Assessment of clinical education quality in teaching hospitals of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences based on the Malcolm Baldrige model

High-quality clinical education plays a vital role in developing competent healthcare professionals and improving patient outcomes. Ensuring and measuring the quality of such education remains a key challenge for medical institutions. The Malcolm Baldrige Excellence Model provides a comprehensive framework for assessing organizational performance and continuous improvement. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of clinical education in teaching hospitals affiliated with Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences using the Baldrige model. This descriptive-analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted in 2024 across the teaching hospitals of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected from January to June 2024 from 262 participants, including managers and faculty members involved in clinical education, selected through simple random sampling. Data collection utilized the standardized Baldrige model checklist (2009–2010 version) in the education domain, encompassing seven key dimensions: leadership, strategic planning, student focus, information and analysis, human resource focus, process management, and organizational results. Raw domain scores were normalized to percentages of each domain’s maximum possible score (see Methods). Data were analyzed using SPSS software with descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings indicated that student focus (normalized score = 85%) and organizational results (normalized score = 90%) achieved the highest normalized mean scores, whereas process management had the lowest normalized performance (approximately 45%). Note: the tables in the Results section present raw mean scores from participants; normalized scores (0–100%) are reported here and are explained in the Methods (see also table footnotes). The Malcolm Baldrige model proved to be an effective framework for evaluating clinical education quality in teaching hospitals. Although areas such as student focus and organizational results showed strong normalized performance, process management and human resource development require targeted improvement. Continuous quality enhancement through structured reforms and managerial capacity-building is recommended. Applying the Baldrige model can assist hospital administrators in identifying educational strengths and weaknesses and implementing effective optimization strategies.

Checklist · Data collection · Descriptive statistics · Excellence · Human resources · Quality management · Raw data · Healthcare Quality and Management · Innovations in Medical Education · Patient Safety and Medication Errors