Influence of SERVQUAL Dimensions (Empathy and Responsiveness) on Patient Satisfaction at Mulawarman University Dental Hospital
Abstract
Introduction: Mulawarman University Dental Hospital (RSGM Unmul), as a new teaching hospital in East Kalimantan, acts as both oral healthcare services and clinical education. Oral health service utilization of certain populations is still low in East Kalimantan, despite the strategic function of oral health service, it indicates ongoing challenges with regard to access and patient engagement. However, only few studies empirically explore the relationship between specific service management dimensions and patient satisfaction in a dental teaching hospital context, particularly with regard to empathy and responsiveness as related to SERVQUAL. So far, there has been no systematic study at RSGM Unmul,which is obviously an empirical and contextual research gap.
Objective: The study aims to determine influence of dental healthcare service management on patient satisfaction at Mulawarman University Dental Hospital Empathy And Responsiveness.
Methods: This study had a descriptive-analytic quantitative approach with cross sectional design involving 81 patients in RSGM Unmul that was selected by purposive sampling. Data collection utilized a modified SERVQUAL questionnaire with Likert type responses on the intervals of 1–5. All statistical analyses were performed with SPSS version 25, Mann-Whitney test was applied for comparison of satisfaction levels between patients from rural and urban areas (? = 0.05).
Results: Patient satisfaction scores were high for both empathy and responsiveness averaged over rural (empathy 3.95 ± 0.715; responsiveness 3.93 ± 0.722) and urban areas (empathy 4.30 ± 0.640; responsiveness 4.28 ± 0.655). There were no significant regional differences for either dimension of patient satisfaction (p > 0.05), although mean scores tended to be higher among urban participants.
Conclusion: Overall, RSGM Unmul has excellent performance in the aspect of empathy and responsiveness on dental healthcare service management resulting in high patient satisfaction levels.
References
Setiawan AS, Indriyanti R, Sukmasari S. Breaking the cycle : how poverty affects children’s oral health in developing nations - a rapid review. Front Public Heal. 2025; https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1612026.
Mahqfiroh J, Kosasih. Assessing Inequality in Health Service Accessibility Based on Hospital Distribution in Indonesia. J Heal Policy Manag. 2025;10(03):272–83. https://doi.org/10.26911/thejhpm.2025.10.03.01.
Sharka R, Sedayo L, Morad M, Abuljadayel J. Measuring the impact of dental service quality on revisit intention using an extended SERVQUAL model. Front Oral Heal. 2024;1–10. https://doi.org/10.3389/froh.2024.1362659.
Othman BM, Kadasah NA. Patient satisfaction, willingness to revisit, and implications for dental clinic education : service quality perception in Jeddah, KSA. BMC Oral Health. 2025; https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-06879-2.
Hariyani N, Setyowati D, Sari MR, Maharani DA, Nair R, Sengupta K. Factors influencing the utilization of dental services in East Java, Indonesia. F1000 Res. 2025; https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.23698.2.
Alomari F. Measuring gaps in healthcare quality using SERVQUAL model: challenges and opportunities in developing countries. Meas Bus Excell. 2020;3047. https://doi.org/10.1108/MBE-11-2019-0104.
Chen H fen, Lee H er, Lin Y ti, Lin J ying, Lee H er. Rural-urban disparities in Oral Health-related Quality of Life for middle-aged and older adults with diabetes in Taiwan. Front Public Heal. 2023; https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1162201.
Prakash P. Servqual method - A tool for quality assurance in health care. IP Ann Prosthodont Restor Dent. 2024;10(2):101–5. https://doi.org/10.18231/j.aprd.2024.020.
Alam BF, Bashir R, Nayab T, Hussain T, Babar BZ, Jan SH, et al. Evaluating empathy level amongst the dental students using jefferson scale of physician empathy- health professional students. BMC Oral Health. 2024;1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-024-04267-w.
Yassine BB, Graham K, Sledge S, Carvalho M. Methods for Teaching Health Equity and Diversity, Equity Inclusion, and Accessibility to Public Health Practitioners: A Semisystematic Review of the Literature. J Public Heal Manag Pract. 2025;31(2). https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0000000000002063.
Akbar FH, Awang AH, Rivai F. Effect of Quality of Dental Health Services to Patient Satisfaction in Indonesia 2019: Importance-Performance Analysis. Pesqui Bras Odontopediatria Clin Integr. 2023;1–12. https://doi.org/10.1590/pboci.2023.031.
Cheuk J, Ho Y, Chai HH, Luo BW, Chin E, Lo M, et al. An Overview of Dentist Patient Communication in Quality Dental Care. Denstistry J. 2025;1–13. https://doi.org/10.3390/dj13010031.
Wu J hui, Lee K tsung, Cheng K i, Du J kang, Lee C yi. Patient perception of service quality to preanesthetic oral examination : a cross- sectional study using the SERVQUAL model. BMC Oral Health. 2024;24(120):1–8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-024-03853-2.
Jonkisz A, Karniej P, Krasowska D. SERVQUAL Method as an "Old New" Tool for Improving the Quality of Medical Services: A Literature Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Oct 13;18(20):10758. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182010758.
Noviyani A, Viwattanakulvanid P. Service quality as a driver of perceived value satisfaction and revisit intention in Indonesia. Sci Rep. 2025;1–13. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-29414-3.
Alhozgi A, Feine JS, Tanwir F, Shrivastava R, Galarneau C, Emami E. Rural urban disparities in patient satisfaction with oral health care: a provincial survey. BMC Oral Health. 2021;1–8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-021-01613-0.
Rahman S, Blossom JC, Kawachi I, Tipirneni R, Elani HW. Dental Clinic Deserts in the US: Spatial Accessibility Analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(12):1–13. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.51625.
Öz B, Saygili M. Trust Communication With Dentists, Perception of Service Quality, Patient Satisfaction in Dental Health Services. J Dent Educ. Juni 2025;e13955. https://doi.org/10.1002/jdd.13955.
Macpherson I, Sanagustín E, Roqué MV, Giner-Tarrida L. Evaluation of relational factor in patient satisfaction with the treatment received by dental students. Eur J Dent Educ Off J Assoc Dent Educ Eur. Mei 2024;28(2):548–58. https://doi.org/10.1111/eje.12980.
Song Y, Luzzi L, Brennan DS. Trust in dentist patient relationships: mapping the relevant concepts. Eur J Oral Sci. April 2020;128(2):110–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/eos.12686.
Young LB, Johnson DC. A Typology of Empathic Communication Strategies in Dental Visits. Eur J Dent Educ Orig. 2025;410–7. https://doi.org/10.1111/eje.13081.
Ho JCY, Chai HH, Lo ECM Lo, Huang MZ, Chu CH. Strategies for Effective Dentist-Patient Communication: A Literature Review. Patient Prefer Adherence. 2024;1385–94. https://doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S465221.
Bakhtiar M, Ardakani MSZ, Mokarram MR, Ansarifar S, Vossoughi M. The Quality of Providing Dental Services in the School of Dentistry and Private Clinics in Shiraz, Based on the SERVQUAL Model. J Dent Shiraz Univ Med Sci. 2025;26(2):121–30. https://doi.org/10.30476/dentjods.2024.99413.2149.
Arief I, Fahriati AR, Kartikasari N. Servqual Scale to Investigate Patient Satisfaction of Pharmaceutical Service at Private Dental Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia. Eur Union Digit Libr. 2022;1–6. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.11-10-2021.2319535.
Dewi FD, Sudjana G, Oesman YM. Patient satisfaction analysis on service quality of dental health care based on empathy and responsiveness. Dent Res J (Isfahan). 2011;8(4):4–9. https://doi.org/10.4103/1735-3327.86032.
Inglehart MR, Lee AH, Koltuniak KG, Morton TA, Wheaton JM. Do Waiting Times in Dental Offices Affect Patient Satisfaction and Evaluations of Patient-Provider Relationships? A Quasi-experimental Study. J Dent Hyg. Juni 2016;90(3):203–11. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27340187/.
Sur H, Hayran O, Yildirim C, Mumcu G. Patient Satisfaction in Dental Outpatient Clinics in Turkey. Croat Med J. 2004;45(5):651–4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15495296/.
Lixandru CI, Maniu I, Cernusc?-Mitariu MM, F?getan MI, Cernusc?-Mitariu IS, Domnariu HP, et al. Patient Satisfaction with the Quality of Oral Rehabilitation Dental Services: A Comparison between the Public and Private Health System. Dentistry J. 2024; https://doi.org/10.3390/dj12030045 .
Dopeykar N, Bahadori M, Mehdizadeh P, Ravangard R, Salesi M, Hosseini SM. Assessing the quality of dental services using SERVQUAL model. Dent Res J (Isfahan). 2018; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30534171/.
Zhang H, Ma W min, Zhu J jing, Wang L, Guo Z jie, Chen X tang. How to adjust the expected waiting time to improve patient’s satisfaction? BMC Health Serv Res. 2023;1–8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09385-9.
Tadin A, Dadic M, Gavic L. University Students’ Satisfaction with the Quality of Primary Dental Healthcare Services and Dentists in Croatia: A Cross Sectional Study. Clin Pract. 2023;52–64. https://doi.org/10.3390/clinpract13010005.
Song J, Kim JN, Tomar S, Wong LN. The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Dental Care: An Integrative Literature Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;1–21. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18157865.
Choi SE, Simon L, Riedy CA, Barrow JR. Modeling the Impact of COVID-19 on Dental Insurance Coverage and Utilization. J Dent Res. 2021;100(1):50–7. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022034520954126.
Copyright (c) 2026 Media Publikasi Promosi Kesehatan Indonesia (MPPKI)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with Media Publikasi Promosi Kesehatan Indonesia retain the copyright of their work. The journal applies a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0), which grants the following rights:
-
Copyright Retention: Authors retain the copyright of their work, maintaining full control over their intellectual property without restrictions.
-
Right of First Publication: Authors grant the journal the right of first publication of their work. This ensures that the work is initially published and credited in Media Publikasi Promosi Kesehatan Indonesia.
-
License to Share and Reuse: The work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, allowing others to copy, distribute, remix, and build upon the work for any purpose, even commercially, as long as proper credit is given to the authors, and any new creations are licensed under the same terms.
