Hospital centre performance dimensions and internal stakeholder valuation: a case study

Abstract

Purpose - Hospital centres (HCs) are the result of a horizontal integration of two or more hospital units. The benefits of this integration have been presented in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to define the hospital performance dimensions most valued by HC internal stakeholders, and to evaluate if the importance given to each dimension is different when comparing professional groups. Design/methodology/approach - An in-depth HC case study using a quantitative survey based on the Parsons' social system action theory to achieve this goal was conducted which embraces the four major models of organizational performance. In the final version of the survey, 37 items were retained for analysis. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted for a final sample of 365 participants, through principal component analysis, with oblique rotation and the Kaiser criterion. Findings - Four factors were retained: "Human resources development and Internal Processes", "Attractiveness/Openness", "Public service mission" and "Interpersonal relationships". The means factor scores only reveal statistical differences between the attractiveness/openness factor and the remaining three factors. A shared view was found in this study among the three groups of internal stakeholders: physicians, caregivers and administrative staff. Originality/value - The results of this study suggest that the HC performance concept should be expanded and performance measurement frameworks with a greater scope should be used. Interpersonal relationships, the human resources development and the public service are considered important dimensions for the performance measurement of the HC. Additionally, a consensual view regarding the most valued performance dimension could contribute to a beneficial and healthy working environment and improvements in HC performance.