Speaker
Description
Introduction: Leadership is a key component of the Ethiopian Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP) and is crucial for the successful implementation of health sector reforms. The Ethiopian health system requires effective leadership to mobilize resources and rebuild the healthcare infrastructure that was destroyed during the armed conflict. Therefore, this study aims to assess the perceived healthcare leadership practices in conflict-affected primary healthcare systems in the northeast Amhara regional state.
Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 593 randomly selected healthcare providers working in public health facilities. We assessed their perceived leadership practices (PLPs) using eighteen-item five-point Likert scale questionnaire. Finally, we fitted a linear regression analysis to identify the factors that affect healthcare providers PLPs. Unstandardized β-coefficient with a 95% CI and a p-value of less than 0.05 were used for declaring the statistical significance.
Results: The mean score percentage of healthcare providers perceived leadership practices was found to be 48.6% (95% CI: 44.5, 52.6) in conflict-affected healthcare systems. Healthcare providers who received training on leadership, good inter-departmental communication, and good financial management in their health facilities were identified to be positively associated with PLPs. Besides, healthcare providers who had job autonomy and optimism enhanced healthcare providers PLPs.
Conclusion: The healthcare providers’ perception on leadership practices in conflict-affected primary healthcare systems is inadequate. To address this issue and restore basic health services, it is imperative for healthcare managers and stakeholders to design training programs focused on healthcare leadership for primary healthcare providers. Furthermore, interventions aimed at improving interdepartmental communication, fostering optimism, and promoting job autonomy are crucial for enhancing the healthcare provider perception on leadership practices in these settings.
