Testing of a Multiple Criteria Assessment Tool for Healthcare Facilities Quality and Sustainability: The Case of German Hospitals

Andrea Brambilla, Jan Marvin Apel, Inga Schmidt-Ross, Maddalena Buffoli () and Stefano Capolongo
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Andrea Brambilla: Design & Health Lab., Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering (DABC), Politecnico di Milano, Via Ponzio 31, 20133 Milan, Italy
Jan Marvin Apel: Institute of Management, Accounting and Finance (IMAF), Leuphana University of Lueneburg, 21335 Lueneburg, Germany
Inga Schmidt-Ross: Department of Marketing Transformation, HSBA Hamburg School of Business Administration, 20459 Hamburg, Germany
Maddalena Buffoli: Design & Health Lab., Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering (DABC), Politecnico di Milano, Via Ponzio 31, 20133 Milan, Italy
Stefano Capolongo: Design & Health Lab., Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering (DABC), Politecnico di Milano, Via Ponzio 31, 20133 Milan, Italy

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 24, 1-25

Abstract: Background: Hospital facilities are an essential part of healthcare systems, making the assessment of their quality and sustainability pivotal. Most existing evaluation tools lack a holistic and validated approach, while predominantly excluding the built environment. The Italian hospital evaluation tool SustHealth v2 addresses the shortcoming of existing applications through its structured and more integrated approach; there is the need for further testing it. Methods: The study aims to test for the first time in an international case study the multicriteria assessment tool previously developed and validated. The tool assesses social, environmental, and organisational qualities in hospitals with an online survey containing 199 closed questions sent to German hospitals. A total of 14 full replies have been collected and the resulting data analysed through descriptive statistics and heat maps identifying patterns in ownership and size. Results: Within the sample, higher scores are reported in Social Quality, while lower in Environmental and Organisational Quality. Respondents performed well in the sustainability dimensions of health promotion, waste management, and patient safety. Improvements can be achieved in energy management, facility management, and technological innovation criteria. Private hospitals slightly outperform both public and non-profit clinics. The findings presented in this study suggest a non-linear relationship between sustainability and hospital size since the highest scores were obtained by either small or large facilities. Conclusion: The study highlighted strengths and limitation of SustHealth v2. Further testing and comparison are encouraged in different context.

Keywords: hospital; sustainability; quality; evaluation tool; healthcare facilities; sustainability of healthcare facilities; social sustainability; environmental sustainability; organisational sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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