Assessment of infrastructural determinants for quality improvement programs for healthcare organizations in Qatar

摘要

The purpose of this descriptive, comparative study was to re-examine certain organizational and structural elements that correlate with the effectiveness of quality improvement program implementation in hospitals. These elements are: (a) leadership commitment and support for quality improvement, (b) process understanding and integration with quality improvement, (c) human resource and training, (d) planning short and long-term quality plans, (e) information and data management, (f) customer focus, (g) innovation-oriented culture, and (h) a supplier partnership, built on trust and the exchange of information. The study was conducted in five hospitals in Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in the State of Qatar. A validated questionnaire was used and purposely surveyed 221 employees. To ensure the generality of data, the results were compared to results of a similar study conducted in the same setting in 2009. The findings identified a significant relationship between the specified infrastructural elements and the implementation of quality programs at the organizational level. The study conclusion determines factors facilitating the implementation of effective quality program in healthcare organizations. Building on the study conclusions; an operational model for effective implementation of quality improvement programs in healthcare organizations was constructed. The model provides an evidence-based framework for hospitals' leaders; they will be able to take into consideration the factors that contribute to the success of the implementation of quality improvement programs, from as early as the planning stages.