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Kierkegaard P, Owen-Smith J. Determinants of physician networks: an ethnographic study examining the processes that inform patterns of collaboration and referral decision-making among physicians. BMJ Open 2021; 11:e042334. [PMID: 33402408 PMCID: PMC7786804 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-042334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Most scholarly attention to studying collaborative ties in physician networks has been devoted to quantitatively analysing large, complex datasets. While valuable, such studies can reduce the dynamic and contextual complexities of physician collaborations to numerical values. Qualitative research strategies can contribute to our understanding by addressing the gaps left by more quantitative approaches. This study seeks to contribute to the literature that applies network science approaches to the context of healthcare delivery. We use qualitative, observational and interview, methods to pursue an in-depth, micro-level approach to the deeply social and discursive processes that influence patterns of collaboration and referral decision-making in physician networks. DESIGN Qualitative methodologies that paired ethnographic field observations, semistructured interviews and document analysis were used. An inductive thematic analysis approach was used to analyse, identify and describe patterns in those data. SETTING This study took place in a high-volume cardiovascular department at a major academic medical centre (AMC) located in the Midwest region of the USA. PARTICIPANTS Purposive and snowballing sampling were used to recruit study participants for both the observational and face-to-face in-depth interview portions of the study. In total, 25 clinicians and 43 patients participated in this study. RESULTS Two primary thematic categories were identified: (1) circumstances for external engagement; and (2) clinical conditions for engagement. Thematic subcategories included community engagement, scientific engagement, reputational value, experiential information, professional identity, self-awareness of competence, multidisciplinary programmes and situational factors. CONCLUSION This study adds new contextual knowledge about the mechanisms that characterise referral decision-making processes and how these impact the meaning of physician relationships, organisation of healthcare delivery and the knowledge and beliefs that physicians have about their colleagues. This study highlights the nuances that influence how new collaborative networks are formed and maintained by detailing how relationships among physicians develop and evolve over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Kierkegaard
- NIHR London In Vitro Diagnostics Co-operative, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK
- CRUK Convergence Science Centre, Institute of Cancer Research & Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Jason Owen-Smith
- Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Sociology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Luther EM, McCarthy D, Berry KM, Rajulapati N, Shah AH, Eichberg DG, Komotar RJ, Ivan M. Hospital teaching status associated with reduced inpatient mortality and perioperative complications in surgical neuro-oncology. J Neurooncol 2020; 146:389-396. [PMID: 31939029 DOI: 10.1007/s11060-020-03395-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Studies have demonstrated that higher surgical volumes correlate with improved neurosurgical outcomes yet none exist evaluating the effects of hospital teaching status on the surgical neuro-oncology patient. We present the first analysis comparing brain tumor surgery perioperative outcomes at academic and non-teaching centers. METHODS Brain tumor surgeries in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) from 1998 to 2014 were identified. A teaching hospital, defined by the NIS, must have ≥ 1 Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) approved residency programs, Council of Teaching Hospitals membership, or have a ratio ≥ 0.25 of full-time residents to hospital beds. Annual treatment trends were stratified by hospital teaching status, assessing yearly caseload with linear regression. Multivariable logistic regression determined predictors of inpatient mortality/complications. Hospitals were further divided into quartiles by case volume and teaching status was compared in each. RESULTS Teaching hospitals (THs) exhibited an average annual increase in brain tumor surgeries (+ 1057/year, p < 0.0001). In multivariable analysis, teaching status was associated with decreased risk of mortality (OR 0.82, p = 0.0003) and increased likelihood of discharge home (OR 1.21, p < 0.0001). In subgroup analysis, within the highest hospital quartile by caseload, higher mortality rates and lower routine discharges were again seen at non-teaching hospitals (NTHs) (p = 0.0002 and p = 0.0016, respectively). CONCLUSION THs are performing more brain tumor surgeries over time with lower rates of inpatient mortality and perioperative complications even after controlling for hospital case volume. These results suggest a shift in neuro-oncology practice patterns favoring THs to optimize patient outcomes especially at the highest volume centers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan M Luther
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Lois Pope Life Center, 2nd floor, 1095 NW 14th Terrace, Miami, FL, 33136, USA.
| | - David McCarthy
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Lois Pope Life Center, 2nd floor, 1095 NW 14th Terrace, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Katherine M Berry
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Lois Pope Life Center, 2nd floor, 1095 NW 14th Terrace, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Nikhil Rajulapati
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Lois Pope Life Center, 2nd floor, 1095 NW 14th Terrace, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Ashish H Shah
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Lois Pope Life Center, 2nd floor, 1095 NW 14th Terrace, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Daniel G Eichberg
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Lois Pope Life Center, 2nd floor, 1095 NW 14th Terrace, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Ricardo J Komotar
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Lois Pope Life Center, 2nd floor, 1095 NW 14th Terrace, Miami, FL, 33136, USA.,Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Health System, 1475 NW 12th Avenue, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Michael Ivan
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Lois Pope Life Center, 2nd floor, 1095 NW 14th Terrace, Miami, FL, 33136, USA.,Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Health System, 1475 NW 12th Avenue, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
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