Introduction
Health management is the methodical control of a health care organisation, its people, money and materials, so that predetermined aims are reached. This topic covers the definition and the manager's role, the levels of management, the managing cycle and the role of information, resources and results, and the management of human resources (formal and informal structure, management styles and motivation).
Health management
Definition
- Regulation of a system by decreasing its entropy (chaos, uncertainty).
- A methodical and systematic control and improvement of business processes to achieve predetermined objectives.
- Management is integrative: the health manager should have knowledge and experience in:
- psychology
- sociology
- theory of management
- public health management
- public health medicine
- statistics
- economics
Health manager
- The health manager is given officially the power to impact purposefully on the health care organisation he manages.
- Guides the activities of the health personnel.
- Is officially assigned and visible to everyone: his name is written on all documents.
- Is responsible for the adequate utilisation of the resources of the health care organisation.
- Is responsible for the results of the activities of the organisation.
- Is competent and trained to direct the health resources: organisational, personal and financial.
Levels of management
- High management → political level → MINISTRY OF HEALTH.
- Coordinating management → middle level → REGIONAL HEALTH CARE CENTRES (OFFICES).
- Operating management → management of the "straight line" → DIRECTOR OF A HOSPITAL, DEPARTMENT, ETC.
Managing cycle (process of management)
- Describes how the mind of a health manager works: how a typical manager thinks and makes decisions at work.
- Determine the aims: the aim should be short, set in 1 sentence and reflect what the manager would like to achieve.
- Take decisions: list the possible solutions objectively, then choose the most optimal one.
- Planning: plan the activities needed to achieve the aim.
- Organisation and coordination: organise the materials, resources and staff and coordinate their work.
- Management, control and assessment: manage the process, control its implementation and finally assess whether the aim has been achieved. If not, ask why; if yes, ask whether there were any problems. Feedback is very important for the manager to improve future work.
Information
- Information is very important to the health manager, as it is crucial in all key steps of the managing cycle (aim, decision, realisation, assessment and control):
- to pick the correct aim;
- to make the optimal decision which implements the aim;
- to understand how the realisation of the aim is going;