Perceived dimensions of healthcare quality in published research

ABSTRACT

The healthcare industry is one of the most important industries in the service field. Due to the complex nature and the number of stakeholders in healthcare systems, healthcare quality is a complex concept in and of itself. This research examines the dimensions of healthcare quality as represented in published research. To ensure content validity, codes representing initial dimensions were first validated by a panel of experts, then used to perform a computer-aided textual analysis (CATA) of 320 relevant research publications. Results indicated that healthcare quality research is dominated by nine dimensions. Principal components analysis (PCA) suggested four meta-dimensions reflecting perceptions of quality in healthcare. These dimensions are medical staff, appropriate facilities, responsive features, and assurance. The analytical approach used in the current study enhances our understanding of quality in healthcare as depicted in the relevant literature base and could help guide performance improvement efforts for practitioners, administrators, and decision-makers. In addition, the results present a framework for developing conceptually insightful and effective instruments for measuring the quality of healthcare.

KEYWORDS:

• Healthcare quality
• service quality
• qualitative analysis
• computer-aided text analysis
• principal components

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank participating faculty members from the School of Medicine at the University of Kansas for their participation in the validation survey, and acknowledge contributions of Mr. Wasim Alshammary, a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Industrial, Systems and Manufacturing Engineering, Wichita State University, and his efforts in conducting CATA.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Dr. Gamal Weheba is a Professor in the Department of Industrial, Systems and Manufacturing Engineering at Wichita State University. He received his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Management Systems from the University of Central Florida. Dr. Weheba has performed research in the areas of quality management systems, statistical process control, and reliability engineering. He is a fellow of the American Society for Quality.

Dr. Laila Cure is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at Wichita State University. She received her Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering at the University of South Florida in 2011. Her research focuses on the use of analytics to support healthcare operations. Dr. Serkan Toy is an Assistant Professor in the Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine (ACCM) Department at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Dr. Serkan Toy completed an M.Ed. in Educational Technology at the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instructional Technology at Iowa State University. His research includes ill-structured problem-solving and case-based reasoning, data mining techniques in education, simulation-based training for medical education, and use of interactive online learning environments to promote decision-making and problem-solving skills.