Impact of mental disorders on unplanned readmissions for congestive heart failure patients: a population-level study

AIMS

Reducing preventable hospitalization for congestive heart failure (CHF) patients is a challenge for health systems worldwide. CHF patients who also have a recent or ongoing mental disorder may have worse health outcomes compared with CHF patients with no mental disorders. This study examined the impact of mental disorders on 28 day unplanned readmissions of CHF patients.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This retrospective cohort study used population-level linked public and private hospitalization and death data of adults aged ≥18 years who had a CHF admission in New South Wales, Australia, between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2020. Individuals' mental disorder diagnosis and Charlson comorbidity and hospital frailty index scores were derived from admission records. Competing risk and cause-specific risk analyses were conducted to examine the impact of having a mental disorder diagnosis on all-cause hospital readmission. Of the 65 861 adults with index CHF admission discharged alive (mean age: 78.6 ± 12.1; 48% female), 19.2% (12 675) had at least one unplanned readmission within 28 days following discharge. Adults with CHF with a mental disorder diagnosis within 12 months had a higher risk of 28 day all-cause unplanned readmission [hazard ratio (HR): 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.15-1.27, P-value < 0.001], particularly those with anxiety disorder (HR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.35-1.65, P-value < 0.001). CHF patients aged ≥85 years (HR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.11-1.28), having ≥3 other comorbidities (HR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.25-1.46), and having an intermediate (HR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.28-1.40) or high (HR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.27-1.47) frailty score on admission had a higher risk of unplanned readmission. CHF patients with a mental disorder who have ≥3 other comorbidities and an intermediate frailty score had the highest probability of unplanned readmission (29.84%, 95% CI: 24.68-35.73%) after considering other patient-level factors and competing events.

CONCLUSIONS

CHF patients who had a mental disorder diagnosis in the past 12 months are more likely to be readmitted compared with those without a mental disorder diagnosis. CHF patients with frailty and a mental disorder have the highest probability of readmission. Addressing mental health care services in CHF patient's discharge plan could potentially assist reduce unplanned readmissions.

Implementation of large, multi-site hospital interventions: a realist evaluation of strategies for developing capability

BACKGROUND

This study presents guidelines for implementation distilled from the findings of a realist evaluation. The setting was local health districts in New South Wales, Australia that implemented three clinical improvement initiatives as part of a state-wide program. We focussed on implementation strategies designed to develop health professionals' capability to deliver value-based care initiatives for multisite programs. Capability, which increases implementers' ability to cope with unexpected scenarios is key to managing change.

METHODS

We used a mixed methods realist evaluation which tested and refined program theories elucidating the complex dynamic between context (C), mechanism (M) and outcome (O) to determine what works, for whom, under what circumstances. Data was drawn from program documents, a realist synthesis, informal discussions with implementation designers, and interviews with 10 key informants (out of 37 identified) from seven sites. Data analysis employed a retroductive approach to interrogate the causal factors identified as contributors to outcomes.

RESULTS

CMO statements were refined for four initial program theories: Making it Relevant- where participation in activities was increased when targeted to the needs of the staff; Investment in Quality Improvement- where engagement in capability development was enhanced when it was valued by all levels of the organisation; Turnover and Capability Loss- where the effects of staff turnover were mitigated; and Community-Wide Priority- where there was a strategy of spanning sites. From these data five guiding principles for implementers were distilled: (1) Involve all levels of the health system to effectively implement large-scale capability development, (2) Design capability development activities in a way that supports a learning culture, (3) Plan capability development activities with staff turnover in mind, (4) Increased capability should be distributed across teams to avoid bottlenecks in workflows and the risk of losing key staff, (5) Foster cross-site collaboration to focus effort, reduce variation in practice and promote greater cohesion in patient care.

CONCLUSIONS

A key implementation strategy for interventions to standardise high quality practice is development of clinical capability. We illustrate how leadership support, attention to staff turnover patterns, and making activities relevant to current issues, can lead to an emergent learning culture.

Improving emergency department care for adults presenting with mental illness: a systematic review of strategies and their impact on outcomes, experience, and performance

Background

Care delivery for the increasing number of people presenting at hospital emergency departments (EDs) with mental illness is a challenging issue. This review aimed to synthesise the research evidence associated with strategies used to improve ED care delivery outcomes, experience, and performance for adults presenting with mental illness.

Method

We systematically reviewed the evidence regarding the effects of ED-based interventions for mental illness on patient outcomes, patient experience, and system performance, using a comprehensive search strategy designed to identify published empirical studies. Systematic searches in Scopus, Ovid Embase, CINAHL, and Medline were conducted in September 2023 (from inception; review protocol was prospectively registered in Prospero CRD42023466062). Eligibility criteria were as follows: (1) primary research study, published in English; and (2) (a) reported an implemented model of care or system change within the hospital ED context, (b) focused on adult mental illness presentations, and (c) evaluated system performance, patient outcomes, patient experience, or staff experience. Pairs of reviewers independently assessed study titles, abstracts, and full texts according to pre-established inclusion criteria with discrepancies resolved by a third reviewer. Independent reviewers extracted data from the included papers using Covidence (2023), and the quality of included studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute suite of critical appraisal tools.

Results

A narrative synthesis was performed on the included 46 studies, comprising pre-post (n = 23), quasi-experimental (n = 6), descriptive (n = 6), randomised controlled trial (RCT; n = 3), cohort (n = 2), cross-sectional (n = 2), qualitative (n = 2), realist evaluation (n = 1), and time series analysis studies (n = 1). Eleven articles focused on presentations related to substance use disorder presentation, 9 focused on suicide and deliberate self-harm presentations, and 26 reported mental illness presentations in general. Strategies reported include models of care (e.g., ED-initiated Medications for Opioid Use Disorder, ED-initiated social support, and deliberate self-harm), decision support tools, discharge and transfer refinements, case management, adjustments to liaison psychiatry services, telepsychiatry, changes to roles and rostering, environmental changes (e.g., specialised units within the ED), education, creation of multidisciplinary teams, and care standardisations. System performance measures were reported in 33 studies (72%), with fewer studies reporting measures of patient outcomes (n = 19, 41%), patient experience (n = 10, 22%), or staff experience (n = 14, 30%). Few interventions reported outcomes across all four domains. Heterogeneity in study samples, strategies, and evaluated outcomes makes adopting existing strategies challenging.

Conclusion

Care for mental illness is complex, particularly in the emergency setting. Strategies to provide care must align ED system goals with patient goals and staff experience.

Consumer and provider perceptions of the specialist unit model of care: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Specialist care units cater to targeted cohorts of patients, applying evidence-based practice to people with a specific condition (e.g., dementia) or meeting other specific criteria (e.g., children). This paper aimed to collate perceptions of local consumers and health providers around specialist care units, as a model of care that may be considered for a new local healthcare facility.

METHODS

This was a qualitative study using two-hour workshops and interviews to collect data. Participants were consumers and health providers in the planned facility's catchment: 49 suburbs in metropolitan Australia. Consumers and health providers were recruited through advertisements and emails. An initial survey collected demographic details. Consumers and health providers participated in separate two-hour workshops in which a scenario around the specialist unit model was presented and discussion on benefits, barriers and enablers of the model was led by researchers. Detailed notes were taken for analysis.

RESULTS

Five consumer workshops (n = 22 participants) and five health provider workshops (n = 42) were conducted. Participants were representative of this culturally diverse region. Factors identified by participants as relevant to the specialist unit model of care included: accessibility; a perceived narrow scope of practice; coordination with other services; resources and infrastructure; and awareness and expectations of the units. Some factors identified as risks or barriers when absent were identified as strengths and enablers when present by both groups of participants.

CONCLUSIONS

Positive views of the model centred on the higher perceived quality of care received in the units. Negative views centred on a perceived narrow scope of care and lack of flexibility. Consumers hinted, and providers stated explicitly, that the model needed to be complemented by an integrated model of care model to enable continuity of care and easy transfer of patients into and out of the specialist unit.

Patient safety and quality care for children with intellectual disability: An action research study

Children with intellectual disability experience significant challenges in accessing and receiving high-quality healthcare leading to poorer health outcomes and negative patient experiences. Families of these children often report a need for healthcare staff to better understand, communicate, and collaborate for better care while staff acknowledge a lack of training. To address this, we utilised an action research framework with a pre- and post- survey to evaluate an integrated continuing professional development and quality improvement program combining strategies from education, behavioural psychology and quality improvement that was delivered in two departments within a tertiary children's Hospital in Metropolitan Sydney in 2019-2020. Parents reported noticeable changes in the clinical practice of staff, and staff acknowledged and attributed their shift in behaviour to raising awareness and discussions around necessary adaptations. The program demonstrates a novel method for knowledge translation to practice and systems improvements.

Using a theory informed approach to design, execute, and evaluate implementation strategies to support offering reproductive genetic carrier screening in Australia

BACKGROUND

Health care professionals play a central role in offering reproductive genetic carrier screening but face challenges when integrating the offer into practice. The aim of this study was to design, execute, and evaluate theory-informed implementation strategies to support health care professionals in offering carrier screening.

METHODS

An exploratory multi-method approach was systematically employed based on the Theoretical Domain Framework (TDF). Implementation strategies were designed by aligning TDF barriers reported by health care professionals involved in a large carrier screening study, to behaviour change techniques combined with study genetic counsellors' experiential knowledge. The strategies were trialled with a subset of health care professionals and evaluated against controls, using findings from questionnaires and interviews with healthcare professionals. The primary outcome measure was the number of couples who initiated enrolment.

RESULTS

Health care professionals (n = 151) reported barriers in the TDF Domains of skills, e.g., lack of practice in offering screening, and challenges of environmental context and resources, e.g., lack of time, which informed the design of a skills video and a waiting room poster using the TDF-behaviour change technique linking tool. Following implementation, (Skills video n = 29 vs control n = 31 and Poster n = 46 vs control n = 34) TDF barrier scores decreased across all groups and little change was observed in the primary outcome measure. The skills video, though welcomed by health care professionals, was reportedly too long at seven minutes. The waiting room poster was seen as easily implementable.

CONCLUSIONS

As carrier screening moves towards mainstream healthcare, health care professionals report barriers to offering screening. To meet their needs, developing and testing experiential and theory-informed strategies that acknowledge contextual factors are essential.

Supporting healthcare professionals to offer reproductive genetic carrier screening: a behaviour change theory approach

BACKGROUND

As reproductive genetic carrier screening (RGCS) becomes more widely accessible, ensuring uptake by primary healthcare professionals (HCPs) is essential to equitable service provision. This study aimed to identify and prioritise implementation strategies to reduce barriers and support HCPs to routinely offer RGCS in Australia.

METHODS

HCPs (n =990) involved in a large national research study, offering couples-based RGCS, were surveyed at three time points: prior to offering RGCS through the study (Survey 1: Barriers); 8+weeks after offering to their patients (Survey 2: Possible supports); and towards the end of the study (Survey 3: Prioritised supports). HCPs were from primary care (e.g. general practice, midwifery) and tertiary care (e.g. fertility, genetics) settings. Results were analysed via a novel approach of using behaviour change theory (Capability, Opportunity and Motivation - COM.B) to align theory to practice.

RESULTS

Survey 1 (n =599) identified four barrier themes: time constraints, lack of HCP knowledge and skill, patient receptivity, and HCP's perceived value of RGCS. Survey 2 (n =358) identified 31 supports that could facilitate HCPs offering RGCS. Survey 3 (n =390) was analysed separately by speciality and clinic location. Prioritised supports for primary care HCPs were 'regular continuing professional development activities' and 'a comprehensive website to direct patients for information'. There was general accordance with the perceived importance of the supports, although some difference in relation to funding between professional groups and clinic locations.

CONCLUSION

This study identified a range of supports acceptable to HCPs across specialties and geographic locations that policymakers may use to direct efforts to ensure the roll out of RGCS is equitable across Australia.

What factors are considered in hospital funding models? A review of the literature on health services funding in organisation for economic co-operation and development countries

BACKGROUND

One of the most difficult challenges in healthcare involves equitable allocation of resources. Our review aimed to identify international funding models in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries for government-funded public hospitals and evidence underpinning their efficacy, via review of the peer-reviewed and grey literature.

METHODS

Ovid-Medline, Ovid Embase, Scopus, and PubMed were searched for peer-reviewed literature. Advanced Google searches and targeted hand searches of relevant organisational websites identified grey literature. Inclusion criteria were: English language, published between 2011 and 2022, and that the article: (1) focused on healthcare funding; (2) reported on or identified specific factors, indexes, algorithms or formulae associated with healthcare funding; and (3) referred to countries that are members of the OECD, excluding the United States (US).

RESULTS

For peer-reviewed literature 1189 abstracts and 35 full-texts were reviewed; six articles met the inclusion criteria. For grey literature, 2996 titles or abstracts and 37 full-texts were reviewed; five articles met the inclusion criteria. Healthcare funding arrangements employed in 15 OECD countries (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom [UK; specifically, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland]) were identified, but papers reported population-based funding arrangements for specific regions rather than hospital-specific models.

CONCLUSIONS

While some models adjusted for deprivation and ethnicity factors, none of the identified documents reported on health systems that adjusted funding allocation for social determinants such as health literacy levels.

The rise of resilient healthcare research during COVID-19: scoping review of empirical research

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many multi-faceted challenges to the maintenance of service quality and safety, highlighting the need for resilient and responsive healthcare systems more than ever before. This review examined empirical investigations of Resilient Health Care (RHC) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim to: identify key areas of research; synthesise findings on capacities that develop RHC across system levels (micro, meso, macro); and identify reported adverse consequences of the effort of maintaining system performance on system agents (healthcare workers, patients).

METHODS

Three academic databases were searched (Medline, EMBASE, Scopus) from 1st January 2020 to 30th August 2022 using keywords pertaining to: systems resilience and related concepts; healthcare and healthcare settings; and COVID-19. Capacities that developed and enhanced systems resilience were synthesised using a hybrid inductive-deductive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Fifty publications were included in this review. Consistent with previous research, studies from high-income countries and the use of qualitative methods within the context of hospitals, dominated the included studies. However, promising developments have been made, with an emergence of studies conducted at the macro-system level, including the development of quantitative tools and indicator-based modelling approaches, and the increased involvement of low- and middle-income countries in research (LMIC). Concordant with previous research, eight key resilience capacities were identified that can support, develop or enhance resilient performance, namely: structure, alignment, coordination, learning, involvement, risk awareness, leadership, and communication. The need for healthcare workers to constantly learn and make adaptations, however, had potentially adverse physical and emotional consequences for healthcare workers, in addition to adverse effects on routine patient care.

CONCLUSIONS

This review identified an upsurge in new empirical studies on health system resilience associated with COVID-19. The pandemic provided a unique opportunity to examine RHC in practice, and uncovered emerging new evidence on RHC theory and system factors that contribute to resilient performance at micro, meso and macro levels. These findings will enable leaders and other stakeholders to strengthen health system resilience when responding to future challenges and unexpected events.

Scaling-up and future sustainability of a national reproductive genetic carrier screening program

An understanding of factors influencing implementation is essential to realise the benefits of population-based reproductive genetic carrier screening programs. The aim of this study was to synthesise data collected during the Australian Reproductive Genetic Carrier Screening Project (Mackenzie's Mission) to track how priorities shifted over time and identify important factors during scaling-up and for sustainment. We used a multi-method qualitative approach to integrate longitudinal project data collected from 10 project committees with 16 semi-structured interviews conducted with study team members. Both datasets were analysed using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to identify constructs of interest within early, mid-point, and future implementation phases. Several CFIR constructs were present across implementation. The complexity of implementation presented challenges that were overcome through a quality-designed and packaged product, formal and informal networks and communication, and access to knowledge and information. Addressing the diverse consumer needs through resources and increasing community and non-genetic speciality engagement remained a priority throughout and for future sustainment. Going forward, further addressing program complexities and securing funding were emphasised. By applying an implementation framework, findings from this study may be useful for future effort towards building and/or sustaining reproductive genetic carrier screening programs.

Implementation of consensus-based perioperative care pathways to reduce clinical variation for elective surgery in an Australian private hospital: a mixed-methods pre-post study protocol

INTRODUCTION

Addressing clinical variation in elective surgery is challenging. A key issue is how to gain consensus between largely autonomous clinicians. Understanding how the consensus process works to develop and implement perioperative pathways and the impact of these pathways on reducing clinical variation can provide important insights into the effectiveness of the consensus process. The primary objective of this study is to understand the implementation of an organisationally supported, consensus approach to implement perioperative care pathways in a private healthcare facility and to determine its impact.

METHODS

A mixed-methods Effectiveness-Implementation Hybrid (type III) pre-post study will be conducted in one Australian private hospital. Five new consensus-based perioperative care pathways will be developed and implemented for specific patient cohorts: spinal surgery, radical prostatectomy, cardiac surgery, bariatric surgery and total hip and knee replacement. The individual components of these pathways will be confirmed as part of a consensus-building approach and will follow a four-stage implementation process using the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation and Sustainment framework. The process of implementation, as well as barriers and facilitators, will be evaluated through semistructured interviews and focus groups with key clinical and non-clinical staff, and participant observation. We anticipate completing 30 interviews and 15-20 meeting observations. Administrative and clinical end-points for at least 152 participants will be analysed to assess the effectiveness of the pathways.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This study received ethical approval from Macquarie University Human Research Ethics Medical Sciences Committee (Reference No: 520221219542374). The findings of this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and reports for key stakeholders.

What do healthcare staff think about the quality and safety of care provided to children and young people with an intellectual disability? A qualitative study using the framework method of analysis

OBJECTIVE

To elicit patient safety issues pertaining to children and young people with intellectual disability in hospital from healthcare staff perspectives. This follows a previous paper of parent interviews of patient safety experiences of their child in hospital.

DESIGN

Qualitative study.

SETTING

We conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups of staff of tertiary children's hospitals based on the domains of the Patient Safety Education Framework and using the framework methodology for data analysis.

PARTICIPANTS

There were 29 female and 7 male staff aged between 27 and 70 years from a range of departments and specialties including ancillary staff.

INTERVENTION

Questions based on the patient safety framework were developed from consultation with parents, researchers and clinicians exploring staff views and experiences of safety and quality care of these children in hospital. During April 2021 to May 2022, 22 interviews and 3 focus groups were conducted of staff who have had experience caring for children and young people with intellectual disability in the last 12 months in the hospital.

RESULTS

Key themes elicited include Definition of Safety, Need to consider additional vulnerabilities of children and young people with intellectual disability in hospital, Communication is key to safe care, Parent and family perspectives on safe care, Management challenges compromising safety and Service system gaps in preventing, identifying and managing risk.

CONCLUSIONS

Staff need to consider additional vulnerabilities, mitigate negative attitudes and biases towards better engagement and relationships with parents, children and young people of this population. Improvement of current systems that prevent the identification, prevention and management of risk and safety issues for this population need to be undertaken. Future developments include combining data from parent interviews, academic and grey literature in developing safety competencies in this population for training and education of staff across the health system.

Aligning intuition and theory: a novel approach to identifying the determinants of behaviours necessary to support implementation of evidence into practice

BACKGROUND

Disentangling the interplay between experience-based intuition and theory-informed implementation is crucial for identifying the direct contribution theory can make for generating behaviour changes needed for successful evidence translation. In the context of 'clinicogenomics', a complex and rapidly evolving field demanding swift practice change, we aimed to (a) describe a combined clinician intuition- and theory-driven method for identifying determinants of and strategies for implementing clinicogenomics, and (b) articulate a structured approach to standardise hypothesised behavioural pathways and make potential underlying theory explicit.

METHODS

Interview data from 16 non-genetic medical specialists using genomics in practice identified three target behaviour areas across the testing process: (1) identifying patients, (2) test ordering and reporting, (3) communicating results. The Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) was used to group barriers and facilitators to performing these actions. Barriers were grouped by distinct TDF domains, with 'overarching' TDF themes identified for overlapping barriers. Clinician intuitively-derived implementation strategies were matched with corresponding barriers, and retrospectively coded against behaviour change techniques (BCTs). Where no intuitive strategies were provided, theory-driven strategies were generated. An algorithm was developed and applied to articulate how implementation strategies address barriers to influence behaviour change.

RESULTS

Across all target behaviour areas, 32 identified barriers were coded across seven distinct TDF domains and eight overarching TDF themes. Within the 29 intuitive strategies, 21 BCTs were represented and used on 49 occasions to address 23 barriers. On 10 (20%) of these occasions, existing empirical links were found between BCTs and corresponding distinct TDF-coded barriers. Twenty additional theory-driven implementation strategies (using 19 BCTs on 31 occasions) were developed to address nine remaining barriers.

CONCLUSION

Clinicians naturally generate their own solutions when implementing clinical interventions, and in this clinicogenomics example these intuitive strategies aligned with theoretical recommendations 20% of the time. We have matched intuitive strategies with theory-driven BCTs to make potential underlying theory explicit through proposed structured hypothesised causal pathways. Transparency and efficiency are enhanced, providing a novel method to identify determinants of implementation. Operationalising this approach to support the design of implementation strategies may optimise practice change in response to rapidly evolving scientific advances requiring swift translation into healthcare.

Systems resilience in the implementation of a large-scale suicide prevention intervention: a qualitative study using a multilevel theoretical approach

BACKGROUND

Resilience, the capacity to adapt and respond to challenges and disturbances, is now considered fundamental to understanding how healthcare systems maintain required levels of performance across varying conditions. Limited research has examined healthcare resilience in the context of implementing healthcare improvement programs across multiple system levels, particularly within community-based mental health settings or systems. In this study, we explored resilient characteristics across varying system levels (individual, team, management) during the implementation of a large-scale community-based suicide prevention intervention.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews (n=53) were conducted with coordinating teams from the four intervention regions and the central implementation management team. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed, and imported into NVivo for analysis. A thematic analysis of eight transcripts involving thirteen key personnel was conducted using a deductive approach to identify characteristics of resilience across multiple system levels and an inductive approach to uncover both impediments to, and strategies that supported, resilient performance during the implementation of the suicide prevention intervention.

RESULTS

Numerous impediments to resilient performance were identified (e.g., complexity of the intervention, and incompatible goals and priorities between system levels). Consistent with the adopted theoretical framework, indicators of resilient performance relating to anticipation, sensemaking, adaptation and tradeoffs were identified at multiple system levels. At each of the system levels, distinctive strategies were identified that promoted resilience. At the individual and team levels, several key strategies were used by the project coordinators to promote resilience, such as building relationships and networks and carefully prioritising available resources. At the management level, strategies included teambuilding, collaborative learning, building relationships with external stakeholders, monitoring progress and providing feedback. The results also suggested that resilience at one level can shape resilience at other levels in complex ways; most notably we identified that there can be a downside to resilience, with negative consequences including stress and burnout, among individuals enacting resilience.

CONCLUSIONS

The importance of considering resilience from a multilevel systems perspective, as well as implications for theory and future research, are discussed.

Experience-based codesign approach to improve care in Australian emergency departments for complex consumer cohorts: the MyED project protocol, Stages 1.1-1.3

INTRODUCTION

Emergency department (ED) care must adapt to meet current and future demands. In Australia, ED quality measures (eg, prolonged length of stay, re-presentations or patient experience) are worse for older adults with multiple comorbidities, people who have a disability, those who present with a mental health condition, Indigenous Australians, and those with a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background. Strengthened ED performance relies on understanding the social and systemic barriers and preferences for care of these different cohorts, and identifying viable solutions that may result in sustained improvement by service providers. A collaborative 5-year project (MyED) aims to codesign, with ED users and providers, new or adapted models of care that improve ED performance, improve patient outcomes and improve patient experience for these five cohorts.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

Experience-based codesign using mixed methods, set in three hospitals in one health district in Australia. This protocol introduces the staged and incremental approach to the whole project, and details the first research elements: ethnographic observations at the ED care interface, interviews with providers and interviews with two patient cohorts-older adults and adults with a CALD background. We aim to sample a diverse range of participants, carefully tailoring recruitment and support.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethics approval has been obtained from the Western Sydney Local Health District Human Research Ethics Committee (2022/PID02749-2022/ETH02447). Prior informed written consent will be obtained from all research participants. Findings from each stage of the project will be submitted for peer-reviewed publication. Project outputs will be disseminated for implementation more widely across New South Wales, Australia.

Guiding principles for effective collaborative implementation strategies for multisite hospital improvement initiatives: a mixed-method realist evaluation of collaborative strategies used in four multisite initiatives at public hospitals in New South Wales, Australia

OBJECTIVE

Large-scale, multisite hospital improvement initiatives can advance high-quality care for patients. Implementation support is key to adoption of change in this context. Strategies that foster collaboration within local teams, across sites and between initiative developers and users are important. However not all implementation strategies are successful in all settings, sometimes realising poor or unintended outcomes. Our objective here is to develop guiding principles for effective collaborative implementation strategies for multi-site hospital initiatives.

DESIGN

Mixed-method realist evaluation. Realist studies aim to examine the underlying theories that explain differing outcomes, identifying mechanisms and contextual factors that may trigger them.

SETTING

We report on collaborative strategies used in four multi-site initiatives conducted in all public hospitals in New South Wales, Australia (n>100).

PARTICIPANTS

Using an iterative process, information was gathered on collaborative implementation strategies used, then initial programme theories hypothesised to underlie the strategies' outcomes were surfaced using a realist dialogic approach. A realist interview schedule was developed to elicit evidence for the posited initial programme theories. Fourteen participants from 20 key informants invited participated. Interviews were conducted via Zoom, transcribed and analysed. From these data, guiding principles of fostering collaboration were developed.

RESULTS

Six guiding principles were distilled: (1) structure opportunities for collaboration across sites; (2) facilitate meetings to foster learning and problem-solving across sites; (3) broker useful long-term relationships; (4) enable support agencies to assist implementers by giving legitimacy to their efforts in the eyes of senior management; (5) consider investment in collaboration as effective well beyond the current projects; (6) promote a shared vision and build momentum for change by ensuring inclusive networks where everyone has a voice.

CONCLUSION

Structuring and supporting collaboration in large-scale initiatives is a powerful implementation strategy if contexts described in the guiding principles are present.

Cultures of aged care delivery: Qualitative content analysis of Australia's Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety

OBJECTIVES

Organisational culture is increasingly recognised as influencing the quality of care provided to patients and residents of aged care, both in research and in policy. For example, investigations into quality and safety issues in health care frequently highlight cultural problems, but often without adequate theorisation of culture. This study aimed at identifying how cultures of care delivery are considered in the final report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, and its subsequent implications.

METHODS

A documentary analysis was performed on the five volumes of the final report using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

Of 211 references to culture, the majority focussed on organisational culture (n = 155), followed by the sector's culture (n = 26), the culture of the agencies involved in managing aged care (n = 21) and the national culture relating to the treatment of older people (n = 8). These cultures were discussed in five ways: (1) highlighting poor culture as a problem (n = 56); (2) showcasing the style of culture that should be aspired to (n = 45); (3) reinforcing the importance of culture (n = 38); (4) making attributions about factors contributing to culture (n = 33); and (5) discussing the need for culture change (n = 30).

CONCLUSIONS

The Royal Commission's findings emphasise the importance of care culture and the need for change but provided limited guidance on how this should be achieved, or culture conceptualised.

Australian Genomics: Outcomes of a 5-year national program to accelerate the integration of genomics in healthcare

Australian Genomics is a national collaborative partnership of more than 100 organizations piloting a whole-of-system approach to integrating genomics into healthcare, based on federation principles. In the first five years of operation, Australian Genomics has evaluated the outcomes of genomic testing in more than 5,200 individuals across 19 rare disease and cancer flagship studies. Comprehensive analyses of the health economic, policy, ethical, legal, implementation and workforce implications of incorporating genomics in the Australian context have informed evidence-based change in policy and practice, resulting in national government funding and equity of access for a range of genomic tests. Simultaneously, Australian Genomics has built national skills, infrastructure, policy, and data resources to enable effective data sharing to drive discovery research and support improvements in clinical genomic delivery.

Innovative models of healthcare delivery: an umbrella review of reviews

OBJECTIVE

To undertake a synthesis of evidence-based research for seven innovative models of care to inform the development of new hospitals.

DESIGN

Umbrella review.

SETTING

Interventions delivered inside and outside of acute care settings.

PARTICIPANTS

Children and adults with one or more identified acute or chronic health conditions.

DATA SOURCES

PsycINFO, Ovid MEDLINE and CINAHL.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

Clinical indicators and mortality, healthcare utilisation, quality of life, self-management and self-care and patient knowledge.

RESULTS

A total of 66 reviews were included, synthesising evidence from 1272 primary studies across the 7 models of care. Virtual care was the most common model studied, addressed by 47 (73%) of the reviews. Common outcomes evaluated across reviews were clinical indicators and mortality, healthcare utilisation, self-care and self-management, patient knowledge, quality of life and cost-effectiveness. The findings indicate that the innovative models of healthcare we identified in this review may be effective in managing patients with a range of acute and chronic conditions. Most of the included reviews reported evidence of comparable or improved care.

CONCLUSIONS

A consideration of local infrastructure and individual patient characteristics, such as health literacy, may be critical in determining the suitability of models of care for patients and their implementation in local health systems.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

10.17605/OSF.IO/PS6ZU.

Hospital organizational change: The importance of teamwork culture, communication, and change readiness

Background

Hospital organizational change can be a challenging time, especially when staff do not feel informed and ready for the change to come. A supportive workplace culture can mitigate the negative effects allowing for a smooth transition during hospital organizational change. In this paper, we test an exploratory path model by which teamwork culture influences staff attitudes in feeling informed and ready for change, and which are ultimately related to reduced staff burnout. We also examined different types of change communication, identifying the channels that were perceived as most useful for communicating organizational change.

Methods

In 2019, a cross-sectional online and paper-based survey of all staff (clinical and non-clinical) was conducted at a hospital undergoing major organizational change in Sydney, Australia. The survey included items regarding teamwork culture, communication (feeling informed, communication channels), change readiness (appropriateness, change efficacy), and burnout. With a sample size of 153 (62% clinical staff), regression and path analyses were used to examine relationships between variables.

Results

The total effects between teamwork culture and burnout was significant [β (Total) = -0.37, p < 0.001) and explained through a serial mediation. This relationship was found to be mediated by three factors (feeling informed, appropriateness of change and change efficacy) in a full mediation. Further, change readiness (appropriateness of change and change efficacy) mediated the relationship between feeling informed and burnout. The most useful channels of change communication included face-to-face informal communication, emails, and a newsletter specifically about the change.

Conclusion

Overall, the results supported the predicted hypotheses and were consistent with past research. In the context of large hospital change, staff with a positive teamwork culture who feel informed are more likely to feel change-ready, heightening the chances of successful organizational change and potentially reducing staff burnout. Understanding the pathways on how culture and communication related to burnout during organizational change provides an explanatory pathway that can be used to heighten the chances of a smooth change transition with minimal disruption to staff and patient care.

Standardizing variation: Scaling up clinical genomics in Australia

PURPOSE

Clinical genomics demands close interaction of physicians, laboratory scientists, and genetic professionals. Taking genomics to scale requires an understanding of the underlying processes from the perspective of nongenetic physicians who are new to the field. We identified components of the processes amenable to adaptation when scaling up clinical genomics.

METHODS

Semistructured interviews informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework with nongenetic physicians, who were using clinical genomics in practice, were guided by an annotated process map with 7 steps following the patient's journey. Findings from the individual maps were synthesized into an overview process map and a series of individual maps by common location and specialty. Interviews were analyzed using the Theoretical Domains Framework.

RESULTS

In total, 16 nongenetic physicians (eg, nephrologists, immunologists) participated, generating 1 overview and 10 individual process maps. Sixteen common steps were identified across clinical specialties and locations, with variations over 9 steps. We report the potential for standardization across these 9 steps.

CONCLUSION

When scaling up complex interventions, it is essential to identify steps where variation can be accommodated. With these results we show how process mapping can be used to identify steps where variation is acceptable during scale up to accommodate adaptation to local context, allowing for the inevitable evolution of factors influencing ongoing implementation and sustainability.

Innovative models of care for the health facility of the future: a protocol for a mixed-methods study to elicit consumer and provider views

INTRODUCTION

To address the challenges of rapidly changing healthcare, governments and health services are increasingly emphasising healthcare delivery models that are flexible, person centred, cost-effective and integrate hospital services more closely with primary healthcare and social services. In addition, such models increasingly embed consumer codesign, integration of services, and leverage digital technologies such as telehealth and sophisticated medical records systems.

OBJECTIVES

This paper provides a study protocol to describe a method to elicit consumer and healthcare provider needs and expectations for the development of innovative care models.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

A literature review identified six key models of care, supported by a common theme of consumer-focused care, along with the international evidence supporting the efficacy of these models. A mixed-methods study of the needs and expectations of consumer members and health providers who reside or work in the area of a new hospital catchment will be undertaken. They will complete a community-specific and provider-specific, short demographic questionnaire (delivered during the recruitment process) and be assigned to facilitator-coordinated online workshops comprising small focus groups. Follow-up interviews will be offered. Culturally and linguistically diverse members and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders and their communities will also be consulted. Data will be analysed thematically (qualitative) and statistically (quantitative), and findings synthesised using a triangulated approach.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The results will be actively disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations and in a report to stakeholders. This study was reviewed and approved by the relevant Ethics Committee in New South Wales, Australia.

"The times they are a-changin'": A longitudinal, mixed methods case study of a hospital transformation

Background

Changes to hospital infrastructure are inevitable in ever-evolving healthcare systems. The redevelopment of hospitals and opening of new buildings can be a complex and challenging time for staff as they must find ways to deliver safe and high-quality care while navigating the complexities and uncertainties of change. This study explores the perspectives and experiences of staff and patients before and after the opening of a new hospital building as part of a large public hospital redevelopment in Sydney, Australia.

Methods

The study comprised a longitudinal mixed methods case study design. Methods included two rounds of staff surveys (n = 292 participants), two rounds of staff interviews (n = 66), six rounds of patient surveys (n = 255), and analysis of hospital data at tri-monthly intervals over two years. Data were compared before (2019) and after (2020) a new hospital building opened at a publicly funded hospital in Sydney, Australia.

Results

Four key themes and perspectives emerged from the interviews including change uncertainty, communication effectiveness, staffing adequacy and staff resilience. Significant differences in staff perceptions of change readiness over time was identified. Specifically, perceptions that the organisational change was appropriate significantly decreased (2019: 15.93 ± 3.86; 2020: 14.13 ± 3.62; p < .001) and perceptions that staff could deal with the change significantly increased (2019: 17.30 ± 4.77; 2020: 19.16 ± 4.36; p = .001) after the building opened compared to before. Global satisfaction scores from patient survey data showed that patient experience significantly declined after the building opened compared to before (2020: 81.70 ± 21.52; 2019: 84.43 ± 18.46)), t(254) = -64.55, p < 0.05, and improved a few months after opening of the new facilities. This coincided with the improvement in staff perceptions in dealing with the change.

Conclusions

Moving into a new hospital building can be a challenging time for staff and patients. Staff experienced uncertainty and stress, and displayed practices of resilience to deliver patient care during a difficult period of change. Policy makers, hospital managers, staff and patients must work together to minimise disruption to patient care and experience. Key recommendations for future hospital redevelopment projects outline the importance of supporting and informing staff and patients during the opening of a new hospital building.

Mapping continuous learning using social network research: a social network study of Australian Genomics as a Learning Health System

OBJECTIVES

To explore a macrolevel Learning Health System (LHS) and examine if an intentionally designed network can foster a collaborative learning community over time. The secondary aim was to demonstrate the application of social network research to the field of LHS.

DESIGN

Two longitudinal online questionnaires of the Australian Genomics learning community considering relationships between network members at three time points: 2016, 2018, 2019. The questionnaire included closed Likert response questions on collaborative learning patterns and open-response questions to capture general perceptions of the community. Social network data were analysed and visually constructed using Gephi V.0.9.2 software, Likert questions were analysed using SPSS, and open responses were analysed thematically using NVivo.

SETTING

Australian Genomic Health Alliance.

PARTICIPANTS

Clinicians, scientists, researchers and community representatives.

RESULTS

Australian Genomics members highlighted the collaborative benefits of the network as a learning community to foster continuous learning in the ever-evolving field of clinical genomics. The learning community grew from 186 members (2016), to 384 (2018), to 439 (2019). Network density increased (2016=0.023, 2018=0.043), then decreased (2019=0.036). Key players remained consistent with potential for new members to achieve focal positions in the network. Informal learning was identified as the most influential learning method for genomic practice.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that intentionally building a network provides a platform for continuous learning-a fundamental component for establishing an LHS. The Australian Genomics learning community shows evidence of maturity and sustainability in supporting the continuous learning culture of clinical genomics. The network provides a practical means to spread new knowledge and best practice across the entire field. We show that intentionally designed networks provide the opportunity and means for interdisciplinary learning between diverse agents over time and demonstrate the application of social network research to the LHS field.

The Voices of Stakeholders Involved in Precision Medicine: The Co-Design and Evaluation of Qualitative Indicators of Intervention Acceptability, Fidelity and Context in PRecISion Medicine for Children With Cancer in Australia

We report a novel approach of amalgamating implementation outcomes of acceptability and fidelity alongside context as a new way of qualitatively evaluating implementation outcomes and context of a precision medicine intervention. A rapid qualitative online proforma was co-designed with stakeholders and sent to a purposive sample of healthcare professionals involved in an early-phase clinical trial intervention. Data were analysed using Framework Analysis. A total of 24 out of 68 proformas were returned. Although some participants raised concerns about drug medication access issues, the main intervention was well accepted and understood across professional groups. Comprehension was enhanced through exposure to specialist multidisciplinary meeting arrangements. In conclusion, a rapid data collection tool and framework are now available to assess readily measurable, qualitative indicators of acceptability, fidelity of receipt and contextual fit within the dynamic precision medicine context.

Government Actions and Their Relation to Resilience in Healthcare During the COVID-19 Pandemic in New South Wales, Australia and Ontario, Canada

BACKGROUND

Resilience, a system's ability to maintain a desired level of performance when circumstances disturb its functioning, is an increasingly important concept in healthcare. However, empirical investigations of resilience in healthcare (RiH) remain uncommon, particularly those that examine how government actions contribute to the capacity for resilient performance in the healthcare setting. We sought to investigate how governmental actions during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic related to the concept of resilience, how these actions contributed to the potential for resilient performance in healthcare, and what opportunities exist for governments to foster resilience within healthcare systems.

METHODS

We conducted case studies of government actions pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales, Australia and Ontario, Canada. Using media releases issued by each government between December 2019 and August 2020, we performed qualitative content analysis to identify themes relevant to the resilience potentials (anticipate, monitor, respond, learn) and RiH.

RESULTS

Direct references to the term 'resilience' appeared in the media releases of both governments. However, these references focused on the reactive aspects of resilience. While actions that constitute the resilience potentials were evident, the media releases also revealed opportunities to enhance learning (eg, a need to capitalize on opportunities for double-loop learning and identify strategies appropriate for complex systems) and anticipating (eg, incorporating the concept of hedging into frameworks of RiH).

CONCLUSION

Though fostering RiH through government action remains a challenge, this study suggests opportunities to realize this goal. Articulating a proactive vision of resilience and recognizing the complex nature of current systems could enhance governments' ability to coordinate resilient performance in healthcare. Reflection on how anticipation relates to resilience appears necessary at both the practical and conceptual levels to further develop the capacity for RiH.

Needs of people with rare diseases that can be supported by electronic resources: a scoping review

OBJECTIVES

Rare diseases are characterised by low incidence, often with little evidence for effective treatments. Isolated patients and specialist centres for rare diseases are increasingly connected, thanks to the internet. This scoping review aimed to identify issues facing people with a rare disease that authors report may be addressed by electronic resources (mobile applications, websites, social media platforms, telehealth and online portals).

DESIGN

Scoping review guided by the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines.

DATA SOURCES

Medline, Embase and PsycInfo were searched, supplemented by hand searches of selected journals, in July 2021.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Peer-reviewed literature in English was searched using terms for rare disease (incidence <1:2000), electronic modalities (eg, mobile phone) and patient support terms. No date limit was set. Conference abstracts were included.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Data extracted: rare disease/group of diseases, name of the e-resource, need identified in the patient cohort, features of the e-resource, any other findings or observations of interest. From this, a framework was developed synthesising features across diseases and resources.

RESULTS

Seventy-two papers were found (from 383). Fifty-six electronic resources were described in 64 papers, while 12 papers were exploratory studies. Cystic fibrosis (n=28) was the most frequently addressed, followed by haemophilia (n=16).Four domains and 23 subdomains of needs were extracted from the papers. The domains of needs were: support for self-management, access to high-quality information, access to appropriate specialist services, and social support. Subdomains are sometimes related to needs of individual rare diseases (eg, social isolation due to infection risk in people with cystic fibrosis). Fifteen electronic resources were identified that supported parents of children with rare disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

While it can be argued that rare diseases, per se, may be no less distressing or onerous to care for than a high prevalence disease, rare diseases have unique features: the lengthy odyssey to find a diagnosis, then appropriate specialists, the lack of evidence around effective treatments, guidelines or access to knowledgeable general health service providers. Designers of electronic resources are urged to consult key stakeholders to enhance the effectiveness and usability of resources for people with a rare disease.

Mobile Apps for People With Rare Diseases: Review and Quality Assessment Using Mobile App Rating Scale

BACKGROUND

Mobile apps are becoming increasingly popular, with 5.70 million apps available in early 2021. Smartphones can provide portable and convenient access to health apps. Here, we consider apps for people with one of the estimated 7000 rare conditions, which are defined as having an incidence of <1 in 2000. The needs of people with rare conditions are known to be different from those of people with more common conditions. The former may be socially isolated (not knowing anyone else who has the condition) and may not be able to find reliable information about the disorder.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this review is to search for apps developed specifically for people diagnosed with a rare disease and to assess them for quality using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). We examine features that address 6 identified needs of people with a rare disorder and make recommendations for future developers.

METHODS

Google Play Store (Android) and Apple App Store (iOS) were searched for relevant health-related apps specifically for rare diseases. The search included the names of 10 rare disease groups. App quality was determined using MARS, assessing app engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information.

RESULTS

We found 29 relevant apps (from a total of 2272) addressing 14 rare diseases or disease groups. The most common rare conditions addressed were cystic fibrosis (n=6), hemophilia (n=5), and thalassemia (n=5). The most common app features were web-based information and symptom trackers. The mean MARS score was 3.44 (SD 0.84). Lowest scores were for engagement.

CONCLUSIONS

Most apps provided factual and visual information, providing tools for self-monitoring and resources to help improve interactions during health consultations. App origin and quality varied greatly. Developers are recommended to consider ways to make appropriate apps more easily identifiable to consumers, to always include high-quality information, improve engagement, provide qualitative evaluations of the app, and include consumers and clinicians in the design.

Making implementation science more real

Implementation science in healthcare aims to understand how to get evidence into practice. Once this is achieved in one setting, it becomes increasingly difficult to replicate elsewhere. The problem is often attributed to differences in context that influence how and whether implementation strategies work. We argue that realist research paradigms provide a useful framework to express the effect of contextual factors within implementation strategy causal processes. Realist studies are theory-driven evaluations that focus on understanding how and why interventions work under different circumstances. They consider the interaction between contextual circumstances, theoretical mechanisms of change and the outcomes they produce, to arrive at explanations of conditional causality (i.e., what tends to work, for whom, under what circumstances). This Commentary provides example applications using preliminary findings from a large realist implementation study of system-wide value-based healthcare initiatives in New South Wales, Australia. If applied judiciously, realist implementation studies may represent a sound approach to help optimise delivery of the right care in the right setting and at the right time.

Conceptualising contexts, mechanisms and outcomes for implementing large-scale, multisite hospital improvement initiatives: a realist synthesis

DESIGN

Realist synthesis.

STUDY BACKGROUND

Large-scale hospital improvement initiatives can standardise healthcare across multiple sites but results are contingent on the implementation strategies that complement them. The benefits of these implemented interventions are rarely able to be replicated in different contexts. Realist studies explore this phenomenon in depth by identifying underlying context-mechanism-outcome interactions.

OBJECTIVES

To review implementation strategies used in large-scale hospital initiatives and hypothesise initial programme theories for how they worked across different contexts.

METHODS

An iterative, four-step process was applied. Step 1 explored the concepts inherent in large-scale interventions using database searches and snowballing. Step 2 identified strategies used in their implementation. Step 3 identified potential initial programme theories that may explain strategies' mechanisms. Step 4 focused on one strategy-theory pairing to develop and test context-mechanism-outcome hypotheses. Data was drawn from searches (March-May 2020) of MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed and CINAHL, snowballed from key papers, implementation support websites and the expertise of the research team and experts.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

reported implementation of a large-scale, multisite hospital intervention. RAMESES reporting standards were followed.

RESULTS

Concepts were identified from 51 of 381 articles. Large-scale hospital interventions were characterised by a top-down approach, external and internal support and use of evidence-based interventions. We found 302 reports of 28 different implementation strategies from 31 reviews (from a total of 585). Formal theories proposed for the implementation strategies included Diffusion of Innovation, and Organisational Readiness Theory. Twenty-three context-mechanism-outcome statements for implementation strategies associated with planning and assessment activities were proposed. Evidence from the published literature supported the hypothesised programme theories and were consistent with Organisational Readiness Theory's tenets.

CONCLUSION

This paper adds to the literature exploring why large-scale hospital interventions are not always successfully implemented and suggests 24 causative mechanisms and contextual factors that may drive outcomes in the planning and assessment stage.

An exploratory survey study of disorder and its association with safety culture in four hospitals

Background

Signs of disorder in neighbourhoods (e.g., litter, graffiti) are thought to influence the behaviour of residents, potentially leading to violations of rules and petty criminal behaviour. Recently, these premises have been applied to the hospital context, with physical and social disorder found to have a negative association with patient safety. Building on these results, the present study investigates whether physical and social disorder differ between hospitals, and their relationship to safety culture.

Methods

We conducted a cross sectional survey with Likert-style and open response questions administered in four Australian hospitals. All staff were invited to participate in the pilot study from May to September 2018. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine differences in disorder by hospital, and hierarchical linear regression assessed the relationship of physical and social disorder to key aspects of safety culture (safety climate, teamwork climate). Open responses were analysed using thematic analysis to elaborate on manifestations of hospital disorder.

Results

There were 415 survey respondents. Significant differences were found in perceptions of physical disorder across the four hospitals. There were no significant differences between hospitals in levels of social disorder. Social disorder had a significant negative relationship with safety and teamwork climate, and physical disorder significantly predicted a poorer teamwork climate. We identified five themes relevant to physical disorder and four for social disorder from participants’ open responses; the preponderance of these themes across hospitals supported quantitative results.

Conclusions

Findings indicate that physical and social disorder are important to consider in attempting to holistically understand a hospital’s safety culture. Interventions that target aspects of physical and social disorder in a hospital may hold value in improving safety culture and patient safety.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-022-07930-6.

Networks to strengthen community social capital for suicide prevention in regional Australia: the LifeSpan suicide prevention initiative

Introduction

Mental health services are fragmented in Australia leading to a priority being placed on whole-of-community approaches and integration. We describe the LifeSpan suicide prevention intervention developed by the Black Dog Institute that draws upon nine evidence-based community-wide strategies. We examined the suicide prevention Collaborative group at each site. We evaluated how the social capital of the community and service providers changed, and how the brokerage roles of the Collaborative affected integration of effort.

Methods

This was a two phase, explanatory mixed methods study. Participants were LifeSpan Coordinators, The Collaborative and working group members at four LifeSpan sites in New South Wales (three metropolitan/regional, one regional/rural). Quantitative social network data was collected through an online survey and analysed using Gephi software. Qualitative data through focus groups and interviews with Lifespan Coordinators and community stakeholders.

Results

The social network survey was administered in three sites and was completed by 83 people. Data gave quantitative evidence of increased engagement across key stakeholders in each region who had not previously been working together. Nominations of other collaborators showed this network extended beyond the formal structures of The Collaborative. LifeSpan Coordinators were empirically identified as key players in the networks. Qualitative data was collected from 53 individuals (18 interviews and five focus groups) from across all sites. Participants identified benefits of this collaborative approach including greater capacity to run activities, better communication between groups, identification of “who’s who” locally, improvement in the integration of priorities, services and activities, and personal support for previously isolated members. LifeSpan Coordinators were key to the smooth running of The Collaborative. This may represent a risk to sustainability if they left. The collaboration model that suited metropolitan sites was difficult to sustain in rural sites, but gains were seen in better coordinated postvention efforts.

Conclusion

LifeSpan Coordinators were noted to be exceptional people who magnified the benefits of collaboration. Geographic proximity was a potent driver of social capital. Initial engagement with local stakeholders was seen as essential but time-consuming work in the implementation phase. Coordinators reported this important work was not always acknowledged as part of their formal role.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13033-022-00524-z.

Teamwork in clinical genomics: A dynamic sociotechnical healthcare setting

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Teamworking across sociotechnical boundaries in healthcare is growing as technological advances in medicine abound. With this progress, teams need to find new ways of working together in non-traditional settings. The novel field of clinical genomics provides the opportunity to rethink the existing approach to teamworking and how it needs to evolve. Our aim was to identify the key factors influencing teamworking in the emerging field of clinical genomics and how can they be applied in practice.

METHOD

We drew on three qualitative datasets from interviews undertaken in Australia, 2018/2019, that explored determinants of implementation of clinical genomics with laboratory scientists (n = 7), service and programme leads (n = 21), project officers (n = 2), clinical genetics staff (n = 26) and other medical specialists (n = 21). Data were analysed using a theory-informed matrix approach to identify themes related to teamworking.

RESULTS

We identify that teams in clinical genomics work in an elongated adaptive context where there is rapid evolution of the knowledge base, shifting expectations of staff roles, and fast changes of technology. Delivering care in this setting brings additional challenges to teamworking as members strive to stay abreast of current knowledge and technology. We identify four themes: (a) the role of the team in keeping knowledge up-to-date; (b) professional identity; (c) team adaptability, and (d) practical/organisational considerations.

CONCLUSION

Challenges to teamworking that arise in the elongated adaptive context do not always fit traditional ways of working, and innovative strategies will need to be adopted to ensure the diagnostic advances of clinical genomics are realised. Provision of time and permission for team members to share knowledge and evolve, promoting capacity building, nurturing trustful relationships and establishing boundaries are amongst the practice recommendations for organisational and team leaders, even though these activities may disrupt existing ways of working or hierarchical structures.

"Time is of the essence": relationship between hospital staff perceptions of time, safety attitudes and staff wellbeing

Background

Hospitals are perceived as fast-paced and complex environments in which a missed or incorrect diagnosis or misread chart has the potential to lead to patient harm. However, to date, limited attention has been paid to studying how hospital sociotemporal norms may be associated with staff wellbeing or patient safety. The aim of this study was to use novel network analysis, in conjunction with well-established statistical methods, to investigate and untangle the complex interplay of relationships between hospital staff perceived sociotemporal structures, staff safety attitudes and work-related well-being.

Method

Cross-sectional survey data of hospital staff (n = 314) was collected from four major hospitals in Australia. The survey included subscales from the Organizational Temporality Scale (OTS), two previously established scales of safety attitudes (teamwork climate and safety climate) and measures of staff-related wellbeing (job satisfaction, emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation).

Results

Using confirmatory factor analysis, we first tested a 19-item version of the OTS for use in future studies of hospital temporality (the OTS-H). Novel psychological network analysis techniques were then employed, which identified that “pace” (the tempo or rate of hospital activity) occupies the central position in understanding the complex relationship between temporality, safety attitudes and staff wellbeing. Using a path analysis approach, serial mediation further identified that pace has an indirect relationship with safety attitudes through wellbeing factors, that is, pace impacts on staff wellbeing, which in turn affects hospital safety attitudes.

Conclusions

The findings of this study are important in revealing that staff wellbeing and safety attitudes can be significantly improved by placing more focus on temporal norms, and in particular hospital pace. There are implications for increasing levels of trust and providing staff with opportunities to exercise greater levels of control over their work.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-021-07275-6.

Systematic review of the factors and the key indicators that identify doctors at risk of complaints, malpractice claims or impaired performance

OBJECTIVE

To identify the risk factors associated with complaints, malpractice claims and impaired performance in medical practitioners.

DESIGN

Systematic review.

DATA SOURCES

Ovid-Medline, Ovid Embase, Scopus and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from 2011 until March 2020. Reference lists and Google were also handsearched.

RESULTS

Sixty-seven peer-reviewed papers and three grey literature publications from 2011 to March 2020 were reviewed by pairs of independent reviewers. Twenty-three key factors identified, which were categorised as demographic or workplace related. Gender, age, years spent in practice and greater number of patient lists were associated with higher risk of malpractice claim or complaint. Risk factors associated with physician impaired performance included substance abuse and burn-out.

CONCLUSIONS

It is likely that risk factors are interdependent with no single factor as a strong predictor of a doctor's risk to the public. Risk factors for malpractice claim or complaint are likely to be country specific due to differences in governance structures, processes and funding. Risk factors for impaired performance are likely to be specialty specific due to differences in work culture and access to substances. New ways of supporting doctors might be developed, using risk factor data to reduce adverse events and patient harm.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020182045.

The pace of hospital life: A mixed methods study

The pace-of-life hypothesis is a socio-psychological theory postulating that citizens of different cities transact the business of life at varying paces, and this pace is associated with a number of population level variables. Here we apply the pace-of-life hypothesis to a hospital context to empirically test the association between pace and patient and staff outcomes. As pressure on hospitals grow and pace increases to keep up with demand, is there empirical evidence of a trade-off between a rapid pace and poorer outcomes? We collected data from four large Australian hospitals, inviting all staff (clinical and non-clinical) to complete a survey, and conducted a series of observations of hospital staff's walking pace and transactional pace. From these data we constructed three measures of pace: staff perception of pace, transactional pace, and walking pace. Outcome measures included: hospital culture, perceived patient safety, and staff well-being outcomes of job satisfaction and burnout. Overall, participants reported experiencing a "fast-paced" "hurried" and "rapid" pace-of-life working in the Australian hospital sector. We found a significant difference in perceived pace across four hospital sites, similar to trends observed for transactional pace. This provides support that the pace-of-life hypothesis may apply to the hospital context. We tested associations between faster perceived pace, hospital culture, staff well-being and patient safety. Results revealed perceived faster pace significantly predicted negative perceptions of organizational culture, greater burnout and lower job satisfaction. However, perceived pace did not predict perceptions of patient safety. Different perceptions of hospital pace-of-life were found between different clinical settings and the type of care delivered; staff working in emergency departments reported significantly "faster-paced" work environments than staff working in palliative, aged care, or rehabilitation wards.

Dimensions of safety culture: a systematic review of quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods for assessing safety culture in hospitals

BACKGROUND

The study of safety culture and its relationship to patient care have been challenged by variation in definition, dimensionality and methods of assessment. This systematic review aimed to map methods to assess safety culture in hospitals, analyse the prevalence of these methods in the published research literature and examine the dimensions of safety culture captured through these processes.

METHODS

We included studies reporting on quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods to assess safety culture in hospitals. The review was conducted using four academic databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus and Web of Science) with studies from January 2008 to May 2020. A formal quality appraisal was not conducted. Study purpose, type of method and safety culture dimensions were extracted from all studies, coded thematically, and summarised narratively and using descriptive statistics where appropriate.

RESULTS

A total of 694 studies were included. A third (n=244, 35.2%) had a descriptive or exploratory purpose, 225 (32.4%) tested relationships among variables, 129 (18.6%) evaluated an intervention, while 13.8% (n=96) had a methodological focus. Most studies exclusively used surveys (n=663; 95.5%), with 88 different surveys identified. Only 31 studies (4.5%) used qualitative or mixed methods. Thematic analysis identified 11 themes related to safety culture dimensions across the methods, with 'Leadership' being the most common. Qualitative and mixed methods approaches were more likely to identify additional dimensions of safety culture not covered by the 11 themes, including improvisation and contextual pressures.

DISCUSSION

We assessed the extent to which safety culture dimensions mapped to specific quantitative and qualitative tools and methods of assessing safety culture. No single method or tool appeared to measure all 11 themes of safety culture. Risk of publication bias was high in this review. Future attempts to assess safety culture in hospitals should consider incorporating qualitative methods into survey studies to evaluate this multi-faceted construct.

Organizational perspectives on implementing complex health interventions: clinical genomics in Australia

PURPOSE

Clinical genomics is a complex, innovative medical speciality requiring clinical and organizational engagement to fulfil the clinical reward promised to date. Focus thus far has been on gene discovery and clinicians' perspectives. The purpose of this study was to use implementation science theory to identify organizational barriers and enablers to implementation of clinical genomics along an organizations' implementation journey from Preadoption through to Adoption and Implementation.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

We used a deductive qualitative approach study design drawing on implementation science theory - (1) Translation Science to Population Impact Framework, to inform semi structured interviews with organizational decision-makers collaborating with Australian and Melbourne Genomics, alongside and (2) Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), to guide data analysis.

FINDINGS

We identified evolving organizational barriers across the implementation journey from Preadoption to Implementation. Initially the organizational focus is on understanding the value of clinical genomics (TDF code: belief about consequences) and setting the scene (TDF code: goals) before organizational (TDF codes: knowledge and belief about consequences) and clinician (TDF codes: belief about capability and intentions) willingness to adopt is apparent. Once at the stage of Implementation, leadership and clarity in organizational priorities (TDF codes: intentions, professional identity and emotion) that include clinical genomics are essential prerequisites to implementing clinical genomics in practice. Intuitive enablers were identified (e.g. 'providing multiple opportunities for people to come on board) and mapped hypothetically to barriers.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

Attention to date has centred on the barriers facing clinicians when introducing clinical genomics into practice. This paper uses a combination of implementation science theories to begin to unravel the organizational perspectives of implementing this complex health intervention.

The long and winding road: perspectives of people and parents of children with mitochondrial conditions negotiating management after diagnosis

Background

The diagnostic odyssey for people with a rare disease is well known, but difficulties do not stop at diagnosis. Here we investigate the experience of people, or parents of children with a diagnosed mitochondrial respiratory chain disorder (MRCD) in the management of their disease. The work complements ongoing projects around implementation of consensus recommendations for management of people with MRCD. People with or caring for a child with a formally diagnosed MRCD were invited to take part in an hour-long focus group held via videoconference. Questions elicited experiences of receiving management advice or information specific to their MRCD in four areas drawn from the consensus recommendations: diet and supplements, exercise, access to social services, and mental health. Sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using a combination of inductive and deductive coding.

Results

Focus groups were conducted with 20 participants from five Australian states in June–September 2020. Fourteen adults with a MRCD (three of whom also had a child with a MRCD), and six who cared for a child with a MRCD took part. The overarching finding was that of the need for ongoing negotiation to access the advice and service required to manage their condition. The nature of these negotiations varied across contexts but mostly related to joint decision-making, and more commonly, the need to advocate for their care with non-specialist services (e.g., dieticians, schools). The effort required for this self-advocacy was a prominent theme. While most participants reported receiving adequate advice around supplements, and to a lesser extent diet and exercise, the majority reported no formal advice around mental health or practical assistance accessing social services.

Conclusion

These focus groups have revealed several gaps in the system for people with a MRCD, interacting with care providers after diagnosis. Focus group participants had to negotiate with a range of different stakeholders in order to secure appropriate advice or services. Notable was the gap in appropriate generalist services (e.g., dieticians) with sufficient knowledge of MRCD to support people with their day-to-day challenges.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13023-021-01939-6.

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs): A review of generic and condition-specific measures and a discussion of trends and issues

BACKGROUND

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are questionnaires that collect health outcomes directly from the people who experience them. This review critically synthesizes information on generic and selected condition-specific PROMs to describe trends and contemporary issues regarding their development, validation and application.

METHODS

We reviewed academic and grey literature on validated PROMs by searching databases, prominent websites, Google Scholar and Google Search. The identification of condition-specific PROMs was limited to common conditions and those with a high burden of disease (eg cancers, cardiovascular disorders). Trends and contemporary issues in the development, validation and application of PROMs were critically evaluated.

RESULTS

The search yielded 315 generic and condition-specific PROMs. The largest numbers of measures were identified for generic PROMs, musculoskeletal conditions and cancers. The earliest published PROMs were in mental health-related conditions. The number of PROMs grew substantially between 1980s and 2000s but slowed more recently. The number of publications discussing PROMs continues to increase. Issues identified include the use of computer-adaptive testing and increasing concerns about the appropriateness of using PROMs developed and validated for specific purposes (eg research) for other reasons (eg clinical decision making).

CONCLUSIONS

The term PROM is a relatively new designation for a range of measures that have existed since at least the 1960s. Although literature on PROMs continues to expand, challenges remain in selecting reliable and valid tools that are fit-for-purpose from the many existing instruments.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

Consumers were not directly involved in this review; however, its outcome will be used in programmes that engage and partner with consumers.

Unfinished Care in Residential Aged Care Facilities: An Integrative Review

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

When workload demands are greater than available time and resources, staff members must prioritize care by degree of importance and urgency. Care tasks assigned a lower priority may be missed, rationed, or delayed; collectively referred to as "unfinished care." Residential aged care facilities (RACFs) are susceptible to unfinished care due to consumers' complex needs, workforce composition, and constraints placed on resource availability. The objectives of this integrative review were to investigate the current state of knowledge of unfinished care in RACFs and to identify knowledge gaps.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We conducted a search of academic databases and included English-language, peer-reviewed, empirical journal articles that discussed unfinished care in RACFs. Data were synthesized using mind mapping techniques and frequency counts, resulting in two categorization frameworks.

RESULTS

We identified 17 core studies and 27 informing studies (n = 44). Across core studies, 32 types of unfinished care were organized under five categories: personal care, mobility, person-centeredness, medical and health care, and general care processes. We classified 50 factors associated with unfinished care under seven categories: staff member characteristics, staff member well-being, resident characteristics, interactions, resources, the work environment, and delivery of care activities.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

This review signifies that unfinished care in RACFs is a diverse concept in terms of types of unfinished care, associated factors, and terminology. Our findings suggest that policymakers and providers could reduce unfinished care by focusing on modifiable factors such as staffing levels. Four key knowledge gaps were identified to direct future research.

A dynamic systems view of clinical genomics: a rich picture of the landscape in Australia using a complexity science lens

Background

Clinical genomics represents a paradigm shifting change to health service delivery and practice across many conditions and life-stages. Introducing this complex technology into an already complex health system is a significant challenge that cannot be managed in a reductionist way. To build robust and sustainable, high quality delivery systems we need to step back and view the interconnected landscape of policymakers, funders, managers, multidisciplinary teams of clinicians, patients and their families, and health care, research, education, and philanthropic institutions as a dynamic whole. This study holistically mapped the landscape of clinical genomics within Australia by developing a complex graphic: a rich picture. Using complex systems theory, we then identified key features, challenges and leverage points of implementing clinical genomics.

Methods

We used a multi-stage, exploratory, qualitative approach. We extracted data from grey literature, empirical literature, and data collected by the Australian Genomic Health Alliance. Nine key informants working in clinical genomics critiqued early drafts of the picture, and validated the final version.

Results

The final graphic depicts 24 stakeholder groups relevant to implementation of genomics into Australia. Clinical genomics lies at the intersection of four nested systems, with interplay between government, professional bodies and patient advocacy groups. Barriers and uncertainties are also shown. Analysis using complexity theory showed far-reaching interdependencies around funding, and identified unintended consequences.

Conclusion

The rich picture of the clinical genomic landscape in Australia is the first to show key stakeholders, agencies and processes and their interdependencies. Participants who critiqued our results were instantly intrigued and engaged by the graphics, searching for their place in the whole and often commenting on insights they gained from seeing the influences and impacts of other stakeholder groups on their own work. Funding patterns showed unintended consequences of increased burdens for clinicians and inequity of access for patients. Showing the system as a dynamic whole is the only way to understand key drivers and barriers to largescale interventions. Trial Registration: Not applicable

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12920-021-00910-5.

Investigating the Adoption of Clinical Genomics in Australia. An Implementation Science Case Study

Despite the overwhelming interest in clinical genomics, uptake has been slow. Implementation science offers a systematic approach to reveal pathways to adoption and a theory informed approach to addressing barriers presented. Using case study methodology, we undertook 16 in-depth interviews with nongenetic medical specialists to identify barriers and enablers to the uptake of clinical genomics. Data collection and analysis was guided by two evidence-based behaviour change models: the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), and the Capability, Opportunity Motivation Behaviour model (COM-B). Our findings revealed the use of implementation science not only provided a theoretical structure to frame the study but also facilitated uncovering of traditionally difficult to access responses from participants, e.g., “safety in feeling vulnerable” (TDF code emotion/COM-B code motivation). The most challenging phase for participants was ensuring appropriate patients were offered genomic testing. There were several consistent TDF codes: professional identity, social influences, and environmental context and resources and COM-B codes opportunity and motivation, with others varying along the patient journey. We conclude that implementation science methods can maximise the value created by the exploration of factors affecting the uptake of clinical genomics to ensure future interventions are designed to meet the needs of novice nongenetic medical specialists.

The context and influences of safety: An exploration of social networks, actions, and behaviour

BACKGROUND

Safety systems are socio-cultural in nature, characterized by people, their relationships to one another and to the whole. This study aimed to (i) map the social networks of New Zealand's quality improvement and safety leaders, (ii) illuminate influential characteristics and behaviours of key network players and (iii) make recommendations regarding how networks might be optimized.

METHODS

Instrumental case study was done using mixed methods. Purposeful sampling was applied to collect survey data from delegates at two national safety and quality forums (n = 85). Social network questions asked respondents who influenced their safety work. Key network players were identified and invited to participate in a semi-structured interview (n = 7).

RESULTS

Key players described safety systems in humanistic terms. Safety influence was determined to be a responsive relational process. Adaptive leaders broker relationships between multiple perspectives and contexts, which is essential for safe healthcare.

CONCLUSION

Influential safety approaches appreciate the human contribution to safety. Designing the health system to adapt and respond to the needs of people, teams and communities, rather than the unilateral needs of the system, is essential. Adaptive leadership will assist in achieving these aims and will likely be embraced by New Zealand health professionals.

Misalignment between policy and staff experience: the case of an Australian hospital redevelopment

PURPOSE

Hospitals are constantly redeveloping to improve functioning and modernise the delivery of safe and high-quality care. In Australia, it is expected that different stakeholders have the opportunity to contribute to the design and planning of hospital redevelopment projects. The purpose of this study is to examine the potential for misalignment between policy ("work as imagined") and staff experiences of a hospital redevelopment ("work as done").

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

A case study of a large Australian hospital in a capital city undergoing redevelopment. Forty-six semi-structured interviews were conducted with hospital staff. Staff experiences were identified in corroboration with additional data: key-informant discussions with members of the hospital executive; document analysis (e.g. hospital and government documents) and survey responses about experiences of the hospital redevelopment.

FINDINGS

A disjuncture was identified between policy and the experiences of hospital staff. Over one in every three (36.0%) staff felt uninformed about the redevelopment and 79.4% were not involved in decisions throughout the process of design and redevelopment, which contradicted the procedure laid out in policy for hospital development.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

Despite the seemingly "good news story" of allocating billions of dollars to redeveloping and modernising health services in Australia, the experiences of staff on the front lines suggest a lack of consultation. Rectifying these concerns may be integral to avoid fragmentation during the challenging circumstances of hospital redevelopment.

What Can Health Services Researchers Offer Health Systems? Developing Meaningful Partnerships Between Academics and Health System Workers Comment on "Experience of Health Leadership in Partnering with University-Based Researchers in Canada - A Call to 'Re-imagine' Research"

As healthcare researchers, we know very well our own experiences on the challenges of partnering with those in the health system to do collaborative, internationally-regarded studies aiming for impact. Bowen and colleagues' study in Canada empirically examines these issues from the other side, interviewing health system leaders about their perspectives of us researchers, research collaborations and the challenges and opportunities these pose. Based on their findings, they propose a need to re-imagine the contours of research. Inspired by that, in this commentary we examine the context for research partnerships and consider some of the emerging models for fostering more meaningful collaborations between researchers and those working in healthcare systems and organisations. Based on principles of embedded research and researchers, these models-including translational research networks (TRNs) and researcher-in-residence models-rely on a complex interplay of personal and interpersonal factors to be successful.

Implementing large-system, value-based healthcare initiatives: a realist study protocol for seven natural experiments

INTRODUCTION

Value-based healthcare delivery models have emerged to address the unprecedented pressure on long-term health system performance and sustainability and to respond to the changing needs and expectations of patients. Implementing and scaling the benefits from these care delivery models to achieve large-system transformation are challenging and require consideration of complexity and context. Realist studies enable researchers to explore factors beyond 'what works' towards more nuanced understanding of 'what tends to work for whom under which circumstances'. This research proposes a realist study of the implementation approach for seven large-system, value-based healthcare initiatives in New South Wales, Australia, to elucidate how different implementation strategies and processes stimulate the uptake, adoption, fidelity and adherence of initiatives to achieve sustainable impacts across a variety of contexts.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This exploratory, sequential, mixed methods realist study followed RAMESES II (Realist And Meta-narrative Evidence Syntheses: Evolving Standards) reporting standards for realist studies. Stage 1 will formulate initial programme theories from review of existing literature, analysis of programme documents and qualitative interviews with programme designers, implementation support staff and evaluators. Stage 2 envisages testing and refining these hypothesised programme theories through qualitative interviews with local hospital network staff running initiatives, and analyses of quantitative data from the programme evaluation, hospital administrative systems and an implementation outcome survey. Stage 3 proposes to produce generalisable middle-range theories by synthesising data from context-mechanism-outcome configurations across initiatives. Qualitative data will be analysed retroductively and quantitative data will be analysed to identify relationships between the implementation strategies and processes, and implementation and programme outcomes. Mixed methods triangulation will be performed.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval has been granted by Macquarie University (Project ID 23816) and Hunter New England (Project ID 2020/ETH02186) Human Research Ethics Committees. The findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals. Results will be fed back to partner organisations and roundtable discussions with other health jurisdictions will be held, to share learnings.