RESUMO
This research examines consumers' value perceptions and their role in hospital choice behavior in rural and suburban markets. While health care markets are "local," this study confirms the broad efficacy of a value-based approach to understanding consumer choice of providers.
Assuntos
Comportamento de Escolha , Hospitais Comunitários , Qualidade da Assistência à Saúde , População Rural , População Suburbana , Humanos , Percepção , População Rural/estatística & dados numéricos , População Suburbana/estatística & dados numéricosRESUMO
The primary objective of this research was to determine how a suburban hospital located near an urban center fares when local consumers are selecting a hospital. A significant portion of the 161 suburban respondents to the study's mail survey perceive the quality of care available at alternative urban hospitals to be higher than that available at their local suburban hospital on the vast majority of quality-related attributes. Most respondents, however, select their local hospital for both major and minor medical treatment. Te greater value represented by suburban hospitals, due to their relative closeness to the consumer, represents a significant competitive advantage.
Assuntos
Comportamento do Consumidor/estatística & dados numéricos , Hospitais Urbanos/estatística & dados numéricos , Qualidade da Assistência à Saúde/estatística & dados numéricos , Serviços de Saúde Suburbana/estatística & dados numéricos , Coleta de Dados , Grupos Focais , Hospitais Comunitários/normas , Hospitais Comunitários/estatística & dados numéricos , Hospitais Urbanos/normas , Serviços de Saúde Suburbana/normas , Estados UnidosAssuntos
Hospitais , Aceitação pelo Paciente de Cuidados de Saúde/estatística & dados numéricos , Percepção , Qualidade da Assistência à Saúde , Área Programática de Saúde , Comportamento de Escolha , Pesquisa sobre Serviços de Saúde/métodos , Hospitais/normas , Hospitais/estatística & dados numéricos , Humanos , Illinois , Marketing de Serviços de Saúde , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
The research presented focuses on an examination of the relative importance of word-of-mouth, expert opinion, external communication, and past experience in the context of hospital choice. Past research has examined the effect of each individually and various combinations of the four sources, but not all four simultaneously. Results of the present study suggest that past experience plays a greater role in hospital choice than other information sources, including expert opinion. The strength of word-of-mouth as a source of information is also verified. The implications of this research include the following: (1) health care researchers need to incorporate word-of-mouth when investigating informations sources, and (2) local hospitals need to be aware of "negative perceptions" and strive for consumer satisfaction. Health care delivery systems incorporating consumer-based choice render these findings especially valuable as researchers and practitioners address the challenges that these evolving systems will bring.
