Management of resources during COVID-19 pandemic at an academic hospital in Gauteng, South Africa: nurse managers’ experiences

Background: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic required the mobilization of resources specifically for managing patients during the pandemic. The need for the mobilization of resources at the time of COVID-19 increased the nurse managers’ responsibilities regarding the management of resources. Failure to prioritize the requirement for resource mobilization during COVID-19 can result in several adverse effects, notably in terms of nurse managers’ obligations. Such a negative incident could result from decreased quality and patient safety. The study, therefore, sought to examine the nurse managers’ resource management experiences under the new context caused by the pandemic. Objective: The study aimed to explore and describe nurse managers’ experiences regarding managing resources during the COVID-19 pandemic in an academic hospital in the Tshwane District of the Gauteng Province. Methods: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual research design was followed. Twenty-six purposefully sampled nurse managers attended semi-structured interviews. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify patterns and themes within the data collected. Results: The following three themes emerged: The nurse managers experienced budget constraints to address the patient’s health needs. More human and material resources are needed, which makes monitoring patient care challenging. Lastly, the hospital infrastructure needed to be Inadequate and unsupportive for easy management of the pandemic. Conclusion: The management of resources is critical for managing crises. Therefore, the managers must actively participate in the strategic plans and budget allocation meetings. The nurse manager’s active involvement in budgetary plans will enable the managers to pre-empt administrative challenges in case of disaster. Consequently, the nurse managers may have control over finance, human, and material resources in their roles as accounting officers. Contribution: The findings provided some insights into the experiences of nurse managers in managing resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will assist nurse managers in reviewing existing contingency plans to address intensified and prolonged crises like COVID-19 pandemic.