Hospital performance evaluation indicators: a scoping review

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Healthcare Management
• Performance Measurement

Background:

• Hospitals are major health system budget consumers, necessitating reliable performance metrics.
• Evaluating hospital performance is crucial for resource allocation and quality improvement.
• A systematic approach to identifying and categorizing performance indicators is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To categorize and present a comprehensive set of indicators for evaluating overall hospital performance.
• To provide a structured framework for selecting relevant hospital performance metrics.
• To support evidence-based decision-making in healthcare management.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science.
• Studies exploring hospital performance evaluation indicators from various dimensions were included.
• Extracted indicators were classified into categories, subcategories, and performance dimensions.

Main Results:

• 91 English language studies published within the last 10 years were included.
• A total of 1161 indicators were extracted and classified.
• Indicators were categorized into 3 main groups, 14 subcategories, 21 performance dimensions, and 110 main indicators, further classified by production process (input, process, output, outcome, impact).

Conclusions:

• The study provides a comprehensive set of indicators for hospital performance evaluation at multiple levels.
• These indicators can be validated and applied in different healthcare contexts and countries.
• A tailored selection of indicators can be utilized for hospital performance assessment based on specific national conditions.