Quality and price--impact on patient satisfaction.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to synthesize existing quality-measurement models and applies them to healthcare by combining a Nordic service-quality with an American service performance model.

Design/methodology/approach: Results are based on a questionnaire survey of 1,298 respondents. Service quality dimensions were derived and related to satisfaction by employing a multinomial logistic model, which allows prediction and service improvement.

Evaluation of control over the microbiological contamination of carcasses in a lamb carcass dressing process operated with or without pasteurizing treatment.

The aim of this study was to quantify the hygienic status of a lamb slaughterhouse by means of multivariate statistical analysis, to demonstrate how the microbiological data could be exploited to improve the lamb slaughter process by constructing control charts and to evaluate the potential effect of an intervention step such as steam application on the microbiological quality of lamb carcasses. Results showed that pelt removal and evisceration were hygienically uncontrolled. TVC and Enterobacteriaceae progressively increased from the stage 'after pelt removal of hind and forelegs/before final pulling' to the stage 'after evisceration/before pluck removal' thus indicating possible deposition of microorganisms during these operations.