Evaluation of economic knowlege of hospital managment network Tehran, Feb.2007

Economic efficiency of any organization is based on economic knowledge of its board of decision makers. Hospitals as important organizations in terms of economic and health activities have to a right economic decision making attitude. With regards to in efficiency of Iranian hospitals and their wasteful performance, the present study intended to describe and analyze the economic knowledge among hospitals board of decision makers. A cross-sectional approach was taken in order to search for reason of efficiency among hospitals. Study has focused on the board of decision maker’s mentality about economic concepts particularly those relevant to health and hospital economics. Teaching hospitals affiliated with Tehran, Iran and Shahid Beheshti Medical Science Universities, hospitals affiliated with Social Insurance Organization and Private hospitals in Tehran were determined as the sample of this study. Head and manager of hospitals together with head of nursing, accounting and administration officer were considered as members of board of decision makers in hospitals. On the hole 55 people interviewed as study population. Collected data was processed through SPSS software. Knowledge of the members has measured through a 3 point scale: appropriate (positive), in appropriate (negative), and midpoint. Generally, 10% of the members had appropriate level of knowledge about hospitals economic concepts. The appropriate level of knowledge observed for economic dimensions of budget, cost and cost analysis, insurance and payment methods were 17%, 11%, 11% and 0% respectively