Workforce Involvement Research Articles

‘You don’t see what I see’: Co-designing simulation to uncover and address cognitive bias in healthcare

Educational challenge Each year, adverse events are reported in healthcare, of which many relate to healthcare workforce cognitive bias. The active involvement of workforce and consumers in the review and co-design of effective training for the healthcare workforce to recognise, monitor, and manage unconscious bias is required. Proposed solution We used participatory action research to co-design an innovative, interprofessional simulation based on ‘real world’ clinical incidents and lived experiences to improve the delivery of safe, high quality, consumer-focused healthcare. Following ethics approval, content analysis of serious adverse patient safety events involving cognitive bias was conducted. These data informed audio-recorded interviews with the healthcare workforce and consumers to explore their experiences of cognitive bias. Following thematic analysis, key themes of communication, stigma, diagnostic overshadowing, and fragmented systems were uncovered. Guided by consumers, these themes were interwoven into a simulation scenario that included real places, stories, and verbatim quotes delivered through mixed media artefacts. This heightened the immersive and experiential learning that aimed to uncover unconscious bias and help learners recognise its impact on clinical decisions and practice. Potential benefits and next steps To our knowledge, this is the first interprofessional, co-designed simulation to specifically address cognitive bias in current and future healthcare workforce. Plans to translate this research into a practical framework on how to work with key stakeholders (including consumers) to identify ‘real-world’ health service risks and co-design targeted simulations to address these gaps are described, including lessons learned.

Effect of employee`s religious and cultural values on their sustainable behavior: A Systematic Approach to the Literature

As business organizations are one of the major contributors to polluting mother earth and causing sustainability issues, yet, they need to be utterly focused on its reformation, rehabilitation, and recovery. This cannot be done without their workforce's involvement and behavior modification. To lessen climate issues and protect the environment, we currently need a radical transformation in behavioral activities including sustainable consumption and production /services in our personal and professional lives, thus culture and religion are the key players in this aspect. For analyzing this we conducted a thorough bibliometric analysis, 1615 research articles on religion or religious values and sustainable behavior and 2099 research articles on culture or cultural values and sustainable behavior were retrieved from the Scopus data base, for the period 1993–2023, presenting global research tendencies on the subject of these values and sustainability at work place. It came out to the limelight that “sustainability” is the most sought-after keyword in all of these studies (19 % + ) in both themes. The study found that there is a dire need for cross-functional research so that dynamic multidimensional structures and patterns can be identified to achieve the collective future goal of sustainability. Religion or religious values and culture or culture values are found to be certain dimensions that have been gaining more and more attention in the domain of business and management since the last decade. These aspects can certainly bring dramatic changes both on individual and corporate levels.

Employment and accommodation needs and the effect of COVID-19 on men and women with traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) impacts an individual's workforce involvement post-injury. Support services and workplace accommodations that can help with work re-integration post-TBI may differ based on a person's sex and gender. The added impact of COVID-19 remains under-explored. We aimed to investigate the support services and workplace accommodation needs and the impact of COVID-19 on work and mental health for persons with TBI, considering sex and gender. A cross-sectional online survey was distributed. Descriptive and regression analyses were applied to uncover sex and gender differences, along with content analysis for open-ended responses. Thirty-two persons with TBI (62% women, 38% men) participated. Physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and counselling services were indicated as the most needed services by women and men. Modified hours/days and modified/different duties were the most needed workplace accommodations. Mental challenges impacting well-being was a highlighted concern for both men and women. Women scored poorer on the daily activity domain of the Quality of Life after Brain Injury - Overall Scale (p = 0.02). Assistance with daily activities was highlighted by women for a successful transition to work, including housekeeping and caregiving. Men were more likely than women to experience change in employment status because of COVID-19 (p = 0.02). Further, a higher percentage of men expressed concern about the inability to pay for living accommodations, losing their job, and not having future job prospects. Findings reveal important differences between men and women when transitioning to work post-TBI and emphasize the need for sex and gender considerations.

Penta-helix Collaboration in the Development of Papua Province's Creative Economy

Disparities of development in Papua Province contrast with the level of poverty and low HDI in several Papua Province regions. Improving the welfare of the Papuans may be accomplished by implementing the concept of the creative economy, which is indicated by the creative economy's potential for national exports and increased workforce involvement. This demonstrates the possibilities that may be realized by adopting the Penta Helix Collaboration concept. A literature review method with a qualitative approach was used in this research. The Papua Provincial Government, the private sector, academics, the community, and the media are the actors in the Penta Helix Collaboration. As the initiator and mediator, the Papua Provincial Government provides policy facilities and legal guarantees for other actors to participate. The private sector can help with funding and technology transfer, the community can help with creative economy development needs, and academics can help with knowledge transfer to creative economy actors. The media plays a role in developing brand image and widely and massively promoting products to expand the market

Home Health Care Workers' Interactions with Medical Providers, Home Care Agencies, and Family Members for Patients with Heart Failure.

Despite providing frequent care to heart failure (HF) patients, home health care workers (HHWs) are generally considered neither part of the health care team nor the family, and their clinical observations are often overlooked. To better understand this workforce's involvement in care, we quantified HHWs' scope of interactions with clinicians, health systems, and family caregivers. Community-partnered cross-sectional survey of English- and Spanish-speaking HHWs who cared for a HF patient in the last year. The survey included 6 open-ended questions about aspects of care coordination, alongside demographic and employment characteristics. Descriptive statistics were performed. Three hundred ninety-one HHWs employed by 56 unique home care agencies completed the survey. HHWs took HF patients to a median of 3 doctor appointments in the last year with 21.9% of them taking patients to ≥ 7 doctor appointments. Nearly a quarter of HHWs reported that these appointments were in ≥ 3 different health systems. A third of HHWs organized care for their HF patient with ≥ 2 family caregivers. HHWs' scope of health-related interactions is large, indicating that there may be novel opportunities to leverage HHWs' experiences to improve health care delivery and patient care in HF.

Global Study: Participation in One Health Networks and Involvement in COVID-19 Response Activities

PurposeThis global study examined whether being part of a One Health Network (OHN) was associated with being involved in COVID-19 response activities at the early stages of the pandemic. Barriers to workforce involvement in the pandemic response and the perceived value of OHN activities were studied to inform future targeted evidence-based strategies for workforce capacity-building.Methods & MaterialsWe conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study, using an online questionnaire that was globally distributed in July-August 2020. With a snowball sampling approach via OHN listservs, social media, and further sharing, we aimed to reach individuals in the global health workforce across locations, organizations, and sectors to survey their participation in OHN activities and involvement in COVID-19 response.ResultsThe sample included 1050 respondents from various types of organizations and work sectors, from 94 countries across all WHO regions. Being part of an OHN was positively associated with involvement in the COVID-19 response (odds ratio: 1.8, 95% confidence interval: 1.3 - 2.4). The OHN activities most indicated as useful during COVID-19 pandemic by the survey respondents included 'increased public awareness of One Health' and 'networking with professionals across sectors with common interests'. Overall, 44% of survey respondents who were part of an OHN found OHN activities very or extremely helpful to their COVID-19 response. Lack of opportunities was a commonly reported barrier to involvement in COVID-19 response globally, and lack of funding was a barrier particularly in the WHO Africa region.ConclusionThis study provides a snapshot of the multisectoral response to COVID-19 and an assessment of the contribution of OHNs. The lessons learned during this pandemic can be used to identify measures to improve global health capacity, including OHN activities to build and strengthen workforce response to future global health challenges.

Participation in One Health Networks and Involvement in the COVID-19 Pandemic Response: A Global Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic exemplifies a One Health issue at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health that requires collaboration across sectors to manage it successfully. The global One Health community includes professionals working in many different fields including human medicine, veterinary medicine, public health, ecosystem health, and, increasingly, social sciences. The aims of this cross-sectional study were to describe the involvement of the global One Health community in COVID-19 pandemic response activities. One Health networks (OHNs) have formed globally to serve professionals with common interests in collaborative approaches. We assessed the potential association between being part of an OHN and involvement in COVID-19 response activities. Data were collected in July-August 2020 using an online questionnaire that addressed work characteristics, perceived connection to OHNs, involvement in COVID-19 pandemic response activities, and barriers and facilitators to the involvement. The sample included 1,050 respondents from 94 countries across a range of organizations and work sectors including, but not restricted to, those typically associated with a One Health approach. Sixty-four percent of survey respondents indicated involvement in pandemic response activities. Being part of an OHN was positively associated with being involved in the COVID-19 response (odds ratio: 1.8, 95% confidence interval: 1.3–2.4). Lack of opportunities was a commonly reported barrier to involvement globally, with lack of funding the largest barrier in the WHO African region. This insight into diverse workforce involvement in the pandemic helps fill a gap in the global health workforce and public health education literature. An expanded understanding of the perceived roles and value of OHNs can inform targeted interventions to improve public health education and workforce capacity to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies.

Automatic system for high-throughput and high-sensitivity diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has had severe consequences for health and the global economy. To control the transmission, there is an urgent demand for early diagnosis and treatment in the general population. In the present study, an automatic system for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis is designed and built to deliver high specification, high sensitivity, and high throughput with minimal workforce involvement. The system, set up with cross-priming amplification (CPA) rather than conventional reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), was evaluated using more than 1000 real-world samples for direct comparison. This fully automated robotic system performed SARS‐CoV‐2 nucleic acid-based diagnosis with 192 samples in under 180 min at 100 copies per reaction in a “specimen in data out” manner. This throughput translates to a daily screening capacity of 800–1000 in an assembly-line manner with limited workforce involvement. The sensitivity of this device could be further improved using a CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)-based assay, which opens the door to mixed samples, potentially include SARS-CoV-2 variants screening in extensively scaled testing for fighting COVID-19.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00449-021-02674-9.

The Health Effects of Workforce Involvement and Transitions for Europeans 50-75 Years of Age: Heterogeneity by Financial Difficulties and Gender.

A prominent demographic trend throughout the industrialized world is population aging. Concerns about economic growth and labour force shortages have led many European nations to enact policies aimed at prolonging working life. Understanding how paid work among late-middle-aged and senior adults is associated with health is therefore important. Using a sample of persons who were 50-75 years of age in 2015 from waves six (2015) and seven (2017) of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (n = 38,884), this study shows how a comprehensive set of six workforce involvement/transitions patterns are associated with health. The results show benefits of paid work, especially among respondents having financial difficulties. There is further heterogeneity by gender. The more fragmented employment histories of 50-75-year-old women are associated with stable paid work being of less benefit for addressing financial difficulties and with their health being especially vulnerable to unemployment while they are undergoing financial troubles.

The Impact of Potency on Feminine Workforce Involvement in West Africa. Evidence from Countries in West Africa

The last 30 years have also seen a dramatic global decrease in fertility in the developing world. World Bank has made known that significantly greater stages of Feminine work force participation can be connected to more returns on human capital and education. Feminine work force involvement is a major macroeconomic phenomenon which signifies growth and development for any country, and one vital part of this subject is the connection between potency and feminine labor force input. The study uses data from 18 countries in West Africa for the period of 1995 to 2015, to assess the outcomes of potency on female workforce involvement using the pooled OLS and Fixed Effects Method. The dependent variable was fertility rate whilst the independent variables are female workforce input, male work input, and growth rate. The study finding shows that the fertility rate over the period of 1995-2015 has a negative effect on female work force input and has been declining.

The rapid, massive growth of COVID-19 authors in the scientific literature.

We examined the extent to which the scientific workforce in different fields was engaged in publishing COVID-19-related papers. According to Scopus (data cut, 1 August 2021), 210 183 COVID-19-related publications included 720 801 unique authors, of which 360 005 authors had published at least five full papers in their career and 23 520 authors were at the top 2% of their scientific subfield based on a career-long composite citation indicator. The growth of COVID-19 authors was far more rapid and massive compared with cohorts of authors historically publishing on H1N1, Zika, Ebola, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. All 174 scientific subfields had some specialists who had published on COVID-19. In 109 of the 174 subfields of science, at least one in 10 active, influential (top 2% composite citation indicator) authors in the subfield had authored something on COVID-19. Fifty-three hyper-prolific authors had already at least 60 (and up to 227) COVID-19 publications each. Among the 300 authors with the highest composite citation indicator for their COVID-19 publications, most common countries were USA (n = 67), China (n = 52), UK (n = 32) and Italy (n = 18). The rapid and massive involvement of the scientific workforce in COVID-19-related work is unprecedented and creates opportunities and challenges. There is evidence for hyper-prolific productivity.

Lean Management Practices’ Effects on Brazilian Firms: A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis

One of the key drivers for a firm's productivity growth is management. One lean management practice considered cost-effective is Kaizen. Originally from Japan, the Kaizen basic concept is continuous improvement with the involvement of the full workforce. Using a firm-level dataset from Brazil's innovation and manufacturing surveys, this paper evaluates quantitatively whether Kaizen has impacted the performance of domestic firms. Our initial results suggest a productivity premium on Kaizen adopters, yet when it materializes is not detectable in the short term. Moreover, the impact on innovation is observable after Kaizen implementation. Understanding these outcomes with a qualitative approach, our analysis highlights the importance of Kaizen on innovation, especially by improving worker's time at the production line as well as the long-term vision of Kaizen on productivity. In summary, Kaizen is not a magic wand that improves firms’ performance in a wide array of indicators yet it may boost innovation outcomes in the short term aiming to improve productivity in the long term if it is implemented carefully and persistently, as established by its basic principles.

Performance Analysis of Sustainable Agrotourism in Lebakmuncang Village

Agro-tourism in Lebakmuncang Village has a selling value in the form of natural potential, agriculture, arts, crafts, and traditional culinary processing typical of the village. This agro-tourism has the potential of a sustainable tourism object. The purpose of this research is to measure the performance of agro-tourism from the perspective of naturalness, uniqueness, workforce involvement, land-use optimization, area arrangement, and education. The research design used is descriptive quantitative with a survey method. Collecting data using observation, questionnaires, interviews, and literature studies. The research data were analyzed using descriptive analysis with a Likert scale. The results showed that agro-tourism performance on naturalness was in the very good category. Meanwhile, the performance of agro-tourism towards uniqueness, the involvement of labor, optimization of land use, zoning, and education are categorized as good.

Report of the 2020 Organ Care System Workforce Survey: Personnel Profiles and Staffing Models

PurposeOne of the most significant challenges to establishing or maintaining a viable transplant program that utilizes the TransMedics Organ Care System (OCS) (TransMedics, Andover, MA) is ensuring adequate staffing resources. There is no published literature on which health professionals should primarily operate OCS platforms. Therefore, a valid survey is needed to document the current workforce involvement and anticipate the future demands of this evolving technology.MethodsAs of July 2020, 35 institutions in the United States had active OCS capabilities. A web-based survey presented 38 different survey questions covering general topics about staffing, compensation structure, institutions' challenges, the impact of COVID-19, and specific questions to each platform. This survey aims to present the healthcare community with an accurate workforce representation of the professionals who primarily operate the OCS platforms.ResultsOf the 35 OCS institutions, 100% responded to the survey. 52 OCS platforms are utilized, including heart (n=19), liver (n=17), and lung (n=16). 37.1% operate multiple platforms. Institutions had 2 to 25 total OCS-trained staff with a median of 10 trained staff. Across all platforms, perfusionists and doctors were the most common primary operators (Fig 1). Challenges to adequately staffing OCS transports (Fig 2,3) included the reluctance of staff to participate (65.7%), administrative or financial hurdles (60%), and insufficient staffing (57.1%). Major reasons for staff reluctance to participate in OCS transports (Fig 2) included lack of incentive (39.1%) and transport duration (47.8%). 45.7% of institutions offered additional compensation for OCS operators going out on a run.ConclusionThis survey provides vital statistics of current staffing models and highlights limitations. As this revolutionary technology continues to transform transplantation, these findings should guide institutions in preparing rational plans to address the workforce's future needs. One of the most significant challenges to establishing or maintaining a viable transplant program that utilizes the TransMedics Organ Care System (OCS) (TransMedics, Andover, MA) is ensuring adequate staffing resources. There is no published literature on which health professionals should primarily operate OCS platforms. Therefore, a valid survey is needed to document the current workforce involvement and anticipate the future demands of this evolving technology. As of July 2020, 35 institutions in the United States had active OCS capabilities. A web-based survey presented 38 different survey questions covering general topics about staffing, compensation structure, institutions' challenges, the impact of COVID-19, and specific questions to each platform. This survey aims to present the healthcare community with an accurate workforce representation of the professionals who primarily operate the OCS platforms. Of the 35 OCS institutions, 100% responded to the survey. 52 OCS platforms are utilized, including heart (n=19), liver (n=17), and lung (n=16). 37.1% operate multiple platforms. Institutions had 2 to 25 total OCS-trained staff with a median of 10 trained staff. Across all platforms, perfusionists and doctors were the most common primary operators (Fig 1). Challenges to adequately staffing OCS transports (Fig 2,3) included the reluctance of staff to participate (65.7%), administrative or financial hurdles (60%), and insufficient staffing (57.1%). Major reasons for staff reluctance to participate in OCS transports (Fig 2) included lack of incentive (39.1%) and transport duration (47.8%). 45.7% of institutions offered additional compensation for OCS operators going out on a run. This survey provides vital statistics of current staffing models and highlights limitations. As this revolutionary technology continues to transform transplantation, these findings should guide institutions in preparing rational plans to address the workforce's future needs.

Health Technology Assessment of a new water quality monitoring technology: Impact of automation, digitalization and remoteness in dialysis units.

BackgroundWater quality monitoring at the dialysis units (DU) is essential to ensure an appropriate dialysis fluid quality and guarantee an optimal and safe dialysis treatment to patients. This paper aims to evaluate the effectiveness, economic and organizational impact of automation, digitalization and remote water quality monitoring, through a New Water Technology (NWT) at a hospital DU to produce dialysis water, compared to a Conventional Water Technology (CWT).MethodsA before-and-after study was carried out at the Hospital Clínic Barcelona. Data on CWT was collected during 1-year (control) and 7-month for the NWT (case). Data on water quality, resource use and unit cost were retrospective and prospectively collected. A comparative effectiveness analysis on the compliance rate of quality water parameters with the international guidelines between the NWT and the CWT was conducted. This was followed by a cost-minimization analysis and an organizational impact from the hospital perspective. An extensive deterministic sensitivity analysis was also performed.ResultsThe NWT compared to the CWT showed no differences on effectiveness measured as the compliance rate on international requirements on water quality (100% vs. 100%), but the NWT yielded savings of 3,599 EUR/year compared to the CWT. The NWT offered more data accuracy (daily measures: 6 vs. 1 and missing data: 0 vs. 20 days/year), optimization of the DU employees’ workload (attendance to DU: 4 vs. 19 days/month) and workflow, through the remote and continuous monitoring, reliability of data and process regarding audits for quality control.ConclusionsWhile the compliance of international recommendations on continuous monitoring was performed with the CWT, the NWT was efficient compared to the CWT, mainly due to the travel time needed by the technical operator to attend the DU. These results were scalable to other economic contexts. Nonetheless, they should be taken with caution either when the NWT equipment/maintenance cost are largely increased, or the workforce involvement is diminished.

Role of human resource practitioners towards involvement of local workforce in the Malaysian construction industry

The objectives of this study are to identify the role of human resource practitioner in recruiting local workforce in the Malaysian construction industry and to identify if there is any relationship between the role of human resource practitioner and involvement of local workforce in the Malaysian construction industry. The construction industry has contributed towards the large number of workforce in Malaysia. However, the involvement of the local workforce in the construction field is still currently very low. It is beyond doubt that the economic growth of the country has increased rapidly due to the recruitment of migrant workers in Malaysia. Specifically, by resolving the workforce deficiencies in selected sectors of the economy, it still gives disadvantages to the country such as in the reduction of employment opportunities among local workers. In this study, some of the measures are identified to manage the shortages in the local workforce. Human resource practitioners are known to be responsible for decisions related to recruiting workers. Thus, they play a vital role in order to resolve this problem by implementing an effective selection and recruitment method, provide training to ensure workers are equipped with skills and knowledge, as well as execute effective policies and procedures. The data is collected from 100 respondents among construction companies located in Kuala Lumpur. The data was analyzed using the PLS-SEM technique in assessing the measurement and structural models. The result shows that there is a significant positive relationship between selection and recruitment as well as employee’s skills with involvement of local workforce.

Development and Reliability Review of an Assessment Tool to Measure Competency in the Seven Elements of the Risk Management Process: Part One—The RISKometric

Ineffective and inefficient workforce involvement can negatively impact risk management practice for work health and safety (WHS) issues. Often the risk management process is undertaken by a single person, or by teams without a facilitator and without regard to the participants’ levels of competency in the risk management process. This study aimed to develop a tool to assess the competence of individuals in different elements of the risk management process and then review its reliability. This tool, termed the RISKometric, incorporated a 360° performance review method whereby peers upline and downline colleagues and the individual themselves gave competence ratings. The RISKometric was tested using 26 participants. Results showed that a significant positive relationship existed between the feedback given by peers and downline colleagues. Initial results gained from using the tool suggest it is able to discriminate the competence of participants, in each of the elements of risk management, through the opinions of self and others. In future research, we test assumptions through a further two studies. Firstly, that individuals’ RISKometric results are comparable with their performance in a risk scenario exercise; so, providing validity for the tool. Secondly, that a collectively-optimised team (formed using the Riskometric) can perform a risk assessment exercise better than marginally- or sub-optimised teams.

Unqualified Skilled Workforce Involvement in Construction Process in South East Nigeria

Unqualified Skilled Workforce Involvement in Construction Process in South East Nigeria

Safety case process in Cuba: Transition from theory to practice

Cuban Major Hazard/Safety Case regulations require that Facility Operators produce Operational Safety Cases with the aim of demonstrating that they can manage their risks of major accidents during facility operation to a level that is As Low as Reasonably Practicable (ALARP).The production of a good quality, fit-for-purpose Safety Case is a complex issue and must be cautiously approached by Facility Operators. Lessons from the Victoria Safety Case implementation and the Nimrod Review highlighted the need to ensure that a robust Safety Case process is in place before starting the work. This is of paramount importance in ensuring the process of production of the Operational Safety Cases delivers a final product – the documented Safety Case - that is Succinct, Home-grown, Accessible, Proportionate, Easy-to-understand and Document-lite (SHAPED).This paper provides insights into the manner in which the Safety Case production process is carried out by Facility Operators in accordance with a Safety Case Preparation Plan, which must previously be accepted by the Regulator. The Plan must be written in a way that defines the Safety Case process, emphasizes ownership and leadership of the process by the Facility Operator, maximizes workforce involvement in the production of the Safety Case deliverables and demonstrates and facilitates accessibility and usability of the final product – the documented Safety Case.The paper also provides information on the ‘Pilot’ Safety Case strategy which is a step-by-step, case-by-case process, currently being implemented by the Regulator, to lessen the burden of compliance with Safety Case requirements stated in the Regulations. According to this strategy, the entry of Major Hazard Facilities (MHFs) into the new regime will take place gradually and will not be linked to any specific licensing process.

The Role of Illness Identity in Assertive Community Treatment

Assertive community treatment (ACT) provides comprehensive clinical services, including vocational rehabilitation, to individuals with psychiatric disorders for which traditional community mental health services are insufficient. ACT is an evidence-based intervention yielding many positive outcomes, yet service recipients continue to struggle with workforce involvement. The purpose of this study is to determine whether internalized stigma, psychiatric hospitalization, and psychiatric symptoms are associated with work-related self-efficacy among ACT service recipients. A total of 72 individuals with severe mental illness were recruited from ACT programs in three counties in a Mid-Atlantic state. Multiple linear regression was conducted to examine the relationship between work-related self-efficacy and the independent variables of internalized stigma, psychiatric hospitalization, and psychiatric symptoms. Higher internalized stigma scores were negatively associated with work-related self-efficacy (β = −.31, t = −2.32, p < .05), while psychiatric hospitalization in the past year was positively associated with work-related self-efficacy (β = .22−.27, t = −2.13, p < .05). Findings from this study suggests internalized stigma to be an important recovery variable requiring the attention of ACT team members when preparing individuals for work, while countering the assumption that recent hospitalization is a barrier to work-related self-efficacy.