Understanding critical thinking practices in Iranian healthcare managers: Qualitative insights

Critical thinking has emerged as a vital competency for effective decision-making in healthcare management, yet its conceptualization and application within culturally specific contexts remain insufficiently explored. In this qualitative study, we seek to conceptualize critical thinking within the context of Iranian healthcare management.

In 2023, through conventional content analysis of semi-structured individual interviews with 17 healthcare managers from diverse roles and institutions in Sanandaj, Iran, we tried to identify key components of critical thinking within the Iranian healthcare context. The interviews lasted from 45 to 60 minutes. MAXQDA 2020 was used to manage the data.

From the viewpoints of our participants, the concept of critical thinking in healthcare settings means Strategic organizational awareness, Adaptive leadership & staff-centered management, Structured decision-making, Operational oversight and collaboration, and Learning and professional development.

Our study provided a contextually grounded understanding of critical thinking among Iranian healthcare managers. Findings may be contributed to both theoretical and practical discourse on managerial competence in healthcare, potentially offering transferable insights for comparable global contexts. The findings can inform policy formulation, enhance professional training programs, and shape leadership strategies specific to Iran's healthcare system.