scholarly journals Networks: a key to the future of health services

2005 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gray Southon ◽  
Rod Perkins ◽  
David Galler
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Service Performance ◽  
Hierarchical Systems ◽  
Mutual Support ◽  
Expertise Development ◽  
The Future ◽  
Common Interests ◽  
Knowledge Support

Health service reforms and structures have, in general, emphasised hierarchical systems to enable control and accountability. In doing so, policies have substantially sidelined networks and their potential for contributing to health service performance. Networks play a number of roles, such as in supporting expertise development, arranging referrals, coordinating programs, undertaking projects, sharing common interests and providing mutual support in managing common conditions. They handle knowledge, support expertise and deal with complexity in ways that hierarchies are unable to, and are fundamental to supporting professionalism. Until networks are used to a greater extent, the development of health services will be substantially impeded. This will require enhancing the role and contribution that networks play, which is dependent on resources, leadership and skills.

scholarly journals Accuracy of national key performance indicator reporting from two Aboriginal medical services: potential to underestimate the performance of primary health care

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Hill ◽  
David Johnson ◽  
David Scrimgeour ◽  
Robyn McDermott
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Information Management System ◽  
Health Data ◽  
Service Performance ◽  
Key Performance Indicator ◽  
Local Quality

Objective The aim of the present study was to assess the accuracy of extracting national key performance indicator (nKPI) data for the Online Community Health Reporting Environment for Health Services (OCHREStreams) program using the Pen Computer Systems (Leichhardt, NSW, Australia) Clinical Audit Tool (CAT) from Communicare (Telstra Health Communicare Systems, Perth, WA, Australia), a commonly used patient information management system (PIMS) in Aboriginal primary care. Methods Two Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) were recruited to the present study. A sample of regular clients aged ≥55 years from each ACCHS was selected and a subset of 13 nKPIs was examined. A manual case note audit of the nKPI subset within Communicare was undertaken by a clinician at each participating ACCHS and acted as a ‘gold standard’ comparator for three query methods: (1) internal Communicare nKPI reports; (2) PenCS CAT nKPI manual filtering (a third-party data-extraction tool); and (3) nKPI data submitted to the Improvement Foundation qiConnect portal. Results No errors were found in nKPI data extraction from Communicare using the CAT and subsequent submission to the qiConnect portal. However, the Communicare internal nKPI report included deceased clients and past patients, and we can be very confident that deceased clients and past patients are also included in the qiConnect portal data. This resulted in inflation of client denominators and an underestimation of health service performance, particularly for nKPIs recording activity in the past 6 months. Several minor errors were also detected in Communicare internal nKPI reports. Conclusions CAT accurately extracts a subset of nKPI data from Communicare. However, given the widespread use of Communicare in ACCHSs, the inclusion of deceased clients and past patients in the OCHREStreams nKPI data program is likely to have resulted in systematic under-reporting of health service performance nationally. What is known about the topic? There has been limited validation of health data exported via data-extraction tools in Australia. More specifically, there are no current published data describing the accuracy of the CAT in mapping health data extracted from Communicare or the accuracy of internal nKPI reports generated by Communicare. Further, no systematic review has been undertaken to assess the accuracy of the nKPI data submission pathway from PIMSs at the health service level to the OCHREStreams qiConnect portal using the CAT. What does this paper add? The CAT accurately extracts a subset of nKPI data from Communicare and accurately submits this to the qiConnect portal. Minor errors exist in some Communicare internal nKPI reports. The inclusion of deceased clients and past patients in the nKPI reporting system for ACCHSs is likely to have resulted in systematic under-reporting of health service performance nationally through this program. What are the implications for practitioners? The inclusion of deceased clients and past patients in the OCHREStreams nKPI program limits the usefulness of these data for local quality improvement activities and national monitoring of health service performance for participating ACCHSs. The use of the CAT by ACCHSs independently from the OCHREStreams program can enable deceased clients and past patients to be excluded from reports that can provide more accurate nKPI data from Communicare for local quality improvement and planning purposes.

Changes in the Balance between Dentists, Patients and Funders in the NHS and their Consequences

2008 ◽  
Vol os15 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne Richards ◽  
Tony Gear
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
National Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
National Health ◽  
Professional Culture ◽  
Dental Services ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
The Future ◽  
Oral Health Services

This paper explores aspects of professional culture in dentistry that may impact on the delivery of equitable dental services in the future. After 2009, commissioners will have to ration National Health Service budgets for health services and dentistry will compete with other services. Therefore, the delivery of equitable oral health services may be an advantage in the case for dentistry and subsequent funding. We report our opinions on the changes currently occurring in dentistry in England and Wales, based on the evidence available to us from the literature, and consider the risks and opportunities that have arisen.

scholarly journals Health service capacity modelling

2002 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Trye ◽  
Nigel Murray ◽  
Ian wolstencroft ◽  
Alistair Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Hospital Services ◽  
Service Capacity ◽  
The Future ◽  
Bed Days

This paper aims to describe a modelling tool that gives a framework for the estimation of future bed demand for hospital services. It also outlines some issues regarding the application of the model. A quantitative mathematical model was constructed that was based on two years of seasonally adjusted inpatient data. To calculate the number of beds required five years into the future, ten factors were applied to the number of bed-days used for each service. In the example given (Figure 1), 7,924 bed-days used in 1998-99 translated into a requirement for twenty-six beds in 2004. The value of this approach lies in the ability to describe and delineate each of the varying factors, and thus allowing clinicians, healthcare managers, the purchasers of health services and other stakeholders to be involved in a clear and explicit decision-making process.

Why not the GP? Client preferences for sexually transmissible infection testing in Western Sydney

Sexual Health ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Biggs ◽  
Jennifer Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Sti Testing ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Service Staff ◽  
The Future ◽  
Sexually Transmissible Infection ◽  
Transmissible Infection

Background Publicly funded sexual health services (PFSHS) in NSW use triage to prioritise access for people at increased risk of infection and refer people at lower risk to General Practitioners (GPs). This study aimed to determine why people in Western Sydney attend a PFSHS in preference to their GP, whether they would be willing to see their GP for sexual health services and what factors were important when making this decision. Methods: An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was used for this study. Results: In total, 228/249 (92%) of all respondents had visited a GP in the previous 12 months; 192/249 (77%) knew the GP could perform sexually transmissible infection testing (STI) testing; 124/249 (50%) had ever had a STI check with a GP and 101/249 (41%) were willing to attend a GP service for STI-related care in the future. Factors relating to the health service staff and client comfort emerged as strong reasons for choice of health service. One-third of non-priority clients (33%) were unwilling to see a GP for STI testing in the future. Respondents raised concerns regarding perceived issues with confidentiality and lack of confidence in the GP’s expertise in sexual health. Conclusions: The underlying factors relating to sexual health care with the GP, whether real or perceived, need to be addressed in order for PFSHS to successfully triage out attendees who are at a lower STI risk.

School Settings

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa K. Holt ◽  
Jennifer Greif Green ◽  
Javier Guzman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Community Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service Provision ◽  
School Settings ◽  
Mental Health Service Provision

Schools are a primary setting for mental health service provision to youth and are also main sources of referral to community mental health service providers. This chapter examines the school context and its key role in the child and adolescent mental health services system. The chapter first provides information about the association of emotional and behavioral disorders with school experiences, including academic performance. Next, the chapter presents a framework for mental health service provision and assessment in schools, including describing methods for identifying students who might need mental health services and tracking their progress. Further, several evidence-based interventions are highlighted as examples of effective practices in schools. The chapter concludes with recommendations for clinical practice in school settings.

scholarly journals Higher Rates of Untreated Distress in Older Versus Younger Adults With Indolent Lymphoma

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 466-466
Author(s):  
Kelly Trevino ◽  
Peter Martin ◽  
John Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Mental Health Service Use ◽  
Health Service Use ◽  
Younger Adults

Abstract Indolent lymphomas are incurable but slow-growing cancers, resulting in a large number of older adults living with these diseases. Patients typically live with their illness for years with the knowledge that disease progression is likely. Yet, little is known about psychological distress in this population. This study examined rates of and the relationship between distress and mental health service use in older and younger adults with indolent lymphomas. Adult patients diagnosed with an indolent lymphoma (e.g., follicular lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma) within the past six months completed self-report surveys of distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HADS) and mental health service use since the cancer diagnosis (yes/no). Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and chi-square analyses were used to examine study questions. The sample (n=84) included 35 patients 65 years or older. Across the entire sample, 21.4% screened positive for distress on the HADS; 58.8% of these patients did not receive mental health services. Older adults reported lower distress levels than younger adults (17.1% v. 24.5%; p=.038). Among younger adults, 50% of distressed patients received mental health services; only 20% of distressed older adults received mental health services. Distress was associated with mental health service use in younger adults (p=.004) but not in older adults (p=.17). Older adults with indolent lymphomas have higher levels of untreated distress than younger adults. Research on the mechanisms underlying these age differences (e.g., stigma toward mental health services, ageism) would inform interventions to increase rates of mental health service use and reduce care disparities due to age.

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