Modeling patient satisfaction and service quality.

The authors attempt to clarify and extend the conceptualization and measurement of consumer satisfaction and service quality in health services. Although the two constructs serve as cornerstones in the design and implementation of health care marketing strategies, a literature review suggests that satisfaction and service quality are currently difficult to distinguish--both conceptually and operationally--in health care settings. The findings from two studies conducted by the authors to distinguish the nature of these two important constructs within a health care marketing context reveal that a nonrecursive relationship between service quality and patient satisfaction may account for much of the conflicting evidence in the literature.