Critical Factors Affecting Medical Treatment Loyalty Based on Taiwan’s Framework of Age-Friendly Hospitals: A Regional Hospital Case Study of Taiwan

This study uses eight dimensions based on Taiwan’s Framework of Age-Friendly Hospitals along with two questions regarding medical treatment loyalty to develop the final questionnaire and to survey the elderly people aged 65 years old and above and/or their companions in a hospital of Taiwan. The results show that physical environment is the most critical variable to influence medical treatment loyalty. Relentlessly creating a good and friendly physical environment helps the case hospital continue to gain loyalty of elderly patients. Hospital image is the second important variable to influence the willingness to continue the medical treatment in this hospital. Physician-patient relationship is the second important variable to affect the willingness to recommend relatives and friends to this hospital. Finally, companions tend to have negative impacts on medical treatment loyalty than patients. Hospital management needs to seek medical supports and increase satisfaction from patients’ companions to strengthen medical treatment loyalty.