Abstract

The aim of the article. The aim of the article is to identify and to analyze the characteristics of medical services quality and marketing research of medical services quality. The results of the analysis. The task of medical services is the proper control of health of the population and application of the necessary efforts to treat and prevent disease by providing quality and affordable medical services. In this regard, an important question is what characteristics of the medical services quality consumers consider the most significant and the most important, because the answer to this question will allow to develop marketing strategy to promote medical services. A lot of works of national and international scientists and economists are dedicated to problems of the theory and practice of medical services promotion. These researches have made a significant contribution to development of theoretical and practical instruments and technologies of development of marketing medical services, but there is a practical need and scientific interest in developing an approach for promoting medical services adapted to the present Ukrainian realities. To study the problems associated with the development, promotion and implementation of the medical services the survey of Donetsk region population was conducted. Analysis and data processing was performed using the software package IBM SPSS Statistics and Microsoft Excel. The survey was attended by 450 respondents of sexes, all ages, social status and income level. The research of medical services quality was made in Donetsk region in 1990. The results of it showed that 0,3% of respondents recognized the quality of medical services excellent, 1,5% – well, 36,9% – satisfactory, and 58,0% – unsatisfactory. Today the majority of respondents is not satisfied with medical services quality, analysis revealed no correlation answers the question of gender, education level and social status of the respondents. As for defined characteristics of medical services quality, they are all in the survey and they are important, but in order to prioritize we placed them in the following sequence: the cost of the medical services (formal or informal) – 9,65, relating to patients from the hospital staff – 9,51; qualified specialist and efficiency of the service – 9,46, the absence of queues –9,46; medical equipment of  the consulting rooms and laboratories – 9,34; getting the consultation from specialist – 9,27; availability of hospital – 9,13. About 17,8% of respondents often appeal to the paid medicine services; herewith the majority of them consider the quality of paid medical services better than free medical services, which is the main causative factor in treatment to the paid medicine services. About 34,7% of respondents use paid services not very often, 53,5% of them consider that the quality of paid medical services rather different from free medical services and to appeal to it them leads better medical services quality and the inability of the obtainment of medical service for free. About 26,2% of respondents appeal to paid medical services sometimes, herewith 17% of them consider the quality of paid medical services are much better than free, 30,5% of them notice the difference in quality of free and paid services, 36% of them don’t see difference in quality of free and paid services. Respondents who rarely appeal to paid medicine services (12,9%), the main reason for the use of paid medical services noted lack of access to the medical services for free. About 8,4% of respondents do not appeal to paid medical services, most of them consider that there is no difference between paid and free services. The main reasons for recourse to paid medicine services the respondents consider in inability to get this medical service for free of charge, higher medical services quality, the ability to register and solve problem by phone (Internet), the absence of queues, friendly and attentive attitude to the patients. Conclusions and directions of further researches. Thus, marketing research of the medical services quality showed that most respondents were unsatisfied with the quality of the medical services. Prospects for further research in this area is the development of marketing strategy to promote and to advance quality and affordable of medical services.

Keywords: services, medical services, medical services quality, characteristics of medical services quality, paid medical services

JEL Classification: M31, I19, L15.

Cite as: Alkaravani, B. (2014). Marketing research of medical services quality. Marketing and Management of Innovations, 1, 124-131. https://doi.org/10.21272/mmi.2014.1-12

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

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