Lessons Learned from COVID-19 Epidemic Management from the Perspective of Managers: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus will not be the first and the last pandemic in the world. Problem-solving and crisis management methods are determined by the ways in which people, statesmen, and experts treat various fields. Objectives: The present qualitative study was conducted pursuing the goal to illustrate COVID-19 epidemic management learned lessons from the perspective of the managers of the educational and medical centers of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran, in 2022. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted based on a content analysis type in Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences and its subdivisions (hospitals and educational centers). The data were collected using semi-structured interviews, and interview coding was performed manually by the researcher. To increase the study accuracy, the methods proposed by Lincoln and Goba (1998) were used with such criteria as validity, reliability, verifiability, and transferability. Results: In total, 15 managers (8 men and 7 women) in the age range of 32-70 years participated in this study and underwent deep and semi-structured interviews. Initially, 1079 semantic units and 85 subcategories were extracted. After reducing, removing, and integrating being conducted at various stages of data analysis, 3 themes and 12 categories were extracted. The present study themes are made up of "Management Challenges", "Personnel Challenges", and "Social Challenges". Conclusion: One of the factors for promoting quality in planning is benefiting from the prior learned experiences and lessons. Taking advantage of the consulting team, the intra-organizational and extra-organizational coordination, optimally benefitting from the human workforce, paving the ground for virtual training for health system staff, and elevating the quality of public information are critical in the effective management of COVID-19.