Dear James,

If you were a PhD student suggesting this as a research project title I would say that it was far too broad. I think you need to be more specific. Think about what it is you really need to know, what you are able to measure or assess and who will benefit from this knowledge.

Simple. Three suggestions. Match their performance against the target set and agreed for the hospital. Have they achieved or not. Second, carry out a comparative analysis with similar organisations nationally and internationally. Finally, measure their value for money. What are the outcomes they are able to achieve on the basis of the money they have expended.

I suspect the real question is how you do these things. There are different approaches (explicitly quantitative and explicitly qualitative ones). Your setting, expertise available to you and the resource you have will determine how best to carry out this assignment.

You could use patient satisfaction survey which will require a detailed questionnaire developed one each of the hospital's delivery services.

As mentioned by Peter Samuels, this is a very big area and so will need to take into consideration different approaches and parameters. You can also consider triangulating with other non-qualitative methods, for example, focused group interviews with the different services provided at the hospital or dispensary establishment.

I feel qualitative approach will yield the best result as you are more interested in quality rather than producing statistical analysis of charts which would have restricted the type of quality of information you are looking out for. In the case of qualitative method, it is possible that probing through a question will allow more themes to emerge which will help you to address pertinent issues.

Public facilities health managers in East Africa usually do not set measurable targets as part of their annual operation plan.  It is business as usual. 

Gordon, kindly elaborate on the different approaches (explicitly quantitative and explicitly qualitative ones) to measuring facility performance. Any publication or linkages.

 Dear james

I think,one should evaluate the performance of health care facility through following parameters

Please search for 

1."CARE MODEL" FOR PATIENT SATISFACTION 

2.BENSON JOHNSON DIAGRAM-TO ASSESS THE OPERATIONAL ASPECT.

you will get the answer.

Thanks

It´s great this topic. My thesis was about social networks related on performance. I think that performance must be measure based on relations and not, based on only econmics outcomes.

You can see the “10 Essential Public Health Services” framework from CDC

http://www.cdc.gov/nphpsp/essentialservices.html

And you may utilize the National Public Health Performance Standards tools (NPHPS)

http://www.astho.org/Programs/Accreditation-and-Performance/National-Public-Health-Performance-Standards/

Good luck!

Generally, the components of the large hospitals vary from the components of dispensaries but a dispensary could be a component of a hospital in most cases.  A large hospital has complex organisational structures, inputs (5M .... i.e. manpower (medical+non-medical), money, machines, materials etc.), whereas the smaller ones tend to have smaller and simpler organisational structures and inputs.  Performance assessment should be against goal that should reflect the values of various stakeholders (patients, professions, insurers, regulators etc.) not only data output. 

Include: If the hospital appropriately follow regulatory guidelines prescribed by the state law? How was service consumers’ and staffs' experiences (satisfaction) ? The statistical indicators do indicate positive or negative? One may think and list out what (which components) to evaluate?  May apply both the quantitative and qualitative approaches.    

Dear Ana M Valles-Medina,

Thanks for the info and the URL address. I have a little challenge with technology here in the rural setting especially extremely slow internet connectivity. Kindly attach draft copies of the assessment form and score sheet as well as instruction.

Hi we have developed an approach and tools for this (and for PHC facilities) which we have used over the past decade in many African countries - can look and download at http://resources.healthpartners-int.co.uk/resource/impact-field-guide-pprhha-for-secondary-health-care-facilities/

or just google health partners international and look under rsources

I agree with the comment by Peter Samuels.  James, you have not indicated to us exactly what your problem is.  Although your internet connectivity may be limited, you should be able to access the WHO framework (2005) for assessment of hospitals (link attached).  

http://intqhc.oxfordjournals.org/content/17/6/487