Challenges and opportunities in healthcare reforms in pre- and post-COVID-19 crisis : A case of Jordan

The COVID-19 crisis presented devastating effects on global healthcare, and Jordan was no exception. During such unforeseen challenges, attention shifts to healthcare leadership and management. However, limited research explored the leadership adjustment in Jordanian hospitals during the pandemic. Therefore, this study examined the challenges and opportunities that arose alongside the outbreak of the pandemic in Jordanian hospitals from the leaders’ perspectives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with healthcare managers in three Jordanian hospitals, focusing on three key areas: healthcare reform integration, the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on hospital performance and healthcare quality, and management practices to handle the pandemic. Interviews were transcribed and thematically analyzed. Eleven hospital managers in seven administrative positions were involved. Three thematic outcomes were noted regarding the integration of healthcare reforms into the Jordanian healthcare system: sources of reforms, challenges of reform integration, and timely integration of the reforms. Positive impacts of the crisis on the Jordanian hospitals’ performance and quality of healthcare service delivery, which are considered opportunities, resulted in three thematic outcomes: infection control protocol, staff education, and patient management. On the other hand, three thematic concepts emerged as challenges of the COVID-19 crisis: workload, stress and fatigue, and staff shortages. Lastly, this study noted three thematic outcomes regarding management practices adopted by the Jordanian healthcare systems to deal with the pandemic: staff training, monitoring, and social support.