Challenges for healthcare Managers in 2023

Introduction: Managers in the field of healthcare face many challenges that are specific to this area and are caused by the dynamic and constantly changing healthcare environment. Research sample and research objective: The main research objective was to evaluate significant aspects of financing and organizing healthcare systems, summarize assumptions for the successful functioning of a healthcare system, assess factors influencing healthcare spending, and predict the challenges that healthcare managers will face in 2023 at both the micro (individual healthcare facilities) and macro (healthcare system in Slovakia) levels. The research sample was selected by deliberate selection and consisted of 109 respondents: healthcare managers (n=16), experts from the field of health management (n=15), experts from the field of human resources (n=19), directors of health facilities (n=10), medical (n=28) and paramedical staff (n=21). Methods: Statistical testing was carried out using the methods of inferential statistics: the independent samples t-test was used to compare mean scores between two groups (RQ1 and RQ2) and a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare mean scores among three groups (RQ 3). Results: We found out there are no differences in the respondents’ opinions on the challenges for healthcare managers in 2023 based on their job titles, the type of health facility in which they work or according to the length of practice. Conclusion: According to the respondents, the most current trends and challenges for Slovak healthcare are: the need for qualified medical personnel, a focus on retaining employees and solving the growing costs of healthcare.