Multimodal job interview simulator for training of autistic individuals.

Autistic individuals face difficulties in finding and maintaining employment, and studies have shown that the job interview is often a significant barrier to obtaining employment. Prior computer-based job interview training interventions for autistic individuals have been associated with better interview outcomes. These previous interventions, however, do not leverage the use of multimodal data that could give insight into the emotional underpinnings of autistic individuals' challenges in job interviews. In this article, the authors present the design of a novel multimodal job interview training platform called CIRVR that simulates job interviews through spoken interaction and collects eye gaze, facial expressions, and physiological responses of the participants to understand their stress response and their affective state. Results from a feasibility study with 23 autistic participants who interacted with CIRVR are presented. In addition, qualitative feedback was gathered from stakeholders on visualizations of data on CIRVR's visualization tool called the Dashboard. The data gathered indicate the potential of CIRVR along with the Dashboard to be used in the creation of individualized job interview training of autistic individuals.

Better outcomes through patient - Provider therapeutic connections? An exploratory study of proposed mediating variables.

BACKGROUND: Patient-provider therapeutic connections (TCs) have been theorized to enhance patient outcomes as well as care provider job satisfaction and to reduce burnout. High-quality TCs may result in better matching of health care to patient needs, and thus, better care quality and patient outcomes. For care providers, work environments that enable high-quality TCs may make the work more motivating and facilitate resilience. METHOD: We surveyed patients (n = 346) and care providers (n = 341) about their experiences of TCs, and how TCs related to outcomes. We tested parallel mediation models to examine relations. RESULTS: TCs predicted better patient health status, mental health status, and satisfaction, and predicted greater care provider job satisfaction and lower burnout. TCs were theorized to operate through two sets of mechanisms (health self-efficacy and activation for patients; meaningfulness of work and psychological safety for providers). Results revealed significant indirect associations between TCs and outcomes for both groups. CONCLUSIONS: TCs are associated with patient and provider outcomes; however, these relations appear to be explained by several mediating variables. It appears that TCs are associated with better outcomes for patients through health self-efficacy and activation, and TCs are associated with better outcomes for care providers through meaningfulness of work and psychological safety.

Rural barriers and facilitators of lung cancer screening program implementation in the veterans health administration: a qualitative study.

Introduction: To assess healthcare professionals' perceptions of rural barriers and facilitators of lung cancer screening program implementation in a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) setting through a series of one-on-one interviews with healthcare team members. Methods: Based on measures developed using Reach Effectiveness Adoption Implementation Maintenance (RE-AIM), we conducted a cross-sectional qualitative study consisting of one-on-one semi-structured telephone interviews with VHA healthcare team members at 10 Veterans Affairs medical centers (VAMCs) between December 2020 and September 2021. An iterative inductive and deductive approach was used for qualitative analysis of interview data, resulting in the development of a conceptual model to depict rural barriers and facilitators of lung cancer screening program implementation. Results: A total of 30 interviews were completed among staff, providers, and lung cancer screening program directors and a conceptual model of rural barriers and facilitators of lung cancer screening program implementation was developed. Major themes were categorized within institutional and patient environments. Within the institutional environment, participants identified systems-level (patient communication, resource availability, workload), provider-level (attitudes and beliefs, knowledge, skills and capabilities), and external (regional and national networks, incentives) barriers to and facilitators of lung cancer screening program implementation. Within the patient environment, participants revealed patient-level (modifiable vulnerabilities) barriers and facilitators as well as ecological modifiers (community) that influence screening behavior. Discussion: Understanding rural barriers to and facilitators of lung cancer screening program implementation as perceived by healthcare team members points to opportunities and approaches for improving lung cancer screening reach, implementation and effectiveness in VHA rural settings.

The Association of Organizational Readiness With Lung Cancer Screening Utilization.

INTRODUCTION: Lung cancer screening is widely underutilized. Organizational factors, such as readiness for change and belief in the value of change (change valence), may contribute to underutilization. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between healthcare organizations' preparedness and lung cancer screening utilization. METHODS: Investigators cross-sectionally surveyed clinicians, staff, and leaders at10 Veterans Affairs from November 2018 to February 2021 to assess organizational readiness to implement change. In 2022, investigators used simple and multivariable linear regression to evaluate the associations between facility-level organizational readiness to implement change and change valence with lung cancer screening utilization. Organizational readiness to implement change and change valence were calculated from individual surveys. The primary outcome was the proportion of eligible Veterans screened using low-dose computed tomography. Secondary analyses assessed scores by healthcare role. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 27.4% (n=1,049), with 956 complete surveys analyzed: median age of 49 years, 70.3% female, 67.6% White, 34.6% clinicians, 61.1% staff, and 4.3% leaders. For each 1-point increase in median organizational readiness to implement change and change valence, there was an associated 8.4-percentage point (95% CI=0.2, 16.6) and a 6.3-percentage point increase in utilization (95% CI= -3.9, 16.5), respectively. Higher clinician and staff median scores were associated with increased utilization, whereas leader scores were associated with decreased utilization after adjusting for other roles. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare organizations with higher readiness and change valence utilized more lung cancer screening. These results are hypothesis generating. Future interventions to increase organizations' preparedness, especially among clinicians and staff, may increase lung cancer screening utilization.

Using the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications-Expanded (FRAME) to study adaptations in lung cancer screening delivery in the Veterans Health Administration: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer screening is a complex clinical process that includes identification of eligible individuals, shared decision-making, tobacco cessation, and management of screening results. Adaptations to the delivery process for lung cancer screening in situ are understudied and underreported, with the potential loss of important considerations for improved implementation. The Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications-Expanded (FRAME) allows for a systematic enumeration of adaptations to implementation of evidence-based practices. We applied FRAME to study adaptations in lung cancer screening delivery processes implemented by lung cancer screening programs in a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Enterprise-Wide Initiative. METHODS: We prospectively conducted semi-structured interviews at baseline and 1-year intervals with lung cancer screening program navigators at 10 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) between 2019 and 2021. Using this data, we developed baseline (1st) process maps for each program. In subsequent years (year 1 and year 2), each program navigator reviewed the process maps. Adaptations in screening processes were identified, documented, and mapped to FRAME categories. RESULTS: We conducted a total of 16 interviews across 10 VHA lung cancer screening programs (n=6 in year 1, n=10 in year 2) to collect adaptations. In year 1 (2020), six programs were operational and eligible. Of these, three reported adaptations to their screening process that were planned or in response to COVID-19. In year 2 (2021), all 10 programs were operational and eligible. Programs reported 14 adaptations in year 2. These adaptations were planned and unplanned and often triggered by increased workload; 57% of year 2 adaptations were related to the identification and eligibility of Veterans and 43% were related to follow-up with Veterans for screening results. Throughout the 2 years, adaptations related to data management and patient tracking occurred in 60% of programs to improve the data collection and tracking of Veterans in the screening process. CONCLUSIONS: Using FRAME, we found that adaptations occurred primarily in the areas of patient identification and communication of results due to increased workload. These findings highlight navigator time and resource considerations for sustainability and scalability of existing and future lung cancer screening programs as well as potential areas for future intervention.

Sustainable employment depends on quality relationships between supervisors and their employees on the autism spectrum.

PURPOSE: Employment outcomes for individuals on the autism spectrum may be contingent upon employers' knowledge of autism and provision of appropriate workplace supports. We aimed to understand the organizational factors that influenced the organizational socialization of autistic employees. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We wrote nine case histories based on interviews from managers, autistic employees, and job coaches. Intra-case analysis, then cross-case analysis, provided an understanding of organizational factors that lead to sustained employment of autistic employees. RESULTS: The quality of the relationship between managers and autistic employees was consistently seen as the key facilitator of organizational socialization and positive employment outcomes of autistic employees. These relationships, however, relied on the skilled facilitation of the job coach during each stage of the employment cycle (hiring, on-boarding, training, performance management), as they had an important role in building a mutual understanding between supervisors and employees. As such, our study draws upon and contributes to leader-member exchange theory. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with prior research, our study shows the importance of high-quality relationships between supervisors and supervisees for positive employment outcomes of autistic employees in organization but adds skilled communication facilitation as a novel antecedent to leader-member exchange, as a potentially key factor for autistic employees. Implications for rehabilitationThe relationship between the a manager and their employee is an important factor in effective organizational socialization and workplace outcomes for autistic employees.Job coaches can play a crucial role in building mutual understanding and high-quality relationships between managers and employees.Job coaches can support the inclusion of autistic employees by illustrating the multi-faceted socioemotional performance benefits over the longer term.

Unsafe by design: Infusion task reallocation and safety perceptions in U.S. hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Research suggests that changes in nurse roles can compromise perceived organizational safety. However, over the past 15 years, many infusion tasks have been reallocated from specialty nurse infusion teams to individual generalist nurses-a process we call infusion task reallocation . These changes purportedly benefit employees by allowing care providers to practice at the "top of their license." However, job demands-resources theory suggests that changing core task arrangements can either enrich or merely enlarge jobs depending on their effects on demands and resources, with corresponding consequences for performance (e.g., safety). There is relatively little research directly exploring these effects and their mechanisms. PURPOSE: This study examines the relationship between infusion task reallocation and perceptions of organizational safety. We also explore the extent to which this relationship may be mediated by infusion-related resources and psychological safety. METHODOLOGY: Data were collected through a survey of 623 nurses from 580 U.S. hospitals. The relationship between infusion task reallocation and perceptions of organizational safety, as well as the potential mediating roles of infusion-related resources and psychological safety, was examined using structural equation modeling. RESULTS: Infusion task reallocation was negatively associated with respondents' perceptions of organizational safety, with nurses working in organizations without an infusion team indicating lower perceptions of organizational safety than nurses working in organizations with an infusion team. This relationship was mediated by nurse perceptions of psychological safety within the organization, but not by infusion-related resources, suggesting that task reallocation is associated with lower perceived organizational safety because nurses feel less psychologically safe rather than because of perceived technical constraints. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The results indicate that, although infusion task reallocation may be a cost-reducing approach to managing clinical responsibilities, it enlarges rather than enriches the job through higher demands and fewer resources for nurses and, in turn, lower perceived organizational safety.

Using the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications-Expanded (FRAME) to study lung cancer screening adaptations in the Veterans Health Administration.

Background: Lung cancer screening includes identification of eligible individuals, shared decision-making inclusive of tobacco cessation, and management of screening results. Adaptations to the implemented processes for lung cancer screening in situ are understudied and underreported, with potential loss of important considerations for improved implementation. The Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications-Expanded (FRAME) allows for systematic enumeration of adaptations to implementations of evidence-based practices. We used FRAME to study adaptations in lung cancer screening processes that were implemented as part of a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Enterprise-Wide Initiative. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews at baseline and 1-year intervals with lung cancer screening program navigators at 10 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC) between 2019-2021. Using this data, we developed baseline (1st) process maps for each program. In subsequent years (year 1 and year 2), each program navigator reviewed the process maps. Adaptations in screening processes were identified, recorded and mapped to FRAME categories. Results: A total of 14 program navigators across 10 VHA lung cancer screening programs participated in 20 interviews. In year 1 (2019-2020), seven programs were operational and of these, three reported adaptations to their screening process that were either planned and in response to COVID-19. In year 2 (2020-2021), all 10 programs were operational. Programs reported 14 adaptations in year 2. These adaptations were both planned and unplanned and often triggered by increased workload; 57% of year 2 adaptations were related to identification and eligibility of Veterans and 43% were related to follow-up with Veterans for screening results. Throughout the 2 years, adaptations related to data management and patient tracking occurred in 6 of 10 programs to improve the data collection and tracking of Veterans in the screening process. Conclusions: Using FRAME, we found that adaptations occurred throughout the lung cancer screening process but primarily in the areas of patient identification and communication of results. These findings highlight considerations for lung cancer screening implementation and potential areas for future intervention.

Striving for high reliability in healthcare: a qualitative study of the implementation of a hospital safety programme.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare leaders look to high-reliability organisations (HROs) for strategies to improve safety, despite questions about how to translate these strategies into practice. Weick and Sutcliffe describe five principles exhibited by HROs. Interventions aiming to foster these principles are common in healthcare; however, there have been few examinations of the perceptions of those who have planned or experienced these efforts. OBJECTIVE: This single-site qualitative study explores how healthcare professionals understand and enact the HRO principles in response to an HRO-inspired hospital-wide safety programme. METHODS: We interviewed 71 participants representing hospital executives, programme leadership, and staff and physicians from three clinical services. We observed and collected data from unit and hospital-wide quality and safety meetings and activities. We used thematic analysis to code and analyse the data. RESULTS: Participants reported enactment of the HRO principles 'preoccupation with failure', 'reluctance to simplify interpretations' and 'sensitivity to operations', and described the programme as adding legitimacy, training, and support. However, the programme was more often targeted at, and taken up by, nurses compared with other groups. Participants were less able to identify interventions that supported the HRO principles 'commitment to resilience' and 'deference to expertise' and reported limited examples of changes in practices related to these principles. Moreover, we identified inconsistent, and even conflicting, understanding of concepts related to the HRO principles, often related to social and professional norms and practices. Finally, an individualised rather than systemic approach hindered collective actions underlying high reliability. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that the safety programme supported some HRO principles more than others, and was targeted at, and perceived differently across professional groups leading to inconsistent understanding and enactments of the principles across the organisation. Combining HRO-inspired interventions with more targeted attention to each of the HRO principles could produce greater, more consistent high-reliability practices.

Association of Physician Coordination With Interfacility Transfer Acceptance Timeliness.

Objectives: Interfacility transfer for time-sensitive emergencies involves rapid and complex care transitions between facilities. We sought to validate relational coordination, a 7-dimension measure of coordination in which a higher score reflects higher-quality coordination, to examine how the quality of coordination affects timeliness in an emergency care setting. Study Design: Retrospective observational cohort design. Methods: We used a novel method to examine how the quality of coordination between physicians at the time of transfer affects timeliness of physician acceptance. We recorded physician-to-physician conversations from the transfer of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), a time-sensitive emergency requiring immediate intervention to prevent morbidity and mortality. Results: We identified 81 patients experiencing STEMI who were transferred between August 1, 2016, and March 31, 2018. Descriptive statistics, interrater reliability (Spearman correlation coefficients), and generalized linear models were used to examine the association between relational coordination and the physician time-to-acceptance duration. Median (IQR) relational coordination score was 445 (403-493) of a maximum of 700, and median (IQR) time to acceptance was 90.4 (60.2-140.8) seconds. Agreement between abstractors was high (ρ = 0.76). There was a significant, negative relationship between relational coordination and time to acceptance (ρ = -0.38; P < .001). Every 40-point increase in relational coordination was associated with a 25% reduction in time to acceptance. Conclusions: Relational coordination not only demonstrated high interrater reliability, but we also found that higher-quality coordination was associated with faster physician acceptance during time-sensitive transfers. Use of such measures may provide a mechanism to improve the quality of care and outcomes for patients with STEMI who experience interfacility transfers.

Implementation of a central-line bundle: a qualitative study of three clinical units.

BACKGROUND: Evidence for the central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) bundle effectiveness remains mixed, possibly reflecting implementation challenges and persistent ambiguities in how CLABSIs are counted and bundle adherence measured. In the context of a tertiary pediatric hospital that had reduced CLABSI by 30% as part of an international safety program, we aimed to examine unit-based socio-cultural factors influencing bundle practices and measurement, and how they come to be recognized and attended to by safety leaders over time in an organization-wide bundle implementation effort. METHODS: We used an interpretivist qualitative research approach, based on 74 interviews, approximately 50 h of observations, and documents. Data collection focused on hospital executives and safety leadership, and three clinical units: a medical specialty unit, an intensive care unit, and a surgical unit. We used thematic analysis and constant comparison methods for data analysis. RESULTS: Participants had variable beliefs about the central-line bundle as a quality improvement priority based on their professional roles and experiences and unit setting, which influenced their responses. Nursing leaders were particularly concerned about CLABSI being one of an overwhelming number of QI targets for which they were responsible. Bundle implementation strategies were initially reliant on unit-based nurse education. Over time there was recognition of the need for centralized education and reinforcement tactics. However, these interventions achieved limited impact given the influence of competing unit workflow demands and professional roles, interactions, and routines, which were variably targeted in the safety program. The auditing process, initially a responsibility of units, was performed in different ways based on individuals' approaches to the process. Given concerns about auditing reliability, a centralized approach was implemented, which continued to have its own variability. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings report on a contextualized, dynamic implementation approach that required movement between centralized and unit-based approaches and from a focus on standardization to some recognition of a role for customization. However, some factors related to bundle compliance and measurement remain unaddressed, including harder to change socio-cultural factors likely important to sustainability of the CLABSI reductions and fostering further improvements across a broader safety agenda.

Implementation strategies in the context of medication reconciliation: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Medication reconciliation (MedRec) is an important patient safety initiative that aims to prevent patient harm from medication errors. Yet, the implementation and sustainability of MedRec interventions have been challenging due to contextual barriers like the lack of interprofessional communication (among pharmacists, nurses, and providers) and limited organizational capacity. How to best implement MedRec interventions remains unclear. Guided by the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) taxonomy, we report the differing strategies hospital implementation teams used to implement an evidence-based MedRec Toolkit (the MARQUIS Toolkit). METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted with implementation teams and executive leaders of hospitals participating in the federally funded "Implementation of a Medication Reconciliation Toolkit to Improve Patient Safety" (known as MARQUIS2) research study. Data consisted of transcripts from web-based focus groups and individual interviews, as well as meeting minutes. Interview data were transcribed and analyzed using content analysis and the constant comparison technique. RESULTS: Data were collected from 16 hospitals using 2 focus groups, 3 group interviews, and 11 individual interviews, 10 sites' meeting minutes, and an email interview of an executive. Major categories of implementation strategies predominantly mirrored the ERIC strategies of "Plan," "Educate," "Restructure," and "Quality Management." Participants rarely used the ERIC strategies of finance and attending to policy context. Two new non-ERIC categories of strategies emerged-"Integration" and "Professional roles and responsibilities." Of the 73 specific strategies in the ERIC taxonomy, 32 were used to implement the MARQUIS Toolkit and 11 new, and non-ERIC strategies were identified (e.g., aligning with existing initiatives and professional roles and responsibilities). CONCLUSIONS: Complex interventions like the MARQUIS MedRec Toolkit can benefit from the ERIC taxonomy, but adaptations and new strategies (and even categories) are necessary to fully capture the range of approaches to implementation.

Examining the Timeliness of ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction Transfers.

INTRODUCTION: Despite large-scale quality improvement initiatives, substantial proportions of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) transferred to percutaneous coronary intervention centers do not receive percutaneous coronary intervention within the recommended 120 minutes. We sought to examine the contributory role of emergency medical services (EMS) activation relative to percutaneous coronary intervention center activation in the timeliness of care for patients transferred with STEMI. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of interfacility transfers from emergency departments (ED) to a single percutaneous coronary intervention center between 2011-2014. We included emergency department (ED) patients transferred to the percutaneous coronary intervention center and excluded scene transfers and those given fibrinolytics. We calculated descriptive statistics and used multivariable linear regression to model the association of variables with ED time intervals (arrival to electrocardiogram [ECG], ECG-to-EMS activation, and ECG-to-STEMI alert) adjusting for patient age, gender, mode of arrival, weekday hour presentation, facility transfers in the past year, and transferring facility distance. RESULTS: We identified 159 patients who met inclusion criteria. Subjects were a mean of 59 years old (standard deviation 13), 22% female, and 93% White; 59% arrived by private vehicle, and 24% presented after weekday hours. EDs transferred a median of 9 STEMIs (interquartile range [IQR] 3, 15) in the past year and a median of 65 miles (IQR 35, 90) from the percutaneous coronary intervention center. Median ED length of stay was 65 minutes (IQR 51, 85). Among component intervals, arrival to ECG was 6%, ECG-to-EMS activation 32%, and ECG-to-STEMI alert was 49% of overall ED length of stay. Only 18% of transfers had EMS activation earlier than STEMI alert. ECG-to-EMS activation was shorter in EDs achieving length of stay ≤60 minutes compared to those >60 minutes (12 vs 31 minutes, P<0.001). Multivariable modeling showed that after-hours presentation was associated with longer ECG-to-EMS activation (adjusted relative risk [RR] 1.05, P<0.001). Female gender (adjusted RR 0.81, P<0.001), prior facility transfers (adjusted RR 0.84, P<0.001), and initial ambulance presentation (adjusted RR 0.93, P = 0.02) were associated with shorter ECG-to-EMS activation. CONCLUSION: In STEMI transfers, faster EMS activation was more likely to achieve a shorter ED length of stay than a rapid, percutaneous coronary intervention center STEMI alert. Large-scale quality improvement efforts such as the American Heart Association's Mission Lifeline that were designed to regionalize STEMI have improved the timeliness of reperfusion, but major gaps, particularly in interfacility transfers, remain. While the transferring EDs are recognized as the primary source of delay during interfacility STEMI transfers, the contributions to delays at transferring EDs remain poorly understood.

Understanding timely STEMI treatment performance: A 3-year retrospective cohort study using diagnosis-to-balloon-time and care subintervals.

OBJECTIVE: From the perspective of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) centers, locations of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) diagnosis can include a referring facility, emergency medical services (EMS) transporting to a PCI center, or the PCI center's emergency department (ED). This challenges the use of door-to-balloon-time as the primary evaluative measure of STEMI treatment pathways. Our objective was to identify opportunities to improve care by quantifying differences in the timeliness of STEMI treatment mobilization based on the location of the diagnostic ECG. METHODS: This 3-year, single-center, retrospective cohort study classified patients by diagnostic ECG location: referring facility, EMS, or PCI center ED. We quantified door-to-balloon-time and diagnosis-to-balloon-time with its care subintervals. RESULTS: Of 207 ED STEMI patients, 180 (87%) received PCI. Median diagnosis-to-balloon-times were shortest among the ED-diagnosed (78 minutes [interquartile range (IQR), 61-92]), followed by EMS-identified patients (89 minutes [IQR, 78-122]), and longest among those referred (140 minutes [IQR, 119-160]), reflecting time for transport to the PCI center. Conversely, referred patients had the shortest median door-to-balloon-times (38 minutes [IQR, 34-43]), followed by the EMS-identified (64 minutes [IQR, 47-77]), whereas ED-diagnosed patients had the longest (89 minutes [IQR, 70-114]), reflecting diagnosis and catheterization lab activation frequently occurring before PCI center ED arrival for referred and EMS-identified patients. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnosis-to-balloon-time and its care subintervals are complementary to the traditional door-to-balloon-times as measures of the STEMI treatment process. Together, they highlight opportunities to improve timely identification among ED-diagnosed patients, use of out-of-hospital cath lab activation for EMS-identified patients, and encourage pathways for referred patients to bypass PCI center EDs.

The Cost of Not Training a Surgical Resident.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify surgical trainees' direct financial impact on an academic medical center (AMC) by modeling the cost of replacing them. DESIGN: The authors developed a model that estimates the financial costs to an AMC if surgical residents were replaced with surgical first assistants (SFAs) and physician assistants (PAs). SETTING: One AMC providing tertiary level clinical care. PARTICIPANTS: The model accounts for the training, work hours, and salary differential of residents, as well as other factors that are specific to education and support of residents, SFAs, and PAs. RESULTS: After accounting for the expenses of surgical residents and the replacement providers in our model, the authors determined that the net cost of replacing 30 surgical residents with PAs and SFAs at one institution is $1,728,628 or $57,621 annually per resident. CONCLUSIONS: Without considering other larger and arguably more important issues of educational value or population needs, we provide a reproducible model of financial considerations regarding residents in an AMC. The costs (and foregone benefits) of not training residents may provide additional support for the funding of graduate medical education and finding the optimal balance of graduate medical education and other providers.

Protocol to evaluate an enterprise-wide initiative to increase access to lung cancer screening in the Veterans Health Administration.

INTRODUCTION: The Veterans Affairs Partnership to increase Access to Lung Screening (VA-PALS) is an enterprise-wide initiative to implement lung cancer screening programs at VA medical centers (VAMCs). VA-PALS will be using implementation strategies that include program navigators to coordinate screening activities, trainings for navigators and radiologists, an open-source software management system, tools to standardize low-dose computed tomography image quality, and access to a support network. VAMCs can utilize strategies according to their local needs. In this protocol, we describe the planned program evaluation for the initial 10 VAMCs participating in VA-PALS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The implementation of programs will be evaluated using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to ensure broad contextual guidance. Program evaluation measures have been developed using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance framework. Adaptations of screening processes will be assessed using the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications to Evidence Based Interventions. Measures collected will reflect the inner settings, estimate and describe the population reached, adoption by providers, implementation of the programs, report clinical outcomes and maintenance of programs. Analyses will include descriptive statistics and regression to evaluate predictors and assess implementation over time. DISCUSSION: This theory-based protocol will evaluate the implementation of lung cancer screening programs across the Veterans Health Administration using scientific frameworks. The findings will inform plans to expand the VA-PALS initiative beyond the original sites and can guide implementation of lung cancer screening programs more broadly.

Organizational Readiness for Lung Cancer Screening: A Cross-Sectional Evaluation at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

OBJECTIVES: Lung cancer has the highest cancer-related mortality in the United States and among Veterans. Screening of high-risk individuals with low-dose CT (LDCT) can improve survival through detection of early-stage lung cancer. Organizational factors that aid or impede implementation of this evidence-based practice in diverse populations are not well described. We evaluated organizational readiness for change and change valence (belief that change is beneficial and valuable) for implementation of LDCT screening. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional survey of providers, staff, and administrators in radiology and primary care at a single Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Survey measures included Shea's validated Organizational Readiness for Implementing Change (ORIC) scale and Shea's 10 items to assess change valence. ORIC and change valence were scored on a scale from 1 to 7 (higher scores representing higher readiness for change or valence). Multivariable linear regressions were conducted to determine predictors of ORIC and change valence. RESULTS: Of 523 employees contacted, 282 completed survey items (53.9% overall response rate). Higher ORIC scores were associated with radiology versus primary care (mean 5.48, SD 1.42 versus 5.07, SD 1.22, ß = 0.37, P = .039). Self-identified leaders in lung cancer screening had both higher ORIC (5.56, SD 1.39 versus 5.11, SD 1.26, ß = 0.43, P = .050) and change valence scores (5.89, SD 1.21 versus 5.36, SD 1.19, ß = 0.51, P = .012). DISCUSSION: Radiology health professionals have higher levels of readiness for change for implementation of LDCT screening than those in primary care. Understanding health professionals' behavioral determinants for change can inform future lung cancer screening implementation strategies.

Leapfrog Hospital Safety Score, Magnet Designation, and Healthcare-Associated Infections in United States Hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) pose a challenge to patient safety. Although studies have explored individual level, few have focused on organizational factors such as a hospital's safety infrastructure (indicated by Leapfrog Hospital Safety Score) or workplace quality (Magnet recognition). The aim of the study was to determine whether Magnet and hospitals with better Leapfrog Hospital Safety Scores have fewer HAIs. METHODS: Ordered probit regression analyses tested associations between Safety Score, Magnet status, and standardized infection ratios, depicting whether a hospital had a Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infection standardized infection ratio that was "better," "no different," or "worse" than a National Benchmark as per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network definitions. RESULTS: Accounting for confounders, relative to "A" hospitals, "B" and "C" hospitals had significant and negative relationships with CDI (-0.16, P < 0.01, and -0.14, P < 0.05, respectively) but not MRSA bacteremia. Magnet hospitals had a significant and positive relationship with MRSA bloodstream infections (0.74, P < 0.001) but a significant negative relationship with CDI (-0.21, P < 0.01) compared with non-Magnet. CONCLUSIONS: A hospitals performed better on CDI but not MRSA bloodstream infections. In contrast, Magnet designation was associated with fewer than expected MRSA infections but more than expected CDIs. These mixed results indicate that hospital global assessments of safety and workplace quality differentially and imperfectly predict its level of HAIs, suggesting the need for more precise organizational measures of safety and more nuanced approaches to infection prevention and reduction.

Infusing, sustaining, and replenishing compassion in health care organizations through compassion practices.

BACKGROUND: Human suffering is prevalent and costly in health care organizations. Recent research links the use of compassion practices with improved patient experience and employee well-being, but little is known about how these practices create and sustain compassion to address workplace suffering and enhance care quality. PURPOSE: This study examines the dynamics of compassion practices, specifically how compassion practices create and sustain compassion in caregiving work. METHODOLOGY: We conducted a qualitative field study at two acute care hospitals utilizing three forms of data collection: semistructured interviews, nonparticipant observation, and archival data. Data were analyzed utilizing thematic coding. RESULTS: Both organizations attempted to foster workplace compassion through their hiring, socialization, employee support, and rewards practices. CONCLUSION: Organizations enable compassion through common organizational practices that perform three functions: (a) infusing the organization with new members and resources to enact compassion, (b) sustaining compassion by reinforcing its appropriateness in the workplace, and (c) replenishing compassion resources by improving and restoring employee well-being and ability to provide high-quality compassionate care. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This study provides managers with a detailed guide for how health care organizations use compassion practices as a managerial tool to address two key challenges: (a) high rates of employee ill-being due to the demanding nature of the work and (b) providing high-quality compassionate care.