Measuring service quality dimensions and patient satisfaction of public healthcare in Brunei Darussalam

Abstract

The Ministry of Health Brunei Darussalam is devoted to constantly improve the health condition of the citizens in the country. One of the five strategic goals of the Ministry of Health is to pursue high quality in healthcare. Thus, in order to achieve this, patient satisfaction has become an essential health outcome. Hence, this research is conducted to examine the overall patient satisfaction of public healthcare service in Brunei Darussalam. Based on the SERVPERF model, five factors were proposed which are tangibles, responsiveness, reliability, empathy and assurance. However, the model has a limited evaluation of service quality from religious perspectives, thus another factor which is Shariahcompliance was added. A five-point Likert scale was used to measure patient satisfaction of healthcare centres. Two hundred and seventy-seven questionnaires were analysed using multiple regression analysis via SPSS. The study discovers that tangibles, reliability, responsiveness and Shariahcompliance had positive significant relationships with patient satisfaction. However, assurance and empathy were not statistically significant. The findings nonetheless have widened the understanding of patient satisfaction and its dimensions in regards to public healthcare in Brunei Darussalam.