TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT ADOPTION IN A PUBLIC HOSPITAL: EVIDENCE FROM MAURITIUS

Total Quality Management (TQM) has emerged as a potential solution to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of health care provision and is becoming increasingly important for the successful operation of public hospitals. The aim of the study is to determine the extent to which TQM can be adopted in public hospitals in Mauritius. The objective of the study is to assess management and employees perceptions on the critical factors influencing effective TQM adoption in public hospitals. A questionnaire comprising of items on a 5-point Likert scale was used to capture the perceptions and the data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-tests. The findings showed that the TQM dimensions have a significant impact on the perception of management and employees. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was further employed to examine if the critical factors were perceived differently by management and employees. The results also revealed that management perceives TQM adoption as being relevant and effective, in the case of public hospitals.