Publication Date
Spring 12-13-2024
Degree Level
B.A.
Program
Honors
First Advisor
Dr. Sergio Palacios
Second Advisor
Dr. Camille Langston
Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
When the world experienced a pandemic due to the SARS-CoV-virus (COVID-19) in 2019, a lockdown quickly took place and travel restrictions were applied, placing a barrier to in- person healthcare access. This made the healthcare settings practice alternate ways in delivering healthcare that did not necessarily have to be in-person. The evolvement of a remote setting took place, and the development and usage of telemedicine quickly accelerated. This form of healthcare has transformed the way care is delivered to patients, with many key elements shaping their experience and outcomes. Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, the practice of telemedicine has been useful for other reasons as well, particularly for patients experiencing mobility issues, chronic illnesses, or residing in a remote area. This thesis holds the purpose of extending the understanding of patient quality perceptions when accessing telemedicine using mobile applications. It does this by identifying the key dimensions of telemedicine mobile application service quality that leads to patient satisfaction. The author uses the critical incident technique to analyze patient-generated reviews regarding telemedicine mobile applications. The specific categories of telemedicine mobile applications that lead to patient satisfaction this study uncovers include the following: 1) Content, 2) Communication, 3) Ease of Use, 4) Reliability, 5) Accuracy, 6) Cost Effectiveness, and 7) Speed. These categories of telemedicine mobile applications seem to be the main sources of patient satisfaction. Though these categories reveal a lot about patient satisfaction, experiences vary depending on demographic factors and healthcare needs. Overall, the findings suggest that telemedicine using mobile applications does improve patient satisfaction through these key categories. The identified categories will help health systems develop a service quality health management system that helps identify and overcome obstacles to delivering high-quality telemedicine patient services.
Recommended Citation
Olguin, V (2024) 'An exploration of telemedicine mobile application service quality and its relevance with patient satisfaction.'
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.