Evaluation of resource utilization efficiency in obstetrics and gynecology units in China: A three-stage data envelopment analysis of the Shanxi province

In China, health care resources for expectant mothers and children are still not utilized to full efficiency, with health requirements still not being met. The purpose of this study is to critically examine the efficiency of gynecology and obstetrics hospital (OB/GYN) units in Shanxi province of China, with the overarching objective of exploring methods for improving their efficiency. We employ the three-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to measure the efficiency of 134 OB/GYN units in Shanxi. The results show that the technical efficiency and scale efficiency scores of the sample units were low (0.48 and 0.54, respectively). The efficiency of the OB/GYN units varies by region, city, and county and by type of unit. We conclude that the main reason for the low efficiency of OB/GYN units in Shanxi province lies in the unreasonable scale. The government should, therefore, allocate health resources more reasonably, improving the efficiency of different regions, cities, and counties, as well as different types of OB/GYN units.