Debate

Setting priorities in health care organizations: criteria, processes, and parameters of success

Jennifer L Gibson¹ , Douglas K Martin^1,2 and Peter A Singer^1,3

¹University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics, 88 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1L4, Canada

²Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, 88 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1L4, Canada

³Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 88 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1L4, Canada

author email corresponding author email

BMC Health Services Research 2004, 4:25doi:10.1186/1472-6963-4-25

Published:	8 September 2004

Abstract

Background

Hospitals and regional health authorities must set priorities in the face of resource constraints. Decision-makers seek practical ways to set priorities fairly in strategic planning, but find limited guidance from the literature. Very little has been reported from the perspective of Board members and senior managers about what criteria, processes and parameters of success they would use to set priorities fairly.

Discussion

We facilitated workshops for board members and senior leadership at three health care organizations to assist them in developing a strategy for fair priority setting. Workshop participants identified 8 priority setting criteria, 10 key priority setting process elements, and 6 parameters of success that they would use to set priorities in their organizations. Decision-makers in other organizations can draw lessons from these findings to enhance the fairness of their priority setting decision-making.

Summary

Lessons learned in three workshops fill an important gap in the literature about what criteria, processes, and parameters of success Board members and senior managers would use to set priorities fairly.