Improving Hospital Efficiency and Cost Management: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Internationally, improving hospital efficiency and reducing costs in the healthcare sector is a goal that requires major effort and successful collaboration. Most hospitals have a dedicated department responsible for quality control, and this is where many of the challenges to efficiency and cost reductions arise. The purpose of this study is to review the literature on the successful improvement of hospital efficiency and cost reduction with no negative impact on the quality of patient care. For this study, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. We screened the available data from 2014 to 2024 in various respected databases, including the Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) (via EBSCO), the Cochrane Library (via Wiley), PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus. The selected articles (n = 7) met the criteria set by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, ensuring their quality and relevance. The study designs that were included are randomized clinical trials, systematic literature reviews, and prospective and retrospective cohort studies. The selected studies represent a wide range of programs and approaches that were adopted to address the issue of hospital efficiency and cost reduction, for example, the Plan-Do-Study-Act problem-solving model and a telemedicine program. These approaches achieved a 25%-50% reduction in costs, allowing for the reallocation of resources and, ultimately, an improvement in the quality of care (QoC). Regarding hospital efficiency, hospitals were encouraged to explore systems to support patient care that did not simply involve new equipment and would help reduce the supply shortage.  The findings of our study provide valuable insights that can act as a foundation for policymakers tasked with improving hospital efficiency and cost-effectiveness. On the one hand, this findings emphasize the importance of focusing on the provision of quality service, encouraging collaboration, and creating tailored solutions. On the other hand, this focus will help hospitals achieve systems that ensure efficiency, promote sustainable outcomes, and improve cost management in healthcare.