Abstract:

The increasing competition, consumption consciousness and freedom of choice, as a result of the increase in alternatives to healthcare offerings, make it inevitable that healthcare consumers need and desires be more considered. Identifying the factors that influence consumers’ hospital preference is among the tools to be used to deal with increased competition and ensure that the health institution is the preferred. The aim of this research is to identify the factors that influence healthcare consumers’ hospital preference. In the study, a survey was carried out to 283 healthcare users who received clinical service in a public hospital in the province of Giresun. The results of the research show that three important factors affecting the choice of the hospital are the hygiene and cleaning of the hospital, the attitudes and behaviors of the doctors and the medical-technical equipment of the hospital, the less important factor is the table, the logo and the colors of the hospital. In the study, the factors that influence the choice of the hospital were collected in 5 dimensions in the form of service quality, recognition, staff, physical element and cost to the consumer; the perceptions of these dimensions were analyzed whether differentiated according to the socio-demographic characteristics of healthcare consumers.

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