Senior Managers' Experience with Health, Happiness, and Motivation in Hospitals and the Perceived Impact on Health Systems: The Case of Meru County, Kenya.

Rose Nabi Deborah Karimi Muthuri,Flavia Senkubuge,Charles Hongoro

doi:10.3390/healthcare9030350

Rose Nabi Deborah Karimi Muthuri, Flavia Senkubuge + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9030350

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Abstract

Hospitals play a significant role in health systems. Studies among the health workforce have revealed their experiences with mental health challenges. In comparison, there is limited literature on their positive mental health. The purpose of this study was to explore senior managers’ experiences with health status, happiness, and motivation in hospitals and the perceived impact on the health system in Kenya. This qualitative study applied a phenomenological research design. Senior managers within the hospital management teams were selected using purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were carried out among senior managers across eleven hospitals in Meru County, Kenya. Among the eleven participants 63.6% were female and 36.4%, were male and the mean age was 44.5 years. The audio-taped data were transcribed and analyzed using Colaizzi’s phenomenological approach. The five themes revealed were: (1) Happiness in the health system; (2) Health status in the health system; (3) Motivation in the health system; (4) Challenges in the health system; (5) Possible solutions to the challenges in the health system. This study revealed the positive and negative impact of the three domains, challenges, and solutions, from the senior managers’ perspective. Healthy, happy, and motivated senior managers and healthcare workers are more responsive and perform better. Policy interventions and programs promoting happiness, health status, and motivation are necessary for strengthening the health workforce and health system.

Highlights

A health system consists of all actors, institutions, and resources that handle health actions geared towards promoting, maintaining, and restoring health within the population [1]
A qualitative approach would enable an in-depth understanding of what it means for a health system to have a happy, healthy, and motivated health workforce. To bridge this knowledge gap, we aimed to explore hospital senior managers’ experiences with happiness, health, and motivation in the in the context of health system strengthening in Kenya
Health worker motivation in the health system Challenges in the health system Possible solutions to challenges in the health system

Summary

Introduction

A health system consists of all actors, institutions, and resources that handle health actions geared towards promoting, maintaining, and restoring health within the population [1]. Hospitals employ healthcare workers who deliver services towards improving health at the community and national levels [3]. The hospital organogram in Kenya has three categories: senior managers, mid-level managers, and front-line workers [4]. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health workers are at the heart of each advancement within a health system [5]. Health workers are individuals whose main aim is to promote and restore people’s health [5]. Health workers influence and perform health actions across all levels of any health system. Severe shortage of healthcare workers is a major problem in Kenya [5]

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