A major contribution of SERVQUAL is to
identify symptoms and provide a starting point
for the examination of underlying problems that
are obstacles to the provision of quality. Consequently,
these results should be used from the
primary health centre managers to identify the
reasons why these gaps in perceived quality
appear. Some possible explanations for the
observed gaps in perceived quality may be
explained as follows. In terms of reliability,
responsiveness, assurance and empathy, it could
be assumed that given the time pressure, staff
members may have little time to offer sympathy
and reassurance or have limited resources to
handle emergency situations. The results should
be taken into consideration by both managers
and health professionals to identify the reasons
that cause this gap.
More specifically, in terms of responsiveness,
assurance and empathy, the gap between
expectations and perceptions was greater for
younger people. In terms of education, the gap
was greater for people that had higher degrees in
all dimensions of quality. Further analysis
showed that this gap was merely attributable to
the fact that patients had different perceptions
whereas their expectations were similar. Also,
our analysis showed that smaller, non-significant
gaps were identified between expectations and
perceptions regarding the reason for visiting and
marital status parameters.