International Assessment of Service Quality in Healthcare Organisations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background and Objectives The performance of healthcare organisations with their considerably complex structures is often on the agenda due to limited resources. Service quality, commonly assessed using the SERVQUAL scale, represents a key performance dimension in healthcare delivery. This paper aims to investigate the extent of meeting the expectations in health service provision in Turkiye and countries in Asia.Methods We searched electronic databases, namely Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Turkish Council of Higher Education National Thesis Centre, to find relevant and accessible English and Turkish studies published until 1 January 2023. Eligible studies were empirical research conducted in healthcare settings using the SERVQUAL scale and reporting expectation-perception gaps. Mean differences with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 and tau 2 statistics, and publication bias was evaluated using funnel plots and Egger's test.Results A total of 47 studies (N = 13,581) were included. The highest quality gap occurred in the responsiveness (0.59) and reliability (0.54) dimensions. Patients had high levels of expectations from healthcare organisations in all five subdomains examined for both Turkiye and other Asian countries.Conclusion Highly significant quality gaps in the examined domains emphasise the need for improvements in appropriate and quality service delivery and the implementation of compassionate patient-centred approaches. We have concluded that healthcare managers and decision-makers should regularly monitor the quality level of provided healthcare services, find the gaps that need to be improved, and better understand how client expectations in healthcare might be shaped in different settings and countries. Limitations include the restriction to English and Turkish languages, the cross-sectional design of studies, and variability in hospital settings. No protocol was registered.