Optimizing Medical Service Quality in General Hospital: A Perspective from Patient Complaints and Customer Relationship Management

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to: 1) study the current status of complaint management in hospitals, 2) analyze the quality of health care services in the general hospitals based on patient complaints on the online platform, and 3) propose guidelines for optimizing medical service quality in general hospitals by utilizing the concept of customer relationship management to respond to patient complaints. The study employed a mixed-method design, which involved a retrospective analysis of 440 medical complaint cases from 2019 to 2022. The researcher analyzed the content of the complaints, identified key issues, and categorized them. Then, the researcher conducted quantitative analysis using statistical methods, including frequency distribution, one-way ANOVA, and the chi-square test. To propose guidelines for optimizing medical service quality in general hospitals by utilizing the concept of customer relationship management to respond to patient complaints, the researcher conducted five expert interviews. The research found that: 1) complaints from regional medical institutions had increased significantly. Although these institutions had established complaint management systems, they faced challenges such as complexity, delays, and under-utilization of complaint data; 2) the service quality in general hospitals, based on patient complaints, showed a rising trend in complaints, a decline in patient satisfaction, deficiencies in the complaint management system, complaints predominantly in the "management" field, and doctors were the largest group of complainants. Many complaints did not report injuries, and processing times varied by field. Different departments had different efficiency in solving complaints; and 3) this research provided guidelines for hospitals to enhance medical service quality by leveraging CRM principles to respond to patient complaints. These guidelines emphasized the importance of structured complaint management, proactive patient engagement, and effective collaboration among hospital staff to improve patient satisfaction and healthcare quality.