Influences on client loyalty to reproductive health-care clinics in the Philippines and Thailand

Studies of factors that affect client loyalty to reproductive health (RH) clinics are limited. This is the case even though the International Conference on Population and Development held at Cairo in 1994 noted, among other issues, the importance of understanding how client perceptions of quality and satisfaction impact continued use of RH clinics (Ashford, 2001). From the client’s perspective, stronger clinic loyalty enhances willingness to follow treatment recommendations and keep subsequent appointments (RamaRao and others, 2003). From the clinic’s perspective, stronger loyalty results in more positive word-of-mouth and repeated visits. Visit continuity in turn increases staff’s ability to deliver quality care and reduces higher costs of recruiting new clients to replace one or two-time users (Sandaram, Mitra and Webster, 1998).