FACTORS INFLUENCING SATISFACTION OF OUTPATIENT HEALTH SERVICES OF PRIVATE HOSPITALS IN CHONBURI PROVINCE

Abstract

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, private healthcare providers have increasingly played a prominent role within Thailand’s healthcare system, highlighting the need for competitive awareness to improve service quality and timeliness. The cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to investigate the factors influencing patient satisfaction in the outpatient department of a private hospital in Chonburi province. The study sample comprised 419 patients who utilized outpatient services between October–December B.E. 2564, selected through quota random sampling. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Results showed that the average satisfaction score was 58.68±2.41, with most participants reporting high satisfaction (86.9%) and moderate level (12.6%). Both marketing mix factors (7Ps) and service quality dimensions were positively correlated with outpatient satisfaction at a statistically significant level (r = 0.121, 0.087, p <0.001, respectively). Key predictors of satisfaction included the marketing mix components of physical evidence (β = 0.170) product (β = 0.148) as well as the reliability of the service quality (β = 0.138) and tangibles (β = 0.121). These variables collectively predicted 12.2% of the patient satisfaction at the statistically significant level of 0.01. It is recommended that healthcare facilities enhance both tangible and intangible value within their service offerings to further improve patient satisfaction.