Articles

Organizing work in local service implementation: an ethnographic study of nurses’ contributions and competencies in implementing a municipal acute ward

The increased prevalence of chronic diseases and an ageing population challenge healthcare delivery, particularly hospital-based care. To address this issue, health policy aims to decentralize healthcare by tr...

Authors: Helle Krone-Hjertstrøm, Bente Norbye, Birgit Abelsen and Aud Obstfelder

Comparing the average cost of outpatient care of public and for-profit private providers in India

Understanding the cost of care associated with different kinds of healthcare providers is necessary for informing the policy debates in mixed health-systems like India’s. Existing studies reporting Out of Pock...

Authors: Samir Garg, Narayan Tripathi, Alok Ranjan and Kirtti Kumar Bebarta

Views of healthcare professionals on recruiting to a psychosocial randomised controlled trial: a qualitative study

Randomised controlled trials, and in particular those of psychosocial interventions, often fail to recruit to target, resulting in underpowered trials with poor generalisability of findings. The objectives of ...

Authors: Trefor Aspden, Megan Armstrong and Marc Serfaty

The cost burden of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis depending on biologic treatment status – a Danish register-based study

Patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease may be treated with biologics, depending on several medical and non-medical factors. This study investigated healthcare costs and production values of patient...

Authors: Sarah Alulis, Kasper Vadstrup, Jens Olsen, Tine Rikke Jørgensen, Niels Qvist, Pia Munkholm and Andras Borsi

From centralized DRG costing to decentralized TDABC-assessing the feasibility of hospital cost accounting for decision-making in Denmark

The objective is to examine hospital cost accounts to understand the foundation upon which healthcare decisions are based. More specifically, the aim is to add insights to accounting practices and their applic...

Authors: Margit Malmmose and Jogvan Pauli Lydersen

Patient and healthcare provider perspectives on adherence with antihypertensive medications: an exploratory qualitative study in Tanzania

Poor medication adherence is an extraordinarily common problem worldwide that contributes to inadequate control of many chronic diseases, including Hypertension (HT). Globally, less than 14% of the estimated 1...

Authors: Anbrasi Edward, Brady Campbell, Frank Manase and Lawrence J. Appel

Correction to: Rapid Cycle Implementation and Retrospective Evaluation of a SARS-CoV-2 Checklist in Labor and Delivery

Authors: Liana Zucco, Nadav Levy, Yunping Li, Toni Golen, Scott A. Shainker, Philip E. Hess and Satya Krishna Ramachandran

Antibiotic use and irrational antibiotic prescriptions in 66 primary healthcare institutions in Beijing City, China, 2015–2018

To identify the patterns of antibiotic use and irrational antibiotic prescriptions in primary healthcare institutions (PHIs) in Dongcheng District of Beijing, China.

Authors: Yumiti Taxifulati, Haishaerjiang Wushouer, Mengyuan Fu, Yue Zhou, Kexin Du, Xi Zhang, Yaoyao Yang, Bo Zheng, Xiaodong Guan and Luwen Shi

Health facilities’ readiness for safe surgical care provision in Uganda and the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo during Ebola and COVID-19 era

This study aimed to assess health facilities’ readiness to provide safe surgical care during Ebola and COVID-19 era in Uganda and in the Eastern DR Congo.

Authors: Franck Katembo Sikakulya, Robinson Ssebuufu, Albert Ahuka Ona Longombe, Xaviour Francis Okedi, Michel Kalongo Ilumbulumbu, Moise Muhindo Valimungighe, Furaha Nzanzu Blaise Pascal, Bienfait Mumbere Vahwere, Simon Binezero Mambo, Yusuf Mulumba, Anderson Muhindo Muhasa Muyisa, Fatuma Djuma Sonia, John Sekabira, Jane O. Fualal and Patrick Kyamanywa

Barriers to accessing health care among undocumented migrants in Sweden - a principal component analysis

Undocumented migrants face many hardships in their everyday life such as poor living conditions, discrimination, and lack of access to healthcare. Previous studies have demonstrated considerable health care ne...

Authors: Hatem Mona, Lena M.C. Andersson, Anders Hjern and Henry Ascher

Community health workers: challenges and vulnerabilities of Accredited Social Health Activists working in conflict-affected settings in the state of Assam, India

It is well acknowledged that India’s community health workers known as Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) are the bedrock of its health system. Many ASHAs are currently working in fragile and conflict-a...

Authors: Preety R Rajbangshi, Devaki Nambiar and Aradhana Srivastava

Exploring the barriers to pulmonary rehabilitation for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a qualitative study

The complexity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and its different physical, mental, familial, occupational, and social complications highlight the necessity of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) for ...

Authors: Ramin Sami, Kobra Salehi, Marzieh Hashemi and Vajihe Atashi

What impact does medicines shortages have on patients? A qualitative study exploring patients’ experience and views of healthcare professionals

The shortage of medicines represents a complex global phenomenon that triggers patient care and safety issues. The study was undertaken to explore the impact of medicines shortages on patients in Pakistan. The...

Authors: Muhammad Atif, Azka Sehar, Iram Malik, Irem Mushtaq, Nafees Ahmad and Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar

Association between post-hospital clinic and telephone follow-up provider visits with 30-day readmission risk in an integrated health system

Follow-up visits with clinic providers after hospital discharge may not be feasible for some patients due to functional limitations, transportation challenges, need for physical distancing, or fear of exposure...

Authors: Huong Q. Nguyen, Aileen Baecker, Timothy Ho, Dan N. Huynh, Heather L. Watson, Jing Li and Ernest Shen

‘Professional-supportive’ versus ‘economic-operational’ management: the relationship between leadership style and hospital physicians’ organisational climate

Health systems across the world have implemented reforms that call for a reconsideration of the role of management in hospitals, which is increasingly seen as important for performance. These reorganisation ef...

Authors: Pål E. Martinussen and Tonje Davidsen

Cost-utility analysis of trabecular micro-bypass stents (TBS) in patients with mild-to-moderate open-angle Glaucoma in Italy

Glaucoma is a disease characterized by progressive damage of the optic nerve. Several therapeutic options are available to lower intraocular pressure (IOP). In primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients with ...

Authors: Antonio Maria Fea, Francesco Cattel, Stefano Gandolfi, Giorgio Buseghin, Gianluca Furneri and Ciro Costagliola

Low costs and opportunities for efficiency: a cost analysis of the first year of programmatic PrEP delivery in Kenya’s public sector

In 2017, the Kenyan Ministry of Health integrated provision of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) into public HIV-1 care clinics as a key component of the national HIV-1 prevention strategy. Estimates of the cost...

Authors: Kathryn Peebles, Kenneth K. Mugwanya, Elizabeth Irungu, Josephine Odoyo, Elizabeth Wamoni, Jennifer F. Morton, Kenneth Ngure, Elizabeth A. Bukusi, Nelly R. Mugo, Sarah Masyuko, Irene Mukui, Jared M. Baeten and Ruanne V. Barnabas

The extent and barriers in providing pharmaceutical care services by community pharmacists in Malaysia: a cross-sectional study

Since the introduction of pharmaceutical care concept by Hepler and Strand in 1990, community pharmacists worldwide have been realigning their roles from being product-focused to patient-orientated to improve ...

Authors: Pengyeow Loh, Siew Siang Chua and Mahmathi Karuppannan

Using the WHO safe childbirth checklist to improve essential care delivery as part of the district-wide maternal and newborn health quality improvement initiative, a time series study

Care bundles are a set of three to five evidence-informed practices which, when performed collectively and reliably, may improve health system performance and patient care. To date, many studies conducted to i...

Authors: Befikadu Bitewulign, Dereje Abdissa, Zewdie Mulissa, Abiyou Kiflie, Mehiret Abate, Abera Biadgo, Haregeweyni Alemu, Meseret Zelalem, Munir Kassa, Gareth Parry and Hema Magge

The current and potential uses of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) data for primary health care performance measurement in the Canadian context: a qualitative analysis

Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) are a rich data source to measure and improve quality of care. As Canadian primary health care (PHC) EMRs mature, there is increasing potential use of EMR data for performance...

Authors: Erica Barbazza, Sara Allin, Mary Byrnes, Andrea D Foebel, Tanya Khan, Patricia Sidhom, Niek S Klazinga and Dionne S Kringos

Nurse practitioner led model of after-hours emergency care in an Australian rural urgent care Centre: health service stakeholder perceptions

The challenges of providing and accessing quality health care in rural regions have long been identified. Innovative solutions are not only required but are also vital if effective, timely and equitable access...

Authors: Elena Wilson, Lisa C. Hanson, Kathleen E. Tori and Byron M. Perrin

Birth preparedness and related factors: a cross-sectional study in Tanzania City area

Birth preparedness could be the key factor that influences the choice of birthplace with skilled birth attendants. To reduce the high maternal mortality of Tanzania, a large study was planned to develop a smar...

Authors: Yoko Shimpuku, Beatrice Mwilike, Keiko Ito, Dorkasi Mwakawanga, Naoki Hirose and Kazumi Kubota

Toolkit and distance coaching strategies: a mixed methods evaluation of a trial to implement care coordination quality improvement projects in primary care

Care coordination tools and toolkits can be challenging to implement. Practice facilitation, an active but expensive strategy, may facilitate toolkit implementation. We evaluated the comparative effectiveness ...

Authors: Lauren S. Penney, Purnima S. Bharath, Isomi Miake-Lye, Mei Leng, Tanya T. Olmos-Ochoa, Erin P. Finley, Neetu Chawla, Jenny M. Barnard and David A. Ganz

Modelling the cost of place of birth: a pathway analysis

In New South Wales (NSW), Australia there are three settings available for women at low risk of complications to give birth: home, birth centre and hospital. Between 2000 and 2012, 93.6% of babies were planned...

Authors: Vanessa L. Scarf, Serena Yu, Rosalie Viney, Seong Leang Cheah, Hannah Dahlen, David Sibbritt, Charlene Thornton, Sally Tracy and Caroline Homer

Naturopathic community clinics: an international cross-sectional survey

Globally, naturopathic practitioners offer services in 98 countries, reaching every world region and providing care to diverse populations for a range of acute and chronic health conditions. Community clinics ...

Authors: Iva Lloyd, Sophia Gerontakos and Valentina Cardozo

Description of the use of multicriteria to support pricing and reimbursement decisions by European health technology assessment bodies

Heterogeneity in drug access throughout Europe may be influenced by differences in drug-assessment strategies. The EUnetHTA’s assessment core model (EUnetHTA-core) and the EVIDEM’s multicriteria framework are ...

Authors: David Elvira, Mercè Obach and Caridad Pontes

Professionals’ responses to the introduction of AI innovations in radiology and their implications for future adoption: a qualitative study

Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovations in radiology offer a potential solution to the increasing demand for imaging tests and the ongoing workforce crisis. Crucial to their adoption is the involvement of dif...

Authors: Yaru Chen, Charitini Stavropoulou, Radhika Narasinkan, Adrian Baker and Harry Scarbrough

Interprofessional advanced access – a quality improvement protocol for expanding access to primary care services

The Advanced Access (AA) Model has shown considerable success in improving timely access for patients in primary care settings. As a result, a majority of family physicians have implemented AA in their organiz...

Authors: Isabelle Gaboury, Mylaine Breton, Kathy Perreault, François Bordeleau, Sarah Descôteaux, Lara Maillet, Catherine Hudon, Yves Couturier, Arnaud Duhoux, Brigitte Vachon, Benoit Cossette, Isabel Rodrigues, Marie-Eve Poitras, Christine Loignon and Helen-Maria Vasiliadis

Self-managed occupational therapy and physiotherapy for adults receiving inpatient rehabilitation (‘My Therapy’): protocol for a stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial

Ensuring patients receive an effective dose of therapeutic exercises and activities is a significant challenge for inpatient rehabilitation. My Therapy is a self-management program which encourages independent...

Authors: Natasha K. Brusco, Christina L. Ekegren, Nicholas F. Taylor, Keith D. Hill, Annemarie L. Lee, Lisa Somerville, Natasha A. Lannin, Derick Wade, Rania Abdelmotaleb, Libby Callaway, Sara L. Whittaker and Meg E. Morris

Self-managed occupational therapy and physiotherapy for adults receiving inpatient rehabilitation (‘My Therapy’): protocol for a mixed-methods process evaluation

Process evaluations have been recommended alongside clinical and economic evaluations to enable an in-depth understanding of factors impacting results. My Therapy is a self-management program designed to augme...

Authors: Sara L. Whittaker, Nicholas F. Taylor, Keith D. Hill, Christina L. Ekegren and Natasha K. Brusco

Association between care coordination tasks with non-VA community care and VA PCP burnout: an analysis of a national, cross-sectional survey

The scope of care coordination in VA primary care increased with the launch of the Veterans Choice Act, which aimed to increase access through greater use of non-VA Community Care. These changes may have overb...

Authors: Eric A. Apaydin, Danielle E. Rose, Michael R. McClean, Elizabeth M. Yano, Paul G. Shekelle, Karin M. Nelson and Susan E. Stockdale

Subjective strain of care experienced by pulmonary and critical care medical nurses when caring for patients with delirium: a cross-sectional study

Delirium, a disorder of consciousness, often occurs for a period of time during hospitalisation. It is characterised by a disturbance of attention or awareness. Hyperactive delirium may lead to accidental remo...

Authors: Hongyi Tan, Lihua Zhou, Shuang Wu, Qiyu Dong, Liu Yang, Jiao Xu, Sue Zhao, Xiaoshan Wang and Hongzhong Yang

Impact on decision making framework for medicine purchasing in Chinese public hospital decision-making: determining the value of five dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors

Medicine purchasing in Chinese public hospitals is decided by the hospital Pharmacy Management Committee (PMC), that is complex, subjective and requires efficient approaches to ensure transparency and consiste...

Authors: Yun Bao, Bei Gao, Min Meng, Bin Ge, Yan Yang, Chunchun Ding, Bingyin Shi and Limin Tian

Health services utilization of Chinese patients with Huntington’s disease: a cross-sectional study

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a hereditary disease which could have a large impact on patients’ quality of life. As the neurodegenerative disorders progress, HD patients are expected to regularly take follow-up...

Authors: Huiyi Ke, Xi Cao, Yanyan Song and Li Cao

Factors that shape the successful implementation of decommissioning programmes: an interview study with clinic managers

As a response to many years of repetitive budget deficits, Region Dalarna in Sweden started a restructuring process in 2015, and implemented a decommissioning programme to achieve a balanced budget until 2019....

Authors: Inga-Britt Gustafsson, Ulrika Winblad, Lars Wallin and Mio Fredriksson

Social workers’ perspectives on a medical home model for children and adolescents in out of home care – an interview study

This study seeks to explore how social workers have perceived and experienced a medical home model for children and adolescents in out-of-home care in Uppsala County, Sweden.

Authors: Nina Johansson, Karin Fängström and Georgina Warner

Quality improvement studies in nursing homes: a scoping review

Quality improvement (QI) is used in nursing homes (NH) to implement and sustain improvements in patient outcomes. Little is known about how QI strategies are used in NHs. This lack of information is a barrier ...

Authors: Mark Toles, Cathleen Colón-Emeric, Elizabeth Moreton, Lauren Frey and Jennifer Leeman

Proactive integrated virtual healthcare resource use in primary care

Proactive integrated virtual healthcare resource (VHR) use can improve efficiency, maximize resource capacity for delivering optimal coordinated care and improve patient outcomes. Proactive integrated VHR use ...

Authors: Jolie N. Haun, Bridget A. Cotner, Christine Melillo, Vanessa Panaite, William Messina, Shilpa Patel-Teague and Brian Zilka

Cost analysis of eye bank versus surgeon prepared endothelial grafts

Selective lamellar corneal transplantation (keratoplasty) has overtaken full thickness penetrating keratoplasty as the graft choice for endothelial failure. Even more recently eye bank prepared tissues are bec...

Authors: Luca Pagano, Kunal A Gadhvi, Mohit Parekh, Giulia Coco, Hannah J Levis, Diego Ponzin, Stefano Ferrari, Gianni Virgili, Stephen B Kaye, Rhiannon T Edwards and Vito Romano

Designing a system for performance appraisal: balancing physicians’ accountability and professional development

In many healthcare systems, physicians are accustomed to periodically participate in individual performance appraisals to guide their professional development. For the purpose of revalidation, or maintenance o...

Authors: Elisa Bindels, Benjamin Boerebach, Renée Scheepers, Annemiek Nooteboom, Albert Scherpbier, Sylvia Heeneman and Kiki Lombarts

Barriers to medication adherence in a rural-urban dual economy: a multi-stakeholder qualitative study

One of the most cost-effective treatments for secondary prevention of stroke and other non-communicable diseases is a long-term medication regimen. However, the complexities of medication adherence extend far ...

Authors: Jacqueline Xu, Mengxi Zhao, Athina Vrosgou, Natalie Chin Wen Yu, Chelsea Liu, Han Zhang, Chunxi Ding, Noelle Wyman Roth, Yuesong Pan, Liping Liu, Yilong Wang, Yongjun Wang and Janet Prvu Bettger

Exploring the perspectives of members of international tuberculosis control and research networks on the impact of COVID-19 on tuberculosis services: a cross sectional survey

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruption to healthcare services globally and has impacted on tuberculosis (TB) patients and TB diagnosis and treatment services both in low- and high-income countries. ...

Authors: Oluwatosin Nkereuwem, Esin Nkereuwem, Arnauld Fiogbe, Eno E. Usoroh, Abdou K. Sillah, Olumuyiwa Owolabi, Marc Tebruegge, Abdoulie Badjan, Beate Kampmann and Toyin Togun

Facility-level conditions leading to higher reach: a configurational analysis of national VA weight management programming

While the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) MOVE! weight management program is effective in helping patients lose weight and is available at every VHA medical center across the United States, reaching patie...

Authors: Edward J. Miech, Michelle B. Freitag, Richard R. Evans, Jennifer A. Burns, Wyndy L. Wiitala, Ann Annis, Susan D. Raffa, Stephanie A. Spohr and Laura J. Damschroder

Stakeholders perceptions regarding implementing maternal and newborn health care programs in Rwanda

While maternal and newborn deaths has been decreasing since 2008 in Rwanda, there is room for improvement to meet its sustainable development goals. The maternal and newborn health care program needs to be mon...

Authors: Clemence Nishimwe and Gugu G. Mchunu

Existing barriers to utilization of health services for maternal and newborn care in rural Western Kenya

Understanding the existing barriers to utilization of maternal and newborn health care services can inform improvement of care services in the rural settings in sub-Saharan Africa. However, how unintended preg...

Authors: George Ayodo, George O. Onyango, Salome Wawire and Nadia Diamond-Smith

Provision of cervical cancer prevention services in Northern Uganda: a survey of health workers from rural health centres

Cervical cancer is the leading cancer among Ugandan women, contributing to 40 % of all cancer cases recorded in the cancer registry. Having identified the substantial impact of cervical cancer among Ugandan wo...

Authors: James Henry Obol, Sophia Lin, Mark James Obwolo, Reema Harrison and Robyn Richmond

An integrated mixed methods approach to clarifying delivery, receipt and potential benefits of CHW-facilitated social support in a health promotion intervention

Social support plays a critical role in physical and emotional health, making it an important component of community health worker (CHW) health promotion interventions. Different types of support operate in di...

Authors: Maia Ingram, Kiera Coulter, Kevin Doubleday, Cynthia Espinoza, Floribella Redondo, Ada M. Wilkinson-Lee, Abby M. Lohr and Scott C. Carvajal

Organisational responses to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on healthcare workers: a qualitative case study from Bogotá, Colombia

Healthcare organisations have undergone organisational change to respond to COVID-19. This pandemic has presented challenges for employee adjustment, with impacts on the availability and coordination of human ...

Authors: Simon Turner, Natalia Niño, Carolina Segura and Natalia Botero-Tovar

Nurses’ and occupational therapists’ experiences of conducting a home-based psychosocial intervention following stroke: a qualitative process evaluation

Persons with stroke are susceptible to psychosocial problems, and express disappointment at how health care professionals fail to meet their psychosocial needs following discharge to home. The responsibility o...

Authors: Randi Martinsen, Gabriele Kitzmüller, Margrete Mangset, Kari Kvigne, Anne Svelstad Evju, Berit Arnesveen Bronken, Line Kildal Bragstad, Ellen Gabrielsen Hjelle, Unni Sveen and Marit Kirkevold

Uncovering the treatable burden of severe aortic stenosis in Australia: current and future projections within an ageing population

We aimed to address the paucity of information describing the treatable burden of disease associated with severe aortic stenosis (AS) within Australia’s ageing population.

Authors: Geoff Strange, Gregory M. Scalia, David Playford and Stewart Simon