. These findings suggest that a physical therapist must adopt patient-centric communication styles, physical factors, and spatial behavior. This study was important as it generated basic data for the formation of a therapeutic relationship through efficient and promotional communication skills. It recognizes the importance of communication between a physical therapist and a patient as the indispensable factor for interaction.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.97-110
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• 2002

The purposes of this study were to investigate the patient satisfaction with physical therapy services and find the related factors to patient satisfaction. In this study, three hospitals were selected at large, middle, small city. Ninety subjects (53 males, 37 females) who had received physical therapy service were participated in this survey. Survey data were collected by a written questionnaire. The patient satisfaction scale had a good reliability (Cronbachs alpha=.9134). The collected data were analyzed by t-test, ANOVA, and Kruskal-Wallis. The scores of patient satisfaction with physical therapy services at large, middle, and small city were 79.67, 76.23, and 86.33 respectively. The score of patient satisfaction at small city was significantly higher than middle and large city (p<.01). There was no significant difference in patient satisfaction with physical therapy services according to gender, age, education years, occupation, marital status, religion and average monthly income. Further studies are needed to identify which specific factors are related to patient satisfaction with physical services. This information will be useful in improving the patient satisfaction.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.455-461
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• 2007

Purpose: To examine patient satisfaction with nursing care and the difference of patient satisfaction by the characteristics of emergency care service in the center for emergency medicine. Method: We surveyed 145 patients who visited Pusan-Wide Emergency Medical Center from Nov 01, 2003 to Nov 30, 2003. Patient satisfaction was assessed by asking patients and medical records reviewed to obtain the characteristics of emergency care service. Results: The mean score of patient satisfaction with nursing care was 3.12. For patient satisfaction, 'The nurse seemed earnestly concerned about my pain, fear, and anxiety' represented highest score (3.58). Patient satisfaction according to the general characteristics of patients was revealed as significantly high for the higher educated and the older. Patient satisfaction by the characteristics of emergency care service was significantly higher in no-wait group. Conclusion: Also, the fundamental of nursing, like respect for human, was maintained in emergency setting, the hospital's administration has implemented service for a high level of satisfaction with nursing care up to the expectations of the patients for with the staff and medical equipment.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.43-56
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• 2019

Purpose: Importance of patient satisfaction related to patient-centeredness has been emphasized, and it is known to have effect on various health outcomes including health resource utilization. However, the effect of patient satisfaction has been discussed mostly in terms of hospital marketing in Korea. This study aims to examine the effect of patient satisfaction in patient-physician communication on healthcare utilization in a nationally representative adult population of South Korea. Method: Patient satisfaction with physician communication is assessed using 4 items in the 2011 Korea Health Panel Survey. Generalized linear regression analysis is conducted using 9,325 adults' healthcare utilization in 2012. Findings: Adjusting for the socio-demographic, economic factors, individual health status, health behaviors and healthcare utilization in 2011, more satisfied individuals, more likely to utilize the outpatient service, especially in clinical setting. Practical Implications: The study findings suggests that in context of South Korea healthcare system such as insufficient medical consultation time and the absence of health delivery system, patient satisfaction as a subjective healthcare quality indicator would have effect on the individual's outpatient visit. This study contributes to stimulate patient satisfaction research and discussion in South Korea to further explore its relationship with potential and various health related outcomes. Further implications of the study are discussed.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.73-82
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• 1989

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the relatively neglected area of out -patient satisfaction with physical therapy service by measuring and determining the factors affecting patient satisfaction in the Andong region. One hundred and forty-five subjects (81 males and 64 females) at 11 facilities with a mean age of 39.2 years (SD=16.2) responded to the satisfaction questionnaire. Each questionnaire contained a set of demographic questions and 19 patient satisfaction items. Cronbach's alpha test of reliability was used as the measure of internal consistency . The satisfaction scale had a good reliability coefficient : Cronbach's alpha=.8688. The average satisfaction score (minimum score=19, maximum score=95) was 75.4 ranging from 38 to 90. Respondent variables including sex, education, marital status, religion, medical security, average monthly income, and number of physical therapy out-patient department treatment visits were analyzed by t-test, ANOVA, and ANCOVA. Satisfaction with the service was largely unrelated to mallets of sex, education, occupation, or other demographic variables. However, marital status, age, average monthly income, and number of treatment visits in the out-patient department were significantly related to patient satisfaction. The analysis presented here could be replicatied with a larger sample in other areas. Other factors such as physical therapist availability, physical therapist competence, accessibility, waiting time, and atmosphere of the treatment area should be considered in further studies.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.419-430
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• 2015

This study is to conceptualize nurses' satisfaction, patient satisfaction about nurses and hospital, and patients' revisit and recommendation intention as linear structural equation model, and then, identify the significance of the path coefficient and goodness of the research model. Data were collected from 2,079 nurses and 6,776 patients in 5 university hospitals. The results were as follows: The research model was generally found to be good in terms of goodness of fit. The significance of the path coefficients are as follows. 1)A nurse's satisfaction has great influence on a patient's satisfaction about nurses, 2)A patient's satisfaction about nurses has influence on patient's satisfaction about the hospital, 3)A patient's satisfaction about the hospital has great influence on patient's revisit intention, 4)A patient's satisfaction about the hospital has great influence on patient's recommendation intention. These results will provide basic data for the hospital managers practicing customer satisfaction strategies in their health care marketing.