Healthcare quarterly (Toronto, Ont.)
-
Effective communication and teamwork have been identified in the literature as key enablers of patient safety. The SBAR (Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation) process has proven to be an effective communication tool in acute care settings to structure high-urgency communications, particularly between physicians and nurses; however, little is known of its effectiveness in other settings. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an adapted SBAR tool for both urgent and non-urgent situations within a rehabilitation setting. ⋯ Findings from this study suggest that staff found the use of the adapted SBAR tool helpful in both individual and team communications, which ultimately affected perceived changes in the safety culture of the study team. There was a positive but not significant impact on patient satisfaction, likely due to a ceiling effect. Improvements were also seen in safety reporting of incidents and near misses across the organization and within the study team.
-
The Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety launched "It's Safe to Ask" in January 2007. The communication and health literacy initiative is aimed at Manitoba's vulnerable populations and their primary care providers. Phase 1 includes a poster and brochure for patients and a toolkit for providers/organizations, pilot tested in six sites in Manitoba. ⋯ The initiative will promote involvement in healthcare by patients, stronger communication between patient and provider, and reduction of risk for adverse events. "It's Safe to Ask" has been implemented in over 65 sites across Manitoba. A formal evaluation is underway. Phase 2 and 3 will enhance key tools and include interventions with specific populations.
-
Health status is connected with factors such as the environment, trade, economic growth and national security. Due to these close associations, health has emerged as a mediating factor inherent to a nation's prospect for human development.
-
This narrative is written with the intent to encourage physicians as well as other healthcare professionals to use judicial processes, such as those provided by the Ontario Consent and Capacity Board, to help resolve conflict with treatment decisions between care providers and decision-makers. Through the presentation of a fictional yet common case scenario, it is argued that after all attempts at mediation have been attempted that the timely use of a third party is in the patient's, the family's and the healthcare team's best interests.
-
Health resource allocation has been an issue of political debate in many health systems. However, the debate has tended to concentrate on vertical allocation from the national to regional level. Allocation within regions or institutions has been largely ignored. ⋯ This study concluded that decentralization in Indonesia had made a positive impact on district government fiscal capacity and had affected DHO budgets positively. However, an imbalanced budget allocation between projects and budget items was obvious, and this needs serious attention from policy makers. Otherwise, decentralization will not significantly improve the health system in Indonesia.