Thesis (MTech (Office Management and Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / Healthcare facilities across South Africa are increasingly facing a myriad of societal, fiscal, political and cultural challenges associated with demands for greater quality in the provision of healthcare services. This study measures service quality and customer satisfaction at a Cape Town hospital (hereinafter referred to as Hospital X), with the aim of providing its management with information to enable them to enhance service quality and thus improve customer satisfaction. It is essential to note that the respondents in this study were the parents or guardians of patients. The views of the patients were not obtained directly from them as it would have been unethical for minors to have participated in the survey. Their parents or guardians were surveyed in order to obtain the requisite data. The problem investigated was that management at public hospitals does not regularly research what customers need from a service quality point of view, Therefore, Hospital X may be failing to provide a quality service to its customers, namely, parents and guardians. Against this background, the researcher set out to measure customer perceptions and expectations of service quality by making use of the SERVQUAL model. “Customer expectation” is what the customer can reasonably expect given the available resources and is likely to be influenced by personal needs and past experience. “Customer perceptions” are totally subjective and based on the customer’s interaction with the service provided at Hospital X. The SERVQUAL model (reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy and responsiveness), is commonly known as the RATER model, RATER being an acronym formed from the first letter of each of the five dimensions of SERVQUAL. The study incorporates the SERVQUAL dimensions within a survey comprising a number of questions structured on a six-point Likert scale. The results of applying the SERVQUAL model will indicate whether or not Hospital X provides a quality service to their customers. The study seeks to demonstrate the importance of service quality and customer satisfaction to hospital management, as well as the impact that effective service quality can have on customers’ evaluation of their overall hospital experience. (The term customer will be used interchangeably with parent and/or guardian in this study.)

This prospective descriptive study describes the referral patterns to the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital. The study was conducted from 1st July to 31st December 1987 and entailed the collection of all referral letters presented (9288) to the hospital and the analysis of a sample of these letters (4702). The results indicated: * The patients are similar in terms of age and sex to those attending the Outpatients Department except that relatively fewer referred patients are Black. * The private sector, i.e. general practitioners, is the largest referral agency followed by Day Hospitals. * Most patients were ref erred to the Outpatients Department without an appointment. * Of the specialist clinics, the surgical clinics, i.e. Ophthalmology and Ear, Nose and Throat Clinics, were utilised the most. * The majority of patients (84,90%) were not admitted. * The contact made by the hospital with referral agents was poor (only in 30,30%). * The quality of information in referral letters was generally poor and did not contribute to patient care. Recommendations are made to the hospital and relevant health authorities.