Executive and financial manager’s awareness of economic issues in private and public hospitals in Shiraz

Introduction: Managers, as the members of decision making team in hospitals, are required to understand economic issues In order to increase their knowledge, make better decisions making, and bring about economic growth in hospitals. Thus by measuring the managers’ level of economic knowledge and understanding their weaknesses at this field, we can take an important step in line with this transcendental target. Method: This was an analytical– descriptive study conducted in 2013. In this study, the views of 30 hospital executives and financial managers about various aspects of hospital economy including payment methods, techniques of economic evaluation, hospital income, and cost and subtractions were studied using questionnaires and interviews. SPSS 18 was used to analyze the collected data. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: None of the studied managers had a good level of knowledge and most managers (80.7%) had an undesirable level of knowledge, and few of them had a moderate level of knowledge. The administrators’ average knowledge of the ways to reduce the cost and increase the income of private hospitals was more than that of hospital administrators; as to the economic evaluation techniques and methods of payment, hospital administrators had more knowledge than managers of private hospitals. Conclusion: The managers’ low level of economic knowledge can be enhanced by more selective appointment of individuals for these sensitive positions and also increased by their participation in workshops and training courses.