Doctors' service orientation in public, private, and foreign hospitals

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to propose a doctors' service orientation (DSO) scale and uses it to compare the services received in public, private and foreign hospitals in a developing country from the patient's perspective. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The scale was derived from the service quality literature and qualitative research. A questionnaire was designed next. Data were collected from patients who had used the services of doctors in a hospital. FINDINGS: The scale demonstrated appropriate psychometric properties. Two clear patterns emerge from the study results: on 10 out of 12 measures of doctors' service orientation, there was no significant difference in their perceived behaviors between public and private hospitals and foreign doctors were "always" rated significantly higher. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: This…