Impact of Word of Mouth on the Decision of Purchasing Health Services Provided by Private Hospitals in Jordan

Abstract

This study aims at measuring the impact of the word of mouth on improving the decision of selecting the suitable hospital for treatment during each stage of the purchasing decision making stages. It also aims at determining the statistical differences in the perception of the sample population of the impact of the word of mouth according to its different sources and personal factors related to in-patients in Jordan private hospitals. To achieve the study objectives and to answer its questions, all inpatients in the Jordan private hospitals, estimated at 13706 thousand patients in 2015 were included in the study. The simple random sample approach was used to select 387 patients as the study sample. 

The study reveals a set of important results showing a statistically significant impact of the word of mouth on improving the decision of selecting the suitable hospital in Jordan. Moreover, it has been shown that there are no statistically significant differences in the perception of the sample population of the effectiveness of the word of mouth, be it in relation to its different sources or in relation to the different personal factors concerning the recipient in Jordan.

Finally, the study recommends enhancing the effectiveness of the word of mouth within the marketing communications strategy in service institutions in general, and in private hospitals in particular.