Supporting the use of research evidence in decision-making in crisis zones in low- and middle-income countries: a critical interpretive synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Decision-makers in crisis zones are faced with the challenge of having to make health-related decisions under limited time and resource constraints and in light of the many factors that can influence their decisions, of which research evidence is just one. To address a key gap in the research literature about how best to support the use of research evidence in such situations, we conducted a critical interpretive synthesis approach to develop a conceptual framework that outlines the strategies that leverage the facilitators and address the barriers to evidence use in crisis zones. METHODS: We systematically reviewed both empirical and non-empirical literature and used an interpretive analytic approach to synthesise the results and develop the conceptual framework. We used a 'compass' question to create a detailed search strategy and conducted electronic searches in CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, SSCI and Web of Science. A second reviewer was assigned to a representative sample of articles. We purposively sampled additional papers to fill in conceptual gaps. RESULTS: We identified 21 eligible papers to be analysed and purposively sampled an additional 6 to fill conceptual gaps. The synthesis resulted in a conceptual framework that focuses on evidence use in crisis zones examined through the lens of four systems - political, health, international humanitarian aid and health research. Within each of the four systems, the framework identifies the most actionable strategies that leverage the facilitators and address the barriers to evidence use. CONCLUSIONS: This study presents a new conceptual framework that outlines strategies that leverage the facilitators and address the barriers to evidence use in crisis zones within different systems. This study expands on the literature pertaining to evidence-informed decision-making.

Managerial competencies-A survey of healthcare managers in a tertiary hospital in Calabar, South-South Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Tertiary hospitals are specialized institutions that provide managed care for patients. It has been shown that the productivity of any organization/institution is as good as the performance of its managers. AIM: This study assessed the management knowledge of Healthcare Managers in a tertiary hospital in Calabar, Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study that employed a structured questionnaire (adapted from the Health Leadership Alliance competency directory). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. RESULTS: A total of 266 managers were included in this studywith a M: F ratio of 1.3:1. The knowledge rating of role of non-clinical professionals, regulatory agency standards, preparation of business communication, change process management and policy formulation and analysis varied significantly among the three levels of management (p < 0.05). Less than 50% of operational and middle managers rated themselves as experts in all the competency domains while majority (80%) of strategic managers rated themselves as more than proficient in most of the competency items. CONCLUSION: There is inadequate managerial knowledge at all levels of management in a typical tertiary hospital in Nigeria with the potential to impact negatively on quality healthcare delivery.

Healthcare middle managers' experiences of developing capacity and capability: a systematic review and meta-synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare middle managers play a central role in reducing harm, improving patient safety, and strengthening the quality of healthcare. The aim of this systematic review was to identify the present knowledge and critically discuss how healthcare middle managers experienced to develop the capacity and capability for leadership in a healthcare system characterized by high complexity. METHODS: This comprehensive systematic review provided evidence of healthcare middle managers' experiences in developing the capacity and capability for leadership in public healthcare. The three-step literature search was based on six databases and led by a PICo question. The review had a critical hermeneutic perspective and was based on an a priori published, protocol. The methods were inspired by the Joanna Briggs Institute and techniques from Kvale and Brinkmann. The results were illustrated by effect size, inspired by Sandelowski and Barroso. RESULTS: Twenty-three studies from four continents and multiple contexts (hospitals and municipal healthcare) published from January 2005-February 2019 were included. Based on experiences from 482 healthcare middle managers, 2 main themes, each with 2 subthemes, were identified, and from these, a meta-synthesis was developed: Healthcare middle managers develop capacity and capability through personal development processes empowered by context. The main themes included the following: 1. personal development of capacity and capability and 2. a need for contextual support. From a critical hermeneutic perspective, contrasts were revealed between how healthcare middle managers experienced the development of their capacity and capability and what they experienced as their typical work situation. CONCLUSIONS: This review provides evidence of the need for a changed approach in healthcare in relation to criticisms of present organizational structures and management methods and suggestions for how to strengthen healthcare middle managers' capacity and capability for leadership in a healthcare system characterized by high complexity. Evidence of how leadership development affected the clinical context and, thus, the quality of healthcare was found to be a field requiring further research. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018084670.

Partnering with patients in quality improvement: towards renewed practices for healthcare organization managers?

BACKGROUND: Around the world, many healthcare organizations engage patients as a quality improvement strategy. In Canada, the University of Montreal has developed a model which consists in partnering with patient advisors, providers, and managers in quality improvement. This model was introduced through its Partners in Care Programs tested with several quality improvement teams in Quebec, Canada. Partnering with patients in quality improvement brings about new challenges for healthcare managers. This model is recent, and little is known about how managers contribute to implementing and sustaining it using key practices. METHODS: In-depth multi-level case studies were conducted within two healthcare organizations which have implemented a Partners in Care Program in quality improvement. The longitudinal design of this research enabled us to monitor the implementation of patient partnership initiatives from 2015 to 2017. In total, 38 interviews were carried out with managers at different levels (top-level, mid-level, and front-line) involved in the implementation of Partners in Care Programs. Additionally, seven focus groups were conducted with patients and providers. RESULTS: Our findings show that managers are engaged in four main types of practices: 1-designing the patient partnership approach so that it makes sense to the entire organization; 2-structuring patient partnership to support its deployment and sustainability; 3-managing patient advisor integration in quality improvement to avoid tokenistic involvement; 4-evaluating patient advisor integration to support continuous improvement. Designing and structuring patient partnership are based on typical management practices used to implement change initiatives in healthcare organizations, whereas managing and evaluating patient advisor integration require new daily practices from managers. Our results reveal that managers at all levels, from top to front-line, are concerned with the implementation of patient partnership in quality improvement. CONCLUSION: This research adds empirical support to the evidence regarding daily managerial practices used for implementing patient partnership initiatives in quality improvement and contributes to guiding healthcare organizations and managers when integrating such approaches.

Health Information Infrastructure for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) Living in Supported Accommodation: Communication, Co-Ordination and Integration of Health Information.

People with intellectual and/or developmental disability (I/DD) commonly have complex health care needs, but little is known about how their health information is managed in supported accommodation, and across health services providers. This study aimed to describe the current health information infrastructure (i.e., how data and information are collected, stored, communicated, and used) for people with I/DD living in supported accommodation in Australia. It involved a scoping review and synthesis of research, policies, and health documents relevant in this setting. Iterative database and hand searches were conducted across peer-reviewed articles internationally in English and grey literature in Australia (New South Wales) up to September 2015. Data were extracted from the selected relevant literature and analyzed for content themes. Expert stakeholders were consulted to verify the authors' interpretations of the information and content categories. The included 286 sources (peer-reviewed n = 27; grey literature n = 259) reflect that the health information for people with I/DD in supported accommodation is poorly communicated, coordinated and integrated across isolated systems. 'Work-as-imagined' as outlined in policies, does not align with 'work-as-done' in reality. This gap threatens the quality of care and safety of people with I/DD in these settings. The effectiveness of the health information infrastructure and services for people with I/DD can be improved by integrating the information sources and placing people with I/DD and their supporters at the centre of the information exchange process.

Magnet hospital recognition in hospital systems over time.

BACKGROUND: Magnet hospitals are recognized for nursing excellence and high-value patient outcomes, yet little is known about which and when hospitals pursue Magnet recognition. Concurrently, hospital systems are becoming a more prominent feature of the U.S. health care landscape. PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to examine Magnet adoption among hospital systems over time. APPROACH: Using American Hospital Association surveys (1998-2012), we characterized the proportion of Magnet hospitals belonging to systems. We used hospital level fixed-effects regressions to capture changes in a given system hospital's Magnet status over time in relation to a variety of conditions, including prior Magnet adoption by system affiliates and nonaffiliates in local and geographically distant markets and whether these relationships varied by degree of system centralization. RESULTS: The proportion of Magnet hospitals belonging to a system is increasing. Prior Magnet adoption by a hospital within the local market was associated with an increased likelihood of a given system hospital becoming Magnet, but the effect was larger if there was prior adoption by affiliates (7.4% higher likelihood) versus nonaffiliates (2.7% higher likelihood). Prior adoption by affiliates and nonaffiliates in geographically distant markets had a lesser effect. Hospitals belonging to centralized systems were more reactive to Magnet adoption of nonaffiliate hospitals as compared with those in decentralized systems. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital systems take an organizational perspective toward Magnet adoption, whereby more system affiliates achieve Magnet recognition over time. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The findings are relevant to health care and nursing administrators and policymakers interested in the diffusion of an empirically supported organizational innovation associated with quality outcomes, particularly in a time of increasing hospital consolidation and system expansion. We identify factors associated with Magnet adoption across system hospitals and demonstrate the importance of considering diffusion of organizational innovations in relation to system centralization. We suggest that decentralized system hospitals may be missing potential benefits of such organizational innovations.

Perils of Professionalization: Chronicling a Crisis and Renewing the Potential of Healthcare Management.

This paper critically examines efforts to "professionalize" the field of healthcare management and its corresponding costs. Drawing upon the scholarly critiques of professionalization in medicine and the broader field of management, this paper seeks to explore the symbolic role professionalization might play in the psyche of its constituents, and specifically its function as a defense against uncertainty and anxiety. This psychodynamic heuristic is then deployed to put forth the hypothesis that an ongoing crisis of professional identity continues to both propel and impede professionalization efforts in healthcare management, giving rise to a litany of standardization pressures that ultimately limit the field's potential. To mitigate these pressures, the call is made for rekindling healthcare management's moral, political, and existential aspects. Specifically, this entails engaging with the deeper themes that flow through the field: the experience of illness and what it means to suffer, the experience of life and what it means to have hope, and the experience of death and dying. It also entails squarely confronting questions of power, poverty and disease, and the pursuit of justice.

Health-care quality and information failure: Evidence from Nigeria.

Low-quality health services are a problem across low- and middle-income countries. Information failure may contribute, as patients may have insufficient knowledge to discern the quality of health services. That decreases the likelihood that patients will sort into higher quality facilities, increasing demand for better health services. This paper presents results from a health survey in Nigeria to investigate whether patients can evaluate health service quality effectively. Specifically, this paper demonstrates that although more than 90% of patients agree with any positive statement about the quality of their local health services, satisfaction is significantly associated with the diagnostic ability of health workers at the facility. Satisfaction is not associated with more superficial characteristics such as infrastructure quality or prescriptions of medicines. This suggests that patients may have sufficient information to discern some of the most important elements of quality, but that alternative measures are crucial for gauging the overall quality of care.

A Road Map for Advancing the Practice of Respect in Health Care: The Results of an Interdisciplinary Modified Delphi Consensus Study.

BACKGROUND: Most health care organizations' efforts to reduce harm focus on physical harm, but other forms of harm are both prevalent and important. These "nonphysical" harms can be framed using the concepts of respect and dignity: Disrespect is an affront to dignity and can cause harm. Organizations should strive to eliminate disrespect to patients, to families, and among health care professionals. METHODS: A diverse, interdisciplinary panel of experts was convened to discuss strategies to guide health care systems to embrace an expanded definition of patient harm that includes nonphysical harm. Subsequently, using a modified Delphi process, a guide was developed for health care professionals and organizations to improve the practice of respect across the continuum of care. RESULTS: Five rounds of surveys were required to reach predefined metrics of consensus. Delphi participants identified a total of 25 strategies associated with six high-level recommendations: "Leaders must champion a culture of respect and dignity"; with other professionals sharing the responsibility to "Promote accountability"; "Engage and support the health care workforce"; "Partner with patients and families"; "Establish systems to learn about and improve the practice of respect"; and "Expand the research agenda and measurement tools, and disseminate what is learned." CONCLUSION: Harm from disrespect is the next frontier in preventable harm. This consensus statement provides a road map for health care organizations and professionals interested in engaging in a reliable practice of respect. Further work is needed to develop the specific tactics that will lead health care organizations to prevent harm from disrespect.

[The process of defining the competence profile of the healthcare professions manager in the Veneto Region]. / Il processo di definizione del profilo di competenza del coordinatore delle professioni sanitarie nella Regione del Veneto.

Presented here is the approach used by a multidisciplinary working group fo the drafting of the "core" competence profile of the healthcare professions manager in the Veneto Region. Defining a competence profile allows for specifying a standard for measuring the skills acquired by a professional and the gap level from what is expected by the organization, as well as orienting the preparatory education to carry out the related role.

Patient-Centered Organizational Statements: Merely Rhetoric? A Survey of Health Care Leaders.

Health care organizations have embraced the concept of patient-centered care, but there is concern that the mere inclusion of those words in mission and value statements does not equate to implementation at the health care delivery level. Despite initiatives to align the patient-clinician encounter with broader patient-centered values, there have been mixed results, often creating a gap between practice and the organization's stated position. This preliminary study aims to assess the extent to which patient-centered values are reflected in actual patient care. The survey was sent electronically to Dartmouth's Masters in Health Care Delivery Science alumni, leaders in health care management. A majority of 49 survey respondents acknowledged the importance of patient-centered values to their organizations. However, 90% of respondents identified a gap between patient-centered values and day-to-day patient care. Thematic analysis of respondent comments showed a misalignment of organizational incentives with patient-centered care, a lack of leadership priority given to patient-centered values, and a failure to clearly define patient-centered values. Quantitative and qualitative data indicated that patient-centered statements represented rhetoric rather than the reality of patient care. Consistently achieving patient-centered care will require leaders to adopt a systematic approach to move beyond rhetoric.

Closing the Gap: Executives and Student Perceptions of Leadership Characteristics for Health Care Managers.

A study was recently conducted to determine the perceptions of undergraduate health care management students regarding leadership characteristics that health care managers should possess to be successful. The results were then compared with a study that was conducted in 2012 of chief executive officers regarding their perceptions of the same leadership characteristics. The comparison of the studies was used to determine if the perceptions of the students and chief executive officers were similar or if the subjects considered different characteristics more important than others.

U.S. healthcare failing in cost, quality, safety; together we can cure what's ailing our system.

The American healthcare system is headed toward a cliff, and the fall will be long and painful. Healthcare consumes 18% of our nation's gross domestic product, almost 50% more than the second highest-spending nation. High-deductible health plans are the new norm for one-third of insured patients. Out-of-pocket costs are increasingly unaffordable for many.

Primary care perceptions of neurology and neurology services.

BACKGROUND: Neurophobia (fear of neural sciences) and evaluation of independent sector contracts in neurology have seldom been examined among general practitioners (GPs). METHODS: A questionnaire determined GPs' perceptions of neurology compared with other medical specialties. GP experiences of neurology services with independent sector companies and the local National Health Service (NHS) were compared. Areas of potential improvement in NHS neurology services were recorded from thematic analyses. RESULTS: Among 76 GPs neurology was perceived to be as interesting as other medical specialties. GPs reported less knowledge, more difficulty and less confidence in neurology compared with other medical specialties. There was a preference for a local NHS neurology service (p<0.001), which was easier to contact (p<0.001) and provided better follow-up. GPs reported that local neurology services provided better patient satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: GPs prefer local NHS neurology services to independent sector contracts. GPs' evaluations should inform commissioning of neurology services. Combating neurophobia should be an integral part of responsive commissioning.

Healthcare quality maturity assessment model based on quality drivers.

Purpose - Healthcare providers differ in their readiness and maturity levels regarding quality and quality management systems applications. The purpose of this paper is to serve as a useful quantitative quality maturity-level assessment tool for healthcare organizations. Design/methodology/approach - The model proposes five quality maturity levels (chaotic, primitive, structured, mature and proficient) based on six quality drivers: top management, people, operations, culture, quality focus and accreditation. Findings - Healthcare managers can apply the model to identify the status quo, quality shortcomings and evaluating ongoing progress. Practical implications - The model has been incorporated in an interactive Excel worksheet that visually displays the quality maturity-level risk meter. The tool has been applied successfully to local hospitals. Originality/value - The proposed six quality driver scales appear to measure healthcare provider maturity levels on a single quality meter.

[The opinion of personnel of medical organizations concerning effectiveness of systems of quality management and international certification].

The sociological study was carried out concerning effectiveness of systems of quality management. The technique of questionnaire survey was implemented in medical organizations with functioning systems of quality management and internationally certified systems. The evaluation by medical personnel impact of system of quality management on their activities based on results of using the given management sub-system was selected as a study object. At that, opinion ofpersonnel concerning time dynamics of indices of activity was served as a study subject. The involvement of personnel, alterations in activities of organization, remuneration of labor, effectiveness of treatment from point of view of organizations' staff members were considered. The conclusion was made that personnel of considered organizations has favorable opinion concerning effectiveness of the given systems. Among particular characteristics ofmedical care, 67% of respondents marked improvement of organization of functioning and 36% out of them marked significant improvement. The most of respondents (69%) felt positive dynamics of activities. At that, personnel of organizations mark no increasing of income in 68% of all cases and only 24% of respondents indicated salary increasing. Among negative outcomes of implementation of system of quality management, the respondents focused on increasing of workload. This trend was marked by 53% of personnel and 30% out of them indicated significant increasing of workload. The absence of alterations was marked by 38% of respondents and decreasing of workload was confirmed only by 9% of respondents.

Costs and cost-effectiveness of community health workers: evidence from a literature review.

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to synthesize and critically review evidence on costs and cost-effectiveness of community health worker (CHW) programmes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to inform policy dialogue around their role in health systems. METHODS: From a larger systematic review on effectiveness and factors influencing performance of close-to-community providers, complemented by a supplementary search in PubMed, we did an exploratory review of a subset of papers (32 published primary studies and 4 reviews from the period January 2003-July 2015) about the costs and cost-effectiveness of CHWs. Studies were assessed using a data extraction matrix including methodological approach and findings. RESULTS: Existing evidence suggests that, compared with standard care, using CHWs in health programmes can be a cost-effective intervention in LMICs, particularly for tuberculosis, but also - although evidence is weaker - in other areas such as reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) and malaria. CONCLUSION: Notwithstanding important caveats about the heterogeneity of the studies and their methodological limitations, findings reinforce the hypothesis that CHWs may represent, in some settings, a cost-effective approach for the delivery of essential health services. The less conclusive evidence about the cost-effectiveness of CHWs in other areas may reflect that these areas have been evaluated less (and less rigorously) than others, rather than an actual difference in cost-effectiveness in the various service delivery areas or interventions. Methodologically, areas for further development include how to properly assess costs from a societal perspective rather than just through the lens of the cost to government and accounting for non-tangible costs and non-health benefits commonly associated with CHWs.

Strengthening malaria service delivery through supportive supervision and community mobilization in an endemic Indian setting: an evaluation of nested delivery models.

BACKGROUND: Malaria continues to be a prominent global public health challenge. This study tested the effectiveness of two service delivery models for reducing the malaria burden, e.g. supportive supervision of community health workers (CHW) and community mobilization in promoting appropriate health-seeking behaviour for febrile illnesses in Odisha, India. METHODS: The study population comprised 120 villages from two purposively chosen malaria-endemic districts, with 40 villages randomly assigned to each of the two treatment arms, one with both supportive supervision and community mobilization and one with community mobilization alone, as well as an observational control arm. Outcome measures included changes in the utilization of bed nets and timely care-seeking for fever from a trained provider compared to the control group. Analysis was by intention-to-treat. RESULTS: Significant improvements were observed in the reported utilization of bed nets in both intervention arms (84.5% in arm A and 82.4% in arm B versus 78.6% in the control arm; p < 0.001). While overall rates of treatment-seeking were equal across study arms, treatment-seeking from a CHW was higher in both intervention arms (28%; p = 0.005 and 27.6%; p = 0.007) than in the control arm (19.2%). Fever cases were significantly more likely to visit a CHW and receive a timely diagnosis of fever in the combined interventions arm than in the control arm (82.1% vs. 67.1%; p = 0.025). Care-seeking from trained providers also increased with a substitution away from untrained providers. Further, fever cases from the combined interventions arm (60.6%; p = 0.004) and the community mobilization arm (59.3%; p = 0.012) were more likely to have received treatment from a skilled provider within 24 hours than fever cases from the control arm (50.1%). In particular, women from the combined interventions arm were more likely to have received timely treatment from a skilled provider (61.6% vs. 47.2%; p = 0.028). CONCLUSION: A community-based intervention combining the supportive supervision of community health workers with intensive community mobilization and can be effective in improving care-seeking and preventive behaviour and may be used to strengthen the national malaria control programme.

Health service accreditation reinforces a mindset of high-performance human resource management: lessons from an Australian study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether an accreditation program facilitates healthcare organizations (HCOs) to evolve and maintain high-performance human resource management (HRM) systems. DESIGN: Cross-sectional multimethod study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Healthcare organizations participating in the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards Evaluation and Quality Improvement Program (EQuIP 4) between 2007 and 2011. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Ratings across the EQuIP 4 HRM criteria, a clinical performance measure, surveyor reports (HRM information) and interview data (opinions and experiences regarding HRM and accreditation). RESULTS: Healthcare organizations identified as high performing on accreditation HRM criteria seek excellence primarily because of internal motivations linked to best practice. Participation in an accreditation program is a secondary and less significant influence. Notwithstanding, the accreditation program provides the HCO opportunity for internal and external review and assessment of their performance; the accreditation activities are reflective learning and feedback events. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals that HCOs that pursue highly performing HRM systems use participation in an accreditation program as an opportunity. Their organizational mindset is to use the program as a tool by which to reflect and obtain feedback on their performance so to maintain or improve their management of staff and delivery of care.