Health Education and Health Promotion

Utilizing Electronic Word-of-Mouth Data to Identify Service Quality Gaps in Healthcare Delivery and Propose Improvement Strategies

Document Type : Original Research

Authors

A. Pandey 1
A. Sharma 2
P.S. Yadav 3

1 “Research Scholar” and “Department of Management, Mittal School of Business”, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India

2 Department of Management, Mittal School of Business, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India

3 Department of Management, School of Business and Management, Christ University, Yeshwanthpur, Bengaluru, India

10.58209/hehp.14.2.427
Abstract
Aims: This study examined healthcare management and service quality by integrating electronic word-of-mouth with the SERVQUAL framework to identify service quality gaps in Noida’s healthcare sector
Information & Methods: This systematic review using a mixed-methods approach, assessed 28 studies published in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar on the impact of negative electronic word-of-mouth on patients’ perceptions of healthcare service quality and their decision-making in Noida, India. Using the SERVQUAL paradigm, the study identified and quantified service quality gaps across five dimensions: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy.
Findings: Healthcare service quality was multidimensional, with patient experiences influenced by factors, including reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, tangibility, communication, professional competence, cleanliness, waiting time, and patient-centered care. Electronic word-of-mouth and online patient-generated information played a role in communicating healthcare experiences and shaping perceptions of healthcare providers. The empirical survey further demonstrated the importance of electronic word-of-mouth in healthcare decision-making: 84.7% of respondents searched online reviews before selecting a healthcare provider, while 85.2% reported avoiding a provider because of negative online reviews. Systematic monitoring of electronic word-of-mouth, staff communication and behavioral training, improved waiting-time management, and greater transparency regarding treatment costs may support healthcare service improvement.
Conclusion: Considerable gaps between patients’ expectations and experiences—particularly in responsiveness and empathy at public health facilities—underscore the need for staff training, queue-management tools, and proactive online reputation management, while recognizing that patients may prioritize doctors’ expertise over eWOM when making healthcare decisions.

Keywords

Health
Feedback
Patients
Delivery of Health Care
Subjects
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Health Education and Health Promotion
Volume 14, Issue 2
Spring 2026
Pages 427-436