International Journal of Applied Strategic Management: Volume 1 Issue 1

International Journal of Applied Strategic Management: Volume 1 Issue 1

International Journal of Applied Strategic Management: Volume 1 Issue 1

Abstract
Quality has become an increasingly important means of competition in the healthcare industry. A marketing strategy has to be based on management commitment to continuous quality improvement (CQI), and this has to be applied hospital-wide and systematically. Our earlier paper, "Total Quality Management in Practice: A Singapore Healthcare Study" have indicated that Singapore hospitals have reached a certain state of development in their total quality management (TQM) practices. However, these practices have failed to meet customers' expectations. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) which is a systematic technique for designing services or products that are based on customers' expectations has been used successfully in almost all industries. This paper discusses why QFD is chosen as the methodology for the development of a total quality healthcare model. Through a case study of a hospital, this paper explores the feasibility of using QFD in healthcare. Based on the results, a total quality model was developed to guide healthcare managers in their CQI/total quality journey. Keywords: Continuous Quality Improvement, Healthcare, Quality Function Deployment, Total Quality, Total Quality Management

Introduction
The rapid growth and the dramatic changes in the hospital industry are challenging healthcare managers to find alternative ways of remaining viable. CQI is recognised as the winning strategy in today's rapidly changing and competitive healthcare environment. In our paper, "Total Quality Management in Practice: A Singapore Healthcare Study", the authors have recommended that hospitals should evaluate their existing TQM processes and activities and the result should be used to form the basis for the policymaking process. However, a hospital would need to identify and articulate the expectations and perceptions of their customers before they could evaluate the effectiveness of...

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