Analysis of Efficiency and Resource Allocation at Different Wards in Shariati Hospital, Isfahan, Iran, Using Data Envelopment Analysis

Introduction: Hospitals are considered as the most important resource consuming units in health 
sector. They are also one of the main organizations providing health services. Hence, paying full 
attention to the efficiency of different wards of a hospital is of great importance. The aim of this 
study was to analyze the efficiency of different wards of Shariati Hospital, Isfahan, Iran, by the 
use of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). 
Methods: This study evaluated and analyzed the efficiency of clinical wards of Shariati Hospital 
(15 wards) in 2010 using DEA. For this purpose, input-oriented model of DEA based on variable 
return to scale was applied. Two inputs, i.e. number of beds and personnel, and three outputs, i.e. 
inpatient bed occupancy ratio, performance and activity of ward were considered. To analyze the 
data, "DEA-Solver" was used. 
Results: The results obtained from DEA showed that different wards of Shariati Hospital had at 
least an 8% capacity for increasing efficiency without any increased costs. In other words, the 
existence of surplus production was clear in the hospital. 
Conclusion: In the process of study, efficient and inefficient wards have been recognized. Out of 
15 wards, 7 wards were efficient and the others were inefficient. For inefficient wards, reference 
sets were appointed based on a combination of efficient units and some suggestions for 
reallocating the resources to these wards.