Iranian hospital efficiency: a systematic review and meta-analysis
International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance
ISSN: 0952-6862
Article publication date: 11 March 2019
Issue publication date: 11 March 2019
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper (systematic review and meta-analysis) is to synthesize and analyze studies that assessed Iranian hospital efficiency.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature search was conducted using both international (the Institute for Scientific Information, Scopus and PubMed) and Iranian scientific (Magiran, IranMedex and Scientific Information Database) databases. The review included original studies that used the Pabon Lasso Model to examine Iranian hospital performance, published in Persian or English. A self-administered checklist was used to collect data. In total, 12 questions were used for quality assessment.
Findings
In total, 34 studies met our inclusion criteria. The fixed-effects meta-analysis indicated that 19.2 percent (95% confidence interval (CI): 15.6–23.2 percent) of hospitals were in Zone 1 (poor performance: low bed turnover rate (BTR) and bed occupancy rate (BOR) and high average hospital stay (ALoS)), 23.7 percent (95% CI: 20.1–27.8 percent) were in Zone 2, 31.7 percent (95% CI: 27.7–36 percent) in Zone 3 (good performance: high BTR and BOR and low ALoS) and 25.4 percent (95% CI: 21.7–29.5 percent) in Zone 4.
Practical implications
Results help Iranian health policymakers to understand hospital performance, which, in turn, may lead to promoting greater awareness and policy attention to improve Iranian hospital efficiency.
Originality/value
This study indicated that most Iranian hospitals had sub-optimal performance. Further studies are required to understand factors that explain the country’s hospital inefficiency.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the financial support received from the Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences Research Council.
Citation
Rezaei, S., Hajizadeh, M., Nouri, B., Ahmadi, S., Rezaeian, S., Salimi, Y. and Karyani, A.K. (2019), "Iranian hospital efficiency: a systematic review and meta-analysis", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 32 No. 2, pp. 385-397. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-03-2018-0067
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited