Title: Key factors influencing patient loyalty

Authors: Yu-Li Lan; Jia-Yi Hung; Chien-Chih Chen; Cheng-Wen Yao

Addresses: Department of Health Administration, Tzu Chi University of Science and Technology, 880, Sec. 2, Chienkuo Road, Hualien City, Taiwan ' Department of Health Administration, Tzu Chi University of Science and Technology, 880, Sec. 2, Chienkuo Road, Hualien City, Taiwan ' Center for Faculty Development and Instructional Resources, Tzu Chi University, 701, Sec. 3, Zhongyang Road, Hualien City, Taiwan ' Business Model Innovation Research Division, Commerce Development Research Institute, 4F, No. 303, Sec. 1, Fu-Xing S. Road, Taipei City, Taiwan

Abstract: The objective of this study was to identify and verify factors that influence patient loyalty through judgement sampling of patients at hospitals. A total of 614 structured questionnaires were distributed with an effective sample size of 586 and a 95% return rate. Our results showed that patient loyalty was influenced by statistically significant factors such as age, education, profession, marital status, place of residence, condition of patient, number of visits, frequency of visits, and reason for visits. The hospital image, perceived medical-service quality, and satisfaction were positively correlated with patient loyalty and were significant predictor variables at 51.4%. This research can not only help hospitals understand how to retain patients but can also help hospitals improve, provide high-quality service, and enhance their image. The findings may be used as a reference for hospital management and patient services.

Keywords: hospital image; patient loyalty; patient satisfaction; perceived quality; medical service quality; healthcare services; age; education; profession; marital status; place of residence; patient condition; number of visits; frequency of visits; reason for visits.

DOI: 10.1504/IJECRM.2016.082182

International Journal of Electronic Customer Relationship Management, 2016 Vol.10 No.2/3/4, pp.89 - 102

Received: 23 Jul 2015
Accepted: 03 Mar 2016
Published online: 12 Feb 2017 *

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