The Effect of Quality Management on the Efficiency of the Respiratory Intensive Care Unit in a Hospital

Quality management, as an organizational strategy, helps enhance hospital effectiveness and efficiency. This study aimed to examine the effect of a quality management model on the efficiency of the respiratory intensive care unit in Labafijejad Hospital, Tehran in 2013-14.
This was a participatory action research conducted in the respiratory intensive care unit in Labafijejad Hospital, Tehran in 2013-14. A quality improvement team was formed to implement the quality management system and promote working processes. The team identified and standardized working processes, determined the quality goals for the processes, and improved the processes based on the 10-stage Mosaddeghirad Quality Management model. Performance indicators of the unit (bed occupancy, bed turnover, and bed interval rates; patient average length of stay in the ward) were calculated and compared before and after the intervention.
Implementing quality management brought about an increase of 2.8% and 19.2% in bed occupancy rate and bed turnover rate, respectively, as well as a decrease of 14.1% in patient average length of stay and a decrease of 35.6% in bed interval rate in the respiratory intensive care unit of the hospital.
Implementing quality management can increase the efficiency of the respiratory intensive care unit of a hospital. A suitable quality management system and the commitment of the hospital manager and staff can result in enhancement of efficenicy in a hospital.