Purpose
– The aim of this paper is to build a comprehensive conceptual model to understand and measure variables affecting patient satisfaction‐based healthcare quality.
Design/methodology/approach
– A total of 24 articles from international journals were systematically reviewed for factors determining patient satisfaction and healthcare quality.
Findings
– Patient satisfaction is a multi‐dimensional healthcare construct affected by many variables. Healthcare quality affects patient satisfaction, which in turn influences positive patient behaviours such as loyalty. Patient satisfaction and healthcare service quality, though difficult to measure, can be operationalized using a multi‐disciplinary approach that combines patient inputs as well as expert judgement.