[Human resource management in health. Consensual paths forward. SESPAS Report 2024]. / Gestión de recursos humanos en sanidad. Vías de avance consensuables. Informe SESPAS 2024.

Healthcare professionals deserve good management, and Spain, stagnant in its productivity, needs it. Good management is possible, as evidenced during the states of alarm in 2020. None of the lessons learned have been consolidated. Dismissing the term "public management" as an oxymoron is extreme, as there has never been a greater need for a well-functioning state, along with a better market, for reasons beyond the consolidation of the welfare state. The opposite extreme of thinking that salvation lies only within the civil service is also unhelpful. Bureaucratic sclerosis, a sign of deterioration, focused on legality or its appearance, cannot continue to ignore the need for effectiveness. The quality of management, both in general and in the healthcare sector, can be measured, and there is knowledge on how to improve it. More flexible models of labor relations -for selection, recruitment, and retention based on improved criteria of "equality, merit, and capability"- require modifications in institutional architecture, as proposed in this article: competitor benchmarking among autonomous centers and responsible entities that share standardized rules. The healthcare system, the jewel of the country, thanks in large part to the quality of its human resources, not only deserves to have its potential unleashed but can also lead the necessary increase in its resolution capacity, ensuring its impact on social well-being. It can also document its research and innovative capabilities in intellectual property, thereby contributing to the gross domestic product.

Does green HRM really matter for sustainable performance? The role of environmental consciousness and green intellectual capital.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of a set of green human resource management (HRM) practices on sustainable performance in Pakistani higher education institutions (HEIs), while also taking into account the mediating influence of environmental consciousness and green intellectual capital. Furthermore, the study aims to assess the association between environmental consciousness and green intellectual capital, along with the sustainable outcome. The study data was collected from 250 HR managers and executive officers who were responsible for implementing green HRM practices and sustainable performance in the education sector of Pakistan. Smart PLS-4 software was used to perform the statistical analysis of the data. According to the results of this study, green HRM practices play a substantial role in enhancing sustainable performance. The study also identified a link between green HRM practices and sustainable performance via environmental awareness and green intellectual capital. The research contributes to the theoretical paradigm's social cognitive theory by offering information on green HRM practice bundles and sustainable performance. The research also demonstrates that green intellectual capital and environmental consciousness operate as a bridge between green HRM practices and long-term sustainable performance. The study's findings have real-world applications for education, policymakers, and human resource managers at the highest levels. In order to achieve sustainable performance, the study emphasizes the significance of developing green intellectual capital and implementing green HRM practices.

The Impact of Nurse-Led Innovations and Tactics During a Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit southeast Michigan hard and a rapid influx of patients forced Beaumont Health to shift rapidly into an emergency management model with a laser focus on transforming clinical care and administrative processes to meet complex patient care needs. Navigating this landscape required agility, surge planning, strong interprofessional teams, transformational leadership, nurse-led innovations, support, and transparency to manage the ever-changing environment. This article explains nursing's response and nurse-led innovations that were implemented to meet the needs of the community, patients, and staff, as well as lessons learned to ensure preparedness for any potential future surge.

The psychological implications of COVID-19 on employee job insecurity and its consequences: The mitigating role of organization adaptive practices.

The current study aims to understand the detrimental effects of COVID-19 pandemic on employee job insecurity and its downstream outcomes, as well as how organizations could help alleviate such harmful effects. Drawing on event system theory and literature on job insecurity, we conceptualize COVID-19 as an event relevant to employees' work, and propose that event strength (i.e., novelty, disruption, and criticality) of COVID-19 influences employee job insecurity, which in turn affects employee work and non-work outcomes. We also identified important organization adaptive practices responding to COVID-19 based on a preliminary interview study, and examined its role in mitigating the undesired effects of COVID-19 event strength. Results from a two-wave lagged survey study indicated that employees' perceived COVID-19 event novelty and disruption (but not criticality) were positively related to their job insecurity, which in turn was positively related to their emotional exhaustion, organizational deviance, and saving behavior. Moreover, organization adaptive practices mitigated the effects of COVID-19 event novelty and criticality (but not disruption) on job insecurity. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

US Hospital Capacity Managers' Experiences and Concerns Regarding Preparedness for Seasonal Influenza and Influenza-like Illness.

Importance: The 2017-2018 influenza season in the US was marked by a high severity of illness, wide geographic spread, and prolonged duration compared with recent previous seasons, resulting in increased strain throughout acute care hospital systems. Objective: To characterize self-reported experiences and views of hospital capacity managers regarding the 2017-2018 influenza season in the US. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this qualitative study, semistructured telephone interviews were conducted between April 2018 and January 2019 with a random sample of capacity management administrators responsible for throughput and hospital capacity at short-term, acute care hospitals throughout the US. Main Outcomes and Measures: Each participant's self-reported experiences and views regarding high patient volumes during the 2017-2018 influenza season, lessons learned, and the extent of hospitals' preparedness planning for future pandemic events. Interviews were recorded and transcribed and then analyzed using thematic content analysis. Outcomes included themes and subthemes. Results: A total of 53 key hospital capacity personnel at 53 hospitals throughout the US were interviewed; 39 (73.6%) were women, 48 (90.6%) had a nursing background, and 29 (54.7%) had been in the occupational role for more than 4 years. Participants' experiences were categorized into several domains: (1) perception of strain, (2) effects of influenza and influenza-like illness on staff and patient care, (3) immediate staffing and capacity responses to influenza and influenza-like illness, and (4) future staffing and capacity preparedness for influenza and influenza-like illness. Participants reported experiencing perceived strain associated with concerns about preparedness for seasonal influenza and influenza-like illness as well as concerns about staffing, patient care, and capacity, but future pandemic planning within hospitals was not reported as being a high priority. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this qualitative study suggest that during the 2017-2018 influenza season, there were systemic vulnerabilities as well as a lack of hospital preparedness planning for future pandemics at US hospitals. These issues should be addressed given the current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Can digital communication technology reduce health system personnel time? An evaluation of personnel requirements and costs in a randomized controlled trial.

Use of digital communication technologies (DCT) shows promise for enhancing outcomes and efficiencies in asthma care management. However, little is known about the impact of DCT interventions on healthcare personnel requirements and costs, thus making it difficult for providers and health systems to understand the value of these interventions. This study evaluated the differences in healthcare personnel requirements and costs between usual asthma care (UC) and a DCT intervention (Breathewell) aimed at maintaining guidelines-based asthma care while reducing health care staffing requirements. We used data from a pragmatic, randomized controlled trial conducted in a large integrated health system involving 14,978 patients diagnosed with asthma. To evaluate differences in staffing requirements and cost between Breathewell and UC needed to deliver guideline-based care we used electronic health record (EHR) events, provider time tracking surveys, and invoicing. Differences in cost were reported at the patient and health system level. The Breathewell intervention significantly reduced personnel requirements with a larger percentage of participants requiring no personnel time (45% vs. 5%, p < .001) and smaller percentage of participants requiring follow-up outreach (44% vs. 68%, p < .001). Extrapolated to the total health system, cost for the Breathewell intervention was $16,278 less than usual care. The intervention became cost savings at a sample size of at least 957 patients diagnosed with asthma. At the population level, using DCT to compliment current asthma care practice presents an opportunity to reduce healthcare personnel requirements while maintaining population-based asthma control measures.

Laboratory Management and Quality Control Practice of SARS-CoV-2 Nucleic Acid Detection.

OBJECTIVE: A positive result of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid detection provides critical laboratory evidence for clinical confirmed diagnosis, pandemic status evaluation, a pandemic prevention plan, treatment of infected people with symptoms, and protection of uninfected people. This study aims to provide a practical reference for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid-related research and detection. METHODS: Our laboratory has established policies combining personnel management and quality control practices for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid detection during the pandemic. RESULTS: In this article, we describe cross-department personnel management and key points of personal protection and quality control in the testing process. We also report on the differences in detection and the compatibility between different brand kits. CONCLUSION: It is critical to maintain a standard and accurate laboratory operation for nucleic acid testing.

In Search of a Cyber Supervision Process: From the Perspective of Social Work Supervisees in Mainland China.

PURPOSE: The need for cyber supervision has arisen owing to a lack of access to supervision resources in remote locations in Mainland China. This study explores the experiences of receiving or implementing cyber supervision. METHODS: Twenty-four graduates of a nationwide supervision training program participated in telephone interviews. RESULTS: The findings revealed the themes concerning the process of conducting cyber supervision. Methods used by cyber-supervisors to understand supervision context and build supervisory relationships were identified. DISCUSSION: The findings lead to an increased understanding of the process of cyber supervision and will have implications for the further development of cyber supervision. CONCLUSION: Implications of this study provide insights into the important process of cyber supervision.

Developing coaches' professional judgement and decision making: Using the 'Big 5'.

Coaching can be seen, in large part, as a decision-making game in which coaches must decide on and then deploy an optimum blend of tools to best meet the needs of performance and context. Examining this concept through a lens of professional judgement and decision making, research has shown positive benefits for this approach to understanding and enhancing the coaching process and its outcomes. To date, however, there has been less attention paid to the development of simple applied tools which can be used to facilitate these skills. Accordingly, this paper describes the Big 5, a structured approach to critical reflection which can be used to improve coaching. Following its description, we present some preliminary data on the impact of the Big 5 in a sample of professional adventure sports coaches.

How to alleviate the agony of providing negative feedback: Emotion regulation strategies affect hormonal stress responses to a managerial task.

Providing negative feedback can be demanding, as it typically requires dealing with multiple negative emotions. The first aim of this study was to transfer this work-related task to a new laboratory protocol and to investigate short-term hormonal changes among feedback providers. The second aim was to test if such hormonal stress responses can be attenuated through a priori instructions on how to regulate emotions. Each of 150 participants (51% women) provided eight saliva samples before, during, and after anticipating and conducting a negative feedback conversation with a professional actor who displayed negative emotional reactions. Participants were divided into four conditions regarding the way they were instructed to regulate their emotions: expressive suppression (keeping a neutral expression); cognitive reappraisal (staying task-oriented and emotionally distanced); affect utilization (moving towards and using emotions); or control condition. By means of three-phase spline growth models, latent growth factors during baseline, stress response, and recovery were specified. Providing negative feedback was followed by significant temporary testosterone decreases as well as cortisol increases. Testosterone (but not cortisol) responses were attenuated when feedback providers had been instructed to either follow a cognitive reappraisal or affect utilization strategy. This study provides evidence that a typical managerial task, that is, having to provide negative feedback, is a testosterone- and cortisol-relevant experience. Down-regulation of an individual's emotional involvement through reappraisal, as well as the newly introduced technique of moving towards and making use of the interaction partner's emotions (affect utilization), revealed consequences in terms of attenuating the testosterone response to stress.

Developing biodata for public manager selection purposes: a comparison between fuzzy logic and traditional methods / El desarrollo de biodata para la selección de personal en puestos directivos de la Administración Pública: una comparación entre la lógica difusa y los métodos tradicionales

Biodata have been widely used in personnel selection for a long time, mainly due to their predictive validity in different contexts, low faking, and positive applicant reactions. At the same time, some disadvantages need to be highlighted, with discriminatory content representing a major concern. In order to shed light on these issues, the objectives of the present research are twofold: firstly, we aim to develop biodata items for personnel selection for the provision of managerial positions in Public Administration and, secondly, we aim to test the fuzzy logic method as a valid approach for the development of biodata scales, with a view to choosing the best biodata items in terms of job performance, fairness, and privacy, according with manager and applicant perspectives. Participants assessed 26 items according to traditional and fuzzy rules, resulting in 8 highly effective items. Then, both approaches were compared: fuzzy logic turned out to have similar results as the traditional approach. Finnally, future developments in research an practical implications in the field are suggested

Los datos biográficos (biodata) se han utilizado en la selección de personal durante mucho tiempo debido, principalmente, a su buena validez predictiva en diferentes contextos, a su bajo falseamiento y a las reacciones positivas de los solicitantes de empleo. No obstante, podemos destacar el posible contenido discriminatorio como su principal desventaja. Por tanto, los objetivos de la presente investigación son, en primer lugar, desarrollar empíricamente ítems válidos y justos para la selección de puestos directivos en la Administración Pública y, en segundo lugar, comprobar la utilidad de la lógica difusa en el desarrollo de escalas con biodata para elegir los mejores ítems en términos de desempeño laboral, equidad y privacidad, de acuerdo con las perspectivas de directivos y de solicitantes de empleo. Los participantes en el estudio evaluaron 26 ítems según reglas tradicionales y difusas, y se obtuvieron 8 ítems altamente efectivos. Posteriormente se compararon ambos enfoques: aunque la lógica difusa demostró cierta eficacia, logró resultados similares a los del enfoque tradicional. Finalmente, se proponen futuros desarrollos de investigación e implicaciones prácticas en esta materia

Maintaining High Professional Standards, morally, ethically and fairly: what doctors need to know right now.

Facing an investigation into performance concerns can be one of the most traumatic events in a doctor's career, and badly handled investigations can lead to severe distress. Yet there is no systematic way for National Health Service (NHS) Trusts to record the frequency of investigations, and extremely little data on the long-term outcomes of such action for the doctors. The document-Maintaining High Professional Standards in the Modern NHS (a framework for the initial investigation of concerns about doctors and dentists in the NHS)-should protect doctors from facing unfair or mismanaged performance management procedures, which include conduct, capability and health. Equally, it provides NHS Trusts with a framework that must be adhered to when managing performance concerns regarding doctors. Yet, very few doctors have even heard of it or know about the provisions it contains for their protection, and the implementation of the framework appears to be very variable across NHS Trusts. By empowering all doctors with the knowledge of what performance management procedures exist and how best practice should be implemented, we aim to ensure that they are informed participants in any investigation should it occur.

Improving the Residency Program Virtual Open House Experience: A Survey of Urology Applicants.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the perception and value of virtual open houses for urology applicants in the COVID-19 era, since students can no longer attend subinternships and all interviews will be conducted virtually. METHODS: A Twitter survey was sent to 230 likely urology applicants connected through the UroResidency platform. It asked about the relative value of components of the virtual open house and areas for suggested improvement. RESULTS: Seventy responded. Most potential applicants valued virtual open houses that discussed strengths and weaknesses of the program, had time to interact directly with the faculty, and included resident led presentations or discussions. Most agreed programs needed to have more direct time with residents to better understand the culture of the program. CONCLUSION: In this first virtual interview season for urology, likely applicants generally engage in virtual open houses and strongly prefer time to interact directly with residents to assess the program culture.

COVID-19: atenção hospitalar na urgência e emergência

O Debate Virtual do Conass desta sexta-feira (7/8), às 17 horas irá tratar da atenção à Covid-19 nas urgências e emergências dos estados e municípios brasileiros, enfatizando a importância da integração da atenção hospitalar à Rede de Atenção à Saúde (RAS), considerando a continuidade do cuidado dos pacientes curados pela Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS). A iniciativa faz parte da implantação do Guia Orientador do Enfrentamento da Covid-19 na Rede de Atenção à Saúde, elaborado em parceria com o Conselho Nacional de Secretarias Municipais de Saúde (Conasems). Participarão do debate o médico especialista em terapia intensiva e medicina de emergência do Hospital Sírio-Libanês, Welfane Cordeiro Júnior; o diretor geral do Hospital Regional de Nova Andradina/Mato Grosso do Sul, Norberto Fabri Junior; o diretor geral do Hospital Municipal de Teixeira de Freitas/Bahia, Allan Jacqueson Barbosa Lobo; e a coordenadora estadual do Apoio Rede Colaborativa do Espírito Santo, Marfiza Machado de Novaes. A mediação do debate será feita pela assessora técnica do Conass, Rita Catanelli. Perguntas poderão ser enviadas pelo www.conass.org.br/participe O debate será transmitido pelo Portal do Conass: www.conass.org.br e pelos canais do Conselho no YouTube: www.youtube.com/conassoficial; e no FaceBook: www.facebook.com/conassoficial. Participe!

Linking Human Resources Management Practices with Commitment to Service Quality and the Interacting Role of Service Climate in the Private Hospitals: A Study in India.

This paper examines the role of service climate (SC) in the link connecting human resource management practices (HRMP) to commitment to service quality (CSQ). Data were collected from 1236 hospital staff working in different private hospitals in India. The model linking HRMP to CSQ with the moderation of SC was tested using Hayes PROCESS. Results revealed that human resource management practices found to be influencing CSQ and with the interaction of SC the effect is further augmented. The interacting role service climate has been found to be significant at mean and high levels.

How should community health workers in fragile contexts be supported: qualitative evidence from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Democratic Republic of Congo.

BACKGROUND: Community health workers (CHWs) are critical players in fragile settings, where staff shortages are particularly acute, health indicators are poor and progress towards Universal Health Coverage is slow. Like other health workers, CHWs need support to contribute effectively to health programmes and promote health equity. Yet the evidence base of what kind of support works best is weak. We present evidence from three fragile settings-Sierra Leone, Liberia and Democratic Republic of Congo on managing CHWs, and synthesise recommendations for best approaches to support this critical cadre. METHODS: We used a qualitative study design to explore how CHWs are managed, the challenges they face and potential solutions. We conducted interviews with decision makers and managers (n = 37), life history interviews with CHWs (n = 15) and reviewed policy documents. RESULTS: Fragility disrupts education of community members so that they may not have the literacy levels required for the CHW role. This has implications for the selection, role, training and performance of CHWs. Policy preferences about selection need discussion at the community level, so that they reflect community realities. CHWs' scope of work is varied and may change over time, requiring ongoing training. The modular, local and mix of practical and classroom training approach worked well, helping to address gender and literacy challenges and developing a supportive cohort of CHWs. A package of supervision, community support, regular provision of supplies, performance rewards and regular remuneration is vital to retention and performance of CHWs. But there are challenges with supervision, scarcity of supplies, inadequate community recognition and unfulfilled promises about allowances. Clear communication about incentives with facility staff and communities is required as is their timely delivery. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study that has explored the management of CHWs in fragile settings. CHWs' interface role between communities and health systems is critical because of their embedded positionality and the trusting relationships they (often) have. Their challenges are aligned to those generally faced by CHWs but chronic fragility exacerbates them and requires innovative problem solving to ensure that countries and communities are not left behind in reforming the way that CHWs are supported.

Behavior Training is Not Enough: Empowering Middle Managers by Shifting Mindset.

In most organizations, middle managers are expected to meet goals and expectations passed down from above while also connecting with and inspiring the frontline employees doing the work of the organization. Caught in the middle, they often receive training on competencies intended to help them manage issues that arise from this situation. Yet this training tends to be temporarily helpful at best-and harmful at worst. Competency training, because it focuses on changing behavior, fails to address a foundational element necessary to consistently and effectively resolve their challenges. That foundational element is mindset. Providing training and tools to shift their mindset regarding their management objectives better prepares mid-level leaders to be more effective in their challenging positions.

Human resources for health interventions in high- and middle-income countries: findings of an evidence review.

Many high- and middle-income countries face challenges in developing and maintaining a health workforce which can address changing population health needs. They have experimented with interventions which overlap with but have differences to those documented in low- and middle-income countries, where many of the recent literature reviews were undertaken. The aim of this paper is to fill that gap. It examines published and grey evidence on interventions to train, recruit, retain, distribute, and manage an effective health workforce, focusing on physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals in high- and middle-income countries. A search of databases, websites, and relevant references was carried out in March 2019. One hundred thirty-one reports or papers were selected for extraction, using a template which followed a health labor market structure. Many studies were cross-cutting; however, the largest number of country studies was focused on Canada, Australia, and the United States of America. The studies were relatively balanced across occupational groups. The largest number focused on availability, followed by performance and then distribution. Study numbers peaked in 2013-2016. A range of study types was included, with a high number of descriptive studies. Some topics were more deeply documented than others-there is, for example, a large number of studies on human resources for health (HRH) planning, educational interventions, and policies to reduce in-migration, but much less on topics such as HRH financing and task shifting. It is also evident that some policy actions may address more than one area of challenge, but equally that some policy actions may have conflicting results for different challenges. Although some of the interventions have been more used and documented in relation to specific cadres, many of the lessons appear to apply across them, with tailoring required to reflect individuals' characteristics, such as age, location, and preferences. Useful lessons can be learned from these higher-income settings for low- and middle-income settings. Much of the literature is descriptive, rather than evaluative, reflecting the organic way in which many HRH reforms are introduced. A more rigorous approach to testing HRH interventions is recommended to improve the evidence in this area of health systems strengthening.

The future of feedback: Motivating performance improvement through future-focused feedback.

Managerial feedback discussions often fail to produce the desired performance improvements. Three studies shed light on why performance feedback fails and how it can be made more effective. In Study 1, managers described recent performance feedback experiences in their work settings. In Studies 2 and 3, pairs of managers role-played a performance review meeting. In all studies, recipients of mixed and negative feedback doubted the accuracy of the feedback and the providers' qualifications to give it. Disagreement regarding past performance was greater following the feedback discussion than before, due to feedback recipients' increased self-protective and self-enhancing attributions. Managers were motivated to improve to the extent they perceived the feedback conversation to be focused on future actions rather than on past performance. Our findings have implications for the theory and practice of performance management.

The Conceptual Structure of the Management by Nurses of the Ego Integrity of Residents of Nursing Homes.

BACKGROUND: The number of older people admitted to nursing homes has continued to rise with the recent expansion of the Republic of Korea's long-term care system. Maintaining ego integrity is a major task for older people approaching the end of life. As efforts to maintain ego integrity include the final stages of life, this concept is critically important for older people in nursing homes. This study was designed to assess issues related to ego integrity in the nursing home environment to determine how nurses should play a key role in managing this important life task. PURPOSE: The management by nurses of the ego integrity of residents of nursing homes is a new phenomenon that is central to promoting long-term, quality care. This study was designed to clarify and conceptualize this management phenomenon in the context of nursing homes. METHODS: A hybrid model of concept development was used to analyze the ways in which nurses manage the ego integrity of residents of nursing homes. In the theoretical phase, a working definition of the management by nurses of residents' ego integrity is developed using a literature review. In the fieldwork phase, in-depth interviews are conducted with eight nurses from six nursing homes in Seoul and three other provinces. Finally, in the final analytical phase, the theoretical and fieldwork findings are interpreted and compared. RESULTS: Two components, assessment and intervention, of the approach by nurses to managing the ego integrity of residents of nursing homes were identified. Assessment incorporates 10 attributes in the following three dimensions: "identifying the extent to which residents' basic needs are being fulfilled," "determining how residents achieve friendly relationships with others," and "determining how each resident creates a harmonious view of his or her life." Intervention incorporates nine attributes in the following two dimensions: "helping residents develop a positive view of life" and "helping residents make the best use of their remaining functional abilities." CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: By managing the ego integrity of residents, nurses have a significant influence on residents' sociopsychological adaptation, especially in the challenging environment of a nursing home. This study supports that managing the ego integrity of residents of nursing homes is an important and practical component of the role played by nurses and of the aid and care they provide. Furthermore, the findings verify the effectiveness of intervention studies in examining assessment tools and developing guidelines for ego-integrity management.