Leveraging Patient Loyalty For The Sustainability Of Health Institutions In West Africa:The Role Of Medical And Nonmedical Services

In the last decade,service quality has become the focus of service providers and researchers because of the increasing competition in the service industry and the adverse environmental factors.A key area in this dimension is ensuring continued patronage(loyalty).Similarly,patient satisfaction is considered to be one of the preferred outcomes of health care,as it is directly related to the re-use of health care services and the success of health care facilities.Among the explanatory variables cited in many studies,the key is the service delivery indicator.However,research in this area is still in its infancy,with very little focus on developing countries.The fact remains that the dynamics between developed and developing countries are different.Therefore,this dissertation examined the quality of services rendered by the medical personnel and non-medical aspect of health facilities and its impact on patient satisfaction and further loyalty in some selected West African countries.Methodologically,this dissertation adopted principles of the Econometrics model and Structural Equation Model(SEM)in its analysis.In the Structural Equation Model,the empirical results of this study show that the quality of service of medical personnel(doctors,pharmacists,laboratory technicians)has a positive impact on patient loyalty through the mediating role of patient satisfaction.In the Econometrics model,inferring from the DOLS and FMOLS estimation,a 1% increase in human resource adequacy,health facility infrastructure,equipment,and resources,and adherence to health protocols led to 1.75%,3.03%,3.26%,and 1.16% increase in patient loyalty respectively in the FMOLS model.Similarly,DOLS models indicated that a 1% increase in human resource adequacy,health facility infrastructure,equipment,and resources,and adherence to health protocols increases patient loyalty by 1.54%,4.12%,3.47%,and 1.58% respectively.Thus,the results of the study demonstrated that health facilities and infrastructure,equipment and resources,human resource adequacy,and adherence to health protocols have a positive and significant impact on the quality of services provided by any health institution.In conclusion,more attention should be paid to the services of medical personnel and service quality indicators to ensure quality services for patients and the sustainability of health facilities in these developing countries.The dissertation recommends that health institutions conduct regular on-the-job training of their staff to keep them up to date with current practices to ensure patient satisfaction and loyalty,as well as to institutionalize motivational packages for well-behaved staff.Similarly,routine inspection and maintenance plans should be followed to prevent damage to medical equipment and resources.Finally,health facilities should adhere to standard health protocols to ensure the provision of quality care.The findings from this paper are likely to be of interest to institutional managers,policy makers,and researchers in the area of consumer satisfaction and loyalty,particularly in the health sector.The study will provide non-conventional cost-effective approaches that influence patient satisfaction and subsequent loyalty.