Hospital efficiency in the eastern mediterranean region: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Recent rising costs and shortages of healthcare resources make it necessary to address the issue of hospital efficiency. Increasing the efficiency of hospitals can result in the better and more sustainable achievement of their organizational goals. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research is to examine hospital efficiency in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) using data envelopment analysis (DEA). METHODS: This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis of all articles published on hospital efficiency in Eastern Mediterranean countries between January 1999 and September 2020, identified by searching PubMed through MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. The reference lists of these articles were checked for additional relevant studies. Finally, 37 articles were selected, and data were analyzed through Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software (v.2.2.064). RESULTS: Using the random-effects model, the mean hospital efficiency in Eastern Mediterranean hospitals was 0.882 ± 0.01 at 95% CI. Technical efficiency (TE) was higher in some countries such as Iraq (0.976 ± 0.035), Oman (0.926 ± 0.032), and Iran (0.921 ±0.012). A significant statistical correlation was observed between the hospital efficiency and the year of publication and sample size (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Efficiency plays a significant role in hospital growth and development. Therefore, it is important for healthcare managers and policymakers in the EMR to identify the causes of inefficiency, improve TE, and develop cost-effective strategies.