Quality of care and patient satisfaction: Future trends and economic implications for the healthcare system

Abstract

The healthcare system is a fundamental pillar for the economy of any country. One of its main goals is to reach an adequate effectiveness of medical care so that certain levels of well-being are achieved. In recent years, healthcare has experienced important changes to take into account quality of care and patient satisfaction as the drivers of effectiveness and financial performance. In this sense, it is specifically important to bring together in a single document all aspects that participate in the quality of care and patient satisfaction relationship. The purpose of this paper is to analyze, organize, and synthesize all the theories, methodologies, factors, and variables that conform to this relationship. To achieve that, a systematic literature review of 90 articles is performed. The main contributions of this paper are to reveal all factors and aspects relevant for the quality of care and patient satisfaction binomial, and the classification of impactful articles, methodological and theoretical approaches, leading journals, and variables of interest that exist in quality of care and patient satisfaction research. Eventually, important research gaps and further research lines are highlighted.