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The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of technology usage and
quality management systems on service quality in Thai hospitals. This study
postulates a framework based on an analysis of existing literature in the field and on
the empirical evidence collected during fieldwork.
The study is conducted in three phases. The first phase involves a qualitative
study on both service providers’ and customers’ perceptions on service quality, and
how service quality could be improved through technology. The second phase
involves a pilot survey questionnaire study to outline the various measurements
constructs for technology usage, quality management system and service quality in
Thai hospitals. The author identified two dimensions of technology: diagnostic
technology and information technology. The five dimensions of quality management
systems identified are leadership, customer focus, information and analysis, education
and training and process improvement. The five dimensions of service quality are
respect and caring, information, appropriateness, efficiency and value and impression.
These service quality dimensions have been found to appropriate in the hospital
context. In the third phase, a detailed survey is conducted using the questionnaire
developed in the pilot second phase of the study.
The results of the fist phase qualitative study indicate that technology use did
indeed have the potential to improve service quality. The quantitative survey results
also indicate that technology usage had a direct impact in improving service quality,
so does the quality management system. The interactive impact of technology usage
and quality management system also has a positive impact on service quality. This
means that hospitals contemplating implementation of advanced diagnostic and
information technologies should consider implementation of an adequate quality
management system at the same time, if they had not already implemented such a
system before.
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