Examining preconditions for integrated care: a comparative social network analysis of the structure and dynamics of strong relations in child service networks.

BACKGROUND: To help ensure that children and families get the right support and services at the right time, strong and stable relationships between various child service organizations are vital. Moreover, strong and stable relationships and a key network position for gatekeepers are important preconditions for interprofessional collaboration, the timely and appropriate referral of clients, and improved health outcomes. Gatekeepers are organizations that have specific legal authorizations regarding client referral. However, it is largely unclear how strong relations in child service networks are structured, whether the gatekeepers have strong and stable relationships, and what the critical relations in the overall structure are. The aim of this study is to explore these preconditions for integrated care by examining the internal structure and dynamics of strong relations. METHODS: A comparative case study approach and social network analysis of three inter-organizational networks consisting of 65 to 135 organizations within the Dutch child service system. Multiple network measures (number of active organizations, isolates, relations, average degree centrality, Lambda sets) were used to examine the strong relation structure and dynamics of the networks. Ucinet was used to analyze the data, with use of the statistical test: Quadratic Assignment Procedure. Visone was used to visualize the graphs of the networks. RESULTS: This study shows that more than 80% of the organizations in the networks have strong relations. A striking finding is the extremely high number of strong relations that gatekeepers need to maintain. Moreover, the results show that the most important gatekeepers have key positions, and their strong relations are relatively stable. By contrast, considering the whole network, we also found a considerable measure of instability in strong relationships, which means that child service networks must cope with major internal dynamics. CONCLUSIONS: Our study addressed crucial preconditions for integrated care. The extremely high number of strong relations that particularly gatekeepers need to build and maintain, in combination with the considerable instability of strong relations considering the whole network, is a serious point of concern that need to be managed, in order to enable child service networks to improve internal coordination and integration of service delivery.

HIGHLIGHTS: More than 80% of the organizations in the network has strong relations.Gatekeepers need to maintain an extremely high number of strong relations.Child service networks need to cope with major internal dynamics.These insights offer leads for optimizing how a network functions.

Relaciones institucionales en la implementación de estrategias de promoción, protección y apoyo de la lactancia materna: una revisión integrativa / Institutional relationships in the implementation of breastfeeding promotion, protection and support strategies: an integrative review

Fundamentos: la importancia que tiene la lactancia materna en la salud y calidad de vida de los individuos hace necesario que las políticas establecidas para su promoción sean operadas mediante la participación y articulación de instituciones y a través de redes interinstitucionales. Métodos: para la compilación de la información se hizo una revisión integrativa de literatura, cuyo propósito fue ampliar la comprensión de un tema a partir de la recopilación, sistematización y análisis de producciones científicas. Resultados: se seleccionaron 14 artículos publicados entre 2013 y 2020 y, en su mayoría, escritos en inglés, provenientes de países como Estados Unidos, Alemania, Reino Unido y Samoa. Los temas más recurrentes fueron el análisis de políticas públicas, la coordinación de programas y la percepción del funcionamiento de las estrategias de promoción, protección y apoyo a la lactancia materna. En conclusión: las relaciones intra e interinstitucionales son claves a la hora de implementar políticas de promoción de la lactancia materna. Sin embargo, para su puesta en marcha, se requiere financiación y articulación en los niveles operativos de sistemas de salud. En definitiva, las labores de articulación, seguimiento y evaluación requieren relaciones fortalecidas que fomenten, protejan, promuevan y apoyen la práctica de la lactancia materna. (AU)

Background: the importance of breastfeeding in the health and quality of life of individuals makes it necessary for the policies established for its promotion to be implemented through the participation and coordination of institutions and through inter-institutional networks. Methods: for the compilation of the information, an integrative literature review was carried out, the purpose of which was to broaden the understanding of a topic through the collection, systematization and analysis of scientific productions. Results: 14 articles published between 2013 and 2020 and mostly written in English were selected from countries such as the United States, Germany, United Kingdom and Samoa. The most recurrent themes were the analysis of public policies, program coordination and perceptions of the functioning of breastfeeding promotion, protection and support strategies. Conclusions: Intra- and inter-institutional relationships are key to the implementation of breastfeeding promotion policies. However, their implementation requires funding and coordination at the operational levels of health systems. In short the articulation, monitoring and evaluation require strengthened relationships that encourage, protect, promote and support the practice of breastfeeding. (AU)

Academic-Practice Partnership in Research: Meeting the Gold Standard.

Academic-clinical partnerships describe relationships between 2 groups to advance mutual interests, particularly collaboration on research projects. In this column, members of the Association of Leadership Science in Nursing discuss a 10-year partnership between a nurse professor at a southeast university and a nurse scientist at a health system in the southeast United States, reflections on meeting the criterion standard in our research pursuits, and lessons learned.

An Innovative Academic/Practice Partnership to Support Nursing Workforce Needs and Student Clinical Education.

ABSTRACT: Innovation is needed to solve nursing workforce issues during times of crisis. A collaborative effort between a hospital system and several universities resulted in the Bridge to Professional Practice Program that was implemented during a period of high patient volume and nursing student downtime. The program provided support for staffing needs and clinical hours to promote readiness for practice for students. The program evaluation outcomes and recommendations for improvement are addressed.

Collaborative university-industry R&D practices supporting the pharmaceutical innovation process: Insights from a bibliometric review.

University-industry collaborative research and development (UIC R&D) is generally seen as a driver of the pharmaceutical innovation process. Here, we perform a bibliometric review of UIC R&D practices over the past 30 years (1991-2020) by analyzing 800+ publications. At the strategic level of organizational cooperation patterns, the analysis shows that pharmaceutical UIC R&D mainly aims at strategic alliance formation, which gears toward universities and companies collaboratively exploring and commercializing technological breakthroughs. At the structural level of universities and companies investing in cooperation and aligning their activities, analytical results indicate that universities and companies organize themselves as interdependent entities in an open innovation ecosystem. At the cultural level of generally accepted collaboration norms and habits, analytical results show that university-company partnerships are becoming a rule rather than an exception. This study delves into a 30-year history of UIC R&D practices that support the pharmaceutical innovation process. It provides academics and practitioners with an insight into possible strategies for UIC R&D in the future and presents avenues for science, business and innovation research.

The Nursing Baccalaureate Dual Enrollment Model: Outcomes for A Community College and University Partnership.

The dual enrollment model in which universities collaborate with community colleges to provide the prelicensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) education has been identified by the National Academy of Medicine as one of 5 viable academic progression models for transforming nursing education. The New Mexico Nursing Education Consortium (NMNEC) is a successful example of the dual enrollment model, which began in 2015 with one partnership. By 2018, 3 universities and 5 community colleges had partnered to offer the BSN jointly with the community college locations. In this retrospective, descriptive study, the 2 program types were compared to assess for differences in demographic and academic characteristics as well as program outcomes for the BSN graduates (n = 1018) from 2015 to 2018. The results of the analysis show that NMNEC has been successful in increasing the total number and diversity of BSN graduates for New Mexico. Importantly, NMNEC serves as an exemplar academic-practice partnership model because the success of the consortium would not have been possible without the involvement of practice partners. The outcomes from this study support academic-practice partnerships as instrumental in developing a better educated and more diverse nursing workforce that will improve patient outcomes and strive for health equity.

Interorganizational Communication at Mass Gatherings: Professionals' Perceptions during the Planning and Implementation Stage of Marathon Events.

INTRODUCTION: Mass gatherings (MGs) often bring together professionals and organizations that collaborate irregularly or have never engaged in joint working. They involve interaction and communication among multiple and diverse services, which can often prove challenging. Planning such an event is of paramount importance for its success, and interorganizational communication ranks among its most important aspects. Nonetheless, there is limited empirical evidence to support interagency communication in MGs. OBJECTIVE: This study used the 2017 Athens Marathon (Athens, Greece) as the empirical setting to examine how interorganizational communication was perceived among the multiple public health and safety professionals during the planning and implementation phase of the event. METHODS: Data comprised 15 semi-structured in-depth interviews with key informants, direct observations of meetings and the event itself, and documentary analysis. Open coding and thematic analysis were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Findings indicated three key components of interorganizational communication in such an event: (1) shared situational awareness; (2) interorganizational understanding; and (3) implementing liaison officers. CONCLUSION: This study outlined the factors that influenced interorganizational communication before and during a MG. Practical implications arising from this study may inform the way organizers of marathons and other mass sporting events can engage in effective interorganizational communication.