Advancing towards contemporary practice: a systematic review of organisational performance measures for non-acute health charities

Abstract

Background Organisational performance measurement is a recognised business management tool and essential for survival and success. There is a paucity of methodological studies of organisational performance measurement relating to non-acute healthcare charities and this study is the first to suggest a set of evidence-informed organisational performance measures for the sector. Methods This study was designed using a two-staged approach. A systematic review of peer-reviewed journal literature between 2003 and 2016 was conducted according to the twenty-seven (27) point checklist of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) complemented by a thematic analysis of eligible data using a cutting and sorting technique to generate a set of common measures of organisational performance for non-acute health charities. Results Not one study was found relating to organisational performance of non-acute healthcare charities however four records met eligibility criteria relating to non-acute or primary healthcare services with charitable fundraising capability. Three were case studies of specific organisations that related their approach to organisational performance measurement, while the fourth compared a case study organisation to a public service. Three different organisational performance frameworks and 20 organisational performance measures were used across the four studies. Conclusions The study concluded that (1) demonstration of organisational performance is relevant to non-acute health charities; (2) organisational performance measurement is feasible in this sector; (3) an evidence-based organisational performance measurement framework for the sector has not yet been developed nor has an existing organisational performance measurement framework been adapted for the sector, although the Balanced Scorecard is likely to be an effective option and (4) five leading measures – Quality of Service; Finance; Stakeholders (Customers and Clients); People and Culture; and Governance and Business Management; could be used to determine organisational performance in these sectors. Finally, ‘Mission and Purpose’ could be explored as a potential measure. Further research to understand why there is such limited published organisational performance evidence for the sector could be useful. Case studies of organisational measurement strategies of successful non-acute healthcare charities and research into important factors for organisational performance implementation in the sector may contribute to greater uptake and knowledge dissemination.

A Framework to Implement Organisational Performance Measurement in Health Charities

“…This study formed part of a research program investigating OPM in the non-acute health charity sector [18,22]. Data suggesting barriers and success factors relating to OPM implementation in non-government organisations, charity organisations and not-for-profit healthcare organisations was extracted from non-fictional resource books and 20 peerreviewed journal articles.…”

“…Data suggesting barriers and success factors relating to OPM implementation in non-government organisations, charity organisations and not-for-profit healthcare organisations was extracted from non-fictional resource books and 20 peerreviewed journal articles. These data sources (shown in Table 1) were identified in the research group's earlier PRISMA systematic literature review [18]. That study found there was no published literature relating to OPM in non-acute health charities and that a methodologically developed OPM implementation model for the sector did not exist in published literature.…”

“…These include NSW Rural Doctors Network that provides tailored health workforce solutions for rural communities and Royal Far West that provides paediatric developmental support services. Organisations in this sector under-utilise or underreport OPM and an evidence-informed method for OPM implementation does not exist for the sector [18]. This brings into question the sector's capability to accurately measure and report organisational performance.…”

Participation Status of Charities in Iran’s Health System

“…Despite the immediate actions taken by governments, some human needs have always been in a way that neither governments nor private sectors have been able to meet them. Therefore, some specific organizations, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), have been founded to address such needs (2)(3)(4).…”

Evaluation of an organisational performance measurement implementation framework for health charities

“…Organisations exist so that people can coordinate their actions and create more social, health, economic and other value to individuals or groups of stakeholders than working on their own [1]. Success and sustained competitive advantage by outperforming others are the ultimate aim of organisations [1,2,3]. The process of accounting and tracking achievement is known as organisational performance measurement (OPM).…”