trument (a survey questionnaire) is used to compare what they feel the service firm should offer, i.e.
expectation, and their perceptions of the performance of the actual service [2]. The SERVQUAL instrument
has been refined and developed into a multiple-item scale for assessing consumer perceptions of service
quality [2,3]. The items in SERVQUAL are grouped into five distinct dimensions including:
Reliability: Ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately
Responsiveness: Willingness to help customers and provide prompt service
Assurance: Knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability
Empathy: Caring, individualized attention the firm provides for its customers
Tangibility: Physical facilities, equipment, and appearance of personnel
SERVQUAL provides a broad range of application through its expectations/perceptions format, and it is
widely used within the service sector to understand the perceptions of targeted customers regarding their
service needs; and to provide a measurement of the service quality of the organization.
Considering health care service organization, a number of studies were conducted to measure service
quality. Youssef et al. [4] assessed service quality in the National Health Service (NHS), UK hospitals. Lim
and Tang [5] evaluated patients’ expectations and satisfactions in hospitals in Singapore. Taner and Antony
[6] examined the differences in service quality between public and private hospitals in Turkey; results
indicated that inpatients in private hospitals were more satisfied with service quality than those in public
hospitals. Service quality between public and private hospitals in Cyprus was compared; results showed that
private hospitals had smaller gaps than public hospitals in all service quality dimensions [7].