"I'd rather do that (Knee Control) than be injured and not able to play": a qualitative study on youth floorball players' and coaches' perspectives of how to overcome barriers for injury prevention exercise programme use.

This study explored youth floorball players' and coaches' perspectives on using the injury prevention exercise programmes (IPEPs) Knee Control or Knee Control+ (Knee Control programmes) and how to overcome barriers to programme use. We used a qualitative design with eight semistructured focus group discussions, six with players, 11-17 years old (n =42) and two with coaches (n =12). Data analysis followed the principles of qualitative content analysis. Three main categories emerged: challenges related to preventive training, promoting factors and solutions to facilitate the use of preventive training. To overcome barriers, players and coaches gave examples of how to tailor preventive programmes, such as adding joyful sport specific components. Player-perceived improved performance, with increased strength and speed from the preventive training, could be a promoting factor to increase motivation and enable IPEP use. Players and coaches offered examples of how to adapt and progress the preventive training by progressing gradually and choosing exercises that fit the team. Coaches emphasised that preventive training is important but difficult to prioritise in time-limited training sessions. Coaches' suggestions to overcome barriers were through collaboration and support from other coaches, to start using the IPEP at an early age, to keep it simple and motivating the players with, for example, positive role models. Players found the Knee Control exercises boring but necessary for injury prevention. Sometimes, coaches felt uncertain of their competence to use the Knee Control programmes and wished for support from the federation, club and other coaches. Players and coaches shared ideas on how to overcome barriers to IPEP use, such as to increase players' motivation, having a good structure, setting up routines for preventive training and to tailor the preventive training to the team. These findings can be used to further develop practical workshops and recommendations for programme use for players and coaches in youth team ball sports.

Experiences from pre-surgery physiotherapy and thoughts about future exercise among patients with disc herniation or spinal stenosis: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Continuous exercising after a physiotherapy intervention for low back pain (LBP) is known to be crucial, but sustaining new habits may be challenging. AIM: To describe patients' pre- and post-surgery experiences after a pre-surgery physiotherapy intervention, and their thoughts about future exercise and self-management. METHODS: Individual semi-structured interviews at two time-points were analysed with content analysis. Patients randomised to pre-surgery physiotherapy in an RCT evaluating the intervention, who had participated in ≥12 sessions, were invited. Eighteen patients were interviewed 0-8 months after pre-surgery physiotherapy, and sixteen of those completed a second interview 3-14 months later. RESULTS: Three categories emerged: 1) "Personal experiences from pre-surgery participation", described how participation was perceived as challenging and sometimes stressful, but wellness improved. Cooperation with the physiotherapist was considered crucial and gave confidence. 2) "Attitudes to exercise", described exercise as an action of prevention and rehabilitation that demands motivation. Exercise was perceived to be good for you, physically but also improving mental health and other systems. 3) "Future physical activity - individual responsibility", described the return to former activities and potential challenges for the future. New knowledge was perceived to have changed the prerequisites for exercise and increased security in every-day physical activities. CONCLUSION: Pre-surgery physiotherapy may enhance self-management through increased confidence, improved knowledge about progression, and awareness about exercise for pain relief, producing a new mindset. Challenges for continuing exercise should be addressed during the intervention. The result can inform supportive strategies for patients to continue with self-management after LBP rehabilitation.

Evaluation of implementation and effectiveness of neck-specific exercise for persistent disability and pain after whiplash injury: study protocol for a randomized controlled study using a hybrid 2 design.

BACKGROUND: Persistent pain and disability in whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) grades II and III are common. In two randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of neck-specific exercises (NSE), we have seen promising results in chronic WAD, with a sustained clinically important reduction in pain and disability. NSE can also be delivered through internet support (NSEIT) and a few visits to a physiotherapist, saving time and cost for both patients and providers. NSE have been shown to have positive effects in other neck pain disorders and we will evaluate the diffusion of the exercises to other patients. The aims of the proposed study are to evaluate an implementation strategy for NSEIT and NSE in primary health care and to evaluate the effectiveness of NSEIT and NSE in clinical practice. METHODS: The proposed study is a prospective cluster-randomized mixed-design study with hybrid 2 trial design. Reg. physiotherapists working in twenty physiotherapy clinics will be included. The primary implementation outcome is proportion of patients with neck pain receiving neck-specific exercise. Secondary outcomes are; physiotherapists attitudes to implementation of evidence-based practice, their self-efficacy and confidence in performing NSEIT/NSE, number of patients visits, and use of additional or other exercises or treatment. To further evaluate the implementation strategy, two qualitative studies will be performed with a sample of the physiotherapists. The primary outcome in the patient effectiveness evaluation is self-reported neck disability according to the Neck Disability Index (NDI). Secondary outcomes are pain intensity in the neck, arm, and head; dizziness; work- and health-related issues; and patient's improvement or deterioration over time. All measurements will be conducted at baseline and at 3 and 12 months. Physiotherapists´ self-efficacy and confidence in diagnosing and treating patients with neck pain will also be evaluated directly after their instruction in NSEIT/NSE. DISCUSSION: This trial will evaluate the implementation strategy in terms of adoption of and adherence to NSEIT and NSE in clinical primary health care, and measure diffusion of the method to other patients. In parallel, the effectiveness of the method will be evaluated. The results may guide physiotherapists and health care providers to sustainable and effective implementation of effective exercise programs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The randomized trial is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT05198258 , initial release date January 20, 2022.

Adoption of a research-based program for neck disorders implemented in primary care physiotherapy: a short- and long-term follow-up survey study.

Neck disorders are common in primary health care (PHC) physiotherapy. A neck-specific exercise program based on research findings was implemented among physiotherapists in Swedish PHC. The aim of the study was to evaluate the adoption of the program. We invited PHC physiotherapists to an educational session including theoretical information and practical training. Before the educational session the participants (n = 261) completed a baseline questionnaire. After 3 and 12 months, we distributed surveys to identify changes in practice and in confidence regarding diagnosis and treatment. We compared data from 3-months and 12-months follow-up, respectively, with baseline data. Self-reported frequency of most of the included assessment methods was unchanged after 12 months. Frequency of assessment of neck proprioception had increased significantly. Specific neck muscle exercise for treatment of whiplash associated disorders was applied more frequently after 3 and after 12 months than at baseline. Frequency of other treatment methods remained unchanged. Confidence in diagnosis and treatment increased significantly, particularly among women. The program was not adopted as expected, but resulted in increased confidence regarding diagnosis and treatment. The provision of a short educational session seemed not to be sufficient to obtain a sustained change in practice.

Introduction of medication review and medication report in Swedish hospital and primary care, using a theory-based implementation strategy.

BACKGROUND: The development of routines regarding medication is important to avoid medication-related harm. Medication review and medication reports have earlier been found to be effective, but their implementation is not always successful. The aim of this study was to evaluate the introduction of medication review/medication report in hospital and primary care, in terms of perceptions of the implementation strategy, adoption and sustainability, in one Swedish county. METHODS: The study included 105 clinics. Data was collected from interviews with managers immediately after implementation, survey data and registry data collected five years later. Quantitative data was analysed using non-parametric statistical tests. Open-ended questions were analysed with qualitative methods. RESULTS: The implementation activities were found satisfying, and managers were satisfied with their own influence over the process. After five years medication review and medication reports were reported mainly implemented by the managers. Facilitating factors reported were routines, staff influence, dedication, reminders, and a stable workforce, while hindering factors reported were organizational factors, less commitment and flaws in reporting. Registry data showed that performance of medication review was very limited in primary care. In hospital care medication review was registered in about one fifth of the patients, while medication reports, only relevant for hospital care, was registered in half of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: The managers' perceptions of the implementation process were mainly positive, and they found the new practices of medication review/medication report implemented. Implementation success, however, was not supported by registry data, showing the need for reliable outcome measures for implementation.

Limited positive effects on jump-landing technique in girls but not in boys after 8 weeks of injury prevention exercise training in youth football.

PURPOSE: To evaluate changes in jump-landing technique in football-playing boys and girls after 8 weeks of injury prevention training. METHODS: Four boys' and four girls' teams (mean age 14.1 ± 0.8 years) were instructed to use either the original Knee Control injury prevention exercise programme (IPEP) or a further developed IPEP, Knee Control + , at every training session for 8 weeks. Baseline and follow-up testing of jump-landing technique included drop vertical jumps (DVJ), assessed subjectively and with two-dimensional movement analysis, and tuck jump assessment (TJA). RESULTS: Only minor differences in intervention effects were seen between the two IPEPs, and results are therefore presented for both intervention groups combined. At baseline 30% of the boys showed good knee control during the DVJ, normalised knee separation distances of 77-96% (versus hip) and a median of 3 flaws during the TJA. Among girls, 22% showed good knee control, normalised knee separation distances of 67-86% and a median of 4 flaws during the TJA. At follow-up, boys and girls performed significantly more jumps during TJA. No changes in jump-landing technique were seen in boys, whereas girls improved their knee flexion angle at initial contact in the DVJ (mean change + 4.7°, p < 0.001, 95% CI 2.36-6.99, d = 0.7) and their TJA total score (- 1 point, p = 0.045, r = - 0.4). CONCLUSION: The study showed small positive effects on jump-landing technique in girls, but not in boys, after 8 weeks of injury prevention training. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials gov identifier: NCT03251404.

'In the hospital all is taken care of': a practice-theoretical approach to understand patients' medication use.

Drawing from case examples of medication review implementation in three hospital settings in Sweden, this article examines patients' medication use. Based on a practice theory approach and utilising data from interviews with patients and participant observation, we reconstruct three practices of everyday medication use centring on accepting, challenging or appropriating medication orders. This article argues that patients' medication practices are embedded in wider practice arrangements that afford different modes of agency. Reconceptualising patients' medication use from a practice-based perspective revealed the meaning-making, order-producing and identity-forming features of these practices. Also, we illustrated how different modes of agency were achieved in patients' medication practices, suggesting a fluidity of both the meanings attached to and the identities related to medication use. Our findings have practical implications as these practices of medication use can be transformed when altering the arrangements they are embedded in, thus going beyond the clinical encounter.

Universal Health Coverage in Marginalized Populations: A Qualitative Evaluation of a Health Reform Implementation in Rural Ecuador.

In 2008, Ecuador underwent a major health reform with the aim of universal coverage. Little is known about the implementation of the reform and its perceived effects in rural parts of the country. The aim of this study was to explore the perceived effects of the 2008 health reform implementation, on rural primary health care services and financial access of the rural poor. A qualitative study using focus group discussions was conducted in a rural region in Ecuador, involving health staff, local health committee members, village leaders, and community health workers. Qualitative content analysis focusing on the manifest content was applied. Three categories emerged from the texts: (1) the prereform situation, which was described as difficult in terms of financial access and quality of care; (2) the reform process, which was perceived as top-down and lacking in communication by the involved actors; lack of interest among the population was reported; (3) the effects of the reform, which were mainly perceived as positive. However, testimonies about understaffing, drug shortages, and access problems for those living furthest away from the health units show that the reform has not fully achieved its intended effects. New problems are a challenging health information system and people without genuine care needs overusing the health services. The results indicate that the Ecuadorean reform has improved rural primary health care services. Still, the reform faces challenges that need continued attention to secure its current achievements and advance the health system further.

Embedding hospital-based medication review.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to explore the embedding of hospital-based medication review attending to the conflictual and developmental nature of practice. Specifically, this paper examines manifestations of contradictions and how they play out in professional practices and local embedding processes. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Using ethnographic methods, this paper employs the activity-theoretic notion of contradictions for analyzing the embedding of medication review. Data from participant observation (in total 290 h over 48 different workdays) and 31 semi-structured interviews with different healthcare professionals in two Swedish hospital-based settings (emergency department, department of surgery) are utilized. FINDINGS: The conflictual and developmental potential related to three interrelated characteristics (contested, fragmented and distributed) of the activity object is shown. The contested nature is illustrated showing different conceptualizations, interests and positions both within and across different professional groups. The fragmented character of medication review is shown by tensions related to the appraisal of the utility of the newly introduced practice. Finally, the distributed character is exemplified through tensions between individual and collective responsibility when engaging in multi-site work. Overall, the need for ongoing "repair" work is demonstrated. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: By using a practice-theoretical approach and ethnographic methods, this paper presents a novel perspective for studying local embedding processes. Following the day-to-day work of frontline clinicians captures the ongoing processes of embedding medication review and highlights the opportunities to learn from contradictions inherent in routine work practices.

Practitioner experiences from the structured implementation of evidence-based practice in primary care physiotherapy: A qualitative study.

RATIONALE, AIMS, AND OBJECTIVES: To provide best available care, the practitioners in primary health care (PHC) must have adequate knowledge about effective interventions. The implementation of such interventions is challenging. A structured implementation strategy developed by researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, was used for the implementation of an evidence-based assessment and treatment programme for patients with subacromial pain among physiotherapists in PHC. To further develop strategies for implementation of evidence-based practices, it was deemed important to study the implementation from the practitioners' perspective. The aim of this study was to explore the practitioners' experiences from the implementation. METHODS: A qualitative design with focus group discussions was applied. The implementation in terms of perceptions of process and outcome was evaluated by focus group discussions with, in total, 16 physiotherapists in the target group. Data were analysed using the method qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: The components of the strategy were viewed positively, and the applicability and evidence base behind the programme were appreciated. The programme was perceived to be adopted, and the practitioners described a changed behaviour and increased confidence in handling patients with subacromial pain. Both patient- and provider-related challenges to the implementation were mentioned. CONCLUSIONS: The practitioners' experiences from the implementation were mainly positive. A strategy with collaboration between academy and practice, and with education and implementation teams as facilitators, resulted in changes in practice. Critical voices concerned interprofessional collaboration and that the programme was focused explicitly on the shoulder, not including other components of physical function.

The professional culture among physicians in Sweden: potential implications for patient safety.

BACKGROUND: Patient safety culture, i.e. a subset of an organization's culture, has become an important focus of patient safety research. An organization's culture consists of many cultures, underscoring the importance of studying subcultures. Professional subcultures in health care are potentially important from a patient safety point of view. Physicians have an important role to play in the effort to improve patient safety. The aim was to explore physicians' shared values and norms of potential relevance for patient safety in Swedish health care. METHODS: Data were collected through group and individual interviews with 28 physicians in 16 semi-structured interviews, which were recorded and transcribed verbatim before being analysed with an inductive approach. RESULTS: Two overarching themes, "the competent physician" and "the integrated yet independent physician", emerged from the interview data. The former theme consists of the categories Infallible and Responsible, while the latter theme consists of the categories Autonomous and Team player. The two themes and four categories express physicians' values and norms that create expectations for the physicians' behaviours that might have relevance for patient safety. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians represent a distinct professional subculture in Swedish health care. Several aspects of physicians' professional culture may have relevance for patient safety. Expectations of being infallible reduce their willingness to talk about errors they make, thus limiting opportunities for learning from errors. The autonomy of physicians is associated with expectations to act independently, and they use their decisional latitude to determine the extent to which they engage in patient safety. The physicians perceived that organizational barriers make it difficult to live up to expectations to assume responsibility for patient safety. Similarly, expectations to be part of multi-professional teams were deemed difficult to fulfil. It is important to recognize the implications of a multi-faceted perspective on the culture of health care organizations, including physicians' professional culture, in efforts to improve patient safety.

Activity demands and instability are the most important factors for recommending to treat ACL injuries with reconstruction.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to (1) study and compare the factors that Swedish orthopaedic surgeons and physical therapists consider important for recommending ACL reconstruction and, (2) to assess how orthopaedic surgeons and physical therapists consider their own and each others, as well as patients', roles are in the treatment decision. METHODS: A web-based survey assessing the relevance of 21 predetermined factors, in the choice to recommend ACL reconstruction, was sent to orthopaedic surgeons and physical therapists. Respondents were also asked to rate the importance of the assessment made by themselves, the other clinician (physical therapists rated the importance of surgeons, surgeons rated the importance of physical therapists), and the patients' preferences. RESULT: Orthopaedic surgeons agreed of eight, and physical therapists of seven factors as important in the choice to recommend ACL reconstruction. The factors both groups reported as important were; "patient's wishes to return to contact/pivoting sports", "instability in physical activity", "instability in activities of daily living despite adequate rehabilitation", "physically demanding occupation", and "young age". Both professions rated their own and each others assessments as well as patient's wishes as important for the decision to recommend ACL reconstruction. CONCLUSION: Orthopaedic surgeons and physical therapists agree about factors that are important for their decision to recommend ACL reconstruction, showing that both professions share a common ground in perceptions of factors that are important in recommending ACL reconstruction. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Diagnostic study: Level III.

Experiences from ten years of incident reporting in health care: a qualitative study among department managers and coordinators.

BACKGROUND: Incident reporting (IR) in health care has been advocated as a means to improve patient safety. The purpose of IR is to identify safety hazards and develop interventions to mitigate these hazards in order to reduce harm in health care. Using qualitative methods is a way to reveal how IR is used and perceived in health care practice. The aim of the present study was to explore the experiences of IR from two different perspectives, including heads of departments and IR coordinators, to better understand how they value the practice and their thoughts regarding future application. METHODS: Data collection was performed in Östergötland County, Sweden, where an electronic IR system was implemented in 2004, and the authorities explicitly have advocated IR from that date. A purposive sample of nine heads of departments from three hospitals were interviewed, and two focus group discussions with IR coordinators took place. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Two main themes emerged from the data: "Incident reporting has come to stay" building on the categories entitled perceived advantages, observed changes and value of the IR system, and "Remaining challenges in incident reporting" including the categories entitled need for action, encouraged learning, continuous culture improvement, IR system development and proper use of IR. CONCLUSIONS: After 10 years, the practice of IR is widely accepted in the selected setting. IR has helped to put patient safety on the agenda, and a cultural change towards no blame has been observed. The informants suggest an increased focus on action, and further development of the tools for reporting and handling incidents.

Five years' experience of an annual course on implementation science: an evaluation among course participants.

BACKGROUND: Increasing interest in implementation science has generated a demand for education and training opportunities for researchers and practitioners in the field. However, few implementation science courses have been described or evaluated in the scientific literature. The aim of the present study was to provide a short- and long-term evaluation of the implementation training at Linköping University, Sweden. METHODS: Two data collections were carried out. In connection with the final seminar, a course evaluation form, including six items on satisfaction and suggestions for improvement, was distributed to the course participants, a total of 101 students from 2011 to 2015 (data collection 1), response rate 72%. A questionnaire including six items was distributed by e-mail to the same students in autumn 2016 (data collection 2), response rate 63%. Data from the two data collections were presented descriptively and analysed using the Kirkpatrick model consisting of four levels: reaction, learning, behaviour and results. RESULTS: The students were very positive immediately after course participation, rating high on overall perception of the course and the contents (reaction). The students also rated high on achievement of the course objectives and considered their knowledge in implementation science to be very good and to a high degree due to course participation (learning). Knowledge gained from the course was viewed to be useful (behaviour) and was applied to a considerable extent in research projects and work apart from research activities (results). CONCLUSIONS: The evaluation of the doctoral-level implementation science course provided by Linköping University showed favourable results, both in the short and long term. The adapted version of the Kirkpatrick model was useful because it provided a structure for evaluation of the short- and long-term learning outcomes.

Using education and support strategies to improve the way nurses assess regular and transient pain - A quality improvement study of three hospitals.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Systematic and regular pain assessment has been shown to improve pain management. Well-functioning pain assessments require using strategies informed by well-established theory. This study evaluates documented pain assessments reported in medical records and by patients, including reassessment using a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) after patients receive rescue medication. METHODS: Documentation surveys (DS) and patient surveys (PS) were performed at baseline (BL), after six months, and after 12 months in 44 in-patient wards at the three hospitals in Östergötland County, Sweden. Nurses and nurse assistants received training on pain assessment and support. The Knowledge to Action Framework guided the implementation of new routines. RESULTS: According to DS pain assessment using NRS, pain assessment increased significantly: from 7% at baseline to 36% at 12 months (p<0.001). For PS, corresponding numbers were 33% and 50% (p<0.001). According to the PS, the proportion of patients who received rescue medication and who had been reassessed increased from 73% to 86% (p=0.003). The use of NRS to document pain assessment after patients received rescue medication increased significantly (4% vs. 17%; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: After implementing education and support strategies, systematic pain assessment increased, an encouraging finding considering the complex contexts of in-patient facilities. However, the achieved assessment levels and especially reassessments related to rescue medication were clinically unsatisfactory. Future studies should include nursing staff and physicians and increase interactivity such as providing online education support. A discrepancy between documented and reported reassessment in association with given rescue medication might indicate that nurses need better ways to provide pain relief. IMPLICATIONS: The fairly low level of patient-reported pain via NRS and documented use of NRS before and 12 months after the educational programme stresses the need for education on pain management in nursing education. Implementations differing from traditional educational attempts such as interactive implementations might complement educational programmes given at the work place. Standardized routines for pain management that include the possibility for nurses to deliver pain medication within well-defined margins might improve pain management and increase the use of pain assessments. Further research is needed that examines the large discrepancy between patient-reported pain management and documentation in the medical recording system of transient pain.

Collaboration between non-governmental organizations and public services in health - a qualitative case study from rural Ecuador.

BACKGROUND: Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have a key role in improving health in low- and middle-income countries. Their work needs to be synergistic, complementary to public services, and rooted in community mobilization and collective action. The study explores how an NGO and its health services are perceived by the population that it serves, and how it can contribute to reducing barriers to care. DESIGN: A qualitative exploratory study was conducted in remote Ecuador, characterized by its widespread poverty and lack of official governance. An international NGO collaborated closely with the public services to deliver preventative and curative health services. Data were collected using focus group discussions and semistructured interviews with purposively sampled community members, healthcare personnel, and community health workers based on their links to the health services. Conventional qualitative content analysis was used, focusing on manifest content. RESULTS: Emerging themes relate to the public private partnership (PPP), the NGO and its services, and community participation. The population perceives the NGO positively, linking it to healthcare improvements. Their priority is to get services, irrespective of the provider's structure. The presence of an NGO in the operation may contribute to unrealistic expectations of health services, affecting perceptions of the latter negatively. CONCLUSIONS: To avoid unrealistic expectations and dissatisfaction, and to increase and sustain the population's trust in the organization, an NGO should operate in a manner that is as integrated as possible within the existing structure. The NGO should work close to the population it serves, with services anchored in the community. PPP parties should develop a common platform with joint messages to the target population on the provider's structure, and regarding partners' roles and responsibilities. Interaction between the population and the providers on service content and their expectations is key to positive outcomes of PPP operations.

Patient safety work in Sweden: quantitative and qualitative analysis of annual patient safety reports.

BACKGROUND: There is widespread recognition of the problem of unsafe care and extensive efforts have been made over the last 15 years to improve patient safety. In Sweden, a new patient safety law obliges the 21 county councils to assemble a yearly patient safety report (PSR). The aim of this study was to describe the patient safety work carried out in Sweden by analysing the PSRs with regard to the structure, process and result elements reported, and to investigate the perceived usefulness of the PSRs as a tool to achieve improved patient safety. METHODS: The study was based on two sources of data: patient safety reports obtained from county councils in Sweden published in 2014 and a survey of health care practitioners with strategic positions in patient safety work, acting as key informants for their county councils. Answers to open-ended questions were analysed using conventional content analysis. RESULTS: A total of 14 structure elements, 31 process elements and 23 outcome elements were identified. The most frequently reported structure elements were groups devoted to working with antibiotics issues and electronic incident reporting systems. The PSRs were perceived to provide a structure for patient safety work, enhance the focus on patient safety and contribute to learning about patient safety. CONCLUSION: Patient safety work carried out in Sweden, as described in annual PSRs, features a wide range of structure, process and result elements. According to health care practitioners with strategic positions in the county councils' patient safety work, the PSRs are perceived as useful at various system levels.

Association between organizational climate and perceptions and use of an innovation in Swedish primary health care: a prospective study of an implementation.

BACKGROUND: There is a need for new knowledge regarding determinants of a successful implementation of new methods in health care. The role of a receptive context for change to support effective diffusion has been underlined, and could be studied by assessing the organizational climate. The aim of this study was to assess the association between organizational climate when a computer-based lifestyle intervention tool (CLT) was introduced in primary health care (PHC) and the implementation outcome in terms of how the tool was perceived and used after 2 years. METHODS: The CLT was offered to 32 PHC units in Sweden, of which 22 units agreed to participate in the study. Before the introduction of the CLT, the creative climate at each participating unit was assessed. After 24 months, a follow-up questionnaire was distributed to the staff to assess how the CLT was perceived and how it was used. A question on the perceived need for the CLT was also included. RESULTS: The units were divided into three groups according to the creative climate: high, medium and low. The main finding was that the units identified as having a positive creative climate demonstrated more frequent use and more positive perceptions regarding the new tool than those with the least positive creative climate. More positive perceptions were seen at both individual and unit levels. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results from this study there is an association between organizational climate at baseline and implementation outcome after 2 years when a tool for lifestyle intervention is introduced in PHC in Sweden. Further studies are needed before measurement of organizational climate at baseline can be recommended in order to predict implementation outcome.

Leadership in evidence-based practice: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: This study aims to systematically review published empirical research on leadership as a determinant for the implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP) and to investigate leadership conceptualization and operationalization in this field. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A systematic review with narrative synthesis was conducted. Relevant electronic bibliographic databases and reference lists of pertinent review articles were searched. To be included, a study had to involve empirical research and refer to both leadership and EBP in health care. Study quality was assessed with a structured instrument based on study design. FINDINGS: A total of 17 studies were included. Leadership was mostly viewed as a modifier for implementation success, acting through leadership support. Yet, there was definitional imprecision as well as conceptual inconsistency, and studies seemed to inadequately address situational and contextual factors. Although referring to an organizational factor, the concept was mostly analysed at the individual or group level. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: The concept of leadership in implementation science seems to be not fully developed. It is unclear whether attempts to tap the concept of leadership in available instruments truly capture and measure the full range of the diverse leadership elements at various levels. Research in implementation science would benefit from a better integration of research findings from other disciplinary fields. Once a more mature concept has been established, researchers in implementation science could proceed to further elaborate operationalization and measurement. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Although the relevance of leadership in implementation science has been acknowledged, the conceptual base of leadership in this field has received only limited attention.

Patient safety subcultures among registered nurses and nurse assistants in Swedish hospital care: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Patient safety culture emerges from the shared assumptions, values and norms of members of a health care organization, unit, team or other group with regard to practices that directly or indirectly influence patient safety. It has been argued that organizational culture is an amalgamation of many cultures, and that subcultures should be studied to develop a deeper understanding of an organization's culture. The aim of this study was to explore subcultures among registered nurses and nurse assistants in Sweden in terms of their assumptions, values and norms with regard to practices associated with patient safety. METHODS: The study employed an exploratory design using a qualitative method, and was conducted at two hospitals in southeast Sweden. Seven focus group interviews and two individual interviews were conducted with registered nurses and seven focus group interviews and one individual interview were conducted with nurse assistants. Manifest content analysis was used for the analysis. RESULTS: Seven patient safety culture domains (i.e. categories of assumptions, values and norms) that included practices associated with patient safety were found: responsibility, competence, cooperation, communication, work environment, management and routines. The domains corresponded with three system levels: individual, interpersonal and organizational levels. The seven domains consisted of 16 subcategories that expressed different aspects of the registered nurses and assistants nurses' patient safety culture. Half of these subcategories were shared. CONCLUSIONS: Registered nurses and nurse assistants in Sweden differ considerably with regard to patient safety subcultures. The results imply that, in order to improve patient safety culture, efforts must be tailored to both registered nurses' and nurse assistants' patient safety-related assumptions, values and norms. Such efforts must also take into account different system levels. The results of the present study could be useful to facilitate discussions about patient safety within and between different professional groups.