T his paper involves a signi® cant review of the obstacles that face health-care organizations that undertake total quality management (TQM ) implementation. A de® nition of the concept of quality is thoroughly explored, along with the concept of total quality. The importance of TQM in the health-care industry is discussed, and a comparison of TQ M in m anufactur ing environm ents to TQM in a health-care organization environment is made . Obstacles to the application of TQM in health-care organizations are presented and discussed and conclusions and recom mendations regarding the philosophy and practice of quality managem ent and digni® ed leadership are m ade.
The rapid changes taking place in the health care sector have prompted health care organizations to pay more attention to the satisfaction of their patients. Many healthcare providers are therefore looking for ways to improve their performance as perceived by patients. This article points out the growing importance of the concept of patient satisfaction, and suggests that one of the ways to improve patient satisfaction rating is to put more emphasis on the use of appropriate information technology in the delivery of healthcare. A framework through which improvement can happen is designed to help managers conceptualize the process.
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