Evidence-Based Management and its Influence on the Practices of Senior Leaders of Hospitals in the Denver Metropolitan Area

Abstract

Evidence-based management (EBMgt) and evidence-based medicine (EBM) are two key constructs that senior leaders of hospitals and health system may leverage to foster a culture of evidence-based decision making in their organizations. A great need exists for understanding how the two principles, EBMgt (context for providing care) and EBM (content for providing care), interact to provide high-quality care and effective leadership that is needed to improve the performance of healthcare organizations of the 21st-century. Health decision-makers such as senior administrators and medical staff leaders are essential components of healthcare organizations to develop a culture of evidence-based decision making. However, few studies address the linking of EBMgt and EBM, including its impact on the senior leaders and organization management practices. The current exploratory qualitative study explored the lived experiences with EBMgt of senior executive leaders of hospitals and health systems in the Denver Metropolitan that practice EBM. The findings reveal that EBMgt practices are still yet to be implemented systematically in healthcare organizations in the area. However, hospital decision-makers believe that EBMgt-EBM integration might have a positive impact in how hospitals can provide reliable, high-quality, evidence-based health care to their communities. Hence, to cope with the ever-increasing pace of business change in the 21st-century, hospital leaders should consider the implications that the integration of EBMgt-EBM might have on evidence-based strategic management and performance of their institutions.