A Study on Hospital Performance

Abstract

The present thesis has studied the role of management practices in the performance of a hospital in an Indian context. Perception of patients about the said role and its effects on performance is the focus of the study. In brief, the study has identified the following practices from the literature reviewed: (i) operations management practices, (ii) people management practices and (iii) target management practices. Each hospital is considered as a case. Within each hospital, the stakeholders: hospital administrators, physicians, nurses and patients are considered as the units of the analysis. Individual interviews were useful in identifying the management practices and the factors influencing the perception of patients. An important feature of the study is the fact that it has studied the link between the management practices and patient s perception. The study has found that management practices followed in a hospital are determined by factors like ownership, management policy, organizational framework, fund availability, external influences and the social responsibility policy of the hospital. The opinion of public and private hospitals is different in terms of better management practices. This has also been instrumental in choosing the focus area of the hospital. A Family (especially physicians) owned hospital s performance has proven that they are good in taking strategic decisions and recruiting and retaining well-qualified and experienced clinicians. This clearly signifies the changing role of clinicians as leaders and decision makers. Another important point is the impact of accreditation. Irrespective of ownership, both private and public hospitals are of the opinion that accreditation give ways to better management practices and increases a patient s satisfaction. Recruitment of the staff and job allocation also plays an important role in acquiring a good performance score. Analysis shows the need to have well-mannered and health-literate patients. It is also desirable for building a healthier environment in healthcare organizations. In the present thesis, quantitative methods and a case study approach compliment and strengthen each other. Therefore, the findings are likely to be more valid than those arrived at, using a single approach newline