Gabon
The country is located in the central part of the African
continent with official language French, spoken by the majority of the
population. The country shares borders with Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of
Congo and Cameroon. The country has a population of around 1 545 255. Most of
the population is concentrated in Libreville, the biggest city and the main
capital as well (Country Brief Gabon, 2010).
Military hospital
It refers to a medical facility inaugurated in 2005 in
Libreville. The main purpose is to offer better health care services to
patients. The military hospital is equipped with high quality materials and
composed of a range of qualified staff including general practitioners,
specialists and nurses. The facility is characterised by various departments
including the department of surgery, ophthalmology, radiology, cardiology,
endoscopy, angiography and a general medical practice department (Hôpital
d' instructions des armées présentation, 2011).
General hospital
It is also known as the Libreville Hospital Centre. It is
regarded as one the oldest and best known public hospitals in the country. It
was established in Libreville by the government and the main objective of the
facility was to provide health care services to a larger number of the
population at a lower cost compared to private health care systems.
Service quality
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Service quality is a complex approach because of its
intangible, heterogenic, inseparable and perishable nature (Naik, 2010).
Service quality should be closely associated to the user's perceptions and
expectations of the service provided by an organisation that depends on his or
her prior expectations of the service. In this regard, services that exceed his
expectations will be perceived as outstanding, those that match his
expectations will be perceived as satisfactory and those not meeting his
expectations will be classified as poor (Al Sharif, 2008:2).
Patient satisfaction
Patient satisfaction refers to a positive attitude towards
services provided by a medical facility. Patient satisfaction can be perceived
both at a cognitive and emotional angle and linked to prior experiences,
expectations and referral from other individuals. It is used to assess the
level of service in medical settings, as well as to compare medical programmes.
Patient satisfaction evaluation helps to identify which area of service quality
needs improvement (Al Sharif, 2008:21).
Tangibility
It encompasses the physical evidence of a service (Holder,
2008:47).This refers to variables ranging from physical environment,
biochemistry laboratories, hospital rooms, cleanliness in hospitals, to
equipment like scanners, X-rays, treadmills, computers, appearance and uniforms
of medical personnel. Tangibility is crucial in the delivery of services in
hospitals, as it can reduce the gap between patients' expectations and the
actual delivery of service (Holder, 2008: 23). It provides a picture of what is
inside a hospital and can influence patients' choice when selecting a health
service provider (Zeithaml, Bitner & Gremler, 2006:319). Tangibility is
viewed to significantly influence patients' satisfaction level with services
provided (Rohini, 2006:68).
Reliability
It entails providing regular performance and dependability
(Holder, 2008:47). It refers to the ability of medical staff to honour their
promises and provide the promised services to patients timely and correctly
(Rezaei et al., 2011:486). Such services may include casualty, emergency
service and prompt treatment for instance (Rohini, 2006:68). Reliability is
perceived to influence patients' satisfaction level with care, and constitutes
one of the major factors by patients when selecting a medical service provider
(Rohini, 2006:68).
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Responsiveness
It is an important constituent of service quality dimensions.
It refers to the readiness of the medical personnel to assist patients and to
offer prompt service. Such services may include patients' admission, discharge,
and excellent reception. Patients' satisfaction often results from hospitals
where employees are kind, helpful and available to provide quick answers to
their needs. Responsiveness is perceived to have an effect on patients'
satisfaction level with services and is highly regarded to influence their
choice with care in hospitals (Rohini, 2006:69).
Assurance
It involves integrity, trustworthiness and credibility of
medical personnel. It refers to the ability of medical employees to have
patients' best concern at heart (Holder, 2008:47). Assurance leads to providing
trust and confidence to the recipient of service. This may result from
expertise of medical personnel like their qualifications, trainings,
educational levels and their ability to effectively provide services and
interact with their patients in hospitals. Assurance is seen to determine
patients' choice with services, and to considerably influence their
satisfaction level with medical care (Rohini, 2006:69).
Empathy
It refers to the ability of medical staff to provide care,
assistance and attention to patients. Physicians should be able to assist
patients during the process of care, and should be able to understand their
needs, listen to and notify them about their health concerns. As a result, the
level of attention and emotional support experienced by patients in health care
can impact on their satisfaction level with services. This can in turn
influence their choice when selecting a hospital (Rohini, 2006:69).
