Health care management review
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Health Care Manage Rev · Oct 2008
Consensus guidelines: improving the delivery of clinical preventive services.
Medical directors from the largest competing health plans in the state came together in a noncompetitive way to collaborate on improving the delivery of clinical preventive service (CPS) among their provider base. They identified one consistent set of CPS guidelines based on U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations, the health plan consensus guidelines (HPCG), that they could endorse as priority for guideline implementation. ⋯ A consistent set of CPS guidelines provided by competing health plans can improve the delivery of CPS among contracted health plan clinicians. This approach provides a template for competing health plans nationwide to come to consensus on guidelines that support clinicians in the delivery of CPS ().
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Health Care Manage Rev · Oct 2008
Hospital ethical climate and teamwork in acute care: the moderating role of leaders.
Health care delivery teams have received much attention in recent years from researchers and practitioners. Recent empirical research has demonstrated that objective and subjective outcomes tend to be improved when care teams function smoothly and efficiently. However, little is known about how the work environment, or care context, influences team processes that lead to better outcomes. ⋯ Although a benevolent ethical climate appears to be associated with effective teamwork, it appears that the proximate continuous quality improvement behaviors exhibited by leaders have a significant impact as well, above and beyond the climate. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
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Health Care Manage Rev · Oct 2008
Structural and process factors affecting the implementation of antimicrobial resistance prevention and control strategies in U.S. hospitals.
To address increases in the incidence of infection with antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention proposed two sets of strategies to (a) optimize antibiotic use and (b) prevent the spread of antimicrobial resistance and control transmission. However, little is known about the implementation of these strategies. ⋯ Formalization and standardization may eliminate staff role conflict, whereas centralized authority may minimize ambiguity. Culture and communication likely promote internal trust, whereas information technology use helps integrate and support these organizational processes. These findings suggest concrete strategies for evaluating current capabilities to implement effective practices and foster and sustain a culture of patient safety.
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Health Care Manage Rev · Oct 2008
Does the physician's emotional intelligence matter? Impacts of the physician's emotional intelligence on the trust, patient-physician relationship, and satisfaction.
Much of the literature pertinent to management indicates that service providers with high emotional intelligence (EI) receive higher customer satisfaction scores. Previous studies offer limited evidence regarding the impact of physician's EI on patient-physician relationship. ⋯ This study suggests that nurses had the sensitivity and intellectual skills in assessing the physician's performance and the patient's need. Our findings suggest that patient's trust is the cornerstone of the patient-physician relationship; however, mutual trust and professional respect between nurses and physicians play a critical role in reinforcing the patient-physician relationship to effect improvements in the provision of patient-centered care.
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Health Care Manage Rev · Oct 2008
The impact of charismatic leadership on followers' initiative-oriented behavior: a study in German hospitals.
Organizations in the health care sector are undergoing extensive structural reforms. To face these challenges, management initiatives that foster employees' commitment to and support for organizational change are needed in hospitals. ⋯ First, the results of our investigation point at the positive impact that charismatic leaders have on followers' initiative-oriented behavior in the hospital. Several studies have shown that training can improve leaders' abilities in charismatic leadership. Thus, a suggestion for supervisor development from this is not only to provide professional training but also to intensify efforts in training specialized on charismatic leadership. Second, to support followers' participation in change processes, hospital managers should consider if and how the degree of followers' job autonomy can be enhanced.