Tendency to Transparency (T3) in general public hospitals’ managers

Abstract

Objective (s): Access to relevant information is the basis for making the right decision and choice. However, people have very little information about the structures, processes and outcome of hospitals and the quality, price and efficiency of services provided. The experiences of other countries have shown that the first step to move towards transparency is the tendency and determination of the authorities. This research then aimed to measure the tendency of hospital managers to be transparent in disclosing information to public. Methods: The present study was an applied descriptive study using survey method. A questionnaire was developed by research team and used after confirming the face and content validity as well as its reliability. This questionnaire was completed by 310 senior, middle and operational managers of genral public hosptials affilated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). Data analysis was performed using SPSS software. Results: The highest tendency of participants was towards information transparency related to the structural indicators and the lowest was in outcome indicators of hospitals. Management level, organizational position and level of education showed significant relationship with the tendency to transparency in its various dimensions. Conclusion: Hospital managers have a relatively strong tendency for transparency of information in the general public hospitals. Taking knowledge of the priorities and desires of managers, policymakers might be able to identify the disclosable performance indicators. Public disclosure of less sensitive indicators (i.e. structural indicators) might pave the way for the transparency practices.