| dc.description.abstract | Quality health care is a vital component of any nation's agenda. Health institutions must strive to offer high quality health care services. To achieve these various issues must be addressed and chief among them are management factors which include human resource, infrastructure and equipments, procurement, management information system, financial management and governance issues. It is from this perspective that this study was conceived and undertaken. The study sought to find out how these management factors affect quality of health care at Our Lady of Lourdes Mwea Mission Hospital. The literature reviewed indicated that quality of health care is a crucial element in the health sector.
The literature reviewed also brought out the varied relationship between the management factors and quality of health care. The available literature was largely foreign and thus this study was conceptualised with an aim of filling the knowledge gap existing in local studies. The study was descriptive case study. The target population for the study was employees working at the Our Lady of Lourdes Mwea Mission Hospital. There were 53 employees at the hospital. The study undertook a census as the target population was small and was accessible. Data was gathered using a questionnaire. Fifty three questionnaires were distributed to the hospital staff and management. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data collected. These included frequency and percentages. The results were presented using tables and figures and were further enhanced by a narrative explanation. The presentation was done as per the study's objective and the emerging themes.
The study found that the existing status and nature of the studied management factors had varying effects on the quality of health care at the hospital. The study found out that there was notable positive effect of financial management practices, infrastructure and equipments as well as governance practices on the quality of health care services. These factors were found to facilitate the provision of quality health care services by the hospital. The study found that there is only a weak positive link between HMIS and the quality of healthcare at the hospital. The study found out there were weaknesses in the human resource management and procurement functions at the hospital which in turn had a negative effect on quality of services. The study has recommended that the hospital needs to strengthen the functions which have a positive effect on quality of health care and have a re look at the factors which have a negative effect on quality of health care. Possible future areas of study were also identified. These were; a survey other FBOs countrywide, a comparative study of rural and urban FBOs and an in depth study on anyone of the factors which were under investigation in this study. | en_US |
