Date Approved

2019

Degree Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department or School

College of Technology

Committee Member

Muhammad Ahmed, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Dorothy McAllen, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Behrooz Lahidji, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Kasim Korkmaz, Ph.D.D.

Committee Member

Stephanie Nowell, Ph.D.

Abstract

There have been recent advancements in healthcare services provision to enhance patients’ satisfaction. Previous research has concluded that Jordanian ratings of service quality and quality of care provided in public hospitals are lower compared to other nations in the region and abroad. These studies, however, failed to utilize any standardized customer satisfaction tools. At the same little empirical research has attempted to investigate the link of business process improvement in Jordanian hospitals to the enhancement of patients’ satisfaction. This research bridges the gap in the literature by first testing and validating SERVQUAL, a customer satisfaction tool, in Jordanian hospital environments while examining the effect the split-flow model, a proven business process improvement model, on increasing the positive experience of patients in public hospitals’ emergency departments in Jordan. Based on data obtained from a questionnaire comprised of the validated SERVQUAL instrument and a new survey measuring patients’ ratings of the split-flow model implementation components, the dissertation concluded that SERVQUAL is an effective tool for measuring customer (patient) satisfaction and that the business process improvements influences patients’ satisfaction. Overall, a clear, specified, and monitored process of receiving, handling, and discharging patients yield better experience. More specifically, the look, feel, and appeal of facilities is related to patients’ satisfaction in Jordan. The more modern, up-to-date, and neat looking facilities and staff are, the better experience patients reported. Further, higher degrees of responsiveness and empathy are associated with increased levels of patients’ satisfaction in Jordan. The implementation of split-flow model component decreased wait times, hastened v general team assessment, and provided clear information on patients’ conditions, discharge instructions, and future visits, which generated better ratings. This research is important in many respects. It uncovered the dearth of specific quantitative metrics on patients’ satisfaction in Jordan. Most measures of the construct are survey-based, jeopardizing the reliability and validity of inferences drawn from the analyses utilized. Further, the analysis has demonstrated that Jordanian emergency departments have business processes that need reengineering to enhance patients’ satisfaction. More experimental research is needed to test the viability of different business processes in emergency departments to yield an optimized design and process guaranteeing higher rates of satisfaction.

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