Empowering and Building the Capabilities of Mid-Level Health Service Managers to Lead and Support the Health Workforce-A Study Protocol.

(1) Background: Mid-level managers in healthcare are central to improving safety and quality of care. Their ability in demonstrating leadership and management competency in their roles and supporting frontline managers and frontline staff has a direct effect on staff retention and turn-over. Yet, investment in their professional development and support for mid-level managers is often neither adequate nor effective, and high rates of staff turnover are evident. This study, set in northern Queensland, Australia, takes a strength-based approach to explore the role and strengths of mid-level managers and organisations' existing mechanisms in supporting managers. With broad involvement and contribution from managers at different management level and frontline staff, the project will identify strategies to address the challenges mid-level managers face while building on their capabilities. (2) Methods: Using co-design principles, a situation analysis approach will guide a mixed-methods, multiphase design. Qualitative data will be collected using transcripts of focus groups and quantitative data will be collected by surveys that include validated scales. (3) Results: Thematic analysis of the transcripts will be guided by the framework of Braun and Clarke. Quantitative data will employ descriptive and inferential analysis, including chi-squared, t-tests, and univariate analyses of variance. (4) Conclusions: This study will generate evidence to guide two partner organisations, and other similar organisations, to develop strategies to improve support for mid-level managers and build their capabilities to support and lead frontline managers and staff. Competent mid-level managers are critical to high-quality patient care and improve the outcomes of the population they serve.

Using patient feedback to predict effects of quality improvement initiatives.

BACKGROUND: Internationally, continuous efforts have been put into developing patient complaint channels to understand patients' experience and expectation of care, which can guide the improvement of health service quality. Despite agreement among the value of patient feedback, limited attention has been paid to using patient feedback to predict and promote the actual quality improvement initiatives. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether patient feedback collected from a public feedback hotline can be used to predict the effect of hospital quality service improvement initiatives. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patient complaint data of a tertiary hospital from 2018 to 2021 was performed. Patient complaints were first coded by the standard classification method of the Australian Hospital Patient Experience Question Set. The characteristics of patients' complaints were then analysed by frequency and contingency table analysis. Finally, through Nonparametric Mann-Kendall test and Joinpoint regression model, the trends of each complaint characteristics were tested. RESULTS: Amongst the 771 complaints received against clinicians, approximately 75% of them were concerning doctors. 'Harm and distress' was the key reason of complaints, followed by 'not cared for', 'lack of confidence', 'needs unmet' and 'not informed'. In 2021, the number of complaints received in relation to moderate 'harm and distress' caused by doctors increased by 667% from 2020. The categories of 'not informed', 'not cared for' and 'harm and distress' were also on the rise with statistical significance. In addition, complaints related to the lack of respect, bad attitude and unprofessional behaviour demonstrated by nurses (n = 83) and doctors (n = 121) were also recorded. CONCLUSION: Patient feedbacks collected via a public feedback hotline provides a useful platform to gain insight into patient experience of care which are valuable to guide quality care improvement. To improve the care quality, clinicians need to participate in quality improvement strategies development at an early stage. Efforts in improving communication and interaction between doctors and patients are needed to improve patients' experience of care and developing patients' trust in both of the clinicians and the medical services. The study highlights the value of using public feedback hotline to generate evidence that can guide hospital service improvement.

The prevalence of incivility in hospitals and the effects of incivility on patient safety culture and outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: Workplace incivility is a barrier to safe and high-quality patient care in nursing workplaces and more broadly in tertiary hospitals. The present study aims to systematically review the existing evidence to provide a comprehensive understanding of the prevalence of co-worker incivility experienced and witnessed by nurses and other healthcare professionals, the effects of incivility on patient safety culture (PSC) and patient outcomes, and the factors which mediate the relationship between incivility and patient safety. METHODS: A systematic review with narrative synthesis and meta-analysis was undertaken to synthesize the data from 41 studies. DATA SOURCES: Databases searched included MEDLINE, PubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL, PsycInfo, ProQuest, Emcare and Embase. Searches were conducted on 17 August 2021 and repeated on 15 March 2023. RESULTS: The pooled prevalence of experienced incivility was 25.0%. The pooled prevalence of witnessed incivility was 30.1%. Workplace incivility was negatively associated with the PSC domains of teamwork, reporting patient safety events, organization learning/improvement, management support for safety, leadership, communication openness and communication about error. The composite pooled effect size of incivility on these domains of PSC was OR = 0.590, 95% CI [0.515, 0.676]. Workplace incivility was associated with a range of patient safety outcomes (PSOs) including near misses, adverse events, reduced procedural and diagnostic performance, medical error and mortality. State depletion, profession, psychological responses to incivility, information sharing, help seeking, workload and satisfaction with organizational communication were found to mediate the relationship between incivility and patient safety. CONCLUSION: Experienced and witnessed incivility is prevalent in tertiary hospitals and has a deleterious effect on PSC and PSOs. A better understanding of the mechanisms of this relationship will support the development of interventions aimed at reducing both incivility and patient harm. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE IMPACT: This study quantifies the effect of incivility on PSC and outcomes. It provides support that interventions focusing on incivility are a valuable mechanism for improving patient care. It guides intervention design by highlighting which domains of PSC are most associated with incivility. It explores the profession-specific experiences of workplace incivility. REPORTING METHOD: This report adheres to PRISMA reporting guidelines. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution. The focus of this study is the nursing and healthcare workforce, therefore, patient or public involvement not required.

Health Service Managers' Digital Competencies: A Conceptual Framework.

Health service managers play a crucial role in managing and leading in the digital health environment. Development of the health management workforce that is ready to lead and manage digital health transformation requires partnerships across sectors, in not only developing workforce competence but also in developing supportive mechanisms that can translate competencies into practice. A framework presenting a systematic approach in enabling the development of a competent health management workforce in the digital health era has recently been published. The purpose of this paper is to explore and discuss the application of the framework in the Australian context, informed by the findings of a PhD research project that uses an empirically validated four-step approach to confirm the health service management workforce development needs in the digital health context. The PhD project has already confirmed: 1) the paucity of Australian Health Informatics Competency Framework (AHICF) competencies being included in Australian health service management postgraduate program curricula; 2) five key strategies that contribute to developing health management workforce competency and capacity; and 3) seven key factors that enable health management workforce development in the digital health context. Further understanding of the barriers and enablers for health service managers to develop capability and manage in the digital health environment, and the factors that influence digital health policy and practice will be developed, by critically analysing findings from focus group discussions with health managers and semi-structured interviews with digital health leaders, to be completed by May 2023.

The Impact of Forced Separations Between Women and Their Pets in Domestic Violence Situations and the Effectiveness of Crisis Response: Protocol for a Conceptual Framework.

BACKGROUND: Women are at high risk of experiencing trauma, guilt, and stress when forced to separate from their companion animals when fleeing domestic violence. Where little support is available for women and pets to stay together, women may be forced to delay leaving the abusive relationship or leave the pet with the abuser. Forced separation places both women and pets at substantial risk, where pets may be used as a coercive control measure. However, little evidence exists regarding the extent to which Australian services or policies offer support in these circumstances. OBJECTIVE: This research aims to increase the understanding and the impacts of forced separation between women and their pets in domestic violence situations. The research will investigate the effectiveness of service responses for both women and animals, aiming to develop a policy framework that guides service improvement with the goal of enhancing outcomes for women and pets fleeing domestic violence. METHODS: This protocol paper describes the process of developing a conceptual framework of 4 studies that include a scoping review, policy analysis, focus groups, and interviews that guide the design of the qualitative research project. RESULTS: A scoping review of the literature on forced separation from pets in domestic violence, natural disasters, and homelessness situations has led to the development of a conceptual framework that guided the design of the proposed study. The review also confirmed the necessity of the proposed research project in addressing the lack of Australian national frameworks and guidance available for women and pets seeking formal support in domestic violence situations. As of August 2023, supporting organizations have commenced the distribution of the research flyers. Expected data collection will be completed between August and October 2023. The results are expected to be published in June 2025. CONCLUSIONS: Via a systematic process, the importance of the proposed study in improving the understanding of the impact of forced separation between women and their pets at times of domestic violence and the gaps in best supporting both women and their pets has been confirmed. A study design based on the learnings from previous studies and the focus of the current research has been finalized. The impact of the research project in developing an Australian national framework for best supporting women and their pets in crisis situations is anticipated. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/52067.

Developing Health Management Competency for Digital Health Transformation: Protocol for a Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: Globally, the health care system is experiencing a period of rapid and radical change. In response, innovative service models have been adopted for the delivery of high-quality care that require a health workforce with skills to support transformation and new ways of working. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research protocol is to describe research that will contribute to developing the capability of health service managers in the digital health era and enabling digital transformation within the Australian health care environment. It also explains the process of preparing and finalizing the research design and methodologies by seeking answers to the following three research questions: (1) To what extent can the existing health service management and digital health competency frameworks guide the development of competence for health service managers in understanding and managing in the digital health space? (2) What are the competencies that are necessary for health service managers to acquire in order to effectively work with and manage in the digital health context? (3) What are the key factors that enable and inhibit health service managers to develop and demonstrate digital health competence in the workplace? METHODS: The study has adopted a qualitative approach, guided by the empirically validated management competency identification process, using four steps: (1) health management and digital health competency mapping, (2) scoping review of literature and policy analysis, (3) focus group discussions with health service managers, and (4) semistructured interviews with digital health leaders. The first 2 steps were to confirm the need for updating the current health service management curriculum to address changing competency requirements of health service managers in the digital health context. RESULTS: Two initial steps have been completed confirming the significance of the study and study design. Step 1, competency mapping, found that nearly half of the digital competencies were only partially or not addressed at all by the health management competency framework. The scoping review articulated the competencies health service managers need to effectively demonstrate digital health competence in the workplace. The findings effectively support the importance of the current research and also the appropriateness of the proposed steps 3 and 4 in answering the research questions and achieving the research aim. CONCLUSIONS: This study will provide insights into the health service management workforce performance and development needs for digital health and inform credentialing and professional development requirements. This will guide health service managers in leading and managing the adoption and implementation of digital health as a contemporary tool for health care delivery. The study will develop an in-depth understanding of Australian health service managers' experiences and views. This research process could be applied in other contexts, noting that the results need contextualization to individual country jurisdictions and environments. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/51884.

Guidance for management competency identification and development in the health context: a systematic scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Using management competency-based frameworks to guide developing and delivering training and formal education to managers has been increasingly recognized as a key strategy in building management capacity. Hence, interest in identifying and confirming the competency requirements in various contexts have been witnessed. Therefore, learnings from how competency studies were designed and conducted, how competencies were identified, and strategies in ensuring success in competency identification are of great value to researchers planning and conducting competency studies in their own country. METHODS: A scoping review was conducted guided by the Arksey and O'Malley framework and reported according to the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). All papers that published empirical studies aiming at identifying and assessing manager's competencies at the peer-reviewed journals were identified from Web of sciences, PubMed, Scopus and Emerald Management between 2000 and 2021. In order to maximize learning, studies focusing on health and non-health sectors are all included. RESULTS: In total, 186 studies were included in the review including slightly more than half of the studies conducted in health sector (54.5%). 60% of the studies focused on mid to senior level managers. Surveys and Interviews were the two most commonly used methods either solely or as part of the mix-method in the studies. Half of the studies used mixed methods approach (51.1%). Large proportion of the papers failed to include all information that is necessary to contribute to learning and improvement in future study design. Based on the results of the scoping review a four steps framework was developed that can guide designing and implementing management competency studies in specific country vs. sector context and to ensure benefits of the studies are maximised. CONCLUSION: The review confirmed the increasing trend in investing in management competency studies and that the management competency identification and development process varied substantially, in the choice of methods and processes. The identification of missing information in majority of the published studies calls for the development of more rigorous guidelines for the peer-review process of journal publications. The proposed framework of improving the quality and impact of the future management competency study provides clear guidance to management competency identification and development that promotes the functional alignment of methods and strategies with intended uses and contexts.

Deciphering photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue by surface-tailored nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots derived from Kraft lignin.

Lignin in black liquor can be used to manufacture carbon nanomaterials on a large scale. However, the effect of nitrogen doping on the physicochemical properties and photocatalytic performance of carbon quantum dots (NCQDs) remains to be explored. In this study, NCQDs with different properties were prepared hydrothermally by using kraft lignin as the raw material and EDA as a nitrogen dopant. The amount of EDA added affects the carbonization reaction and surface state of NCQDs. Raman spectroscopy showed that the surface defects increased from 0.74 to 0.84. Photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) showed that NCQDs had different intensities of fluorescence emission at 300-420 nm and 600-900 nm. Meanwhile, NCQDs can photo-catalytically degrade 96 % of MB under simulated sunlight irradiation within 300 min. After three months of storage, the fluorescence intensity of NCQDs remained above 94 %, showing remarkable fluorescence stability. After four times of recycling, the photo-degradation rate of NCQDs was maintained above 90 %, confirming its outstanding stability. As a result, a clear understanding of the design of carbon-based photo-catalyst fabricated from the waste of the paper-making industry has been gained.

Collecting Patient Feedback as a Means of Monitoring Patient Experience and Hospital Service Quality - Learning from a Government-led Initiative.

Purpose: Patient feedback plays a significant role in hospital service improvement. However, how to encourage patient feedback that can guide hospital service improvement is still being explored. By examining patient feedback data related to a tertiary hospital in China that was collected from the "12345" Government Service Convenience Hotline (GSCH), the paper discusses the learnings from GSCH in encouraging patient feedback and how quality improvement initiatives have effected the number and types of complaints made by patients and their families via GSCH. Methods: The study retrospectively collected and analyzed complaints on a Tertiary General University-affiliated hospital made via GSCH between 2016 and 2020. Patient care process-related complaints were coded using the health care complaint analysis tool (HCAT) and other complaint data were categorized based on the nature of the complaints. The autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models and mosaic plots were used to observe complaints trends and different complaint variables, respectively. The relationship between various quality improvement initiatives introduced since 2018 and patient complaints was also tested. Results: Close to 67% (n=2688) of calls made to the GSCH hotlines about the hospital were classified as a complaint including 60.6% vs 39.4% related to patient care process and nonpatient care process, respectively. For patient care process-related complaints, specifically against departments and personnel, 57.72% (n=961) were on clinical departments and 55.87% (n=471) were on doctors. Comparing the proportion of the complaint data in different categories in the two-year period of 2017-2018 and 2019-2020, an increase in management problems (47.73% vs 58.50%, P<0.001) and decrease in relationship problems (33.65% vs 25.69%, P=0.002) were recorded. Conclusion: A unified, transparent, and impartial GSCH platform greatly encourages feedback from patients and families. Feedbacks provide evidence to guide health care organizations in improving the overall experience of patients and the quality of services that they provide.

General wellbeing and work impacts among community pharmacists during crisis management.

BACKGROUND: Community pharmacists are highly accessible for advice, as most pharmacies are open long hours and no appointment is needed. Community pharmacists, as essential community health workers, play a critical role in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to determine the general wellbeing and work impacts of pharmacists and the factors important for adaptability and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This study adopted a cross-sectional design. Community pharmacists from various professional networks in Australia were invited through emails and social media posts to complete an anonymous online survey during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria, Australia. RESULTS: Sixty-five community pharmacists completed the online survey. The respondents reported fair levels of general wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a mean self-related health score of 33.57 (s.d.=13.19) out of a maximal of 96, despite relatively high levels of job stress and emotional labour. Lower levels of general wellbeing were correlated with higher levels of job stress (r =0.645, P <0.01) and emotional labour (r =0.513, P <0.01), and lower levels of occupational self-efficacy (r =-0.566, P <0.01). Leader member exchange was negatively correlated with job stress (r =-0.419, P <0.01) and positively correlated with psychological safety (r =0.693, P <0.01). The linear regression models showed that female pharmacists had lower occupational self-efficacy (ß =-0.286, P =0.024), but higher psychological safety (ß =0.234, P =0.042). Higher work ability was associated with lower job stress (ß =-0.529, P <0.001), higher occupational self-efficacy (ß =0.511, P =0.001), and poorer self-related health (ß =-0.659, P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight the importance of a supportive work environment in helping community pharmacists to feel psychologically safe and reduce stress during a crisis.

Building health service management workforce capacity in the era of health informatics and digital health - A scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: Health informatics and digital health, two rapidly growing disciplines, are becoming increasingly important to the sustainability of health service provision, highlighted especially through the COVID-19 pandemic. To maximise the benefits of the adoption and growth of health informatics and digital health, health service managers play a critical role in leading and managing the implementation and transformation of the system, both strategically and operationally, whilst still needing to manage 'business as usual'. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the paper are to present and discuss the findings from a scoping review identifying: 1) competencies required for health service managers leading the implementation and transformation of informatics and digital technology in the health sector; and 2) factors that are critical to building the management workforce capacity in the era of health informatics and digital health. METHODS: A scoping review of the literature was conducted in 2020 focussing on identifying empirical articles published in the English language since the year 2000 using a number of keywords such as 'health informatics', 'digital health', 'electronic health', 'competencies', 'capability', 'proficiency', 'qualification', 'certification', 'health manager', 'health executive' and 'health administrator'. The literature search was guided by a PRISMA approach searching within eight databases: Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science, ACM Digital Library, CINAHL, PubMed, Google Scholar and ProQuest Dissertations. RESULTS: After duplicates were removed, 941 publications were included for title screening as the result of an initial review. Title screening selected 185 articles to be included for abstract screening by two reviewers confirming 19 papers relevant to the focus of the current paper which were included in data extraction and content analysis. The analysis identified the additional competency of 'information and data management' be included as a core competency for health service managers. The analysis also confirmed additional elements for the following four core management competencies that are important to health service managers working in the digital health context, including: 1) leadership; 2) operational and resource management; 3) personal, interpersonal and professional qualities, and 4) understanding the industry and environment. Factors that are critical to developing the system and organization capacity in the use of health informatics and digital health technology, and leading and managing the adoption in the healthcare organizations were identified in three categories: 1) policy/system; 2) organizational structure and processes; and 3) people factors. CONCLUSIONS: This paper has taken an important step in confirming the competency requirements for health services managers that are relevant to leading and managing in the health informatics and digital health space, consequently indicating the directions for developing a competent workforce in meeting the existing and emerging healthcare delivery challenges, both now and in the future.

A Systematic Approach in Developing Management Workforce Readiness for Digital Health Transformation in Healthcare.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has sped up digital health transformation across the health sectors to enable innovative health service delivery. Such transformation relies on competent managers with the capacity to lead and manage. However, the health system has not adopted a holistic approach in addressing the health management workforce development needs, with many hurdles to overcome. The objectives of this paper are to present the findings of a three-step approach in understanding the current hurdles in developing a health management workforce that can enable and maximize the benefits of digital health transformation, and to explore ways of overcoming such hurdles. METHODS: A three-step, systematic approach was undertaken, including an Australian digital health policy documentary analysis, an Australian health service management postgraduate program analysis, and a scoping review of international literatures. RESULTS: The main findings of the three-step approach confirmed the strategies required in developing a digitally enabled health management workforce and efforts in enabling managers in leading and managing in the digital health space. CONCLUSIONS: With the ever-changing landscape of digital health, leading and managing in times of system transformation requires a holistic approach to develop the necessary health management workforce capabilities and system-wide capacity. The proposed framework, for overall health management workforce development in the digital health era, suggests that national collaboration is necessary to articulate a more coordinated, consistent, and coherent set of policy guidelines and the system, policy, educational, and professional organizational enablers that drive a digital health focused approach across all the healthcare sectors, in a coordinated and contextual manner.

A facile and novel lignin isolation procedure - Methanolic hydrochloric acid treatment at ambient temperature.

Lignin is the most naturally abundant source of aromatics for phenolic chemicals, bioenergy sources, and functional materials. Recent works are devoted to the acid-catalyzed organosolv extraction for improving the lignin valorization. However, ß-aryl ethers are mostly cleaved to form carbon-carbon bonds under the acidic condition. In this work, lignin isolated with methanolic hydrochloric acid (MHL) was compared with conventional milled wood lignin (MWL). The methanol incorporated into lignin as α-OCH3 to prevent the cleavage of ß-aryl ethers. As a result, the yield of MHL was over 12 times that of MWL. The MHL appeared a regular granular structure with an average diameter of 100 nm. Analysis of 13C-1H HSQC NMR spectra showed that MHL contained 42.6 % ß-O-4 linkages whereas 35.9 % for the MWL, as well as 6.5 % ß-5 and 3.2 % ß-ß, which was less than MWL. Moreover, 13C NMR spectroscopy confirmed that MHL was mainly isolated by the cleavage of the associated carbohydrates rather than the degradation of ß-aryl ether bonds. Therefore, MHL can be utilized more as a native lignin representative than MWL for studying the physicochemical properties and the interior structures of the protolignin.

Patient-centred care and patient autonomy: doctors' views in Chinese hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Patient-centred care and patient autonomy is one of the key factors to better quality of service provision, hence patient outcomes. It enables the development of patients' trusts which is an important element to a better doctor-patient relationship. Given the increasing number of patient disputes and conflicts between patients and doctors in Chinese public hospital, it is timely to ensure patient-centred care is fully and successfully implemented. However, limited studies have examined the views and practice in different aspects of patient-centred care among doctors in the Chinese public hospitals. METHODS: A quantitative approach was adopted by distributing paper-based questionnaires to doctors and patients in two hospitals (Level III and Level II) in Jinan, Shandong province, China. RESULTS: In total, 614 doctors from the surgical and internal medicine units of the two hospitals participated in the survey yielding 90% response rates. The study confirmed the inconsistent views among doctors in terms of their perception and practice in various aspects patient-centred care and patient autonomy regardless of the hospital where they work (category II or category III), their unit speciality (surgical or non-surgical), their gender or seniority. The high proportion of doctors (more than 20%) who did not perceive the importance of patient consultation prior to determining diagnostic and treatment procedure is alarming. This in in part due to the belief held by more than half of the doctors that patients were unable to make rational decisions and their involvement in treatment planning process did not necessarily lead to better treatment outcomes. CONCLUSION: The study calls for the development of system level policy and organisation wide strategies in encouraging and enabling the practice of patient-centred care and patient autonomy with the purposes of improving the quality of the service provided to patients by Chinese hospitals.

How COVID-19 affects the use of evidence informed policymaking among iranian health policymakers and managers.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic increased the need for new valid scientific evidence to support urgent clinical and policy decision making; as well as improved processes for the rapid synthesis, uptake and application of that evidence. Evidence informed policymaking (EIPM) can be considered as a way to access and use the results of evidence in practice. This study aimed to determine what effects COVID-19 had on the way Iranian health managers and policymakers use evidence in their decisions. METHODS: This study was conducted in 2021 applying a qualitative research design. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Thirty health care managers, policy makers and medical university faculty members were recruited as the study participants, initially via a purposive sample, followed by snowballing. A conventional content analysis presented by Hsieh and Shannon (2005) was applied for data analysis. RESULTS: Ten main themes emerged from the data including: 1) roles and duties of knowledge brokers (KBs); 2-5) the roles, benefits, barriers and necessities of applying Knowledge Translation Exchange (KTE) tools; 6-8) the facilitators, benefits and barriers to the application of evidence during COVID-19; 9) challenges of rapid evidence production evidence during COVID-19 and 10) consequences of not applying evidence during COVID-19. According to the present conceptual framework, KBs act as an intermediator between the large amounts of knowledge produced and decision makers. KTE tools should be applied to enhance EIPM during COVID-19. Attention should be paid to the facilitators, barriers, benefits and necessities of evidence application during COVID-19 to avoid negative consequences for the health system. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study show that developing KTE tools and activating KBs can be among the main strategies to produce applied actionable messages for policymakers to move toward EIPM; and that this applies even when rapid decision making is required, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is strongly recommended to reinforce the local capacities through supporting scientific networks and relationships between research centers and local and national policymakers. At the same time, attention to local barriers to and facilitators of the application of evidence while facing a pandemic can pave the way to better identification of health system`s problems and rapid responses.

Adaptation strategies in transnational education: a case study of an australian Master of Health Administration Course offered to chinese managers.

BACKGROUND: Management decisions in health influence patient care outcomes; however, health management development courses in China are rare. This study aims to document and evaluate a transnational Master of Health Administration (MHA) course launched in 2000 for the benefit of Chinese health managers. METHODS: A case study of the MHA program jointly run by an Australian university and a Chinese Medical University was conducted. We reviewed the development of the MHA course through a document analysis (key events recorded in achieves, minutes, and audits) followed by reflection (by two course coordinators), extracting key themes related to adaptative strategies. We then conducted a questionnaire survey of 139 graduates seeking their views on relevance, satisfaction and challenges associated with each subject within the course, the relevance of key management skills (as determined by the Australasian College of Health Service Management competency framework), and the impact of the course on their personal career trajectories. Chi-square tests identified differences in the responses by age, gender, pre-training position, and current workplace. RESULTS: The curriculum pedagogy followed the principles of practice-based reflective learning. Research findings and student feedback shaped the curriculum design and subject content, to enhance management practices of the students. Survey participants expressed high levels of satisfaction and confirmed the relevance of all study subjects. Two subjects, health economics and data management, were perceived as being the most challenging. Of the ten management skills we assessed, relatively low self-rated confidence was found in "strategic thinking" and "planning". Younger and less experienced graduates were more likely to report learning challenges (p < 0.05). Frontline managers were least likely to obtain promotion by changing employers (χ2 = 6.02, p < 0.05) or being seconded to another position (χ2 = 9.41, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This case study illustrates the suitability of cross-country partnerships in health management training, which offers opportunities for managers to systematically explore and acquire a comprehensive set of management skills applicable to their career needs. Opportunities for developing training aligned to career development opportunities are critical for attracting and developing a competent and well-prepared health service management workforce in China.

A Proposed Approach to Investigate Whether Postgraduate Health Care Management Education in Australian Universities Facilitates the Development of Informatics Competencies.

Competencies have emerged as being important in healthcare. AIDH has health informatics competencies and ACHSM has health service management competencies but as health care is rapidly changing, it is important that the required competencies continue to evolve. The aim is to investigate whether postgraduate health care management education in Australian universities facilitates the development of informatics competencies. The proposed approach followed the NWCPHP 'Steps Used to Effectively Map Preexisting Courses to Competency Sets' to map the health informatics competency statements against the ACHSM accredited and RACMA recognised, postgraduate health care management programs offered domestically in Australia. The initial results show that only 10% of the AHICF competencies were fully addressed, 12% of the AHICF competencies were mostly addressed, 28% were partially addressed, and 50% of the AHICF competencies were not addressed at all. The proposed course competency mapping approach demonstrates that there is a need to revisit the informatics competencies taught in postgraduate health care management programs in Australia.