Quality, satisfaction and loyalty in the emergency service of public hospitals, from the central zone of Ecuador

This study seeks to analyze in a holistic way the satisfaction of patients who make use of emergency services of public hospitals in the central zone of Ecuador, one of the most sensitive areas which is under constant scrutiny by users and physicians whoever give continuity to the treatment of patients. Through structural equations modeling (SEM) it was evidenced that there is a positive and significant relationship between the quality of service and satisfaction, as well as between the latter and the loyalty of the users. There was no direct relationship between the quality and the loyalty of the patients. These results highlight the importance of these variables for the integral evaluation of the satisfaction and loyalty of the clients of an organization.