Objective: To evaluate the effect of healthcare employees' emotional competence (EC) on patient loyalty in public and private hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City, with a focus on the mediating roles of respect, trust, and rapport.
Method: A survey of 244 patients measured respect, trust, rapport, EC, and patient loyalty using a 5-point Likert scale. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to assess the relationships between EC and patient loyalty, comparing results between public and private hospitals.