RESUMO
Background: Hospitals play the most important role in health care system utilizing the majority of the health system resources. Appropriate and efficient management of hospitals could decreases the cost of diagnostic and therapeutic services while improve the quality of services. Efficient hospital management requires recognizing and prioritizing factors affecting hospital performance and choosing the correct interventions. In the current research managerial factors which affect Tehran Heart Center's [THC] performance were recognized and prioritized. Materials and Methods: A qualitative study using interview technique was performed in 2010 to identify managerial factors affecting T.H.C.'s performance. Top and middle line managers were included in this study. To prioritize the factors a questionnaire was designed and used. The results were analyzed by one sample t-test and Fuzzy DEMATEL techniques. Results: In this study 9 managerial factors affecting on T.H.C.'s performance were recognized which 7 of them were influencing based on the positive [Dfi-Rfi] and the others were influenced. The factors according to their intensity based on the quantity of [Dfi+Rfi]. So the influencing factors' ranking were as follow: delegation [3/16], management accountability [2/96], appropriateness of authority and responsibility [2/67], management motivation [2/61], process approach [2/26], systematic approach [2/25] and Top Management stability[1/68]. Conclusion: Paying more attention and focusing on the main influencing factors such as delegation, management accountability, authority and responsibility appropriateness, top management stability and management motivation, lead to higher performance in the hospitals.