Customer healthcare experience: a communication-based perspective on healthcare service quality

PURPOSE: In today's healthcare landscape, the patient experience has become a key issue. Despite numerous studies, research examining how these experiences influence perceptions of healthcare quality remains limited. This limitation also applies to studies investigating how these experiences influence behavioural intentions. Against this backdrop, this study aims to incorporate patient experience into its research framework, examining the direct and indirect effects of a doctor's communication skills on the quality of healthcare services and patients' behavioural intentions. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Data were collected from 343 participants who had experienced hospital services within the past year via a random sampling technique. The relationships between the variables were also tested via partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) via Smart PLS 4 software and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. FINDINGS: The findings reveal that doctors' communication skills are crucial for a positive experience of hospital services. These skills are particularly key for improving patients' service quality perceptions and shaping behavioral intentions. The study found that doctors' communication skills influence patients' service quality perceptions and their behavioral intentions. Furthermore, the significance of service quality is emphasised. The findings demonstrate that doctors' communication skills affect patients' behavioral intentions and enhance this influence through service quality. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The research examines the factors that influence patients' behaviour while they are in hospital. The primary focus is on doctor-patient communication and healthcare quality. To the best of our knowledge, no similar studies have been conducted. Therefore, this study is expected to fill an existing gap in the literature.