Assessing Managers’ Attitudes Toward Health Promoting Hospitals at a Teaching Hospital in Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background: Hospitals are the most important and largest providers of health services in the health system. Objectives: This study aimed to examine hospital managers’ attitudes toward health promotion policies at a teaching hospital in Tehran, Iran. Methods: This research was a descriptive-analytical study. The study population consisted of 75 senior and middle managers of a teaching hospital in Tehran, Iran in 2018. Sampling was conducted through a census. The study instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire assessing managers’ attitudes toward health promotion. The questionnaire was validated. Data were collected and then analyzed using SPSS 20 software. Results: Total score of health promotion policies was estimated to be 84.5 ± 10.6 out of 100. The highest scores of the components associated with health promotion policies were 94.9 ± 9.34 and 93.8 ± 10.36 of 100 belonging to “Awareness of hospital staff of health promotion policies” and “Enjoyment of a written health promotion policy” items, respectively; while the lowest score was 75.4 ± 20.68 out of 100 belonging to “Informing patients, their companions, and staff about factors associated with the disease whose health is supported by the hospital”. The highest score of components associated with health promotion activities was 94.1 ± 9.74 out of 100 belonging to “Increasing patients’ trust by providing health promotion services” item and the lowest was 72.2 ± 19.4 out of 100 belonging to “Assessment of patient’s needs for health promotion” item. Conclusion: Hospital managers’ attitudes score was high toward health promotion policies and activities, but there are still problems with health promotion activities, the most important of which is a therapeutic-centered perspective.

Keywords

• health promotion
• hospitals
• attitude
• managers