Water crisis in hospitals: challenges, and recommendations- a qualitative study in Iran

Reliable access to water is essential for hospitals to function effectively. Water shortage can disrupt critical hospital operations. This study aims to explore the challenges, and recommendations related to managing water outages in hospitals.

This qualitative study employed a content analysis methodology with an inductive approach. It was conducted in Iran between 2023 and 2024, utilizing purposeful and snowball sampling with maximum diversity. Participants were selected from scientific and executive experts with over five years of experience relevant to the research objectives. The inclusion criteria included having direct experience with water crisis management in hospitals and willingness to participate in in-depth interviews.Trustworthiness was ensured via the Guba and Lincoln criteria.

A total of 20 interviews yielded 1250 codes, that were categorized into three main categories, 13 categories, and 49 subcategories. Categories included factors contributing to water crises (location, infrastructure-related factors and hazard characteristics), Challenges in managing water crises (planning deficiencies, Weakness in coordination, Weakness in Supervision and Monitoring, Weakness in Providing Resources, and lack of understanding and proactive action), and suggested Recommendations (Establishing a Coordination and Structure, Educating, Empowering, and Engaging All Stakeholders, Sustainable Management of Water Resources, Water Consumption Management, Setting Up Continuous Monitoring and Early Warning System).

Stakeholders involved in hospital management must proactively address the challenges associated with water crises and develop comprehensive water crisis management plans tailored to the specific conditions of each hospital and region. Active involvement of all relevant stakeholders is crucial for effective implementation.