Literature Review: The Role of Service Quality in Improving Patient Satisfaction in Hospitals

Abstract

Hospitals, as healthcare providers, play a crucial role in improving public health status and are required to deliver high-quality services oriented toward patient satisfaction. Patient satisfaction is a fundamental indicator of service quality and is evaluated using the service quality framework across five dimensions: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. This research aims to analyze the role of service quality in enhancing patient satisfaction in hospitals through a literature review. The method employed is a narrative literature review, analyzing 10 empirical research articles published in the Google Scholar database between 2020 and 2025. The results indicate that service quality consistently exerts a positive and significant influence on patient satisfaction across various healthcare facilities in Indonesia. The assurance and responsiveness dimensions were identified as the most dominant factors, while primary challenges include queue management, administrative efficiency, and limited human resources. The study concludes that service digitalization strategies and staff competency training are essential for optimizing sustainable patient satisfaction.