Effect of Health Transformation Plan on the Public Hospitals Performance Indicators; a case study in Iran
Abstract Introduction: Health systems need constant changes and reforms in their structure in order to adapt to changing conditions and meet the needs of society. One of the fundamental changes in the health system of Iran is the health transformation plan (HTP), the effects of which must be examined from different aspects. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of HTP on the performance indicators of public hospitals in the context of Yazd. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was carried out in all public hospitals in Yazd. Six performance indicators were examined on a monthly basis and in two time periods of 12 months before and after the implementation of HTP. Data were analyzed using SPSS software program version 22, the paired T-test and the Interrupted Time Series model. Findings: The implementation of the health transformation plan did not have a significant effect on the bed rotation distance, average length of stay and the ratio of surgical operations to bed indicators (p> 0.05). However, it had a statistically significant effect on the level and trend of mortality and hospitalization rates (p <0.05). Moreover, the implementation of HTP had a significant effect on the level of the bed occupancy indicator (P <0.05), but did not have a significant effect on the trend of this indicator (p> 0.05).Conclusion: Based on the research findings, all the selected indicators changed to some extent after the implementation of HTP, which in a way showed the effect of this plan on the performance of hospitals. Therefore, the continuation of such a plan, provided that sustainable financial resources are planned and human and physical resources are organized properly, can be an important step towards achieving universal health coverage and increasing justice in access to services.