| This dissertation provides a framework, in the form of a model, for organizing the fragmented literature on the medical consumers' purchase decision processes and offers several insights concerning consumers' perceptions of medical service quality and the relationship of perceived service quality and satisfaction. Specifically, this study investigates: (1) How medical service quality is perceived by patients and (2) What the relationship is between patient perceived medical service quality and patient active satisfaction.; It was found that patients evaluate three distinct aspects of their interaction with providers: expressive caring, expressive professionalism, and expressive competence. Expressive caring is concerned with the patient: (1) experiencing warmth and friendliness in his/her interaction with providers, (2) perceiving that he/she was paid attention to as an individual, and (3) perceiving that he/she was not dominated and talked down to in the medical encounter. Expressive professionalism refers to the patient perceiving that the providers' attitudes and behaviors demonstrate professional integrity and congeniality. Expressive competence pertains to the patient perceiving that the provider is technically competent.; A significant portion of the variance in the patients' active satisfaction was explained by staff expressive caring, staff expressive professionalism, and physician expressive caring. Staff expressive competence, physician expressive professionalism, physician expressive competence, and the clinical environment (physical quality) in relation to satisfaction were not found significant.; The major insights gained suggest a conceptual medical service quality-active satisfaction model that will spawn interest in consumer perceived medical service quality and serve as a framework for future empirical research. |
