Strategies for Improving the Standards of Health Promoting Hospitals: A case study in the Selected Hospitals in Iran

Health-promoting hospitals seek to institutionalize the concept of prevention and health promotion among staff, empower patients in the hospital, and provide proper hospital interaction with the community, which improves the quality of services provided to people and communities. This study aimed to investigate strategies for improving the standards of health-promoting hospitals in the selected hospitals in Iran using the importance-performance analysis matrix in 2021.

Instruments & Methods:

The present mixed-method study consisted of two phases. In the quantitative phase, data related to the importance and performance of health-promoting hospital standards were collected in the selected hospitals using the World Health Organization questionnaire. In the qualitative phase, the weaknesses and strengths of the selected hospitals were identified using the importance-performance analysis matrix, and solutions to improve them were presented using the focus group method. The statistical population was managers and officials of 4 selected hospitals in Iran. By census method, 65 people were selected, and 61 people participated in the study. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the performance scores among the hospitals.

Non-government hospitals had higher mean performance scores in the standards of health-promoting hospitals. According to the importance-performance analysis matrix, standards for promoting a healthy workplace, continuity, cooperation, and patient evaluation were identified as critical points and the waste management policy standard of the selected hospitals.

Setting up appropriate educational programs regarding the promotion of staff health and staff participation in hospital policies, determining and evaluating the health promotion needs of different groups of patients recommended.