HEALTHCARE QUALITY MANAGEMENT MODELS: GLOBAL EXPERIENCE AND LESSONS FOR UKRAINE

Abstract

Purpose: to study leading global models of healthcare quality management, conduct their comparative analysis, and substantiate the possibilities of adapting them to the Ukrainian healthcare system. Materials and Methods. The study is based on the theoretical contributions of foreign and domestic scholars, as well as international standards and quality management practices. The methods of systematization, comparative analysis, generalization, and structural-logical modeling were applied. Results. The quality of healthcare services in the current context of healthcare system transformation determines the level of social justice, accessibility, and public trust in the medical sector. In the context of Ukraine’s European integration aspirations and the need for post-war recovery, the search for effective quality management models that combine international experience with national realities becomes particularly important. Seven leading quality management models were systematized and characterized: A. Donabedian’s quality assessment model, Total Quality Management (TQM), Lean Six Sigma, EFQM, Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation, the Plan–Do–Check–Act (PDCA) cycle, and the Baldrige Performance Excellence Framework. Their advantages and limitations in healthcare were identified. The feasibility of integrating their strengths into national practice was substantiated: the structural logic of Donabedian’s model, process efficiency of Lean Six Sigma and PDCA, strategic frameworks of EFQM and Baldrige, and the standards of JCI. On this basis, a conceptual unified healthcare quality management model (UHQM) was developed, which includes structural-organizational, process, patient-centered, analytical-evaluative, and external compliance blocks. The proposed model takes into account current challenges in the transformation of Ukraine’s healthcare system, digitalization, post-war recovery, and integration into the European healthcare space. Its potential benefits as well as key implementation barriers were identified. Conclusion. The proposed healthcare quality management model can become a practical tool for modernizing managerial approaches in Ukraine’s healthcare sector. Its implementation will contribute to strengthening patient trust, improving clinical outcomes, reducing inefficiencies, and ensuring the sustainable development of the healthcare system.