Managers identify hospital strengths and gaps after Türkiye earthquakes

Researchers used a phenomenological design and semi-structured interviews with purposively selected hospital medical service managers who served during the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes in Türkiye. The interview data were analyzed thematically and organized using a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) framework. The article does not report the number of participants in the supplied text.

Managers identified leadership and coordination, workforce resilience, operational capacity, and prior training and drills as strengths. Reported weaknesses included psychosocial strain, gaps in preparedness and management, structural and logistical disruptions, hygiene and infection-control problems, and coordination challenges. Opportunities included communication technology, external collaboration and support, volunteer networks, and institutional learning. Threats included infrastructure limits, continued seismic activity, winter conditions, infection risks, disrupted communications, and security and social pressures.

The authors highlight preparedness, resilient communications, collaboration and psychosocial support for healthcare workers as priorities for future disaster response. These findings reflect managers’ experiences and are not quantitative estimates of hospital performance; the supplied text does not provide sample size or details that would establish how broadly the findings apply.