The Paradigm Shift in Hospital Administration by Health Services Management Graduates

Abstract

Background: Hospital management and its functions play a crucial role in enhancing the quality of hospital care. Hospital managers require multiple competencies to perform their duties effectively and efficiently. There is a growing need to employ professional hospital managers, particularly those educated in Health Services Management. This study explores the paradigm shift of transitioning from traditional hospital management to management by Health Services Management graduates.
Methods: A qualitative case study was conducted at a hospital to understand the "why", "how", and "what" aspects of employing Health Services Management graduates as hospital managers. Purposive sampling was used to select 12 participants for semi-structured in-depth interviews. Data were collected and analyzed concurrently using thematic analysis with an inductive approach.
Results: Six main themes and 26 sub-themes were identified. The main themes included structural reforms, process reforms, organizational culture reforms, performance reforms, resource reforms, and consequences and results.
Conclusion: Transitioning from traditional managers to Health Services Management graduates is accompanied by reforms in hospital structures, processes, resources, culture, and performance. These reforms may lead to valuable outcomes such as increased patient and staff satisfaction and improved effectiveness of actions and activities. Further research is recommended to test this hypothesis in similar settings.