The impact of productivity committees being established in different hospitals of the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2008.

Introduction: One of the most important issues in today's health sector is productivity, and more attention should be paid to this topic by health managers and correspondingly by those in charge. It is believed that providing a suitable culture is necessary to improve productivity. We tried to provide this culture by establishing a Productivity Committee in different hospitals and academic medical centers of the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (IUMS). The present study aimed to explore the managers' perspectives on the influences and roles of this productivity improvement committee.
Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2008. The study population included all managers of 30 hospitals and academic medical centers of the IUMS. Data were collected by questionnaire after having tested its validity and reliability and analyzed using SPSS software.
Results: From the perspective of the center's managers, establishing a productivity committee had a great deal of influence on improving the quality of the services provided. Influence on increasing income and customer satisfaction was ranked second, followed by the influence on decreasing costs.
Conclusion: Alternatives such as conducting more training courses and workshops (about productivity) for managers and other decision makers, supervising the committees and their performance, establishing central productivity committees, issuing more guidelines and regulations are suggested to promote productivity in the health sector.
(Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier GmbH.)