An Investigation of Performance at Hospitals Affiliated with Zahedan University of Medical Sciences; Using Pabon Lasso Technique

Introduction: Assessing hospital performance by separate rates and ratios may be flawed and misleading. Various techniques and models have been designed to evaluate the performance of hospitals. Pabon Lasso technique (1986) is a useful graphical method that simultaneously determines the relative performance of hospitals, based on three indicators of Bed Turnover Ratio, Bed Occupancy Rate and Average Length of Stay. This study aims to evaluate the performance of hospitals affiliated with Zahedan University of Medical Sciences in 2011 based on the Pabon Lasso technique. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was used during 2011-2012. Using standard data-gathering form, verified by the Iranian Ministry of Health, performance indicators of 11 hospitals were recorded from the Statistical Services Center at Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. Bed Occupancy Rate, Average Length of Stay, and Bed Turnover Ratio were calculated and Pabon-Lasso chart was drawn using SPSS statistics 17.0. Results: On average, the Bed Turnover Ratio (time/year), Bed Occupancy Rate (%) and Average Length of Stay (day) were 84.92 times per year, 68.14% and 4.27 days, respectively. Based on the Pabon Lasso chart, three hospitals were located in zone 1, two hospitals in zone 2, four hospitals in zone 3, and two hospitals in zone 4. Conclusions: The performance of hospitals affiliated with Zehedan University of Medical Sciences was rather poor, indicating unsatisfactory level of technical efficiency. Future research should explore the causes of low efficiency and poor performance within these hospitals, and offer novel ways to improve their performance.