An integrative overview of the quality dimension: marketing implications for the consumer-oriented health care organization.

Stephen J. O’Connor, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Center for Health Services Education and Research, St. Louis University. Michael R. Bowers, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Marketing, University of Alabama at Birmingham. A major problem with the quality concept is that it is so broad and multifaceted that the issue becomes obfuscated and confused. Quite often when quality is mentioned in a health care context, it is assumed that the ensuing discussion will focus on the appropriateness and effectiveness of certain technical procedures applied by medical professionals that result in a certain outcome level of health status for a patient. The problem is further compounded since, for a number of reasons, consumers of health services have not played a strong role in determining what constitutes quality. These reasons have served to ad-