Primary healthcare managers' perceptions of management competencies at different management levels in digital health services: secondary analysis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to describe primary health-care managers' perceptions of management competencies at different management levels in digital health services using the management competency assessment program as a framework. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A secondary analysis study involving 21 semi-structured individual interviews was conducted among Finnish primary health-care managers at different management levels (frontline, middle and senior). The deductive framework method was used to analyze the data. FINDINGS: Similarities and differences were found in management competencies between different levels of management. Competencies related to the use of digitalization were highlighted by managers at all management levels. Managers at all management levels were involved in developing digital solutions and supporting employees in using digital solutions in their work. Frontline and middle managers emphasized more issues related to day-to-day management and communication with employees, whereas senior managers highlighted the management of large entities. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: In the secondary analysis, data were used for purposes other than originally intended. Therefore, the data are subject to limitations of the methodology applied and should be transferred to other contexts with caution. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Identifying the management competencies needed to manage digital health services is important to target managers' training according to needs in the future. SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS: The results could be used to develop the management of digital health services, as well as improve digital health services and their deployment. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Previous literature mostly examined managers' informatics competencies and paid little attention to other management competencies. This study discusses more broadly the management competencies that digital health services require from managers at different levels of management.

Transthoracic echocardiography for non-invasive assessment of coronary vasodilator function after DES implantation.

AIMS: Coronary vasodilator dysfunction has been reported after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. Recent ESC guidelines suggest that transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) may be considered for assessment of coronary flow reserve (CFR) and microvascular disease in patients with stable angina, but its reliability has not been tested in patients with DES. We sought to assess the agreement between TTE (CFRTTE) and invasive thermodilution-derived CFR (CFRThermodilution) as well as their association with index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR) in mid-term follow-up after percutaneous coronary intervention for acute coronary syndrome. METHODS AND RESULTS: CFRTTE and CFRThermodilution were assessed 3 months after DES implantation in the left anterior descending artery in 24 patients. Patients with haemodynamically significant epicardial stenosis (fractional flow reserve <0.75) were excluded. Correlation between the two methods was good (r = 0.71, P < 0.001), but CFRThermodilution (mean ± SD) tended to be higher (3.17 ± 1.00 vs. 2.87 ± 0.72; mean difference 0.29, 95% confidence interval -0.06 to 0.59). In Bland-Altman analysis, there was a trend towards a greater difference in the range of higher invasive values. Nevertheless, TTE was successful in discriminating moderately impaired CFR (≤2.5) (P = 0.001) and severely impaired CFR (≤2.0) (P < 0.001) when compared with an invasive method. No association between either CFR measurements vs. IMR measurement was detected, suggesting that in addition to microcirculatory function, CFR also accounts for epicardial vasodilator function in the absence of haemodynamically significant stenosis. CONCLUSION: TTE is a feasible and reliable method for the assessment of CFR and vasodilator dysfunction after DES implantation. Values obtained with this method successfully find abnormal CFR confirmed with the invasive thermodilution method.

Assessment of right ventricular oxidative metabolism by PET in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy.

PURPOSE: Right ventricular (RV) performance is known to have prognostic value in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been found to enhance left ventricular (LV) energetics and metabolic reserve in patients with heart failure. The interplay between the LV and RV may play an important role in CRT response. The purpose of the study was to investigate RV oxidative metabolism, metabolic reserve and the effects of CRT in patients with CHF and left bundle brach block. In addition, the role of the RV in the response to CRT was evaluated. METHODS: Ten patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy who had undergone implantation of a biventricular pacemaker 8+/-5 months earlier were studied under two conditions: CRT ON and after CRT had been switched OFF for 24 h. Oxidative metabolism was measured using [11C]acetate positron emission tomography (Kmono). The measurements were performed at rest and during dobutamine-induced stress (5 microg/kg per minute). LV performance and interventricular mechanical delay (interventricular asynchrony) were measured using echocardiography. RESULTS: CRT had no effect on RV Kmono at rest (ON: 0.052+/-0.014, OFF: 0.047+/-0.018, NS). Dobutamine-induced stress increased RV Kmono significantly under both conditions but oxidative metabolism was more enhanced when CRT was ON (0.076+/-0.026 vs 0.065+/-0.027, p=0.003). CRT shortened interventricular delay significantly (45+/-33 vs 19+/-35 ms, p=0.05). In five patients the response to CRT was striking (32% increase in mean LV stroke volume, range 18-36%), while in the other five patients no response was observed (mean change +2%, range -6% to +4%). RV Kmono and LV stroke volume response to CRT correlated inversely (r=-0.66, p=0.034). None of the other measured parameters, including all LV parameters and electromechanical parameters, were associated with the response to CRT. In responders, RV Kmono with CRT OFF was significantly lower than in non-responders (0.036+/-0.01 vs 0.058+/-0.02, p=0.047). CONCLUSION: CRT appears to enhance RV oxidative metabolism and metabolic reserve during stress. Patients responding to CRT appear to have lower RV oxidative metabolism at rest, suggesting that the RV plays a significant role in the response to CRT.