Israel journal of health policy research
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Isr J Health Policy Res · Jan 2013
Compassion fatigue, burnout and compassion satisfaction among family physicians in the Negev area - a cross-sectional study.
Compassion fatigue among health care professionals has gained interest over the past decade. Compassion fatigue, as well as burnout, has been associated with depersonalization and suboptimal patient care. Professional caregivers in general are exposed to the risk of compassion fatigue (CF), burnout (BO) and low levels of compassion satisfaction (CS). While CF has been studied in health care professionals, few publications address its incidence among family physicians, specifically. The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence and severity of CF among family practitioners (FPs) in the Negev (Israel's southern region), evaluating the correlations between CF, BO and CS and their relations with socio-demographic variables and work related characteristics. ⋯ Family physicians in the Negev are at high risk for CF, with the potential for CF- associated patient dissatisfaction, compromised patient safety and increased medical error. We propose creation of a CF educational and early intervention treatment program for family physicians and other health care professionals. Such programs would train facilitators of physician well-being and resiliency building. We also recommend analyzing contributing variables and organizational factors related to higher CF. Policy recommendations include integrating such programs within required risk management continuing medical education.
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Isr J Health Policy Res · Jan 2013
The road to patient experience of care measurement: lessons from the United States.
Patient-centered care has become an increasing priority in the United States and plays a prominent role in recent healthcare reforms. One way the country has managed to advance patient-centered care is through establishment of a family of national patient experience surveys (the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Plans (CAHPS). CAHPS is publicly reported for several types of providers and was recently tied to hospital reimbursement. ⋯ First, there is a need for a set of national patient experience surveys that would be publicly reported and eventually tied to provider reimbursement. Secondly, the national survey tools should be customized to the unique characteristics of Israeli society and draw from recent research on patient-centeredness to include new and important domains such as patient activation and shared decision-making. Finally, newer technological approaches should be explored with the aim of increasing response rates and the timeliness and usefulness of the surveys.
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Isr J Health Policy Res · Dec 2012
The journal's first year of publication and the challenges ahead.
The Israel Journal of Health Policy Research (IJHPR) seeks to promote intensive intellectual interactions among scholars and practitioners from Israel and other countries regarding all aspects of health policy and health care, with a special focus on Israel. During 2012, its first year of operation, the journal succeeded in publishing an impressive volume of policy-relevant articles by a remarkably diverse set of authors. The journal's success to date would not have been possible without the vital contributions of the editorial board, the authors, the reviewers, the readers, BioMed Central (the journal's publisher), and the Israel National Institute for Health Policy (the journal's sponsor). The challenges ahead include promoting greater reader involvement, and enhancing the journal's policy and educational impact.
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Isr J Health Policy Res · Dec 2012
EditorialA first step in determining appropriate amounts of obstetric anesthesia work.
Ginosar, et al. describe a new performance indicator, the Obstetric Anesthesia Activity Index, to represent the current amount of obstetric anesthesia work done daily at each of 25 Israeli hospitals. The authors claim, correctly, that this index is a closer reflection of the anesthetic workload than simply looking at the number of deliveries at each hospital. ⋯ In its current form, the Obstetric Anesthesia Activity Index describes the current work situation but does not evaluate the extent of the unmet need for additional anesthesia providers. Despite these shortcomings, the Obstetric Anesthesia Activity Index is an important first step in developing a tool to assess unmet obstetric anesthesia needs.
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Isr J Health Policy Res · Jan 2012
Comparison of the obstetric anesthesia activity index with total delivery numbers as a single denominator of workload demand in Israeli maternity units.
⋯ As there was such a wide range of demand for different obstetric anesthesia services among different hospitals, the total number of deliveries is a poor summary indicator of obstetric anesthesia workload. The calculated OAAI better reflected the obstetric anesthesia workload as a single denominator of activity.