MODELLING THE CAUSAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SERVICE QUALITY, OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY, AND SATISFACTION OF PATIENTS IN PUBLIC HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS

The research studies conducted in this study also involve causal studies because it involves proving the relationship between the following and the following; Satisfaction of Patient, the operational efficiency of an operational unit of a healthcare system, and the quality of service offered in a healthcare system as a form of a public healthcare system. The planned sample of the selected medical institutions is 350 patients whose information was calculated via a posterior distribution tool (PLSSEM) implemented thereon and analyzed in the form of the SmailPLS 4.0 format. Construct and structural model reliability were determined by the established measurement model, and since positive validity of construct and structural model was substantial, it identified that the quality of service offered has positive significant opportunities to influence the operational efficiency (= 0.52, p = 0.001) and satisfaction of patient (= 0.61, p = 0.001). They also found that its impact on Satisfaction of Patient is mediated in part by the efficiency of operation that is further mediated by quality of service (b = 0.18, p < 0.01). These results evidenced the bi-modality of the service quality in enhancing the processes and patient outcomes within the hospital. The paper can be applied by health professionals, administrative, and policymakers to deliver evidence based knowledge on how to maximize the value of delivery of services promoted in the sector, how to develop the processes effectively and how to enhance Satisfaction of Patient in government health systems.