The Effect of Word of Mouth, Patient Experience, and Cooperation On Patient Trust, With Psychological Commitment As A Mediator and Switching Cost In Hospitals

This study aims to analyze the influence of Word of Mouth (WOM), patient experience, and cooperation on patient trust, with psychological commitment as a mediator and switching cost as a moderator at Diponegoro National Hospital (DNH), Indonesia. The sample comprised 304 outpatients who had visited at least twice. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to examine the relationships among variables. Results reveal that cooperation has the most significant effect on psychological commitment and patient trust. WOM influences trust indirectly through psychological commitment, while patient experience directly influences trust but not psychological commitment. Switching cost positively moderates the relationship between WOM and trust and negatively moderates the relationship between patient experience and trust. These findings underline the importance of interpersonal cooperation and psychological bonding, enhanced by social recommendations and switching cost influences, in building patient trust. The study offers managerial implications for hospital quality improvement and patient loyalty strategies. The novelty of this research lies in the development of a conceptual model that integrates communication, patient experience, interpersonal relationships, and psychological factors to build patient trust in a hospital. This differs from previous studies, most of which only examined the influence of patient trust. Patient trust is a critical foundation for sustainable healthcare services and patient loyalty.