Four years upscaling telemonitoring to future-proof health care delivery in Dutch university hospitals: Before and after - where do we stand and what are the results?

The provision of smoking care, including the management of nicotine withdrawal and assistance with a quitting attempt, is identified as an important part of the overall care of hospitalised patients. Levels of smoking care delivery in hospitals have been less than optimal. Increasing this care across multiple facilities and units within NSW Health represents a significant challenge. This article examines levels of smoking care delivery in NSW hospitals, and research evidence and best practice recommendations to inform potential strategies to increase such care. It also reviews statewide initiatives implemented by NSW Health to enhance the delivery of smoking care and suggests further strategies that could facilitate this.

Jerry A. Mansfield Interview

Previous literature focused on narrowly defined treatments reached conflicting conclusions about the association between tort reforms and treatment intensity. Using county-level panel data, I evaluate the impact of noneconomic damages caps on broadly defined measures of health care delivery in hospitals. Caps adoption leads to a 3.5% decrease in surgeries, a 2.5% decrease in admissions, a 4.5% decrease in outpatient visits but has no significant effect on emergency care. These results are not driven by spillovers across state borders or by improvements in health and are accompanied by an increase in mortality from complications of medical and surgical care.

BackgroundMost cancer patients still die in hospital, mainly in medical wards. Many studies in different countries have shown the poor quality of end-of-life care delivery in hospitals. The Program "Liverpool Care Pathway for the dying patient" (LCP), developed in the UK to transfer the hospice model of care into hospitals and other care settings, is a complex intervention to improve the quality of end-of-life care. The results from qualitative and quantitative studies suggest that the LCP Program can improve significantly the quality of end-of-life care delivery in hospitals, but no randomised trial has been conducted till now.Methods and designThis is a randomized cluster trial, stratified by regions and matched for assessment period. Pairs of eligible medical wards from different hospitals will be randomized to receive the LCP-I Program or no intervention until the end of the trial. The LCP-I Program will be implemented by a Palliative Care Unit.The assessment of the end-points will be performed for all cancer deaths occurred in the six months after the end of the LCP-I implementation in the experimental wards and, in the same period of time, in the matched control wards. The primary end-point is the overall quality of end-of-life care provided on the ward to dying cancer patients and their families, assessed using the Global Scale of the Italian version of the Toolkit "After-death Bereaved Family Member Interview".DiscussionThis study can be interpreted as a Phase III trial according to the Medical Research Council Framework. In this study, the effectiveness of a fully defined intervention is assessed by comparing the distribution of the endpoints in the experimental and in the control arm.Research IDRFPS-2006-6-341619Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01081899

Introduction. Extent and financial expenses for the delivery of health care in hospitals are planned within the framework of the annual approval of the Program of state guarantees of the free public delivery of health care (PSG), as well as of Territorial programs of state guarantees of the free public delivery of health care (TPSG). The research purpose is to carry out the comparative analysis of norms of extent and financial expenses for the unit of delivery of health care in hospitals, established at the federal and regional levels within the frameworks of PSG and TPSG in 2015. Materials and methods. Comparative analysis of norms of the delivery of health care in hospitals (norms of extent and financial expenses per extent unit), established by PSG and TPSG for 2015. The above regional norms have been analyzed in eight entities of the Russian Federation (Моscow, Saint-Petersburg, Stavropol region, Novosibirsk region, Khabarovsk region, Sverdlovsk region, Volgograd region, Nizhny Novgorod region), representing eight federal districts of the Russian Federation. Results. PSG and TPSG annually undergo changes, including those related to norms of the delivery of health care and extent of financial expenses, including the segment of hospital health care. During the last years, not only values of such indices have changed (reduction of norms of extent, as well as the growth of norms of financial expenditures per extent unit in hospital conditions), but also its measurement units (transition from bed days to hospitalization cases). The extent norm, established by PSG in 2015, was 0,193 case per one resident and 0,172 case per one insurant per year; the norm of financial expenses was 63 743,8 rubles and 22 233,1 rubles per one case of hospitalization at the expense of budgetary funds and of funds of the compulsory health insurance system accordingly. Entities of the Russian Federation establish, within TPSG frame works, norms of extent and financial expenses for the delivery of health care in hospitals. Actually, the values of such indices can differ from norms, established at the federal level. In this connection, the budgetary part of norm, not like the compulsory health insurance segment, can considerably differ from federal norms as to extent of health care and financial expenditures. Тhe territorial financial norm of the hospitalization case at the expense of compulsory health insurance funds was not lower than the federal norm in any of the analyzed entities of the Russian Federation.

PurposeBureaucracy to a large extent entrenches orderliness and productive means of achieving goals in both public and private organisations across the world. However, bureaucracy is not suitable in the management of hospitals due to its peculiar nature of operations. This study investigates the conundrum of bureaucratic processes and health-care service delivery in government hospitals in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachThe study surveyed 600 outpatients and attendees visiting tertiary and government hospitals in Nigeria using descriptive design to obtained data from the respondents. A research instrument, questionnaire, was used to gather data. Out of the 600 outpatients visiting the 20 hospitals in government and tertiary hospitals, 494 responses were returned from the attendees. The study employed random sampling strategy to collect the information.FindingsThe findings of this study were that service delivery in government hospitals were in adverse position on all the four constructs of bureaucratic dimensions as against quality of service delivery in hospitals in Nigeria. It discovered that bureaucratic impersonality cannot impact on the quality of service delivery in government hospitals in Nigeria. Separation and division of labour among health workers have no significant effect on quality service delivery in government hospitals. Formal rules and regulations (administrative procedure, rules, and policies) prevent quality service delivery in government hospitals in Nigeria. Also, patient’s waiting time was not significant to the quality of service delivery in government hospitals.Research limitations/implicationsThe results are constrained with dimensions of bureaucratic processes. Thus, the implication of this study is that bureaucracy in the Nigerian public hospitals is an unnecessary marriage which should be carefully separated and de-emphasised for quality service delivery in the hospitals to thrive.Practical implicationsLargely, this study is practical essential as it unearths the irrelevant operations procedure that hinder progress in Nigerian hospitals.Originality/valueThe study accomplishes recognised importance to survey how bureaucracy impedes quality service delivery in government hospitals. This study has provided a vital clue to elements that will bring rapid attention to patients’outcome in Nigerian hospitals and health-care facilities which hitherto has not been emphasised. The study has contributed to the existing body of knowledge associated to healthcare service quality in developing country.

To explore the key advice healthcare professionals would give colleagues regarding end-of-life care delivery in hospitals, thereby informing training needs. Exploratory qualitative study. Free-text responses from medical, nursing, and allied health professionals who completed online end-of-life care education modules (n = 597) from August 2022 to September 2023 were analysed using inductive content analysis. Results were explored and separated into two key findings: themes that were shared by all professional groups and themes that were profession specific. Five themes were consistent across all three professional groups: prioritise patient comfort, proactive communication, collaboration and inclusion, human approach and support and wellbeing, each with their own subthemes. Several profession specific subthemes were also identified. The identification of common themes across healthcare professions helps to support the development of interprofessional training initiatives. This research contributes valuable insights for developing targeted end-of-life care education programs. Results also underscore the potential of online learning platforms in providing accessible, evidence-based, continuing professional development in end-of-life care. In Australia, most deaths occur in acute hospital settings. To inform and shape future training, this study collected the key advice healthcare professionals would give colleagues regarding end-of-life care delivery. The themes generated covered a range of potential training topics shared across all professionals, including prioritise patient comfort, proactive communication, collaboration and inclusion, human approach and support and wellbeing. Several profession-specific subthemes were also identified, providing additional insights for designing training for professional groups. Results underscore the potential of online learning platforms in providing accessible, evidence-based, continuing professional development in end-of-life care. Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR). None.

Implementation of a care bundle improves PBC management

Background: Demands on healthcare are outstripping the resources available. Many organisations are struggling to recruit sufficient registered nursing staff to maintain service delivery and are re-evaluating how safe, high quality, sustainable care could be provided. The concept “Team Around the Patient” being piloted in Hywel Dda University Health Board seeks to understand who can provide what care outside of traditional workforce models. The objective of this study is to examine perceptions of key health board stakeholders of the Team Around the Patient model of care and establish research priorities, and to design and test a workforce analysis model to test the implementation of Team Around the Patient. The model will be designed for use in adult, acute inpatient hospital wards. Methods: Before implementing the Team Around the Patient on select adult surgical and medical wards semi structured interviews were undertaken with key health board stakeholders to gather their understandings and perspectives on the concept, and create a working definition. A purposive approach was taken to engage a range of professional opinions including corporate and operational nursing, patient experience, allied health professionals, workforce and operational development. Interview topics included opportunities, quality indicators, barriers and enablers and organisational impacts. Ethical approval was provided by Swansea University and through The Integrated Research Application System (IRAS). Interviews were recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed. Results: In total 15 participants were interviewed. High level findings show support for the concept, with many participants identifying the potential new roles to be included. Key quality indicators such as inpatient falls, medication errors, pressure damage, length of stay, complaints and staff experience were identified as being important measures for this concept. Challenges associated with introducing new roles were mainly associated with workforce culture, delegation and finance. Conclusion: The results indicate overall support for “Team around the Patient” as a model of care which will help to alleviate issues surrounding skill shortages, while introducing more collaborative, inter-professional working. Further research is underway to gain wider perspectives of the concept from national and international experts in the fields of health care, academia and policy makers. The next stage of the research will include observational studies of health care delivery in practice to test the model of workforce analysis. The aim will be to identify opportunities for non-nursing staff groups to support care delivery where a gap in practice, or inefficiencies in the timely delivery of care, has been identified.

BackgroundPatient experience is a key feature of quality improvement in modern health-care delivery. Measuring patient experience is one of several tools used to assess and monitor the quality of health services. This study aims to develop a tool for assessing patient experience with inpatient care in public hospitals in Hong Kong.MethodsBased on the General Inpatient Questionnaire (GIQ) framework of the Care Quality Commission as a discussion guide, a qualitative study involving focus group discussions and in-depth individual interviews with patients was employed to develop a tool for measuring inpatient experience in Hong Kong.ResultsAll participants agreed that a patient satisfaction survey is an important platform for collecting patients’ views on improving the quality of health-care services. Findings of the focus group discussions and in-depth individual interviews identified nine key themes as important hospital quality indicators: prompt access, information provision, care and involvement in decision making, physical and emotional needs, coordination of care, respect and privacy, environment and facilities, handling of patient feedback, and overall care from health-care professionals and quality of care. Privacy, complaint mechanisms, patient involvement, and information provision were further highlighted as particularly important areas for item revision by the in-depth individual interviews. Thus, the initial version of the Hong Kong Inpatient Experience Questionnaire (HKIEQ), comprising 58 core items under nine themes, was developed.ConclusionsA set of dimensions and core items of the HKIEQ was developed and the instrument will undergo validity and reliability tests through a validation survey. A valid and reliable tool is important in accurately assessing patient experience with care delivery in hospitals to improve the quality of health-care services.

SUMMARY Health care delivery in hospitals and clinics promotes an interdisciplinary team approach. This article presents the use of The Discipline though the involvements of the chaplain as part of the Infectious Disease team as together they addressed the inherent spirituality of one HIV/AIDS patient. This narrative recounts the unfolding events of the patient's life and describes the use of The Discipline during a very difficult time period for the patient and the staff. The experience can serve as a model for other health care teams who must manage difficult, deteriorating patients.

It is widely known that nurses are pivotal in coordinating and communicating patient care information in the complex network of healthcare professionals and service delivery. Yet, despite their pivotal role, information communication technologies have historically rarely been designed around nurses' operational needs. This could explain the poor integration of technologies into nursing work processes and consequent rejection by nursing professionals. The complex nature of acute care delivery in hospitals and the frequently interrupted patterns of nursing work suggest that nurses require flexible intelligent systems that can support and adapt to their variable workflow patterns. This study is designed to explore nurses' initial reactions to a new integrated point of care solution for acute healthcare contexts. We report on the first stage of a longitudinal project to use an innovative approach involving nurses in the development and refinement of this solution. Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology was used to evaluate acceptability of the proposed system by nurses.

Background/Aims There has been a wide range of discussion regarding the impact of different leadership styles on healthcare outcomes in the literature. This study assessed the influence of transformational, emotionally intelligent and individual consideration leadership styles on perceived levels of physical comfort and emotional support delivered to patients. Methods This cross-sectional study recruited 310 healthcare managers and leaders from two tertiary hospitals in Nigeria. Participants' perceived delivery of physical comfort and emotional support to patients was measured using a version of the Patient Judgments of Hospital Quality questionnaire, adapted to include 10 items. Leadership styles were measured using a 20-item questionnaire developed by the authors, scored on a 4-point Likert scale. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse relationships between variables. Statistical significance was set at P≤0.05. Results Significant positive relationships were found between all three leadership styles and perceived delivery of physical comfort. Significant positive relationships were also found between transformational and individual consideration leadership styles and perceived emotional support. The relationship between emotionally intelligent leadership and perceived emotional support was not significant. Conclusions This study adds to the literature showing the potential impact of leadership styles on care delivery in hospitals. Future research should consider using a longitudinal design to further explore the relationships between these variables. Implications for practice The significant relationship between transformational, emotionally intelligent and individual consideration leadership styles on physical comfort and/or emotional support suggest that healthcare managers should aim to increase the use of these leadership styles, both in their own work and in their wider organisations.

BackgroundA total of 8 Dutch university hospitals are at the forefront of contributing meaningfully to a future-proof health care system. To stimulate nationwide collaboration and knowledge-sharing on the topic of evidence-based eHealth, the Dutch university hospitals joined forces from 2016 to 2019 with the first Citrien Fund (CF) program eHealth; 29 eHealth projects with various subjects and themes were selected, supported, and evaluated. To determine the accomplishment of the 10 deliverables for the CF program eHealth and to contribute to the theory and practice of formative evaluation of eHealth in general, a comprehensive evaluation was deemed essential.ObjectiveThe first aim of this study is to evaluate whether the 10 deliverables of the CF program eHealth were accomplished. The second aim is to evaluate the progress of the 29 eHealth projects to determine the barriers to and facilitators of the development of the CF program eHealth projects.MethodsTo achieve the first aim of this study, an evaluation study was carried out using an adapted version of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization framework. A mixed methods study, consisting of a 2-part questionnaire and semistructured interviews, was conducted to analyze the second aim of the study.ResultsThe 10 deliverables of the CF program eHealth were successfully achieved. The program yielded 22 tangible eHealth solutions, and significant knowledge on the development and use of eHealth solutions. We have learned that the patient is enthusiastic about accessing and downloading their own medical data but the physicians are more cautious. It was not always possible to implement the Dutch set of standards for interoperability, owing to a lack of information technology (IT) capacities. In addition, more attention needed to be paid to patients with low eHealth skills, and education in such cases is important. The eHealth projects’ progress aspects such as planning, IT services, and legal played an important role in the success of the 29 projects. The in-depth interviews illustrated that a novel eHealth solution should fulfill a need, that partners already having the knowledge and means to accelerate development should be involved, that clear communication with IT developers and other stakeholders is crucial, and that having a dedicated project leader with sufficient time is of utmost importance for the success of a project.ConclusionsThe 8 Dutch university hospitals were able to collaborate successfully and stimulate through a bottom-up approach, nationwide eHealth development and knowledge-sharing. In total, 22 tangible eHealth solutions were developed, and significant eHealth knowledge about their development and use was shared. The eHealth projects’ progress aspects such as planning, IT services, and legal played an important role in the successful progress of the projects and should therefore be closely monitored when developing novel eHealth solutions.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)RR2-10.1016/j.ceh.2020.12.002

The effectiveness of health care delivery in hospitals is determined, in part, by the design of the physical environment and by the spatial organization of work. This paper presents an analysis of the spatial and temporal organization of the work of nurses in the medical and surgical units of French hospitals. In both cases the units were designed around a ‘U’ shaped configuration. The data from these analyses focused on the number of trips undertaken by nurses in completing the various aspects of their work. The results, it is argued, are useful towards the redesign of the units.