Journal of

Background and Aim: The provision of high-quality services is considered as a prerequisite to the success of responsible organizations. Using SERVQUAL model, the present article seeks to delve into the quality of services provided in outpatient clinics as judged by patients in case-study hospitals throughout Tehran.

Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive research in which 242 subjects were studied at the outpatient clinics under investigation throughout Tehran using a standardized questionnaire named SERVQUAL (1988).

Results: The results of a t-test revealed a meaningful difference between the patients' perception and their expectation about 5 factors (tangible elements, reliability, assurance, accountability and collaboration) affecting the quality of services in clinics. The patients rated ‘assurance' as the most important factor (4.41) and ‘accountability' as the least important of the 5 factors (2.21).

Conclusion: The results indicate that the application of SERVQUAL model enables hospital managers to evaluate the quality of services as evaluated by patients as their most important clients and enhance the quality of such services through proper planning and removal of deficiencies.

Background and Aim: The increase of food residuals specially in hospital can lead to a decrease in food intake and customer satisfaction and also increase the cost of remedy and hospitalization. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of food service training of food staff on the amount of food residuals to improve hospital catering.

Materials and Methods: This was cross sectional study. The study population consisted of staff and patients in orthopedic, chemotherapy and surgery wards and their relatives (n=130). The tools of this study were satisfaction survey questionnaire and food residual observational checklist. Questionnaires were completed by the study population and observational checklist by the researchers. Data were analysed using SPSS Software.

Results: Significant difference were observed between the amount of food residual before and after personnel training (t=-5/36, p=0/001).The average amount of food remaining in the breakfast from 1/8 in pre-teaching was decreased to 0/7, at lunch from 2/09 to1/89 and in dinner time from 2/2 to 1/6.

Conclusion: It seems that educational planning of personnel could increase their knowledge about their duties and weaknesses and improves quality performance which leads to customer satisfaction and hospital profitability.

Background and Aim: The present case study aims to investigate the impact of service quality on patients' loyalty to the services rendered in outpatient clinics of the studied hospitals throughout Tehran.

Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive-analytical survey in which 242 outpatients referring to the studied hospital clinics in Tehran. For data collection purposes, the standardized SERVQUAL questionnaire(1988) and for the measurement of loyalty for service quality, the standard questionnaire for customer's behavioral tendencies(Zitamel and Berry, 1996) were used. Regarding the validity of the questionnaire, its content validity was confirmed and its reliability was approved through test-retest method and Cronbach's alpha coefficient. For data analysis, Pearson correlation test was employed.

Results: The results revealed that there was a positive and meaningful relationship between the quality of services and the patients' loyalty in Tehran clinics. The most important aspect of loyalty was complaining behavior.

Conclusion: Hospital managers should enhance their understanding and awareness to maintain, and even improve, the patients' loyalty to their services and should do their best in this regard. Hospital employees should be aware of the patients' expectations and act beyond it. Finally, they should know that rendering services to patients is teamwork and that the key to providing patients with good services lies in their satisfaction with the quality of services they receive.

Background and Aim: Accountability is a process by which all service organizations including hospitals are required to legitimize their activities. This research aims to study the seven aspects of accountability in Iran's teaching hospitals.

Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional analytic study performed in the second half of 1390 in five major medical-educational hospitals in 5 points of the country. A research-made questionnaire with seven dimensions (ethical, cultural, financial, operational, legal, informational, and structural) was used. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The total number of subjects was 454, of whom 45.6% were males and the rest were females (n = 247). They were mostly (40.1%) in the age group of 21- to 29-year-olds, and the least figure (6.8%) pertained to those older than 50 years of age. The average mean of structure turned out to be the highest (3.54 ± 0.97) and the informational dimension had the lowest (3.45 ± 0.97). The average accountability score was the highest in Rasht hospital (99.3 ± 0.61) and the lowest in Tehran hospital (3.02 ± 0.67). The correlations between all dimensions were confirmed. Moreover, accountability as evaluated in the studied educational hospitals was above average.

Conclusion: Patients' attitude towards accountability in Iran's teaching hospitals was assessed to be above average. The findings show that an office or a unit for accountability, validation, and continuous audit of its dimensions is essential to advance the high goals of the hospitals.

Background and Aim: The study of human resources flexibility impact on hospitals performance indicators can be effective on hospitals performance improvements. The main purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between human resources flexibility and hospitals’ performance indicators of Islamic Azad University.

Materials and Methods: The present research was a descriptive-analytical research that has been induced cross-sectionally in 2013. The statistical sampling has been selected randomly, and class assignment among 108 nurses, and supportive employees in five hospitals of Islamic Azad University. Data collection tools was hospital’s performance indicator forms, and flexibility questionnaire based on Right and Esnel. The process of data analysis has been done using SPSS software and by descriptive statistical indicators and correlation tests.

Results: The studied employees had low flexibility. The total studied hospitals were in undesirable situation from the perspective view of bed occupying and bed rotation ratio. Finally, there were not any meaningful relationship between human resources flexibility and hospitals performance indicators.

Conclusion: According to low flexibility of human resources of Islamic Azad University hospitals, the policies should be made in order to coordinate human resources process  with human  resources  flexibility strategies. Furthermore, human resource for the purpose of creating flexibility and hospital subsidiaries of Islamic Azad University performance improvements could be clearly effective in such hospitals situation promotion.