This study was performed to give direction to quality improvement strategies of nursing services by comparing the differences in quality perceptions and satisfaction for nursing services between patients and nurses in small-medium sized general hospitals with 200 beds.

The subjects, who were 150 inpatients and 162 nurses of 4 general hospitals in a community, answered a self-report questionnaire with a SERVQUAL scale.

There were differences between patients' and nurses' expectations and perceptions of nursing service and satisfaction. In the service expectation, the highest factor was ‘the responsiveness’, and in the perceived performance, the highest was the ‘assurance’. In addition, overall patients' perceptions on nursing services showed higher than nurses'. There were positive correlations among the expectations and perceptions on nursing service, and satisfaction. The correlation between perception and satisfaction was higher than the correlation between expectations and satisfaction.

To improve the nursing service quality at small-medium hospitals, strengthening the ‘assurance’ factor and improving the nursing service support system is needed. Also, this study on nurses' perceived nursing service at small-medium sized hospitals should be duplicated.

This study was performed to measure the nursing service perceived value by consumer and providers, and to investigate the relationship among nursing service, general satisfaction and hospital revisiting intent, and to examinate the tools that measures nursing service's reliability, construct validity and usefulness.

The questionnaire was developed and distributed to 300 patients and 210 nurses at three general hospitals. For data analysis, SPSS/PC program was used.

The nursing service perceived value by providers is higher than that by consumers. There are distinctive difference in the expectation, and importance and performance values of the nursing service perceived. In examination of the relationship among nursing service, general satisfaction and hospital revisiting intent, nursing service has a deep relationship with general satisfaction, but doesn't have relationship with hospital revisiting intent. The tool that measures nursing service has a good reliability and construct validity. In analysis on the usefulness between the tools, SERVPERF tool is more useful than SERVQUAL tool.

The nursing service perceived value by consumer is different that by providers, and the tool that measures nursing service has a good reliability and construct validity. The SERVPERF tool is more useful than SERVQUAL tool.