How to Cite: Alqasmi, I. (2022). Total quality management in the healthcare sector: Barriers and effectiveness in Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Health Sciences, 6(S2), 2900–2915. https://doi.org/10.53730/ijhs.v6nS2.5796 International Journal of Health Sciences ISSN 2550-6978 E-ISSN 2550-696X © 2022. Corresponding author: Alqasmi, I.; Email: i.alqasmi@seu.edu.sa Manuscript submitted: 18 Feb 2022, Manuscript revised: 09 March 2022, Accepted for publication: 01 April 2022 2900 Total quality management in the healthcare sector: Barriers and effectiveness in Saudi Arabia Ibrahim Alqasmi Department of Public Health School of Health Sciences, Saudi Electronic University, Saudi Arabia - Ryiadh - Prince Muhammad Ibn Salman Rd - Ar Rabi Email: i.alqasmi@seu.edu.sa Abstract---Total quality management (TQM) is a noteworthy tool for helping an organisation/institute to enhance and improve its overall performance. For this reason, many organisations have adopted the TQM approach to help ensure that their services and products are of the highest standard as well as to enhance customer satisfaction. Moreover, due to the economic contributions of the healthcare sector and other significant factors, it is considered necessary to incorporate TQM practices into this sector. A number of standards have been introduced in an effort to drive quality improvement and management within healthcare organisations, including ISO 9001 (Quality Management), EN 15224 (Quality Management System in Healthcare), ISO 15189 (Medical Laboratories), ISO 13485 (Medical Devices) and IWA 1 (Quality Management Systems). Furthermore, the TQM approach has been implemented in many countries, 12 of which (United States, France, Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Pakistan, India, Taiwan, Mauritius and Namibia) were included in this study in order to examine the effectiveness of TQM in the healthcare sector. A case study concerning the implementation and effectiveness of TQM in Saudi Arabia was also conducted. Finally, some of the barriers to the proper implementation of TQM within healthcare organisations were analysed, including the lengthy duration of the implementation, lack of resources, limited commitment, diffusion of interests and improper structure of hospitals. Keywords---total quality management, healthcare, health services, literature review, quality improvement.