THE ROLE OF ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERSHIP COMPETENCE IN STRENGTHENING THE DIGITAL HEALTH GOVERNANCE-SERVICE DELIVERY QUALITY LINK IN PAKISTAN'S PUBLIC HOSPITALS

Abstract

Digital Health Governance (DHG) changes in public hospitals can have variable outcomes, and evidence is emerging that this variability is closely linked with the leadership of the hospital administration in implementing DHG. This study aims to assess the role of Digital Health Governance (DHG) on Service Delivery Quality (SDQ) in Pakistani Public Hospitals with Organizational Efficiency (OE) as the mediating variable between DHG and SDQ, and to see if ALC enhances the relationship between DHG and SDQ. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data from the healthcare professionals from all over Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which were then analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM 4.0) with 5,000 resampled bootstrapping and 12 semi-structured interviews. Results indicate that DHG has significant effects on SDQ (beta = 0.31, p < 0.001) and OE (R2 = 0.42), with OE being partially mediated. The study highlights administrative leadership development as a policy priority that is of equal importance to technological investment to maintain digital health reform in under-resourced public hospital systems.