Title: Managing healthcare quality using combined SWOT and the analytic hierarchy process approach

Authors: Prasanta Kumar Dey, Seetharaman Hariharan

Addresses: Aston Business School, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK. ' Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad

Abstract: Improving healthcare quality is a growing need of any society. Although various quality improvement projects are routinely deployed by the healthcare professional, they are characterised by a fragmented approach, i.e. they are not linked with the strategic intent of the organisation. This study introduces a framework which integrates all quality improvement projects with the strategic intent of the organisation. It first derives the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) matrix of the system with the involvement of the concerned stakeholders (clinical professional), which helps identify a few projects, the implementation of which ensures achievement of desired quality. The projects are then prioritised using the analytic hierarchy process with the involvement of the concerned stakeholders (clinical professionals) and implemented in order to improve system performance. The effectiveness of the method has been demonstrated using a case study in the intensive care unit of Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Bridgetown, Barbados.

Keywords: analytical hierarchy process; AHP; healthcare services; project prioritisation; quality management; SWOT matrix; healthcare quality; quality improvement.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHTM.2008.019675

International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management, 2008 Vol.9 No.4, pp.392 - 409

Published online: 19 Jul 2008 *

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