Informatics Publishing Limited

Seung Yeob Yu ¹, EunHee Kim ²

Affiliations
1 Department of Advertising and Public Relations, Namseoul University, KR
2 Department of Advertising and Public Relations and Journalism, Mokwon University

Abstract

The current research aimed to identify what factors of hospital and doctor attributes affect medical consumers' selection of general hospitals. Also was investigation was the question of how these factors influence a variety of perceived risk and their use intention. Finally, it aimed to find which of the two, hospital or doctor attributes, exerted more influence on customers'selection of general hospitals. The results wear as follows. First, a set of four factors of hospital attributes were extracted that influence their selection: convenience, reputation, public trust and externalities of hospitals. Second, from the set of hospital factors, waiting hours, consulting hours and convenience facilities were found leading to high perceived risk. Third, it was found that the reputation of hospitals exerted greatest influence on customers' use intention: awareness, word-of-mouth and popularity. Fourth, the professional expertise, favorable attributes and external characteristics were extracted for the factors of doctor attributes that affect customers' selection. Fifth, it was found that the factor of doctors' professional expertise had an impact on customers' perceived risk. Sixth, it was found that the greater attractiveness, favorability, kindness and intimacy would be more likely to lead to medical customers' use intention. And finally, of the factors of hospital and doctor attributes, the factor of public trust, which consists of expertise, reliability and medical equipment, was found exerting the greatest influence on medical consumers' selection of general hospitals.The results of the present research are expected to provide meaningful data for arranging marketing strategies of hospitals.

Keywords

Continuous Relationship, Doctor Attributes, Hospital Attributes, Perceived Risk, Selection of Medical Institutions.

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EunHee Kim ¹, SeungYeob Yu ²

Affiliations
1 Department of Advertising and Public Relations and Journalism, Mokwon University/ 35349, KR
2 Department of Advertising and Public Relations, Namseoul University/31020, KR

Abstract

Objectives: To addressing the question of what hospital/doctor attributes influence medical consumers’selection of a specific medical institution. Methods/Statistical Analysis: First, we conducted a factor analysis in order to extract the factors that influence consumer’s selection of primary care clinics and general hospitals. Second, a multiple regression analysis was performed to see what elements of the set of hospital and doctor attributes affect perceived quality and continuous use intent of the medical institutions. Cronbach’s Alpha index would show the internal consistency among the measurement items and the reliability of each scale. Findings: First, it was found that reputation was the most importantly considered in selecting general hospitals. In selecting primary care clinics, in contrast, consumers take convenience into more consideration than other factors, perhaps because they are mostly neighbor hospitals. Second, it was found that expertise of doctors is the most importantly considered attribute in consumers’ selection of general hospitals was expertise, followed by attractiveness, reputation, and externality. Third, it was found that the doctor attributes affecting the perceived quality were doctors’ reputation and expertise for general hospitals, and intimacy for primary care clinics, on the other hand. Fourth, it was found that medical consumers reported greater intent to continuously use a particular medical hospital with greater recognition of doctors’ reputation and attractiveness. Improvements/Applications: We expect that the findings of the current analysis would provide meaningful base data for planning strategies for marketing in the rapidly changing environment of the medical industry.

Keywords

Continuous Use Intent, Doctor Attributes, Hospital Attributes, Medical Institutions, Perceived Quality.

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