Opinions and Strategies on the National Hospital Evaluation Program

의료기관 평가제도에 대한 인식조사와 개선방안 고찰

Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to investigate opinions and experiences of hospital CEOs' and QI managers toward the National Hospital Evaluation Program which was implemented in 2004 and to recommend various strategies to improve the program. Methods: We conducted a mail survey with CEOs and QI　managers' of 78 hospitals with 500 beds or more that participated the 2004 National Hospital Evaluation Program. Results: About 70.8% of the participating CEOs and 64.0% of the QI　managers felt that the objectives of the evaluation program weren't fully achieved. Most respondents said that the current program required a partial or an overall change. Evaluation Criteria was the most often cited area for a change. Many respondents pointed out the importance of including clinical quality indicators in the evaluation tool. Conclusions: To upgrade hospital services with better quality, it is most important to first reach consensus on objectives and approaches of the evaluation program among various players. For a consistent planning and implementation, it is urgent to set up a more systematic organization and financing mechanism. Also, evaluation approaches, including evaluation criteria, methods, patient satisfaction assessment, as well as ways to summarize and publicize each hospital's performance should be improved.