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Table 1 summarises the number of beds each respondent has in their hospital and Table 2 summarises the management level of the respondents. The findings revealed that 8 (50%) of hospitals' top management are medical practitioners, 7 (44%) are non-medical practitioners and 1 (6%) has a mixture of both. Table 1: No. of Beds at Respondents' Hospital
Size |
Distribution |
100 to 400 beds |
7 (44%) |
401 to 800 beds |
6 (37%) |
> 800 beds |
3 (19%) |
Source: Compiled by the Authors
Table 2: Management Level of Respondents
Management Level |
Distribution |
CEO |
8 (50%) |
Quality Manager |
7 (44%) |
Communications Manager |
1 (6%) |
Source: Compiled by the Authors
Observations and Issues
Table 3 determines the level of understanding of top management in developing a TQM culture and the TQM practices of Singapore hospitals.
The findings revealed that the majority of the respondents have:
i. a high level of understanding of what is required to develop a TQM culture
ii. conducted customer satisfaction surveys to understand the needs and expectations of the customers
iii. involved physicians in their decision-making process
iv. formed integrated networks to bring healthcare services closer to patients
v. adopted benchmarking
vi. used continuous training of doctors and staff
vii. developed recognition/reward schemes for doctors and staff for their positive contributions towards productivity, teamwork and leadership
Table 3: TQM Practices of Singapore Hospitals
Management Quality Practices |
Adopted by No. of hospitals |
% |
Strategic Planning |
|
|
Mission statement as an inherent part of strategic plan |
15 |
97.3 |
Mission statement as a guide for gaining commitment in: |
|
|
i. patient care |
16 |
100 |
ii. training |
15 |
97.3 |
iii. research |
8 |
50.0 |
Physician involvement in strategic planning process |
15 |
97.3 |
Integrated networks to bring healthcare services closer to patients |
12 |
75.0 |
‘Managed care' programmes to contain rising healthcare costs |
8 |
50.0 |
“One-stop shopping” for the diagnosis and treatment of virtually any medical problem |
10 |
62.5 |
Quality Management |
|
|
Quality consciousness and commitment by all staff |
16 |
100 |
Conducted customer satisfaction survey |
14 |
87.5 |
Organisational culture dedicated to continuous improvements |
14 |
87.5 |
Adopted benchmarking |
13 |
81.3 |
ISO 9000 certification: |
|
|
i. ISO 9000 certified |
5 |
31.0 |
ii. in the process of ISO 9000 certification |
2 |
13.0 |
iii. Have QA systems but not ISO certified |
4 |
25.0 |
iv. None of the above |
5 |
31.0 |
Human Resource Management |
|
|
An affirmative action equal opportunity employer |
14 |
87.5 |
Training of doctors and staff |
16 |
100 |
Used external resources for training of doctors and staff |
14 |
87.5 |
Training, as part of strategic or competitive planning process |
14 |
87.5 |
Organisational culture builds an environment for employee participation and involvement, teamwork and leadership |
14 |
87.5 |
Developed recognition/rewards |
13 |
81.3 |
Change management is an important aspect of Human Resource Management |
13 |
81.3 |
Information and Innovation Management |
|
|
Timely information from MIS to improve decision-making process, quality of patient care, productivity and reduction in costs |
13 |
81.3 |
Extended role of computers from automating processes to enhancing quality |
14 |
87.5 |
Use of medical technologies to improve process performance without increasing costs |
13 |
81.3 |
Use of IS/IT and medical technologies for competitive advantage |
11 |
68.6 |
Innovative ideas from staff resulted in improved productivity and increased customer satisfaction |
12 |
75.0 |
Source: Compiled by the Authors
However, the majority of the respondents have not maintained proper documentation of their TQM programmes.
The results of the Kendall Tau Correlation Analysis carried out to identify the correlation among the variables are as follows:
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