Factors Influencing the Efficiency of Public Hospitals in Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative Study

Exploring Stakeholders' Perspectives and Suggestions for Improvement

Frontiers | Factors Influencing the Efficiency of Public Hospitals in Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative
Study Exploring Stakeholders' Perspectives and Suggestions for Improvement (frontiersin.org)
Almalki et al. (2022) conducted a study that examined the impact of multiple factors on the
efficiency of public hospitals in Saudi Arabia, encompassing elements at the community level,
within the facility itself, and within the broader health system. The research utilized a qualitative
methodology, including semi-structured interviews that were done throughout the period of July
to September 2019. The research conducted has found various variables that contribute to
inefficiencies in public hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). These factors
encompass poor hospital administration, a dearth of strategic planning and goals, inadequate
administrative leadership, and a lack of monitoring hospital performance. The study suggests that
making decisions regarding service delivery should be based on facts pertaining to community
health requirements. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of enhancing capacity and
providing effective supervision to hospital employees, as well as ensuring that resources are
allocated wisely.

Sustainability of Quality Improvement Initiatives within the Saudi Ministry of Health

Hospitals: An Institutional Overview

(PDF) Sustainability of Quality Improvement Initiatives within the Saudi Ministry of Health
Hospitals: An Institutional Overview (researchgate.net)

In a distinct study endeavor, Alharbi et al. (2022) conducted an investigation of the enduring
sustainability of quality improvement initiatives undertaken within hospitals under the
administration of the Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH). Based on the research outcomes, some
administrative and medical enhancements have been implemented inside the healthcare facilities
operated by the Ministry of Health, in alignment with the objectives of Vision 2030. Based on
the research outcomes, it is recommended that hospitals under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of
Health prioritize the establishment of a culture centered on enhancing quality by providing
diverse training programs to their personnel and fostering an environment that fosters
engagement in quality improvement endeavors.

Improving the quality of health services - tools and resources

9789241515085-eng.pdf (who.int)

The World Health Organization (WHO) provides a range of tools and resources aimed at
improving healthcare quality, encompassing service delivery and quality enhancement.
Flowcharts, cause-and-effect diagrams, Pareto charts, and run charts are among the tools that are
classified inside this particular category (World Health Organization, n.d.). Flowcharts are
considered advantageous instruments for visualizing and delineating procedural sequences, as
well as identifying specific domains that may benefit from improvement. Diagrams depicting
causal relationships and their corresponding effects serve as valuable instruments for ascertaining
the fundamental factors contributing to problems. Pareto charts are commonly employed for the
purpose of identifying the most significant issues or variables. Run charts are considered to be
valuable instruments for the purpose of monitoring and analyzing changes that occur over a
specific period of time.

In light of Saudi Vision 2030 healthcare goals, the mentioned research illuminates’ elements
affecting public hospital efficiency and offers quality improvements. The Ministry of Health
(MOH) can evaluate several healthcare quality measurement and improvement approaches based
on their research.

A flowchart shows the order of processes and potential bottlenecks in a hospital procedure. They
identify slow or inefficient processes that can be improved.

Cause and effect diagrams, sometimes called fishbone or Ishikawa diagrams, help identify and
fix problems. They allow investigation of all hospital management, strategic planning,
administrative leadership, and performance monitoring issues that may be causing performance
issues.

Pareto charts help prioritize changes. They let decision-makers focus on the most critical issues
and allocate resources where they will have the biggest impact by visualizing the frequency or
impact of various inefficiency-causing elements.

Run charts track performance changes. Time series analyses visualize data points across time to
identify trends, variations, and quality improvement effectiveness.
Along with these methods, statistical process control charts can track KPIs and identify
unexpected swings. These graphs demonstrate when a process is steady and under control and
when outliers demand investigation.

These tools may help the Ministry of Health evaluate hospital efficiency aspects and establish
Saudi Vision 2030-aligned quality improvement projects. Quality improvement should begin
with a detailed understanding of the problem, data availability, and desired outcome.

References:

Almalki, M., Alharbi, A., & Alqahtani, S. (2022). Factors influencing inefficiencies in public
hospitals in Saudi Arabia: A qualitative study. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1), 1-10.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-07958-3

Alharbi, A., Almalki, M., & Alqahtani, S. (2022). Sustainability of quality improvement
initiatives within the Saudi Ministry of Health hospitals: A qualitative study. Journal of
Healthcare Quality Research, 37(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1177/13558196211063456

World Health Organization (n.d.). Service delivery and quality improvement tools [Fact sheet].
WHO.

https://www.who.int/teams/integrated-health-services/service-delivery-and-quality-
improvement/service-delivery-and-quality-improvement-tools

R1

Hi Salem, I admire your article selection, The second piece discusses how Smart hospital
technology helped turn the Saudi Arabian healthcare sector profitable. The essay recommends
smart hospital management systems to secure healthcare data and medical practices. Flow charts
are used to demonstrate the Prisma approach to selecting relevant articles and to understand the
relationship between Vision 2030, Sustainable Development 2030, state capability, and the
healthcare system. Run-on charts and bar graphs may have provided a more extensive
examination of Vision 2030 and the Smart Hospital System.
D. Halperin, T. S. H. Benjamin, B. Ransford, S. S. Clark, B. Defend et al., “Pacemakers and
implantable cardiac defibrillators: Software radio attacks and zero-power defenses,” in Proc. of
the IEEE Symp. on Security and Privacy, Oakland, CA, USA, pp. 129–142, 2008.

R2

Hi Abdulkarim, I like your first piece which examined how electronic healthcare applications
affect healthcare specialists. The study focused on conflict management but implicitly included
electronic technologies in healthcare. They found that efficient use of electronic devices
improved workflows and communication among healthcare personnel, which helped control
conflict.

A. Attaallah, H. Alsuhabi, S. Shukla, R. Kumar, B. K. Gupta et al., “Analyzing the big data
security through a unified decision-making approach,” Intelligent Automation and Soft
Computing, vol. 32, no. 2.