Liberating Structures in Strategic Planning: Methods to Foster Engagement.

This paper describes the innovative approach of using liberating structures to the development of the AUR 2023 strategic plan, and lessons learned in their application. The 2023 strategic plan built on the results and approach of the prior 2015 plan. Similar to the 2015 strategic plan, traditional tools such as a SWOT analysis and strategic retreat were used. In addition, the 2023 process included tools called liberating structures and was iteratively co-produced through a series of virtual meetings over 18 months. Advantages of liberating structures included increased creativity and speed in moving through meeting tasks, increased number of meaningful contributions from AUR members and increased engagement from participants during discussions and meetings. The 2023 AUR strategic plan is provided along with examples of completed goals and those under early implementation. Lessons learned from using these tools for strategic planning can be applied to other society and group meetings. Moving forward, the 2023 strategic plan will be a living document, which will be reviewed at each Board of Directors meeting and periodically adapted.

Regulatory Framework, Challenges, and Initial Strategic Planning for Advanced Therapy Products (PTAs) Development in Brazil.

Advanced Therapies are a class of innovative complex biological products used for therapeutic purposes, encompassing cell therapy, tissue engineering, and gene therapy products. These are promising therapeutic strategies for several complex diseases with low or non-existent therapeutic alternatives. The proper transposition of basic research in this area into medicinal products must comply with regulatory requirements. Here we review the main regulatory recommendations, emphasizing on the Brazilian regulation. The critical points are the manufacturing process, challenges in characterizing the product, development of non-clinical trials, lack of adequate animal models representative of the clinical situation, and absence of valid and measurable therapeutic endpoints. Based on that, we propose a framework for strategic planning of pre-clinical studies in this field. The detailed example involves producing a nonviral vector-based gene editing product, but the regulations and methods may be extrapolated for developing different types of advanced therapies.

NINDS Health Equity Strategic Planning Process Overview, High-Level Recommendations, and Guide.

Neurologic mortality is increasing in the United States and is occurring in an inequitable manner. There is a major need for innovative research strategies to eliminate these inequities. In 2020, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) embarked on a health equity strategic planning process, which culminated in a 3-day public workshop and research recommendations provided by a working group of its National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council (NANDSC WG) to the NINDS. This Neurology® supplement is dedicated to the NINDS health equity strategic planning process. As cochairs of the NANDS WG, we developed this summary to provide an overview of the process and a guide for navigating this special issue. Detailed recommendations from the NANDS WG are distributed throughout various articles in this supplement and supported with extensive commentary on the state of the science in health equity. Consolidated high-level recommendations from this process are presented at the end of this article.

Assessing Use, Usefulness, and Application of the High Impact Practices in Family Planning Briefs and Strategic Planning Guides.

BACKGROUND: In global health, persistent barriers and challenges to bridging the gap between research and practice remain critical to address in most health areas. The High Impact Practices (HIPs) briefs and strategic planning guides aim to bridge the know-do gap in family planning (FP) by facilitating research utilization and knowledge sharing and also providing a summary of experiential knowledge from experts. The purpose of this qualitative study was to assess the use, usefulness, and application of these 2 knowledge products developed by the HIP Partnership for decision-makers and implementers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS: This research used in-depth interviews with FP stakeholders from various LMICs to assess the use, usefulness, and application of 2 HIP products for FP decision-makers and implementers. The analysis was shaped by an adapted logic model framework to assess HIP product reach, engagement, usefulness, learning, and action. RESULTS: We interviewed 35 FP professionals from January to March 2021. Participants reported that HIP products have a wide reach, have garnered positive engagement, and were useful. Participants generally liked the current format of the HIP products and reported using them to inform program design, guide discussions with partners, enhance personal knowledge, support advocacy work, and strengthen the guidance they provide to colleagues in the field. The participants shared important feedback to improve the development and dissemination of HIP products, particularly a need to enhance local access and use. CONCLUSION: The study highlighted the importance of knowledge products, such as the HIP briefs and strategic planning guides, to make evidence and experiential knowledge accessible to a wide audience. These can be valuable tools for policymakers and program implementers to ensure public health practices are evidence-based and integrate experiential knowledge.

Strategic Planning: Moving From Plan to Implementation.

Successful organizations depend on strategic thinkers who understand strategic planning and strategic management. These strategic leaders can proactively manage the constant environmental changes to position their organizations for a competitive advantage and avoid acting in a reactive and defensive manner. However, while organizations are often adept at developing extensive strategic plans, implementation of the plan is often poor or without a definitive strategy. This article addresses key strategies for successful implementation of changes to bring about sustainable cultural change in an organization to meet the organization's overall strategic goals, specifically through the use of implementation science.

Changed Perceptions: Lessons Learned Regarding Nurse's Postpandemic Concerns.

Through a unique set of timings, a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis of a nursing department was conducted with the staff nurses of a large medical center in late 2019 and again in 2022. The intent of the 2019 analysis was bifold, to obtain rich input from nursing staff to apprise the 2020 Nursing Strategic Plan and to inform the hospital-wide core councils and the nursing unit councils on focused project work identified as Weaknesses and Threats. When the pandemic hit, work on strategic planning was paused to manage the unparalleled impact that COVID-19 had on the organization. In 2022, nursing leadership realized they had an opportunity to repeat the SWOT analysis, not only to inform the 2023 Nursing Strategic Plan but also to determine whether the perceptions of staff nurses regarding the SWOT in the nursing department had changed postpandemic. A thematic analysis provided the structure to analyze the perceptions of nurses pre- and postpandemic. This article presents our reflections for nurse leaders to consider when addressing the positive (Strengths/Opportunities) and negative (Weaknesses/Threats) perceptions of nurses in a postpandemic health care environment.

Disaster waste management challenges and enabling factors for strategic planning: The case of the Beirut Port explosion.

Disasters occur in both developed and developing countries, generating large amounts of disaster waste including construction and demolition (C&D) waste that needs to be appropriately managed. While developed countries are capable of implementing adequate disaster waste management (DWM) strategies to facilitate their recovery processes, developing countries generally struggle to find the resources and expertise needed to develop such strategies. Lebanon is a developing country vexed by several systemic challenges that hindered its abilities to manage disaster waste. In this paper, we focus on the Beirut Port explosion (4 August 2020), which generated more than 800,000 tonnes of disaster wastes. This study first assesses the executed strategies and identifies their enabling factors and implementation challenges. It then proposes a framework for the proper management of disaster waste, which was validated through 18 in-depth interviews with experts and stakeholders involved in disaster management. Interview notes and transcripts were analyzed using an inductive-deductive process that allowed to identify themes using the constant comparative method. The data revealed that the main barriers toward implementing a successful DWM strategy were the absence of appropriate technologies, infrastructure, expertise, legislative framework and financial resources. The study concludes by proposing a DWM roadmap that includes contingency, risk reduction and implementation plans (IPs) that can enhance decision-making and ease the recovery process.

Emergency management and HAZMAT mitigation: Strategic planning for new developments.

In cases of accidental hazardous materials (HAZMAT) release, several emergency management responses can be taken to maintain the safety of the living environment. This study focuses on building a long-range planning, urban development model for hazards addressing where development zones should be located to mitigate exposure to HAZMAT and minimize evacuations. Interviews and meta-analytic manipulation of data were used to demonstrate flaws in three industrial cities' disaster management plans. These data were also used to influence development in plain model areas where hydrogen sulfide or other hazardous materials could accidentally be released. The Areal Location of Hazardous Atmospheres (ALOHA) model was used to simulate physical conditions affecting the hydrogen sulfide gas released from Mesaieed Industrial City in the State of Qatar, and Mapping Application for Response, Planning, and Local Operational Tasks mapping was used to display ALOHA threat estimates. Findings represent a considerable improvement to the urban developments in areas near HAZMAT risk zones and can be applied to other international industrial areas.

Injury modelling for strategic planning in protecting the national infrastructure from terrorist explosive events.

Terrorist events in the form of explosive devices have occurred and remain a threat currently to the population and the infrastructure of many nations worldwide. Injuries occur from a combination of a blast wave, energised fragments, blunt trauma and burns. The relative preponderance of each injury mechanism is dependent on the type of device, distance to targets, population density and the surrounding environment, such as an enclosed space, to name but a few. One method of primary prevention of such injuries is by modification of the environment in which the explosion occurs, such as modifying population density and the design of enclosed spaces. The Human Injury Predictor (HIP) tool is a computational model which was developed to predict the pattern of injuries following an explosion with the goal to inform national injury prevention strategies from terrorist attacks. HIP currently uses algorithms to predict the effects from primary and secondary blast and allows the geometry of buildings to be incorporated. It has been validated using clinical data from the '7/7' terrorist attacks in London and the 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist event. Although the tool can be used readily, it will benefit from further development to refine injury representation, validate injury scoring and enable the prediction of triage states. The tool can assist both in the design of future buildings and methods of transport, as well as the situation of critical emergency services required in the response following a terrorist explosive event. The aim of this paper is to describe the HIP tool in its current version and provide a roadmap for optimising its utility in the future for the protection of national infrastructure and the population.

Using Systems Science for Strategic Planning of Obesity Prevention and Treatment: The Roundtable on Obesity Solutions Experience.

The sustained multi-decade increase in the prevalence of obesity calls for a new approach on addressing this public health concern. The Roundtable on Obesity Solutions (ROOS) (of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine NASEM), a multisector group comprised of members from a variety of organizations and institutions, initiated a year-long effort to build a strategic plan and roadmap for action that would drive a paradigm shift for the ROOS in pursuing obesity solutions. Following a review of obesity prevention and treatment recommendations with sufficient actionable-evidence by authoritative organizations, the ROOS deployed systems science methods. Members engaged in group model building (GMB) exercises to develop an obesity systems map based on determinants and drivers from a multi-sector perspective and overlaid with aligned solutions. To expand the understanding of systems science approaches and methods, 3 public workshops were held in tandem with the development of the map. The causal map was refined, and solutions were ranked using a leverage-point framework to inform a strategic plan and narrative roadmap for action. For the ROOS, structural racism and social justice, biased mental models and social norms, and effective health communications were prioritized as the leverage points most likely to have a significant impact in addressing obesity. Complementary to the mission, vision, and guiding principles of the ROOS, the obesity systems map, and narrative roadmap will drive the ROOS activities over the next 3-6 years and serve as a resource for researchers, organizations, and institutions involved with policy, prevention, and treatment of obesity.

Presented and prioritizing waste management strategies using SWOT and QSPM approach in two private hospitals in Yazd in 2021.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to present a strategic waste management in two private hospitals in Yazd using models of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) and quantitative strategic planning matrix (QSPM). METHODS: The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the organization was identified according to existing documents and expert team. The internal and external factors were identified by internal factor evaluation (IFE) and external factor evaluation (EFE) matrices. The strategies to improve waste management in two hospitals were presented by comparing internal and external factors. Finally, the attractiveness table was compiled and weighted using the QSPM method to prioritize the strategies. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that 24 strengths, 30 weaknesses, 16 opportunities, and 22 threats were identified. The final score of internal and external factors for hospital A and B were (X: 2.37, Y:1.88) and (X: 2.37, Y: 2.01), respectively. Based on the results, 12 strategies were presented. Finally, the strategy of "the improvement of green management indicators" was implemented as a priority according to QSPM matrix. CONCLUSION: The result of this study duplicated that using the QSPM and SWOT models is assist to present viable strategies to improve the health-care waste management.

Evolution of health sector strategic planning in Tanzania: What have we learnt and how can we improve?

Progressive realization of Universal Health Coverage is inevitable given resource constraints. The incremental approach must be reflected in health sector strategic plans which serve as roadmaps. Using a matrix based on the health systems building blocks to extract data, we reviewed three successive sector strategies to assess priority issues addressed. We undertook a thematic synthesis to draw lessons and conclusion reported in this paper. Our review shows good practice as well as areas desiring attention if health sector strategic plans are to serve the intended purpose. Although all strategies were aligned to global and national development aspirations, were developed in a participatory manner they did not reflect the required incremental approach. The challenges to be addressed and the priorities remained largely the same over a 15-year period. The strategies and key results areas to be implemented in the different strategies were numerous with funding gaps. Improving the utility of strategic plans requires improving both the process and content. Implied in this approach is the need for prioritised and affordable strategic plans that reflect incremental efforts to attaining long term targets coupled with strong trend analysis and monitoring. Additionally, we advocate for strategic plan with a longer timeframe perhaps 10 years with adjustments at regular intervals.

Guia para implantação de escore de utilização / Guide for implementing utilization scores

Este conteúdo tem como principal objetivo elaborar uma metodologia para construção de escore de utilização, como ferramenta de gerenciamento a partir do monitoramento das taxas de perdas primárias e secundárias, para avaliação de desempenho de centrais de regulação.

La situación de la enfermería en la Región de las Américas. Informe final del Foro Regional para el Avance de la Enfermería en América Latina (8 y 9 de septiembre del 2022) / The situation of nursing in the Region of the Americas. Final report of the Regional Forum for the Advancement of Nursing in Latin America (September 8 and 9, 2022)

Los días 8 y 9 de septiembre del 2022, La Organización Panamericana de la Salud, la Federación Panamericana de Profesionales de Enfermería y la Facultad de Enfermería de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia celebraron el Foro Regional para el Avance de la Enfermería en América Latina. El objetivo del encuentro fue fomentar acciones con las asociaciones nacionales, las federaciones de profesionales y los colegios de enfermería dirigidas a avanzar el debate sobre la inversión nacional en los y las profesionales de enfermería y sobre la implantación de la enfermería de práctica avanzada para la atención primaria de salud. En este informe final se recogen los debates e intervenciones de ambas jornadas, así como las conclusiones y los próximos pasos acordados en el foro.(AU)

Nursing Strategic Imperatives: Engaging Nurses in Strategy Development and Execution to Drive Value.

Strategic plans provide a roadmap for value creation by outlining key priorities that, when executed successfully, enhance quality and efficiency. Nurses are uniquely positioned to inform strategic planning because of their understanding of clinical operations and consumer needs. This article describes a multiphase process for engaging nurses, at all levels, in developing, implementing, and revising a nursing strategic plan over a 5-year period.