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This paper explores the effect of perceived service quality, trust, perceived value and perceived cost on patient satisfaction and loyalty as well as exploring the moderating role of the sociodemographic factors.

The data were gathered from 462 patients via a structured questionnaire, while structural equation modeling was utilized for the analysis.

Results indicated that trust, perceived value and patient satisfaction have important roles in shaping the patient loyalty, while patient satisfaction was found to fully mediate the patient’s perceived service quality. Loyalty relationship was also found to partially mediate the trust–loyalty relationship. Nonetheless, the patient’s satisfaction–loyalty relationship was found to be only moderated by the age factor.

Implications are provided to the Egyptian private hospitals in order for them to formulate improvement plans as well as set higher standards of conduct.

This original research is the first one, up to the researcher knowledge, that explores the drivers of patient satisfaction in the private hospitals in Egypt.

This study aims to provide insights into the public–private partnerships (PPP) concept and its performance measurement in the health-care sector, identifying and refining critical success factors, including the perceived quality of health care, as evidenced by patient satisfaction and policy requirements for successful PPP implementation.

This theoretical study explores the existing literature on the relationship between service quality and patient satisfaction, to propose a culture-specific conceptual model interlinking the drivers of patient satisfaction with PPP. The in-depth theoretical research focuses on the qualitative performance indicators of PPPs, as well as their corresponding peripheral factors.

The research presents theoretical evidence that the concept of patient satisfaction can only be viewed through a multifactor perspective that incorporates demographics of patients, perceived service quality factors and emotions. It is found that significant improvements in service quality and patient satisfaction do, indeed, emphasize the effective role of PPP in hospitals.

The theoretical model is based on a comprehensive set of both cognitive and affective determinants. And considering these, as well as their causes, effects and interrelations, sets the foundations for testing and for further research to develop. Moreover, the outcomes of this study can be used as a theoretical base for the development of a PPP qualitative performance measurement framework.

This study attempts to fill the gap in knowledge on service quality and patient satisfaction as qualitative indicators for hospital performance after and toward PPP, while setting explicit factors and opening clear research avenues for further studies to follow.

Monitoring the perception of quality by parents and the satisfaction with their children’s treatment is crucial in developing high-level health-care services. The purpose of this paper is to identify the perceived quality factors by parents of paediatric orthodontic patients according to the levels of satisfaction.

A survey with 316 parents of paediatric orthodontic patients of 45 offices in a big Brazilian city was conducted. The questionnaires included statements on the parents’ satisfaction and perception of quality concerning their children’s treatment. The data were analysed using multivariate statistics (exploratory factor analysis, cluster analysis and discriminant analysis).

Parents were classified into three clusters according to their level of satisfaction. This survey identified 11 quality factors perceived by parents of patients regarding their children’s orthodontic treatment. Among them, five factors discriminated the clusters: orthodontist’s technical skills, administrative organisation, location (accessibility and convenience), treatment duration and dental supplies.

This research identified the perceived quality factors that most impacted parents of orthodontic patients’ satisfaction, contributing to dentists in developing strategies and actions to improve the quality of services in dental offices.

This paper included 11 perceived quality factors in the hypothetical model, identified through literature review and a qualitative phase. Moreover, multivariate statistical analyses confirmed the validity and reliability of the questionnaires, classified respondents in clusters and identified the perceived quality factors that most discriminated them. Therefore, the current investigation presented a more comprehensive and robust analysis than the previous studies on this topic.

The medical tourism market across the globe lacks a consolidated, standard customer-based brand equity (CBBE) scale till the present day. The purpose of this research is to theorize a scale with probable existing dimensions and based on prior literature adding culture and infrastructure/superstructure as new components for global comparison among BRICS and SAARC nations. This empirical research initiates laying the foundation of deriving a unified scale.

Extensive literature reviews from leading academic journals, books and web information were used to theoretically propose the scale. R (an open source coding language) was used for quantitative analysis.

Culture (environment index) and infrastructure/superstructure (industry/economic index) were found to be relevant in the context of CBBE scale for medical tourism. The other dimensions are brand awareness, brand association, perceived quality and loyalty.

The research literature was fragmented because of international scopes of medical tourism destinations as well as a variety of medical services offered. The dynamic nature of this industry, which is dependent on several factors such as healthcare, cost, related services, tourism etc. made it difficult to access the real contribution of individual items.

This paper proposes the foundation to develop a CBBE scale for medical tourism in India, adding culture and infrastructure/superstructure as new dimensions. It opens doors for new research with scale refining, branding assessment and fine-tuning items for the new dimensions.

This research is the first of its kind to create a standard CBBE scale for developing countries. It has added a new set of literature and consolidated prior contextual works on culture and infrastructure in reference to medical tourism. The questionnaire is of practical value to hospitals. The interview transcript is novel in nature for future works.

This chapter provides an overview of the strategic implications of chatbot use and implementation, including potential applications in marketing, and factors affecting customer acceptance. After presenting a brief history and a classification of conversational artificial intelligence (AI) and chatbots, the authors provide an in-depth review at the crossroads between marketing, business, and human–computer interaction, to outline the main factors that drive users' perceptions and acceptance of chatbots. In particular, the authors describe technology-related factors and chatbot design characteristics, such as anthropomorphism, gender, identity, and emotional design; context-related factors, such as the product type, task orientation, and consumption contexts; and users-related factors such as sociodemographic and psychographic characteristics. Next, the authors detail the strategic importance of chatbots in the field of marketing and their impact on consumers' perceived service quality, satisfaction, trust, and loyalty. After discussing the ethical implications related to chatbots implementation, the authors conclude with an exploration of future opportunities and potential strategies related to new generative AI technologies, such as ChatGPT. Throughout the chapter, the authors offer theoretical insights and practical implications for incorporating conversational AI into marketing strategies.

Gamification unlocks unprecedented opportunities in healthcare, wellness and lifestyle context. In this scenario, by leveraging on such an approach, information technologies now enabled gamification-based mobile applications primarily employed in health and wellness contexts, focusing on areas such as disease prevention, self-management, medication adherence and telehealth programs. The synergistic integration of gamification-based methodologies in conjunction with the utilization of digital tools, (e.g. as for Internet of Things, mobile applications) for the realm of digital therapeutics (DTx), thus unveiled powerful approaches and paradigms, yielding innovative applications that, through the harnessing of sensors and software-based systems, transform healthcare maintenance, wellness and lifestyle into an engaging pursuit, as a game. This paper explores the factors influencing individuals' intention to autonomously utilize mobile gamification-based apps for self-care and wellness maintenance.

Through explorative research designs an experiment has been conducted among a sample of 376 participants regarding the use of a fictitious gamification-based DTx solution, consisting in a mobile app namely “Health'n’Fit”.

Findings from an experiment conducted with a sample of 460 participants shed light on the possible antecedents and consequents of gamification. Results of the SEM model indicate that customization (CU), trust (TR), mobility (MO) and social value (SV) are the main determinants, although at a different extent of the playful experience; Moreover, gamification positively impacts attitudes and, in turn, perceived usefulness, intention to use and behavioral intentions.

This paper offers a dual-pronged approach that holds practical significance in the realm of healthcare innovation. First, the authors delve into the antecedents shaping individuals' intention to engage with gamification-based DTx, unraveling the factors that influence user adoption. Beyond this, the authors extend their focus to the realm of healthcare service design. By harnessing the potential of gamification and technology, the authors illuminate pathways to conceptualize and create novel healthcare services. This work not only identifies the building blocks of user engagement but also serves as a guide to innovatively craft healthcare solutions that leverage this amalgamation of technology and gamification, contributing to the evolution of modern healthcare paradigms.

In a social context, the paper introduces pioneering technological synergies that merge gamification and DTx to enhance individuals' health and wellness maintenance. By proposing innovative combinations, the authors present novel avenues for promoting healthier lifestyles and behavior change. This not only underscores the potential of technology to positively impact individuals but also highlights the significance of aligning technological advancements with societal well-being. As the research advocates for these innovative solutions, it reinforces the importance of collaborative technological and marketing endeavors, ultimately contributing to the betterment of society as a whole.

This is the first paper exploring the combined effect of gamification and DTx, by shedding light on the peculiarities of both the antecedents of individuals' intention to use such combined technologies.

The purpose of this study is to find out the factors that influence dental travelers’ revisit intention (RI) to Tijuana, Mexico.

Based on the push and pull model, five constructs were included: quality service, price, supporting services, cultural proximity and quality information. The information was obtained by applying an online survey to a sample of 384 dental tourists in Tijuana, Mexico, who were repeat patients of a dental clinic in Tijuana after the COVID-19 pandemic. Exploratory factor analysis, average variance explained and composite reliability were conducted to ensure the validity of each construct. Multiple regression analysis was done to identify predictors of travelers’ RI.

The results obtained show that cultural proximity, quality service, price and supporting services influenced the travelers’ revisit behavior after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.

This study contributes to the body of knowledge on travel behavior in dental tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, which has been scarcely studied. Also, RI was analyzed, focusing on repeated travelers to propose a model mainly for borders or frontiers where developed and developing countries co-exist and interact.

Understanding the outcomes of co-creation (CC) in healthcare is increasingly gaining multidisciplinary scientific interest. Although more and more service management scholars have pointed out the benefits of cross-fertilization between the various research fields, the literature on this topic is still scattered and poorly integrated. This study aims to summarize and integrate multiple strands of extant knowledge CC by identifying the outcomes of health CC and the determinants of these outcomes and their relationships.

A structured literature review was conducted per PRISMA guidelines. A total of 4,189 records were retrieved from the six databases; 1,983 articles were screened, with 161 included in the qualitative thematic analysis.

This study advances a comprehensive framework for healthcare CC based on a thorough analysis of the outcomes and their determinants, that is, antecedents, management activities and institutional context. Extant research rarely evaluates outcomes from a multidimensional and systemic perspective. Less attention has been paid to the relationship among the CC process elements.

This study offers an agenda to guide future studies on healthcare CC. Highlighting some areas of integration among different disciplines further advances service literature.

The framework offers an operational guide to better shape managerial endeavors to facilitate CC, provide direction and assess multiple outcomes.

This is the first extensive attempt to synthesize and integrate multidisciplinary knowledge on CC outcomes in healthcare settings by adopting a systematic perspective on the overall process.

Bitner’s (1992) concept of servicescape has received widespread academic attention, resulting in many conceptual and empirical studies. By scanning the servicescape literature and other relevant concepts, Pizam and Tasci (2019) provided experienscape, an expanded version of servicescape, to be measured from different stakeholders’ perspectives with a multidisciplinary approach. This paper aims to build on Pizam and Tasci’s conceptualization of experienscape and expand its nomological network with other pertinent concepts related to different stakeholders with an interdisciplinary approach.

This is a conceptual study analyzing diverse literature related to servicescape, experienscape and other related concepts and theories to provide an integrated and holistic picture of experienscape for more robust theory development. Several new relationships are synthesized for hypothesis development and testing in future research.

The review of past research reveals that servicescape literature has mostly focused on outcomes for the benefit of brands and firms and missed outcomes for consumers and other stakeholders. In addition, servicescape literature lacks several critical concepts in the affective, cognitive and behavioral reaction domains, as well as moderator factors. The relevance of some theories such as branding (e.g. brand identity, personality, image, perceived quality, consumer value, brand value and self-congruity), cocreation/coproduction/codestruction, transformation, subjective happiness, subjective well-being and quality of life is completely overlooked.

Experienscape is a container of complex systems where needs, wants and expectations of multiple stakeholders are entertained, often at the same time through dynamic interactions among multiple stakeholders. Thus, a holistic understanding of experienscape requires dynamic integration of theories explaining the behavior of different stakeholders by cross-fertilizing theories through interdisciplinary research rather than unidisciplinary or multidisciplinary research conducted in separate silos.

By adopting Pizam and Tasci’s (2019) experienscape concept, this study expanded the relational network of service environment components (i.e. sensory, functional, social, natural and cultural components of experienscape) by incorporating diverse theories and concepts that explain cognitive, affective and conative reactions of different stakeholders to an experience environment. Additionally, the current study recommends attention to human-centric outcomes such as transformation, subjective well-being, subjective happiness and quality of life, which were completely overlooked in previous servicescape research.