Influence of Internalized Moral Perspective on Resilience of the Kenyan Health System

Abstract

Internalized Moral Perspective is a construct of authentic leadership. It provides moral reasoning which confers self-regulation to individuals, organizations and systems in the face of acute and chronic shocks. This paper looks at internalized moral perspective through the lens of two sub-constructs: capability approach and consequential evaluation. The Study was carried out between March and September 2022 – response phase of pandemic response. The sampling frame consisted of Level 5 and 6 hospitals that served 8 counties identified as high risk for COVID-19 in Kenya. A modified Authentic Leadership Questionnaire was administered face-to-face, through email or through WhatsApp. Twenty six (26) hospitals responded (two Level 6, and twenty-four Level 5 hospitals). The Study revealed a high score of Internalized Moral Perspective = 17.9. Nakuru and Garissa County expressed the highest level of Internalized Moral perspective while Kakamega had the lowest expression. There was a weak positive linear correlation with Resilience Index (rho = 0.147) and a good path analysis (t = 2.016, p <0.05). Thus, the Study rejected the null hypothesis that stated, internalized moral perspective does not influence resilience index in the Kenyan health system. The Study concluded that internalized moral perspective not only confers resilience to the Kenyan health system, but is also an opportunity for growth in order to confer cultural competence to the leaders. The Study recommended increased experience sharing in disaster response and adoption of crisis outreach model for mental health. Experience sharing needs to be not only in-hospital but also, inter-hospital and inter-county for better resilience. Channels include: continuous medical education, conferences, seminars, workshops and publications.