A Methodology for Determining Productivity Within a Hospital Dietetics Department

Author

Suzanne Emmons Correnti, Fontbonne College

Year of Award

1986

Degree

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

College

College of Business & Professional Studies

Degree Program

Business

Department

Business Administration

Keywords

Workload, Health Care, Industry, Scheduling, Schedule, Hospital, Meal

Abstract

Productivity and its measurement is an 'issue that continues to challenge managers in all organizations. In the health care industry particularly, the successful manager is the one who can produce optimal resource allocation. In a review of literature, it has been determined that productivity statistics exist for the health care manager. But, acceptance of such standards by all facets of the organization is not realistic. This is evident in the ancillary service of Dietetics. Most methods utilized for the measurement of productivity in health care lack specificity, timeliness, and a consideration for quality when it concerns the Food Service Department. There do appear to, be some useful techniques and these include determination of total labor hours, labor cost per labor hour, scheduling based on performance standards, and forecasting to control food service costs. It would seem a simple task to match work and time in a hospital Dietetics Department, but this is not the prevailing situation. What follows is an exploration of the subject of productivity as it relates to the health care industry and development of a methodology to perform productivity measurement in the Dietetics area of service. This methodology proposes extensive analysis of the Food Service Department, establishment of priorities for analysis, evaluation of activities performed to serve patient meals, and implementation of a productivity measurement system to affect optimal department operation.

Document Type

Restricted Thesis

Recommended Citation

Correnti, Suzanne Emmons, "A Methodology for Determining Productivity Within a Hospital Dietetics Department" (1986). All Theses, Dissertations, and Capstone Projects. 628.
https://griffinshare.fontbonne.edu/all-etds/628