Mission effectiveness study identifies, reinforces values

When the Congregation of Alexian Brothers recommended that its sponsored institutions evaluate their mission effectiveness, the Alexian Brothers Medical Center, Elk Grove Village, IL, developed a study of patient and constituent perceptions. The purpose was to assess the degree to which the Alexian mission guided the institution's performance. Survey instruments included a survey of patient care perceptions and a questionnaire administered to Alexians, Alexian comembers, professional and support staffs, volunteers, governing board members, and administrators. Selected constituents also participated in interviews and in a survey that identified various groups' capacity to influence the medical center's mission. Administrators found that patients and constituents perceive that the congregation's ideals exist in the medical center and that constituents view those ideals as important. They concluded that institutions benefit from establishing administrative responsibility for mission effectiveness and that the study process itself can reinforce mission values.