oa Fuzzy-QFD approach to quality assurance in pediatric services in public and private hospitals in Qatar

Background and objectives: This study was conducted to understand the dimensions important for quality assurance in pediatric services of public and private hospitals in Qatar. Method: The study employed Fuzzy- Quality Function Development (Fuzzy-QFD) approach to translate the patients expectations into appropriate service specifications and to perform assessments of the existing processes. The importance of this tool lies in its ability to improve customer satisfaction levels since its major role is the alignment of technical requirements on the basis of customer demands. In this study, patients who visited pediatric services were surveyed about their expectations from pediatric hospitals to develop the "WHAT" part of the Fuzzy-QFD model. Then a focus group consisting of three doctors, a nurse and one healthcare researcher was formed to identify appropriate service specifications and the existing processes available in pediatric hospitals in Qatar. The input from this group was used to develop the correlation matrix, which was an important step in the Fuzzy-QFD process. The matrix showing the relationship between the "WHAT's" and the "HOW's" seeks to match patients' expectations with the technical specifications of the services adopted by the hospitals. Results and conclusions: The final weight and ranking concluded that management should give prime importance to 1) continual survey of patients to assess their needs, 2) patients and family rights, 3) the quality of policy and procedures documentation, 4) in-service continuous education and training, 5) the management of nursing operations, 6) the Service Quality Program (quality and patient safety), and 7) the waiting and distribution systems.