Title: Core quality and associated supportive quality parameters: a conceptual quality framework in healthcare establishment

Authors: Mohammad Azam; Zillur Rahman; Faisal Talib

Addresses: Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee-247667, U.Kh., India. ' Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee-247667, U.Kh., India. ' Mechanical Engineering Section, University Polytechnic, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh-202002, U.P., India

Abstract: A method of quality applicable mainly to goods and services of non-healthcare sector cannot be applied without modification or adaptation to healthcare especially in healthcare establishments and hospitals which deal with living beings as patients who themselves are the most critical input influencing the outcome of healthcare services. Therefore, an attempt has been made in this article to identify and conceptualise quality parameters/dimensions in healthcare establishment (HCE) at professional technical level, i.e., core quality as well as at supportive managerial level, i.e., associated supportive quality parameters/dimensions to achieve synergy for maintaining patient care with optimum satisfaction. Thus, a list of parameters have been evolved for these quality dimensions which have been studied in a 440 bed multi-specialty government hospital of North India thereby validating the parameters with acceptance of these quality dimensions by the hospital staff appreciating its practical utility for patient care both from professional technical and management point of view. Finally, the recommendations, limitations, future applications, and prospects are presented in the end.

Keywords: healthcare establishments; core qualities; quality parameters; associated parameters; supportive parameters; India; conceptual frameworks; patients; critical inputs; service outcomes; quality dimensions; professional levels; technical levels; supportive levels; managerial levels; synergies; patient care; optimum satisfaction; multi-specialty hospitals; government hospitals; hospital staff; practical utility; Roorkee; Haridwar; Uttrakhand; business excellence.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBEX.2012.046641

International Journal of Business Excellence, 2012 Vol.5 No.3, pp.238 - 277

Published online: 31 Jul 2014 *

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