41 International Journal of Customer Service Management Vol. 1, No. 1, 41-49, 2011 ISSN 2231-8925 © 2011 Faculty of Office Management and Technology, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia. Service Quality and Patients’ Satisfaction in Healthcare Service in Malaysia Muhammad Hafiz Abd Rashid Aida Azlina Mansor Muhammad Iskandar Hamzah Faculty of Office Management and Technology, Universiti Teknologi MARA Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor hafiz.rashid@puncakalam.uitm.edu.my Abstract Patients’ satisfaction is one of the most important indicators to identify the level of service quality rendered by the healthcare service providers in Malaysia. In some research, it is indicated that the level of satisfaction can significantly influence patients’ quality of life and enable healthcare providers to determine specific problems of patients, on which corrective actions can then be taken. Due to this notion, this paper aims at investigating the relationship between service quality and patients’ satisfaction in healthcare service in Malaysia. A conceptual framework is developed indicating that patients’ satisfaction is influenced by five common SERVQUAL dimensions which is tangible, assurance, responsiveness, empathy, and reliability. Additional dimension, which is credibility, is proposed to be included in the SERVQUAL dimensions to strengthen the relationship of SERVQUAL dimensions with patients’ satisfaction. Keywords: service quality, patients’ satisfaction, healthcare service, SERVQUAL Introduction Healthcare has become a prime concern for everyone and Malaysia is fortunate to have a very comprehensive range of healthcare services. The Malaysian government is very committed to its principles of universal access to high-quality healthcare, which the local Ministry of Health offers through a network of nationwide clinics and hospitals. However, in spite of the dedication of the local IJCSM 4.indd 41 3/19/2012 12:52:56 PM