ISO 9001 in health service sector: a review and future research proposal

Purpose – This paper aims to describe the state-of-the-art in ISO 9001 research in healthcare service sector and propose the future research agenda. Design/methodology/approach – A comprehensive literature review of the ISO 9001 studies in healthcare service sector was carried out. Findings – The effectiveness of ISO 9001 implementation in healthcare service sector is still not clear. Previous researches show common stages for implementing ISO 9001 in a healthcare service organization. However, there is no previous research that reveals the content of the system implemented. In addition, there is no previous research that reveals the interpretation of ISO 9001 based on the practice of ISO 9001 implementation in an organization. Based on the review, eight future research agendas were proposed. Originality/value – The paper is believed to be the first to discuss the state-of-the-art of ISO 9001 researches in healthcare service sector.