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.