Introduction of Chinese hospital ranking method from the aspect of theoretical framework, practical choice and social effect

Abstract

Background: The Chinese hospital ranking list collated by Hospital Management Institute, Fudan University has had increasing credibility with the people and hospitals in China. It helps patients choose a hospital most suited for them to meet with their medical demands, and helps set a benchmark for the development of hospitals. This paper will detail the Chinese hospital ranking method from the aspects of theoretical framework, practical choice and practical effect. Method: Social reputation is used to reflect “process” and the ability to develop sustainably is used to reflect “structure”, and in combination, these two dimensions determine the Chinese hospital rankings. Results: The final results conclude four different hospital ranking lists, including ‘the hospital reputation rankings of each clinical specialty’, ‘the hospital reputation rankings’, ‘the hospital comprehensive rankings’, and ‘the regional hospital comprehensive rankings’ , which are published yearly. Conclusions: With the development of Chinese hospital rankings produced by the Hospital Management Institute, its credibility is constantly growing. What’s more, it brings great social effects. First, for patients, it provides some useful information about hospitals when they contract severe diseases. Second, for hospitals, it helps to set the benchmark, which will help medical specialized development. Third, it is used as reference of unit performance assessment within a hospital. Fourth, for the local governments, it serves as a guide to the disciplinary construction of medicine in the region.