Strategic Partnerships and Healthcare Service Quality in Level Four Public Hospitals in Embu County, Kenya

Healthcare systems operating under devolved governance frequently encounter financial, infrastructural, and human resource constraints that compromise the quality of service delivery. Strategic partnerships have increasingly emerged as collaborative mechanisms for strengthening institutional capacity through resource mobilization, knowledge exchange, and inter-organizational coordination. However, empirical evidence on the influence of strategic partnerships on healthcare service quality in Kenya's county referral hospitals remains limited. This study examined the effect of strategic partnerships on the quality of healthcare services in Level Four public hospitals in Embu County, Kenya. Guided by the Relational Resource-Based View, the study employed a descriptive survey research design targeting hospital administrators, clinicians, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technologists, finance officers, and clinical officers working in the county's Level Four public hospitals. A census approach was adopted, yielding 120 completed questionnaires from a target population of 148 respondents, representing an 81% response rate. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and simple linear regression in SPSS Version 29. The findings indicated that respondents perceived strategic partnerships positively, while overall healthcare service quality remained comparatively low. The study concludes that effective strategic partnerships enhance the quality of healthcare services by facilitating resource sharing, strengthening referral coordination, and improving institutional resilience. The study recommends that county governments institutionalize structured partnership governance frameworks, strengthen referral networks, and align collaborative initiatives with county health priorities to improve healthcare outcomes.