Document Type : Original Article(s)

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Educational Psychology Research, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran

2 Assistant Professor, Health Services Administration, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran

3 PhD Student, Health Services Administration, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran

Abstract

Introduction: Today the issue of quality improvement in health care organizations has become more important than before, but the effectiveness of various quality management models remains questionable. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the performance of the Total Quality Management model (ISO 9001: 2000) implemented in Social Security Organizations' hospitals in Tehran province. Methods: This was a descriptive and cross-sectional study implementing applied manner. Data were collected in brain storming committee of quality managers and experts and were analyzed with inferential statistics. Results: After implementation of ISO 9001: 2000 standards in the investigated hospitals, the rate of improvement on human resource affairs, customer satisfaction, important administrative activities, and relationship with suppliers, finance, and marketing processes were as follows: 61.24%, 60.41%, 57.91%, 50.31%, and 45.8% respectively. The average rate of improvement for all of the hospitals together over the five stated dimensions was 55.13%. Conclusion: Implementation of ISO 9001: 2000 standards promoted a lot of the organizational processes in the investigated hospitals. However, the rate of success is far from the ideal level and it is highly recommended that the investigated hospitals put more time and attention on continues improvement of the processes in their organizations specially on the financing and marketing procedures and relationship with suppliers companies.Keywords: Total Quality Management; Social Security; Hospitals.