Premium
The use of evidence in decision making by hospital managers in Lebanon: A cross‐sectional study
Author(s) -
Hilal Nadeen,
Harb Sara,
Jamal Diana,
ElJardali Fadi
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the international journal of health planning and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1099-1751
pISSN - 0749-6753
DOI - 10.1002/hpm.2925
Subject(s) - thematic analysis , procurement , health care , cross sectional study , quality (philosophy) , middle management , evidence based practice , descriptive statistics , nursing , evidence based medicine , psychology , business , family medicine , medicine , qualitative research , marketing , alternative medicine , economic growth , economics , social science , philosophy , statistics , mathematics , epistemology , pathology , sociology
Summary Background Knowledge synthesis products have emerged as support agents for decision making in clinical practice and policy. However, their use for evidence‐informed decision making remains limited in health care management especially in low‐ and middle‐income countries. This study assesses the use of evidence by middle and senior managers in Lebanese hospitals. Methods This multihospital cross‐sectional study used a self‐administered web survey of middle and senior managers. Hospitals were purposively selected, and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results Hospital participation rate was 25%, while adjusted managers' response rate was 44.8%. Prevalence of using evidence was 70%, while prevalence of evidence‐seeking behavior was 90%. Evidence was mainly used in design of policies, protocols, and procedures; nursing issues; or procurement decisions. Facilitators for evidence‐informed decision making included upper management support and organizational culture, whereas limited resources such as funding, time, and training hindered use of evidence. Conclusions Findings indicate that utilization of evidence was comparable with that of high‐income countries. Training and continuous education were crucial for advancing evidence‐informed decision making among hospital managers. However, neither the quality nor the sources of evidence used for decision making were assessed in this study. Future studies should assess the quality and sources of evidence utilized in decision making.