Hospital Management During the Coronavirus 2019 Pandemic

Abstract

Managing a hospital is highly complex due to the broad range of services hospitals deliver to a diverse population, especially during events such as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Hospital managers have faced a number of important management challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study was conducted to explore the perceptions and views of hospital managers of the key challenges facing health care based on their own experience working at a hospital during the pandemic COVID-19. This study adds to the small body of qualitative knowledge on the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic in public hospitals. The qualitative data was collected through 15 semi-structured interviews using a thematic analysis. Five interviews were conducted via an online program and 10 were conducted face to face. Participants were healthcare professionals including hospital managers, a director of medical services, a director of patients’ affairs, a director of a nursing department, and managers who work directly with COVID-19 cases. The data analysis identified five main themes: namely, health system challenges, organizational challenges, individual challenges, financial challenges, and legal challenges. The findings of this research provide insights about the challenges experienced by hospital managers and provide direction for future improvements in hospitals to overcome these difficulties.