A glimpse of organizational professionalism among administrators and Healthcare managers in Hospitals: A quantitative study in United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Introduction: Organizational professionalism is the set of competencies and behaviors that define professionalism for healthcare organizations. Those organizations have an opportunity to influence the behavior of healthcare workers and managers collectively. The resulting culture could have remarkable effects on patients, staff, and the overall performance and productivity of the organization. This article seeks to explore the concept of organizational professionalism among healthcare managers and administrators, who observe organization-wide practices such as a patient complaint and suggestion system, interaction with patients and their families, and coordination with health professionals on a daily basis, in Ministry of Health and Prevention, in United Arab Emirates. Method: A quantitative descriptive approach was carried out using Administrators Professionalism Survey (APS). The survey was distributed to n=195, n=89 responded (response rate was 46%). Results: The majority of participants were female (83%) and Emirati , (76%), administrators (62%), and of middle age (31–40 years, 48%). The average overall agreement across five professional attributes was 76%. The highest score was for patient engagement (84%) and the lowest was response to community needs (71%). Healthcare managers perceived those attributes slightly higher than did administrators, except for certain domains like patient engagement and daily operation. Around one third of participants (26%) suggested that accountability can be cultivated through organization culture. Conclusion: The perception of organizational professionalism has some variations among administrators who are at leadership positions than none. The author noticed that healthcare managers were more reluctant to agree or were undecided about many statements across all domains. By contrast, administrators were almost sure about their answers and showed more knowledge about daily operations and patient perceptions. Participants defined accountability as part of organizational professionalism as commitment to assigned roles and responsibilities. In addition, they perceived that accountability can be cultivated through leadership. However, they failed to relate accountability to overall hospital roles and responsibilities, which is a required competency for healthcare managers and leadership in the MOHAP.