The Importance of Total Quality Management (TQM) in Improving the Quality of Medical Services and Providing Healthcare in Hospital Institutions

Abstract

In this study, we will explore the role played by Total Quality Management in improving the quality of Health services in hospitals.Total Quality Management has become crucial in many organizations, gaining particular significance in hospitals. It focuses on meeting the needs of patients, satisfying their declared and undeclared desires, creating an integrated state in the organizational structure between activities and functions, and adopting a unified team approach to initiate work with minimal errors and achieve maximum gains at the lowest costs. This necessitates, primarily, the support of top management and a commitment to Total Quality Management as a modern management approach, along with efforts to disseminate the culture of total quality across all levels and among all employees.

Moreover, the radical changes witnessed by the country in recent years confirm that the field of health, like other fields, will experience the dominance of the private sector. This has indeed begun to emerge in private clinics. Therefore, the public sector must find its place and be prepared for competition. Certainly, survival will be for the sector that provides the best services at the lowest prices. Consequently, it is incumbent upon the government to prioritize health and address the challenges in this sensitive service sector. The goal is to achieve better service for the citizen, who is considered the renewable element for all societies.

Most hospitals in advanced countries adopt a Total Quality Management (TQM) approach, which is a broad organizational method aimed at achieving continuous improvement in quality in all healthcare processes. Meanwhile, public healthcare institutions in Algeria face problems at both the organizational and financial levels, leading to an increase in the cost of Health services. At the same time, they struggle to ensure high-quality Health services.