Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Donabedian’s Model of Health Care Quality'

Despite concerted efforts to decrease costs and increase public health, the embattled U.S. health care system continues to struggle to alleviate these widespread issues. Because the problem of hospital utilizations among patients with heart failure is posited to increase as the population ages, innovative methodologies need to be explored to mitigate adverse events. Remote monitoring harnesses the strength of advanced information and communication technology to affect positive changes in health care quality and cost. By reaching across geographical boundaries, remote monitoring may support increased access to less costly services and improve the quality of home health care. The purpose of the study was to examine the home care quality effects of remote monitoring technology in patients with heart failure and to provide an economic justification for its adoption and diffusion. It compared remote monitoring as a potential intervention strategy to a standard no-intervention group (without remote monitoring). Specifically, it analyzed remote monitoring as a viable strategy to decrease hospital readmissions and emergency department visits. It also compared the cost of remote monitoring against the current standard-of-care. The theoretical framework of Donabedian's Quality Model was used in the evaluation of remote monitoring. A retrospective posttest only, case control study design was used to test the degree which remote monitoring was effective in promoting health care quality (hospital readmissions and decreased emergency department visits). Retrospective chart reviews were performed using electronic medical records (EMR). Analysis of Variance, Path Analysis, Automatic Interaction Detector Analysis (Dtreg), and Cost Outcomes Ratio were used to test the hypotheses and validate the proposed theoretical model. No significant difference was noted in remote monitoring and usual care groups. Results suggested that remote monitoring does not statistically lead to a decrease in heart failure-related hospital readmissions and all-cause emergency department visits. Results of the cost ratio analysis suggested that there was no statistically significant difference in the net income between usual care and remote monitoring; however, data suggest that there were significant increases in cost and intensity of nursing utilization for the remote monitoring intervention. The Automatic Interaction Detector Analysis showed that the unfavorable results in hospital readmissions were due to a decrease in collaborative care and patient education prior to the recommendation for hospitalization. The role of nursing care, whether in hospital or community-based care, in heart failure management is critical to quality outcomes. As the field continues to consider the use of technology in health care, decision makers should think through the process of patient care such that preventable hospital readmissions are decreased and patients received quality care.
Ph.D.
Doctorate
Health and Public Affairs
Public Affairs; Health Services Management and Research Track

Similar to the manufacturing sector, process improvement gains much attention in health care sector. Measuring process quality is one of the most important components of process improvement and numerous healthcare quality indicator models are developed to achieve this aim. Existing quality models focus on some specific diseases, clinics or clinical areas. Although they contain structure, process, or output type measures, there is no model which measures the quality of health care processes comprehensively. As a result, hospitals cannot compare quality of processes internally and externally. To bring a solution to the above problems, we developed Health Care Process Quality Measurement Model (HPQMM), and it is applied in three public hospital&rsquo
s laboratory and assessment processes. We observed that, the developed model determines weak and strong aspects of the processes, gives a detailed picture for the process quality, extends the quality aspects of existing models, and provides quantifiable information to hospitals to compare their processes with multiple organizations.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2001.
Title from title page screen, viewed March 10, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Rodney P. Riegle (chair), J. Christopher Eisele, George Padavil, John H. Bantham, Thomas J. Bierma. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 124-128) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University
In 2011, the United States spent $2.7 trillion in health care expenditures, accounting for 17.9 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Health care spending increased by 3.9 percent in 2011 and is expected to surpass 20 percent of GDP by 2020. An investigation of national trends in health spending conducted by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) estimates that approximately 30 percent of US health expenditures—that is, about $750 billion—is wasteful spending. Analysis of spending trends suggests waste in health care falls into one of six categories: (1) failures in care delivery; (2) failures in care coordination; (3) overtreatment; (4) administrative complexity; (5) pricing failures; (6) and fraud and abuse. A sustainable level of health spending would be one that grows at the same rate as the GDP; this would require cutting health care expenditures by an estimated $2.2 trillion by 2020. Distributing these cuts across the spectrum of wasteful spending by specifically targeting cost-containment efforts toward those areas of waste, it is possible—albeit challenging—to create a more solvent health care system. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA), landmark legislation of the Obama administration, introduced extensive policy changes and addressed the unsustainable trajectory of Medicare with the debut of the Accountable Care Organization (ACO). The novel ACO design aims to bring hospitals and physician groups into partnerships with the common goal of providing quality, affordable care to a defined population of patients with the introduction of a Shared Savings Program and a triple aim of: (1) improving population health; (2) providing higher quality-care experiences; and (3) moderating per-capita health care cost increases. The ACO has the potential to address each of the six areas of waste specified by the Institute of Medicine, bringing health care expenditures down to sustainable levels, while also increasing the quality of care and the efficiency of US health care overall. The ACO model is promising, but poses its own challenges as a largely untested health system structure, and will require extensive efforts to refine and perfect the model in order to be a feasible answer to the US health care crisis.

Business Administration
Ph.D.
As the percentage of elderly adults within the U.S. continues to grow, long-term care options will increase. Facing increased competition from other forms of long-term care, many nursing homes are seeking innovative models to enhance management and clinical care practices. The Teaching Nursing Home model, first established in the 1970s, is one in which academic institutions partner with nursing homes to create information exchanges between the nursing home and the school. Currently, nursing schools throughout the country work with nursing homes to create clinical training sites for nursing students. The partnership is also used to encourage research among school faculty and to assist nursing homes in their management of best practices. This study examined the impact of these relationships on nursing home quality. Twenty teaching nursing homes were matched with twenty nursing homes that are not engaged in this practice. Using nursing home quality scores published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, mean outcomes for the matched pairs were compared using T-tests. Regression analyses were also performed to test whether quality improves over time within a teaching nursing home. The results from the T-tests performed did not show overall quality differences between the matched pairs. However, when analyzed regionally, some significance was observed for teaching nursing homes in the Upstate NY region (p<0.1). The study discusses some of the differences in design of the teaching nursing homes within that region and the impact that may have on results. Time as a teaching nursing home did not appear to affect quality for nursing homes in this study. Possible explanations for these insignificant results are discussed in the Summary, Discussion and Limitations section of the study. Overall, the findings from this study suggest that the Teaching Nursing Home model can add value to nursing homes by offering them research and professional training opportunities with academic institutions. Within the study, recommendations are made to further explore the impact of these partnerships on nursing home quality and to encourage the development and use of the model through policy changes.
Temple University--Theses

The trend in medical education and in general, among health professionals, is based, on the current changes of health systems aimed to improve relevance equity, and cost effectiveness of health care. With respect to human health resources, there is lack of agreement among the competence level, performance and the needs of both the system using them and the target population. Therefore, it is important and necessary to consider both the community and health services as partners in the task of defining these changes and in the provision of health services to meet the above mentioned criteria.
The main purpose of this partnership is to encourage efforts to promote, oversee, and apply the actions in each one of the instances in order to improve training of human resource, strengthen local health systems, and empower the communities. Human resource competence and performance, the capacity to provide services, and the degree of community participation and commitement to health, are key elements in improving service quality.
The philosophy of current curricula reform at the Valle University stresses the partnership relationship between academic institutions, services centers, and the community, in the training of health professionals. The proposed investigation focuses on the community-based training aspect of student performance assessment and its relation to the health care system and academia. Specifically, the study will focus on designing valid and reliable instruments for community assessment of student performance, using both qualitative and quantitative aspects of data collection and analysis to assess "patient satisfaction" as an indicator of quality of care.
The results of this study demonstrate that the proposed assessment activity will allow the educational and health services institutions to have relevant and dynamic information as feedback for planning and adjustment of their programs. At the same time, it will allow the community to participate in an effective way in aspects related to their health care. The results of this study will be used as a basis for producing guidelines for involving communities (users) in the health care students evaluation process.

Poor nursing documentation of patient care was identified in daily nurse visit notes in a health care setting. This problem affects effective communication of patient status with other clinicians, thereby jeopardizing clinical decision-making. The purpose of this evidence-based project was to determine the impact of a retraining program on the quality of documentation of patient care in nurses' notes in a home health agency in central Texas. A retrospective audit of quality of nursing documentation using the Nurse and Midwifery Content Audit Tool (NMCAT) was done. A pre- and posttest design was used. A convenience sample of de-identified nurses' notes (80 pre- and 80 post) was selected from active patient records in the agency (n = 160). Descriptive and inferential statistics from the project showed that there was improved quality for the 15 criteria representing quality nursing documentation. After the educational intervention, documentation of patient's status if changed or unchanged improved to 80%, and patient's response to treatment improved (57% to 85%), entries were written as incidents occurred improved (53% to 64%). The nurse refers to the patient by name improved (0% to 66%). These findings were an indication of practice change, validating the need for periodic audits of nurses' notes in the agency in order to demonstrate compliance with quality standards. Based on the project findings, a retraining program is recommended to improve structured nursing documentation in a home health agency. This project is likely to contribute to social change as it enhanced the information communicated to other health care providers, coordination of care, and patient outcomes.

Background: There is little information on how the quality of oral health services in long-term care (LTC) facilities is conceptualized or assessed. Objectives: This study aims to develop a model for assessing the quality of oral healthcare services in LTC facilities. Methods: This study is divided into four main steps. Firstly, I examined literature for existing concepts relating to program evaluation and quality assessment in healthcare to build a theoretical framework appropriate to dental geriatrics. Secondly, I explored as an ethnographic case study a comprehensive oral healthcare program within a single administrative group of 5 LTC facilities in a large metropolis by interviewing 33 participants, including residents and their families, nursing staff, administrators and dental personnel. I also examined policy documents and made site visits to identify other attributes influencing the quality of the program. Thirdly, I drafted the assessment model combining a theoretical framework with empirical information from the case study. And lastly, I tested the feasibility and usability of the model in another dental geriatric program in northern British Columbia. I applied the assessment model by conducting 15 interviews with participants in the program, made site-visits to the 5 facilities, and reviewed documents on the development and operation of the program. Results: A combination of theory-based evaluation and quality assurance provided six sequential and iterative steps for quality assessment of oral health services in LTC. The empirical information supported the theoretical framework that a program of oral healthcare in a LTC context should be assessed for quality from multiple perspectives; it should be comprehensive; and it should include the three main attributes of quality - capacity, performance, and outcomes. Participants revealed 20 quality indicators along with suggested program objectives which encompass eight quality dimensions such as effectiveness, efficiency, and patient-centered. Conclusion: The model provides a unique system for assessing the quality of dental services in LTC facilities that seems to meet the needs of dental and non-dental personnel in LTC.

Background: Patient satisfaction has been debated as an indicator of quality hospital care. It is debated in the literature as to whether or not patients can accurately judge technical quality of healthcare services. Purpose of the Study: The purpose of the study was to determine if patients’ perceptions of interpersonal care are related to or influence patients’ perceptions of technical care.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Psychology

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD
The unacceptable high rate of maternal and neonatal deaths in Nigeria has been persistently unabated. Therefore, the present quality of maternal care evident by the magnitude of severe maternal/neonatal morbidity and mortality in this region makes designing of a model that will serve as a framework for provision of quality maternity care to women and their new-born a worthwhile study. The global report of deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth documented 600,000 maternal deaths annually. Developing countries, including Nigeria, have the highest burden of maternal and neonatal deaths resulting from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. There has been no improvement in Nigeria as far as maternal and neonatal deaths are concerned. In Nigeria, the maternal mortality ratio in 2008 was recorded as 545/100,000 live births, and 576/100,000 live births in 2013. Women and children from low socioeconomic background are the vulnerable groups. The peculiarity of their vulnerability predisposes them to finding quicker and cheaper avenues to seek health care. The Primary Health Care (PHC) maternity facilities are to serve this large population of women and their babies at grassroots level. Few studies have been done to measure quality of antenatal and delivery care separately at higher level of care with resultant subjective findings and conclusions. Each of these aspects of maternity is a part of the whole and not the whole. Currently, there is gross dearth of literature regarding quality of maternity services at the disposal of the vulnerable women, who are likely to utilize the PHC facilities. The measurement of the quality of the existing maternity services at primary level is imperative for designing a more effective model capable of improving quality of services at this level. This study sought to develop a quality service improvement model for primary level-based maternity following rigorous analysis of the quality of its structure, the process and the outcome as proposed by Donabedian. The specific objectives of the study were to describe the status of infrastructures, equipment, instruments, medications; investigate the degree to which the services rendered are timely, appropriate, satisfactory and consistent with current professional knowledge; investigate the degree to which services rendered in the facilities are satisfactory to the women and uphold their basic reproductive rights; measure clients’ return rates for maternity-related services in the facilities; and to develop a validated model to guide provision of quality maternity care in PHC facilities. Using a theory-generating approach, the study was conducted in two distinct phases. The first phase focused on analysis of the existing maternity services at PHC level, while the second phase concentrate on model development. The first phase, which is an embedded mixed-methods approach, utilized validated clients’ questionnaire, health workers’ questionnaire, observation checklist, focused group discussions, and in-depth interviews for data collection. A multistage sampling method was used for sample size selection. Five local government areas (LGAs) in Ibadan were selected purposively. Similarly, all the facilities that offer maternity care in each LGA were purposively selected. Postnatal women, health workers in each facility, medical officers of health (MOHs) and heads of facilities were the participants in the study. A total of 755 postnatal women who participated in the surveys were recruited from the sample frames (attendance registers) using systematic random sampling. A validated structured questionnaire was utilized to elicit information on their experiences with their chosen places of antenatal and childbirth care from pregnancy to puerperium. Similarly, the 130 health workers who participated in the surveys were recruited from the sample frames (duty rosters) using systematic random sampling. A validated structured questionnaire was utilized to elicit information on their competences, attitudes and the midwifery practice in their respective facilities. In addition to the quantitative surveys, focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted for some postnatal women and four MOHs/heads of group of facilities. The participants for the FGDs and the IDIs were conveniently and purposively selected, respectively. FGD guide and IDI guide were used to guide the interviewers. The study was approved by the Faculty Board Research and Ethics Committees, the Senate Research Committee of University of the Western Cape and Oyo State Research Ethical Review Committee in Nigeria. Informed consent was obtained from each study participant. Autonomy, anonymity, and confidentiality of information provided by the participants were ensured. Nobody was coerced to participate in the study. The data collected with the aid of observation checklist and questionnaire from the selected PHC, health workers and client (postnatal women) were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency/percentage distributions); while association between variables of interest and difference in mean values were done using chi-square and t-test statistics, respectively. The second phase of the study focused on model development, and was done in line with a theory- generating research process in the literature supported by McKenna & Slevin, (2008) and Chinn& Kramer (2014). The developed model was tested for its appropriateness, adequacy, accuracy and whether it represents reality, for it to be assumed effective in achieving the goal if applied in midwifery practice at primary level.Client-participants were between 15 and 44 years; their mean age ± standard deviation was 28 ±5.3. The health workers were between 20 and 58 years; mean age ± standard deviation being 41 ±10. Out of the 730 client-participants, 92.1 % were married. None of the women had access to preconception counselling in any health facility. A total of 92.6 % of the women received prenatal care under the existing traditional model of antenatal care (ANC), out of which 22.6 %registered for ANC in two different facilities for various reasons. Although there was gross shortage of manpower in all the facilities, the percentage of nurses/midwives was fewer than that of the community health extension workers (CHEWs) and health assistants (HAs), while only one medical doctor was employed to cover all the different types of facilities in each local government area . There was a questionable staff level of competence reported in the study. Evidence of training in life-saving skill (LSS), post-abortion care (PAC) and safe motherhood was rare among the health worker participants. Among health workers who had witnessed vaginal laceration and those who claimed to have performed episiotomy on women, 30.2% and 32.6 % would depend on other health workers for repair of the vaginal traumas, respectively. Partograph was not in use for management of progress of labour by any health worker in any of the facilities. Both quantitative and qualitative data analysis showed evidences of abuse of women’s rights to timely, quality and respectful maternity care and risky practices by the health workers. The conditions of the buildings used for PHC centres and the beds were not satisfactory. There was gross inadequacy of essential and basic items needed to provide standard and quality care across all the facilities, while significant proportion of the available equipment/instruments were obsolete, dirty, rusty and faulty. The infection prevention and control practices were sub- standard. Inadequate funding by respective local government authorities was implicated for the poor conditions of infrastructures, equipment/instruments, staff recruitments and consequent shortage of manpower. Low level of patients’ satisfaction, evidenced by verbal expression, percentage difference between antenatal registration and childbirth record, immunization clinic visits and childbirth record in each facility, was reported. Therefore, fixing the deplorable and/or non-commodious building infrastructures to meet the required standard, provision of facilities and items needed for quality care and infection prevention, recruitment of skilled qualified health professionals, establishing a new Primary Health Board in the state to provide efficient funding and effective monitoring systems were recommended, based on the findings of the study. Lastly, the implementation of the newly developed model is strongly recommended in order to improve women’s and new-born’s health.
Centre for Teaching and Learning Scholarship, School of Nursing, University of the Western Cape

Issues about quality are paramount in the NHS. Part of this, is the Government's declaration of partnership at all levels with user involvement at its centre. Clinical Governance has been introduced as the mechanism to deliver quality, by encouraging professional accountability through one strategic direction. However some argue that this emphasis on clinical quality has been at the expense of users. In a management context, Garvin (1988) developed a model that consists of four views of quality. A strength of Garvin's model is that the user view is equally as important as other views. The first part of the study (M-Phil stage 1996-1999) aimed to investigate the context of the user view of quality by studying the user elements within each of Garvin's views. A taxonomy was developed using Garvin's four views of quality in order to classify the many different quality approaches and techniques in the literature. By classifying the literature in this manner, individual frameworks of quality were devised that could be used to assess approaches and techniques in any new quality models. In addition the taxonomy represented a new way of reviewing literature in this area. This coincided with the introduction of Clinical Governance within the National Health Service in 1997. The frameworks were used to assess to what extent this new development represented the four views of quality. The conclusion from this exploration was that the user view of quality remained under-represented despite the introduction of Clinical Governance. The empirical stage (PhD stage 1999-2003) aimed to investigate whether user involvement is under-represented in PCGs in the North West region of England. The major finding is that the level of user involvement is dynamic. Board members are willing to involve users in discussions and evaluation stages to a large extent compared to lower levels of involvement during priority setting and strategy formulation (key decision-making stages). The results therefore indicate that PCG Board members' interpretation of user involvement is markedly different to that of the Government. This research has contributed to the operational i sation of user involvement by providina: * The first investigation of the degree of development of user involvement agendas within the embryonic PCGs in the North West region of England; * An exploration of the extent that user involvement agendas coincide with other PCG agendas, particularly Clinical Governance; * An exploration of the views about user involvement of different professional groups represented on the PCG Boards. * The development of policy recommendations.

The Design and Implementation of a Relationship-Based Care Delivery Model on a Medical- Surgical Unit by Paula A. Rodney MSN, California University of Pennsylvania, 2011 BSN, University of Virginia, 1979 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice Walden University April 2015   Patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes have become important issues in healthcare since the introduction of the Value Based Purchasing Program. Patient satisfaction, as measured by Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey, was declining and hospital-acquired pressure ulcers (HAPU), falls, and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) were rising on the pilot unit. The purpose of this non-experimental correlational design quality improvement project was to combine information from focus groups, a content analysis of the literature on Kristen Swanson's theory of caring, and relationship-based care, to develop and implement a relationship-based care delivery model. An additional aim was to determine its impact on patient satisfaction and the reduction of HAPU, falls, and CAUTI. The model was designed and implemented by a team consisting of bedside care providers, leaders, an educator, and a student facilitator. The components of the model included scheduling for continuity of care, whiteboards, seated bedside report, hourly rounding, a nurse advocate, and 5 focused minutes of attention per shift. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the mean change in HCAHPS scores before and after implementation of the model, and revealed improvements in dimensions of communication with nursing by 13.2%, responsiveness by 12.5%, overall rating of care by 14.5%, and willingness to recommend by 8.7%. The result of audits of the pilot unit's medical records indicated a reduction in falls by 3, HAPU by 2, and CAUTI by 2 from August, the baseline month. As a result of these findings the model will be implemented on all inpatient nursing units. The target audience for this project includes nursing leaders, educators, and bedside providers with interest in patient-centered care and staff empowerment.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of a nursing case management model versus a traditional modified primary care model on quality of care. Quality of care in this study was defined (by the provider) as length of stay, (by the client) as patient satisfaction and (by the professional) as meeting outcomes of appropriate clinical standards of care. The study used a quasi-experimental design on the experimental (case managed) and control (modified primary care) groups. A non-random sample was selected for the patient population due to existing hospital protocol. The sample consisted of 100 patients (641 total patient days) who had elective orthopedic surgery and were hospitalized in an acute care setting. The objectives of this study were met by collection of demographic data, length of stay data, and related complications information. This information plus outcome measurement data was collected on an Outcomes Measurement form. Patient satisfaction data was obtained by telephone survey using the structured format of the Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction Survey. Data was analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Frequencies were run on the data, as well as a "two-tailed" t-test for independent samples at the .05 level of significance. In the case managed group, a significant reduction in the mean length of stay over the Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) length of stay was realized (p < .05). There was not a significant difference in the control group of patients receiving modified primary care. There was not a statistically significant difference between the groups in the patients' perception of satisfaction. There were significant differences in health outcome being met in the case managed group. This study found that case managed patients undergoing an elective orthopedic surgical procedure in an acute care setting had a higher level of outcomes met with a reduced length of stay than non-case managed patients. Several implications for nursing, health care services and the health care reform are suggested from this study.

Patients are the key stakeholders in health care providers and it is extremely important to increase their satisfaction level. Patient satisfaction is a subject of great interest to the health care providers and researchers alike. As there are a lot of factors related to health care providers that causes patient selection and rejection. Since competition has increased in recent years, this exerts more pressure on health care providers to render more improved service quality in addition to build trust and gain high reputation. Improved quality of service has now become an important aspect of patient satisfaction, building trust is now a crucial milestone and gaining high reputation is considered the key for any health care provider. In practice and theory it has been proven that service quality dimensions, trust and reputation is related to patient satisfaction. For this, we took 5Q model of the service quality combine with trust and reputation, and how it affects patient satisfaction is the main theme of the study. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate that how 5Q model of the service quality, trust and reputation can effect patient satisfaction in health care sectors, for this study we researched Umeå hospital. This research is focused towards exploring the perceptions of patients who consume or undertook Umeå hospital services. It also provides an effective model for health care organization in practice and the study also contribute to literature from educational point of view.  Method: In this study hypothesis developed to investigate how 5Q model of the service quality, trust and reputation can effect patient satisfaction. For service quality 5Q model was used while several attributes were taken for trust and reputation to investigate the patient perception. Quantitative research strategy was adopted and convenience sampling technique was used to collect quantitative data from patients of Umeå hospital to get their satisfaction levels. Hypotheses were tested by using multiple regression analysis to the obtained data in SPSS. Findings: The study revealed interesting results for patient satisfaction regarding the 5Q model of the service quality, trust and reputation. Meanwhile 5Q model was used for service quality, which composes quality of object, quality of process, quality of infrastructure, quality of interaction and quality of atmosphere. Out of five dimensions, two gave positive effect and three gave no effect result by the patient for their satisfaction from the Umeå hospital. Trust gave no effect result, whereas reputation gave positive effect result by the patient for their satisfaction from the Umeå hospital. Implication/Contribution: The findings imply that 5Q model of the service quality is not the only factor that could lead to patient satisfaction in health care sectors but trust and reputation are also factors of great importance. Organizations need to improve every dimension of service quality, creating trust and achieve high reputation to gain high level of patient satisfaction. This study contributes to existing theories by confirming or adding value that have positive effect on patient satisfaction. 5Q model is a comprehensive model and it needs to be implemented in health care sector but with additional factors i.e. trust and reputation.  Key words: Patient satisfaction, Service quality, 5Q model, Trust, Reputation, Health care providers.

The history of psychiatry is littered with serious failures of governance, to the detriment of mentally disordered people, especially those resident in psychiatric hospitals. Current mental health providers, increasingly focussed on community care, have also struggled to develop effective internal governance systems. Nine peer-reviewed research papers, published by the author (mostly with others) and the wider literature, reveal deficits in mental health governance at a jurisdictional, professional, and corporate level. In this thesis new governance solutions are developed against this background, built on contemporary principles in mental health and healthcare management. A new model of mental health governance is presented, based on the key demands of the strategic and regulatory environment, articulated as rights, risks and recovery. This integrated healthcare governance approach, covering provider policy, staff training and service audit, can monitor and ensure the protection of patients’ rights, as well as those of others; it also promotes the management of clinical risks, and of patients’ recovery outcomes. Rights-based risk-reduction training is the core interventional element of the model, whilst the monitoring element can be formalised as part of a Balanced Scorecard reporting system. This thesis makes a contribution to research methodology, theory and practice in mental health, human rights, healthcare management and governance. The model generates specific propositions for testing in mental health governance, with the potential for application in wider settings of service provision.

Background: Obesity is now one of the most important public health issues in Saudi Arabia, with 74.2% of women and 69% of men found to be overweight or obese, but there is limited research into the nature and effectiveness of overweight and obesity management in primary care in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere. International literature supports the role of primary health care in managing obesity through evidence-based interventions, yet also notes many barriers to health professionals helping patients achieve significant weight loss. A new collaborative and patient-centred approach to primary care management of chronic disease, Fit and Minimally Disruptive Medicine, appears potentially well-suited to helping patients manage their weight. Research Aims: This thesis aimed to determine health professionals’ and patients’ views on the appropriateness and quality of current obesity management practices in primary health care in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia., and also their views on the acceptability, utility and applicability of Fit and Minimally Disruptive Medicine to assist successful weight management. Research Methods: Preliminary informal interviews were held with representatives of key groups in primary health care in Riyadh, four senior primary health care officials, 10 primary health care centre managers, 20 doctors, 20 nurses and 20 patients from 10 primary health care centres. The main investigation used the interview material to develop two structured questionnaire surveys for a quantitative cross-sectional descriptive study on the management of overweight and obesity in primary health care. The first questionnaire, for doctors and nurses, addressed primary health care centre resources and services, use of weight loss strategies, and the health professionals’ views on overweight and obese patients, obesity management and the Fit and Minimally Disruptive Medicine approach. The second survey, for patients, addressed patients’ motivation and readiness to lose weight, support from family and friends, weight loss options used, satisfaction with services provided by their primary health care centre, and views on using the Fit and Minimally Disruptive Medicine approach. The surveys were conducted in iv 53 primary health care centres in four out of five health sectors in Riyadh City; 10 centres were included in a pilot study and 43 in the main study. The main study was conducted with a sample of 77 doctors, 78 nurses and 80 patients. Results: Findings showed that while primary care practice management of obesity in Riyadh incorporates some best practice recommendations, there are important elements that are rarely, or inconsistently, used. Only 44.2% of doctors and 55.1% of nurses, for example, always calculated patients’ body mass index, and only 10.4% of doctors and 12.8% of nurses always assessed the patient’s progress for more than six months. The main strategy for obesity management was the recommended combination of diet, exercise and behaviour modification (67.5% of doctors and 56.4% of nurses). Reported barriers to establishing obesity clinics included inadequate resources, and administrative and referral issues. The patient survey found 90% of patients said they were ready to lose weight, but identified various barriers, including lack of family and friend support, and dissatisfaction with their primary care centre’s staff and services (48%). The majority of health professionals and patients supported the use of Fit and Minimally Disruptive Medicine weight management. Discussion: This thesis makes a major contribution to the literature on the effectiveness of primary care management of obesity, notably including the patient perspectives. The thesis is also the first to investigate health professionals’ and patients’ views on applying Fit and Minimally Disruptive Medicine to weight management. Recommendations for Saudi Arabia include further training of health professionals, the introduction of clinical practice guidelines on managing obesity, and a pilot study of using Fit and Minimally Disruptive Medicine for weight management in primary health care. This thesis provides valuable guidance for health care organisations seeking to improve the management of overweight and obesity in primary care, and for researchers interested in undertaking further investigations in this area.

By examining barriers to care, health professionals can better understand what disparities exist between groups and who may be at greater risk for poor primary care. Researchers have highlighted the need for additional research that focuses on the extent of unmet needs for U.S. children with sickle cell disease (SCD). The purpose of this quantitative study was to compare the differences between parents who are in a SCD support group and those who are not. The theoretical framework of this study is based on the chronic care model and social support theory. A total of 128 parents of children with SCD completed the study survey. The sampling occurred by e-mail, phone, and face-to-face conversations. Selection criteria for potential participants in both groups were based on their children being diagnosed with SCD. Seventy-four participants (57.8%) were members of a SCD support group, and 54 participants (42.4%) were not members of a SCD support group. In this study, the independent variables were parents attending or not a SCD support group. The t test and MANCOVA was used to assessed the association between perceptions of barriers to care and support group status. However, statistical analysis showed no significant results. The null hypothesis was not rejected. Therefore, the positive social change implication is to further explore potential factors that may shape perceptions of barriers to care for those with SCD so that perceived barriers to care can be overcome.

This research investigates and develops a new approach to the management of service quality with the emphasis on patient and staff satisfaction in the healthcare sector. The challenge of measuring the quality of service in healthcare requires us to view the problem from multiple perspectives. At the philosophical level, the true nature of quality is still debated; at the psychological level, an accurate conceptual representation is problematic; whilst at the physical level, an accurate measurement of the concept still remains elusive to practitioners and academics. This research focuses on the problem of quality measurement in the healthcare sector. The contributions of this research are fourfold: Firstly, it argues that from the technological point of view the research to date into quality of service in healthcare has not considered methods of real-time measurement and monitoring. This research identifies the key elements that are necessary for developing a real-time quality monitoring system for the healthcare environment.Secondly, a unique index is proposed for the monitoring and improvement of healthcare performance using information-theoretic entropy formalism. The index is formulated based on five key performance indicators and was tested as a Healthcare Quality Index (HQI) based on three key quality indicators of dignity, confidence and communication in an Accident and Emergency department. Thirdly, using an M/G/1 queuing model and its underlying Little’s Law, the concept of Effective Satisfaction in healthcare has been proposed. The concept is based on a Staff-Patient Satisfaction Relation Model (S-PSRM) developed using a patient satisfaction model and an empirically tested model developed for measuring staff satisfaction with workload (service time). The argument is presented that a synergy between patient satisfaction and staff satisfaction is the key to sustainable improvement in healthcare quality. The final contribution is the proposal of a Discrete Event Simulation (DES) modelling platform as a descriptive model that captures the random and stochastic nature of healthcare service provision process to prove the applicability of the proposed quality measurement models.

Background InVietnam, the proportion of people aged 60 and above has increased rapidly in recent decades. The majority live in rural areas where socioeconomic status is more disadvantaged than in urban areas.Vietnam’s economic status is improving but disparities in income and living conditions are widening between groups and regions. A consistent and emerging danger of communicable diseases and an increase of non-communicable diseases exist concurrently. The emigration of young people and the impact of other socioeconomic changes leave more elderly on their own and with less family support. Introduction of user fees and development of a private sector improve the coverage and quality of health care but increase household health expenditures and inequalities in health care. Life expectancy at birth has increased, but not much is known about changes during old age. There is a lack of evidence, particularly in rural settings, about health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among older people within the context of socioeconomic changes and health-sector reform. Knowledge of long-term elderly care needs in the community and the relevant models are still limited. To provide evidence for developing new policies and models of care, this thesis aimed to assess general health status, health care needs, and perspectives on future health care options for community-dwelling older people. Methods An abridged life table was used to estimate cohort life expectancies at old age from longitudinal data collected by FilaBavi DSS during 1999-2006. This covered 7,668 people aged 60 and above with 43,272 person-years. A 2007 cross-sectional survey was conducted among people aged 60 and over living in 2,240 households that were randomly selected from the FilaBavi DSS. Interviews used a structured questionnaire to assess HRQoL, daily care needs, and willingness to use and to pay for models of care. Participant and household socioeconomic characteristics were extracted from the 2007 DSS re-census. Differences in life expectancy are examined by socioeconomic factors. The EQ-5D index is calculated based on the time trade-off tariff. Distributions of study subjects by study variables are described with 95% confidence intervals. Multivariate analyses are performed to identify socioeconomic determinants of HRQoL, need of support, ADL index, and willingness to use and pay for models of care. In addition, four focus group discussions with the elderly, their household members, and community association representatives were conducted to explore perspectives on the use of services by applying content analysis. Results Life expectancy at age 60 increased by approximately one year from 1999-2002 to 2003-2006, but tended to decrease in the most vulnerable groups. There is a wide gap in life expectancy by poverty status and living arrangement. The sex gap in life expectancy is consistent across all socioeconomic groups and is wider among the more disadvantaged populations.  The EQ-5D index at old age is 0.876. Younger age groups, position as household head, working, literacy, and belonging to better wealth quintiles are determinants of higher HRQoL. Ageing has a primary influence on HRQoL that is mainly due to reduction in physical (rather than mental) functions. Being a household head and working at old age are advantageous for attaining better HRQoL in physical rather than psychological terms. Economic conditions affect HRQoL through sensory rather than physical functions. Long-term living conditions are more likely to affect HRQoL than short-term economic conditions. Dependence in instrumental or intellectual activities of daily living (ADLs) is more common than in basic ADLs. People who need complete help are fewer than those who need some help in almost all ADLs. Over two-fifths of people who needed help received enough support in all ADL dimensions. Children and grand-children are confirmed to be the main caregivers. Presence of chronic illness, age groups, sex, educational level, marital status, household membership, working status, household size, living arrangement, residential area, household wealth, and poverty status are determinants of the need for care. Use of mobile teams is the most requested service; the fewest respondents intend to use a nursing centre. Households expect to use services for their elderly to a greater extent than did the elderly themselves. Willingness to use services decreases when potential fees increase. The proportion of respondents who require free services is 2 to 3 times higher than those willing to pay full cost. Households are willing to pay more for day care and nursing centres than are the elderly. The elderly are more willing to pay for mobile teams than are their households. ADL index, age group, sex, literacy, marital status, living arrangement, head of household status, living area, working status, poverty and household wealth are factors related to willingness to use services.   Conclusions                                                                                         There is a trend of increasing life expectancy at older ages in ruralVietnam. Inequalities in life expectancy exist between socioeconomic groups. HRQoL at old age is at a high level, but varies substantially according to socioeconomic factors. An unmet need of daily care for older people remains. Family is the main source of support for care. Need for care is in more demand among disadvantaged groups.  Development of a social network for community-based long-term elderly care is needed. The network should focus on instrumental and intellectual ADLs rather than basic ADLs. Home-based care is more essential than institutionalized care. Community-based elderly care will be used and partly paid for if it is provided by the government or associations. The determinants of elderly health and care needs should be addressed by appropriate social and health policies with greater targeting of the poorest and most disadvantaged groups. Building capacity for health professionals and informal caregivers, as well as support for the most vulnerable elderly groups, is essential for providing and assessing the services.
Aging and Living Conditions Program
Vietnam-Sweden Collaborative Program in Health, SIDA/Sarec

CONTEXTUALIZAÇÃO: A preocupação com a qualidade da assistência tem aumentado nas últimas décadas em todo o mundo. O aumento da demanda, aliado à escassez de recursos financeiros e ao desenvolvimento e incorporação de novas tecnologias, tem suscitado reflexões e pesquisas que busquem avaliar a assistência hospitalar prestada em termos de custo-efetividade. Os estudos têm utilizado, na sua grande maioria, taxas de mortalidade hospitalar, que é um indicador tradicional de desempenho hospitalar. A análise comparativa de indicadores de desempenho pressupõe que as taxas de mortalidade sejam ajustadas às características dos pacientes e ao perfil do hospital, que também contribui na probabilidade de óbito hospitalar. Muitos autores têm utilizado bases de dados administrativas para avaliar estabelecimentos de saúde, principalmente pelo baixo custo e fácil disponibilidade. Diversos estudos internacionais têm analisado a eficiência dos serviços hospitalares de forma intensa e constante. No Brasil, os estudos ainda são poucos e a maioria tem avaliado diagnósticos específicos ou faixas-etárias específicas. Além disso, são poucos os que agregam o perfil dos hospitais na análise de predição do óbito hospitalar. OBJETIVO: O objetivo desta tese é desenvolver um índice de risco para óbito hospitalar ajustado pelas características das internações e pelo perfil dos hospitais a partir dos dados disponíveis no Sistema de Informações Hospitalar (SIH-SUS), com a finalidade de comparação de desempenho entre hospitais. É também objetivo desenvolver um modelo preditivo de probabilidade de óbito hospitalar utilizando a metodologia de modelo multinível. MÉTODOS: Trata-se de um estudo transversal com dados de 453.515 Autorizações de Internação Hospitalar (AIHs) do Sistema de Informações Hospitalares do Sistema Único de Saúde (SIH-SUS) do Rio Grande do Sul no ano de 2005. Utilizou-se regressão logística tradicional a fim de desenvolver um modelo preditivo das chances de óbito hospitalar considerando as características das internações. A seguir, foi realizada modelagem multinível buscando desenvolver um modelo preditivo das chances de óbito hospitalar considerando as características das internações e o perfil dos hospitais. Após o ajuste do modelo, foi calculado o Índice de Risco (IR), que permitiu o cálculo das probabilidades de óbitos hospitalares esperados (E), que foram comparados aos óbitos observados (O). O ordenamento do desempenho dos estabelecimentos foi realizado através da razão O/E em função da incorporação das características das internações (nível individual) e do perfil dos hospitais (nível contextual) conjuntamente no modelo preditivo. RESULTADOS: A taxa bruta de mortalidade para o conjunto dos 332 hospitais (453.515 AIHs) foi de 6,3%. A mortalidade foi maior para os homens. As doenças infecciosas e parasitárias, neoplasias, doenças do sistema nervoso, do aparelho circulatório e respiratório e, ainda, diagnósticos informados como sinais e sintomas anormais foram os que apresentaram significativamente maior número de óbitos do que o esperado através do teste Qui-quadrado. A especialidade clínica médica apresentou maior número de óbitos em comparação à especialidade cirurgia. A maioria das internações ocorreu em hospitais privados, enquanto que a taxa bruta de mortalidade foi maior nos hospitais públicos. Através da modelagem por regressão logística, utilizando o perfil das internações, obteve-se um Índice de Risco (IR) para mortalidade hospitalar. A partir do modelo preditivo foram calculados os óbitos esperados para os hospitais. Dos 206 hospitais analisados, a razão O/E (óbito observado/óbito esperado) mostrou 40 hospitais com mortalidade significativamente superior à esperada e 58 hospitais com mortalidade significativamente inferior à esperada. A partir do modelo preditivo multinível, formado por variáveis explicativas referentes à internação (primeiro nível) e variáveis explicativas referentes ao hospital (segundo nível), verificou-se que o perfil dos hospitais tem papel importante na predição do óbito hospitalar. As variáveis uso de UTI, seguida por idade foram as principais preditoras para óbito hospitalar no nível individual e porte do hospital, seguida por natureza jurídica, o foram no nível contextual respectivamente. A razão O/E baseada no modelo multinível mostrou que os hospitais de pequeno porte tem pior desempenho, os de grande porte melhoram seu desempenho e os de médio porte mantiveram-se praticamente sem modificações, quando comparados ao desempenho medido pela razão O/E obtida apenas para as características das internações. Constatou-se, ainda, um melhor desempenho dos estabelecimentos públicos, para todos os portes, e pior desempenho para os hospitais privados CONCLUSÕES: O índice de risco construído a partir das características da internação e do perfil dos estabelecimentos por modelos multinível pode ser empregado na análise de desempenho dos hospitais do SIH-SUS. O IR construído permitirá calcular a probabilidade de óbito e assim obter a taxa ajustada de mortalidade, a ser usada como um indicador de desempenho. Esta metodologia mostrou-se útil para rastrear hospitais que merecem uma atenção maior por parte de gestores, prestadores de serviços, profissionais e comunidade. A ordenação dos hospitais utilizando apenas a taxa de mortalidade bruta não é igual à ordenação quando se utiliza o ranking ajustado pelo modelo preditivo de probabilidade para o nível de internações, e esse último também não é igual quando se adiciona o nível dos hospitais. Recomenda-se que, ao comparar hospitais, seja utilizado o ajuste pelo modelo preditivo de probabilidade de risco que incorpora tanto o nível das internações, quanto dos hospitais. Estudos acrescentando outras variáveis do nível de internações, do nível hospitalar, além da região, poderão contribuir para o aprimoramento do modelo e do índice de risco. O desenvolvimento de uma série histórica de acompanhamento, bem como a discussão com representantes de várias instâncias envolvidas no processo de avaliação hospitalar poderão aumentar a eficiência do método.
CONTEXTUALIZATION: The concern with the quality of care has increased in recent decades throughout the world. Increased demand, combined with the scarcity of financial resources and the development and incorporation of new technologies, has raised debate and research that seek to evaluate the hospital care provided in terms of costeffectiveness. Studies have mostly used hospital mortality rates, which is a traditional indicator of hospital performance. Comparative analysis of performance indicators means that mortality rates are adjusted to the characteristics of patients and to the hospital profile, which also contributes to the risk of death in hospital. Many authors have used administrative databases to assess health institutions, especially for their low cost and easy availability. Several international studies have analyzed the efficiency of hospital services in intense and constant way. In Brazil, studies are still few and most have evaluated specific diagnoses or specific age ranges. Moreover, few studies add the profile of hospitals to the analysis of prediction of hospital death. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this thesis is to develop a risk index for hospital death adjusted by characteristics of hospital admissions and by the profile of hospitals, using the available data in the SIH-SUS, for the purpose of comparison of performance between SUS hospitals. It also aims to develop a multilevel model of hospital risk of death. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study with data from 453.515 Authorization Form for Hospital Admittance (AIHs) of the Hospital Information System of the Unified Health System (SIH-SUS) in Rio Grande do Sul in 2005. A traditional logistic regression was used to develop a predictive model of the chances of hospital death considering the characteristics of hospital admissions. Additionally a multilevel modeling was employed to develop a predictive model of the chances of death considering the characteristics of hospital admissions and hospital profiles. After fitting the model, the risk index (IR) was calculated, which allowed for the calculation of the likelihood of hospital expected deaths (E), which were then compared to the observed deaths (O). The performance ranking of the establishments was conducted through the ratio O/E depending on the incorporation of characteristics of hospital (individual level) and the profiles of hospitals (contextual level) together in the predictive model. RESULTS: The crude death rate for all 332 hospitals (453.515 AIHs) was 6.3%. Mortality was higher for men. Infectious and parasitic diseases, neoplasms, diseases of the nervous system, of the circulatory and of the respiratory apparatus, and also informed diagnoses as abnormal signs and symptoms were those that had significantly more deaths than expected by the chi-square test. Higher number was observed for the speciality medical clinic of deaths compared to surgery. Most hospitalizations occurred in private hospitals, while the crude death rate was higher in public hospitals. Through the RL model, by using the profile of hospitalizations, a Risk Index (IR) was obtained for hospital mortality. From the predictive model were calculated expected deaths for hospitals. In 40 out of the 206 hospitals studied, the ratio O/E (observed deaths / expected deaths) showed mortality rates significantly higher than expected and, in 58 hospitals the mortality rates were significantly lower than expected. As for the multilevel predictive model, consisting of explanatory variables related to hospitalization (first level) and explanatory variables for the hospital (second level), the profiles of hospitals had an important role in prediction of hospital death. The variable use of Intensive Care Unit (UTI), followed by patient age, were the main predictors for hospital death at the individual level and size of the hospital, followed by a legal nature were the more important variables for the contextual level. The ratio O/E based on the multilevel model showed that small hospitals had a worse their performance, large institutions had better performances and those of medium size virtually unchanged when compared to the ratio O/E only for the characteristics of admissions It was also verified an improvement of performance of the public hospitals, for all sizes, and worsening of performance for private hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: The risk index constructed from the characteristics of hospitalization and the profile of establishments by multilevel models can be used in the analysis of performance of the SIH-SUS hospitals. The presently developed IR will yield a probability of death and thereby an adjusted rate of mortality, to be used as an indicator of performance. This methodology proved to be useful to track hospitals that deserve greater attention from managers, providers, professionals and community. The ordering of the hospitals using only the crude mortality rate is not equal to the ordering that uses the ranking set by the predictive model of probability for the level of admissions, and the latter is not equal when it adds the level of hospitals. When comparing hospitals, it is recommended the use of adjustment of the predictive model of probability of risk that incorporates both the levels of admissions and of the hospitals. Studies adding other variables in the level of admissions, the hospital level, as well as the region, could contribute to the improvement of the model and the risk index. The development of a historical series of monitoring and discussion with representatives of various groups involved in hospital evaluation will add validity to the assessment method.

nÃo hÃ
Em 2011 o MinistÃrio da SaÃde lanÃou o Programa Nacional de Melhoria do Acesso e Qualidade - PMAQ no intuito de ampliar o acesso e a melhoria da qualidade da AtenÃÃo BÃsica à SaÃde (ABS), com garantia de um padrÃo de qualidade comparÃvel nacional, regional e localmente de maneira a permitir maior transparÃncia e efetividade das aÃÃes governamentais direcionadas à ABS. Este estudo, tendo em vista a necessidade de orientar a tomada de decisÃes de gestÃo no Ãmbito do Sistema Ãnico de SaÃde, propÃe como objetivo geral avaliar formativamente o processo de implantaÃÃo do PMAQ no Estado do CearÃ. Como referencial teÃrico, utilizou-se o Modelo CIPP de avaliaÃÃo, proposto por Daniel L. Stufflebeam, baseado em quatro componentes heurÃsticos: Contexto, Inputs, Processos e Produto, os quais orientaram a elaboraÃÃo de uma matriz avaliativa para a avaliaÃÃo do PMAQ. A metodologia adotada neste estudo foi orientada por abordagem qualitativa de natureza exploratÃria-descritiva, tendo como cenÃrio o Estado do CearÃ. Foram utilizadas como tÃcnicas de pesquisa: (1) a pesquisa documental e (2) a entrevista estruturada. O processo de organizaÃÃo e anÃlise de dados foi efetuado a partir da AnÃlise TemÃtica de ConteÃdo. Foram observadas as diretrizes Ãticas constantes da ResoluÃÃo 196/96 do Conselho Nacional de SaÃde, e o protocolo de pesquisa foi aprovado pelo CEP da Universidade Estadual Vale do AcaraÃ, sob o n 133.724. Como resultados, o estudo aponta que o processo de implantaÃÃo do PMAQ no Estado Cearà se deu de forma verticalizada pelo MinistÃrio da SaÃde, com fragilidades apontadas pelos participantes do estudo, gerando divergÃncias de percepÃÃes entre os representantes dos MunicÃpios e os do MinistÃrio da SaÃde. Outra constataÃÃo à a convergÃncia das opiniÃes na readequaÃÃo dos recursos humanos, tecnolÃgicos e financeiros. Por fim as divergÃncias dos discursos dos gestores em pontos significantes como financiamento, atuaÃÃo da gestÃo estadual, envolvimentos dos profissionais, especialmente o profissional mÃdico e a participaÃÃo popular. Como fator limitante do estudo destacamos: (1) a nÃo inclusÃo dos usuÃrios do SUS como fonte de dados; e (2) a dificuldade de entrevistar os gestores municipais no perÃodo eleitoral de 2012. Novos estudos sÃo sugeridos para aprofundamento do tema.
In 2011 the Ministry of Health launched the National Programme for Improving Access and Quality - PMAQ in order to expand access and improve quality of Primary Health Care (PHC), with a guarantee of a quality standard comparable national, regional and locally in order to allow greater transparency and effectiveness of government action to PHC. This study, in view of the need to guide the decision making of management in the Health System, proposes general objective formatively evaluate the implementation process of PMAQ in CearÃ. The theoretical approach used the CIPP evaluation model proposed by Daniel L. Stufflebeam, heuristic based on four components: Context, Inputs, Process and Product, which guided the development of a matrix for assessing the evaluative PMAQ. The methodology used in this study was guided by qualitative approach exploratory-descriptive, against the backdrop of the state of CearÃ. Were used as research techniques: (1) documentary research and (2) a structured interview. The process of organization and data analysis was performed from a content analysis. Were observed ethical guidelines in Resolution 196/96 of the National Health Council, and the research protocol was approved by the CEP da Universidade Estadual Vale do AcaraÃ, under No. 133 724. As a result, the study indicates that the process of implementation of the state Cearà PMAQ took so vertically by the Ministry of Health, with weaknesses identified by the study participants, generating differences in perceptions between the representatives of the municipalities and the Ministry of Health Another finding is the convergence of opinions on the upgrading of human, technological and financial. Finally divergences of discourses of managers on significant points as financing activities of state management, involvement of professionals, especially medical professional and popular participation. Limiting factor of the study include: (1) the non-inclusion of SUS as a data source, and (2) the difficulty of interviewing city managers in the 2012 electoral period. Further studies are suggested to further the theme.

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Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior
This work presents a study in quality of health care, with focus on consulting appointment. The main purpose is to define a statistical model and propose a quality grade of the consulting appointment time. The time considered is that from the day the patient get the appointment done to the day the consulting is realized. It is used reliability techniques and functions that has as main characteristic the analysis of data regarding the time of occurrence certain event. It is gathered a random sample of 1743 patients in the appointment system of a University Hospital - the Hospital Universit?rio Onofre Lopes - of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The sample is randomly stratified in terms on clinical specialty. The data were analyzed against the parametric methods of the reliability statistics and the adjustment of the regression model resulted in the Weibull distribution being best fit to data. The quality grade proposed is based in the PAHO criteria for a consulting appointment and result that no clinic got the PAHO quality grade. The quality grade proposed could be used to define priority for improvement and as criteria to quality control
Este trabalho apresenta um estudo sobre qualidade em servi?os de sa?de, com enfoque para o atendimento ambulatorial. Determinar o melhor modelo estat?stico e a proposi??o de um padr?o de qualidade para o tempo agendado para consulta ambulatorial, ? o objetivo do presente estudo. Para isso, foram utilizadas as t?cnicas de confiabilidade que tem como principal caracter?stica a an?lise de dados referente ao tempo de ocorr?ncia de determinado evento. Observou-se dados de 1.743 pacientes que agendaram consulta no Hospital Universit?rio Onofre Lopes - Natal/RN, onde coletou-se informa??es referentes ao tipo de tratamento, especialidade, tipo de marca??o e o tempo at? o atendimento ambulatoria1. Os dados foram analisados segundo os m?todos n?o param?tricos da estat?stica de confiabilidade e atrav?s do ajuste do modelo de regress?o. Concluiu-se que as covari?veis que influenciam o tempo at? o atendimento ambulatorial ? o tipo de marca??o e a especialidade, o modelo que melhor se adequa aos dados ? o Weibull e 20,83% das especialidades enquadram-se no padr?o B de qualidade, sendo este o melhor padr?o obtido

This study aimed to identify factors affecting women’s utilisation of the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV, evaluate the quality of PMTCT services, describe health outcomes of mothers and infants and to identify factors that influence mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV. Structured interviews were conducted with 384 women who had utilised PMTCT services. Information was also obtained from the health records of these women and of their infants. Better educated women, who had male partners and were self-employed were more likely to use PMTCT services. Being unmarried, poor and feeling stigmatised made it difficult for women to use these services. Respondents were satisfied with PMTCT services except that clinics sometimes had no medications. The health care workers followed the Ethiopian guidelines during HIV testing and counseling but not when prescribing treatment. Although the respondents’ CD4 cell counts improved, their clinical conditions did not improve. The MTCT rate was significantly higher if infants did not receive ARVs, had APGAR scores below seven, weighed less than 2.5kg at birth, were born prematurely, and if their mothers had nipple fissures. PMTCT services could be improved if more women used these services, health care workers followed the national guidelines when prescribing ARVs, clinics had adequate supplies of medicines, all infants received ARVs, and mothers’ nipple fissures could be prevented. Antenatal care should help to avoid premature births of infants weighing less than 2.5kg and having APGAR scores below 7. Future research should compare formula feeding versus breastfeeding of infants with HIV-positive mothers
Health Studies
D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

碩士
國立中山大學
醫務管理研究所
96
Health care quality become an important issue of hospital’s management while the change of external environment such as the National Health Insurance program implementation and continuously reformed. The medical market turned into the highly-competitive, and patients are more concern their right and the quality of health care. By health quality improvement, hospitals can reduce medical malpractice and decrease the costs of medical administration. Health service quality is also an important factor of patient satisfaction. Increasing health service quality not only can improve patient satisfaction but also increase patient loyalty. And patient can get better medical care through the improvement of health service quality. It will increase their satisfaction and loyalty of hospital. The long-term relationship between hospitals and patients will help hospitals built their better image and reputation. This study applies PZB model and health quality factors to survey gaps of health service, the difference of service quality, patient satisfaction and patient loyalty. The result shows that service quality and satisfaction have positive effect of loyalty. At last, according to critical study findings, this thesis proposes certain suggestion. Wish medical managers can use these results to explore the key problem of health service. Through improvement of health service quality, it may raise patient satisfaction and increase patient loyalty to the hospitals.

The Limpopo MCWH Directorate, concerned about the high perinatal and maternal mortality rates arising from the poor quality of maternal health care provided at primary level, commissioned this study to explore what would be the appropriate interventions that could be applied province-wide to improve the quality of maternal health care at municipal and district level. Thus the study aimed to develop a useable and replicable model of intervention with Reproductive Health Management Teams (RHMTs) at municipal and district level that would lead to improvements in the quality of maternal health care. The study objectives were to: 1. Identify indicators and the method for a baseline assessment of the quality of maternal health care at municipal and district level. 2. Identify indicators that would permit an analysis of the factors that influence the key issues emerging from the baseline assessment. 3. Develop a programme of intervention, with its monitoring and evaluation procedures, that would address the factors that influence the key issues. 4. Recommend a strategy for replicating the intervention programme. An action-research approach was adopted in this study, and was implemented in a series of cyclical action-research steps in cooperation with the RHMTs. The study was implemented in 25 municipalities in Limpopo Province and was implemented over a period of 28 months, from December 2001 to March 2004. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were used. Indicators were identified to conduct a baseline assessment of the quality of maternal health care; the tools were developed to collect the data necessary to calculate these indicators; the indicators were applied to achieve a baseline assessment of the quality of care, and the information analysed to identify priority key issues affecting the quality of maternal health care. These key issues were identified as: the poor quality of the 1st ANC visit and poor management of labour. These key issues were analysed in order to identify what were the most important influencing factors affecting the quality of maternal health care. Staffing, supervision, referral systems, support services and the planning and organisation of the health facilities were found to be the most influential factors. Indicators were developed to measure these factors, with the data collection tools required to collect the data necessary to calculate the indicators. The indicators were measured to describe the current situation with regards to each. Once the influencing factors had been identified, interventions were identified, prioritised and planned for implementation in each municipal area. The priority interventions that could be implemented at municipal level were: in-service training in antenatal care and the management of labour; supervision of antenatal care and labour; audit of the service and improving referral systems. Tools were developed to monitor the implementation of these interventions and the outcomes of monitoring reported. The model to improve the quality of maternal health care developed in Limpopo Province is possible to implement within the context of health services in South Africa. A limiting factor to full implementation may well be staffing shortages, although this study did not set out to establish the degree of influence that staffing shortages do actually exert. The real challenge to full implementation, however, lies in the ability of managers at different levels to work together to support quality service delivery, and for providers to deliver an integrated, comprehensive service to pregnant women. Municipal and district level Reproductive Health Management Teams, with a full mandate and good leadership, managerial, clinical and public health skills, have the potential to address the most critical factors at the local level that are influencing the quality of care.
Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

碩士
國立雲林科技大學
工業工程與管理系
102
In recent years, hectic contemporary lifestyles have caused an increasing number of people to overlook the importance of health management. Metabolic syndrome involves cardiovascular disease risk factors, including dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and abdominal obesity, which are factors that increase the incidence and mortality of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Metabolic syndrome patients require treatment and prevention through health management. Therefore, creating a health management application (APP) can facilitate the health management of patients with metabolic syndrome. However, according to a study by the Institute for Information Industry, the continued usage rate of health management APPs is extremely low. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze metabolic syndrome by using QFD, which emphasizes customer needs and the Kano model. Another goal of this study was to determine the functions necessary for a high-quality health management APP and for fulfilling quality health management needs through the use of the APP in the future. Furthermore, by developing an APP-related health management company with a specific purpose, we expect that people with metabolic syndrome who use the health management APP developed in this study will continue to use it to improve their health. According to the results, the Kano categories yielded 7 one-dimensional, 6 must-be, and 9 indifferent factors. Moreover, we determined that the following functions were necessary for health management APPs (arranged in order of importance): providing emergency assistance information, installing a color-coded system for gauging health, recoding side effects, reporting the results of track inspection, maintaining personal accounts, updating courses of medication, and programming an alarm for reminders. In order of importance, the following factors were determined to be crucial: data correctness, information integrity, legibility, database capacity, convenience check, input interface clarity, and privacy.

abstract: The objective of this research is to understand how a set of systems, as defined by the business process, creates value. The three studies contained in this work develop the model of process-based automation. The model states that complementarities among systems are specified by handoffs in the business process. The model also provides theory to explain why entry systems, boundary spanning systems, and back-end control systems provide different impacts on process quality and cost. The first study includes 135 U. S. acute care hospitals. The study finds that hospitals which followed an organizational pattern of process automation have better financial outcomes. The second study looks in more depth at where synergies might be found. It includes 341 California acute care hospitals over 11 years. It finds that increased costs and increase adverse drug events are associated with increased automation discontinuity. Further, the study shows that automation in the front end of the process has a more desirable outcome on cost than automation in the back end of the process. The third study examines the assumption that the systems are actually used. It is a cross-sectional analysis of over 2000 U. S. hospitals. This study finds that system usage is a critical factor in realizing benefits from automating the business process. The model of process-based automation has implications for information technology decision makers, long-term automation planning, and for information systems research. The analyses have additional implications for the healthcare industry.
Dissertation/Thesis
Ph.D. Information Management 2011

Aim of the study is to explore the role caring practices within the nurse-patient relationship, in facilitating effective chronic pain management in the primary health care context. Objectives are to analyse the current caring practices within the nurse-patient relationship during the management of patients with chronic pain within primary health care services; explore the challenges experienced by nurses in primary health care services when managing patients with chronic pain; observe the caring practices within the nurse patient interaction for the patients suffering from chronic pain within the Primary health care setting and explain the nurses‟ caring practices when managing their chronic pain in the primary health care setting. Method The research design for this study is sequential, explanatory and mixed method, which is more appropriate due to the complexity of the phenomenon under study. Findings: Although the survey measured the caring practices subjectively which other studies had done consistently, generally nurses associated caring as their core function within the health profession. Nurses do not actively involve the patients in the development of a treatment plan and as a result the caring behaviours that are intended to benefit the patients are not realised and, thus patients report nurses as not being caring. The results indicated that lack of an inclusive treatment plan, which can only be discovered through the development of the therapeutic NPR, is not given priority in the management of patients with chronic pain Conclusions: Caring should not be seen as concrete execution of the set of activities towards the patient but rather as a joint venture between the nurse and the patient. The strength of the model developed in this study is the identification of the nurses‟ internal readiness to create a caring environment by experiencing the love, faith and hope before engaging with the patient.
Health Studies

La scoliose idiopathique de l’adolescent (SIA) est le type de déformation musculosquelettique le plus fréquent dans la population pédiatrique, pour une prévalence d’environ 2,0%. Depuis l’arrêt des programmes scolaires de dépistage de la SIA dans les années 1980 au Canada, nous ne disposions d’aucune donnée sur l’utilisation des services de santé par les patients présentant une SIA suspectée. En l’absence de tels programmes, des changements dans les patrons d’utilisation des services spécialisés d’orthopédie pédiatrique sont anticipés. La thèse a donc pour but d’étudier la pertinence de la référence dans ces services des jeunes avec SIA suspectée. Elle est structurée autour de trois principaux objectifs. 1) Valider un instrument de mesure de la morbidité perçue (perception des symptômes) dans la clientèle d’orthopédie pédiatrique; 2) Étudier la relation entre la morbidité perçue par les profanes (le jeune et le parent) et la morbidité objectivée par les experts; 3) Caractériser les itinéraires de soins des patients avec SIA suspectée, de façon à en élaborer une taxonomie et à analyser les relations entre ceux-ci et la pertinence de la référence. En 2006-2007, une vaste enquête a été réalisée dans les cinq cliniques d’orthopédie pédiatrique du Sud-Ouest du Québec : 831 patients référés ont été recrutés. Ils furent classés selon des critères de pertinence de la référence (inappropriée, appropriée ou tardive) définis en fonction de l’amplitude de la courbe rachidienne et de la maturité squelettique à cette première visite. La morbidité perçue par les profanes a été opérationnalisée par la gravité, l’urgence, les douleurs, l’impact sur l’image de soi et la santé générale. L’ensemble des consultations médicales et paramédicales effectuées en amont de la consultation en orthopédie pédiatrique a été documenté par questionnaire auprès des familles. En s’appuyant sur le Modèle comportemental de l’utilisation des services d’Andersen, les facteurs (dits de facilitation et de capacité) individuels, relatifs aux professionnels et au système ont été considérés comme variables d’ajustement dans l’étude des relations entre la morbidité perçue ou les itinéraires de soins et la pertinence de la référence. Les principales conclusions de cette étude sont : i) Nous disposons d’instruments fidèles (alpha de Cronbach entre 0,79 et 0,86) et valides (validité de construit, concomitante et capacité discriminante) pour mesurer la perception de la morbidité dans la population adolescente francophone qui consulte en orthopédie pédiatrique; ii) Les profanes jouent un rôle important dans la suspicion de la scoliose (53% des cas) et leur perception de la morbidité est directement associée à la morbidité objectivée par les professionnels; iii) Le case-mix actuel en orthopédie est jugé non optimal en regard de la pertinence de la référence, les mécanismes actuels entraînant un nombre considérable de références inappropriées (38%) et tardives (18%) en soins spécialisés d’orthopédie pédiatrique; iv) Il existe une grande diversité de professionnels par qui sont vus les jeunes avec SIA suspectée ainsi qu’une variabilité des parcours de soins en amont de la consultation en orthopédie, et v) La continuité des soins manifestée dans les itinéraires, notamment via la source régulière de soins de l’enfant, est favorable à la diminution des références tardives (OR=0,32 [0,17-0,59]). Les retombées de cette thèse se veulent des contributions à l’avancement des connaissances et ouvrent sur des propositions d’initiatives de transfert des connaissances auprès des professionnels de la première ligne. De telles initiatives visent la sensibilisation à cette condition de santé et le soutien à la prise de décision de même qu’une meilleure coordination des demandes de consultation pour une référence appropriée et en temps opportun.
Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) is the type of musculoskeletal deformity most frequently encountered in the pediatric population with a prevalence of approximately 2.0%. Since the Canadian school screening programs were discontinued in the 1980s, data detailing health service utilization or typical reference patterns for patients with suspected AIS are no longer available. Without such programs, changes in the utilization patterns of pediatric orthopedic specialized services are anticipated. The thesis therefore aims to study the appropriateness of referral of youths with suspected AIS. It comprises three main objectives: 1) To validate a measurement tool based on perceived morbidity (perception of the symptoms) in the orthopedic pediatric patient population, 2) To study the relationships between morbidity perceived by lay persons (the young patient and his parent), and the objective morbidity determined by medical professionals, 3) To characterize the healthcare service pathways of suspected AIS cases upstream of their first orthopedic consultation in order to define a taxonomy of the pathways and analyse their relationships with the appropriateness of referral. In 2006-2007, an extensive survey conducted in the five clinics serving southwest Quebec recruited 831 patients. They were categorized using criteria for the appropriateness of referral (inappropriate, appropriate or late) based on the amplitude of the main spinal curve and skeletal maturity at the first visit. Lay perceived morbidity was operationalized according to the seriousness, urgency, pain, self-image and general perceived health. Medical and paramedical visits upstream of the pediatric orthopedic consultation were documented with questionnaires to the families. Based on Andersen’s Health Behavior Model, the individual (facilitating and enabling), professional and systemic factors were considered as control variables in the study of associations between perceived morbidity or healthcare trajectories, and appropriateness of referral. The main conclusions of the thesis are: i) Reliable (Cronbach alpha between 0.79 and 0.86) and valid (construct, concurrent and discriminant validity) measurement tools are available to evaluate the perceived morbidity in the French-speaking adolescent population that consults in pediatric orthopedics, ii) Lay stakeholders play an important role in the suspicion of scoliosis (53% of cases) with their perceived morbidity directly related to the objective morbidity, and therefore associated to the appropriateness of referral, iii) The current orthopedic casemix is considered suboptimal with regards to the appropriateness of referral, and the actual mechanisms for reference are in fact responsible for a large number of inappropriate (38%) and late (18%) referrals to specialized pediatric orthopedic services, iv) Adolescents with suspected AIS consult with a wide range of health specialists resulting in a large variety of healthcare pathways upstream of the orthopedic consultation, and v) Continuity of healthcare services, mainly through a regular source of care for the child, is favourable to a reduction in late referrals (OR=0.32 [0.17-0.59]). This thesis is intended to contribute to the advancement of conceptual, empirical and applied knowledge leading to a series of knowledge translation initiatives targeting primary health care providers. Such initiatives have the potential to increase awareness of the condition, to support decision-making as well as to improve the coordination of consultation requests, thus promoting appropriateness and timeliness of referrals.