Comparing the Efficiency of Hospitals in Northern Iran Before and After the Covid-19 Pandemic Using the Pabon Lasso Model

The Pabon Lasso Model is often used to assess the efficiency of hospitals as the most important component of the health care system. The present study sought to evaluate and compare the efficiency of hospitals in northern Iran before and after the COVID-19 pandemic using the Pabon Lasso Model. This descriptive study was conducted in 36 public, private, and social security hospitals in northern Iran from 2019 to 2020. The hospitals were selected using the census method. The data were collected using the forms approved by the Ministry of Health and Education. The three indices of bed occupancy rate, bed turnover frequency, and the average length of stay were calculated and plotted using the Pabon Lasso graphs. The collected data were analysed using the paired samples t-test. The average bed occupancy rates in 2019 and 2020 were equal to 67.72% and 52.28%, lower than the national standard rate. Moreover, the average lengths of stay were 2.58 and 2.83 days and the bed turnover rates were 96.7 and 77.94, higher than the national standard rate. Of the total 36 hospitals in 2019, 33.3% of hospitals were in the first quarter (low efficiency), and 16.6% in the third quarter (high efficiency). Furthermore, the data for 2020 indicated that 38.8% of hospitals were in the first quarter (low efficiency), showing an increase compared to 2019 and 19.4% of hospitals were in the third quarter, indicating a decrease compared to 2019. The paired samples t-test indicated that the bed occupancy rate and bed turnover showed significant differences in 2019 and 2020 (P-value<0.05). The data confirmed that the average length of stay and bed turnover in the studied hospitals were favourable. In addition, unlike private hospitals, the number of efficient units in public hospitals decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, hospital managers need to pay more attention to improving performance indicators and increasing productivity in these hospitals.