COVID-19 Pandemic and Crisis Management in Hospitals

Abstract

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the whole world, healthcare organizations are at the forefront of the organizations most affected by the pandemic. Especially private hospitals have witnessed an unprecedented crisis and faced many challenges, such as pressures on the workforce, interruptions in operations, and financial difficulties. The aim of this study is to determine the processes of private hospitals to manage the crisis caused by the pandemic. Accordingly, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 20 private hospital managers operating in Ankara between 03.02.2022 and 31.03.2022. Content analysis was used in the analysis of the data and crisis management was followed in five stages. According to the findings of the study, the increase in the number of patients other than normal and followed-up patients was an important sign of the crisis for managers. While a significant part of the measures taken by the managers was directed towards human resources, their practices regarding damage limitation were predominantly in the financial and fiscal fields. Announcing the safety of their institutions and their hygiene certificate ownership on hospital websites were used by managers as tools for recovery in routine activities. The necessity of strengthening human resources was the primary lesson learned from the pandemic crisis. With its findings, the study has the potential to provide clues for managers about being prepared for possible future pandemics and other crises.

Keywords

• Content analysis
• COVID-19 pandemic
• crisis
• crisis management
• private hospitals

Project Number

KA22/28

Hastanelerde COVID-19 Pandemisi ve Kriz Yönetimi

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemisi tüm dünyayı etkisi altına alsa da pandemiden en çok etkilenen örgütlerin başında sağlık kurumlarının geldiği açıktır. Özellikle özel hastaneler; işgücü üzerindeki baskılar, faaliyetlerde kesintiler, mali sıkıntılar gibi çeşitli zorlukları bir arada yaşamış ve eşi görülmemiş bir krize tanık olmuştur. Bu çalışmanın amacı, özel hastanelerin pandeminin yol açtığı krizi yönetme süreçlerinin belirlenmesidir. Bu doğrultuda Ankara ilinde faaliyet gösteren 20 özel hastanenin yöneticisi ile 03.02.2022- 31.03.2022 tarihleri arasında yüz yüze derinlemesine görüşmeler yapılmıştır. Verilerin analizinde içerik analizi kullanılmış ve kriz yönetimi beş aşamada takip edilmiştir. Araştırmanın bulgularına göre hasta sayısındaki (normal ve takipli hasta dışındaki) artış yöneticiler için krizin önemli bir sinyali olmuştur. Yöneticilerin aldıkları önlemlerin büyük bir bölümü insan kaynaklarına yönelikken hasar sınırlamaya ilişkin uygulamaları ağırlıklı olarak mali ve finansal alanlarda olmuştur. Kurumlarının güvenli olduğunun ve hijyen belgesi sahipliklerinin hastane web sitelerinden duyurulması, yöneticiler tarafından rutin faaliyetlerde toparlanmanın araçları olarak kullanılmıştır. İnsan kaynaklarının güçlendirilmesinin gerekliliği pandemi krizinden çıkarılan derslerin başında tanımlanmıştır. Çalışma, ortaya koyduğu bulgularla gelecekteki olası salgınlara ve diğer krizlere hazırlıklı olma konusunda yöneticiler için ipuçları sağlama potansiyeline sahiptir.

Keywords

• COVID-19 pandemisi
• içerik analizi
• kriz
• kriz yönetimi
• özel hastaneler

Supporting Institution

Başkent Üniversitesi

Project Number

KA22/28

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