Health Management: An Introduction

What is Management?

In simple words, Management is getting things through & with people. 

• It is about getting the right work done, by the right person, using the right amount of resources, at the right time, and with the use of the right methods.
• It is to attain effectively predetermined results (objectives/goals) by managing all available resources efficiently with changing the external environment.

What are the various definitions?

Health management is defined by a number of experts as:

F W Taylor: "Management is the art of knowing what you want to do and then seeing that it is done in the best and cheapest way."

Henri Fayol: "To manage is to forecast and plan, to organize, to command, to coordinate and control."

Peter F Drucker: "Management is a multi-purpose organ that manages a business and manages managers and manages workers & work."

Harold Koontz: "Management is the art of getting things done through and with people in formally organized groups. It is the art of creating the environment in which people can perform and individuals can cooperate towards the attainment of organizational goals. It is the art of removing blocks to such performance and a way of optimizing efficiency in reaching goals.”

George R Terry: “Management is a distinct process consisting of planning, organizing, actuating and controlling, performed to determine and accomplish stated objectives, by the use of human beings and other resources.” 

What is Health management?

Health management or healthcare management is the process of organizing and coordinating the performance of a healthcare facility. 

• Supervision of the business and administrative aspects of a health care institution and 
• Taking Responsibility for the overall internal healthcare system, including clinical and non-clinical staff, partner organizations, insurance companies, government bodies, etc.

What are the elements of management?

• Resources
• Process (action)
• Results (objectives & goal) achievement 
• Effectiveness and
• Efficiency

What are the basic activities of management?

• Planning: Determining what is to be done
• Organizing: Setting up the framework or apparatus and making it possible for groups to do work
• Communicating: Motivating people to do work
• Monitoring (controlling): Checking to make sure the work is progressing satisfactorily

Why is it needed for doctors to study management?

Doctors are leaders of the health care system  just like any

other organization with its unique organizational objectives,

which have to be attained through sustained efforts of all the

members.

• Doctors are expected to lead a highly professional team of trained health care workers. 
• Activities like vaccination drive in a village or highly complicated surgery have to be planned well in advance. 
• They have to carefully select the team members & motivate them to perform.
• The understanding & skill of management amongst the doctors are needed in the healthcare delivery system may be from M.O at PHC to the director at the state, country & international level.
• Now in the private sector also multispecialty hospitals are coming up which can be better managed if a doctor has a better understanding of management.

References:

1. Park, K., 2019. Park's Textbook Of Preventive And Social Medicine. 25th ed. Jabalpur: M/s Banarsidas Bhanot Publishers, p.1000.
2. Kadri, A., 2019. IAPSM's Textbook Of Community Medicine. 1st ed. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd, p.1221.
3. Sathe, P., 2018. Epidemiology And Management For Health Care. 5th ed. Mumbai: Vora Medical Publications, p.508.
4. Bhalwar, R., 2009. Textbook Of Public Health And Community Medicine. 1st ed. New Delhi: Department of Community Medicine, AFMC, Pune in collaboration with WHO, India office, p.1302.
5. https://www.who.int/management/en/
6. https://inspiria.edu.in/difference-between-hospital-management-and-healthcare-management/ photo credit
7. https://www.google.com/urlsa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F617626536372266067%2F&psig=AOvVaw0PQu_1i0IYb1lOqwls_48M&ust=1601474417029000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCPDHiKLDjuwCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAN photo credit