[Not Available]. / ¿Es posible una red de benchmarking entre hospitales públicos? Proceso de creación de la Red.7.

INTRODUCTION: As a result of a prioritised improvement action during the second self-assessment using the EFQM Excellence Model carried out in Sierrallana Hospital (Cantabria, Spain), it was decided to form a Benchmarking Network between Hospitals. The objective of this work is to present how this action was developed to create the Benchmarking Network "Red.7". MATERIAL AND METHODS: Using the 2004 "Catálogo Nacional de Hospitales "we pre-selected hospitals which could be compared with ours. We asked for information on results indicators in the Health Services of the different regions and we selected those hospitals that could be integrated into the Benchmarking Network. We contacted the top management of the selected hospitals in order to offer them the possibility of participating in the Network. Finally we organised a scientific session to create the Network. RESULTS: We pre-selected 74 hospitals from 12 regions and 18 of them were selected. Seven of these 18 hospitals responded to our invitation, of which one decided to not participate. Finally the Benchmarking Network was created with 7 hospitals: Fundación Alcorcón; El Bierzo, Morales Messeguer, San Jorge, Sierrallana, Son Llàtzer and Valle del Nalón, hospital. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the EFQM Excellence Model permitted us to detect a gap in the comparison of results and best practices with other hospitals from the National Health Service, and we have been able to form an integrated Benchmarking Network with hospitals similar to ours in the different regions.

[Variables related to job satisfaction. Cross-sectional study using the European Foundation for Quality Management [EFQM] model]. / Variables relacionadas con la satisfacción laboral: un estudio transversal a partir del modelo EFQM.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the influence of the dimensions of people items and sociodemographic characteristics included in the EFQM model on high satisfaction of healthcare workers in a district hospital. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study in November 2003. The questionnaire used was the personal satisfaction survey of the Basque Country (Spain). The outcome measure was a high degree of satisfaction (75th percentile or higher). Independent variables were sociodemographic and organizational characteristics. The association among variables was assessed using odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence interval (CI). Adjustment for confounders was performed by unconditional logistic regression. RESULTS: On a scale from 0 to 10, the mean general satisfaction score was 5.95 (standard deviation, 2). Twenty-five percent of workers gave their general satisfaction with the organizational climate a score of 8 or more points. The most positively considered features were the environmental policy, hierarchical relations, promotion, and professional development. The most negatively viewed items were salary, knowledge and identification of objectives, and training. The variables most closely related to outcome were a favorable perception of training (adjusted OR = 5.04; 95% CI, 2.16-11.77) and recognition of the work performed (adjusted OR = 4.68; 95% CI, 2.20-10.08). Sociodemographic factors had less influence on satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Almost half of the staff surveyed in our hospital were satisfied or highly satisfied with the organizational climate. Satisfaction was strongly associated with positive evaluation of organizational characteristics.