What enhances service delivery in public hospitals in Kenya? The role of total quality management practices

Abstract

The public health sector is affected by various challenges, such as operational inefficiencies and poor service delivery. These challenges affect public hospitals' delivery of quality services that meet client expectations. As a result of these issues, public hospitals have adopted the total quality management approach to deal with these challenges. The general objective of this research was to determine the effect of total quality management application on the quality-of-service delivery across public hospitals in Kenya. The study was anchored on a resource-based view, dynamic capabilities, and system approach theories. The research applied a descriptive approach to the target population of 1718 respondents. The sampling approach for the study was a stratified random technique that selected a sample of 250 participants. The findings indicated that employee involvement, technology adoption, continual advancement, and client focus affect service delivery across various public hospitals in Kenya. The research concluded that applying total quality management practices is essential and influences service delivery across various public hospitals. Therefore, the national and county governments are supposed to ensure management’s commitment to the implementation of TQM practices across the county’s healthcare facilities.