Performance Of Acute Hospitals Research Articles

Measuring Hospital Mortality

The hospital standardised mortality ratio (HSMR) and the summary hospital mortality index (SHMI) are both in current use in the UK as measures of the performance of acute hospitals. Characteristics of both the acute hospital itself and of its local healthcare environment influence these indices. Whilst many hope that measures of mortality can be used as a surrogate for healthcare quality, this is an evolving area.

The relationship between organizational culture and performance in acute hospitals

This paper examines the relationship between senior management team culture and organizational performance in English acute hospitals (NHS Trusts) over three time periods between 2001/2002 and 2007/2008. We use a validated culture rating instrument, the Competing Values Framework, to measure senior management team culture. Organizational performance is assessed using a wide range of routinely collected indicators. We examine the associations between organizational culture and performance using ordered probit and multinomial logit models. We find that organizational culture varies across hospitals and over time, and this variation is at least in part associated in consistent and predictable ways with a variety of organizational characteristics and routine measures of performance. Moreover, hospitals are moving towards more competitive culture archetypes which mirror the current policy context, though with a stronger blend of cultures. The study provides evidence for a relationship between culture and performance in hospital settings.