The effect of patient-physician relationship on patients' loyalty to physician and hospital

The patient-physician relation is important for supplying of affective health care and improving the patients' loyalty to physicians and hospitals. The aim of this thesis realized by moving from this view is to demonstrate that whether there is a connection between effective patient-physician communications and patient's loyalty to physician and hospital, whether the patient-physician communications influence the patient's loyalty to physician and hospital and whether participants' socio-demographic features make a difference on the patient-physician communications and patient's loyalty to physician and hospital. In this study the Perceived Efficacy in Patient-Physician communications Questionnaire (PEPPI), which is developed by Maly and friends(1998), was used for measuring the patient-physician communications; Hospital Loyalty Questionnaire, which was developed by Price and Arnold (1999) for service sector and then adapted to health care by Wang, Hsiao and Huang, is used for measuring patient loyalty; physician loyalty questionnaire was developed by Price and Arnold (1999) and customer satisfaction questionnaire was developed by Sharma and Patterson (1999) were used for measuring physician loyalty; and also physician loyalty questionnaire, which was developed to measure Interpersonal Service Quality Questionnaire by Hausman and Mader and adapted to health service by Wang, Huang ve Howng (2011), and a questionnaire consist of participants' socio-demographic features are used. Validity and reliability analyses of the obtained data were carried out. Descriptive statistical methods, path analysis, Independent Samples t-test and one-way ANOVA were used analyses of data. According to the findings of this study, there was a meaningful relationship between patient-physician communication and patient loyalty for physician and hospital. Patient-physician communication had a meaningful effect on patient loyalty for physician and hospital. There was a statistically meaningful difference according to gender physician - patient relations and there were statistically meaningful differences according to marital status, occupation and age to physician's loyalty. Other socio-demographic features don't cause any differences on patient-physician communication or patient loyalty for physician and hospital. Moreover; it is understood that the sex of the physician also has not an effect on patient-physician communication or patient loyalty for physician and hospital. According to the results of the study, patient-physician communication can be used as an important tool for creating patient loyalty for physician and hospital. Therefore; it is recommended that patient-physician communication must be evaluated as a part of the physicians' professional equipment and communication skills must be developed both on the process of formal education and work areas. It is considered that efforts on developing communication skills will provide important advantages in today's competitive environment on account of both patient-physician communication and patient loyalty to physician and hospital.