Perceptions of Service Quality and Behavioral Intentions: A Mediation Effect of Patient Satisfaction in the Private Health Care in Malaysia

This study attempts to examine the mediation effect of satisfaction on service quality perception and intentionsbehavior of private hospital outpatients in Malaysia. 300 hospital outpatients were selected as the sample size.Regression analysis was run to test the hypotheses. Based on the 273 completed data, the results provide supportfor the association between perceived service quality dimensions (tangibles, assurance, and empathy) andbehavioral intentions. The results also confirm that service quality perception is an antecedent of intentions. Inaddition, tangibility, reliability and assurance are important predictors of satisfaction, and satisfaction has astrong positive relationship with intentions. In short, service quality drives satisfaction which in turn drivesbehavioral intentions. The finding also indicates that satisfaction partially mediates the relationship betweenperceived service quality and behavioral intentions. As a result, the strength of the perceived servicequality-behavioral intentions relationship becomes weaker when satisfaction is considered. Theoretical andmanagerial implications of the findings are also discussed.