Service quality evaluation of county-level public hospitals in Chongqing under smart healthcare

Abstract Background:Based on the perspective of patient experience, this study investigates patients' perceptions and expectations of the quality of smart healthcare services, to provide a reference for the development of smart healthcare in hospitals at the same level. Methods: From October to November 2021, county 10 public hospitals were selected using cluster sampling. Based on the SERVQUAL scale, patient expectations and perception scores were surveyed across 24 items in four dimensions: ability, application, platform, and effectiveness. The gap between perception and expectation was calculated, and the influencing factors were analyzed. Finally, the IPA model was used to analyze and evaluate the results. Results: A total of 915 patients were included in the outpatient and inpatient departments. The average perception score of patients was 3.86, and the average expectation score was 4.44, with a gap of -0.58. Paired sample t-tests showed that there were significant differences between patients' perceptions and expectations across the 24 items (P < 0.05). IPA quadrant analysis showed that 5 items fell into quadrant IV. The results of a generalized linear model indicated that patients with college degree (β=-0.146,95%CI:-0.259~-0.033), patients with income between 2001~3500RMB (β=0.280,95%CI:0.144~0.416), and patients with income between 3501~5000RMB (β=0.250,95%CI:0.130~0.370). Patients whose insurance type is urban and rural residents' medical insurance (β=-0.234,95%CI:-0.37~0.098) will affect the evaluation of service quality. Conclusions: The services provided by smart healthcare have not met patients' expectations, and the personalized medical needs of different patients should be valued. Further improvement is needed in the control of medical expenses, system design and operation, and the balance of technology and human care.