Perception of Maintenance Management Strategy on Healthcare Facilities

Defect management of hospital buildings

Healthcare organisations are increasingly recognising the need to improve building performance in order to improve health care delivery, profits, and to reduce penalties. Hospital maintenance organisations are under constant pressure to plan maintenance work due to a shortage of funds on account of huge catalogues of defects in hospital buildings. While investments in hospital building maintenance are increasing, the requirement to increase building performance and user satisfaction is also increasing. The nature of building faults and the factors that influence hospital building maintenance management in Malaysia were explored. Primary data were collected through structured interview techniques involving six hospital maintenance organisations. According to the results of a survey interview involving six hospitals, water seepage, cracks, peeling paint, broken ironmongery, pipe leakage, damaged plasterboard, and discoloured paint are all widespread in hospital structures, according to the results of a survey interview involving six private and public hospitals. The key aspects that determine the maintenance management practise of hospital buildings are user attitudes, misuse/abuse, weather, and bad maintenance practice. The data revealed that hospital building users are demanding improved building performance through enhanced maintenance management service delivery. Implicit in the findings of this research is the lack of effective maintenance organisations. It is necessary to reorganise the hospital's maintenance organisations. From an ontological standpoint, the main findings of this study are generalizable to other hospitals and building typologies in and outside of Malaysia.

Patients satisfaction of core health-care business: the mediating effect of the quality of health-care infrastructure and equipment

Purpose

Although the quality of health-care infrastructure and equipment influences patient’s overall health-care experience, health-care infrastructure and equipment are not always managed and maintained with the attention required. This is due mainly to the complexity of health-care infrastructure and equipment and shortage of maintenance budget. This study aims to determine if patient’s satisfaction of core health-care business is mediated by the quality of health-care infrastructure and equipment.

Design/methodology/approach

This cross-sectional study comprises 622 adult patients at the Physician OPD and Polyclinic of Komfo Anokye Teaching hospital, Tamale Teaching hospital and Cape Coast Teaching hospital in Ghana. Structural equation model Smart PLS was used to analyse the data.

Findings

The study results showed that the quality of health-care infrastructure and equipment has a positive significant influence (mediation) on the relationship between health-care delivery and patient’s satisfaction as well as the relationship between adequacy of health-care resources and patient’s satisfaction. However, it was shown not to have a positive significant influence (mediation) on the relationship between quality of health-care personnel and patients’ satisfaction as well as health-care administrative process and patient’s satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

First, the study findings are centred on cross-sectional data, which capture the opinion of the patients at a specific time period instead of over a period of time. Consequently, in future, though difficult to achieve, a longitudinal study can be piloted to provide more insight. Second, the data was collected from only one country (Ghana); thus, the ability to generalise the results may be a challenge.

Practical implications

The implication of this study is that there is the need to prudently maintain hospital infrastructure and equipment in good working condition as it has a positive effect on patients’ satisfaction of their overall health-care experience.

Originality/value

Most studies have concentrated on patient’s health-care experience. This study extends the knowledge of patient’s health-care experience by determining the mediating role of quality of health-care infrastructure and equipment on the relationship between patient’s satisfaction and core health-care business. There are limited studies of such nature in Ghana. Therefore, this study will provide invaluable empirical data for the health-care sector of a developing African country.

Renovating Healthcare Facility Maintenance Planning: A Case Study From Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC)

PURPOSE

This article documents the development and implementation of a new approach for health facilities construction and maintenance planning, the use of a Facilities and Clinical Coordination (FCC) Council, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC).

BACKGROUND

WRNMMC is preparing for the largest and most complex renovation project in recent Department of Defense history. There is sparse documentation demonstrating stepwise frameworks for the implementation of effective and efficient health facilities maintenance management tools and techniques.

METHOD

This study discusses the development and evaluation of the FCC Council. Clarity to the literature sources guiding the development of the FCC Council is provided, followed by the survey approach undertaken to assess Council efficacy based on participants' perceptions. Data are analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

RESULTS

Our study suggests routine cross-functional synchronous FCC Council meetings improve perceptions of safety and communication, encourage teamwork, and are more productive when conducted using synchronous rather than asynchronous communication. Clinician participants strongly supported the face-to-face meeting approach and considered such meetings more effective as they are perceived to maintain staff and patient safety as a constant organizational focus.

CONCLUSION

The FCC's perceived effectiveness toward improving healthcare facilities maintenance planning centers on engaged leadership, the inclusion of diverse subject matter experts, and structured group facilitation. Our results inform health facilities planners of the value the FCC Council brings to an organization by helping to develop organizational buy-in for major facilities renovation projects.

Data center maintenance: applications and future research directions

Purpose

One of the most critical infrastructures is a data center (DC) because of it having many servers, computers and other equipment. DCs provide online services for various companies in the information technology (IT) industry. DC facilities should provide reliable online services while addressing the required quality and performance level considering maximum reliability and availability. The purpose of this study is to represent and classify the main findings in this area and to identify the main research gaps and shortcomings from the perspective of research.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper provides an organized and systematic literature review focusing on topics regarding the operation and maintenance (O&M) management of DCs.

Findings

Although there are several studies on O&M management systems for industrial systems and facilities, a limited number of studies with few methods and models have focused on DCs so far and these facilities require more attention. This paper identifies the issues and challenges for DC buildings and facilities and provides a conclusion of the findings to highlight the main research limitations for discovering new potential methods as future research opportunities.

Research limitations/implications

The paper has highlighted the main practical issues of DCs in terms of maintenance management. Several research works have been discussed specifically for DC’s maintenance, which makes this paper a credible source for researchers, maintenance managers and companies involved in the area of DC. Because several of the reviewed literature were based on real case studies, decision-makers in the DC maintenance sector can take advantage of new research on maintenance scheduling to reduce the costs of maintenance.

Originality/value

The paper has presented a comprehensive list of frequent keywords in recent publications related to O&M management for DCs. It has provided a categorized list of publications based on by their topic, methodology and case study. Because this paper has discussed research works specifically for DC’s maintenance, it is a credible source for researchers, maintenance managers and companies involved in the area of DCs.

Healthcare facilities maintenance management: a literature review

Purpose

The complexity and criticality of healthcare services highlight the importance of maintenance management function in healthcare facilities. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on maintenance management of healthcare facilities and hospital buildings to provide an organized literature review and identify gaps from the perspective of research and practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper categorizes the literature and adopts a review hierarchy according to maintenance management functions in hospital buildings. It explores the impact of those functions on the performance of maintenance activities in hospitals. Furthermore, it examines the role of information technology and automated decision support systems in facilitating hospital maintenance management functions and performance.

Findings

Literature on maintenance management in healthcare facilities and hospital buildings has so far been very limited. Recently published literature focusing on healthcare facilities management and its maintenance management functions is classified into various areas and sub-areas. The paper highlights gaps in the literature and suggests avenues for future research and improvements.

Originality/value

The paper contains a comprehensive listing of publications and their classifications according to various attributes. It will be useful for researchers, maintenance managers, practitioners and stakeholders concerned with facility management of hospital buildings.

Optimal Decision Model for Sustainable Hospital Building Renovation-A Case Study of a Vacant School Building Converting into a Community Public Hospital

Much attention has been paid to hospitals environments since modern pandemics have emerged. The building sector is considered to be the largest world energy consumer, so many global organizations are attempting to create a sustainable environment in building construction by reducing energy consumption. Therefore, maintaining high standards of hygiene while reducing energy consumption has become a major task for hospitals. This study develops a decision model based on genetic algorithms and A* graph search algorithms to evaluate existing hospital environmental conditions and to recommend an optimal scheme of sustainable renovation strategies, considering trade-offs among minimal renovation cost, maximum quality improvement, and low environmental impact. Reusing vacant buildings is a global and sustainable trend. In Taiwan, for example, more and more school space will be unoccupied due to a rapidly declining birth rate. Integrating medical care with local community elder-care efforts becomes important because of the aging population. This research introduces a model that converts a simulated vacant school building into a community public hospital renovation project in order to validate the solutions made by hospital managers and suggested by the system. The result reveals that the system performs well and its solutions are more successful than the actions undertaken by decision-makers. This system can improve traditional hospital building condition assessment while making it more effective and efficient.