Abstract

This study examined the impact of physicians' coaching leadership on physician-patient relationships and its effects on patient well-being and service outcomes from a healthcare management perspective in primary care settings, where establishing trust-based relationships is crucial for effective healthcare delivery. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design with 306 adult patients from primary care institutions in Korea. A structural multilevel model was applied using PLS-SEM to address multicollinearity issues among coaching leadership sub-factors. Coaching leadership was measured using Stowell's four-dimension framework, while psychological safety and customer satisfaction served as mediating variables. Rigorous common method bias testing was conducted to ensure validity. Results revealed that physicians' coaching leadership had significant direct effects on patients' psychological safety (β=0.803, p<.001) and customer satisfaction (β=0.476, p<.001). The relationship between coaching leadership and psychological safety was significantly moderated by frequency of healthcare utilization, with stronger effects among regular healthcare users. All hypothesized mediation paths were statistically significant, with coaching leadership influencing word-of-mouth intention through psychological safety and customer satisfaction. This study contributes to healthcare management literature by empirically validating the effectiveness of coaching leadership in primary care settings and identifying boundary conditions for its effectiveness across different patient characteristics. The findings provide practical implications for healthcare managers seeking to enhance patient experiences and service outcomes.