Future Healthcare Management Research Articles

Hospital Performance and Operational Management: A Bibliometric Review of Key Factors Affecting Effectiveness

This study employs bibliometric and co-authorship network analyses to investigate the landscape of research in hospital performance and operational management. Using VOSviewer, key themes were visualized to depict the concentration and evolution of research areas from technology integration to quality management within healthcare settings. The study identifies central researchers and maps collaborative networks, revealing both densely interconnected groups and isolated researchers. Practical implications are discussed for academic researchers, hospital administrators, and policymakers, highlighting areas for strategic development and potential collaboration. Limitations such as selection bias and the exclusion of qualitative impact underscore the need for cautious interpretation of the results. The study provides a foundational tool for stakeholders to understand the current research environment and to guide future healthcare management practices effectively.

The projected increase of vertebral osteomyelitis in Germany implies a demanding challenge for future healthcare management of aging populations.

Since an increase in the occurrence of native vertebral osteomyelitis (VO) is expected and reliable projections are missing, it is urgent to provide a reliable forecast model and make it a part of future health care considerations. Comprehensive nationwide data provided by the Federal Statistical Office of Germany were used to forecast total numbers and incidence rates (IR) of VO as a function of age and gender until 2040. Projections were done using autoregressive integrated moving average model on historical data from 2005 to 2019 in relation to official population projections from 2020 to 2040. The IR of VO is expected to increase from 12.4 in 2019 to 21.5 per 100,000 inhabitants [95% CI 20.9-22.1] in 2040. The highest increase is predicted in patients over 75years of age for both men and women leading to a steep increase in absolute numbers, which is fourfold higher compared to patients younger than 75years. While the IR per age group will not increase any further after 2035, the subsequent increase is due to a higher number of individuals aged 75years or older. Our data suggest that increasing IR of VO will seriously challenge healthcare systems, particularly due to demographic change and increasing proportions of populations turning 75years and older. With respect to globally fast aging populations, future health care policies need to address this burden by anticipating limitations in financial and human resources and developing high-level evidence-based guidelines for prevention and interdisciplinary treatment.

The Causal Relationship Between Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Bidirectional Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) often coexist and have been associated in observational studies. However, the real potential causal relationship between GERD and COPD is unknown and not well established. In this study, we conducted a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization(MR) to estimate whether GERD and COPD are causal. The GERD genetic data is from summary level data of a genome-wide association (GWAS) meta-analysis (Ncases = 71,522, Ncontrol=26,079). The COPD GWAS are available from the FinnGen (Ncases=16,410, Ncontrol=283,589). MR-Egger regression, Weighted Median, and Inverse-variance weighted (IVW) were used for MR analysis from the R package "TwoSampleMR", and IVW was the dominant estimation method. Additionally, the MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO), Cochran Q statistic, and leave-one-out analysis were used to detect and correct for the effect of heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy. MR analysis indicated that GERD was causally associated with an increased risk of COPD (IVW odds ratio (OR): 1.3760, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1565-1.6371, P=0.0003), and vice versa (IVW OR: 1.1728, 95% CI:1.0613-1.2961, P=0.0018). The analyses did not reveal any pleiotropy or heterogeneity. Our study revealed possible evidence for a bidirectional causal relationship between GERD and COPD. Implementing screening and preventive strategies for GERD in individuals with COPD, and vice versa, will be crucial in future healthcare management. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the causal relationship between GERD and COPD.

To support self-management for people with long-term conditions - The effect on shared decision-making, empowerment and coping after participating in group-learning sessions.

IntroductionInterventions that support patients to handle the emotional and medical aspects of a long‐term health condition is important. One way is to use peer‐support groups, to help patients solving problems, increasing their knowledge and making decisions.Aimwas to investigate the impact on shared decision‐making, empowerment and coping after participation in group‐learning sessions for patients with long‐term conditions (N = 42).DesignAn intervention following a health education programme based on group‐learning sessions was established. Eight different programmes were held in five different departments at a regional county hospital in Sweden.MethodsQuestionnaires were analysed using paired‐sample t‐test.ResultsResults showed that patients might have better opportunities to be more active during their patient encounter after attending the group learning sessions. Interventions directed to patient activation may be one key in future healthcare management, especially concerning long‐term conditions. Empowering patients is central in healthcare, and using different approaches is important.

Inventory control: Its principles and application

Availability of good quality stock, in right quantity, at right place and time and at right cost is the essence of inventory control, which in turn is mandatory for smooth functioning and service delivery of any health care facility. Various techniques are available for inventory control, based on cost, criticality and other factors for e.g., ABC analysis, VED analysis, ABC-VED matrix, FSN analysis, SDE analysis etc. Each technique has its own strength and weakness in its applicability. Economic considerations are also imperative for logistic management of any health facility, as any cost savings could be spent more gainfully in some other way and thus more lives could be saved, reduced morbidities and overall positive impact. Future healthcare managers will have to utilize scientific methods of inventory management and the role of an efficient hospital logistics system cannot be ignored anymore. Inventory control is an important component of hospital management. It provides significant improvement in patient care, customer relationships and optimal use of resources. The objective of this paper is to present an up-to-date review of inventory control and critically appraise its various techniques, various costs associated with it and methods of indenting stock. This review will benefit post-graduate students and public health workers in understanding the concepts and principle of inventory control and applying the same in their practice.

COVID-19: Lessons from South Korean pandemic communications strategy

ABSTRACT There is a pressing need for evidence on effective COVID-19 pandemic mitigation efforts. The impact of the pandemic has been far-reaching, making management of the outbreak a daunting task for many countries. As the whole world continues to fight against the pandemic, a close examination of best practices of pandemic management is ever timely. Based on social marketing concepts, this paper reviews the system-level communication strategies used in South Korea in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. South Korea has received growing recognition for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and provides a noteworthy example of positive and effective pandemic communication. Applying a social marketing mix framework, the paper examines South Korean pandemic communication strategies and identified a high degree of transparency and coherence two major success factors. This paper contributes to the current and future healthcare management literature and practice by delineating factors underscoring successful public health crisis management.

What Can Online Personal Statements Tell Us? Insights about Physicians’ Personality Traits and Clinical Performance

Individuals are encouraged to present themselves on various online platforms in the era of social media. These online self-expressions help readers understand and assess individuals' personality traits. In this study, we use physicians’ personal statements that are posted on an online physician review platform to examine the impact of physicians’ personality traits on their clinical performance. We extract 2,019 physicians' personal traits from the unstructured physician-generated content using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count dictionary. To address non-random matching between patients and physicians, we adopt a quasi-random setting to study patients who arrived at emergency departments with accidental injuries in Florida. Our analyses show that being treated by physicians with higher openness scores leads to lower in-hospital mortality rates, lower lab test costs, and shorter lengths of stay (LOS). In contrast, physicians with higher conscientiousness scores tend to incur more lab test costs without significantly improving patient outcomes. Moreover, agreeable physicians are more likely to help patients save lab test costs because of empathy. Further, incorporating these personality traits into an optimization problem of ED scheduling, our counterfactual analysis shows an average of 11.4%, 18.4% and 17.8% reduction in in-hospital mortality rates, lab test expenditures and LOS, respectively. As our study suggests that physicians' personality traits indeed affect their clinical performance, future healthcare management should take physicians' personalities into consideration, especially when physicians are in shortage during the pandemics like COVID-19.

How Medical Studies in Poland Prepare Future Healthcare Managers for Crises and Disasters: Results of a Pilot Study.

In the event of a crisis, rapid and effective assistance for victims is essential, and in many cases, medical assistance is required. To manage the situation efficiently, it is necessary to have a proactive management system in place that ensures professional assistance to victims and the safety of medical personnel. We evaluated the perceptions of students and graduates in public health studies at the Medical University of Lublin, Poland, concerning their preparation and management skills for crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This pilot study was conducted in March 2020; we employed an online survey with an anonymous questionnaire that was addressed to students and graduates with an educational focus in healthcare organization and management. The study involved 55 people, including 14 men and 41 women. Among the respondents, 41.8% currently worked in a healthcare facility and only 21.7% of them had participated in training related to preparation for emergencies and disasters in their current workplace. The respondents rated their workplaces’ preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic at four points. A significant number of respondents stated that if they had to manage a public health emergency, they would not be able to manage the situation correctly and not be able to predict its development. Managers of healthcare organizations should have the knowledge and skills to manage crises. It would be advisable for them to have been formally educated in public health or healthcare administration. In every healthcare facility, it is essential that training and practice of performing medical procedures in full personal protective equipment (PPE) be provided. Healthcare facilities must implement regular training combined with practical live scenario exercises to prepare for future crises.

Leadership and Emotional Intelligence: Current Trends in Public Health Professionals Training.

Aim of the Study: The objective of this study was to identify and compare the most significant personal features, and social and psychophysiological characteristics of future health-care managers in order to improve the training program for specialists in the field of health care and public health on the basis of modern concepts about the necessary leadership skills and competence.Significance: The results of the study make it possible to evaluate the effectiveness of career guidance and selection for training future health-care managers on the basis of the application of the following methods: assessing emotional intelligence and taking into account the psychological characteristics of students.Materials and Methods: A total of 242 students of medical and preventive care, residents, and undergraduate students who were trained in the program “Factory of Health Leaders” were included in the study evaluating the level of professional training and indicators of emotional intelligence. Participants underwent testing using a methodology of the management style assessment, as well as testing of their psychophysiological and emotional characteristics.Results: Students who studied in the “Factory of Health Leaders” program had better indicators of emotional intelligence than had ordinary students, but their rates are comparable with residents' rates. This makes us understand that the additional training of emotional intelligence in the process of studying under the higher education program can be successful along with great practical experience in health care as part of residents' curriculum.Conclusion: The training of leadership qualities and emotional intelligence in students by using the example of comparing students in the “Factory of Health Leaders” program with students who have not undergone such training has confirmed its high efficiency and significance in the training of highly qualified personnel in health care.

Developing Characteristics and Competences of a Health Care Manager: Literature Review

Abstract Broadly educated professionals are a rely valuable resource for the Russian public health system in the current socio-economic conditions. Their capability to flexibly switch the focus and content of their activities in the changing and challenging environment is essential for successful performance. The purpose of our study is to analyze the international evidence on managing the process of competencies’ development in healthcare managers. Competence-oriented education and training of future health-care managers is of special interest. In light of this, the study of international data on the organization of the processes of key competence development is important. Here with, it is necessary to take into account the content of the studies, resources and technologies, factors that influence on this process, the development and evaluation of models aimed at improvement of the education of healthcare management professionals at medical schools. We believe that the results of this review will help to develop and offer a number of practical steps aimed at optimizing the education and training of healthcare managers. In addition to a review of international data, this article presents an innovative project for the development of professional competencies of health managers – the Academy of Talent Development in Healthcare (ATDH). This project involves students of the Sechenov University who want to learn how to lead healthcare teams efficiently.

Future health care managers and the need for an international and interprofessional learning experience – the case of a summer school on cross-border health care

Internationalisation and interprofessional cooperation are central to health care in the 21st century. For health care managers, policy analysts and academic researchers, knowledge of multiple relevant disciplines and an international view and network are key to understanding and solving the challenges that health care systems and health care services are facing. One of the primary challenges for health care managers in both private and public organizations will be the adaption to a continuously changing environment driven by technological development, demographic transitions and legal evolution. A recent development in this context has been the EU directive on the application of patients � rights in cross-border health care, which had to be implemented by all member states by October 2013, and allows individuals to receive treatment in other member states if they also have the right to this treatment in their home country. This increase in the mobility of patients and services also requires health care managers to be equipped with specialized knowledge and technical skills in order to address the international dimension (e.g. legal and financial issues) and to enable high quality of work by considering the diverse cultural and professional backgrounds of staff members. In order to explain how future health care managers can be prepared for this interprofessional and intercultural work environment, the article focuses on two main aspects. First, it sheds light on the core competencies required and explains how those skills can be acquired and further developed. Second, based on the example of an international summer school on cross border health care this article illustrates how interprofessional and intercultural learning can be promoted in the course of a two-week intensive program. The summer school which took place in 2013 and 2014 was jointly organized by four European universities (University of Bologna, University of Oslo, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Management Center Innsbruck). The concept will be outlined in detail to give insight to a practical example on how to promote intercultural and interprofessional learning among an international group of health care management students.

Neural Control of Energy Expenditure.

The continuous rise in obesity is a major concern for future healthcare management. Many strategies to control body weight focus on a permanent modification of food intake with limited success in the long term. Metabolism or energy expenditure is the other side of the coin for the regulation of body weight, and strategies to enhance energy expenditure are a current focus for obesity treatment, especially since the (re)-discovery of the energy depleting brown adipose tissue in adult humans. Conversely, several human illnesses like neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, or autoimmune deficiency syndrome suffer from increased energy expenditure and severe weight loss. Thus, strategies to modulate energy expenditure to target weight gain or loss would improve life expectancies and quality of life in many human patients. The aim of this book chapter is to give an overview of our current understanding and recent progress in energy expenditure control with specific emphasis on central control mechanisms.

Cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of ceranib-2 offering potential for a new antineoplastic agent in the treatment of cancer cells

Fibrocarcinomas are malignant tumours that originate in mesenchymal cells. The tumours typically form in the presence of connective tissue and are of key consideration when assessing research priorities for future healthcare management. Ceramidase inhibitors, such as ceranib-2, have demonstrated capacity to interfere with cellular DNA functionality, initiating apoptosis in many cancer cell lines. The enzyme ceramidase can regulate cellular levels of sphingosine and sphingosine-1-phosphate by controlling hydrolysis of ceramide. The present study investigates the antigrowth effects of ceranib-2 on mouse embryonic fibroblast cells (NIH/3T3 normal cell line) and rat embryonic fibroblast cells (5RP7 cancer cell line). Research was conducted using colorimetric 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, confocal microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicate that in vitro fibrocarcinomas have the potential to undergo apoptotic death when influenced by the antigrowth behaviour of ceranib-2. This is true even of cells exposed only to minimal doses of ceranib-2. Indicators of apoptotic death, specifically presentation of a pyknotic nucleus, were observed by confocal micrographs in treated cells double-stained with acridine orange and Alexa Fluor-488 Phalloidin. It is theorised that ceranib-2 will function in accordance with the antiproliferative activity of other acid ceramidases, ultimately resulting in the molecule's classification as a new antitumour agent.

Corporate Social Responsibility and the Future Health Care Manager

The decisions and actions of health care managers are oftentimes heavily scrutinized by the public. Given the current economic climate, managers may feel intense pressure to produce higher results with fewer resources. This could inadvertently test their moral fortitude and their social consciousness. A study was conducted to determine what corporate social responsibility orientation and viewpoint future health care managers may hold. The results of the study indicate that future health care managers may hold patient care in high regard as opposed to profit maximization. However, the results of the study also show that future managers within the industry may continue to need rules, laws, regulations, and legal sanctions to guide their actions and behavior.

When the talking is over: using action learning.

Outlines the workings of action learning sets, team-building and cultural change, and explores the use of action learning methodology in the development of health-care managers. Outlines the spin-off benefits of the implementation of action learning at Ashworth Hospital, such as self-discipline, commitment, improved morale, empowerment, etc. Concludes that it could be a powerful tool for future health-care management.