It takes two to tango! Interactive impact of service provider behaviours and customer characteristics on key service outcomes

Purpose This paper aims to explore the interactive impact of doctors’ service behaviours (friendliness, clarity and effectiveness of explanations, responsiveness, respect and emotional support towards their patients) and the patients’ knowledge and self-confidence on the patients’ trust, satisfaction and loyalty towards their doctors. Design/methodology/approach This study used an online survey with 345 female members of social media groups/forums on women’s reproductive health and childbirth in Malaysia, using a structured questionnaire with well-established scales to measure all the constructs. Findings The doctor’s responsiveness, friendliness, respect and emotional support towards their patients positively impact their ability to explain the patient’s condition and progress, the technical processes of care and how to conduct self-care, which raise the patient’s knowledge and self-confidence that in turn improve the patient’s trust, satisfaction and loyalty. Research limitations/implications This study used a sample with well-educated working women that may limit the generalisability of its findings. Future research may extend their research by testing their hypotheses using diverse socio-economic groups along with possible moderating effects of patients’ demographic characteristics such as age, gender and education. Practical implications This paper highlights the importance of doctors; responsiveness and friendliness, along with respect and emotional support for their patients, which can enhance the effectiveness of their explanations and improve positive health-care outcomes. Originality/value This paper explores the combined impact of the doctors’ service behaviours and the patients’ knowledge and self-confidence on the patients’ trust, satisfaction and loyalty towards their doctors, which addresses a long-standing gap in the health services literature.