Transparency, accountability, and governance: a literature review in the context of public hospitals

Abstract

This study develops a literature review based on bibliometric analysis on the theme of transparency and accountability within the scope of governance of public hospitals, seeking to identify research lines, theories, research methods, and existing gaps through the analysis of scientific publications until 2020. The investigation followed the theoretical lens of transparency and accountability in the public sector to understand its framework within the scope of the governance of hospitals. Using the Bibliometrix software, and after the consultation process of the articles published in the Scopus and WoS databases, a sample with 118 articles was selected. It was found that, in the period between 2017-2020, approximately 85% of the publications were qualitative, and there is a growing trend in the study of transparency and accountability within the scope of governance of public hospitals. Transparency often appears interconnected with the accountability of agents (accountability), external communication policies (public reports), internal communication policies, and their comprehensibility. The predominance of publications of North American and Chinese origin was also noted. The study also identifies the scarcity of research using quantitative models that explore dependency relationships between the dimensions studied, limiting the comprehensibility of the interdependence between transparency practices and organizations’ internal and external attributes. The study contributes to the knowledge about the interactions between transparency, accountability, and reporting within the scope of governance of public hospitals.

Promoting transparency and accountability towards anti-corruption in pharmaceutical procurement system: does e-procurement play a significant role?

“…The items used for the measurement scales in this study were adapted from relevant literature and previous works on transparency, accountability, e-procurement and anti-corruption in the public pharmaceutical procurement system (Adil and Haliah, 2022; Kohler and Dimancesco, 2020; Mackey and Cuomo, 2020; Koller et al ., 2020; Nunes et al ., 2023; Rahman et al ., 2021; Martinez et al ., 2017; Paschke et al ., 2018). To assess face validity, the questionnaire was reviewed by six procurement managers and five pharmacists with adequate knowledge and experience in the public pharmaceutical procurement system.…”

“…Overall, the study contributes to the TRC by providing empirical evidence and theoretical insights into the role of transparency, accountability and e-procurement in promoting compliance with regulations and reducing corruption in the pharmaceutical procurement system. It extends the understanding from previous studies of how these factors can work together to create a conducive environment to reinforce each other and enhance anti-corruption efforts in the pharmaceutical procurement landscape (Sekalala et al ., 2020; Nunes et al ., 2023; Kohler and Dimancesco, 2020; Koller et al ., 2020). The study findings demonstrate that by implementing transparent practices, robust accountability mechanisms and an e-procurement system, organisations can enhance fairness, openness, responsibility and compliance with regulatory requirements, thereby reducing the likelihood of corrupt behaviours.…”

“…Whilst there is a growing body of literature (Kohler and Dimancesco, 2020;Aduwo et al, 2020;Mackey and Cuomo, 2020;Koller et al, 2020;Nunes et al, 2023) exploring the effects of transparency, accountability and e-procurement individually in relation to anti-corruption measures, yet there is a need for research that investigates the combined impact of these factors within the specific context of the pharmaceutical procurement system. Understanding the interplay between transparency, accountability and e-procurement and their collective contribution to anti-corruption efforts in this domain is crucial for developing effective strategies and policies.…”