Private Healthcare Organizations Research Articles

Delivering a Specialised Best Practice Service for People with Functional Neurological Disorder: An Australian Qualitative Descriptive Study

Specialised functional neurological disorder (FND) clinics are emerging as the preferred way of providing best practice care to people with FND. However, questions remain around optimal care pathways, service provision, and resources. This study aimed to identify (1) service characteristics of Australian FND models of care; (2) barriers and enablers to implementing a specialised FND service; and (3) enablers and barriers to providing best practice management for people living with FND. Clinicians were recruited from Australian public and private healthcare organisations identified as leading best practice for adults with FND. Clinicians completed a structured interview via phone. A descriptive content analysis was used. Five out of 12 healthcare organisations interviewed had a specialised multidisciplinary FND service. All specialised FND services were outpatient programs, but the structure and referral pathways varied. Barriers identified by organisations with an FND service included “funding” and “staff and service fragility,” while enablers included “engaging stakeholders” and having a clear “service driver.” “Diagnosis delay” and “insufficient access to staff” were identified as barriers to implementing best practice by organisations without a specialised FND service. Despite specialised clinics being recognised as a practical way to deliver care to people with FND, only a few services operate in Australia. Timely and educated diagnosis and access to an interdisciplinary team consisting of neurology, physiotherapy, and psychology are central pillars for FND services. Further work to establish clinically and economically effective delivery models is required to facilitate the provision of best practice care for people living with FND.

Self-Spirituality in Organizations: A Review of Qualitative Research

This review focuses on the incorporation of self-spirituality and mindfulness into secular institutions such as for-profit organizations, as well as into public and private healthcare organizations. The review considers research into the value of self-spirituality and the reasons for organizational rejection, or acceptance as a response to manifestations of self-spirituality; research proposing frameworks for analyzing modes of incorporating self-spirituality into organizations; and research into the enactment of self- spirituality in different sectors. The review shows that individuals reported a reduction in stress, a reinforced capacity for coping with challenging workplace demands, and improved workplace communication. The review also argues that the encounter of organizations with self-spirituality is shaped by, and reenforces, existing social forces such as instrumentalism. At the same time, it generates alternative ideas and practices. At present, the capacity of self-spirituality to create transformation in organizations is limited, although specific practices (e. g., mindfulness) can be more influential.

Access to Urgent Care Practices Improves Understanding and Management of Endemic Coccidioidomycosis: Maricopa County, Arizona, 2018–2023

BackgroundCoccidioidomycosis within endemic regions is often undiagnosed because appropriate testing is not performed. A dashboard was developed to provide information about the prevalence of coccidioidomycosis throughout the year. MethodsBanner Urgent Care Service has many clinics within Maricopa County, Arizona, a highly endemic region for coccidioidomycosis. All clinic visits and subset analyses for patients with ICD10 codes for pneumonia (J18.*) or erythema nodosum (L52) between 2018-2024 were included. Tabulated were daily frequencies of visits, pneumonia and erythema nodosum coding, coccidioidal testing, and test results. Banner Urgent Care Services’ counts of monthly coccidioidomycosis diagnoses were compared to those of confirmed coccidioidomycosis cases reported to Maricopa County Department of Public Health. ResultsMonthly frequencies of urgent care coccidioidomycosis diagnoses strongly correlated with public health coccidioidomycosis case counts (r=0.86). Testing frequency for coccidioidomycosis correlated with overall pneumonia frequency (r=0.52). The proportion of pneumonia due to coccidioidomycosis varied between <5% and greater than 45% within and between years. Coccidioidomycosis was a common cause of erythema nodosum (65%, 95% confidence: 45%-67%) and independent of pneumonia. Over half of Banner Urgent Care Services’ coccidioidomycosis diagnoses were coded for neither pneumonia nor erythema nodosum. ConclusionData provided by the coccidioidomycosis dashboard can assist urgent care practitioners in knowing when coccidioidomycosis is prevalent in the community. Patients with exposure to endemic coccidioidomycosis who develop erythema nodosum or pneumonia should routinely be tested for coccidioidomycosis. Data from private healthcare organizations can augment surveillance of diseases important to public health.

Concern or Opportunity: Implementation of the TBL Criterion in the Healthcare System

This study systematically investigated the extent and application of sustainability practices in the healthcare system by thoroughly examining existing research conducted on healthcare-related issues within the framework of sustainability. The review primarily focuses on three key conceptual aspects: the social, economic, and ecological dimensions of sustainability. PLS-SEM (partial least squares structural equation modeling) and MGA (multigroup analysis) for private and state healthcare organizations were applied in the study. The results show that there exists a robust positive relationship between the environmental dimension and the social dimension of health organizations’ outcomes, and the environmental dimension of the sustainability of healthcare organizations achieves a positive relationship with the economic dimension, while this relatedness is absent in the case of private healthcare organizations, for two perspectives: internal processes and learning. Moreover, the social dimension is identified as a factor that strengthens the impact of the environmental dimension on the economic dimension of health organizations’ outcomes. The results can be used in the development of policies and regulations, and for defining the strategies of healthcare organizations.

PP27 The Private Healthcare Responses Against COVID-19 Emergencies In Brazil

IntroductionThe Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is the biggest public health crisis of all time. Private health care plays a major role in health globally. We conducted a study to document the engagement of a Brazilian private health care organization to influence decisions to private and public health emergencies of COVID-19.MethodsThis retrospective study evaluated the outputs of the health technology assessment (HTA) group of Unimed-BH, a private Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) with 1.5 million participants in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais state. The study evaluated the impacts on the overview of health local decisions in the municipality and the national supplementary health agency (ANS) during the period from March 2020 to December 2022.ResultsDuring the pandemic, Unimed-BH made all its sanitary decisions based on scientific research, such as the use of masks and appropriate medications. Even though some medicines, such as regdanvimab, were authorized for emergency use by the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA), Unimed-BH did not recommend their use due to uncertain evidence, and months later, ANVISA withdrew the registration.Unimed-BH also conducted a systematic review of ivermectin for COVID-19 treatment, which showed no effect, and therefore did not recommend its use. Additionally, Unimed-BH provided weekly updates on COVID-19 data, including suspected and confirmed cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in their customer portfolio. The organization also actively supported the decisions made by ANS and municipal managers using evidence and statistics on the pandemic. The Unimed-BH HTA group produced a total of 167 reports from March 2020 to December 2022.ConclusionsBelo Horizonte had the lowest in-hospital mortality rates with COVID-19 in Brazil. Unimed-BH’s HTA reports provided evidence-based assessments for decision-making, proposed partnership with policymakers, fomented information transparency, and strict follow-up on pandemic numbers, which may have contributed to the lower fatality rate in our city. These findings underscore the importance of private healthcare organizations in responding to COVID-19 emergencies, and their potential to support evidence-based decision-making and minimize the impact of the pandemic.

Implementation of Clinical Pathways for CAR-T Cell Therapy in a Brazilian Private Healthcare Organization

Introduction: the treatment with CAR-T cells in Brazil is challenging because it requires a highly qualified multidisciplinary team trained in new clinical pathways to take care of these patients. Objective: to describe the implementation of the clinical pathways for CAR-T cell therapy, ensuring safety and quality. Method: this is an experience report study, performed in four private general hospitals of the Americas from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Ceará states, during the year of 2022. The process of implementing the CAR-T Cell clinical pathway included: creation of a medical committee with the main medical references and specialist nurses from each center, for the elaboration of the main clinical protocols and operational procedures, in addition to the discussion of eligibility cases for therapy with CAR-T Cells. Identification of the multidisciplinary reference team in all phases of treatment, training the team involved in the clinical care of the patient, and finally, establishment of patient clinical pathway before, during and after the CAR-T cell therapy. The implementation process lasted seven months between the qualification of centers by the Therapy provider, internal qualification each center and the first cell infusion with CAR-T Cell performed. Results: In all hospitals, professionals from the multidisciplinary team (pharmacy, nursing, physicians - hematologists, pediatric hematology-oncologists involved in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, neurologists, pediatric and adult intensive care physicians) were trained. The Multidisciplinary Care Protocol was elaborated including indications, early and late complications. The Standard Operating Procedures addressed the pre and post infusion care, daily screening, criteria to transfer the patients to the intensive care unit, recognition and management of cytokine release syndrome and neurological toxicities. The main challenges of this process were to create the routines for evaluation and systematic monitoring and to identify and involve the multidisciplinary professionals directly involved in patient care. Conclusions: the implementation of the program brought improvements to the clinical pathway, positively impacting professional satisfaction, the quality and safety of the patients. The CAR-T cell therapy was performed in a safe and integrated environment, uneventful and successful.

The management of digital competence sharing in health care: A qualitative study of managers' and professionals' views.

To describe managers' and professionals' views on the management of digital competence sharing in health care. A qualitative descriptive study. Managers (n = 22) and professionals (n = 12) from two public primary, one public special and one private health care organization in Finland participated in semi-structured individual interviews between February and May 2022. Data were analysed using inductive content analysis. Managers' and professionals' views formed six main categories: providing resources and opportunities for digital competence sharing, creating methods and practices for digital competence sharing, managing digital competence, implementing intergenerational learning, creating a friendly and safe digital organizational atmosphere, and promoting digital competence sharing through leadership. The support of management is significant in promoting the sharing of digital competence in health care organizations. The management of digital competence sharing requires a both resources and a commitment to continuous training and development. It also requires the creation of a collaborative culture to promote mutual learning between professionals and people of different generations. Due to rapid technological advancements and the resulting load, it is important to focus on the development and sharing of digital competence among health care professionals. The study indicated that managers should have the ability to identify the strengths of professionals' digital competence and be able to utilize them in promoting digital competence sharing. It also highlighted the specific competency requirements for managers in this context. The results can be applied to the training of health care managers and professionals, particularly around digital competence. No patient or public contribution. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist was used in the reporting.

A Review of the Factors Affecting the Employee Turnover in Private Healthcare Organizations

A high turnover rate is viewed as a failure to achieve work-life balance, which is one of the methods that can be employed to enhance the quality of life for employees. This study, which included a complete literature review and an assessment of the current state of research on the causes of employee turnover in the private health care industry, was recently presented. Using the preferred reporting items for Systematic Reviews this paper concluded that organizational, personal, and job-related factors are major turnover antecedents. One of the suggestions is to conduct further research on employee turnover. This supplementary study should focus on the project, the organization, and the professional staff and employ either qualitative or mixed research methodologies. This study helps to the enhancement of the quality of life for employees by reducing turnover rates.

Unveiling the Influence of Empowerment Leadership on Employee Loyalty: the Mediating Role of Employee Trust and Job Satisfaction

This study examines the influence of empowerment leadership on employee loyalty under the mediating roles of employee trust and job satisfaction among medical staff at the private healthcare system. The investigation was conducted by surveying 374 doctors, nurses, and other medical staffs within 19 cities/provinces in the south of Vietnam. The SmartPLS software was used to conduct the partial least squared structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The findings from the PLS-SEM analysis reveal that empowerment leadership has a direct positive influence on the employee loyalty to the organization of medical staff as well as a positive impact on intermediate variables such as employee trust and employee job satisfaction. On the other hand, the intermediate variables employee trust and employee job satisfaction also have a positive impact on the employee loyalty toward the organization. This research not only contributes to the existing body of knowledge by evaluating the relationship between employee trust, empowerment leadership, job satisfaction, and employee loyalty but also offers valuable recommendations for the management board of private healthcare organizations in southern Vietnam.

Lean Six Sigma and quality performance in Italian public and private hospitals: a gender perspective

PurposeLean Six Sigma in public and private healthcare organisations has received considerable attention over the last decade. Nevertheless, such process improvement methodologies are not generalizable, and their effective implementation relies on contextual variables. The purpose of this study is to explore the readiness of Italian hospitals for Lean Six Sigma and Quality Performance Improvement (LSS&QPI), with a focus on gender differences.Design/methodology/approachA survey comprising 441 healthcare professionals from public and private hospitals was conducted. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to determine the mean scores on the LSS&QPI dimensions based on hospital type, gender and their interaction.FindingsThe results showed that public healthcare professional are more aware of quality performance improvement initiatives than private healthcare professionals. Moreover, gender differences emerged according to the type of hospital, with higher awareness for men than women in public hospitals, whereas for private hospitals the opposite was true.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the Lean Six Sigma literature by focusing on the holistic assessment of LSS&QPI implementation.Practical implicationsThis study informs healthcare managers about the revolution within healthcare organisations, especially public ones. Healthcare managers should spend time understanding Lean Six Sigma as a strategic orientation to promote the “lean hospital”, improving processes and fostering patient-centredness.Originality/valueThis is a preliminary study focussing on analysing inter-relationship between perceived importance of soft readiness factors such as gender dynamics as a missing jigsaw in the current literature. In addition, the research advances a holistic assessment of LSS&QPI, which sets it apart from the studies on single initiatives that have been documented to date.

Consultant revision hip arthroplasty volumes and new consultant volume trajectories in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Isle of Man.

This study describes the variation in the annual volumes of revision hip arthroplasty (RHA) undertaken by consultant surgeons nationally, and the rate of accrual of RHA and corresponding primary hip arthroplasty (PHA) volume for new consultants entering practice. National Joint Registry (NJR) data for England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Isle of Man were received for 84,816 RHAs and 818,979 PHAs recorded between April 2011 and December 2019. RHA data comprised all revision procedures, including first-time revisions of PHA and any subsequent re-revisions recorded in public and private healthcare organizations. Annual procedure volumes undertaken by the responsible consultant surgeon in the 12 months prior to every index procedure were determined. We identified a cohort of 'new' HA consultants who commenced practice from 2012 and describe their rate of accrual of PHA and RHA experience. The median annual consultant RHA volume, averaged across all cases, was 21 (interquartile range (IQR) 11 to 34; range 0 to 181). Of 1,695 consultants submitting RHA cases within the study period, the top 20% of surgeons by annual volume performed 74.2% of total RHA case volume. More than half of all consultants who had ever undertaken a RHA maintained an annual volume of just one or fewer RHA, however, collectively contributed less than 3% of the total RHA case volume. Consultant PHA and RHA volumes were positively correlated. Lower-volume surgeons were more likely to undertake RHA for urgent indications (such as infection) as a proportion of their practice, and to do so on weekends and public holidays. The majority of RHAs were undertaken by higher-volume surgeons. There was considerable variation in RHA volumes by indication, day of the week, and between consultants nationally. The rate of accrual of RHA experience by new consultants is low, and has important implications for establishing an experienced RHA consultant workforce.

Comprehending the Viewpoint of Healthcare Professionals Towards Digitalization of Clinical Practices in Healthcare Industry

The digitalization of clinical practices in the healthcare industry has ushered in a new era of efficiency, accessibility, and patient-centric care. This transformative shift leverages technology to streamline administrative processes, enhance patient engagement, and improve overall healthcare delivery. The aim of the study is to assess the view point of healthcare professionals towards telehealth platforms and perform a comparative analysis based on gender, age group, qualification, years of experience, specialty and other factors. This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study and quantitative in nature. The study population includes general physicians, dental surgeons, physiotherapists and nutritionists employed in public and private healthcare organizations, across multiple cities in India. Data was collected over a period of two months, through a well-structured questionnaire across multiple cities in India. The invitation link to the survey was sent to 315 healthcare professionals working at various healthcare organizations, out of which 204 eventually participated in the study. The completed questionnaires were analyzed as per the study objectives using descriptive statistics for the quantitative data. The findings indicated that 59% of the participants were female healthcare professionals, while 41% were male. With regard to the view point towards telemedicine, the mean score of males and females denotes that the females have a better attitude towards the platform with mean 4.07, in comparison to males with mean 3.85. Healthcare professionals belonging to older age groups (above 50 years) are resistant towards adopting telehealth and are more comfortable in the traditional ways of consultation. This study developed a conceptual framework to determine healthcare professionals’ attitude towards telehealth services. Healthcare professionals (Dental surgeons, nutritionists, physiotherapists and alternative medicine) having less experience are more adaptive towards telemedicine platforms compared to healthcare professionals with higher experience. For the adoption of digital mode amongst the older age group of clinicians, frequent demonstrations through webinars and workshops are needed. A noteworthy benefit of telemedicine lies in its potential to alleviate costs and efforts, particularly for rural patients who can forgo arduous journeys for consultations and treatment.

Exploring How Healthcare Organizations Use Twitter: A Discourse Analysis

The use of Twitter by healthcare organizations is an effective means of disseminating medical information to the public. However, the content of tweets can be influenced by various factors, such as health emergencies and medical breakthroughs. In this study, we conducted a discourse analysis to better understand how public and private healthcare organizations use Twitter and the factors that influence the content of their tweets. Data were collected from the Twitter accounts of five private pharmaceutical companies, two US and two Canadian public health agencies, and the World Health Organization from 1 January 2020, to 31 December 2022. The study applied topic modeling and association rule mining to identify text patterns that influence the content of tweets across different Twitter accounts. The findings revealed that building a reputation on Twitter goes beyond just evaluating the popularity of a tweet in the online sphere. Topic modeling, when applied synchronously with hashtag and tagging analysis can provide an increase in tweet popularity. Additionally, the study showed differences in language use and style across the Twitter accounts’ categories and discussed how the impact of popular association rules could translate to significantly more user engagement. Overall, the results of this study provide insights into natural language processing for health literacy and present a way for organizations to structure their future content to ensure maximum public engagement.

The moderating effect of knowledge-sharing on learning organisation and quality improvement practices

PurposeThe aim of this research is to determine the impact of a learning organisation (LO) on developing quality improvement practices (QIPs) and to propose knowledge-sharing (KS) as a moderator which is anticipated to support the beneficial effect of a LO on QIP. A further objective is to establish whether training provision raises the abilities of healthcare organisations (HCOs) to attain greater standards of QIP via a LO and KS.Design/methodology/approachA total of 240 responses, obtained from employees working at private HCOs in Jordan, comprised the valid dataset. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilised for data analysis. Multigroup analysis (MGA) was performed to compare the impact of workers who had or had not undergone training.FindingsThe findings indicated that QIP was significantly enhanced by LO. HCOs with the objective of converting a KS-moderated LO could attain improved QIP standards, but within the surveyed establishments, this effect was only appreciated at modest degrees. By performing MGA, no variations were identified in the impact of workers.Practical implicationsManagers should place more emphasis on training and learning within HCOs. However, respondents did indicate that their establishments had notable degrees of KS, suggesting a potential strength that could be used positively by the managerial hierarchy.Originality/valueThis study encompasses an original contribution to contemporary scholarship in the field of knowledge management and quality through its examination of the moderating effect of KS on LO and QIP.

Strengthening the Link Between Organizational Culture and Employee Loyalty: Exploring the Mediating Effects of Employee Trust and Job Satisfaction

Purpose: This research investigates the role of employee trust and job satisfaction in the relationship between organizational culture and employee loyalty.&#x0D; Design/methodology/approach: The study was conducted among 355 healthcare professionals working in a private healthcare system in southern cities of Vietnam, including doctors, nurses, and other medical staff. The research method employed was partial least squared structure equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS software for data analysis.&#x0D; Findings: The findings indicate that organizational culture has a direct positive impact on employee loyalty and also affects employee trust and job satisfaction positively. Furthermore, employee trust and job satisfaction act as intermediaries and positively influence employee loyalty toward the organization.&#x0D; Research limitations/implications: The research acknowledges the limitation of the limited sample size and encourages further exploration of these relationships in other contexts. In addition, this study provides valuable insights for the management board of private healthcare organizations in southern cities of Vietnam on how to improve employee loyalty by cultivating a positive organizational culture, promoting employee trust, and enhancing job satisfaction.&#x0D; Originality/value: Overall, this research contributes significantly to the existing literature by examining the interplay between employee trust, organizational culture, job satisfaction, and employee loyalty.

“Look before you leap”: comparing the turnover intention of nurses as public servants and private employees

PurposeIn recent decades, human resource management (HRM) in health organizations has faced several problems associated with employees' efficiency and happiness, which has been particularly exacerbated after the pandemic crisis. In this scenario, this study seeks to analyze nurses' turnover intention by comparing Portuguese public and private healthcare organizations. As determining factors, transformational leadership, perceived organizational support and organizational commitment were considered.Design/methodology/approachA survey was digitally applied to 277 nurses from Portuguese public and private healthcare organizations.FindingsResults suggested that there are differences in nurses' turnover intentions: there is a greater likelihood of nurses in the private sector planning to leave the healthcare organizations the nurses work for when compared to public hospital nurses. Furthermore, nurses in public hospitals perceive lower levels of transformational leadership, organizational support and organizational commitment than those in the private sector. The underlying cause as to the intention of leaving the public sector resides in normative commitment. On the other hand, lower affective commitment explains the intention to abandon the private sector.Practical implicationsThis study is relevant for human resource managers and administrators in public and private hospitals since it enables a diagnosis of the situation, as well as a definition of the most appropriate policies for each of the sectors as a strategy to attract and retain health professionals.Originality/valueThis study is significant as the study provides a better understanding of the reasons which lead nurses to consider leaving the organization where the nurses work and the difference between nursing professionals in public and private hospitals.

Patient safety culture plays an essential role to ensure safe patient care and quality in healthcare services

Patient Safety is a global health priority. Every year, millions of patients suffer or die because of unsafe and poor- health care service. There are several factors which compromise patient safety and cause potential harm in health care settings. In developed countries, it is estimated that one in every 10 patients is harmed while receiving care in hospital. In developing countries, there is inadequate information on adverse event due to poor quality of health care service. Despite recent developments in Bangladesh, there is still great concern about the quality of care in healthcare sector. Evercare Hospital Dhaka is one of the leading private health care organizations in the country and committed towards patient safety from the very beginning. The purpose of this article is to discuss the importance of patient safety culture at healthcare service and how it is nurtured at Evercare hospital Dhaka by following the joint commission international standards.&#x0D; Pulse Volume 12-14 2020-2022 p.53-61

The public availability of hospital CHNA reports: limitations and potential to study hospital investments in the next phase of public health.

Nonprofit hospitals have been required to complete and make publicly available their community benefit reports for more than a decade, a sign of changing expectations for private health care organizations to explicitly collaborate with public health departments to improve community health. Despite these important changes to practice and policy, no governmental agency provides statistics regarding compliance with this process. To better understand the nature and usefulness of the data provided through these processes, we led a research team that collected and coded Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) and Implementation Strategy (IS) Reports for a nationally representative sample of hospitals between 2018 and 2022. We utilized descriptive statistics to understand the frequency of noncompliance; t-tests and chi-square tests were employed to identify characteristics associated with incomplete documents. Approximately 95% of hospitals provided a public CHNA, and approximately 86% made their IS available. The extent of compliance with the CHNA/IS mandate indicates that these documents, paired with existing public health and policy data, offer considerable potential for understanding the investments nonprofit hospitals make to improve health outcomes and health equity in the communities they serve.

Functions, advantages and challenges facing private healthcare organisations in China’s healthcare system: a qualitative analysis through open-ended questionnaires

ObjectivesThe medical reform in 2009 stimulated the growth of private healthcare organisations in China, but there is still room for their further development in the healthcare market. The objectives of...

Exploring the Success Factor Of Digital Marketing: A case study of Private Healthcare Organization in an Emerging Economy

Abstract&#x0D; The purpose of this study is to assess the potential of social media platforms to build a successful marketing campaign for the private health-care industry. This will be accomplished by studying the current trends, audiences, and marketing tactics that are applied to these channels. In addition, the research will make a contribution to this understanding by investigating the efficacy of various types of marketing strategies that are used in the private health-care industry, such as influencer marketing, content marketing, and social media advertising, and how these strategies can be leveraged to create marketing strategies that are more effective. This research project will also focus on identifying any bottlenecks that could be hindering the utilisation of these channels and providing solutions to improve their effectiveness in the marketing mix. This will be done as part of the overall goal of improving the effectiveness of the marketing mix. At the end of the day, the purpose of this research is to develop an understanding of how social media channels can be utilised successfully as an important instrument in marketing for the health-care industry.