Friday 30 December 2011

Value based clinical commissioning of elective surgical care

"The aim of this report has been to make recommendations for consideration by the NHS Operations Board with regard to effective commissioning of elective surgical procedures."

Right Care Elective Surgery Project: Phase 1 report: Value based clinical commissioning of elective surgical care: emerging views of commissioners and surgeons and production of high value care pathways
M Gray, S Swift, M Suleman, N Beasley, D Hakes, M Qualie, A Mitchell, S Dutch
Right Care
November 2011

Read more here.

Saturday 24 December 2011

Predicting primary health care costs with measures of morbidity and multimorbidity

"In this paper we investigate the relationship between patients’ primary care costs (consultations, tests, drugs) and their age, gender, deprivation and alternative measures of their morbidity and
multimorbidity."

Keep it simple? Predicting primary health care costs with measures of morbidity and multimorbidity
CHE Research Paper 72
SL Brilleman, H Gravelle, S Hollinghurst, S Purdy, C Salisbury, F Windmeijer
University of York Centre for Health Economics
December 2011

Read more here.

Social Impact Bonds: a new way to invest in better healthcare

"Prevention is not only better healthcare but better economics. Can social impact bonds fund a shift to prevention?"

Social Impact Bonds: a new way to invest in better healthcare
P Corrigan
Social Finance
September 2011

Read more here.

Tuesday 20 December 2011

Maturity of hospitals’ quality improvement systems is associated with measures of quality and patient safety

"From this data it seems that having a more developed quality improvement system is associated with lower rates of adjusted hospital complications."


Is the maturity of hospitals’ quality improvement systems associated with measures of quality and patient safety?
O Groene, N Mora, A Thompson, M Saez, M Casas, R Sunol
BMC Health Services Research, 2011, 11:344

Read more here.

Research in ambulatory patient safety

"This report comprises a review of publicly available research and other efforts to address ambulatory patient safety between 2000 and 2010."

Research in ambulatory patient safety 2000-2010: A 10-year review
CY Lorincz, E Drazen, PE Sokol, KV Neerukonda, J Metzger, MC Toepp, L Maul, DC Classen, MK Wynia
American Medical Association
December 2011

Read more here.

Monday 19 December 2011

An evaluation of the use of performance measures in health care

The study addressed the following four overarching questions, with subtopics listed below each
question:
  1. How are performance measures being used in practice?
  2. What factors are influencing measure use?
  3. What types of system changes have occurred as a result of measure use?
  4. What improvement areas could facilitate the use of standardized endorsed performance measures by various end users? 
An evaluation of the use of performance measures in health care
CL Damberg, ME Sorbero, SL Lovejoy, K Lauderdale, S Wertheimer, A Smith, D Waxman, C Schnyer
National Quality Forum, RAND Corporation
December 2011
 
Read more here.

Good governance for clinical commissioning groups

"This guide is intended to help the newly formed Clinical Commissioning Groups understand the principles and function of good governance, particularly as these relate to their new statutory role, accountable to parliament combined with their role as a membership organisation, accountable to and for their practices."

Good governance for Clinical Commissioning Groups: an introductory guide
C Imison, B Ashton, K Steward, A Willis
The King's Fund
December 2011

Read more here.

The search for low-cost integrated healthcare

"This report identifies one particular model,originating from the region of Valencia, Spain, which purports to be a pioneering approach to the provision of integrated healthcare through public-private partnership."

The search for low-cost integrated healthcare: the Alzira model - from the region of Valencia
NHS European Office
NHS Confederation
December 2011

Read more here.

Barriers and facilitators in implementation and diffusion of healthcare service innovations

"The purpose of the present study was to explore how healthcare innovators of process-based initiatives perceived and made sense of factors that either facilitated or obstructed the innovation implementation and diffusion."

Understanding innovators' experiences of barriers and facilitators in implementation and diffusion of healthcare service innovations: a qualitative study
J Barnett, K Vasileiou, F Djemil, L Brooks, T Young
BMC Health Services Research, 2011, 11:342

Read more here.

Person-based resource allocation

This research summary describes what lies behind the Department of Health's new approach to setting target allocations for hospital care to commissioning general practices.

Person-based resource allocation: new approaches to estimating commissioning budgets for GP practices
M Bardsley, J Dixon
December 2011

Read more here.

The quest for efficiency in the English NHS

"A competitive, flexible approach to health care delivery will promote innovation, making it possible to learn from health care providers that adopt diferent approaches to delivery."

Competition, integration and incentives: the quest for efficiency in the English NHS
AM Garber
The Nuffield Trust
December 2011

Read more here.

Thursday 15 December 2011

Taking the pulse: attitudes to the health service

"Satisfaction with the NHS overall is at its highest ever level, though the picture in relation to specific services is more mixed." These are the findings of the NatCen Social Research survey into British Social Attitudes.

British Social Attitudes Survey 28
Elizabeth Clery
NatCen Social Research
2011

Read more here(Choose 9. NHS from the left-hand menu).

The relationship between hospital admission rates and rehospitalizations

"We found a substantial association between regional rates of rehospitalization and overall admission rates."

The relationship between hospital admission rates and rehospitalizations
AM Epstein, AK Jha, EJ Orav
New England Journal of Medicine, 2011, 365:2287-2295

Read more here.

Tuesday 13 December 2011

Improving health and health care in London

"This paper reviews the progress made in improving health and health care in London in recent years and analyses the financial and service challenges facing the National Health Service (NHS) now and in the future."

Improving health and health care in London: who will take the lead?
J Appleby, C Ham, C Imison, T Harrison, S Boyle, B Ashton, J Thompson
The King's Fund
November 2011

Read more here.

Monday 12 December 2011

Show me the evidence

Show Me The Evidence  is a new publication showcasing some of the innovative research supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The first issue presents three stories about initiatives that have the potential to improve the delivery of health services to Canadians, but perhaps these lessons can also be shared further afield.

Read more here.

NHS Atlas of Variation in Healthcare

The second issue of the NHS Atlas of Variation in Healthcare has just been published, and aims to increase value and improve quality by reducing unwarranted variation.

NHS Atlas of Variation in Healthcare
NHS RightCare
November 2011

Read more here.

Sunday 11 December 2011

The four habits of high-value health care organizations

"Although high-value health care organizations vary in structure, resources, and culture, they often have remarkably similar approaches to care management."

The four habits of high-value health care organizations
RMJ Bohmer
New England Journal of Medicine, 2011, 365:2045-2047

Read more here.

Friday 9 December 2011

Involvement, shared decision-making and medicines

"The paper is designed to map and clarify the various purposes and agendas at stake in patient involvement policies in relation to medicines, and the practical and ethical challenges of translating these purposes into practice."

Involvement, shared decision-making and medicines
A Cribb
Royal Pharmaceutical Society
November 2011

Read more here.

The NHS Outcomes Framework 2012/13

"This document sets out the changes that have been made to the indicators in the NHS Outcomes Framework. It builds on  The NHS Outcomes Framework 2011/12 and The NHS Outcomes 2011/12: Technical details of indicators, and is designed to help NHS organisations to  start to think through what a focus on outcomes means in practical terms."

The NHS Outcomes Framework 2012/13
Department of Health
December 2012

Read more here.

Thursday 8 December 2011

Governing public hospitals

"For hospital governance to be effective, it must incorporate two powerful and well-developed lines of health sector logic: on the one hand, national health policy and objectives; on the other, operational hospital management."

Governing public hospitals: reform strategies and the movement towards institutional autonomy
Edited by RB Saltman, A Duran, HFW Dubois
European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
November 2011

Read more here.

Wednesday 7 December 2011

Preventing suicide through community and emergency healthcare

This briefing looks at the new suicide prevention toolkits for the NHS, developed by the National Patient Safety Agency.

Preventing suicide through community and emergency healthcare
NHS Confederation - Mental Health Network
December 2011

Read more here.

Delivering efficiency savings in the NHS

"This memorandum has been prepared for the Health Committee to support its review of public expenditure. It sets out how the NHS, supported by the Department of Health, plans to deliver efficiency savings of up to £20 billion by 2014-15."

NAO briefing for the House of Commons Health Committee: Delivering efficiency savings in the NHS
National Audit Office
September 2011 (published December 2011)

Read more here.

Improving hand-washing practices by changing practice

This newspaper article highlights the findings of a forthcoming study into hand-washing practices in America, and shows how a simple change in signage can improve practice.

Getting doctors to wash their hands
A O'Connor
New York Times
1st September 2011

Read more here.


Original study:
It's not all about me: motivating hand hygiene among health care professionals by focusing on patients
AM Grant, DA Hofmann
Psychological Science, 2011, November 10th


Read the abstract here.

Tuesday 6 December 2011

Innovation health and wealth

"This report sets out the actions we must now take to make innovation and its spread central to what we do."

Innovation health and wealth: accelerating adoption and diffusion in the NHS
Department of Health
December 2011

Read more here.

Monday 5 December 2011

Finding a balance between "value added" and feeling valued

"The ability to reach an identified target and deliver on objectives relies on the successful engagement and empowerment of front-line staff, clients and families."

Finding a balance between "value added" and feeling valued: revising models of care. The human factor or implementing a quality improvement initiative using Lean methodology within the healthcare sector
R Deans, S Wade
Healthcare Quarterly, 2011, 14(3):58-61

Read more here.

Strengthening health systems through innovation

"The purpose of this white paper is to examine the progress made within the health systems of seven comparator countries so we may learn how they have been able to help meet population health needs more effectively and make progress in health system redesign and transformation."

Strengthening health systems through innovation: lessons learned
A Snowden, J Cohen
International Centre for Health Innovation

Read more here.

Joining up health and social care

"Improving joint working across the boundary between health and social care has the potential to make significant savings and has been a priority for many years."

Joining up health and social care: improving value for money across the interface
Audit Commission
December 2011

Read more here.

Can changing clinician-patient interactions improve healthcare quality?

"The quality of care is a factor of the quality of the interactions between people who use services and people who provide them. Thus, transforming this dynamic is a [lever] for improving quality."

Can changing clinician-patient interactions improve healthcare quality?
The Health Foundation
December 2011

Read more here.

Eliminating central line infections

"This report synthesizes lessons from four hospitals that reported they did not experience any central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) in their intensive care units in 2009."

Eliminating central line infections and spreading success at high-performing hospitals
S Silow-Carroll, JN Edwards
The Commonwealth Fund
December 2011

Read more here.

Making clinical commissioning work

This is the transcript of a conference, which took place in October 2011, bringing together 150 delegates from policy, business and the NHS, to listen to and debate presentations on clinical commissioning.

An NHS for patients: making clinical commissioning work
Reform
October 2011

Read more here.

Thursday 1 December 2011

Sharps safety

"RCN guidance to support implementation of the EU Directive 2010/32/EU on the prevention of sharps injuries in the health care sector."

Sharps safety
Royal College of Nursing
November 2011

Read more here.

Wednesday 30 November 2011

Making the business case for ward sisters and team leaders to be supervisory to practice

"This RCN guidance is a practical resource to help directors of nursing highlight how cost effective the change to supervisory practice for wards sisters/team leaders can be."

Making the business case for ward sisters and team leaders to be supervisory to practice
Royal College of Nursing
November 2011

Read more here.

Breaking the mould without breaking the system

"This resource is designed to offer ideas and inspiration to everyone responsible for commissioning urgent and emergency care in the UK, in particular, the new clinical commissioning groups in England."


Breaking the mould without breaking the system: new ideas and resources for clinical commissioners on the journey towards integrated 24/7 urgent care
D Carson, H Clay, R Stern
Primary care Foundation
November 2011

Read more here.

Monday 28 November 2011

Are we there yet? A review of organisational and clinical aspects of children's surgery

"This is the third study that NCEPOD has undertaken on surgery and anaesthesia in children."

Are we there yet? A review of organisational and clinical aspects of children's surgery
DG Mason, K Wilkinson, MJ Gough, SB Lucas, H Freeth, H Shotton, M Mason
National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death
October 2011

Read more here.

Guidelines for the management of norovirus outbreaks in acute and community health and social care settings

"This guidance gives recommendations on the management of outbreaks of vomiting and/or diarrhoea in hospitals and community health and social care settings, including nursing and residential homes."

Guidelines for the management of norovirus outbreaks in acute and community health and social care settings
NHS Confederation
November 2011

Read more here.

Friday 25 November 2011

The Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2012/13

"This document outlines the business and planning arrangements for the NHS in 2012/13. It describes the national priorities, system levers and enablers needed for NHS organisations to maintain and improve the quality of services provided, while delivering transformational change and maintaining financial stability."

The Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2012/13
Department of Health
November 2011

Read more here.

Thursday 24 November 2011

Case management: what it is and how it can best be implemented

"Case management is an established tool in integrating services around the needs of individuals with long-term conditions."

Case management: What it is and how it can best be implemented
S Ross, N Curry, N Goodwin
The King's Fund
November 2011

Read more here.

A systematic review of integrated working between care homes and health care services

"This study aims to evaluate the different integrated approaches to health care services supporting older people in care homes, and identify barriers and facilitators to integrated working."


A systematic review of integrated working between care homes and health care services
SL Davies, C Goodman, F Bunn, C Victor, A Dickinson, S Iliffe, H Gage, W Martin, K Froggatt
BMC Health Services Research, 2011, 11:320

Read more here.

Wednesday 23 November 2011

Community nursing: transforming health care

"The RCN wants these case studies of excellent community nursing to inform, inspire and persuade people to scrutinise their current community nursing services and identify how they can be both expanded and enhanced – for the benefit of their local population."

Community nursing: transforming health care
Royal College of Nursing
November 2011

Read more here.

Generating savings by improving health and well-being

"This briefing features examples of good practice from across the NHS to help inform the planning of strategies to further reduce sickness absence and highlights the opportunities for financial savings that can be made through the introduction and implementation of new policies."


Generating savings by improving health and well-being: experiences in NHS trusts
NHS Employers
November 2011

Read more here.

Choosing a predictive risk model

"Predictive risk models are used for predicting events such as unplanned hospital admissions, which are undesirable, costly and potentially preventable."


Choosing a predictive risk model: a guide for commissioners in England
Nuffield Trust
November 2011

Read more here.

Monday 21 November 2011

What makes a top hospital? Leadership

"To improve the efficacy of the NHS, good leaders will have to encourage staff to make sure that patients themselves can add value to their care."

What makes a top hospital? Leadership
P Robinson, J Tyndale-Biscoe
CHKS - part of the Capita Group
November 2011

Read more here.

Sunday 20 November 2011

The e-Health Implementation Toolkit

"The e-Health Implementation Toolkit (e-HIT) is an example of such a tool that was designed within the context of the United Kingdom National Health Service to promote implementation of e-health services."

The e-Health Implementation Toolkit: Qualitative evaluation across four European countries
A MacFarlane, P Clerkin, E Murray, DJ Heaney, M Wakeling, U-M Pesola, EL Waterworth, F Larsen, M
Makiniemi, I Winblad
Implementation Science, 2011, 6:122

Read more here.

Patterns of long term care in 29 European countries

"A pan-European survey was carried out to evaluate whether patterns of long-term conditions can be identified across Europe and what are the trends of the countries along them."

Patterns of long term care in 29 European countries: evidence from an exploratory study
G Damiani, V Farelli, A Anselmi, L Sicuro, A Solipaca, A Burgio, D Fioredistella Iezzi, W Ricciardi
BMC Health Services Research, 2011, 11:316

Read more here.

EHR-based care coordination performance measures in ambulatory care

"Good coordination of care in the ambulatory setting has the potential to reduce unnecessary or duplicative use of health services, prevent hospitalizations for ambulatory care–sensitive conditions, improve patient safety, and potentially reduce costs."

EHR-based care coordination performance measures in ambulatory care
KS Chan, JP Weiner, SH Scholle, JB Fowles, J Holzer, L Samal, P Renner
The Commonwealth Fund
November 2011

Read the issue brief and the technical report.

Right Care workstream

This brochure describes the work of the Department of Health Right Care workstream, which provides resources to support the QIPP (Quality, Innovation, Productivity, Prevention). Click here to find out more.

Friday 18 November 2011

Antimicrobial stewardship: "Start smart - then focus"

"The aim of this guidance is to provide an outline of evidence-based antimicrobial stewardship in the secondary healthcare setting."

Antimicrobial stewardship: "Start smart - then focus": Guidance for antimicrobial stewardship in hospitals (England)
Department of Health
November 2011

Read more here.

Electronic health records: an international perspective on “meaningful use”

"This issue brief describes the extent of meaningful use in three countries with very high levels of health information technology adoption—Denmark, New Zealand, and Sweden."

Electronic health records: an international perspective on “meaningful use”
BH Gray, T Bowden, I Johansen, S Koch
Issues in International Health Policy
The Commonwealth Fund
November 2011

Read more here.

Thursday 17 November 2011

The financial cost of healthcare fraud

"We [PKF] identified 10 major causes of inefficiency, one of which was fraud, and our estimates suggested that combined, they might result in the waste of up to 30-40% of all health resources."

The financial cost of healthcare fraud: what data from around the world shows
J Gee, M Button, G Brooks
PKF (UK) LLP
2011

Read more here.

Evaluating healthcare quality improvement

On the 6th June 2011, the Health Foundation hosted a roundtable event, where senior figures from the field of improvement science came together to discuss interventions to improve the quality of healthcare.

Evaluating healthcare quality improvement: a summary of learning from a Health Foundation roundtable
The Health Foundation
November 2011

Read more here.

Levels of harm in primary care

"This research scan found that about 1–2% of primary care consultations may include adverse events, with the most common errors relating to medication and communication."

Research scan: Levels of harm in primary care
The Health Foundation
November 2011

Read more here.

Does improving safety culture affect outcomes?

"This research scan examines whether improving safety culture has an impact on patient and staff outcomes."

Research scan: Does improving safety culture affect outcomes?
The Health Foundation
November 2011

Read more here.

Improving safety in primary care

"This research scan examines what has been done to improve patient safety in primary care."

Research scan: Improving safety in primary care
The Health Foundation
November 2011

Read more here.

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Guide to using quality improvement tools to drive clinical audits

"The guide describes how quality improvement approaches can be applied to clinical audit and specific QI tools that can contribute to the clinical audit process and when to use them."

Guide to using quality improvement tools to drive clinical audits
N Dixon, M Pearce
Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership
October 2011

Read more here.

Achieving efficiencies and improving outcomes

"This Briefing is intended to share learning with commissioners and providers in the NHS, local government and health and wellbeing boards, to support integration of wellness approaches within existing programmes and services and scale-up system-wide change."

From illness to wellness: achieving efficiencies and improving outcomes
NHS Confederation
October 2011

Read more here.

Strengthening primary care

"With well-developed primary care systems that have track records of strong performance, Australia, England, and the Netherlands offer some potentially useful lessons to the United States as it implements health care reforms."

Strengthening primary care: recent reforms and achievements in Australia, England, and the Netherlands
S Willcox, G Lewis, J Burgers
Issues in International Health Policy
The Commonwealth Fund
November 2011

Read more here.

Self management support resource centre

This self management support area has been developed by The Health Foundation, to support healthcare professionals, service managers and commissioners develop their understanding of self management support.

Find out more here.

Quality improvement guide: prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections

"The guide offers advice on management or organisational actions to prevent and control."

Quality improvement guide: prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
November 2011

Read more here.

Scroll to "Key documents" to read the full text, and access related material, such as a costing template and a topic briefing paper.

An organizational guide to building health services research capacity

"The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) sponsored the development of this guide to help research organizations and institutions improve their health services research capacity and competitiveness for grant and contract funding."

An organizational guide to building health services research capacity
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
October 2011

Read more here.

Primary care, everywhere: connecting the dots across the emerging health landscape

"This report offers a guide to the major innovations happening across the evolving primary care landscape - in both existing health systems and in nontraditional locations outside of those systems".

Primary care, everywhere: connecting the dots across the emerging health landscape
California Healthcare Foundation
November 2011

Read more here.

Using evidence to improve social policy and practice

This is a collection of essays looking at how to make decisions based on good quality evidence.

Using evidence to improve social policy and practice: perspectives on how research and evidence can influence decision making
NESTA
October 2011

Read more here.

Thursday 10 November 2011

Developing commissioning support

"‘Commissioning support’ will bring the specialist skills and knowledge to the non-clinical elements of commissioning so that clinicians can use their strengths to focus on leading change and improvement locally."

Developing commissioning support: towards service excellence
Department of Health
2011

Read more here.

Health care quality improvement: there's an app for that

"Disease management apps, in particular, can improve communication between patients and providers and promote adherence to recommended care."

Health care quality improvement: there's an app for that
Quality matters
The Commonwealth Fund
October/November 2011

Read more here.


Effectiveness of a quality-improvement program in improving management of primary care practices

"Primary care practices that completed the European Practice Assessment instrument twice over a three-year period showed improvements in practice management."


Effectiveness of a quality-improvement program in improving management of primary care practices
J Szecsenyi, S Campbell, B Broge, G Laux, S Willms, M Wensing, K Goetz
Canadian Medical Association Journal, 31st October 2011

Read more here.

Inpatient care for people with diabetes

"Long-term complications arising from sub-optimal care can impose further costs on individuals and their carers, on the health and social care system and on the public sector more generally."

Inpatient care for people with diabetes: the economic case for change
M Kerr
Insight Health Economics
November 2011

Read more here.

Electronic consultations between primary and specialty care clinicians

"E-consultation presents opportunities to improve health care quality and reduce specialty care costs, but dissemination will be limited unless incentives are created and clinicians are encouraged to use e-consultation through financial reimbursement."


Electronic consultations between primary and specialty care clinicians: early insights
K Horner, E Wagner, J Tufano
The Commonwealth Fund
October 2011

Read more here.

Disease-management programs can improve quality of care for the chronically ill

"Results of a four-year follow-up show that despite the programs’ implementation in a weak primary care system, quality of care and patient satisfaction have improved while hospitalization rates, duration of hospital stay, patient mortality, and drug costs have been significantly lowered."

Disease-management programs can improve quality of care for the chronically ill, even in a weak primary care system: a case study from Germany
S Stock, D Starke, L Altenhofen, L Hansen
Issues in International Health Policy
The Commonwealth Fund
November 2011

Read more here.

An involving service: ambulance responses in urban and rural areas

"This Briefing aims to help NHS organisations engage with local leaders, communities and other public services about the issues and challenges ambulance services face in rural areas."


An involving service: ambulance responses in urban and rural areas
NHS Confederation
November 2011

Read more here.

Complex care needs are often poorly coordinated

"This study indicates a need for improvement in all countries through redesigning primary care, developing care teams accountable across sites of care, and managing transitions and medications well."

New 2011 survey of patients with complex care needs in eleven countries finds that care is often poorly coordinated
C Schoen, R Osborn, D Squires, M Doty, R Pierson, S Applebaum
Health Affairs, 2011, 30(12)

Read more here.

International profiles of health care systems, 2011

This report presents profiles of the following health care systems: Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.

International profiles of health care systems, 2011
Edited by S Thomson, R Osborn, D Squires, SJ Reed
The Commonwealth Fund
November 2011

Read more here.

Monday 7 November 2011

After hospitalization: a Dartmouth Atlas report

"This is the first national [USA] report to look at how effectively communities and hospitals coordinate care for some of their sickest patients—those leaving the hospital after a stay to treat an acute or chronic illness."

After hospitalization: a Dartmouth Atlas report on post-acute care for Medicare Beneficiaries
DC Goodman, ES Fisher, CH Chang, SR Raymond, KK Bronner
The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice
September 2011

Read more here.

Sunday 6 November 2011

Use of health technology assessment to inform the value of provider fees

"Health technology assessment (HTA) is becoming an increasingly prominent policy tool in response to concerns about rising healthcare costs driven by the use of technology."

The use of health technology assessment to inform the value of provider fees: current challenges and future opportunities
D Husereau, CG Cameron
Canadian Health Services Research Foundation
October 2011

Read more here.

Supporting patient decision-making: interprofessional perspectives

This is a special issue full of articles about interprofessional support of patient decision-making.


Supporting patient decision-making: interprofessional perspectives: Special issue
Journal of Interprofessional Care
November 2011, 25(6)

Read more here.

Research Impact Journal Club

This space is designed to make KMb [Knowledge Mobilization] research more accessible to KMb practitioners.

Read more here.

Inequalities in utilisation of general practitioner and specialist services

"In summary, large inequalities were observed in the utilisation of specialist care that are not compensated for by the use of GP services."

Inequalities in utilisation of general practitioner and specialist services in 9 European countries
I Stirbu, AE Kunst, A Mielck, JP Mackenbach
BMC Health Services Research, 2011, 11:288

Read more here.

Personal Health Budgets: Early experiences of budget holders

This evaluation report looks at the early experiences of a small subsample of budget holders and their representatives, as personal health budgets are piloted in English primary care trusts (PCTs).

Personal Health Budgets: Early experiences of budget holders: 4th interim evaluation report
A Irvine, J Davidson, C Gendinning, K Jones, J Forder, J Caiels, E Welch, K Windle, P Dolan, D King
Department of Health
October 2011

Read more here.

Event: Free webinar: How to write about quality and safety and get published

The Health Foundation provides a series of Improvement Science Webinars. On 22nd November, at 4pm (UK time), there will be a free Webinar called "the leading improvement science researcher and well-published author Mary Dixon-Woods, Professor of Medical Sociology , University of Leicester, will be exploring how to write-up your research/improvement project for publication.

Find out more here.

Measuring patient experience in the primary care sector

The aim of this study was to identify the features of care that mattered most to patients and whether what patients want from their care varies depending on their condition.

Measuring patient experience in the primary care sector: Does a patient's condition influence what matters?
Policy plus evidence, issues and opinions in healthcare
National Nursing Research Unit
King's College London
Issue 32, September 2011

Read more here.

Principles for integrated care

This paper presents a set of principles for integrated care, based on the experiences of service users, and research evidence.


Principles for integrated care
National Voices
October 2011

Read more here.

Ethical commissioning guidance to general practitioners

"This guidance is for general practitioners, and particularly GPs who will have a role as commissioners in clinical commissioning groups in England."

Making difficult choices: ethical commissioning guidance to general practitioners
M Oswald, D Cox
Royal College of General Practitioners
October 2011

Read more here.

Improving inpatient postnatal services

"A Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) approach was adopted to support a systems and process change to in-patient care and care on transfer home in a large district general hospital with around 6000 births a year."

Improving inpatient postnatal services: midwives views and perspectives of engagement in a quality improvement initiative
DE Bick, V Rose, A Weavers, J Wray, S Beake
BMC Health Services Research, 2011, 11:293

Read more here.

Saturday 5 November 2011

Reducing agency staff costs

"Many NHS trusts are trialling a variety of solutions to reduce spend on agency staff. Listed below are a number of case studies available to download which showcase good practice from within NHS organisations."

Case studies: five high impact actions
NHS Employers
October 2011

Read more here.

Professionalism in healthcare professionals

"This study was commissioned by the Health Professions Council (HPC) as part of a wider research programme exploring aspects of professional practice."

Professionalism in healthcare professionals
Health Professions Council
October 2011

Read more here.

Clinical Practice Research Datalink

The Department of Health’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) in partnership with Health and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has announced the creation of a new Clinical Practice Research Datalink service (CPRD), which will be fully established by 1 April 2012. The CPRD will provide capability, products and services across a number of areas including:

  • Data services
  • Interventional research services
  • Research advisory services

Read more here.

Telehealth evidence database

The Telehealth evidence database is a free resource, published by The King's Fund. It is for anyone looking for information on telecare, telehealth and the management of long-term conditions.

Access the database here.

Evidence-based medicine in the EMR era

This is a report about how a physician, unable to find research evidence, used the data captured in his institution's electronic medical record and an innovative research data warehouse to create an "electronic cohort".

Evidence-based medicine in the EMR era
J Frankovich, CA Longhurst, SM Sutherland
New England Journal of Medicine, 2011

Read more here.

Economic regulation in health care

"This paper is essential reading for policy-makers considering the role of economic regulation in health care, and those tasked with implementing the new system of regulation in England."


Economic regulation in health care: What can we learn from other regulators?
A Dixon, T Harrison, C Mundle
The King's Fund
November 2011

Read more here.

Sunday 30 October 2011

Facilitating the use of research evidence

"Facilitating the use of research is the topic of a newly published virtual issue of The Milbank Quarterly. The issue includes, in chronological order, twenty-two articles and two commentaries that were published in the Quarterly between 2001 and 2011."

Facilitating the use of research evidence
Milbank Quarterly - 2011 Milbank Memorial Fund
Edited by Bradford H. Gray
2011

Read the whole issue here.

Saturday 29 October 2011

The Network - connect people, share knowledge, improve care

The Network is an online community and network for medical students, junior doctors and newly qualified consultants and GPs with an interest in clinical leadership and medical management.


Read more here or go straight to The Network.

Quality and safety in European hospitals

"The 'Quality and Safety in Europe by Research' (QUASER) study will investigate how hospitals implement, spread and sustain quality improvement, including the difficulties they face and how they overcome them."


A longitudinal, multi-level comparative study of quality and safety in European hospitals: the QUASER study protocol
GB Robert, JE Anderson, SJ Burnett, K Aase, B Andersson-Gare, R Bal, J Calltorp, F Nunes, AM Weggelaar, CA Vincent, NJ Fulop
BMC Health Services Research, 2011, 11:285

Read more here.

Increasing reporting rates and reducing harm

"Actively developing a transparent and positive safety culture at the unit level can improve medication safety."


Increasing medication error reporting rates while reducing harm through simultaneous cultural and system-level interventions in an intensive care unit
KM Abstoss, BE Shaw, TA Owens, JL Juno, EL Commiskey, MF Niedner
BMJ Quality and Safety, 2011, 20(11):914-922

Read more here.

Patient safety competency assessment

"This review aims to identify the available assessment tools for different patient safety domains and evaluate them according to Miller’s four competency levels."


Assessing the patient safety competencies of healthcare professionals: a systematic review
A Okuyama, K Martowirono, B Bijnen
BMJ Quality and Safety, 2011, 20(11):991-1000

Read more here.

Collaborative care for depression treatment in primary care

"Depression collaborative care models designed and implemented by primary care practices using evidence based quality improvement improved antidepressant initiation."


Implementing collaborative care for depression treatment in primary care: a cluster randomized evaluation of a quality improvement practice redesign
EF Chaney, LV Rubenstein, CF Liu, EM Yano, C Bolkan, M Lee, B Simon, A Lanto, B Felker, J Uman
Implementation Science, 2011, 6:121

Read more here.

Guiding patients through complexity: modern medical generalism

"This Commission believes that medical generalism has a strong and growing part to play in the way that health care must change, radically, to respond both to the needs of an ageing population living with widespread, often multiple, chronic conditions and to the growing imperative for patients to be in partnership with their doctors and to be able jointly to plan their care."


Guiding patients through complexity: modern medical generalism: Report of an independent commission for the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Health Foundation
The Health Foundation
October 2011

Read more here.

Experience-based co-design

"This toolkit outlines a powerful and effective way of improving patients' experiences of services."


Experience-based co-design: working with patients to improve health care
The King's Fund
2011

Read more here.

CHSRF on Call - free webinars on health service transformation

"CHSRF on Call is a series of free webinars, in English and French, featuring policy- and decision- makers as they explore existing evidence on key topics to see how it can improve the delivery of health services and the health of Canadians."

The service is provided by the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation and you can read more here.

Uncertainty, evidence and irrecoverable costs

"This research was commissioned to inform when NICE should approve health technologies only in research (OIR) or with research (AWR)."


Uncertainty, evidence and irrecoverable costs: Informing approval, pricing and research decisions for health technologies
K Claxton, S Palmer, L Longworth, L Bojke, S Griffin, C McKenna, M Soares, E Spackman, J Youn
Centre for Health Economics
October 2011

Read more here.

Hospitals and care systems of the future

"This report will mobilize hospital senior leadership teams to consider the strategies they must deploy throughout their individual organizations to adapt and succeed in the future."


Hospitals and care systems of the future
American Hospital Association
September 2011

Read more here.

Health datasets for economists

"This Compendium of Health Datasets for Economists (ICoHDE) provides the largest collection of English specific datasets available for researchers interested in the field of economics of health and health care."


The interactive compendium of health datasets for economists
University of Oxford
2011

Access the resource here.

Friday 21 October 2011

Operating principles for health and wellbeing boards

These operating principles have been designed to support the effective establishment and functioning of health and wellbeing boards.


Operating principles for health and wellbeing boards
NHS Confederation
October 2011

Read more here.

Patient and public engagement in the new commissioning system

"This paper draws on a round-table discussion held by the NHS Confederation in August 2011 to consider the critical issues which clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) will need to address in developing approaches to meaningful and effective patient and public engagement."

Patient and public engagement in the new commissioning system
NHS Confederation
October 2011

Read more here.

Building a successful NHS Commissioning Board

"This paper sets out our views on plans for establishing a new NHS Commissioning Board."


Building a successful NHS Commissioning Board
NHS Confederation
October 2011

Read more here.

Testing treatments: better research for better healthcare

"Medicine shouldn’t be about authority, and the most important question anyone can ask on any claim is simple: ‘how do you know?’ This book is about the answer to that question."

Testing treatments: better research for better healthcare 2nd ed
I Evans, H Thornton, I Chalmers, P Glasziou
2011

Read more here.

Social determinants of health - what doctors can do

This paper will sets out some of the evidence and examples of actions that doctors can take to affect the social determinants of health and reduce the social gradient.

Social determinants of health - what doctors can do
British Medical Association
October 2011

Read more here.

Effective management of records during a period of transition or organisational change

"This document provides guidance on records management for NHS organisations who are going through a period of transition."

NHS Information Governance: Effective management of records during a period of transition or organisational change
Department of Health
September 2011

Read more here.

Saturday 15 October 2011

Communities of practice in health

"Communities of Practice (CoPs) are promoted in the healthcare sector as a means of generating and sharing knowledge and improving organisational performance."


How and why are communities of practice established in the healthcare sector? A systematic review of the literature
G Ranmuthugala, JJ Plumb, FC Cunningham, A Georgiou, JI Westbrook, J Braithwaite
BMC Health Servics Research, 2011, 11:273

Read more here.

Ten steps to transform the use of evidence

Over the next ten days NESTA will outline a number of the challenges and barriers that are frequently encountered when trying to improve the use of evidence in social policy decision making.

Ten steps to transform the use of evidence
R Puttick
NESTA
2011

Read more here.

Pay-for-performance in disease management

"The objectives of this paper are therefore to provide an overview of P4P schemes used to stimulate delivery of chronic care through disease management and to provide insight into their effects on healthcare quality and costs."

Pay-for-performance in disease management: a systematic review of the literature
SR de Bruin, CA Baan, JN Struijs
BMC Health Services Research, 2011, 11:272

Read more here.

Innovative teaching methods for capacity building in knowledge translation

"This article introduces two innovative methods for capacity building in knowledge translation (KT)."

Innovative teaching methods for capacity building in knowledge translation
HA Wahabi, LA Al-Ansary
BMC Medical Education, 2011, 11:85

Read more here.

Improving care and reducing costs for high-risk patients

"Our objective was to pilot a novel patient-centered intervention for high-risk patients with frequent hospital admissions to determine its potential to improve care and reduce costs."

An intervention to improve care and reduce costs for high-risk patients with frequent hospital admissions: a pilot study
MC Raven, KM Doran, S Kostrowski, CC Gillespie, BD Elbel
BMC Health Services Research, 2011, 11:270

Read more here.

Can patients be teachers?

"Involving patients and service users in healthcare professionals’ education"


Can patients be teachers?
The Health Foundation
October 2011

Read more here.

Challenges to value-enhancing innovation in health care delivery

"Limiting the growth of health care costs while improving population health is perhaps the most important and difficult challenge facing U.S. health policymakers."


Challenges to value-enhancing innovation in health care delivery: commonalities and contrasts with innovation in drugs and devices
S Garber, SM Gates, ME Blume-Kohout, JR Burgdorf, H Wu
RAND
October 2011

Read more here.

Opportunities and challenges of cloud computing to improve health care services

"This paper discusses the concept of cloud computing and its current place in health care, and uses 4 aspects (management, technology, security, and legal) to evaluate the opportunities and challenges of this computing model."


Opportunities and challenges of cloud computing to improve health care services
A Mu-Hsing Kuo
Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2011, 13(3):e67

Read more here.

The NHS as a driver for growth

"The UK has immense strengths, both in basic research in these areas and in the professionalism and commitment within the NHS."


The NHS as a driver for growth
Council for Science and Technology
September 2011

Read more here.

Sunday 9 October 2011

Personal health budgets

"This briefing describes five tests which can help to identify the gaps in our current understanding of personal health budgets."

Personal health budgets: countdown to roll-out
J Roland
NHS Confederation
October 2011

Read more here.

Benefits and problems of electronic information exchange as perceived by health care professionals

"The results of this study provide valuable suggestions about how to promote health care providers' willingness to adopt electronic information exchange, which can be useful for other countries currently implementing an n-EPR."

Benefits and problems of electronic information exchange as perceived by health care professionals: an interview study
Zwaanswijk M, Verheij RA, Wiesman FJ, Friele RD
BMC Health Services Research, 2011, 11:256

Read more here.

Organizational readiness for innovation in health care

"This paper identifies recommendations for increasing the readiness of health-care organizations for innovation."

Organizational readiness for innovation in health care: some lessons from the recent literature
I Williams
Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham
July 2011

Read more here.

Integrated care

"The aim of this paper is to describe the different forms of integrated care and to summarise evidence on their impact."

Integrated care: What is it? Does it work? What does it mean for the NHS?
C Ham
The King's Fund
September 2011

Read more here.

Issues facing commissioners of end-of-life care

"The diverse needs of people nearing the end of life mean that commissioners need to develop approaches to commissioning integrated and personalised care."

Issues facing commissioners of end-of-life care
R Addicott, J Hiley
The King's Fund
September 2011

Read more here.

Measuring teamwork in health care settings

"This paper helps to identify existing teamwork scales that may be most useful in  testing theoretical models."

Measuring teamwork in health care settings: a review of survey instruments
MA Valentine, IM Nembhard, AC Edmondson
Harvard Business School
September 2011

Read more here.

Monday 3 October 2011

Setting priorities in health

"The research reported here demonstrates that PCTs have made significant progress in establishing priority-setting processes and, although there are some key weaknesses from which we can learn, they have used many different methods, procedures and processes in seeking to prioritise health needs."

Setting priorities in health: a study of English primary care trusts
S Robinson, H Dickinson, Iestyn Williams, T Freeman, B Rumbold, K Spence
Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham and the Nuffield Trust
September 2011

Read more here.

Key challenges in simulated patient programs

This international case study, focusing on Australia, Canada, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, reveals similarities and differences in simulated or standardised patient methodology.


Key challenges in simulated patient programs: an international comparative case study
D Nestel, D Tabak, T Tierney, C Layat-Burn, A Robb, S Clark, T Morrison, N Jones, R Ellis, C Smith, N McNaughton, K Knickle, J Higham, R Kneebone
BMC Medical Education, 2011, 11:69

Read more here.

Effective interventions to facilitate the uptake of screening

"Using established guideline development methodologies and the AGREE II as our methodological frameworks, we developed an implementation guideline to advise on interventions to increase the rate of breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening."

Effective interventions to facilitate the uptake of breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening: an implementation guideline
MC Brouwers, C De Vito, L Bahirathan, A Carol, JC Carroll, M Cotterchio, M Dobbins, B Lent, C Levitt, N Lewis, SE McGregor, L Paszat, C Rand, N Wathen
Implementation Science, 2011, 6:112

Read more here.

Review of methods used in assessing non-serious adverse drug events in observational studies among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

"We conclude that the current assessment of adverse drug events is hampered by the choice of methods."

A review of methods used in assessing non-serious adverse drug events in observational studies among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients
L Hakobyan, FM Haaijer-Ruskamp, D de Zeeuw, D Dobre, P Denig
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 2011, 9:83

Read more here.

Shared leadership for change

"Case studies and learning from a programme to improve the quality of care for people from black and minority ethnic groups."

Learning report: Shared leadership for change
The Health Foundation
September 2011

Read more here.

New medical professionalism

The report reviews the ways in which doctors’ relationships with evidence, society, patients, teams, regulators and employers have changed, are changing or may need to change, and the implications for medical professionalism.


New medical professionalism: a scoping report for the Health Foundation
S Christmas, L Millward
The Health Foundation

Read more here.

Improving prescribing practice

The purpose of this group was "to understand the barriers to effective use of medicines by patients so that they can realise the benefits and minimise the risks for themselves."


N=1: Why people matter in medicines - recommendations of a subgroup of the Royal college of Physicians Medicines Forum
Royal College of Physicians
June 2011

Read more here.

The influence of health research on the NHS

"Health services research can have a significant impact on maintaining quality, efficiency, equity and cost effectiveness in the new NHS landscape."


The influence of health research on the NHS
NHS Confederation
October 2011

Read more here.

Improving surgical care for higher risk patients

"Evidence indicates that the peri-operative pathway followed by patients requiring emergency surgical
management is frequently disjointed, protracted and not always patient centred. This document describes key issues and standards."

The higher risk general surgical patient: towards improved care for a forgotten group
The Royal College of Surgeons of England and Department of Health
2011

Read more here.

Adult emergency services

"This review explored the extent to which services across London were reliably safe throughout twenty-four hour periods and at weekends by considering the availability of key staff, namely consultants, as well as the necessary therapeutic and diagnostic support systems. It considered evidence from the literature with regard to the impact on outcomes for patients treated out-of-hours. It also examined hospital episodes statistics (HES) data in relation to mortality in London."

Adult emergency services: acute medicine and emergency general surgery: case for change
NHS London
September 2011

Read more here.

Thursday 22 September 2011

Successful provision of NHS Health checks

"This paper reports specifically on the findings from the evaluation in respect of the setting up of Healthy Heart Checks in community pharmacies and aims to offer some lessons for other service settings where this option is seen as a way of providing low threshold services which will minimise inequalities in intervention uptake."

Making a success of providing NHS Health Checks in community pharmacies across the Tees Valley: a qualitative study
RJ McNaughton, NTA Oswald, JS Schucksmith, PJ Heywood, PS Watson
BMC Health Services Research, 2011, 11:222

Read more here.

Involving junior doctors in quality improvement

"This research scan summarises some published literature about the involvement of junior doctors in quality improvement in the UK and internationally."


Involving junior doctors in quality improvement
The Health Foundation
September 2011

Read more here.

Governance for health in the 21st century

"In this study, ‘governance for health’ is defined as the attempts of governments or other actors 
to steer communities, countries or groups of countries in the pursuit of health as integral to wellbeing through both a ‘whole-of-government’ and  a ‘whole-of-society’ approach."

Governance for health in the 21st century: a study conducted for the WHO Regional Office for Europe
World Health Organization
August 2011

Read more here.

Engaging national organizations for knowledge translation

"The principles of knowledge translation suggest that investigators can increase use by tailoring the format and context of their findings to the absorptive capacity of nonscholars."

Engaging national organizations for knowledge translation: comparative case studies in knowledge value mapping
JP Lane, JD Rogers
Implementation Science, 2011, 6:106

Read more here.

Using telehealth to support care at home

"This information briefing aims to set out goals for professionals working with telehealth, or for those who are interested in using it in the future."

Using telehealth to support care at home in children's palliative care
Association for Children's Palliative Care
September 2011

Read more here.

Long-term care: "Who cares?"

"This report consists of two sections. The first is an analysis by the Chartered Insurance Institute that identifies the key issues and sets out their implications. The second section comprises a set of contributions from key players in the long-term care debate."

Who cares? The implications of a new partnership to fund long-term care
Chartered Insurance Institute
September 2011

Read more here.

Sharing commissioning experiences

"The Casebook series works on the principle of ‘caveat lector’ - to encourage routine sharing of work there is no formal peer review, so readers should use their own judgement when interpreting and applying work to their own situation.

If you would like to add to this Casebook series please contact us via our website “Meet the team” page." 

The Right Care Casebook Series: Volume 1
Public Health Commissioning Network
September 2011

Read more here.

Sunday 18 September 2011

The state of health care and adult social care in England

"An overview of key themes in care in 2010/11."

The state of health care and adult social care in England
Care Quality Commission
September 2011

Read more here.

Cost-effectiveness of continuous glucose monitoring and intensive insulin therapy for Type 1 diabetes

"Continuous glucose monitoring with intensive insulin therapy appears to be cost-effective relative to self-monitoring of blood glucose and other societal health interventions."


Cost-effectiveness of continuous glucose monitoring and intensive insulin therapy for Type 1 diabetes
RB McQueen, SL Ellis, JD Campbell, KV Nair, PW Sullivan
Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation, 2011, 9:13

Read more here.

Caring for our future

"On 15 September, the Government launched Caring for our future: shared ambitions for care and support – an engagement with people who use care and support services, carers, local councils, care providers, and the voluntary sector about the priorities for improving care and support."

Caring for our future
Department of Health
September 2011

Read more here.

The updating of clinical practice guidelines

"There is an urgent need to develop rigorous international standards for this process, and to minimise duplication of effort internationally."

The updating of clinical practice guidelines: insights from  international survey
P Alonso-Coello, L Martinez Garcia, JM Carrasco Gimeno, I Sola, S Qureshi, JS Burgers
Implementation Science, 2011, 6:107

Read more here.

Building the field of health policy and systems research

"Three Policy Forum articles, authored by a diverse group of global health academics, critically examine the current challenges to the field and lay out what is needed to build capacity in HPSR and support local policy development and health systems strengthening, especially in low and middle income countries."

Building the field of health policy and systems research: an agenda for action
S Bennett, I Akua Agyepong, K Sheikh, K Hanson, F Ssengooba, L Gilson
PLoS Medicine, 2011, 8(8)

Read more here.

Sunday 11 September 2011

Improving the lives of people with long term conditions

"Patients living with Long Term Conditions do not want to be defined by their condition and this report shows that by working in partnership with their GPs, they do not have to be."

Care planning: improving the lives of people with long term conditions
N Mathers, S Roberts, I Hodkinson, B Karet
Royal College of General Practitioners
September 2011

Read more here.

Home care in Europe

"This review clearly shows the need for more scientific publications on home care, especially studies comparing countries."

Home care in Europe: a systematic literature review
N Genet, WGW Boerma, DS Kringos, A Bouman, AL Francke, C Fagerstrom, MG Melchiorre, C Greco, W Deville
BMC Health Services Research, 2011, 11:207

Read more here.

Saturday 10 September 2011

Impact of hospital performance data on patient choice

"Public information has limited impact on patients' hospital choice, even in patients who have actually compared hospitals prior to hospital choice."

Is the impact of hospital performance data greater in patients who have compared hospitals?
IB de Groot, W Otten, HJ Smeets, PJ Marang-van de Mheen
BMC Health Services Research, 2011, 11:214

Read more here.

Reconfiguring hospital services

"This briefing considers why hospital services need to be reconfigured, why the NHS has such difficulty reconfiguring hospital services, and how the process might be improved."

Reconfiguring hospital services
C Imison
The King's Fund
September 2011

Read more here.

Perceptions of barriers to evidence-based practice

"The goal of this study was to assess potential differences between administrators/policymakers and those involved in direct practice regarding factors believed to be barriers or facilitating factors to evidence-based practice (EBP) implementation in a large public mental health service system in the United States."
A comparison of policy and direct practice stakeholder perceptions of factors impacting evidence-based practice implementation using concept mapping
AE Gren, GA Aarons
Implementation Science, 2011, 6:104

Read more here.

Product development partnerships

"PDPs reflect the current phase in the history of health technology development: the Era of Partnerships, in which the public and private sectors have found productive ways to collaborate."

Product development partnership: case studies of a new mechanism for health technology innovation
RT Mahoney
Health Research Policy and Systems, 2011, 9:33

Read more here.

How do quality improvement interventions succeed?

"This qualitative case study compared 19 more and 19 less successful QIIs across a range of clinical and organizational settings, using a common framework that included project origination, organizational characteristics, intervention design and implementation challenges."

How do quality improvement interventions succeed?
SM O'Neill
RAND
August 2011

Read more here.

Saturday 3 September 2011

Equity dimension in evaluations of the Quality and Outcomes Framework


"Introducing different targets for specific patient groups and including appropriate, non-disease specific and patient-centred indicators that grasp the complexity of primary care might refine the equity dimension of the evaluation of QOF."

The equity dimension in evaluations of the Quality and Outcomes Framework: a systematic review
P Boeckxstaens, D De Smedt, J De Maeseneer, L Annemans, S Willems
BMC Health Services Research, 2011, 11:209

Read more here.


NHS staff management and health service quality


"Good staff management offers significant financial savings for the NHS, as its leaders respond to the challenge of sustainability in the face of increasing costs and demands".


NHS staff management and health service quality
Aston Business School
August 2011

Read more here.

An assessment of variations in access to cancer treatments for patients in England, Scotland and Wales

"This report presents the first analysis of the actual variations that occur in access to newer cancer treatments on the NHS in England, Scotland and Wales."

Nations divided? An assessment of variations in access to cancer treatments for patients in England, Scotland and Wales
Rarer Cancers Foundation
August 2011

Read more here.

NHS National Management Training Scheme


"We know that trainees do not just add value when they are on the Scheme; they continue to add value as they progress in their NHS careers."


NHS National Management Training Scheme
NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement
July 2011

Read more here.

Tuesday 30 August 2011

Effective implementation of research into practice


"This review identified a small literature focusing explicitly on getting research evidence into clinical practice."


Effective implementation of research into practice: an overview of systematic reviews of the health literature
A Boaz, J Baeza, A Fraser
BMC Research Notes, 2011, 4:212

Read more here.

Monday 29 August 2011

Global Health Series


The Lancet Global Health Series and themed issues are groups of articles on a topic of global health importance. They are freely available to all users, and this month, the Series examines what we know about the global obesity pandemic.

Access the Global Health Series here.

Saturday 27 August 2011

The role of networks in healthcare


In this issue brief, researchers describe how networks helped community health centres to use electronic health records to improve chronic and preventive care and the barriers they faced.


The role of networks in improving quality of electronic records in community health centres.
RH Miller, CE West
The Commonwealth Fund
August 2011

Read more here.

How health care organizations are using data on patients' race and ethnicity to improve quality of care


This is discussion, describing the highlights of a paper published in the Milbank Quarterly.


How health care organizations are using data on patients' race and ethnicity to improve quality of care
R Thorlby, S Jorgensen, B Siegel, JZ Ayanian
The Commonwealth Fund
August 2011

Read more here.

Routes to success in end of life care


"This guide identifies a number of key environmental principles to help improve privacy and dignity for patients and relatives and to support the bereaved, whose memories live on once their loved one has died."

Routes to success in end of life care - achieving quality environments for care at end of life
National End of Life Care Programme and The King's Fund
August 2011

Read more here.

60-minute appraisal at NHS Direct


"To address the perception that the KSF [NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework] was complex and time consuming, and increase uptake of appraisals, NHS Direct developed a radically simplified KSF and appraisal process that could be completed in 60 minutes."


60-minute appraisal at NHS Direct
NHS Confederation
August 2011

Read more here.

Implementation of patient safety alerts


This report is compiled by Action against Medical Accidents ('AvMA' - the charity for patient safety and justice), and it is based on information published on the National Patient Safety Agency website about 'Patient Safety Alerts'.

Implementation of patient safety alerts
Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA)
August 2011

Read more here.

What is the value and impact of quality and safety teams?


"The purpose of this study was to conduct a scoping review of the literature about the establishment and impact of quality and safety team initiatives in acute care."


What is the value and impact of quality and safety teams? A scoping review
DE White, SE Straus, HT Stelfox, JM Holroyd-Leduc, CM Bell, K Jackson, JM Norris, W Ward Flemons,
ME Moffatt, AJ Forster
Implementation Science, 2011, 6:97

Read more here.

Saturday 20 August 2011

Communicating risks and benefits

"This guide provides the scientific foundations for effective communication."

Communicating risks and benefits: an evidence-based user's guide
B Fischhoff, NT Brewer, JS Downs
US Food and Drug Administration
July 2011

Read more here.

Hospital emergency response checklist

This is "an all-hazards tool for hospital administrators and emergency managers."

Hospital emergency response checklist
World Health Organization
June 2011

Read more here.

Uncovering tacit knowledge

"This pilot demonstrated that front-line public health workers draw upon both tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge in their everyday lived reality."

Uncovering tacit knowledge: a pilot study to broaden the concept of knowledge in knowledge translation
AR Kothari, JJ Bickford, N Edwards, MJ Dobbins, M Meyer
BMC Health Services Research, 2011, 11:198

Read more here.

Experiences of the implementation of a tool for lifestyle intervention in primary health care

"This study indicates that the existing subcultures in primary health care influence how the implementation of an innovation is perceived by managers and the different professionals."

Experiences of the implementation of a tool for lifestyle intervention in primary health care: a qualitative study among managers and professional groups
S Carlfjord, A Andersson, M Lindberg
BMC Health Services Research, 2011, 11:195

Read more here.

Friday 12 August 2011

Safe and sustainable: review of children's congenital heart services in England

"Safe and Sustainable aims to develop a national service with better clinical outcomes and a trained clinical workforce which is expert in the care and treatment of children and young people with congenital heart disease."

Safe and sustainable: review of children's congenital heart services in England
NHS Specialised Commissioning Team
August 2011

Read more here.

Thursday 11 August 2011

Efficiency and effectiveness in reducing mortality


"In cost-effective terms, i.e. economic input versus clinical output, the USA healthcare system was one of the least cost-effective in reducing mortality rates whereas the UK was one of the most cost-effective over the period."

Comparing the USA, UK and 17 Western countries' efficiency and effectiveness in reducing mortality
C Pritchard, MS Wallace
Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Short Reports, 2011, 2(7)

Read more here.

NHS financial year 2010/11


"This report summarises the findings from the 2010/11 audit of primary care trust (PCT), NHS trust and strategic health authority (SHA) accounts."

NHS financial year 2010/11: a summary of auditors'work
Audit Commission
August 2011

Read more here.

Personal health budgets


"People who use mental health services want more control of their care, but only a minority would consider taking up a personal health budget."


Personal health budgets: the views of service users and carers
National Mental Health Development Unit
August 2011

Read more here.

Saturday 6 August 2011

Social enterprise in health care

"The report draws on findings from primary research (interviews) with directors of 13 social enterprises (community providers), and chief executives of 11 acute foundation trusts and 3 mental health foundation trusts."

Social enterprise in health care : promoting organisational autonomy and staff engagement
R Addicott
The King's Fund
August 2011

Read more here.

Diagnostic tool for emerging clinical commissioning groups

"A new developmental, self-assessment tool has been developed by the NHS to enable emerging clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to understand and reflect upon their values, culture, behaviours and wider organisational health has now been made available."

Diagnostic tool for emerging clinical commissioning groups
Department of Health
August 2011

Read more here.

A simple guide to Payment by Results

The aim of this guide is to provide a simple introduction to Payment by Results (PbR), the tariff based payment system that has transformed the way funding flows around the NHS in England.

A simple guide to Payment by Results
Department of Health
July 2011

Read more here.

An evidence-based health workforce model for primary and community care

"The objective of this article is to describe the development of an evidence-informed, needs-based health workforce model to support the delivery of best-practice interdisciplinary chronic disease management in the primary and community care setting using diabetes as a case exemplar."

An evidence-based health workforce model for primary and community care
L Segal, MJ Leach
Implementation Science, 2011, 6:93

Read more here.

Identifying quality improvement intervention publications

"The presented search terms and operating characteristics can be used to guide the identification of QI intervention publications."

Identifying quality improvement intervention publications: a comparison of electronic search strategies
S Hempel, LV Rubenstein, RM Shanman, R Foy, S Golder, M Danz, PG Shekelle
Implementation Science, 2011, 6:85

Read more here.

Can computerized clinical decision support systems improve practitioners' diagnostic test ordering behavior?

"Some CCDSSs can modify practitioner test-ordering behavior."

Can computerized clinical decision support systems improve practitioners' diagnostic test ordering behavior? A decision-maker-researcher partnership systematic review
PS Roshanov, JJ You, J Dhaliwal, D Koff, JA Mackay, L Weise-Kelly, T Navarro, NL Wilczynski, RB Haynes
Implementation Science, 201, 6:88

Read more here.

Managing conflicts of interest in clinical commissioning groups

"Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) will need clear and robust mechanisms for managing real and perceived conflicts of interest."

Managing conflicts of interest in clinical commissioning groups: executive summary
NHS Confederation
July 2011

Read more here.

Clinical commissioning

"Clinical commissioning holds the key to improving quality, stimulating innovation, boosting productivity and fostering measures to prevent ill health."

Clinical commissioning: securing better outcomes for the NHS and its patients
NHS Alliance
July 2011

Read more here.

The best of clinical pathway redesign

The examples in this report, demonstrate innovative solutions to major health challenges such as cancer, heart disease, stroke and chronic respiratory conditions.

The best of clinical pathway redesign : practical examples delivering benefits to patients
NHS Improvement
July 2011

Read more here.

Sunday 31 July 2011

Assessing initiatives to transform healthcare systems

"This paper suggests that money alone cannot improve healthcare."

Assessing initiatives to transform healthcare systems: lessons from the Canadian healthcare system
JL Denis, HTO Davies, E Ferlie
Canadian Health Services Research Foundation
Series on healthcare transformation: Paper 1
May 2011

Read more here.

Better with age

"The Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF) convened a series of roundtables—five regional  and one national—called Better with Age: Health systems planning for the aging population."


Better with age: health systems planning for the aging population: synthesis report
Canadian Health Services Research Foundation
July 2011

Read more here.

Saturday 30 July 2011

Principles of community engagement

"Involving the community and collaborating with its members are cornerstones of efforts to improve public health."

Principles of community engagement, 2nd ed.
National Institutes of Health
June 2011

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Medication knowledge, certainty, and risk of errors in health care

"Medication knowledge was found to be unsatisfactory among practicing nurses, with a significant risk for medication errors."

Medication knowledge, certainty, and risk of errors in health care: a cross-sectional study
BO Simonsen, I Johansson, GK Daehlin, LM Osvik, P Farup
BMC Health Services 2011, 11:175

Read more here.

Lessons from the business sector for successful knowledge management in health care

"Only recently has knowledge management been receiving attention by the health care sector, in part due to the ever growing amount of information that health care practitioners must handle."

Lessons from the business sector for successful knowledge management in health care: a systematic review
A Kothari, N Hovanec, R Hastie, S Sibbald
BMC Health Services Research, 2011, 11:173

Read more here.

Making shared decision-making a reality

"This report clarifies the concept of shared decision-making and outlines the actions needed to make the aspiration a reality."

Making shared decision-making a reality: no decision about me, without me
A Coulter, A Collins
The King's Fund
July 2011

Read more here.

Commissioning for long term conditions

This pathway is supported by National Association of Primary Care, NHS Alliance, and the Department of Health and supports health and social care teams participating on the QIPP long term conditions workstream.

Introduction to the long term conditions commissioning pathway
NHS Networks
July 2011

Read more here.

Quality standards for dermatology

"Providing the right care for people with skin conditions."

Quality standards for dermatology
Primary Care Commissioning
July 2011

Read more here.

Saturday 23 July 2011

Competition in healthcare

This research scan examines empirical research about the impact of competition in healthcare.


Competition in healthcare
The Health Foundation
April 2011

Read more here.

Measuring safety culture

"Safety culture refers to the way patient safety is thought about and implemented within an organisation and the structures and processes in place to support this."


Measuring safety culture
The Health Foundation
February 2011

Read more here.

Levels of harm

"This research scan explores what is known about levels of harm in acute care and primary care."


Levels of harm
The Health Foundation
January 2011

Read more here.

Improvement science

"Improvement science is an emerging concept which focuses on exploring how to undertake quality improvement well."


Improvement science
The Health Foundation
January 2011

Read more here.

Improving teamwork in healthcare

This commentary proposes three general approaches that have been developed to improve teamwork in healthcare.

Improving teamwork in healthcare: current approaches and the path forward
EJ Thomas
BMJ Quality Safety 2011, 20:647-650

Read more here.

Saturday 16 July 2011

Performance measures of the specialty referral process

"The objective of this study was to systematically review the literature to identify published measures that assess specialty referrals."

Performance measures of the specialty referral process: a systematic review of the literature
JP Guevara, D Hsu, CB Forrest
BMC Health Services Research, 2011, 11:168

Read more here.

The cost of implementing personal health budgets

"This third interim report explores the implementation process for personal health budgets by examining the financial costs."

The cost of implementing personal health budgets
K Jones, J Forder, J Caiels, E Welch, K Windle, J Davidson, P Dolan, C Glendinning, A Irvine, D King
Department of Health
July 2011

Read more here.

Health lives, healthy people: update and way forward

This policy statement sets out the progress made following the White Paper "Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Our strategy for public health in England".

Health lives, healthy people: update and way forward
Department of Health
July 2011

Read more here.

Measuring organizational readiness for knowledge translation in chronic care

The authors of this paper are aiming to develop an evidence-based, comprehensive, and valid instrument to measure organisation readiness for knowledge translation in healthcare.

Measuring organizational readiness for knowledge translation in chronic care
MP Gagnon, J Labarthe, F Legare, M Ouimet, CA Estabrooks, G Roch, EK Ghandour, J Grimshaw
Implementation Science, 2011, 6:72

Read more here.

Can competition and integration co-exist in a reformed NHS?

"This paper discusses evidence and examples of the relationship between competition of
different types and integration of service delivery
."

Can competition and integration co-exist in a reformed NHS?
L Hawkins
The King's Fund
July 2011

Read more here.

Keeping patients safe when they transfer between care providers

"This guidance gives health and social care professionals a common framework and clear expectations concerning good practice around the transfer of information about medicines."

Keeping patients safe when they transfer between care providers - getting the medicines right: Part 1
Royal Pharmaceutical Society
June 2011

Read more here.

Acute care toolkit for handover

"The Royal College of Physicians has prepared a series of toolkits with the goal of ensuring that patients get access to the highest quality of acute medical care wherever and whenever it is needed."

Acute care toolkit for handover
Royal College of Physicians
May 2011

Read more here.