Advancing Healthcare Quality: Critical Success Factors for Effective Kaizen Events in Low- and Middle-Income Countries’ Hospitals

Kaizen events involve multifunctional teams in focused efforts to improve quality, reduce waste, and enhance overall performance, and have been widely applied in healthcare management. This study aims to assess the critical success factors (CSFs) that drive the effectiveness of Kaizen events in hospitals, with a case study of Jordan as a representative low- and middle-income country (LMIC). A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was administered to 815 healthcare professionals across private, government, and military hospitals in Jordan to assess their familiarity with KEs and identify key CSFs. The results showed limited formal knowledge of KEs, while private hospitals demonstrated greater awareness than military and government facilities. The primary CSFs identified were follow-up activities, leadership support, team commitment to change, stakeholder representation, and goal clarity. Successful implementation is hindered by several barriers, including a lack of sponsor support and stakeholder resistance.