Does total quality management mediate the relationship between Industry 4.0 and business sustainability in private hospitals?

Abstract

PurposeThe paper aims to study the influence of Industry 4.0 technologies on the business sustainability of private hospitals by focusing on the mediating role of total quality management practices in private hospitals in the West Bank.Design/methodology/approachData from the top and middle managers of private hospitals in the West Bank regions of Palestine were collected through a questionnaire assessed for validity and reliability. Furthermore, we used the structural equation modelling technique of partial least squares for the data analysis.FindingsThe findings confirm that Industry 4.0 technologies do not affect business sustainability. The findings also emphasise the association between Industry 4.0 technologies and total quality management philosophy, and total quality management completely mediates the relationship between Industry 4.0 and business sustainability.Practical implicationsThis study provides practical implications for achieving the hospital sector's sustainability by merging Industry 4.0 technologies with total quality management practices, which provides valuable insights into the hospital's policies and practices and individuals vital to data exchange and policy enforcement within the sustainability of organisations.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to investigate the combined effects of Industry 4.0 technologies, total quality management and business sustainability in the healthcare industry following the COVID-19 outbreak. This research is one of few empirical works exploring the interface between Industry 4.0 technologies and total quality management in developing countries, specifically Palestine.