The mediating role of patient satisfaction in the effect of relational marketing practice on hospital loyalty

Relational marketing is considered important by health institutions as a way to continue their existence, to maintain the patient's commitment and satisfaction to the health institutions. The aim of this thesis is to reveal the mediating role relational marketing has between patient satisfaction and hospital loyalty. In this study to measure relational marketing "Relationship Marketing Scale" was used, developed by Abdullah and Kanyan (2013); To measure hospital loyalty "Hospital Loyalty Scale" was used developed by Price and Arnould (1999) for the service industry and adapted to healthcare by Wang, Hsiao and Huang (2011); To measure Patient Satisfaction, a short form of "Patient Satisfaction Scale" was used adapted by Marshall and Hays (1994), originally developed by Ware and others (1976) and a questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic participants were used. Validity and reliability analysis of the obtained data were made. On analysing the data, descriptive statistical methods were used; 't-test on independent examples, mann-whitney u-test, one way variance analysis, chi-square analysis, correlation analysis and SPSS Process Macro 4 Model regression analysis. According to the findings obtained from the study, there is a significant relationship between relational marketing and its sub-dimensions, hospital loyalty and patient satisfaction and sub-dimensions. While empathy, commitment and communication, of the relational marketing and its sub-dimensions, have an impact on hospital loyalty; the trust dimension has no effect on hospital loyalty. Trust and commitment, ones of the relational marketing and its sub-dimensions, have an effect on patient satisfaction; empathy and communication sub-dimensions have no effect. While the interpersonal attitude, general satisfaction and time spent with the doctor, which is one of the patient satisfaction and its sub-dimensions, have an effect on hospital loyalty, the sub-dimensions of communication, technical quality, financial concerns, access and convenience do not. Additionally, relational marketing has an impact on hospital loyalty and this effect increases patient satisfaction even more. In other words, patient satisfaction has a mediating role in the effect of relational marketing on hospital loyalty. While the gender, marital status, age, disease status and place of residence of the participants did not make a significant difference in relational marketing and its sub-dimensions, hospital loyalty and patient satisfaction and sub-dimensions; while educational status does not make a significant difference in relational marketing and communication, empathy, commitment sub-dimensions, hospital loyalty, patient satisfaction and sub-dimensions, creates a significant difference in the trust sub-dimension of relational marketing. According to the results of the study, relational marketing has an importance in creating hospital loyalty and patient satisfaction. For this reason, it is recommended that health institutions internalize relational marketing practices. Because, with relational marketing, hospital loyalty and patient satisfaction will be created. This will enable institutions to survive and be more advantageous than other health institutions.