Measuring of service quality is the basic prerequisite for improving quality. Patients' expectations and perceptions of service quality play an important role in the choice of hospital, loyalty to organization and behavioral intention. A first step towards improvement would be to determine areas of quality that are most defective. Studies show that consumers are in close contact with service providers, and they are involved in the service process. Therefore, this group can measure services quality better than any other group. This study was conducted to measure service quality based on patients' expectations and perceptions in Zanjan hospitals.
The cross-sectional design was used in this research. For data collection, SERVQUAL questionnaire was employed. To ensure the reliability of the questionnaire, the internal consistency reliability test (Cronbach alpha) was performed.
Findings: Cronbach alpha for service quality was .94. Results show that the assurance (knowledge, experience and ability to maintain patients' confidence and trust) was rated as the most important dimension. (SQ mean = -1.3). There were differences between patients' expectations and perceptions in all the dimensions.
the assurance dimension constitutes the most serious problem facing hospitals. It is recommended that physicians thoroughly explain the disease condition to patients, and that patients should be treated with dignity and respect.