| [ Purpose ] In alignment with the policy directives outlined in the Guiding Opinions on Promoting High-Quality Development of Public Hospitals (issued in 2021), this study evaluated the progress and challenges in advancing high-quality development initiatives within Grade-A tertiary cancer hospitals of China. [ Methods ] The convenience sampling method was employed to select 13 Grade-A tertiary cancer hospitals, with data collected over four consecutive years (2020-2023). The evaluation framework comprised four dimensions with eight indicators: outpatient visits, inpatient admissions, and surgical volume (reflecting service capacity); average length of hospital stay (reflecting service efficiency); open bed capacity (reflecting material resources); and staff number, nurse-to-physician ratio, and percentage of senior clinical staff (reflecting talent resources). The longitudinal changes in annual data before and after the policy implementation were analyzed using the Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) statistical method. [ Results ] Compared with 2020 levels, the 13 cancer hospitals demonstrated statistically significant increases in outpatient visits (55.47%), inpatient admissions (50.25%), surgical volume (46.17%), open bed capacity (10.02%), and staff number (13.03%) by 2023, alongside an 18.98% reduction in average length of hospital stay (all p<0.05). However, no significant changes were observed in nurse-to-physician ratios or senior clinical staff proportions during this period. [ Conclusion ] The analysis reveals that Grade-A tertiary cancer hospitals have achieved marked improvements in overall service capacity and service efficiency, with resource allocation progressively shifting from material inputs to talent-focused investments, yielding higher outputs with minimal incremental inputs—a clear indicator of preliminary success in high-quality development. Future initiatives should prioritize workforce structure optimization, increased nurse staffing levels, and enhanced cultivation of high-caliber clinical professionals. |
