Current status of hospital quality management activities in three hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City

Abstract

Hospital quality management (QM) activities in Vietnam increasingly demand a lean, effective, and efficient approach. This cross-sectional study, conducted from October 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023, combined quantitative and qualitative methods to describe the current status of quality management activities in three public hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City in 2023. The qualitative component utilized in-depth interviews and group discussions with semistructured questionnaires, while the quantitative component involved interviews using prepared questionnaires. All hospitals have established QM councils that play important roles in effectively guiding changes within the institutions. QM departments often concurrently handle multiple tasks, including continuing education, administrative reform, managing complaints and grievances, and participating in bid evaluations. The implementation of quality management software has begun to receive attention, but its current effectiveness addresses less than 50% of the needs. Although the number of medical incident reports varies among hospitals, it tends to increase gradually. Members of the QM network-mainly head nurses-require support from physician department heads to effectively implement quality improvement projects (QIPs). Enhancing quality management activities in hospitals necessitates enabling the quality network to function effectively, providing orientation training for all new staff, and developing QM software.