EVALUATION OF HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES RELATED TO PANDEMIC

 

Keziban AVCI¹  , Elif ÖZYURT² , Şenol DEMİRCݳ, Figen ÇİZMECİ ŞENEL⁴

 

 

Abstract

 

Introduction: Health institutions are faced with mass applications in periods when diseases spread rapidly, regional disasters and epidemics affect large masses due to urbanisation, and intense migration movements are experienced due to reasons such as war-disaster-epidemic. Hospitals operate through coordinated processes that require effective management and uninterrupted supply lines. In this respect, pandemic periods are crisis periods where the importance of proper management of human resources, equipment, materials and information comes to the fore. Especially considering the uncertainty of the therapeutic, economic and managerial effects on hospitals, there is a need to examine the preparedness of hospitals for these unexpected pandemics. In this context, this study aims to examine pandemic management strategies in tertiary education and research hospitals in Turkey and to evaluate the organisational competencies of these hospitals.

 

Method: The population of the study consists of a total of 167 hospitals of all ownership types, public-university and private, which have the competencies to conduct education and research operating in Turkey. No sample selection was made in the study and the quality directors of the hospitals in the universe were invited to participate in the study.  A total of 58 training and research hospitals that responded completely to all questions were included in the study.  This study is a cross-sectional and descriptive study conducted between January 2022 and May 2022. Hospital management strategies were evaluated according to the standards given in the "COVID-19 Hospital Readiness Assessment Tool" published by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). The data were analysed using SPSS version 26. Descriptive statistics related to the data are given.

 

Results; In nearly 91% (n=53) of hospitals related to the Planning, Decision Making and Communication Structure dimension, the task team reported coordinating across the health system to share supplies, coordinate testing, standardise communication and processes, and manage capacity expansion. For the Monitoring and Improvement Processes dimension, almost all hospitals (89%) reported that management frequently visits service areas to listen to and learn from staff, and that a communication process is managed with a continuous flow of information to disseminate learning among clinical and operational staff. Similarly, in a large proportion of hospitals, it is reported that training to prepare, support and improve all staff against uncertainties is routinely provided, and new practices are quickly tested and used to improve processes. In this study, it can be said that the functional readiness of training and research hospitals in Turkey is at an adequate level.

 

Conclusion: Hospitals should be prepared for possible pandemics to provide timely, effective, rapid and reliable healthcare services to patients and to reduce mortality. In this respect, health managers should be fully aware of the risks and work to improve their ability to cope with them.

 

Keywords: Pandemic, Hospital Preparedness, Health Facilities, Assessment.