Assessing Expectations and Perceptions of the Quality of Services of Family Physician Plan Based on SERVQUAL Model

Introduction: Service quality is a crucial competitive tool that service providers should strive to maintain and improve through customer-centric services. This study assessed the expectations and perceptions of the quality of urban family physician services based on the SERVQUAL model. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 150 patients referred to urban centers implementing the family physician project. The data collection tool was a service quality questionnaire. The data were entered into SPSS software version 22 and analyzed using descriptive statistics and parametric tests, including paired-sample t-test, t-test, and one-way analysis of variance. Results: The mean total score of the service quality dimensions in expectations and perceptions was 75.96±11.36 and 73.16±13.12, respectively. The highest mean scores obtained in the service quality dimensions for expectations and perceptions section were related to the service provider responsiveness dimension (mean 14.02±2.19) with 87.62% and the guarantee of committed services dimension (mean 13.50±2.39) with 84.34% of the total score in their respective areas. There was a significant gap between the expectation and perception of the quality of services provided (P<0.02). Moreover, there was a significant relationship between the mean score of service quality in the expectation area and both age groups and the number of annual referrals to family physician plans (P<0.05). The mean score of service quality in the perception section was significantly related to the highest type of services received (P<0.05). Conclusion: Gathering essential information about the expectations and perceptions of service recipients can help design and formulate interventions and appropriately allocate resources, eliminate deficiencies, and improve the quality of services.