Investigating Productivity Changes in Medical Records Departments of Tehran University Of Medical Sciences Hospitals Using Malmquist Index

Limited resources and rapid increase of costs, makes productivity improvement in hospitals considerably important. This study tries to measure the productivity in medical records departments of selected hospitals and provide a comprehensive image of their performance.

This applied descriptive analytical study tries to assess the Malmquist index in medical records departments of Tehran University of Medical Sciences hospitals during 2006-2008. Data gathering was conducted through interviews and studying the statistics of all activities in medical records departments. The data was analyzed using DEAP 2.1 software.

This study showed that while medical records departments in Razi and Vali-e-Asr had the highest improvement in productivity, the rates at Imam Khomeini Hospital and the Heart Center were almost constant. In addition, medical records department of Farabi and Ziaeeyan hospitals had the lowest total factor productivity index.

Considering the improved Malmquist index in more than one-third of studied medical records departments, they can provide a good model for productivity improvement in other departments. Moreover, other methods, such as hiring medical records graduates and experienced managers, can help improve the productivity in the mentioned departments.