INTEGRATING MULTIVARIATE METHOD AND QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT TO ANALYZE IN-PATIENT SATISFACTION

Abstract

Background : The increasing competition in healthcare
industry has caused the delivery of service quality to patients
become essential. Every hospital competes to deliver the best
service to its patients. As a result, it is necessary to analyze
hospitalized patient satisfaction. This study discusses service
quality improvement in healthcare industry by analyzing inpatient
satisfaction using Multivariate Analysis and Quality
Function Deployment (QFD).
Objectives: The objectives of this study are to identify patients’
characteristics which are significantly affect their satisfaction
level, to identify service attributes and dimensions which are
critical to patients, and subsequently improve those attributes.
Method: The identification of characteristics and service
dimensions which are significantly affect patients’ satisfaction
level is accomplished using Multivariate Analysis. While the
critical service attributes identification is completed using
Importance-Performance Analysis. Afterward, using House
of Quality (HOQ), as the basis of QFD, those critical service
attributes are developed into service elements.
Result: Using Discriminant Analysis, the result of this study
shows that patients’ characteristics which significantly affect
their satisfaction level are sex and occupation. The male and
unemployed patients are more satisfied than the female and
employed patients. Afterward, Factor Analysis brings about
five new factors (service dimensions), which are the linear
combinations of the original 42 service attributes. Based on
the Importance-Performance Analysis, there are four service
attributes which are critical to be improved which have high
importance level, but low performance level. Then, using the
Quality Function Deployment (QFD), the four critical service
attributes are developed into service elements. The service
elements with high priorities are training program, recruitment
of experts, standard of information flow, online administration
system, and computer as provider of information.
Conclusion: Service quality improvement in healthcare
industry can be analyzed more comprehensive by integrating
Multivariate Method and Quality Function Deployment (QFD).
The result of this study may provide contributions to hospitals
in general in enhancing its service performance to achieve its
patients’ satisfaction.
Keywords: customer satisfaction, healthcare industry,
multivariate analysis, quality function deployment