Engaging Governance in Workforce Strategy and Performance.

This column is a call to action for health care leaders to ensure that their governing boards make workforce an important part of their governance responsibility and oversight. Health care leaders need to take an active role in educating their governing board, identifying and monitoring appropriate workforce metrics, and engaging the board in developing and implementing a workforce plan. Workforce development is an important leadership competency and essential to today's health care organizations success.

Analysis of Race and Ethnicity Among United States Medical Board Leadership.

Background: The inequitable representation of women and members of racial and ethnic minority groups in leadership positions within academic medicine is an ongoing challenge with practical and realistic solutions. The purpose of this study was to assess the race and ethnicity of individuals in leadership positions among the 24 Member Boards of Directors (Boards) of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the race and ethnicity patterns for individuals holding leadership positions among the 24 Boards of the ABMS as of March 1, 2022. Two independent coders with 100% concordance recorded race and ethnicity using online biographies and photographs. Percentages were compared to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) 2018 data reports. Results: Among 449 director positions, 415 (92.4%) were physicians. Within the physician subset, 12.3% (51/415) Asian, 8.2% (34/415) Black, and 3.4% (14/415) Hispanic individuals were identified. Women who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups have less representation than men of the same race. Of 24 Boards, 37.5% (9/24) had no Asian women, 50.0% (12/24) had no Black women, and 75.0% (18/24) had no Hispanic women. White physicians were overrepresented on 14 of 21 (66.7%) Boards compared to the proportion of active White physicians or White individuals in the United States general population. Conclusion: Disparities exist for members of racial and ethnic minority groups, particularly women from these groups. As a leader in academic medicine, the ABMS should ensure its Boards are diverse with respect to gender, race, and ethnicity. Diverse groups often contribute unique insights that support medical education, advance science, and improve clinical care.

Stock price crash risk and military connected board: Evidence from Thailand.

Based on the agency and stakeholder theories, effective boards, acting as an internal governance mechanism, reduce agency costs. This paper asks whether military connected boards represent a good governance tool by exploring how military connected boards affect stock price crash risk. Using instrumental variable analysis, we document that firms with military connected boards have lower risk of stock price crashes. Our findings are unlikely to have endogeneity concerns and shed light on the role of military connected boards as an effective internal governance tool. Consistent with the conservatism hypothesis and stakeholder theory, by being transparent about firm-specific bad news, military connected boards could effectively monitor managers to ensure they act on all stakeholders' interests.

Aligning Healthcare's Mission With Corporate Social Responsibility Action.

Amid many challenges, health systems and hospitals are striving to improve the health of their communities with varying degrees of commitment. While many have recognized the importance of the social determinants of health, most have not responded aggressively to the global climate crisis that is sickening and killing millions of people worldwide-and getting worse. As the largest healthcare provider in New York, Northwell Health is committed to keeping our communities well in the most socially responsible way. That means engaging with partners to enhance well-being, expand access to equitable care, and take environmental responsibility. Healthcare organizations have a special obligation to broaden their efforts to prevent further damage to the planet and limit the human toll of that damage. For this to happen, their governing boards must support tangible environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies and put in place the administrative structures for their C-suites that are necessary to ensure compliance. At Northwell Health, governance is the engine that drives accountability for ESG.

ESG Expands the View of Corporate Stewardship in Healthcare.

At Advocate Aurora Health, the board of directors established parameters for effectively executing the governance (G) function related to ESG activities while adopting a comprehensive approach to ESG that includes the corporate commitment to health equity. Establishing a board diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) committee with external experts served to integrate these efforts with the ESG strategy. This approach will continue to guide the board of directors of Advocate Health, formed in December 2022, by the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Our experience has demonstrated that empowering individual board committee members of not-for-profit healthcare organizations to embrace their unique responsibility for driving ESG requires collective efforts in the boardroom as well as a commitment to board refreshment and diversity.

A Seat at the Table: An Examination of Hospital Governing Board Diversity, 2011-2021.

GOAL: Board diversity is increasingly important for hospitals and healthcare systems, with national attention focused on eliminating health disparities and improving health equity. Yet, it remains a challenge despite concerted efforts by leading professional associations (e.g., American College of Healthcare Executives) to galvanize their constituents around the importance of the issue. METHODS: This study used survey data from The Governance Institute to explore the ethnoracial and gender diversity of hospital boards spanning 2011 through 2021. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The results showed modest gains in the mean number of female board members, although a small proportion of hospital boards still have no female representation. There was little change in the number of boards with ethnic minority representation until an uptick in 2021, likely in direct response to high-profile racial incidents and protests. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Intentional and sustained efforts are necessary to increase diversity and create a culture of inclusion that fosters meaningful engagement of diverse board members.

The representation of women on Australian clinical practice guideline panels, 2010-2020.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the composition by gender of Australian clinical practice guideline development panels; to explore guideline development-related factors that influence the composition of panels. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: Survey of clinical guidelines published in Australia during 2010-2020 that observed the 2016 NHMRC Standards for Guidelines, identified (June 2021) in the NHMRC Clinical Practice Guideline Portal or by searching the Guideline International Network guidelines library, the Trip medical database, and PubMed. The gender of contributors to guideline development was inferred from gendered titles (guideline documents) or pronouns (online biographies). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The overall proportion of guideline panel members - the guideline contributors who formally considered evidence and formulated recommendations (ie, guideline panel chairs and members) - who were women. RESULTS: Of 406 eligible guidelines, 335 listed the names of people who contributed to their development (82%). Of 7472 named contributors (including 511 guideline panel chairs [6.8%] and 5039 guideline panel members [67.4%]), 3514 were men (47.0%), 3345 were women (44.8%), and gender could not be determined for 612 (8.2%). A total of 215 guideline panel chairs were women (42.1%), 280 were men (54.8%); 2566 guideline panel members were men (50.9%), 2071 were women (41.1%). The proportion of female guideline panel members was smaller than 40% for 179 guidelines (53%) and larger than 60% for 71 guidelines (21%). The median guideline proportion of female panel members was smaller than 50% for all but two years (2017, 2018). CONCLUSIONS: The representation of women in health leadership roles in Australia does not reflect their level of participation in the health care workforce. In particular, clinical guideline development bodies should develop transparent policies for increasing the participation of women in guideline development panels.

Perceived performance of health facility governing committees in overseeing healthcare services delivery in primary health care facilities in Tanzania.

Health Facility Governing Committees (HFGCs) play a vital role in overseeing health services delivery in the primary health care system. However, despite their existence in Tanzania hiccups remain reported on the quality of health services delivered in primary health care facilities. The latter poses a question on the performance of HFGCs in overseeing the services delivery at the primary health facilities. This study sought to assess the perceived performance of the HFGCs and the associated factors in overseeing the healthcare services delivery at the primary health facilities in Tanzania. A cross-sectional study was conducted in five regions of Tanzania: Mwanza, Dar Es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Pwani, and Arusha. A self-administered questionnaire containing structured questions was used to gather information from randomly selected 574 HFGC members. Data were analyzed descriptively and the binary logistic regression model was used to determine factors associated with the perceived performance. Half (50.52%) of the HFGCs members perceived themselves to have good performance. Furthermore, only 51.05% of all the participants had received any form of health management and governance training whereby about two-thirds had received training for only 1 day. The main factors associated with the perceived low performance of the HFGCs members were age, level of education and duration served in the HFGC. A low level of education was associated with the poor perceived performance of the HFGC (AOR 0.36 [CI: 0.23-0.55]). Similarly with increasing age, the odds of good-perceived performance lowered (AOR 0.26 [CI: 0.13, 0.55]). Serving as a HFGC member for less than 1 year was associated with poor perceived performance (AOR 0.40 [CI: 0.17, 0.95]). From these findings, it is recommended that the criteria for recruitment of HFGC members should be revisited. Furthermore, a qualitative study to explore contextual factors influencing the perforce of HFGCs is recommended.

Psicologia escolar na educação superior: demandas apresentadas por coordenadores de cursos / School psychology in higher education: demands presented by course coordinators / Psicología escolar en educación superior: demandas presentadas por coordinadores de cursos

A Psicologia Escolar e Educacional vem conquistando novos espaços para a atuação e campo de pesquisa, dentre eles, destacamos a educação superior. Assim, este estudo teve por objetivo conhecer as demandas apresentadas por coordenadores de cursos de graduação, analisá-las à luz da Psicologia Escolar na vertente crítica e apontar possibilidades de atuação do psicólogo escolar junto a estes. A pesquisa, de caráter qualitativo, foi realizada a partir da análise de conteúdo das respostas obtidas dos questionários enviados por e-mail aos coordenadores dos 77 cursos de graduação oferecidos por uma instituição pública de ensino superior de Minas Gerais. Contamos com 28 questionários respondidos. As demandas apresentadas referem-se a questões acadêmicas e emocionais dos estudantes; sobrecarga de trabalho docente; relações interpessoais e formação continuada; burocracias enfrentadas pelos coordenadores; além da falta de preparação prévia e apoio para o exercício da função e concepções sobre o trabalho do psicólogo escolar. Concluímos que o coordenador, ao ouvir e compreender demandas advindas de discentes, docentes e técnicos, responde a elas por meio de uma parceria auspiciosa com o psicólogo escolar, juntamente com outros segmentos e instâncias da instituição.(AU)

The School and Educational Psychology has been conquering new spaces for professional performance and research field, among them, we highlight Higher Education. Therefore, this study aimed to get the demands presented by coordinators of undergraduate courses and analyze them in the light of School Psychology in the critical perspective and to point out possibilities for the performance of the school psychologist with them. The qualitative research was carried out based on the content analysis of the answers obtained from the questionnaires sent by e-mail to the coordinators of the 77 undergraduate courses offered by a public Higher Education institution in Minas Gerais. We have 28 answered questionnaires. The demands presented refer to students' academic and emotional issues; the overload of teaching work; interpersonal relationships and continuing education; the bureaucracies faced by coordinators; and the lack of prior preparation and support for the practice of the function and conceptions about the work of the school psychologist. We conclude that the coordinator, when listening to and understanding demands from students, teachers, and technicians, seeks to respond to them with an auspicious partnership with the school psychologist, together with other segments and instances of the institution.(AU)

La Psicología Escolar y Educacional sigue conquistando nuevos espacios para la actuación y campo de investigación, entre ellos destaca la educación superior. Por lo tanto, este estudio tuvo como objetivo conocer las demandas presentadas por los coordinadores de cursos de graduación, analizarlas desde la perspectiva crítica de la Psicología Escolar y señalar posibilidades de actuación del psicólogo escolar. La investigación cualitativa realizó el análisis de contenido de las respuestas obtenidas de los cuestionarios enviados por correo electrónico a los coordinadores de los 77 cursos ofrecidos por una institución pública de educación superior en Minas Gerais (Brasil). Se respondieron 28 cuestionarios. Las demandas presentadas se refieren a cuestiones académicas y emocionales de los estudiantes; a la sobrecarga del trabajo docente; a las relaciones interpersonales y educación continua; a las burocracias que enfrentan los coordinadores; además de la falta de preparación previa y apoyo para el ejercicio de la función y concepciones sobre el trabajo del psicólogo escolar. Se concluye que el coordinador escucha y considera las demandas de los estudiantes, profesores y técnicos, y trata de responderlas por medio de una asociación favorable con el psicólogo escolar, junto con otros segmentos e instancias de la institución.(AU)

Educação permanente no sistema único de saúde: concepções de profissionais da gestão e dos serviços / Continuing permanent education in the brazilian national health system: conceptions from management and care professionals / Educación continua en el sistema único de salud brasileño: concepciones de los profesionales de gestión y servicios

Este artigo pretende compreender as concepções de profissionais da gestão e dos serviços do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) sobre Educação Permanente em Saúde (EPS), bem como seus desafios e potencialidades. Utilizou-se de grupo focal para coleta, seguido de análise lexical do tipo classificação hierárquica descendente com auxílio do software Iramuteq. Os resultados delinearam quatro classes: a) EPS - entendimentos e expectativas; b) entraves à EPS; c) ETSUS e EPS por meio de cursos e capacitações; e d) dispositivos de EPS: potencialidades e desafios. Os participantes apontaram equívocos de entendimentos acerca da EPS ao equipará-la à Educação Continuada (EC) voltada à transferência de conteúdo, com repercussões negativas na prática de EPS. Discute-se o risco em centralizar o responsável pela concretização dessa proposta, que deveria ser coletiva e compartilhada entre diferentes atores. Reivindica-se, portanto, uma produção colaborativa, que possa circular entre os envolvidos, de modo que cada um experimente esse lugar e se aproprie da complexidade de interações propiciadas pela Educação Permanente em Saúde.(AU)

This article aims to understand the conceptions of professionals from the management and services of the Unified Health System (SUS) on Permanent Education in Health (EPS), as well as its challenges and potential. A focus group was used for data collection, followed by a lexical analysis of the descending hierarchical classification type using the Iramuteq software. The results delineated four classes: a) EPS - understandings and expectations; b) obstacles to EPS; c) ETSUS and EPS by courses and training; and d) EPS devices: potentialities and challenges. Participants pointed out misunderstandings about EPS, when equating it with Continuing Education (CE) focused on content transfer, with negative repercussions on EPS practice. The risk of centralizing the person responsible for implementing this proposal, which should be collective and shared among different actors, is discussed. Therefore, a collaborative production is claimed for, which can circulate among those involved, so that each one experiences this place and appropriates the complexity of interactions provided by Permanent Education in Health.(AU)

Este artículo tiene por objetivo comprender las concepciones de los profesionales de la gestión y servicios del Sistema Único de Salud (SUS) sobre Educación Continua en Salud (EPS), así como sus desafíos y potencialidades. Se utilizó un grupo focal para la recolección de datos, seguido por un análisis léxico del tipo clasificación jerárquica descendente con la ayuda del software Iramuteq. Los resultados delinearon cuatro clases: a) EPS: entendimientos y expectativas, b) Barreras para EPS, c) ETSUS y EPS a través de cursos y capacitación, y d) Dispositivos EPS: potencialidades y desafíos. Los participantes informaron que existen malentendidos sobre EPS al equipararla a Educación Continua, con repercusiones negativas en la práctica de EPS, orientada a la transferencia de contenidos. Se discute el riesgo de elegir a un solo organismo como responsable de implementar esta propuesta colectiva, que debería ser colectiva y compartida entre los diferentes actores. Se aboga por un liderazgo colaborativo, que pueda circular entre los involucrados, para que cada uno experimente este lugar y se apropie de la complejidad de interacciones que brinda la Educación Continua en Salud.(AU)

WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia: report of the Seventy-sixth Session New Delhi, India, 30 October-2 November 2023

The WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia is the World Health Organization’s governing body in the Region. It has representatives from all 11 Member States. The Regional Committee meets annually to review progress in health development in the Region, formulate resolutions on health issues for Member States, and review past resolutions. It also considers the regional implications of World Health Assembly resolutions, among others.This report summarizes the discussions of the Seventy-sixth Session of the Regional Committee for South-East Asia, held in New Delhi, India, from 30 October to 2 November 2023. Representatives from 10 of the Region’s 11 Member States attended the Session.The Committee discussed seminal public health issues such as the Regional Strategic Framework on ending NTDs; implementing the new Regional Health Security Roadmap 2023–2027; accelerating prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases through SEAHEARTS; and data-driven policy-making; among others. It reviewed reports on progress in the implementation of eight of its past resolutions; as well as issues related to the Programme Budget, WHO Evaluation, and the status of construction of the new Regional Office Building. The Ministerial Roundtable featured a discussion by the honourable health ministers on ‘Strengthening primary health care as a key element towards achieving universal health coverage’, following which the Committee adopted the Delhi Declaration.The Committee elected Ms Saima Wazed, from Bangladesh, as the Regional Director Elect vide its resolution on ‘Nomination of the Regional Director’. The Committee also adopted a ‘Resolution of appreciation’ to congratulate the Regional Director, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, for her achievements in promoting the health and well-being of the people of the Region over the decade 2014–2023.