Determinants of goal achievement for Continuous improvement projects in hospitals

Continuous improvement projects (CIPs) such as Kaizen events, Six Sigma projects, Lean projects, and quality improvement projects have been used by hospitals to improve their processes and corresponding results. However, evidence in the literature suggests that hospitals experience difficulty achieving successful outcomes with in CIPs. CIP success may be measured by perceptual measures, such as those used in survey investigations, and/or with more objective measures, such as in this study. The purpose of this study is to identify the most significant determinants of success for CIPs in hospitals based on objectively measured goal achievement. In order to address this aim, 35 CIPs in hospital settings were studied and data were analyzed using logistic regression. Results indicate that Team Operation is the most significant determinant of the extent to which CIPs achieve their goals. This finding differs from previous research on CIPs that uses perceptual measures of CIP success and can be used to develop a more holistic understanding of the determinants that influence multiple successful outcomes.