The Technical Efficiency of Departments of Shiraz Medical School in Research Arena Using Data Envelopment Analysis

Introduction: An efficient university should have a real goal and could produce the most output with the least use of inputs. Evaluation systems are an inseparable part of each organization and university. By efficiency calculation, useful information will be created about strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, and opportunities for improvement. Data envelopment analysis is a useful technique for evaluation of efficiency. This technique needs all the inputs and outputs to be measured precisely.
Methods and material: The present study is a descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional, and retrospective research which measures the research efficiency of educational departments of Shiraz faculty of medicine by using DEA technique from 2006 to 2011. Extracted data were analyzed by Microsoft excel and DEA master software.
Finding: Department of pediatric and psychiatrics were efficient from 2006 to 2011. Other departments have some inefficiency. Neurosurgery department has least average of efficiency. The average of technical efficiency for all departments was 73.873.
Conclusion: where the difference between efficiency score of the department and 100 is more, the department’s needs to improve its outputs will be more. Those groups which are more inefficient waste the resources more. This method also could help the faculty of medicine to identify their weakness and try for improvement