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Möckli N, Simon M, Denhaerynck K, Trutschel D, Martins T, Meyer-Massetti C, Zúñiga F. How external and agency characteristics are related to coordination in homecare - findings of the national multicenter, cross-sectional SPOT nat study. BMC Health Serv Res 2024; 24:367. [PMID: 38519949 PMCID: PMC10960419 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-024-10751-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Homecare client services are often distributed across several interdependent healthcare providers, making proper care coordination essential. However, as studies exploring care coordination in the homecare setting are scarce, serious knowledge gaps exist regarding how various factors influence coordination in this care sector. To fill such gaps, this study's central aim was to explore how external factors (i.e., financial and regulatory mechanisms) and homecare agency characteristics (i.e., work environment, workforce, and client characteristics) are related to care coordination in homecare. METHODS This analysis was part of a national multicentre, cross-sectional study in the Swiss homecare setting that included a stratified random sample of 88 Swiss homecare agencies. Data were collected between January and September 2021 through agency and employee questionnaires. Using our newly developed care coordination framework, COORA, we modelled our variables to assess the relevant components of care coordination on the structural, process, and outcome levels. We conducted both descriptive and multilevel regression analyses-with the latter adjusting for dependencies within agencies-to explore which key factors are associated with coordination. RESULTS The final sample size consisted of 1450 employees of 71 homecare agencies. We found that one explicit coordination mechanism ("communication and information exchange" (beta = 0.10, p <.001)) and four implicit coordination mechanisms-"knowledge of the health system" (beta = -0.07, p <.01), "role clarity" (beta = 0.07, p <.001), "mutual respect and trust" (beta = 0.07, p <.001), and "accountability, predictability, common perspective" (beta = 0.19, p <.001)-were significantly positively associated with employee-perceived coordination. We also found that the effects of agency characteristics and external factors were mediated through coordination processes. CONCLUSION Implicit coordination mechanisms, which enable and enhance team communication, require closer examination. While developing strategies to strengthen implicit mechanisms, the involvement of the entire care team is vital to create structures (i.e., explicit mechanisms) that enable communication and information exchange. Appropriate coordination processes seem to mitigate the association between staffing and coordination. This suggests that they support coordination even when workload and overtime are higher.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Möckli
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Nursing Science, Bernoullistrasse 28, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Michael Simon
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Nursing Science, Bernoullistrasse 28, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kris Denhaerynck
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Nursing Science, Bernoullistrasse 28, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Diana Trutschel
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Nursing Science, Bernoullistrasse 28, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Tania Martins
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Nursing Science, Bernoullistrasse 28, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Carla Meyer-Massetti
- Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology, Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital - University Hospital Bern, CH-3010, Freiburgstrasse, Bern, Switzerland
- Institute for Primary Health Care BIHAM, University of Bern, Mittelstrasse 30, CH-3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Franziska Zúñiga
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Nursing Science, Bernoullistrasse 28, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland.
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Möckli N, Wächter M, Moffa G, Simon M, Martins T, Zúñiga F. How regulatory frameworks drive differences in home-care agencies: Results from a national multicenter cross-sectional study in Switzerland. Int J Health Plann Manage 2024; 39:477-501. [PMID: 38037293 DOI: 10.1002/hpm.3744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The sustainability and rising costs of the health-care system are of concern. Although health-care reforms impact various areas of care, there is only limited evidence on how regulations affect home-care agencies and health-care delivery. OBJECTIVES The primary aim was to explore different financial and regulatory mechanisms and how they drive differences in the organizational structures, processes, and work environment of home-care agencies. DESIGN AND METHODS We used data from a national multicenter cross-sectional study of Swiss home care that included a random sample of 88 home-care agencies with a total of 3223 employees. Data was collected in 2021 through agency and personnel questionnaires including geographic characteristics, financial and regulatory mechanisms, service provision, financing, work environment, resources and time allocation, and personnel recruitment. We first conducted a cluster analysis to build agency groups with similar financial and regulatory mechanisms. We then performed Fisher's exact, ANOVA, and Kruskal-Wallis tests to determine group differences in organizational structures, processes, and work environments. Finally, we performed a lasso regression to determine which variables were predictive for the groups. RESULTS Four agency groups were built, differing in view of financial and regulatory mechanisms and we found differences in the range and amount of services provided, with regard to employment conditions and cost structures. DISCUSSION The most prominent differences were found between agency groups with versus agency groups without a service obligation. Financial incentives must be well aligned with the goal of achieving and maintaining financially sustainable, accessible, and high-quality home care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Möckli
- Nursing Science, Department of Public Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Wächter
- Institute for Business and Regional Economics IBR, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Art, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Giusi Moffa
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Michael Simon
- Nursing Science, Department of Public Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Tania Martins
- Nursing Science, Department of Public Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Franziska Zúñiga
- Nursing Science, Department of Public Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Möckli N, Simon M, Denhaerynck K, Martins T, Meyer-Massetti C, Fischer R, Zúñiga F. Care coordination in homecare and its relationship with quality of care: A national multicenter cross-sectional study. Int J Nurs Stud 2023; 145:104544. [PMID: 37354791 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2023.104544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION As health care complexity increases, skilled care coordination is becoming increasingly necessary. This is especially true in homecare settings, where services tend to be highly interprofessional. Poor coordination can result in services being provided twice, at the wrong time, unnecessarily or not at all. In addition to risking harm to the client, such confusion leads to unnecessary costs. From the patient's perspective, then, professional coordination should help both to remove barriers limiting quality of care and to minimize costs. To date, though, studies examining the relationship between care coordination and care quality have faced multiple challenges, leading to mixed results. And in homecare contexts, where the clients are highly vulnerable and diverse care interfaces make coordination especially challenging, such studies are rare. OBJECTIVES Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the relationship, from the perspectives of clients and of homecare professionals, between coordination and quality of care. For both groups, we hypothesized that better coordination would correlate with higher ratings of quality of care. For the clients, we predicted that higher coordination ratings would lead to lower incidence of unplanned health care use, i.e., emergency department (ED) visits, unscheduled urgent medical visits and hospitalizations. DESIGN AND METHODS This study is part of a national multi-center cross-sectional study in the Swiss homecare setting. We recruited 88 homecare agencies and collected data between January and September 2021 through written questionnaires for agencies' managers, employees (n = 3223) and clients (n = 1509). To test our hypotheses, we conducted multilevel analyses. RESULTS Employee-perceived care coordination ratings correlated positively with employee-rated quality of care (OR = 2.78, p < .001); client-perceived care coordination problems correlated inversely with client-reported quality of care (β = -0.55, p < .001). Client-perceived coordination problems also correlated positively with hospitalizations (IRR = 1.20, p < .05) and unscheduled urgent medical visits (IRR = 1.18, p < .05), but not significantly with ED visits. No associations were discernible between employee-perceived coordination quality and either health care service use or client quality-of-care ratings. DISCUSSION While results indicate relationships between coordination and diverse aspects of care quality, various coordination gaps (e.g., poor information flow) also became apparent. The measurement of both care coordination and quality of care remains a challenge. Further research should focus on developing and validating a coordination questionnaire that measures care coordination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Möckli
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Nursing Science, Bernoullistrasse 28, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Michael Simon
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Nursing Science, Bernoullistrasse 28, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kris Denhaerynck
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Nursing Science, Bernoullistrasse 28, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland; Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Academic Center for Nursing and Midwifery, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tania Martins
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Nursing Science, Bernoullistrasse 28, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Carla Meyer-Massetti
- Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology, Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital - University Hospital of Bern, Freiburgstrasse, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland; Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Mittelstrasse 43, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Roland Fischer
- Centre for Primary Health Care, University of Basel, Rheinstrasse 26, CH-4410 Liestal, Switzerland
| | - Franziska Zúñiga
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Nursing Science, Bernoullistrasse 28, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland.
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Möckli N, Espinosa JA, Simon M, Meyer-Massetti C, Zúñiga F. Clarifying the muddy concept of home healthcare coordination: A comprehensive theoretical framework. Heliyon 2023; 9:e14243. [PMID: 36967915 PMCID: PMC10031358 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Effective healthcare coordination is vital when such care is provided as a collaborative effort by many individuals and their task activities are interdependent. Coordination is necessary to ensure that care not only meets the needs of patients, but also avoids negative consequences for them due to omitted, inefficient, unnecessary, or even incorrect treatments. It also helps conserve resources. This has contributed to a rapid increase in articles on this subject. Still, while care coordination topics are gaining the attention of researchers, there are a number of issues experienced, including the delineation of limitations, inconsistent definitions, and problems with measurement. Therefore, the aim of this article is to refine the concept of homecare coordination and provide a comprehensive theoretical framework, illustrated with examples from practice. Focusing on this goal, we have reviewed the extant literature on the subject to develop a theoretical homecare coordination framework. The first intermediary goal was to integrate relevant concepts across multiple theories and frameworks into a unified synthesis. We do so in two parts: (1) analysis of extant coordination frameworks and theories; and (2) the presentation of our newly developed theoretical framework for homecare coordination. The new framework differentiates clearly between coordination as a process-i.e., what people do to coordinate and coordination as an outcome-i.e., the state of coordination. Applying this distinction to both, measurement and interpretation of results helps avoid misleading conclusions. As a research outcome, our framework builds upon the extant coordination literature, considers the complex relationships among the various coordination-related factors and, while focusing on homecare, is applicable to various healthcare settings in general. A nuanced differentiation and explanation of the elements involved enable a more consistent operationalization of the coordination concept. Additionally, as they explicitly address the healthcare system's micro, meso, and macro levels, they can be applied across diverse healthcare settings to investigate homecare coordination.
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Möckli N, Simon M, Meyer-Massetti C, Pihet S, Fischer R, Wächter M, Serdaly C, Zúñiga F. Factors associated with homecare coordination and quality of care: a research protocol for a national multi-center cross-sectional study. BMC Health Serv Res 2021; 21:306. [PMID: 33823850 PMCID: PMC8025374 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-021-06294-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The persistent fragmentation of home healthcare reflects inadequate coordination between care providers. Still, while factors at the system (e.g., regulations) and organisational (e.g., work environment) levels crucially influence homecare organisation, coordination and ultimately quality, knowledge of these factors and their relationships in homecare settings remains limited. OBJECTIVES This study has three aims: [1] to explore how system-level regulations lead to disparities between homecare agencies' structures, processes and work environments; [2] to explore how system- and organisation-level factors affect agency-level homecare coordination; and [3] to explore how agency-level care coordination is related to patient-level quality of care. DESIGN AND METHODS This study focuses on a national multi-center cross-sectional survey in Swiss homecare settings. It will target 100 homecare agencies, their employees and clients for recruitment, with data collection period planned from January to June 2021. We will assess regulations and financing mechanisms (via public records), agency characteristics (via agency questionnaire data) and homecare employees' working environments and coordination activities, as well as staff- and patient-level perceptions of coordination and quality of care (via questionnaires for homecare employees, clients and informal caregivers). All collected data will be subjected to descriptive and multi-level analyses. DISCUSSION The first results are expected by December 2021. Knowledge of factors linked to quality of care is essential to plan and implement quality improvement strategies. This study will help to identify modifiable factors at multiple health system levels that might serve as access points to improve coordination and quality of care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Möckli
- Nursing Science, Department of Public Health, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 28, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Michael Simon
- Nursing Science, Department of Public Health, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 28, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland.,Nursing Research Unit, Inselspital Bern, Freiburgstrasse 18, CH-3010, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Carla Meyer-Massetti
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Clinical Pharmacy & Epidemiology, c/o University Hospital Basel, Spitalstrasse 26, CH-4031, Basel, Switzerland.,Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Mittelstrasse 43, CH-3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sandrine Pihet
- University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland, School of Nursing, Route des Arsenaux 16a, CH-1700, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Roland Fischer
- Centre for Primary Health Care, University of Basel, Rheinstrasse 26, CH-4410, Liestal, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Wächter
- Institute for Business and Regional Economics IBR, Lucerne University, Zentralstrasse 9, CH-6002, Luzern, Switzerland
| | - Christine Serdaly
- serdaly&ankers snc, Route de Florissant 210, CH-1231, Conches, Switzerland
| | - Franziska Zúñiga
- Nursing Science, Department of Public Health, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 28, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland.
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Möckli N, Denhaerynck K, De Geest S, Leppla L, Beckmann S, Hediger H, Zúñiga F. The home care work environment's relationships with work engagement and burnout: A cross-sectional multi-centre study in Switzerland. Health Soc Care Community 2020; 28:1989-2003. [PMID: 32364334 DOI: 10.1111/hsc.13010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Revised: 03/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the levels of burnout and work engagement among home care workers in Switzerland and to test their association with job demands and job resources. We conducted a multi-centre, cross-sectional survey in the German-speaking part of Switzerland with a convenience sample of seven home care agencies. Data were collected between September 2017 and January 2018. We assessed burnout with the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and work engagement with the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) as well as job demands (overtime, work-family conflicts, experienced aggression and work stressors) and job resources (predictability, staffing, teamwork, leadership, collaboration, social support, sense of community, feedback). To investigate the levels of burnout and work engagement, we applied descriptive statistics. Based on Bakker and colleagues' Job Demands-Resources model, we used a path analysis to test the associations of job demands and job resources with burnout and work engagement. We analysed data from 448 home care workers (response rate 61.8%, mean age 44 years (SD 13.2), 96% female). The frequency of burnout in our sample was low, while that of work engagement was high. Job demands correlated positively with emotional exhaustion (β = .54, p < .001) and negatively with work engagement (β = -.25, p < .001). Job resources correlated negatively with emotional exhaustion (β = -.28, p < .001) and positively with work engagement (β = .41, p < .001). Work-family conflicts and work stressors correlated strongest with emotional exhaustion, whereas social support and feedback were found to correlate strongest with work engagement. Improvements to the home care work environment might enhance work engagement and reduce burnout. Corrective interventions could focus on reducing specific aspects of job demands, such as work-family conflicts and work stressors, as well as on increasing aspects of job resources, especially social support and feedback.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Möckli
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Nursing Science, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kris Denhaerynck
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Nursing Science, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Academic Center for Nursing and Midwifery, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sabina De Geest
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Nursing Science, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Academic Center for Nursing and Midwifery, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lynn Leppla
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Nursing Science, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Departments of Haematology and Oncology, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Sonja Beckmann
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Nursing Science, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Center of Clinical Nursing Science, University Hospital Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Hannele Hediger
- Department of Health, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Winterthur, Switzerland
| | - Franziska Zúñiga
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Nursing Science, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Wagner A, Schaffert R, Möckli N, Zúñiga F, Dratva J. Home care quality indicators based on the Resident Assessment Instrument-Home Care (RAI-HC): a systematic review. BMC Health Serv Res 2020; 20:366. [PMID: 32349757 PMCID: PMC7191714 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-020-05238-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND One way of measuring the quality of home care are quality indicators (QIs) derived from data collected with the Resident Assessment Instrument-Home Care (RAI-HC). In order to produce meaningful results for quality improvement and quality comparisons across home care organizations (HCOs) and over time, RAI-HC QIs must be valid and reliable. The aim of this systematic review was to identify currently existing RAI-HC QIs and to summarize the scientific knowledge on the validity and reliability of these QIs. METHODS A systematic review was performed using the electronic databases PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO and Cochrane Library. Studies describing the development process or the psychometric characteristics of RAI-HC QIs were eligible. The data extraction involved a general description of the included studies as well as the identified RAI-HC QIs and information on validity and reliability. The methodological quality of the identified RAI-HC QI sets was assessed using the Appraisal of Indicators through Research and Evaluation (AIRE) instrument. RESULTS Four studies out of 659 initial hits met the inclusion criteria. The included studies described the development and validation process of three RAI-HC QI sets comprising 48 unique RAI-HC QIs, which predominantly refer to outcome of care. Overall, the validity and reliability of the identified RAI-HC QIs were not sufficiently tested. The methodological quality of the three identified RAI-HC QI sets varied across the four AIRE instrument domains. None of the QI sets reached high methodological quality, defined as scores of 50% and higher in all four AIRE instrument domains. CONCLUSIONS This is the first review that systematically summarized and appraised the available scientific evidence on the validity and reliability of RAI-HC QIs. It identified insufficient reporting of RAI-HC QIs validation processes and reliability as well as missing state-of-the-art methodologies. The review provides guidance as to what additional validity and reliability testing are needed to strengthen the scientific soundness of RAI-HC QIs. Considering that RAI-HC QIs are already implemented and used to measure and compare quality of home care, further investigations on RAI-HC QIs reliability and validity is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aylin Wagner
- ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, School of Health Professions, Institute of Health Sciences, Technikumstrasse 71, 8401, Winterthur, Switzerland.
| | - René Schaffert
- ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, School of Health Professions, Institute of Health Sciences, Technikumstrasse 71, 8401, Winterthur, Switzerland
| | - Nathalie Möckli
- University of Basel, Medical Faculty, Department of Public Health, Institute of Nursing Science, Bernoullistrasse 28, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Franziska Zúñiga
- University of Basel, Medical Faculty, Department of Public Health, Institute of Nursing Science, Bernoullistrasse 28, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Julia Dratva
- ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, School of Health Professions, Institute of Health Sciences, Technikumstrasse 71, 8401, Winterthur, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Medical Faculty, Klingelbergstrasse 61, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
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