The development of a model for total quality health care

Citation

(2001), "The development of a model for total quality health care", Measuring Business Excellence, Vol. 5 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/mbe.2001.26705baf.010

The development of a model for total quality health care

The development of a model for total quality health care

P.C. Lim and N.K.H. Tang, Managing Service Quality (UK), Vol. 10 No. 2, 2000

Laments the failure of health-care providers to provide a satisfactory service, at least in the eyes of consumers, despite implementation of quality programmes in many cases, and considers how this situation can be improved; proposes a total quality health-care model based on quality function deployment (QFD) which can be used to analyse customer requirements and develop strategies for the provision of total quality health care through a partnership between clinicians and managers. Details a pilot study of the model in a 1,000-bed hospital in Singapore, outlining the methodology, the implementation framework for QFD application, the results and managerial implications, and revealing the particular quality dimensions (e.g. responsiveness) and service elements (e.g. appointment system, doctor-to-bed ratio and staff knowledge) needing improvement; discusses the benefits of this QFD approach, and the organizational structure required to derive full benefits from the model.

Quality focus says: A case study article with implications both for research and practice.