Evidence-based decision making among healthcare managers: Evidence from a developing Country
 

ABSTRACT

Background: Given the importance of Evidence-Based Decision Making (EBDM), this study was conducted to predict EBDM among healthcare managers using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in Southern Iran.

Method: This is a cross-sectional study conducted on all the healthcare managers affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Data were collected by means of EBDM questionnaire, designed and validated by Imani-Nasab et al. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS-18 through multiple linear regression and structured equation modeling, applying smart PLS Software.

Results: The results of multiple linear regression analysis on predicting the behavior in a compound approach, both direct and indirect approaches, indicated that in total, the predicting variables could explain 71% of the factors related to the studied managers’ behaviors. Moreover, the present model had a considerable explanation for the variable of ‘intention’ (R² = 0.48) but a moderate explanation of ‘behavior’ (R² = 0.22) in the direct approach. Furthermore, the indirect approach indicated a similar fitness for behavior (R² = 0.18) and intention (R² = 0.46) of the studied population.

Conclusion: According to the results, healthcare organizations can conduce to developing and supporting the managers’ positive attitudes towards using scientific evidence, improving their subjective norm, and identifying facilitators and blockers in order to develop EBDM behavior.

KEYWORDS:

• Evidence-based management
• health services administration
• theory of planned behavior
• structural equation modeling
• knowledge management

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Contributors: PB, MHIN and ZK participated in study design and interpretation the findings. SJ participated in analyzing the data. SA gathered the data and participated in other stages of the study. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Ethical approval: This study was gotten the ethical consideration approval by the ‘ethics in research’ committee of Shiraz University of Medical Science IR.SUMS.REC.1394.S984.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Shiraz University of Medical Sciences [Grant Number SUMS/94-01-07-10468].

Notes on contributors

Peivand Bastani

Dr Peivand Bastani is an Associate Professors of Health Services Management in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Dr Bastani is head of Health Care Management and Health Economics department.

Somayeh Alipoori

Miss Somayeh Alipoori has MSc degree in Health Services Management and is a management consultant in a hospital of Shiraz, Iran.

Mohammad-Hasan Imani-Nasab

Mohammad Hasan Imani-Nasab is an assistant Professor of Health Policy in Lorestan University of Medical Sciences. Dr Imani-Nasab is head of Public Health department.

Sara Jamalabadi

Sara Jamalabadi is a PhD student in Hamburg Center for Health Economics, Germany.

Zahra Kavosi

Dr Zahra Kavosi is an Associate Professors of Health Services Management in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Dr Kavosi is deputy of education in School of Management and Medical Informatics.