Hospital Workers' Experience with Hospital Evaluation Program: A Focus Group Study

Yi, Myungsun; Oh, Ji Hyeon; Hwang, Hye Min; Kwon, Eun Jin; Lee, Jeong-hee; Park, Eun Young

doi:10.4040/jkan.2011.41.4.568

J Korean Acad Nurs. 2011 Aug;41(4):568-579. Korean.
Published online Aug 31, 2011.
https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2011.41.4.568

Original Article

Hospital Workers' Experience with Hospital Evaluation Program: A Focus Group Study

Myungsun Yi,¹ Ji Hyeon Oh,² Hye Min Hwang,² Eun Jin Kwon,² Jeong-hee Lee,³ and Eun Young Park⁴

Author information

Author notes

Copyright and License

- ¹Professor, College of Nursing & Research Institute of Nursing Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
- ²Doctoral Student, College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
- ³QA Part Manager, Management Innovation Department, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
- ⁴Professor, Department of Nursing Science, Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Incheon, Korea.
Address reprint requests to: Park, Eun Young. Department of Nursing Science, Gachon University of Medicine and Science, 534-2 Yeonsu 3-dong, Yeonsu-gu, Inchon 406-799, Korea. Tel: +82-32-820-4207, Fax: +82-32-820-4201, Email: parkeunyoung@gachon.ac.kr

Received January 12, 2011; Accepted August 04, 2011.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to understand and describe the hospital workers' experience related to the hospital evaluation program implemented in Korea between 2004 and 2009.

Methods

During 2010, data were collected using focus group interviews. Four focus group interviews were held with a total of 28 hospital workers participating. All interviews were recorded and transcribed as they were spoken, and data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Results

Nine themes emerged from the analysis: 1) Positive change in the necessity of the evaluation; 2) Improvement in the hospital system, facilities, and human resources; 3) Unity through cooperation among departments; 4) Nursing work overload; 5) Lack of physicians' awareness and responsibilities; 6) Unfair and unrealistic evaluation items; 7) Lack of credibility of the outcome; 8) Shifting responsibility for negative outcomes to the workers; 9) Lack of pragmatic utility.

Conclusion

The results of the study demonstrate that the hospital evaluation program played a key role in improving some work environments and communication among departments. At the same time, they show various negative themes resulting from the context of very authoritarian hospital systems and a connection-oriented society in Korea.

Keywords

Qualitative research; Focus groups; Health care evaluation mechanism; Hospital worker

Tables

Table 1
Characteristics of the Focus Group Interviews

Click for larger image

Table 2
Characteristics of the Participants (N=28)

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