Date of Conferral

2016

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

Jean Gordon

Abstract

As the U.S. population continues to diversify, hospitals need to understand and care for patients of diverse backgrounds and provide quality service for positive patient satisfaction scores. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative retrospective survey design was to determine what relationship exists between cultural competence initiatives (CCI) and patient satisfaction scores as reported by the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Care Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey in U.S. hospitals. The theoretical framework for this study was based upon CCI and patient satisfaction through the lens of service quality. The research questions were created to understand the relationship between CCI and patient satisfaction scores and weigh the cultural competence components relative to each other and their effect on patient satisfaction. The study's data was gathered from secondary sources: the HCAHPS and Diversity and Disparities: A Benchmark Study of U.S. Hospitals in 2013 (DDBS). Through a multiple linear regression analysis, the findings were CCI does have a significant but weak relationship with patient satisfaction. Leadership, a component of CCI, also resulted in a significant but weak relationship with patient satisfaction. The social change implications of this study are that by understanding the diverse cultural needs of its customers, health care organizations will be able to improve patient satisfaction scores. Understanding the relationship between CCI and patient satisfaction scores will aid health care organizations in determining if these initiatives are worth an investment of resources. A broader look at the significance to practice with improved patient satisfaction scores is an increased bottom line, marketing ability, and consumer attraction for hospitals.

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