Evaluating Disaster Damages and Operational Status of Health-Care Facilities During the Emergency Response Phase of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico as a category 4 storm, resulting in serious widespread impact across the island, including communication and power outages, water systems impairment, and damage to life-saving infrastructure. In collaboration with the Puerto Rico Department of Health, the Public Health Branch (PHB), operating under the Department of Health and Human Services Incident Response Coordination Team, was tasked with completing assessments of health-care facilities in Puerto Rico to determine infrastructure capabilities and post-hurricane capacity. Additionally, in response to significant data entry and presentation needs, the PHB leadership worked with the Puerto Rico Planning Board to develop and test a new app-based infrastructure capacity assessment tool. Assessments of hospitals were initiated September 28, 2017, and completed November 10, 2017 (n = 64 hospitals, 97%). Assessments of health-care centers were initiated on October 7, 2017, with 186 health-care centers (87%) assessed through November 18, 2017. All hospitals had working communications; however, 9% (n = 17) of health-care centers reported no communication capabilities. For the health-care centers, 114 (61%) reported they were operational but had sustainment needs. In conclusion, health-care facility assessments indicated structural damage issues and operational capacity decreases, while health-care centers reported loss of communication capabilities post-Hurricane Maria.

Use of multiple methods to measure impact of a centralized call center on academic health system community pharmacies.

PURPOSE: The process and methods used in an impact assessment of a centralized pharmacy call center on community pharmacy employee patient safety climate perceptions, telephone distractions/interruptions, and prescription filling efficiency are described. SUMMARY: A broad-based team designed a multi-faceted, pre-post call center implementation analysis that included multiple change assessment measures. First, yearly administration of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Community Pharmacy Survey on Patient Safety Culture was used to assess patient safety climate based on employee perceptions of a safe working environment and potential for errors due to interruptions and distractions. Evaluative measures of staff workload that assessed telephone interference with prescription filling activities pre and 3 months post implementation included (1) the NASA Task Load Index, (2) multi-tasking observations through shadowing of pharmacists and technicians to count number of interruptions/distractions per prescription "touched," and (3) self-reported work sampling to assess proportional time estimates of clinical, professional, and technical activities. Finally, pharmacy efficiency and prescription filling capacity were assessed using operational measures (prescriptions filled, patients served, phone call volume changes, prescription rework counting). Data analysis included summary statistics, Student's t-test, and chi-square analysis, as appropriate, in addition to assessing convergence and agreement among measures. Every evaluative method showed a positive outcome from call center implementation, although individual pharmacies may have accrued greater benefit from call reduction than others. CONCLUSION: Multiple analysis methods can be used to evaluate the impact of workflow changes.

Práticas de auditoria no sistema único de saúde: uma revisão integrativa / Prácticas de auditoría en el sistema único de salud: una revisión integrativa / Auditing practices in the Brazilian unified health system: an integrative literature review

Objective: The study's purpose has been to analyze the auditing practices in the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) [Brazilian Unified Health System]. Methods: It is an integrative literature review that was carried out in the Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS) [Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences], Virtual Health Library (VHL), and Web of Science databases. By using the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 12 scientific articles were selected for in-depth analysis. Results: The findings demonstrate the political and institutional advances regarding to the auditing practices in the SUS. There have been also identified many challenges that must be overcome in order to support such practices, such as the need to qualify the tools of the National Audit Department from the SUS and to improve the communication between State, Municipal, and Federal auditing. Conclusion: Auditing practices in the SUS are still under development, then requiring more studies and dissemination, aiming to bring contributions to both practice and the academic milieu

Objetivo: Analisar as práticas de auditoria no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). Métodos: Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa de literatura realizada na Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS), Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (Lilacs), e Web of Science. Ao total, utilizando-se os critérios de inclusão e exclusão selecionou-se 12 artigos científicos para análise. Resultados: Os resultados apontam avanços políticos e nas instituições com relação as práticas de auditoria no SUS. Identificam-se também muitos desafios para fortalecer tais práticas, como a necessidade de qualificar as ferramentas do Departamento Nacional de Auditoria do SUS e melhorar a comunicação entre o componente, estadual, municipal e federal de auditoria. Conclusão: As práticas de auditoria no SUS estão em construção, necessitando de mais estudos e divulgação, afim de que traga contribuições para a prática e o meio acadêmico

Objetivo: Analizar las prácticas de auditoría en el Sistema Único de Salud (SUS). Método: Se trata de una revisión integrativa de literatura realizada en la Biblioteca Virtual en Salud (BVS), Literatura Latinoamericana y del Caribe en Ciencias de la Salud (Lilacs), y Web of Science. Al total, utilizando los criterios de inclusión y exclusión se seleccionaron 12 artículos científicos para análisis. Resultados: Los resultados apuntan avances políticos y en las instituciones con relación a las prácticas de auditoría en el SUS. Se identifican también, muchos desafíos para fortalecer tales prácticas, como la necesidad de calificar las herramientas del Departamento Nacional de Auditoría del SUS y mejorar la comunicación entre el componente, estatal, municipal y municipal, federal de auditoría. Conclusión: Las prácticas de auditoría en el SUS están en construcción, necesitando más estudios y divulgación, a fin de que traiga contribuciones para la práctica y el medio académico

Developing leading indicators from OHS management audit data: Determining the measurement properties of audit data from the field.

INTRODUCTION: OHS management audits are one means of obtaining data that may serve as leading indicators. The measurement properties of such data are therefore important. This study used data from Workwell audit program in Ontario, a Canadian province. The audit instrument consisted of 122 items related to 17 OHS management elements. The study sought answers regarding (a) the ability of audit-based scores to predict workers' compensation claims outcomes, (b) structural characteristics of the data in relation to the organization of the audit instrument, and (c) internal consistency of items within audit elements. METHOD: The sample consisted of audit and claims data from 1240 unique firms that had completed one or two OHS management audits during 2007-2010. Predictors derived from the audit results were used in multivariable negative binomial regression modeling of workers' compensation claims outcomes. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to examine the instrument's structural characteristics. Kuder-Richardson coefficients of internal consistency were calculated for each audit element. RESULTS: The ability of audit scores to predict subsequent claims data could not be established. Factor analysis supported the audit instrument's element-based structure. KR-20 values were high (≥0.83). CONCLUSIONS: The Workwell audit data display structural validity and high internal consistency, but not, to date, construct validity, since the audit scores are generally not predictive of subsequent firm claim experience. Audit scores should not be treated as leading indicators of workplace OHS performance without supporting empirical data. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Analyses of the measurement properties of audit data can inform decisionmakers about the operation of an audit program, possible future directions in audit instrument development, and the appropriate use of audit data. In particular, decision-makers should be cautious in their use of audit scores as leading indicators, in the absence of supporting empirical data.

Psychometric properties of the Irish Management Standards Indicator Tool.

BACKGROUND: Work Positive is Ireland's national policy initiative to control work-related stress. Since the introduction of the UK Health and Safety Executive's Management Standards (MS) in 2004, a number of studies have been undertaken to assess the potential adaptation of the MS framework within Ireland. AIMS: To investigate the dimensionality, reliability and validity of the Irish version of the MS Indicator Tool (ROI-MSIT). METHODS: Between February 2011 and June 2014, we collected data from a wide range of public and private sector organizations that used the ROI-MSIT. In addition to the ROI-MSIT, respondents completed the WHO-Five Well-being Index (WHO-5). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to determine whether the ROI-MSIT maintained the structure of the UK instrument. The internal consistency of the ROI-MSIT was also assessed to determine its reliability, while its criterion-related validity was explored through correlation analysis with the WHO-5. RESULTS: Data were collected from 7377 participants. The factor structure of the ROI-MSIT consisted of six factors; the Demands, Control, Peer Support, Relationships and Role factors were equivalent to the original UK factors. Like the Italian version, a principal factor emerged that combined the Manager Support and Change domains. Cronbach's alpha scores ranged from 0.75 to 0.91. Finally, the ROI-MSIT's subscales and WHO-5 were positively correlated (r = 0.42-0.59, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The ROI-MSIT is reliable and valid, with a factor structure similar to the original UK instrument and the Italian MSIT. Further psychometric evaluation of the ROI-MSIT is recommended.

Assessing ecotourism from a multi-stakeholder perspective: Xingkai Lake National Nature Reserve, China.

Ecotourism development is closely associated with the sustainability of protected natural areas. When facilitated by appropriate management, ecotourism can contribute to conservation and development, as well as the well-being of local communities. As such, ecotourism has been proposed and practiced in different forms in many places, including China. This study assesses ecotourism development at Xingkai Lake National Nature Reserve in Heilongjiang Province, China. Key informant interviews were conducted with representatives from the provincial Forestry Department, the Nature Reserve, and the local community. Observation was undertaken on three site visits and secondary data were collected. The potential for providing quality natural experiences is high and tourism development is occurring rapidly. However, current relationships between people, resources, and tourism have yet to provide mutual benefits necessary for successful ecotourism. The multi-stakeholder management style and the ambiguity of landownership within the nature reserve constitute structural difficulties for ecotourism management and operation. Although participation in ecotourism could provide a livelihood opportunity and interests in involvement in tourism have been identified among the local fishing community, current involvement is limited mainly due to the lack of mechanisms for participation. Therefore, it is recommended that management programs and government policies should be established to provide a platform for community participation in ecotourism. Then, a positive synergistic relationship between tourism, environment, and community could be developed. Planning and policy requirements are discussed for ecotourism development in protected areas in China.

Reliability and utility of the Behaviour Support Plan Quality Evaluation tool (BSP-QEII) for auditing and quality development in services for adults with intellectual disability and challenging behaviour.

BACKGROUND: Having an objective means of evaluating the quality of behaviour support plans (BSPs) could assist service providers and statutory authorities to monitor and improve the quality of support provided to people with intellectual disability (ID) who exhibit challenging behaviour. The Behaviour Support Plan Quality Evaluation Guide II (BSP-QEII) was developed to monitor and assess BSPs prepared by teachers to support children with disability in the school system. This study investigated the application of the BSP-QEII to the assessment of BSPs for adults with ID in community support services. METHOD: The inter-rater reliability of the BSP-QEII was assessed. The utility of the BPS-QEII was then investigated with reference to a time series study of matched pairs of BSPs, developed for the same clients over a period of approximately 3 years. Differences in plan quality measured across a number of service and systemic variables were also investigated. RESULTS: The BSP-QEII was found to have good inter-rater reliability and good utility for audit purposes. It was able to discriminate changes in plan quality over time. Differences in plan quality were also evident across different service types, where specialist staff had or had not been involved, and in some instances where a statutory format for the plan had or had not been used. There were no differences between plans developed by government and community sector agencies, nor were there any regional differences across the jurisdiction. CONCLUSIONS: The BSP-QEII could usefully be adopted as an audit tool for measuring the quality of BSPs for adults with ID. In addition to being used for research and administrative auditing, the principles underpinning the BSP-QEII could also be useful to guide policy and educational activities for staff in community based services for adults with ID.

Healthcare BI: a tool for meaningful analysis.

Implementing an effective business intelligence (BI) system requires organizationwide preparation and education to allow for meaningful analysis of information. Hospital executives should take steps to ensure that: Staff entering data are proficient in how the data are to be used for decision making, and integration is based on clean data from primary sources of entry. Managers have the business acumen required for effective data analysis. Decision makers understand how multidimensional BI offers new ways of analysis that represent significant improvements over historical approaches using static reporting.

Impact of management interventions on smallholder dairy farms of the Western Highlands of Cameroon.

A study was carried out to evaluate the impact of interventions to solve constraints in smallholder dairy farms of the Western Highlands of Cameroon. The interventions consisted of improved breeding through introduction of artificial insemination, better feed supplementation, farmers training in milk processing and better veterinary services. Results show that there was a decrease in average monthly expenditures of 18% relative to the month before interventions started. Much of the expenditures were related to feed (38% of all costs). There was an overall increase in farm income. Close to 2/3 of the income were derived from milk products from home processed milk and culled animals. Only 7% income came from milk sold to the processing plant. The partial budget shows that before interventions, farmers lost $4.5/cow/month but gained $38/cow/month because of the interventions. The return was 2.32 and included opportunity income for milk home consumed and shared. When this opportunity income was ignored, the return stood at 1.93. The positive impact of interventions led to poverty alleviation and some farmers acquired more cows. A spill over effect is that more crop farmers are willing to be engaged at least partially in dairy farming. It will be good if many more farmers could benefit from these interventions.

Outcome of planned discharge from case management: a 3 year retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the rates of relapse of mental illness in adults requiring acute intervention at a mental health service following a planned discharge process from community case management. METHOD: A planned approach to identifying and facilitating patient discharge was identified and incorporated into clinical team reviews. Data regarding service contacts of all discharged patients were collected at 1 year and then 3 years following planned discharge and reviewed in detail. Demographic factors and clinical variables were collected in anticipation that useful predictors for successful discharge might be identified. RESULTS: Using a planned approach, a greater number of patients were discharged from case management to the care of a primary treating practitioner. Discharges increased from 11 in 2000 to 46 in 2001. Of the 46 patients discharged from case management, 22 patients (47.8%) had no contact with the service during the first 12 months. Twenty-four patients accessed the Service requiring no further action, but at some point nine (19.6%) required acute intervention. The remaining 15 patients (32.6%) were managed successfully either by the triage service or non-urgent referral for psychiatric consultation. During the 3 year period 10 patients (21.7%) continued to have no contact with the service. Nineteen patients (41.3%) required acute intervention; the remaining 17 (36.9%) were successfully managed through triage or via non-urgent psychiatric review requiring no further action by the Service. Of the seven patients who had been on a community treatment order during their treatment, only one had further contact with the Service. CONCLUSIONS: A planned approach to the discharge of patients from case management to the community resulted in an increased number of patient discharges. While most patients did not rapidly relapse, a number of patients did have contact with the Service and 19 (41.3%) required at least one acute intervention during the 3 year follow-up period. The findings reflect the importance of relapse prevention and management and service re-entry planning with triage services, patients, carers and other key workers. The frequency of service use and the variation of services required by patients highlight the importance of availability of a variety of adequately resourced levels of service response.

Rural poverty reduction through centrally sponsored schemes.

This paper discusses the evolving profile of poverty in India and reviews the national performance of selected anti-poverty programmes between 1997-1998 and 2005. For each programme, it outlines the budgetary allocation principle used for the States and districts and analyzes budgetary performance over the period. The main objective is to explore the extent to which the anti-poverty programmes are reaching their target groups effectively. Finally, it identifies the specific factors responsible for under-performance and provides a set of recommendations for policy makers and programme implementers which could help improve the outcomes of the schemes.

Success factors in hospital network performance: evidence from Korea.

Collaborative networks have become a common organizational strategy to deal with uncertain and dynamic environments. Like their counterparts in the USA, Korean hospitals are establishing cooperative relationships with one another, with varying performance results. This paper analyses some of the sources of variation in hospital network performance and identifies some of the possible success factors. The study finds that the quality of cooperation and information sharing between network partners are critical. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for researchers and practitioners.

Influence of prescription charges on repeat prescribing in primary care.

BACKGROUND: Repeat dispensing by community pharmacists has now been rolled out nationally within England in order to improve patient convenience and reduce doctors' workload. Little is known about how the charge status of the patient may impact on the uptake and prescribing practices of this service. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the charge status of the patient influences the length of the repeat prescribing cycle. METHOD: Thirty-six community pharmacies collected data on repeatable prescriptions dispensed over a 4-month period. A purposive sample of 13 general practices actively involved as pathfinder sites were selected for interview, to explore views on repeat prescriptions and influence of prescription charges. RESULTS: Completed audit forms were collected on 4029 repeatable prescriptions. Differences in the length of the prescribing interval between charge payers and exempt patients were found to be statistically significant (Mann-Whitney U-test, P < 0.001), indicating that prescribers were issuing prescriptions for longer interval periods for charge payers. Thirteen general practitioners (GPs) and three practice managers were interviewed across 13 practices. Some GPs varied their prescribing to minimize the cost to patients. Others were motivated to reduce waste and promoted 28-day prescribing for all patients. CONCLUSION: The study has shown that charge paying patients are more likely to have longer prescribing intervals and that cost to the patient is a consideration for GPs when making these decisions. Future work should explore the influence of other factors such as age, socio-economic status and patient morbidity on prescribing in primary care.

Audit of the management of patients admitted with community acquired pneumonia.

Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. There is evidence that guidelines do guide and standardise management, but with less measurable effect on outcome. We prospectively audited the management of CAP in patients admitted to a Dublin hospital during the winter of 2003/04. The main objective was to evaluate the quality of care for CAP using the BTS guidelines as a standard of management. 164 patients were admitted with CAP during the defined period. Guidelines for assessment of disease severity at presentation were followed in only 56 (34.1%) cases. Appropriate antibiotic therapy was instituted within 8 hours of presentation in 123 (75.0%) cases. The rate of use of a severity assessment score to stratify patients with CAP based on recognized guidelines is low in our hospital. Despite this, the overall mortality rate of 8.5% is comparable with previous results.

Achieving progress through clinical governance? A national study of health care managers' perceptions in the NHS in England.

BACKGROUND: A national cross sectional study was undertaken to explore the perceptions concerning the importance of, and progress in, aspects of clinical governance among board level and directorate managers in English acute, ambulance, and mental health/learning disabilities (MH/LD) trusts. PARTICIPANTS: A stratified sample of acute, ambulance, and mental health/learning disabilities trusts in England (n = 100), from each of which up to 10 board level and 10 directorate level managers were randomly sampled. METHODS: Fieldwork was undertaken between April and July 2002 using the Organisational Progress in Clinical Governance (OPCG) schedule to explore managers' perceptions of the importance of, and organisational achievement in, 54 clinical governance competency items in five aggregated domains: improving quality; managing risks; improving staff performance; corporate accountability; and leadership and collaboration. The difference between ratings of importance and achievement was termed a shortfall. RESULTS: Of 1916 individuals surveyed, 1177 (61.4%) responded. The competency items considered most important and recording highest perceived achievement related to corporate accountability structures and clinical risks. The highest shortfalls between perceived importance and perceived achievement were reported in joint working across local health communities, feedback of performance data, and user involvement. When aggregated into domains, greatest achievement was perceived in the assurance related areas of corporate accountability and risk management, with considerably less perceived achievement and consequently higher shortfalls in quality improvement and leadership and collaboration. Directorate level managers' perceptions of achievement were found to be significantly lower than those of their board level colleagues on all domains other than improving performance. No differences were found in perceptions of achievement between different types of trusts, or between trusts at different stages in the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) review cycle. CONCLUSIONS: While structures and systems for clinical governance seem well established, there is more perceived progress in areas concerned with quality assurance than quality improvement. This study raises some uncomfortable questions about the impact of CHI review visits.

Re-audit of radiotherapy waiting times 2003.

AIMS: There has been increasing concern, by clinical oncologists in the UK, about the continuing long waiting times for radiotherapy treatment. An audit of patients starting treatment in 1 week in 2003 was carried out to determine waiting times and to compare current results with those obtained from a similar audit in 1998. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All centres in the UK completed the audit, which recorded waiting-list status and treatment intent for all new treatments started in 1 week, date of booking form completion and fractionation scheme used. RESULTS: Waiting times have lengthened in most centres for all categories of patients although, for palliative treatments, there was no additional increase in median waiting time compared with the last audit. Fewer patients in all categories are being treated within the Joint Collegiate Council for Oncology (JCCO) guidelines. Single-fraction treatments are now common for palliation. Most adjuvant treatment uses one of three prescriptions. In each Strategic Health Authority (StHA), the same proportion of the total number of patients with cancer seemed to be given radiotherapy. There was no obvious simple correlation of radiographer, physicist or treatment machine numbers with waiting times. CONCLUSION: The results of this survey suggest a continuing mismatch between capacity and demand. Increased complexity of radical treatments, and possibly more patients being referred for treatment, may have been offset in part by reduced fractionation for palliation.

Retention: it's all about respect.

Retention of employees is often overlooked in developing strategies to deal with worker shortages in health care. Managers mistake requests for more money as the key indicator of job satisfaction. This article examines research conducted by three health service administration graduate students who looked at reasons staff were leaving their jobs or their occupations. Using three different research tools, the students found that job satisfaction is not all about money, or even benefits. Respect, recognition, and organizational commitment are what employees want in their jobs. The article describes the research methods used in the studies and the similarities in results.

Assessment of validity of the national public health performance standards: the local public health performance assessment instrument.

The National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPSP) has developed performance standards measurement instruments, based on the 10 "Essential Services of Public Health" that are being tested in several states. This article is a report on the face and content validity of the instrument designed for local public health systems. Judgments about the face validity of the standards were obtained in a survey of local public health systems that had used the instrument in a test state. The validity of each standard was addressed along the following dimensions: the importance of the standard as a measure of the Essential Service; its completeness as a measure; and its reasonableness for achievement. All standards for each Essential Service were then judged in terms of their completeness in measuring performance of that service. Respondents judged the standards to be highly valid measures of local public health system performance. Some respondents had reservations about whether standards related to "enforcing laws and regulations" were achievable. Holding local public health systems accountable for the activities of other agencies was a factor mentioned in conjunction with those standards. The NPHPSP standards have face and content validity for measuring local public health system performance. Further testing of their validity and reliability is continuing.