Strategies to improve healthcare websites.

Healthcare websites that are influential in healthcare decision-making must be evaluated for accuracy, readability and understandability by the average population. Most existing frameworks for designing and evaluating interactive websites focus on the utility and usability of the site. Although these are significant to the design of the basic site, they are not sufficient. We have developed an iterative framework that considers additional attributes.

KDIGO-based acute kidney injury criteria operate differently in hospitals and the community—findings from a large population cohort

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We acknowledge the data management support of Grampian Data Safe Haven (DaSH) and the associated financial support of NHS Research Scotland, through NHS Grampian investment in the Grampian DaSH. S.S. is supported by a Clinical Research Training Fellowship from the Wellcome Trust (Ref 102729/Z/13/Z). We also acknowledge the support from The Farr Institute of Health Informatics Research. The Farr Institute is supported by a 10-funder consortium: Arthritis Research UK, the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Medical Research Council, the National Institute of Health Research, the National Institute for Social Care and Health Research (Welsh Assembly Government), the Chief Scientist Office (Scottish Government Health Directorates) and the Wellcome Trust (MRC Grant Nos: Scotland MR/K007017/1).

A integralidade no cuidado das pessoas vivendo com HIV e AIDS: a experiência do Centro de Referência e Treinamento em DST/AIDS da SES-SP

Ao assumir o compromisso com a prevenção e tratamento, baseada no princípio da integralidade, a estratégia brasileira, fez a diferença na resposta nacional à aids nas décadas de 1980/90 e criou um novo paradigma que mostrou-se avançado do ponto de vista técnico, ético e político, contribuindo para a mudança nas recomendações das agências internacionais (OMS\\Banco Mundial) - do \"não tratar e só prevenir\" do início dos anos 1990, para o \"Tratamento como Prevenção\", base da atual proposta dos 90/90/90. Essa estratégia de controle da epidemia concentra responsabilidade na Rede de Serviços, em um período de discussão sobre mudanças no modelo de atenção a ser priorizado no país. Características relevantes dos contextos político e programáticos permitiram uma maior efetivação do cuidado às PVHA no Estado de São Paulo. O objetivo do presente estudo é recuperar a história do Centro de Referência e Treinamento em DST/Aids (CRT) na gestão e organização programática do cuidado em HIV/Aids no Estado de São Paulo, no período de 1988 a 2015, interpretando-a sob a perspectiva dos aspectos facilitadores e limitadores da incorporação prática do princípio da integralidade às ações de saúde. Realizou-se, nesse sentido, uma revisão narrativa da literatura sobre o tema da integralidade no campo da Saúde Coletiva Brasileira nas últimas cinco décadas. Tomando por base o cotejamento com esse desenvolvimento conceitual, a trajetória do CRT foi analisada por meio de entrevistas com atores-chaves no processo da gestão e organização programática do cuidado das PVHA no Estado de São Paulo, e análise dos documentos produzidos no processo. Esta análise foi organizada em torno de dois grandes eixos temáticos: (1) a criação e estruturação do CRT, e (2) as relações entre o CRT, os Programas Municipais de DST/aids e a rede de serviços assistenciais no Estado de São Paulo. Entre os resultados do estudo, destacam-se o resgate e reflexão crítica sobre o desenvolvimento dos discursos tecnocientíficos sobre integralidade no contexto das propostas de reforma da saúde no Brasil; a incorporação desses construtos às propostas desenvolvidas pelo CRT, especialmente em torno aos conceitos de vulnerabilidade, cuidado, clínica ampliada e direitos humanos em saúde; e a identificação de arranjos institucionais, estratégias técnicas e configurações políticas que permitiram ao CRT o exercício articulado de três níveis de gestão do cuidado (das PVHA, dos serviços e da Rede) numa mesma plataforma. Conclui-se apontando alcances e limites na efetivação da integralidade, que se mostraram desiguais nos três níveis de gestão do cuidado. Aponta-se maiores avanços na dimensão gerencial da rede e as maiores dificuldades na efetivação da integralidade no cuidado das PVHA e na gestão dos serviços de saúde

Using realist evaluation to assess primary healthcare teams’ responses to intimate partner violence in Spain

Objective: Few evaluations have assessed the factors triggering an adequate health care response to intimate partner violence. This article aimed to: 1) describe a realist evaluation carried out in Spain to ascertain why, how and under what circumstances primary health care teams respond to intimate partner violence, and 2) discuss the strengths and challenges of its application. Methods: We carried out a series of case studies in four steps. First, we developed an initial programme theory (PT1), based on interviews with managers. Second, we refined PT1 into PT2 by testing it in a primary healthcare team that was actively responding to violence. Third, we tested the refined PT2 by incorporating three other cases located in the same region. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected and thick descriptions were produced and analysed using a retroduction approach. Fourth, we analysed a total of 15 cases, and identified combinations of contextual factors and mechanisms that triggered an adequate response to violence by using qualitative comparative analysis. Results: There were several key mechanisms —the teams’ self-efficacy, perceived preparation, women-centred care—, and contextual factors —an enabling team environment and managerial style, the presence of motivated professionals, the use of the protocol and accumulated experience in primary health care—that should be considered to develop adequate primary health-care responses to violence. Conclusion: The full application of this realist evaluation was demanding, but also well suited to explore a complex intervention reflecting the situation in natural settings.

HQ functions and services summary, FY 1997.

"April 10, 1996."

Who owns the child in hospital? A preliminary discussion

Aim. To 'own' a person is considered an infringement of human rights, but we suggest that concepts of ownership influence interactions between parents and staff when a child is admitted to hospital. This paper aims to stimulate debate and contains an explanation of the exploration of the literature for research and discussion of ownership of the child. Method. A wide variety of library indexes, databases and populist media were examined although it was impossible to examine all literature which may have contained references to this topic, and, apart from databases which contained abstracts in English, we could not include literature written in any language other than English, Swedish, and Icelandic. Findings. We found no research that examines how concepts of ownership of a child affects communication between health professionals and parents and, ultimately, the delivery of health care. This paper begins discussion on the issues. Discussion. Historical literature shows that ownership of humans has been a part of many cultures, and parents were once considered to own their children. Ownership of another has legal connotations, for instance in guardianship struggles of children during marriage breakup and in ethical debates over surrogacy and products of assisted conception. Within health care, it becomes a contentious issue in transplantation of body parts, in discourse on autonomy and informed consent, and for religious groups who refuse blood transfusions. In health care, models such as family centred care and partnership in care depend on positive communication between parents and staff. If a hospital staff member feels that he/she owns a child for whom he/she is caring, then conflict between the staff member and the parents over who has the 'best interests of the child' at heart is possible. Conclusion. We encourage debate about concepts of who owns the hospitalized child - the parents or the staff? Should it be argued at all? Is the whole concept of ownership of another, be it adult or child, the ethical antithesis to modern beliefs about human rights? Comment on this issue is invited.

Articulação saúde-escola: a intervenção em contexto comunitário

As perturbações psiquiátricas e os problemas de saúde mental infantojuvenil têm vindo a merecer especial atenção por parte da comunidade científica, não só pelo facto de se estimar que 10 a 20% das crianças apresentem um ou mais problemas de saúde mental, não só por estes valores terem tendência a aumentar, mas também pelo impacto humano e financeiro que acarretam para a sociedade. Em Portugal, o Plano Nacional da Saúde Mental 2007-2016 é categórico ao afirmar a necessidade de promover a saúde mental infantojuvenil junto da população e ao salientar a importância do envolvimento e articulação com outras estruturas comunitárias ligadas à saúde, educação e direito de menores. Este trabalho vai de encontro a estas linhas de orientação, na medida em que procura identificar, desenvolver e implementar diversos aspetos inerentes à vertente comunitária da saúde mental infantojuvenil. Numa primeira fase é realizado um levantamento das reais necessidades da população infantojuvenil do concelho de Odemira e é definida uma rede de articulação entre os serviços de saúde, escolas e outras entidades locais com competência nesta área. De forma a melhorar a prestação dos cuidados e a garantir respostas adequadas às necessidades identificadas, também se procurou o individual desenvolvimento de competências especializadas na área da saúde mental infantojuvenil. Por último, atendendo à importância da implementação atempada de medidas preventivas de determinados fenómenos psicopatológicos, procurou-se treinar e desenvolver a capacidade de sensibilização e reforço de competências de uma bolsa populacional específica: a comunidade escolar. De um modo geral, os resultados obtidos demonstram aplicabilidade na prática clínica dos cuidados, contribuindo para a melhoria dos mesmos. Algumas das estratégias utilizadas constituem-se como ponto de partida para projetos futuros, podendo ser replicadas e adequadas a outros contextos de intervenção; ABSTRACT: LINK HEALTH-SCHOOL: the intervention in the community context Psychiatric disorders and problems of youth mental health have been given special attention by the scientific community, not only because it is estimated that 10-20% of children present one or more mental health problems, not only because these values have tendency to increase, but also the human and financial impact to society. In Portugal, the Mental Health National Plan 2007-2016 is emphatic in affirming the need to promote the mental youth health within the population and to emphasize the importance of the involvement and coordination with other community entities related to health, education and minors rights. This paper follows these guidelines, it tries to identify, develop and implement various aspects related to the Community part of youth health. In the first phase is carried out a survey of the real needs of youth population of the Odemira County and defined a network between health services, schools and other local organizations with expertise in this area. In order to improve the delivery of health care and ensure appropriate responses to the identified needs, also sought the individual development of expertise in the area of youth mental health. Finally, given the value of timely implementation of preventive measures of certain psychopathological phenomena, it sought to train and develop the awareness and skills improvement of a specific population: the school community. In general, the results prove the applicability of the procedures in clinical practice, contributing to a practice improvement. Some of the strategies used are the Foundation for future projects, they can be replicated and adapted to other contexts of intervention.

Delivery of European Cross-Border Health Care and the Relevance and Effects of EU Regulations and Judicial Processes with Reference to Delivery of Drugs and Blood Donor Information Material.

Valtion rajat ylittävät terveyspalvelut Euroopan unionissa sekä Euroopan unionin säädösten merkitys ja vaikutus erityisesti lääkejakeluun ja verenluovuttajille jaettavaan tiedotusaineistoon Valtion rajat ylittävä terveydenhuolto on suuren kiinnostuksen kohteena Euroopan unionissa. Resurssien hyödyntäminen parhaalla mahdollisella tavalla ja tiedon keskittäminen ovat tarpeen terveydenhuollon kustannusten alati noustessa. Terveydenhuoltopalvelut kuuluvat Euroopan sisämarkkinoiden vapaan liikkuvuuden piiriin. Euroopan unionilla ei ole kuitenkaan toimivaltaa säädellä terveydenhuoltojärjestelmiä, vaan sen mahdollisuudet ovat enimmäkseen kansanterveyden edistämisessä ja suojelussa, myös muilla toimialueilla kuin terveydenhuollossa. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tutkia Euroopan unionin säädösten vaikutusta terveydenhuoltosektoriin, erityisesti valtion rajat ylittäviin terveydenhuoltopalveluihin. Erityiskohteena olivat lääkemääräyksen toimittaminen toisen Euroopan unionin jäsenmaan apteekista, resepti-lääkkeiden maahantuonti omaan henkilökohtaiseen käyttöön, sähköisen lääkemääräyksen käyttö kansallisesti ja mahdollisuudet sen käyttöön eri jäsenmaiden välillä, online-apteekkien soveltuvuus Euroopan unionin sisämarkkinoille sekä verenluovuttajille jaettavan tiedotusaineiston yhtenäistämistarve Euroopan unionin alueella. Tutkimuksen osa-alueiden aineisto koottiin vuosina 1999–2003, jolloin Euroopan unioniin kuului 15 jäsenmaata. Apteekit toimittivat useimmiten myös ei-kansalliset, toisessa Euroopan unionin jäsenmaassa annetut lääkemääräykset. Kaikki jäsenmaat rajoittivat lääkemääräyksen vaativien lääkkeiden maahantuontia. Rajoituksia oli maahantuontimäärissä ja -tavoissa. Lisäksi sairasvakuutuskorvausten saaminen ulkomailla lunastetuista reseptilääkkeistä oli hankalaa. Sähköiset lääkemääräykset olivat käytössä vain kahdessa maassa, mutta useissa maissa suunniteltiin niiden kokeilua. Standardit ja käyttöjärjestelmät olivat erilaisia eri maissa. Euroopan unionin alueelle on perustettu online-apteekkeja, joiden toiminta on kuitenkin vaatimatonta. Verenluovuttajille annettava tiedotusaineisto ei missään maassa täyttänyt veridirektiivin vaatimuksia. Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittivat kansallisten käytäntöjen eroavaisuuksien rajoittavan valtion rajat ylittäviä terveydenhuoltopalveluita. Vaikka Euroopan unionin tavoitteena ei ole yhtenäistää terveydenhuoltojärjestelmiä, on tarpeen arvioida uudelleen unionin ja jäsenmaiden välistä työnjakoa. Kansalliset terveydenhuoltojärjestelmät eivät ole erillään Euroopan sisämarkkinoista, jotka merkittävästi vaikuttavat terveydenhuoltoon.

Delivery, Outcome, and Costs of Orthodontic Care in Finnish Health Centres

The goal of the study was to analyse orthodontic care in Finnish health centres with special reference to the delivery, outcome and costs of treatment. Public orthodontic care was studied by two questionnaires sent to the chief dental officers of all health centres (n = 276) and to all specialist orthodontists in Finland (n = 146). The large regional variation was mentioned by the orthodontists as the most important factor requiring improvement. Orthodontic practices and outcome were studied in eight Finnish municipal health centres representing early and late timing of treatment. A random sample of 16- and 18-year-olds (n = 1109) living in these municipalities was examined for acceptability of occlusion with the Occlusal Morphology and Function Index (OMFI). In acceptability of occlusion, only minor differences were found between the two timing groups. The percentage of subjects with acceptable morphology was higher among untreated than among treated adolescents. The costs of orthodontic care were estimated among the adolescents with a treatment history. The mean appliance costs were higher in the late, and the mean visit costs higher in the early timing group. The cost-effectiveness of orthodontic services differed among the health centres, but was almost equal in the two timing groups. National guidelines and delegation of orthodontic tasks were suggested as the tools for reducing the variation among the health centres. In the eight health centres, considerable variation was found in acceptability of occlusion and in cost-effectiveness of services. The cost-effectiveness was not directly connected with the timing of treatment.

Maternal health care professionals perspective on the provision and use of antenatal and delivery care : a qualitative descriptive study in rural Vietnam

Background. High quality maternal health care is an important tool to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality. Services offered should be evidence based and adapted to the local setting. This qualitative descriptive study explored the perspectives and experiences of midwives, assistant physicians and medical doctors on the content and quality of maternal health care in rural Vietnam. Method. The study was performed in a rural district in northern Vietnam. Four focus group discussions with health care professionals at primary health care level were conducted. The data was analysed using qualitative manifest and latent content analysis. Result. Two main themes emerged: "Contextual conditions for maternal health care" and "Balancing between possibilities and constraints". Contextual conditions influenced both pregnant women's use of maternal health care and health care professionals' performance. The study participants stated that women's uses of maternal health care were influenced by economical constraints and cultural norms that impeded their autonomy in relation to childbearing. Structural constraints within the health care system included inadequate financing of the primary health care, resulting in lack of human resources, professional re-training and adequate equipment. Conclusion. Contextual conditions strongly influenced the performance and interaction between pregnant women and health care professionals within antenatal care and delivery care in a rural district of Vietnam. Although Vietnam is performing comparatively well in terms of low maternal and child mortality figures, this study revealed midwives' and other health care professionals' perceived difficulties in their daily work. It seemed maternal health care was under-resourced in terms of staff, equipment and continuing education activities. The cultural setting in Vietnam constituting a strong patriarchal society and prevailing Confucian norms limits women's autonomy and reduce their possibility to make independent decisions about their own reproductive health. This issue should be further addressed by policy-makers. Strategies to reduce inequities in maternal health care for pregnant women are needed. The quality of client-provider interaction and management of pregnancy may be strengthened by education, human resources, re-training and provision of essential equipment.

The Evolution of national health policy and the Illinois health care delivery system.

Prepared by the Illinois Health Care Cost Containment Council.

The impact of organisational change on health care delivery to the adult mentally ill

DUE TO COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION AT ASTON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES WITH PRIOR ARRANGEMENT

The role of the health care organization in supporting nurses in the delivery of culturally competent care

This study was designed to explore ways in which health care organizations (HCOs) can support nurses in their delivery of culturally competent care. While cultural competence has become a priority for the federal government as well as the major health professional organizations, its integration into care delivery has not yet been realized. Health professionals cite a lack of educational preparation, time, and organizational resources as barriers. Most experts in the field agree that the cultural and linguistic needs of ethnic minorities pose challenges that individual care providers are unable to manage without the support of the health care organizations within which they practice. While several studies have identified implications for HCOs, there is a paucity of research on their role in this aspect of care delivery. Using a qualitative design with a case study approach, data collection included face-to-face interviews with 23 registered nurses, document analysis, and reports of critical incidents. The site chosen was a large health care system in South Florida that serves a culturally diverse population. Major findings from the study included language barriers, lack of training, difficulty with cultural differences, lack of organizational support, and reliance on culturally diverse staff members. Most nurses thought the ethnic mix was adequate, but rated other supports such as language services, training, and patient education materials as inadequate. Some of the recommendations for organizational performance were to provide the expectations and support for culturally competent care. Implications and recommendations for practice include nurses using trained interpreters instead of relying on coworkers or trying to "wing it", pursuing training, and advocating for organizational supports for culturally competent care. Implications and recommendations for theory included a blended model that combines both models in the conceptual framework. Recommendations for future research were for studies on the impact of language bathers on care delivery, develop and test a quantitative instrument, and to incorporate Gilbert's model into nursing research.

A Framework to Support the Sharing and Reuse of Computable Phenotype Definitions Across Health Care Delivery and Clinical Research Applications.

INTRODUCTION: The ability to reproducibly identify clinically equivalent patient populations is critical to the vision of learning health care systems that implement and evaluate evidence-based treatments. The use of common or semantically equivalent phenotype definitions across research and health care use cases will support this aim. Currently, there is no single consolidated repository for computable phenotype definitions, making it difficult to find all definitions that already exist, and also hindering the sharing of definitions between user groups. METHOD: Drawing from our experience in an academic medical center that supports a number of multisite research projects and quality improvement studies, we articulate a framework that will support the sharing of phenotype definitions across research and health care use cases, and highlight gaps and areas that need attention and collaborative solutions. FRAMEWORK: An infrastructure for re-using computable phenotype definitions and sharing experience across health care delivery and clinical research applications includes: access to a collection of existing phenotype definitions, information to evaluate their appropriateness for particular applications, a knowledge base of implementation guidance, supporting tools that are user-friendly and intuitive, and a willingness to use them. NEXT STEPS: We encourage prospective researchers and health administrators to re-use existing EHR-based condition definitions where appropriate and share their results with others to support a national culture of learning health care. There are a number of federally funded resources to support these activities, and research sponsors should encourage their use.