Bridging Service Quality and Patient Satisfaction in Specialized Healthcare: The Mediating Role of Patient Trust

Indrasto Kurniadi; Rizky Aptadhana  Fachrizal; Fedianty Augustinah

doi:10.61987/jemr.v5i5.3226

Authors

Indrasto Kurniadi Universitas Dr. Soetomo Surabaya, Indonesia
Rizky Aptadhana Fachrizal Universitas Dr. Soetomo Surabaya, Indonesia
Fedianty Augustinah Universitas Dr. Soetomo Surabaya, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61987/jemr.v5i5.3226

Keywords:

Service Quality, Patient Satisfaction, Patient Trust, Healthcare Services

Abstract

Service quality is a critical determinant of patient satisfaction in healthcare services. However, the role of patient trust in mediating the relationship between service quality and satisfaction remains inconclusive, particularly in specialized healthcare settings. Understanding this relationship is essential for developing effective strategies to improve patient experiences and service delivery. This study aims to examine the effect of service quality on patient satisfaction and to investigate the mediating role of patient trust in this relationship. This study employed a quantitative research approach involving 109 patients or visitors selected through purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with AMOS. Service quality was measured using the SERVQUAL dimensions: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. Patient trust was assessed through benevolence, competence, and integrity, while patient satisfaction was evaluated based on expectation fulfillment, ease of access, and prior experience. The results indicate that service quality significantly affects patient satisfaction (T = 2.124; p = 0.034), but does not significantly affect patient trust (T = 0.327; p = 0.744). Patient trust neither significantly affects satisfaction (T = 1.150; p = 0.251) nor mediates the relationship between service quality and satisfaction (T = 0.224; p = 0.823). Healthcare providers should prioritize improving service quality to enhance patient satisfaction directly, rather than relying solely on patient trust as an intermediary mechanism.

References

Abdullah, A., & Sukriyah, T. M. (2026). Soft Skill Management in Improving the Quality and Competence of Human Resources in Islamic Junior High Schools. Business and Applied Management Journal, 4(1), 134–144. https://doi.org/10.61987/bamj.v4i1.2266

Ahmed, S. K. (2024). How to Choose a Sampling Technique and Determine Sample Size for Research: A Simplified Guide for Researchers. Oral Oncology Reports, 12, Article 100662. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oor.2024.100662

Ahmed, S., Al Asheq, A., Ahmed, E., Chowdhury, U. Y., Sufi, T., & Mostofa, M. G. (2023). The Intricate Relationships of Consumers' Loyalty and Their Perceptions of Service Quality, Price and Satisfaction in Restaurant Service. The TQM Journal, 35(2), 519–539. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-06-2021-0158

Akhtari, M., Moreira, D., & Trucco, L. (2022). Political Turnover, Bureaucratic Turnover, and the Quality of Public Services. American Economic Review, 112(2), 442–493. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20171867

Albarq, A. N. (2023). The Impact of CKM and Customer Satisfaction on Customer Loyalty in Saudi Banking Sector: The Mediating Role of Customer Trust. Administrative Sciences, 13(3), Article 90. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13030090

Alkraiji, A., & Ameen, N. (2022). The Impact of Service Quality, Trust and Satisfaction on Young Citizen Loyalty Towards Government E-Services. Information Technology & People, 35(4), 1239–1270. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-04-2020-0229

Alumran, A. (2021). Comparing Public and Private Hospitals' Service Quality. Journal of Public Health: From Theory to Practice, 581, 839–845. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-019-01188-9

Arifin, M. (2026). Optimizing Student Organizational Sustainability: Integrating Psychological Training into Leadership Development. Journal of Psychological Insight, 2(2), 76–88.

Awaliah, S., Rahim, F. R., & Husain, M. (2025). Digitalizing Fatwas: A Jurisprudential Analysis of Muslim Social Interactions in Virtual Spaces. Al-Fiqh: Journal of Contemporary Islamic Law, 1(2), 88–100. https://doi.org/10.61987/fiqh.v1i2.989

Azizah, L. N., & Octarina, S. (2025). Beyond the Domestic Sphere: Navigating Shifting Gender Roles Through the Lens of Islamic Jurisprudence. Al-Fiqh: Journal of Contemporary Islamic Law, 1(2), 49–63. https://doi.org/10.61987/fiqh.v1i2.996

Demirel, D. (2022). The Effect of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction in Digital Age: Customer Satisfaction Based Examination of Digital CRM. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 23(3), 507–531. https://doi.org/10.3846/jbem.2022.15328

Dermawan, O., & Yusuf, T. K. (2026). Toward Holistic Curriculum Management in Islamic Early Childhood Education: A Framework for Integrated Learning Development. Early Childhood Development Gazette, 3(1), 11–22.

Firdausiyah, J., Rifka, Khomairohtusshiyamah, U., & Sain, Z. H. (2026). Strategic Management in Developing Inclusive Teacher Career Paths: Optimizing Potential and Performance in Educational Institutions. Journal of Psychological Insight, 2(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.61987/jpi.v2i1.1477

Furqon, M., Anggraini, V., Aldin, F., & Efridita, Q. (2026). Mathematics in the Sandbox: Investigating Spontaneous Mathematical Talk During Free Play. Early Childhood Development Gazette, 3(1), 45–54. https://doi.org/10.61987/gazette.v3i1.2054

Ginting, Y. M. (2023). Repurchase Intention of E-Commerce Customers in Indonesia: An Overview of the Effect of E-Service Quality, E-Word of Mouth, Customer Trust, and Customer Satisfaction Mediation. International Journal of Data and Network Science. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.ijdns.2022.10.001

Glaveli, N., Papadimitriou, D., Karagiorgos, T., & Alexandris, K. (2023). Exploring the Role of Fitness Instructors' Interaction Quality Skills in Building Customer Trust in the Service Provider and Customer Satisfaction. European Sport Management Quarterly, 23(3), 767–788. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2021.1928256

Gottfried, J. (2024). Practices in Data-Quality Evaluation: A Large-Scale Review of Online Survey Studies Published in 2022. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 7(2), Article 25152459241236414. https://doi.org/10.1177/25152459241236414

Hasanah, S. N. A., Firdausiah, R. J., Adzimah, M., Khomairohtusshiyamah, U., Mundiri, A., & Zain, Z. H. (2026). From Policy to Practice: Inclusive Career Management in Higher Education. Indonesian Journal of Progressive Pedagogy, 2(1), 128–138.

Hill, J., Ogle, K., Gottlieb, M., Santen, S. A., & Artino, A. R., Jr. (2022). Educator's Blueprint: A How-To Guide for Collecting Validity Evidence in Survey-Based Research. AEM Education and Training, 6(6), Article e10835. https://doi.org/10.1002/aet2.10835

Imamiyah, N., Aisyah, E. N., & Shailobekovna, Z. N. (2026). The Seductive Digital World: How Smartphones Change the Behavior and Emotions of Young Children. Journal of Psychological Insight, 2(2), 63–76.

Kartikasari, D., Dewanto, A., & Rochman, F. (2025). Pengaruh Kualitas Layanan terhadap Kepuasan dan Kepercayaan di Rumah Sakit Bunda Kandangan Surabaya. Jurnal Aplikasi Manajemen, 12(3), 454–463. https://doi.org/10.21776/

Khomairohtusshiyamah, U., Sa’diyah, H., Firdausiah, R. J., Adzimah, M., Hasanah, S. A., Sanjani, M. A. F., & Sain, Z. H. (2025). Strategic Management of Inclusive Educational Leadership in Teacher Career Development. Early Childhood Development Gazette, 2(2), 62–71.

Kim, J., & Yum, K. (2024). Enhancing Continuous Usage Intention in E-Commerce Marketplace Platforms: The Effects of Service Quality, Customer Satisfaction, and Trust. Applied Sciences, 14(17), Article 7617. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14177617

Lim, W. M., & Koay, K. Y. (2024). So You Want to Publish in a Premier Journal? An Illustrative Guide on How to Develop and Write a Quantitative Research Paper for Premier Journals. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 43(3), 5–19. https://doi.org/10.1002/joe.22252

Marcos, A. M. B. D. F., & Coelho, A. F. D. M. (2022). Service Quality, Customer Satisfaction and Customer Value: Holistic Determinants of Loyalty and Word-of-Mouth in Services. The TQM Journal, 34(5), 957–978. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-10-2020-0236

Miller, S., & Lengler, J. (2025). Strengthening Quantitative Research in International Business: Best Practices for Methods and Results Sections. Critical Perspectives on International Business. https://doi.org/10.1108/CPOIB-01-2025-0018

Naimah, R. (2026). Human-Centered Digital Pedagogy in Online Learning: Integrating Artificial Intelligence to Foster Critical Thinking and Collaborative Learning. Online Learning and Pedagogies Research Journal, 1(1), 44–56.

Naini, N. F., Santoso, S., Andriani, T. S., Claudia, U. G., & Nurfadillah, N. (2022). The Effect of Product Quality, Service Quality, Customer Satisfaction on Customer Loyalty. Journal of Consumer Sciences, 7(1), 34–50. https://doi.org/10.29244/jcs.7.1.34-50

Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (2023). SERVQUAL: A Multiple-Item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service Quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(1), 12–40.

Pasaribu, F., Sari, W. P., Bulan, T. R. N., & Astuty, W. (2022). The Effect of E-Commerce Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction, Trust and Loyalty. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 6(4), 1077–1084. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.ijdns.2022.8.001

Qodriah, L., Albshkar, H. A., & Furqan, M. (2026). Digital Devotion: How Virtual Spaces and Technological Advancements Shape Religious Practices in an Indonesian Islamic Boarding School. Journal of Religion and Social Dynamics, 1(1), 55–62.

Rehan, A. (2025). The Existence of Cryptocurrency from the Perspective of Islamic Fiqh: A Legal Analysis of the Buying and Selling of Digital Assets. Al-Fiqh: Journal of Contemporary Islamic Law, 1(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.61987/fiqh.v1i1.802

S, N. R. A., Muhaeminah, U., & Munawwaroh, I. (2025). The Role of Digital Marketing Management in Improving College Branding on Social Media. Indonesian Journal of Progressive Pedagogy, 01(02), 75–86. https://doi.org/10.61987/ijpp.v1i2.1258

Shie, A. J., Huang, Y. F., Li, G. Y., Lyu, W. Y., Yang, M., Dai, Y. Y., ... Wu, Y. J. (2022). Exploring the Relationship Between Hospital Service Quality, Patient Trust, and Loyalty From a Service Encounter Perspective in Elderly With Chronic Diseases. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, Article 876266. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.876266

Suriono, H., & Dewantoro, R. (2026). Employee Branding and Owner Personal Branding as Drivers of Customer Engagement: Evidence From Digital Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. Business and Applied Management Journal, 4(2), 217–233. https://doi.org/10.61987/bamj.v4i2.2289

Syafrudin, S., Suharyati, H., & Suhendra, S. (2026). Servant Leadership, Knowledge Management, and Gotong Royong Culture as Predictors of Teacher'OCB: The Mediating Role of Trust and Work Motivation. Business and Applied Management Journal, 4(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.61987/bamj.v4i1.2068

Venkatakrishnan, J., Alagiriswamy, R., & Parayitam, S. (2023). Web Design and Trust as Moderators in the Relationship Between E-Service Quality, Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty. The TQM Journal, 35(8), 2455–2484. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-10-2022-0298

Wardoyo, H., Moeloek, N. D., Basrowi, R. W., Ekowati, M., Samah, K., Mustopo, W. I., Nurdjasmi, E., Widyahening, I. S., & Medise, B. E. (2024). Mental Health Awareness and Promotion During the First 1000 Days of Life: An Expert Consensus. Healthcare, 12(1), Article 44. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12010044

Yulis, R. (2025). Early Marriage From the Perspective of Jurisprudence and Adolescent Psychology. Al-Fiqh: Journal of Contemporary Islamic Law, 1(1), 31–39. https://doi.org/10.61987/fiqh.v1i1.804