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Latest KUSP Publications
Translating and testing the Alberta context tool for use among nurses in Swedish elder care.
Eldh AC, Ehrenberg A, Squires JE, Estabrooks CA, Wallin L.
BMC health services research 2013 Feb 19;13(1):68
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BACKGROUND: There is emerging evidence that context is important for successful transfer of research knowledge into health care practice. The Alberta Context Tool (ACT) is a Canadian developed research-based instrument that assesses 10 modifiable concepts of organizational context considered important for health care professionals’ use of evidence. Swedish and Canadian health care have similarities in terms of organisational and professional aspects, suggesting that the ACT could be used for measuring context in Sweden. This paper reports on the translation of the ACT to Swedish and a testing of preliminary aspects of its validity, acceptability and reliability in Swedish elder care. METHODS: The ACT was translated into Swedish and back-translated into English before being pilot tested in ten elder care facilities for response processes validity, acceptability and reliability (Cronbach’s alpha). Subsequently, further modification was performed. RESULTS: In the pilot test, the nurses found the questions easy to respond to (52%) and relevant (65%), yet the questions’ clarity were mainly considered ‘neither clear nor unclear’ (52%). Missing data varied between 0 (0%) and 19 (12%) per item, the most common being 1 missing case per item (15 items). Internal consistency (Cronbach’s Alpha > .70) was reached for 5 out of 8 contextual concepts. Translation and back translation identified 21 linguistic- and semantic related issues and 3 context related deviations, resolved by developers and translators. CONCLUSION: Modifying an instrument is a detailed process, requiring time and consideration of the linguistic and semantic aspects of the instrument, and understanding of the context where the instrument was developed and where it is to be applied. A team, including the instrument’s developers, translators, and researchers is necessary to ensure a valid translation. This study suggests preliminary validity, reliability and acceptability evidence for the ACT when used with nurses in Swedish elder care.
Articles recommended by Dr. Estabrooks
Carole recommends these articles as good primers on including sex and gender in research studies.
Better science with sex and gender: Facilitating the use of a sex and gender-based analysis in health research.
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Johnson JL, Greaves L, Repta R.
International journal for equity in health 2009 May 6;8:14-9276-8-14
Much work has been done to promote sex and gender-based analyses in health research and to think critically about the influence of sex and gender on health behaviours and outcomes. However, despite this increased attention on sex and gender, there remain obstacles to effectively applying and measuring these concepts in health research. Some health researchers continue to ignore the concepts of sex and gender or incorrectly conflate their meanings. We report on a primer that was developed by the authors to help researchers understand and use the concepts of sex and gender in their work. We provide detailed definitions of sex and gender, discuss a sex and gender-based analysis (SGBA), and suggest three approaches for incorporating sex and gender in health research at various stages of the research process. We discuss our knowledge translation process and share some of the challenges we faced in disseminating our primer with key stakeholders. In conclusion, we stress the need for continued attention to sex and gender in health research.
Genders, sexes, and health: what are the connections–and why does it matter?
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Krieger N.
International journal of epidemiology 2003 Aug;32(4):652-657
Open up any biomedical or public health journal prior to the 1970s, and one term will be glaringly absent: gender. Open up any recent biomedical or public health journal, and two terms will be used either: (1) interchangeably, or (2) as distinct constructs: gender and sex. Why the change? Why the confusion?-and why does it matter? After briefly reviewing conceptual debates leading to distinctions between ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ as biological and social constructs, respectively, the paper draws on ecosocial theory to present 12 case examples in which gender relations and sex-linked biology are singly, neither, or both relevant as independent or synergistic determinants of the selected outcomes. Spanning from birth defects to mortality, these outcomes include: chromosomal disorders, infectious and non-infectious disease, occupational and environmental disease, trauma, pregnancy, menopause, and access to health services. As these examples highlight, not only can gender relations influence expression-and interpretation-of biological traits, but also sex-linked biological characteristics can, in some cases, contribute to or amplify gender differentials in health. Because our science will only be as clear and error-free as our thinking, greater precision about whether and when gender relations, sex-linked biology, both, or neither matter for health is warranted.
Abstracts
New article by Greta Cummings & Kim Fraser
Factors influencing intentions to stay and retention of nurse managers: a systematic review.
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Brown P, Fraser K, Wong CA, Muise M, Cummings G.
Journal of nursing management 2012 Mar 7
Aims This systematic review aimed to explore factors known to influence intentions to stay and retention of nurse managers in their current position. Background Retaining staff nurses and recruiting nurses to management positions are well documented; however, there is sparse research examining factors that influence retention of nurse managers. Evaluations Thirteen studies were identified through a systematic search of the literature. Eligibility criteria included both qualitative and quantitative studies that examined factors related to nurse manager intentions to stay and retention. Quality assessments, data extraction and analysis were completed on all studies included. Twenty-one factors were categorized into three major categories: organizational, role and personal. Key issues Job satisfaction, organizational commitment, organizational culture and values, feelings of being valued and lack of time to complete tasks leading to work/life imbalance, were prominent across all categories. Conclusion These findings suggest that intentions to stay and retention of nurse managers are multifactoral. However, lack of robust literature highlights the need for further research to develop strategies to retain nurse managers. Implications for nurse management Health-care organizations and senior decision-makers should feel a responsibility to support front-line managers in relation to workload and span of control, and in understanding work/life balance issues faced by managers. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS: Canadian interRAI Conference
Ottawa, ON October 7-10, 2013
DEADLINE: Friday, March 22, 2013
The planning committee for the Canadian interRAI Conference is pleased to invite you to submit a podium or poster presentation for consideration for the 2013 Canadian interRAI Conference. Submissions are encouraged from clinicians, researchers, educators, management and front line staff and those responsible for policy development and planning who wish to share their knowledge, expertise, best practices and strategies working with the interRAI system of instruments. This is an excellent opportunity to share expertise and best practices with colleagues from across Canada and abroad.
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: 21st Cochrane Colloquium
19-23 September 2013, Québec City, PQ
DEADLINE 4 April 2013
Abstracts for oral and poster presentations are invited in areas relevant to the work of The Cochrane Collaboration, systematic reviews methods, evidence-based health care and knowledge translation.
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: Summer Institutes on Quality Improvement
July 9-13, 2013 San Antonio, TX
DEADLINE Monday April 15, 2013
Clinicians, Educators and Researchers – share your EBP successes. Nurses, physicians, pharmacists, managers, and all health professionals are invited to submit for consideration, abstracts consistent with the theme of these national, interdisciplinary conferences.
Grants & Awards
Competition of Case Studies
DEADLINE April 1, 2013 applications in In French or English will be considered
The Ethics and Population Health Branch (EPHB) of the Quebec Research Network on Population Health (QRNPH) and the journal BioéthiqueOnline joined forces to launch a competition of case studies on the subject of population health ethics. This contest aims to create educational tools to educate students and actors working on population health of the complexity of the ethical tensions that may be encountered in their field of interest.
CIHR: Partnership Award
DEADLINE: May 1, 2013
The CIHR Partnership Award annually recognizes a partnership that exemplifies excellence. The recipients receive a $25,000 award in the form of a one-year research grant for advancing the research or knowledge translation activities of the partnership.
NCCPH Call for Knowledge Translation Graduate Student Awards
DEADLINE April 10, 2013
Each year, the National Collaborating Centres for Public Health (NCCPH) recognizes the work of graduate students regarding knowledge translation (KT) in public health in Canada. The award is open to students who are currently enrolled in a graduate program (full or part-time) in a Canadian academic institution, in a discipline relevant to public health OR students who completed a graduate degree in the last 12 months. For further information, please contact: conference@cpha.ca
Publications
KT
Health Care Administration and Organization
Health Care Innovation and Quality Assurance
Research Methodology
Aging
KT
The role of evidence, context, and facilitation in an implementation trial: implications for the development of the PARIHS framework
Rycroft-Malone J, Seers K, Chandler J, Hawkes C, Crichton N, Allen C, et al.
Implementation Science 2013;8(1):28
Background The case has been made for more and better theory-informed process evaluations within trials in an effort to facilitate insightful understandings of how interventions work. In this paper, we provide an explanation of implementation processes from one of the first national implementation research randomized controlled trials with embedded process evaluation conducted within acute care, and a proposed extension to the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) framework. Methods The PARIHS framework was prospectively applied to guide decisions about intervention design, data collection, and analysis processes in a trial focussed on reducing peri-operative fasting times. In order to capture a holistic picture of implementation processes, the same data were collected across 19 participating hospitals irrespective of allocation to intervention. This paper reports on findings from data collected from a purposive sample of 151 staff and patients pre- and post-intervention. Data were analysed using content analysis within, and then across data sets. Results A robust and uncontested evidence base was a necessary, but not sufficient condition for practice change, in that individual staff and patient responses such as caution influenced decision making. The implementation context was challenging, in which individuals and teams were bounded by professional issues, communication challenges, power and a lack of clarity for the authority and responsibility for practice change. Progress was made in sites where processes were aligned with existing initiatives. Additionally, facilitators reported engaging in many intervention implementation activities, some of which result in practice changes, but not significant improvements to outcomes. Conclusions This study provided an opportunity for reflection on the comprehensiveness of the PARIHS framework. Consistent with the underlying tenant of PARIHS, a multi-faceted and dynamic story of implementation was evident. However, the prominent role that individuals played as part of the interaction between evidence and context is not currently explicit within the framework. We propose that successful implementation of evidence into practice is a planned facilitated process involving an interplay between individuals, evidence, and context to promote evidence-informed practice. This proposal will enhance the potential of the PARIHS framework for explanation, and ensure theoretical development both informs and responds to the evidence base for implementation.
Leadership facilitation strategies to establish evidence-based practice in an acute care hospital.
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Hauck S, Winsett RP, Kuric J.
Journal of advanced nursing 2013 Mar;69(3):664-674
Aim. To assess the impact of leadership facilitation strategies on nurses’ beliefs of the importance and frequency of using evidence in daily nursing practice and the perception of organizational readiness in an acute care hospital. Background. Integrating evidence in practice is a prominent issue for hospital nursing as knowledge and skills, beliefs, organizational infrastructure and nursing leadership must all be addressed. Design. Prospective, descriptive comparative. Method. Three surveys were used in this prospective descriptive comparative study. Evidence-Based Practice Beliefs Scale, the Implementation Scale and Organizational Culture & Readiness for System-Wide Integration Survey measured change before and after facilitating strategies for evidence-based practice enculturation. Data were collected in December 2008 (N = 427) and in December 2010 (N = 469). Results. Leadership facilitated infrastructure development in three major areas: incorporating evidence-based practice outcomes in the strategic plan; supporting mentors; and advocating for resources for education and outcome dissemination. With the interventions in place, the total group scores for beliefs and organizational readiness improved significantly. Analyses by job role showed that direct care nurses scores improved more than other role types. No differences were found in the implementation scores. Conclusion. Successful key strategies were evidence-based practice education and establishing internal opportunities to disseminate findings. Transformational nursing leadership drives organizational change and provides vision, human and financial resources and time that empowers nurses to include evidence in practice. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Critique and complexity: presenting a more effective way to conceptualise the knowledge adoption process
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Brown C.
London Review of Education 2013;11(1):32-45
The process of ‘knowledge adoption’ is defined as the means through which policy-makers digest, accept then ‘take on board’ research findings. It is argued in Brown, however, that current models designed to explain knowledge adoption activity fail to fully account for the complexities that affect its operation. Within this paper, existing frameworks are explored and critiqued, and an alternative approach is presented. It is argued that this alternative conceptualisation provides a more effective explanation of the knowledge adoption process and significantly improves on extant work in this area. © 2013 Copyright Institute of Education, University of London.
Use of research-based information by school practitioners and determinants of use: A review of empirical research
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Dagenais C, Lysenko L, Abrami PC, Bernard RM, Ramde J, Janosz M.
Evidence and Policy 2012;8(3):285-309
The trend towards using research knowledge to improve policies and practices is on the rise. However, despite considerable effort and notable progress in recent years, it seems that school practitioners continue to make little use of research and it is not clear what conditions would facilitate or obstruct this use. This review focuses exclusively on the available empirical1 research about (a) the use of research by school practitioners and (b) the determinants of use, and identifies future directions for research. © 2012 The Policy Press
Intelligence-Led Policing: A Comparative Analysis of Organizational Factors Influencing Innovation Uptake
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Darroch S, Mazerolle L.
Police Quarterly 2013;16(1):3-37
The capacity of police organizations to adopt innovative practices is poorly understood. This article compares and contrasts the uptake of one particular innovation: intelligence-led policing (ILP), in New Zealand, using a survey of 286 officers and 32 depth interviews to explore police attitudes and perceptions of the organizational factors influencing the adoption of ILP. We found that leadership and effective use of technology were critical to initiating and sustaining innovation. We conclude with a discussion of how police departments might best plan for and execute the adoption of new, innovative approaches to crime control. © 2012 SAGE Publications.
A multi-state assessment of employer-sponsored quality improvement education for early-career registered nurses
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Djukic M, Kovner CT, Brewer CS, Fatehi FK, Seltzer JR.
Journal of continuing education in nursing 2013 Jan;44(1):12-9
BACKGROUND: Increasing participation of registered nurses (RNs) in quality improvement (QI) is a promising strategy to close the health care quality chasm. For RNs to participate effectively in hospital QI, they must have adequate QI knowledge and skills. METHODS: This descriptive study assessed employer-sponsored QI education and RNs’ preparedness across a wide range of QI steps and processes. RNs from 15 U.S. states who were employed in hospitals and were initially licensed to practice in 2007 to 2008 were surveyed. RESULTS: Fewer than one third of respondents reported being very prepared across all measured QI topics. More than half reported receiving zero hours of training in these same topics in the last year. Lack of educational offerings on the topic was the top reason respondents gave for not obtaining QI training. CONCLUSION: The QI education offered by employers to RNs could be substantially improved. Nurse educators play a critical role in making these improvements. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.
The Registry of Knowledge Translation Methods and Tools: a resource to support evidence-informed public health. 
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Peirson L, Catallo C, Chera S.
International journal of public health 2013 Feb 8
This paper examines the development of a globally accessible online Registry of Knowledge Translation Methods and Tools to support evidence-informed public health. METHODS: A search strategy, screening and data extraction tools, and writing template were developed to find, assess, and summarize relevant methods and tools. An interactive website and searchable database were designed to house the registry. Formative evaluation was undertaken to inform refinements. RESULTS: Over 43,000 citations were screened; almost 700 were full-text reviewed, 140 of which were included. By November 2012, 133 summaries were available. Between January 1 and November 30, 2012 over 32,945 visitors from more than 190 countries accessed the registry. Results from 286 surveys and 19 interviews indicated the registry is valued and useful, but would benefit from a more intuitive indexing system and refinements to the summaries. User stories and promotional activities help expand the reach and uptake of knowledge translation methods and tools in public health contexts. CONCLUSIONS: The National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools’ Registry of Methods and Tools is a unique and practical resource for public health decision makers worldwide.
Twelve myths about systematic reviews for health system policymaking rebutted.
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Moat KA, Lavis JN, Wilson MG, Rottingen JA, Barnighausen T.
Journal of health services research & policy 2013 Jan;18(1):44-50
Systematic reviews are increasingly being viewed as important sources of information for policymakers who need to make decisions on different aspects of the health system, often under tight time constraints and with many factors competing for their attention. Unfortunately, a number of misconceptions, or ‘myths’, stand in the way of promoting their use. The belief that systematic review topics are not relevant to health systems policymaking, that they cannot be found quickly, and that they are not available in formats that are useful for policymakers are but three examples of such myths. This paper uses evidence drawn mainly from Health Systems Evidence, a continuously updated repository of syntheses of health systems research, to counter these and nine other common myths, with the aim of changing the constraining beliefs associated with them, while improving the prospects for the use of systematic reviews in health system policymaking.
Implementing a knowledge application program for anxiety and depression in community-based primary mental health care: a multiple case study research protocol
Roberge P, Fournier L, Brouillet H, Hudon C, Houle J, Provencher M, et al.
Implementation Science 2013;8(1):26
The principal objectives of the study are: to implement and evaluate this evidence-based knowledge application program; to examine the contextual factors associated with the selection of local quality improvement strategies; to explore barriers and facilitators associated with the implementation of local quality improvement plans; and to study the implementation of local quality monitoring strategies. Methods The research design is a mixed-methods prospective multiple case study. The main analysis unit (cases) is composed of the six multidisciplinary community-based primary mental health care teams, and each of the cases has identified at least one primary care medical clinic interested in collaborating with the implementation project. The training modules of the program are based on the Chronic Care Model, and the implementation strategies were developed according to the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services conceptual framework. Discussion The implementation of an evidence-based knowledge application program for anxiety and depression in primary care aims to improve the organization and delivery of mental health services. The uptake of evidence to improve the quality of care for common mental disorders in primary care is a complex process that requires careful consideration of the context in which innovations are introduced. The project will provide a close examination of the interplay between evidence, context and facilitation, and contribute to the understanding of factors associated with the process of implementation of interventions in routine care. The implementation of the knowledge application program with a population health perspective is consistent with the priorities set forth in the current mental health care reform in Quebec. Strengthening primary mental health care will lead to a more efficient health care system.
Stimulating Demand for Research Evidence: What Role for Capacity-building?
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Newman K, Fisher C, Shaxson L.
IDS Bulletin 2012 09/01;43(5):17-24
There has been a great deal of interest in recent years in supporting evidence-informed policymaking in developing countries. In particular, there have been efforts to build the capacity of researchers and research intermediaries to supply appropriately packaged research information (for example in the form of policy briefs) to policymakers. While supply of research information is important, it will only be used to inform policy if it is accessed, valued and understood by policymakers. In this article, we discuss our understanding of demand for research from policymakers; the capacities which underlie it; and how these might be supported.
Health Care Administration & Organization
Generational diversity: what nurse managers need to know.
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Hendricks JM, Cope VC.
Journal of advanced nursing 2013 Mar;69(3):717-725
AIM: This article presents a discussion of generational differences and their impact on the nursing workforce and how this impact affects the work environment. BACKGROUND: The global nursing workforce represents four generations of nurses. This generational diversity frames attitudes, beliefs, work habits and expectations associated with the role of the nurse in the provision of care and in the way the nurse manages their day-to-day activities. DATA SOURCES: An electronic search of MEDLINE, PubMed and Cinahl databases was performed using the words generational diversity, nurse managers and workforce. The search was limited to 2000-2012. DISCUSSION: Generational differences present challenges to contemporary nurse managers working in a healthcare environment which is complex and dynamic, in terms of managing nurses who think and behave in a different way because of disparate core personal and generational values, namely, the three Cs of communication, commitment and compensation. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: An acceptance of generational diversity in the workplace allows a richer scope for practice as the experiences and knowledge of each generation in the nursing environment creates an environment of acceptance and harmony facilitating retention of nurses. CONCLUSION: Acknowledgement of generational characteristics provides the nurse manager with strategies which focus on mentoring and motivation; communication, the increased use of technology and the ethics of nursing, to bridge the gap between generations of nurses and to increase nursing workforce cohesion. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Developing culturally diverse direct caregivers for care work with older adults: challenges and potential strategies.
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Davis BH, Smith MK.
Journal of continuing education in nursing 2013 Jan;44(1):22-30
This discussion presents real-world examples of challenges that occur in geriatric training as a contribution to the ongoing conversation about tailored training for direct caregivers. Numerous discussions are available on the need for more geriatric training in nursing, including aspects of care for patients with dementia, but few if any studies have identified a similar need on behalf of direct care workers, including home health care aides,personal care aides, and nursing assistants who are not part of a licensure track or a baccalaureate-based nursing curriculum. This discussion examines three cultural factors that underlie challenges for nursing educators and supervisors in dementia care who oversee direct care workers: (1) the effect of immigrant cultures and languages; (2) the effect of different intergenerational cultural constructs; and (3) the effect of culturally derived attitudes about aging and dementia. Strategies to address these challenges are offered.
Empowering nursing assistants to improve end-of-life care
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Wholihan D, Anderson R.
Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing 2013;15(1):24-32
Nursing assistants are integral to palliative care and are often the most deeply involved and consistent care providers to dying patients. Yet the contributions of nursing assistants are often unrecognized and underappreciated. They are frequently marginalized when it comes to professional education activities, particularly in the acute care setting. This article describes an educational initiative based on the Hospice and Palliative Nursing Association nursing assistant core curriculum. A daylong educational intervention was provided to a voluntary convenience sample of nursing assistants from a variety of inpatient units. Presurveys and postsurveys about knowledge, attitudes, and awareness of ethical issues were administered to those attending the class, as well as a control group of nursing assistants. The results of this pilot study showed that a daylong conference on end-of-life care was associated with improved measures of knowledge, attitudes about care of the dying, and awareness of ethical issues. Interesting points of discussion concerned the points of tension identified by nursing assistants in the care of dying patients, the need for ongoing support for these staff members, and the practical issues of how to best educate and integrate nursing assistants into the palliative care team.
The patient satisfaction chasm: the gap between hospital management and frontline clinicians.
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Rozenblum R, Lisby M, Hockey PM, Levtzion-Korach O, Salzberg CA, Efrati N, et al.
BMJ quality & safety 2013 Mar;22(3):242-250
Achieving high levels of patient satisfaction requires hospital management to be proactive in patient-centred care improvement initiatives and to engage frontline clinicians in this process. METHOD: We developed a survey to assess the attitudes of clinicians towards hospital management activities with respect to improving patient satisfaction and surveyed clinicians in four academic hospitals located in Denmark, Israel, the UK and the USA. RESULTS: We collected 1004 questionnaires (79.9% response rate) from four hospitals in four countries on three continents. Overall, 90.4% of clinicians believed that improving patient satisfaction during hospitalisation was achievable, but only 9.2% of clinicians thought their department had a structured plan to do so, with significant differences between the countries (p<0.0001). Among responders, only 38% remembered targeted actions to improve patient satisfaction and just 34% stated having received feedback from hospital management regarding patient satisfaction status in their department during the past year. In multivariate analyses, clinicians who received feedback from hospital management and remembered targeted actions to improve patient satisfaction were more likely to state that their department had a structured plan to improve patient satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: This portrait of clinicians' attitudes highlights a chasm between hospital management and frontline clinicians with respect to improving patient satisfaction. It appears that while hospital management asserts that patient-centred care is important and invests in patient satisfaction and patient experience surveys, our findings suggest that the majority do not have a structured plan for promoting improvement of patient satisfaction and engaging clinicians in the process.
Health Care Innovation and Quality Assurance
Do implementation strategies increase adherence to pain assessment in hospitals? A systematic review.
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Ista E, van Dijk M, van Achterberg T.
International journal of nursing studies 2012 Dec 11
OBJECTIVES: Pain assessment and reassessment is an essential part of the treatment of hospitalised patients and must be integrated in pain management protocols. Yet nurses’ adherence to pain assessment recommendations is problematic. We sought to review the comparative evidence for implementation strategies aiming to improve nurses’ adherence to pain assessment recommendations in hospitalised patients. DESIGN: Systematic review using the narrative method. DATA SOURCES: PubMed (MEDLINE), CINAHL, Cochrane library and hand searching. REVIEW METHODS: Studies published since 1990, reporting implementation strategies that aimed to improve nurses’ adherence to pain assessment recommendations in hospitalised patients were included. According to the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organization of Care group (EPOC) classification system, strategies were categorized as directed at: health professionals, organizations, financing, or regulations. Given the heterogeneity in strategies, samples, outcomes and settings, evidence from the studies was synthesized using a narrative approach. RESULTS: From 743 initial citations, 23 studies were included. They reported a variety of implementation strategies, but only directed at health professionals and/or organizations. In seven studies, a single strategy was applied (e.g. education or feedback). The remaining 16 studies used multifaceted approaches. The effectiveness of the implementation strategies varied. In all studies but one, adherence rates had improved after implementation compared to the before measurement, by 9% up to 49%. These effects were measured at different time points after completion of the implementation, ranging from 2 weeks to 6 months. Half of the reviewed studies reported an adherence rate of 80% or higher after implementation activities; other reported rates ranging from 24 to 80%. In two controlled studies the adherence to pain assessment recommendations increased significantly when feedback was provided compared to no feedback. Sustained effects were reported in three studies. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this systematic review we conclude that implementation strategies to improve nurses’ adherence to pain assessment recommendations vary but generally address professionals and organizational aspects. Educational and feedback strategies are often used and seem largely effective. Due to the heterogeneity of the implementation strategies it is not possible to recommend one preferred strategy. The level of evidence for strategies to improve pain assessment recommendations is limited however, as well-conducted studies are lacking. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A cross-sectional study to identify organisational processes associated with nurse-reported quality and patient safety.
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Tvedt C, Sjetne IS, Helgeland J, Bukholm G.
BMJ open 2012 Dec 20;2(6):10.1136/bmjopen-2012-001967
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to identify organisational processes and structures that are associated with nurse-reported patient safety and quality of nursing. DESIGN: This is an observational cross-sectional study using survey methods. SETTING: Respondents from 31 Norwegian hospitals with more than 85 beds were included in the survey. PARTICIPANTS: All registered nurses working in direct patient care in a position of 20% or more were invited to answer the survey. In this study, 3618 nurses from surgical and medical wards responded (response rate 58.9). Nurses’ practice environment was defined as organisational processes and measured by the Nursing Work Index Revised and items from Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. OUTCOME MEASURES: Nurses’ assessments of patient safety, quality of nursing, confidence in how their patients manage after discharge and frequency of adverse events were used as outcome measures. RESULTS: Quality system, nurse-physician relation, patient safety management and staff adequacy were process measures associated with nurse-reported work-related and patient-related outcomes, but we found no associations with nurse participation, education and career and ward leadership. Most organisational structures were non-significant in the multilevel model except for nurses’ affiliations to medical department and hospital type. CONCLUSIONS: Organisational structures may have minor impact on how nurses perceive work-related and patient-related outcomes, but the findings in this study indicate that there is a considerable potential to address organisational design in improvement of patient safety and quality of care.
Staff perceptions of quality of care: an observational study of the NHS Staff Survey in hospitals in England.
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Pinder RJ, Greaves FE, Aylin PP, Jarman B, Bottle A.
BMJ quality & safety 2013 Feb 20
There is some evidence to suggest that higher job satisfaction among healthcare staff in specific settings may be linked to improved patient outcomes. This study aimed to assess the potential of staff satisfaction to be used as an indicator of institutional performance across all acute National Health Service (NHS) hospitals in England. METHODS: Using staff responses from the NHS Staff Survey 2009, and correlating these with hospital standardised mortality ratios (HSMR), correlation analyses were conducted at institutional level with further analyses of staff subgroups. RESULTS: Over 60 000 respondents from 147 NHS trusts were included in the analysis. There was a weak negative correlation with HSMR where staff agreed that patient care was their trust’s top priority (Kendall τ = -0.22, p<0.001), and where they would be happy with the care for a friend or relative (Kendall τ = -0.30, p<0.001). These correlations were identified across clinical and non-clinical groups, with nursing staff demonstrating the most robust correlation. There was no correlation between satisfaction with the quality of care delivered by oneself and institutional HSMR. CONCLUSIONS: In the context of the continued debate about the relationship of HSMR to hospital performance, these findings of a weak correlation between staff satisfaction and HSMR are intriguing and warrant further investigation. Such measures in the future have the advantage of being intuitive for lay and specialist audiences alike, and may be useful in facilitating patient choice. Whether higher staff satisfaction drives quality or merely reflects it remains unclear.
Organizational culture: an important context for addressing and improving hospital to community patient discharge.
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Hesselink G, Vernooij-Dassen M, Pijnenborg L, Barach P, Gademan P, Dudzik-Urbaniak E, et al.
Medical care 2013 Jan;51(1):90-98
Organizational culture is seen as having a growing impact on quality and safety of health care, but its impact on hospital to community patient discharge is relatively unknown. OBJECTIVES: To explore aspects of organizational culture to develop a deeper understanding of the discharge process. RESEARCH DESIGN: A qualitative study of stakeholders in the discharge process. Grounded Theory was used to analyze the data. SUBJECTS: In 5 European Union countries, 192 individual and 25 focus group interviews were conducted with patients and relatives, hospital physicians, hospital nurses, general practitioners, and community nurses. RESULTS: Three themes emerged representing aspects of organizational culture: a fragmented hospital to primary care interface, undervaluing administrative tasks relative to clinical tasks in the discharge process, and lack of reflection on the discharge process or process improvement. Nine categories were identified: inward focus of hospital care providers, lack of awareness to needs, skills, and work patterns of the professional counterpart, lack of a collaborative attitude, relationship between hospital and primary care providers, providing care in a “here and now” situation, administrative work considered to be burdensome, negative attitude toward feedback, handovers at discharge ruled by habits, and appreciating and integrating new practices. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of the data, we hypothesize that the extent to which hospital care providers value handovers and the outreach to community care providers is critical to effective hospital discharge. Community care providers often are insufficiently informed about patient outcomes. Ongoing challenges with patient discharge often remain unspoken with opportunities for improvement overlooked. Interventions that address organizational culture as a key factor in discharge improvement efforts are needed.
The role of organisational and cultural factors in the implementation of system-wide interventions in acute hospitals to improve patient outcomes: protocol for a systematic literature review
Nosrati H, Clay-Williams R, Cunningham F, Hillman K, Braithwaite J.
BMJ Open 2013 January 01;3(3)
ntroduction Little is known about the role of the organisational culture in the success and sustainability of the hospital-wide interventions, and how local culture affects patient outcomes in acute hospitals. Methods and analysis A systematic literature review will be conducted to identify organisational factors influencing hospital-wide interventions and patient outcomes. A search of English language articles will be performed in MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, Web of Science, PsychInfo and Global Health databases using Medical Subject Headings and keywords. Randomised controlled trials, quasi-randomised trials, controlled before and after design studies and interrupted time-series analysis studies will be included. ‘Grey literature’ will be excluded, however peer-reviewed journals that are likely to publish relevant studies (JAMA, BMJ, BMJ Quality and Safety, Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine and Implementation Science) will be hand searched for the last 5 years. Two reviewers will independently undertake a title and abstract review using inclusion and exclusion criteria. Studies will be excluded only after discussion between at least two reviewers, who will assess and agree on the inclusion, risk of bias and quality rating of the studies. One author will extract summary descriptive data from these studies; the other author will review this documentation for accuracy and completeness. Results It is likely that the studies will be heterogeneous in nature, therefore a narrative synthesis of the findings will be conducted. Conclusions We will discuss characteristics of the studies and stratify the results according to the type of hospital-wide interventions, organisational factors associated with them and outcomes measured.
An evaluation of data quality in Canada’s continuing care reporting system (CCRS): secondary analyses of Ontario data submitted between 1996 and 2011.
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Hirdes JP, Poss JW, Caldarelli H, Fries BE, Morris JN, Teare GF, et al.
BMC medical informatics and decision making 2013 Feb 26;13(1):27
BACKGROUND: Evidence informed decision making in health policy development and clinical practice depends on the availability of valid and reliable data. The introduction of interRAI assessment systems in many countries has provided valuable new information that can be used to support case mix based payment systems, quality monitoring, outcome measurement and care planning. The Continuing Care Reporting System (CCRS) managed by the Canadian Institute for Health Information has served as a data repository supporting national implementation of the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI 2.0) in Canada for more than 15 years. The present paper aims to evaluate data quality for the CCRS using an approach that may be generalizable to comparable data holdings internationally. METHODS: Data from the RAI 2.0 implementation in Complex Continuing Care (CCC) hospitals/units and Long Term Care (LTC) homes in Ontario were analyzed using various statistical techniques that provide evidence for trends in validity, reliability, and population attributes. Time series comparisons included evaluations of scale reliability, patterns of associations between items and scales that provide evidence about convergent validity, and measures of changes in population characteristics over time. RESULTS: Data quality with respect to reliability, validity, completeness and freedom from logical coding errors was consistently high for the CCRS in both CCC and LTC settings. The addition of logic checks further improved data quality in both settings. The only notable change of concern was a substantial inflation in the percentage of long term care home residents qualifying for the Special Rehabilitation level of the Resource Utilization Groups (RUG-III) case mix system after the adoption of that system as part of the payment system for LTC. CONCLUSIONS: The CCRS provides a robust, high quality data source that may be used to inform policy, clinical practice and service delivery in Ontario. Only one area of concern was noted, and the statistical techniques employed here may be readily used to target organizations with data quality problems in that (or any other) area. There was also evidence that data quality was good in both CCC and LTC settings from the outset of implementation, meaning data may be used from the entire time series. The methods employed here may continue to be used to monitor data quality in this province over time and they provide a benchmark for comparisons with other jurisdictions implementing the RAI 2.0 in similar populations.
Developing future nursing home medical directors: a curriculum for geriatric medicine fellows.
Non UofA Access
Higuchi M, Wen A, Masaki K.
Journal of the American Medical Directors Association 2013 Mar;14(3):157-160
Long term care facilities are important sites of care for elderly adults. Despite a growing need and interest in medical direction in nursing homes, there have been limited educational opportunities in this area for geriatric medicine fellows. This article describes a novel medical director’s curriculum for first-year geriatric medicine fellows to prepare them for the role of nursing home medical director. This novel curriculum has been integrated into the Department of Geriatric Medicine’s Fellowship training program at the John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii. The curriculum consists of seven seminars that have been integrated into the didactic sessions during the first year of fellowship. Core content areas include: (1) roles and responsibilities of the medical director, (2) infection control, (3) physician documentation, (4) federal regulations and state surveys, (5) quality improvement, (6) culture change in nursing homes, and (7) transitions in care. All topics were discussed using the framework described by the American Medical Directors Association’s position statement on the roles and responsibilities of the nursing home medical director. To our knowledge, this is the first curriculum in the medical literature that is designed to prepare geriatric medicine fellows for roles as medical directors in nursing homes. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc.
CFHI: A Synthesis of Quality Improvement and Accreditation Mechanisms in Primary Healthcare
December 2012
Little is known about how quality improvement (QI) processes and accreditation in primary
healthcare affect outcomes of care, patients’ perceptions of care, healthcare utilization and costs,
and the perceptions of primary healthcare providers. As well, a compilation of jurisdictions that
have primary healthcare accreditation and the nature of accreditation within these jurisdictions
has not been assembled.
Global Health Action: Improving the use of health data for health system strengthening
Feb 2013
Background: Good quality and timely data from health information systems are the foundation of all health systems. However, too often data sit in reports, on shelves or in databases and are not sufficiently utilised in policy and program development, improvement, strategic planning and advocacy. Without specific interventions aimed at improving the use of data produced by information systems, health systems will never fully be able to meet the needs of the populations they serve. Objective: To employ a logic model to describe a pathway of how specific activities and interventions can strengthen the use of health data in decision making to ultimately strengthen the health system. Design: A logic model was developed to provide a practical strategy for developing, monitoring and evaluating interventions to strengthen the use of data in decision making. The model draws on the collective strengths and similarities of previous work and adds to those previous works by making specific recommendations about interventions and activities that are most proximate to affect the use of data in decision making. The model provides an organizing framework for how interventions and activities work to strengthen the systematic demand, synthesis, review, and use of data. Results: The logic model and guidance are presented to facilitate its widespread use and to enable improved data-informed decision making in program review and planning, advocacy, policy development. Real world examples from the literature support the feasible application of the activities outlined in the model. Conclusions: The logic model provides specific and comprehensive guidance to improve data demand and use. It can be used to design, monitor and evaluate interventions, and to improve demand for, and use of, data in decision making. As more interventions are implemented to improve use of health data, those efforts need to be evaluated.
Organization Change
Relations between transformational leadership, organizational learning, knowledge management, organizational innovation, and organizational performance: An empirical investigation of manufacturing firms
Non UofA Access
Noruzy A, Dalfard VM, Azhdari B, Nazari-Shirkouhi S, Rezazadeh A.
International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology 2013;64(5-8):1073-1085
The aim of this study is to determine relations between transformational leadership, organizational learning, knowledge management, organizational innovation, and organizational performance among Iranian manufacturing companies through structural equation modeling. Two hundred eighty senior, executive, administrative, and other-level managers are selected from among 106 companies having more than 50 employees. Data are analyzed using structural equation modeling. The following findings are found: transformational leadership directly influenced organizational learning and knowledge management. Organizational learning directly and positively influenced knowledge management of manufacturing firms. Transformational leadership positively influenced organizational innovation and organizational performance of manufacturing firms. Organizational learning and knowledge management directly influenced organizational innovation; whereas organizational learning and organizational innovation directly influenced organizational performance among manufacturing firms. Meanwhile, transformational leadership positively and indirectly influenced organizational innovation through organizational learning and knowledge management. Knowledge management and organizational learning effected organizational performance indirectly by organizational innovation. The fit indices shows that the proposed model have an appropriate fit (χ 2/df = 2.33, RMSEA = 0.069, NFI = 0.95, NNFI = 0.95, CFI = 97). If leaders of manufacturing firms undertake a transformational role and use organizational learning and knowledge management, this will facilitate organizational innovation and will consequently improve organizational performance to a great extent in manufacturing firms. © 2012 Springer-Verlag London Limited.
Organisational manoeuvres for exploring and exploiting external knowledge
Non UofA Access
Rössing I, Kaiser S.
International Journal of Knowledge Management Studies 2012;5(1-2):89-108
The present paper explores how organisations pursue explorative and exploitative learning when using highly skilled dependent or independent contractors as external knowledge workers. It investigates why and how organisations balance stable exploitative and flexible explorative relationships with contractors, and examines the factors that influence this balance. To do this, it develops a conceptual framework that represents organisational manoeuvres for explorative and exploitative learning in the context of boundary-spanning organisational learning. The findings presented herein are based on a qualitative empirical analysis of engineering and IT areas across seven industries, and show that the exchange of existing contractors for new ones leads to a restructuring of the contractor portfolio of the firm. Further, this exchange process can be considered to be an experimental practice that results in organisational learning between exploitation and exploration. Copyright © 2012 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
Research Methodology
Redesigning consent forms and processes for health research
Non UofA Access
Wright D.
IEEE international professional communication conference; 2012.
Health researchers, especially those in academics fields, are often frustrated by their inability to recruit significant numbers of research participants and the high costs associated with obtaining samples from those patients. Several factors have contributed to low participation rates, including short decision times, poorly designed consent forms and informational messages, and technical jargon that is beyond patient understanding. The challenge facing researchers and technical communicators involved with medical research is to overcome these obstacles while maintaining principles of informed consent for participants. This presentation follows a case history of the development of one set of multimodal informational tools designed to help researchers recruit and inform patients. © 2012 IEEE.
Understanding GRADE: An introduction
Non UofA Access
Goldet G, Howick J.
Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine 2013;6(1):50-54
Objective: Grading of recommendations, assessment, development, and evaluations (GRADE) is arguably the most widely used method for appraising studies to be included in systematic reviews and guidelines. In order to use the GRADE system or know how to interpret it when reading reviews, reading several articles and attending a workshop are required. Moreover, the GRADE system is not covered in standard medical textbooks. Here, we explain GRADE concisely with the use of examples so that students and other researchers can understand it. Background: In order to use or interpret the GRADE system, reading several articles and attending a workshop is currently required. Moreover, the GRADE system is not covered in standard medical textbooks. Methods: We read, synthesized, and digested the GRADE publications and contacted GRADE contributors for explanations where required. We composed a digested version of the system in a concise way a general medical audience could understand. Results: We were able to explain the GRADE basics clearly and completely in under 1500 words. Conclusions: While advanced critical appraisal requires judgment, training, and practice, it is possible for a non-specialist to grasp GRADE basics very quickly. © 2013 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd and Chinese Cochrane Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University.
Reporting of patient-reported outcomes in randomized trials: the CONSORT PRO extension.
Non UofA Access
Calvert M, Blazeby J, Altman DG, Revicki DA, Moher D, Brundage MD, et al.
JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association 2013 Feb 27;309(8):814-822
The CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) Statement aims to improve the reporting of randomized controlled trials (RCTs); however, it lacks guidance on the reporting of patient-reported outcomes (PROs), which are often inadequately reported in trials, thus limiting the value of these data. In this article, we describe the development of the CONSORT PRO extension based on the methodological framework for guideline development proposed by the Enhancing the Quality and Transparency of Health Research (EQUATOR) Network. Five CONSORT PRO checklist items are recommended for RCTs in which PROs are primary or important secondary end points. These recommendations urge that the PROs be identified as a primary or secondary outcome in the abstract, that a description of the hypothesis of the PROs and relevant domains be provided (ie, if a multidimensional PRO tool has been used), that evidence of the PRO instrument’s validity and reliability be provided or cited, that the statistical approaches for dealing with missing data be explicitly stated, and that PRO-specific limitations of study findings and generalizability of results to other populations and clinical practice be discussed. Examples and an updated CONSORT flow diagram with PRO items are provided. It is recommended that the CONSORT PRO guidance supplement the standard CONSORT guidelines for reporting RCTs with PROs as primary or secondary outcomes. Improved reporting of PRO data should facilitate robust interpretation of the results from RCTs and inform patient care.
Aging
The effect of policy on end-of-life care practice within nursing care homes: A systematic review.
Non UofA Access
Kinley J, Froggatt K, Bennett MI.
Palliative medicine 2013 Mar;27(3):209-220
Background: The number of older people in the UK is increasing. A significant proportion of end of life care for this population is currently provided and will increasingly be provided within nursing care homes. Aim: To identify the impact of implementing end of life care policy with regard to the use of the Gold Standards Framework in Care Homes programme, the Liverpool Care Pathway (or an Integrated Care Pathway) and educational/training interventions to support the provision of end of life care within nursing care homes within the UK. Design: Systematic literature review of published literature and reports. Data sources: An electronic search was undertaken of five databases-Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, Web of Science and the Cochrane library and websites of government and palliative care organisations for papers and reports published between 2000 to June 2010. The reference lists of studies that were retrieved for the detailed evaluation were hand-searched for any additional relevant citations.. Only studies that included comparative outcome data were eligible for inclusion. Results: Eight papers/reports, incorporating information from three studies were identified. Two studies reported on the implementation of the Gold Standards Framework in Care Homes programme and one the implementation of an Integrated Care Pathway for the last days of life. Improvements occurred in resident outcomes and in relation to staff recognising, managing and meeting residents needs for end of life care. Conclusions: The studies provided limited evidence on improved outcomes following the implementation of these interventions. Further research is needed, both within the UK and internationally, that measures the process and impact of implementing these initiatives.
Events
UofA
2013 University of Alberta Campus Data Summit
March 19-20, 2013
Data are the lifeblood of research. Whether the product of observation, experimentation, simulation or mining repositories, data are the evidence upon which research is conducted. Data are increasingly being viewed and managed as an asset of research, especially because of the substantial public investments now being made in the production of high-quality data. As an asset, however, data need some form of stewardship to ensure their long-term preservation and usability. This second Data Summit will bring together significant stakeholders from across our campus and across Canada to engage in a dialogue about establishing the future of data stewardship.
Scholarship and Social Networking: Time for a Truce
Tuesday 26 March, 2013 16:00 – 17:30 ECHA 4-001
Presented by Dr. Roger Watson, PhD, RN, FAAN Editor-in-Chief Journal of Advanced Nursing,
Professor of Nursing Hull, UK. Please RSVP joanne.ward@ualberta.ca by March 20.
Mentorship and career development: One side of the same coin
Wednesday March 27, 2013 ECHA 5-001 12:00-13:00
Presented by Dr. Roger Watson, PhD, RN, FAAN Editor-in-Chief Journal of Advanced Nursing,
Professor of Nursing Hull, UK. Lunch will be provided.
Annual History of Medicine Day
Saturday March 23, 2013 Classroom D, 2F1.04 Walter Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre
Keynote address, Class, Panic and the Impoverished Body in the Eighteenth
Century City: The Case of Jail Fever, will be presented by Dr. Kevin Siena, Department of History, Trent University.
Non UofA
CADTH Symposium 2013: Evidence in Context
May 5-7, 2013 St. John’s NF
What impact does context have on the type of evidence required and how is it used? How much contextualization is really necessary? How are HTA providers and decision-makers in Canada and other countries approaching contextualization, and are these approaches increasing the impact of HTA? Join Canadian and international experts at the 2013 CADTH Symposium for thought- provoking discussions about the role of evidence, context, and other factors that are integral to the optimal use of health technologies.
The Data Effect – Tomorrow’s Canada Today
Ottawa, ON April 17, 2013
The Data Effect: Tomorrow’s Canada Today will address how the prudent and innovative use of Big Data can improve outcomes in such areas as health care, drug and social policy research and public safety, to name a few. It can also help ensure the most effective use of public dollars in an era when balanced budgeting has become a challenge. This day long event will offer leaders in government, the private sector and researchers a practical special briefing that surveys the best practices and opportunities being created by the Big Data revolution in Canada and around the world.
Feeding Difficulty in Older People with Dementia
Presenter: Dr. Roger Watson
Tuesday March 26, 2013 12:00 Dr. Bill Black Auditorium Glenrose Hospital
Learning Objectives:
Understand the relationship between feeding difficulty and dementia
Learn about the Edinburgh Feeding Evaluation in Dementia Scale
Update on recent research into interventions for feeding difficulty in dementia
NICHE Annual Conference
April 10-12 Philadelphia, PA
The 16th Annual NICHE Conference is a three-day event attracting hundreds of health care professionals and highlighting evidence-based innovations, research, and networking opportunities. The goal is to provide support to hospitals and other health care organizations in meeting the most critical challenge of our times – quality care of older adults. Join us and forge new paths to innovative healthcare concepts for our aging population.
2013 Open Repositories Conference
July 8-12, Charlottetown PE
This year’s conference theme is Use, Reuse, Reproduce. One of the most important roles of repositories is to enable greater use and reuse of their contents— whether those contents are library collections, scholarly articles, research data, or software—and metadata. The notion of use and reuse can be extended to repository infrastructure as well.
Healthy Communities Data Summit
May 21, 2013 San Francisco, CA
Aiming to improve the health in local communities through a new focus on health data, the inaugural Healthy Communities Data Summit will bring together leaders in this area to discuss and showcase the best ideas and products currently leveraging health data. The event will also explore how policymakers can use health data to inform their own decision-making. Panels will address a range of topics including: health data trends, how to make the most of datasets, navigating privacy and regulations, the latest data visualizations and more. Tools and products will be featured that improve health outcomes, increase patient access and promote engagement. The summit will launch new opportunities such as new open data challenge efforts, data sets and more.
Online
AHRQ: Promoting the Spread of Health Care Innovations
Tuesday, April 9, 2013 11:00 MT
Join the Innovations Exchange for a free Web event to hear from health care innovator Linda Wick about the experiences and lessons learned from spreading her innovation both within and outside of her health care organization. Consider how scaling affects innovations and how to identify core elements for uptake. Explore staffing considerations and promotional activities that are key to growing and sustaining innovative initiatives. Business expert Janell Moerer will join the dialogue to stimulate an interactive in-depth discussion of these and other key issues.
CFHI: Improving Quality of Life for Residents with Dementia in Long-Term Care
Thursday March 21 10:00-11:00 $99 per organization
Join Joe Puchniak, now Manager, Client Affairs – Alberta, CIHI, and Cynthia Sinclair, Director of Care, Fred Douglas Lodge, Winnipeg, Manitoba, to hear how WRHA leadership worked with staff and their own data set to improve quality of care for long-term care for residents with dementia and decrease the need for antipsychotic medication with their personal care homes.
NICHE: Supporting Hospitalized Frail Seniors from ED to Hospital to Home
Presenters: Carla Loftus, Nana Asomaning, Rebecca Ramsden
Thursday March 28, 2013 NICHE member free, non-members $99/site
A visit to the ED and subsequent hospitalization are sentinel events for elderly patients. Care of older adult patients poses a clinical challenge for frontline staff. To better meet the needs of its older adult patients and support capacity building for frontline staff, Mount Sinai Hospital implemented several Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) roles. The presentation will detail each role and how they interact to support older adult patients as they transition between the community, emergency department, inpatient and outpatient settings. Join us for this examination of patient transition support.
Patient Voices Network: Social Determinants of Health Health Webinar-Care System Change: Barriers and Opportunities
March 13, 2013 10:00-11:00
How do we help all citizens live healthy lives? How do we make our health care system sustainable for the long term? How do we ensure that every person is able to make the best choice they can when it counts? Recent research indicates that beyond access to medications and quality medical treatment, a person’s living conditions is the top factor affecting their health. Education, employment, income level and other important considerations have come to be known as the Social Determinants of Health.
Beyond the Search: Maximizing the Quality of Systematic Reviews
Joanna Briggs Institute Tuesday March 12, 2013 07:00-08:00 MT
n this 1-hour session, you will gain a better understanding of systematic reviews, the role they play in informing practice and policy in health care today and opportunities for clinicians and librarians to influence the development of systematic reviews and improve the quality of evidence synthesis at their institution.
Courses
Publishing for Impact
Thursday March 21, 2013 14:30-15:30 ECHA L1-250
Presenters Thane Chambers & Lori Walter
Choosing the right journal for your research is important. Is it a place where you’ll reach the right audience? Will the editors and reviewers understand your research? And what about impact?
Luckily, there are many tools we can use to help us find the right place to publish our research.
In this hands-on workshop, we will:
• Explore different measures of research influence (impact factor, SNIP, citations, h-index, altmetrics)
• Determine the research impact of a journal, an author, and an article
• Find the right journal fit for your research findings
• Discuss the limitations of using metrics alone to make publishing decisions
Policy and Politics: Shaping Health Policy at the Intersection
UofT Faculty of Nursing, Toronto, ON May 13-14, 2013
The acquisition of expertise in policy development and political skill has become increasingly important in the development of a successful leadership career in health care. This dynamic and interactive workshop will focus on ways health professionals can successfully navigate at the intersection of policy and politics. The workshop focus will be on demystifying political situations and processes and suggest strategies to further develop your effectiveness and confidence in the policy arena.
News
How a CIHI analyst’s PhD helped form Ontario policy in assisted living sector.
For four years, the “only thing” Dr. Norma Jutan thought about was assisted living for high-risk seniors. Well, perhaps there were other thoughts, but for this CIHI senior analyst, most of that time was spent entrenched in a PhD dissertation. This is a story of what Jutan developed and how it changed government policy in Ontario.
Want to spread the news about your publications??
Are you a CIHR-funded investigator driving innovative health services and policy research? Have you recently been published in a peer-reviewed journal? Send IHSPR your research project abstract and a short summary (500 words max) of your latest game-changing outcomes and impacts for a chance to be featured in the IHSPR newsletter or website! Forward your information to info.ihspr@mcgill.ca.
B.C. expands program to help seniors stay in their homes with customized care
The B.C. government is expanding a program aimed at helping seniors stay in their homes as long as possible. Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid says the Home is Best program, which has been a pilot project in the Vancouver and Fraser Health regions, will be rolled out to all five health authorities in the province.
UK Government Launches 4 New “What Works” Evidence Centres for Social Policy
A new initiative will build upon existing evidence-based policy making through launching a series of independent specialist centres. These will produce and disseminate research to local decision-makers, supporting them in investing in services that deliver the best outcomes for citizens and value for money for taxpayers. Read What Works: evidence centres for social policy to see how this is going to work. One of the Evidence Centres is on Ageing Better.
Funding Organizations Launch Joint Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy
The four federal research funding organizations—the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada—have developed a new, harmonized conflict of interest and confidentiality policy.
CBC World at Six interview with Dr Jeremy Grimshaw
The interview focuses on The Cochrane Library and the free summaries of healthcare evidence it provides to Canadians. Later that evening, Dr Grimshaw and Marilyn Walsh were both speakers at the Canadian Cochrane Centre’s Café Scientifique: “Health Information in the age of the internet. Why Google your health questions when you can Cochrane them?”
CIHI: Updated hospital performance data available
Updated Canadian Hospital Reporting Project (CHRP) hospital performance data is now available from the CHRP web tool. CHRP provides a series of 21 clinical indicators (with risk-adjusted rates) and 6 financial indicators that allows hospitals to compare their performance with that of their peers and to learn from leading practices.
Resources
AHRQ Podcast: Tools to Help Reduce Nursing Home Falls
Health care providers have long realized that falls among patients are a serious problem, but they haven’t agreed on the best way to prevent them. The podcast describes a new computer-based AHRQ-funded tool to prevent falls in nursing home and hospitals.
AHRQ: How To Think About Evidence When Deciding Whether To Adopt an Innovation
In this perspective article, issues regarding the interpretation and use of effectiveness evidence about care delivery and policy innovations are examined, and an alternative approach to thinking about the information required when making decisions about the adoption of such innovations is outlined.
RNAO Toolkit: Implementation of Best Practice Guidelines, Second Edition
This Toolkit was designed to assist health care settings in maximizing the potential of BPGs,through systematic and well-planned implementation. It was also designed to accompany the nursing best practice guidelines (NBPGs) developed by the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) in order to facilitate their implementation.
CQC: A nudge in the right direction
Read the latest case study, which looks at how sometimes, a care home just needs a nudge in the right direction to improve the quality of care for residents.
Oxford University Press Blog: Maybe academics aren’t so stupid after all
Understanding incoherence: why it is legitimately hard to accomplish clarity in academic writing.
LSE Blog: Knowledge mobilisation: new insights for theory and practice
Knowledge creation, flow and promulgation are enmeshed in complex institutional and organisational arrangements. The concern over the under-use of research given this complexity has led to the development of strategies aimed at mobilising knowledge. Huw Davies and Sandra Nutley describe the objectives of a new UK project exploring and linking the theory and practice of knowledge mobilisation.
Sync Your Presentations To Your Audience’s Laptops and iPads
Free for 2 day access/$14 a month
Presentation.io is a new service that is designed to help your audience follow along with your presentations. Presentation.io does this by allowing the members of your audience to see your slides on their laptops, iPads, and Android tablets and watch them change when you advance your slides.
Kasier Permanente website on nursing research
I don’t love the way this site is organized but there are some tools that looks like they may be useful: stuff on writing, establishing your research program, a whole bunch of stuff on research analysis too.
It includes lots of tools for measuring QI and publications.
Cool online salt intake calculator
From ICES, UofT Med, and OHRI. This has absolutely nothing to do with KT or KUSP but I thought it was cool. Although a bit depressing. According to it I’m consuming twice the amount of sodium I should (3000 mg a day). And I prepare most of my own food (although I do notice that my box of Kosher salt needs to be replaced often).
Opportunities
Research Fellow Joanna Briggs Institute, Adelaide, Australia
Under general direction the Research Fellow is responsible for ensuring that a body of content and resources in the JBI COnNECT+ database are kept up to date, and that new content is developed. This involves undertaking content review and development, working with external writers, regular teleconferences with relevant groups, as well as participation in research projects, supervision of higher degree students as required, contributing to the writing of publications, and involvement in the teaching associated with JBI short courses. For more information please email francess.cricelli@adelaide.edu.au
International Centre for Infectious Diseases seeks two program managers
DEADLINE March 13, 2013
ICID is seeking two Program Managers. The primary role of the Program Manager is to support ICID’s national programs in meeting their mandate. To this end, the Program Manager’s essential functions include: supporting the development and managing the implementation of program strategic plans; managing program development, implementation, and evaluation; overseeing financial and operations systems and processes; and ensuring deadlines and reporting commitments are met. The Program Manager reports to the program’s Scientific Director for program-specific content and to the CEO for administration and finance functions. The Program Manager will perform such duties diligently and faithfully to the best of their abilities and in the best interests of ICID.
International Nursing Review Seeks New Editor
DEADLINE March 31, 2013
The current Editor, Jane Robinson, has given many years of excellent service to the journal but has decided to step down in summer/autumn 2013. We are now seeking applications for this prestigious position with the International Nursing Review, the official journal of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and one of the world- leading international nursing journals published by Wiley Blackwell, part of John Wiley & Sons.
