The effect of service recovery experience on patients’ switching intentions and positive word of mouth in private hospitals in Kuwait: The mediation effect of patient commitment

Abstract

Objectives: Touchpoints of the service recovery experience in private hospitals in Kuwait were identified and validated. Then, a research model was developed to study the effect of service recovery experience on patient’s switching intentions and positive word of mouth with patient commitment as a mediator. Method: Service recovery touchpoints of patient experience were identified by focus group and a sample of private hospital patients in Kuwait was recruited using a snowballing sampling procedure with an online-survey platform. The proposed research model was validated via two-stage structural equation modeling in AMOS 27 statistical software. Path analysis examined the mediating effects of patient commitment in the examined relationships. A sample of 171 patients in private hospitals in Kuwait was recruited for the exploratory factor analysis [EFA] and a separate sample of 976 patients was recruited for the confirmatory factor analysis [CFA]. Results: The findings confirmed a significant direct effect of service recovery experience on patients’ positive word of mouth and a significant indirect effect through patient commitment as a mediator. On contrary, service recovery experience was related to patients’ switching intentions only through the indirect link of patient commitment, which provided support for the full mediation model. Conclusion: Private hospitals should pay much attention to service recovery experience and allocate resources across critical touchpoints to enhance patient relationship.