Lack of hospital resilience as the main challenge of hospital management during the COVID-19 pandemic: A grounded theory study.

Background: Traditional hospital management responses during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic proved ineffective, particularly considering the pre-existing challenges in healthcare systems. The study examines hospital management challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, transforming their lived experiences into a conceptual approach to prevent repetition and benefit health planners and policymakers in future crises and normal times.

Methods: This qualitative study utilized the grounded theory methodology, conducting in-depth interviews with 12 hospital administrators from seven major referral hospitals in Shiraz, Bushehr, and Tehran, focusing on COVID-19 patients' complex conditions. The participants had a mean age of 46.6 ± 8.8 years. Data analysis was conducted using the grounded theory (Straussian approach).

Results: A total of 98 subthemes and 25 themes were identified during the data analysis process. Using axial and selective coding, we found that in the presence of contextual and causal conditions, the lack of hospital resilience was recognized as the core theme in the final model. Intervening conditions, strategies to overcome the challenges of hospital management, and the outcomes were identified.

Conclusions: Iranian hospital administrators dealing with COVID-19 recognize the lack of hospital resilience as their main management obstacle. Non-resilient hospitals' response to crises with new management strategies can fail due to insufficient documentation and information sharing, leading to persistent problems. Prioritizing evidence-based strategies and sharing successful approaches from other healthcare systems can improve resilience. Nationwide guidelines will ensure equitable patient treatment and reduce lawsuits against physicians for resource-efficient use. Hospital resilience implementation in real-world settings is widely sought for evidence.