A Model of Satisfaction Promotion for Students of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences in Iran

Background: Universities of medical sciences, as organizations that ensure the progress of society in the fields of health, treatment, and medical education, have been considered in many ways. The first important goal in these universities is student satisfaction and promotion strategies. Therefore, in this study we presented a model of satisfaction promotion among the students of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Methods: The population of this applied quantitative research included students of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences. A total of 380 people were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling. The data collection tool included a researcher-made questionnaire whose validity and reliability were confirmed. Decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method, importance-performance analysis (IPA), as well as MATLAB and Excel software were used for quantitative data analysis. Results: The results of IPA showed that the research dimension was of great importance for students and the performance of the university was appropriate in this dimension. Welfare and management dimensions were of little importance, but the performance of the university was high in these dimensions. The administrative component of this dimension was not very important and the university’s performance was not good in it. The support services dimension was very important for students’ satisfaction but the performance of the university was at a low level. As a result, support services had the highest priority for improvement and the welfare, managerial, educational, research and administrative dimensions were in the next ranks for improvement, respectively. The results of causal relationships between dimensions showed that the managerial dimension had the most interaction (impact and effectiveness), followed by research, welfare, education, supportive, and administrative dimensions. The management dimension was the most effective one. According to R-J values, educational and research dimensions were the most effective dimensions, respectively. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that university policy-makers and administrators need to recognize the basic needs of students in various fields such as education, research, welfare, etc. before taking policy actions, decision-making, and future orientations.