Effects of the Total Quality Management Implication on Patient Satisfaction in the Emergency Department of Military Hospitals

Emergency services are of great priority in the military health systems and patients satisfaction is among the important determinants of an emergency system efficacy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of Total Quality Management (TQM) implication on patients’ satisfaction in the emergency ward. Patients satisfaction was evaluated before and after the TQM-based quality improvement process in the emergency department by using a satisfaction survey questionnaire. Participants in the survey were patients admitted to the emergency ward of Besat Air Force General Military Hospital (Tehran, Iran) between September‒December 2009 and April-July 2011. All the possible interventions were implicated after discussions with responsible teams and the managing staff during the 15 months of the satisfaction evaluation interval. The satisfaction level for physicians, nurses, transporting and service personnel, and imaging staff has increased significantly by 12.7%, 21.8%, 17.0%, and 14.1%, respectively (P < 0.001). The overall satisfaction increased from 55.4% to 71.3% after the TQM application (P < 0.001). Considering the substantial impact of the TQM implication on increasing the satisfaction level among our patients regarding the emergency and healthcare services, we suggest that TQM can be a very effective solution in improving the health care service quality and increasing patients’ satisfaction in Iranian Military Hospitals, without significant economic strain.

Emergency services are of great priority in the military health systems and patients satisfaction is among the important determinants of an emergency system efficacy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of Total Quality Management (TQM) implication on patients’ satisfaction in the emergency ward. Patients satisfaction was evaluated before and after the TQM-based quality improvement process in the emergency department by using a satisfaction survey questionnaire. Participants in the survey were patients admitted to the emergency ward of Besat Air Force General Military Hospital (Tehran, Iran) between September‒December 2009 and April-July 2011. All the possible interventions were implicated after discussions with responsible teams and the managing staff during the 15 months of the satisfaction evaluation interval. The satisfaction level for physicians, nurses, transporting and service personnel, and imaging staff has increased significantly by 12.7%, 21.8%, 17.0%, and 14.1%, respectively (P < 0.001). The overall satisfaction increased from 55.4% to 71.3% after the TQM application (P < 0.001). Considering the substantial impact of the TQM implication on increasing the satisfaction level among our patients regarding the emergency and healthcare services, we suggest that TQM can be a very effective solution in improving the health care service quality and increasing patients’ satisfaction in Iranian Military Hospitals, without significant economic strain.