Impact of hospital quality culture and reward system on employee perception of service quality

Background: In recent years, issues regarding the quality of healthcare have increased considerably in many low- and middle-income countries, including Taiwan. Evidence has shown that all processes and activities necessary for delivering healthcare service need to be controlled using a quality management system. Hospital managers should consider a variety of management strategies, and design a management method that ensures their staff provide better healthcare services to their patients. This study aims to explore the relationships between hospital quality culture, reward system, and employee perception of service quality.MethodsThis study employed a cross-sectional design and a questionnaire survey to collect research data. The research samples included employees in three medical centers in Taiwan. Three hundred copies of the questionnaire were distributed and 215 copies were returned.ResultsA hospital’s quality culture has a positive impact on its reward system. Quality culture has a positive impact on the employees’ perception of service quality, as does a reward system. The reward system is a mediator of the hospital’s quality culture and perception of service quality.ConclusionHospital managers could establish strong quality cultures and stimulate employees to provide better service to patients through a reward system.Trial registration:The clinical trial code is CS13119.