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Quality management in a healthcare organisation: a case of South Indian hospital

Usha Manjunath (Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India)
Bhimaraya A. Metri (Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, India)
Shalini Ramachandran (Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development, Coimbatore, India)

The TQM Magazine

ISSN: 0954-478X

Article publication date: 6 March 2007

5047

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to provide an analysis of quality management using the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Criteria (MBNQA) criteria in a 300‐bed hospital in South India.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) criteria in‐depth interviews are conducted with the heads of the departments in the case hospital. Data is analysed and compared with the MBNQA points to evaluate the performance of the hospital in all the seven criteria's of MBNQA.

Findings

The paper presents the strengths and opportunities for improvement through MBNQA criteria. The total points scored are 753 out of 1,000 points. This reveals that quality performance of case hospital is of higher level. However among all the seven criteria, the hospital has still more opportunity to improve the quality in MBNQA criteria no. 4, i.e. measure, analysis and knowledge management.

Research limitations/implications

This study brings out a potential area of research about how the ratings and activities in the case hospital compares with other health care organisations.

Practical implications

The outcome of this paper clearly indicates that MBNQA criteria act as a powerful tool to analyse the quality performance of the hospital. The health care organisations can use MBNQA as self‐assessment tool to evaluate and to improve the health of the hospitals. MBNQA as self‐assessment tool help the hospitals to lay the road map for world‐class performance.

Originality/value

The paper illustrates the measurement of quality performance through MBNQA to the healthcare administrators that is the first step for managing and improving quality in health care organisations. It provides lessons for those hospitals that have already started quality initiatives.

Keywords

Citation

Manjunath, U., Metri, B.A. and Ramachandran, S. (2007), "Quality management in a healthcare organisation: a case of South Indian hospital", The TQM Magazine, Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 129-139. https://doi.org/10.1108/09544780710729971

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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