Australian health review : a publication of the Australian Hospital Association
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Triage processes are often used by Emergency Departments to sort patients according to urgency or type of service required. Triage may also be used in a broad spectrum of other health services and not just emergency departments. Triage systems may be used to ensure the most urgent patients get timely service, but do they have an effect on patient flow? ⋯ Moderate evidence exists from a range of health services that the ability to combine triage and initial treatment in less resource intensive cases can have a positive effect on patient flow. There is conflicting evidence that triage systems that only prioritize patients, without providing any treatment, improve overall patient flow, although tailoring triage criteria more specifically to the patient population or using triage to prioritize treatable cases may be of benefit.
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To review international experience in order to inform Australian PHC workforce policy on the role of primary healthcare organisations (PHCOs/Medicare Locals) in PHC workforce planning. ⋯ With the Australian government promoting the role of PHCOs in health system reform, reflections from abroad highlight the key action within PHC and PHCOs required to optimise PHC workforce planning.
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Clinical handover is an essential process occurring at many levels of inpatient care. Multiple studies within a hospital setting have identified that a breakdown in the handover process can lead to poor patient outcomes and serious adverse events. The use of electronic handover tools is an intervention identified to decrease errors in clinical care arising from poor handover practice. ⋯ The use of the Electronic Handover program resulted in improved satisfaction of the handover process within the medical, nursing and allied health professions. This trial demonstrates that an electronic handover program can be successfully integrated into normal medical work practice, resulting in positive outcomes for a multidisciplinary staff team. Further work is required to determine whether patient outcomes are improved as a result.
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To determine the extent of aggression directed towards Australian doctors and the implementation of aggression prevention and minimisation strategies in medical workplaces. ⋯ Many Australian doctors experience workplace aggression. The more widespread adoption of measures that support the prevention and minimisation of aggression in medical practice settings appears necessary.
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Changes to the remuneration of medical practitioners are currently being considered in Australia. In this paper, we provide a discussion of financial incentives in healthcare markets and their effects on health professionals' behaviour. ⋯ What are the objectives of the incentive scheme? What types of incentives can be used and under what circumstances? What is the empirical evidence around the effects of incentive schemes? What unintended consequences might exist? The paper concludes with a set of principles around which incentives can be designed. These principles might be used to inform the current debate about revisions to the incentives that are faced by medical practitioners in Australia.