UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Using institutional theory to analyse hospital responses to external demands for finance and quality in five European countries

Burnett, S; Mendel, P; Nunes, F; Wiig, S; van den Bovenkamp, H; Karltun, A; Robert, G; ... Fulop, N; + view all (2016) Using institutional theory to analyse hospital responses to external demands for finance and quality in five European countries. Journal of Health Services Research & Policy , 21 (2) pp. 109-117. 10.1177/1355819615622655. Green open access

[thumbnail of J Health Serv Res Policy-2016-Burnett-109-17.pdf]
Preview
Text
J Health Serv Res Policy-2016-Burnett-109-17.pdf

Download (151kB) | Preview

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Given the impact of the global economic crisis, delivering better health care with limited finance grows more challenging. Through the lens of institutional theory, this paper explores pressures experienced by hospital leaders to improve quality and constrain spending, focusing on how they respond to these often competing demands. METHODS: An in-depth, multilevel analysis of health care quality policies and practices in five European countries including longitudinal case studies in a purposive sample of ten hospitals. RESULTS: How hospitals responded to the financial and quality challenges was dependent upon three factors: the coherence of demands from external institutions; managerial competence to align external demands with an overall quality improvement strategy, and managerial stability. Hospital leaders used diverse strategies and practices to manage conflicting external pressures. CONCLUSIONS: The development of hospital leaders' skills in translating external requirements into implementation plans with internal support is a complex, but crucial, task, if quality is to remain a priority during times of austerity. Increasing quality improvement skills within a hospital, developing a culture where quality improvement becomes embedded and linking cost reduction measures to improving care are all required.

Type: Article
Title: Using institutional theory to analyse hospital responses to external demands for finance and quality in five European countries
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1177/1355819615622655
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1355819615622655
Language: English
Additional information: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License (http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
Keywords: Finance, health care, institutional theory, quality
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Applied Health Research
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1473695
Downloads since deposit
102Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item