Analysis of Barriers to Knowledge Distribution in Educational Hospital Managers Using Layer Analysis of Cause Methodology a Study in Hospitals in South East Iran

Hospital managers make complex and important decisions for the public health on a daily basis. The quality of these decisions depends on the level of information, experiences, and knowledge of managers. This research was conducted with the aim of identifying the barriers against knowledge dissemination among the hospital managers in the southeast of Iran. The research is a qualitative study with a sample population consisting of all the managers of the educational hospitals affiliated to the medical science universities in the southeast of the country. To collect the data, semi-structured interviews were performed with 26 managers. The results were analyzed by Colaizzi seven-stage method. In the next step, to identify the barriers against the knowledge dissemination of the managers, layer analysis of causes was done. As the results indicated, the main barriers against knowledge dissemination among the hospital managers can be categorized into seven classes including barriers to culture, educational development and promotion, financial facilities, policies, rules and regulations, relations, human resources, and managerial policies. It is finally concluded that knowledge dissemination among managers is essential to enhance their level of knowledge and competence for better decision-making. Also, to enhance the productivity and the quality of services and the satisfaction of customers, the barriers to knowledge dissemination among managers should be removed.