Total quality management in accredited New South Wales hospitals: a public/private comparison.

Analysis of data collected in a 1994-95 survey of accredited New South Wales hospitals examined the adoption of key elements of total quality management practice in the public and private sectors. In a number of areas of practice widely considered to be central to a hospital's total quality management efforts, there was no statistically significant difference between the two sectors. Where differences existed, total quality management practices more likely to be adopted by public hospitals were limited in their scope and likely to be explained by structural peculiarities. In contrast, private hospitals were more likely to adopt practices more critical to the successful implementation of total quality management.