Allied health: integral to transforming health

Objective South Australia is taking an innovative step in transforming the way its healthcare is organised and delivered to better manage current and future demands on the health system. In an environment of transforming health services, there are clear opportunities for allied health to assist in determining solutions to various healthcare challenges. A recent opinion piece proposed 10 clinician-driven strategies to assist in maximising value and sustainability of healthcare in Australia. The present study aimed to seek the perspectives of allied health clinicians, educators, researchers, policy makers and managers on these strategies and their relevance to allied health. Methods A survey of allied health practitioners was undertaken to capture their perspectives on the 10 clinician-driven strategies for maximising value and sustainability of healthcare in Australia. Survey findings were then layered with evidence from the literature. Results Highly relevant across allied health are the strategies of discontinuation of low value practices, targeting clinical interventions to those getting greatest benefit, active involvement of patients in shared decision making and self-management and advocating for integrated systems of care. Conclusions Allied health professionals have been involved in the South Australian healthcare system for a prolonged period, but their services are poorly recognised, often overlooked and not greatly supported in existing traditional practices. The results of the present study highlight ways in which healthcare services can implement strategies not only to improve the quality of patient outcomes, but also to offer innovative solutions for future, sustainable healthcare. The findings call for concerted efforts to increase the utilisation of allied health services to ensure the ‘maximum value for spend’ of the increasingly scarce health dollar. What is known about the topic? In medicine, clinician-driven strategies have been proposed to minimise inappropriate and costly care and maximise highly appropriate and less expensive care. These strategies were developed based on clinical experiences and with supporting evidence from scientific studies. What does this paper add? Major changes to the health system are required to slow down the growth in healthcare expenditure. This paper describes opportunities in which allied health practitioners can implement similar strategies not only to improve the quality of patient outcomes, but also to offer cost-effective solutions for a sustainable healthcare. What are the implications for practitioners? Allied health practitioners can provide solutions to healthcare challenges and assist in the transformation of healthcare in Australia. However, for this to happen, there should be concerted efforts to increase recognition of and support for the use of allied health services.

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Preferences for rural specialist health care in the treatment of Parkinson's disease: exploring the role of community-based nursing specialists

Australian Journal of Primary Health ◽

10.1071/py17119 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 49

Author(s):

Veronica Coady ◽

Narelle Warren ◽

Nancy Bilkhu ◽

Darshini Ayton

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Health Services ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Allied Health ◽

Specialist Care ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Allied Health Professionals ◽

Specific Care

People living with Parkinson’s disease (PWPD) in rural areas have limited access to local condition-specific care. This paper examines the healthcare preferences of PWPD living in rural areas and how a community-driven initiative to employ a movement disorder nurse (MDN) functioned to address barriers to health services access. A qualitative design facilitated an understanding of how interactions with the health system shaped PWPD and their carer’s experiences of living in a regional community. A total of 42 semi-structured interviews were conducted 6–9 months apart; 19 interviews with PWPD and 23 dyadic interviews. The findings support the contention that specialist care can be effectively delivered through allied health professionals in some settings. In particular, having access to a specialist MDN can cushion the effects of living with Parkinson’s disease in regional and rural areas where continuity of care and access to timely support is often difficult for people to find. The quality of social support provided by the MDN may increase people’s ability to cope in the face of an unpredictable disease course. This is consistent with prior research, which identified that a specialist nurse or allied health services for people living with chronic conditions is enhances quality of life.

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Improving maternal health services through social accountability interventions in Nepal: an analytical review of existing literature

Public Health Reviews ◽

10.1186/s40985-020-00147-0 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Adweeti Nepal ◽

Santa Kumar Dangol ◽

Anke van der Kwaak

Keyword(s):

Maternal Health ◽

Health Services ◽

Health System ◽

Maternal Health Services ◽

Policy Formulation ◽

Social Accountability ◽

The Social ◽

The Government ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background The persistent quality gap in maternal health services in Nepal has resulted in poor maternal health outcomes. Accordingly, the Government of Nepal (GoN) has placed emphasis on responsive and accountable maternal health services and initiated social accountability interventions as a strategical approach simultaneously. This review critically explores the social accountability interventions in maternal health services in Nepal and its outcomes by analyzing existing evidence to contribute to the informed policy formulation process. Methods A literature review and desk study undertaken between December 2018 and May 2019. An adapted framework of social accountability by Lodenstein et al. was used for critical analysis of the existing literature between January 2000 and May 2019 from Nepal and other low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) that have similar operational context to Nepal. The literature was searched and extracted from database such as PubMed and ScienceDirect, and web search engines such as Google Scholar using defined keywords. Results The study found various social accountability interventions that have been initiated by GoN and external development partners in maternal health services in Nepal. Evidence from Nepal and other LMICs showed that the social accountability interventions improved the quality of maternal health services by improving health system responsiveness, enhancing community ownership, addressing inequalities and enabling the community to influence the policy decision-making process. Strong gender norms, caste-hierarchy system, socio-political and economic context and weak enforceability mechanism in the health system are found to be the major contextual factors influencing community engagement in social accountability interventions in Nepal. Conclusions Social accountability interventions have potential to improve the quality of maternal health services in Nepal. The critical factor for successful outcomes in maternal health services is quality implementation of interventions. Similarly, continuous effort is needed from policymakers to strengthen monitoring and regulatory mechanism of the health system and decentralization process, to improve access to the information and to establish proper complaints and feedback system from the community to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of the interventions. Furthermore, more study needs to be conducted to evaluate the impact of the existing social accountability interventions in improving maternal health services in Nepal.

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Factors that contribute to high-quality clinical supervision of the rural allied health workforce: lessons from the coalface

Australian Health Review ◽

10.1071/ah17258 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 43 (6) ◽

pp. 682 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Priya Martin ◽

Katherine Baldock ◽

Saravana Kumar ◽

Lucylynn Lizarondo

Keyword(s):

Clinical Supervision ◽

Health Workforce ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Allied Health ◽

Rural And Remote ◽

High Quality ◽

Allied Health Professionals ◽

Remote Health ◽

Rural And Remote Health

Objective The aim of this study was to identify the factors contributing to high-quality clinical supervision of the allied health workforce in rural and remote settings. Methods This quantitative study was part of a broader project that used a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. Participants were 159 allied health professionals from two Australian states. Quantitative data were collected using an online customised survey and the Manchester Clinical Supervision Scale (MCSS-26). Data were analysed using regression analyses. Results Supervisee’s work setting and choice of supervisor were found to have a positive and significant influence on clinical supervision quality. Supervisee profession and time in work role were found to have a negative and significant influence on the quality of clinical supervision. Conclusions High-quality clinical supervision is essential to achieve quality and safety of health care, as well as to support the health workforce. Information on high-quality clinical supervision identified in this study can be applied to clinical supervision practices in rural and remote settings, and to professional support policies and training to enhance the quality of supervision. What is known about the topic? There is mounting evidence on the benefits of clinical supervision to health professionals, organisations and patients. Clinical supervision enhances recruitment and retention of the health workforce. However, there are still gaps regarding the factors that contribute to high-quality clinical supervision, especially for rural and remote health professionals. What does this paper add? This study, the first of its kind, recruited rural and remote health professionals from seven allied health disciplines across two Australian states. It investigated the factors that influence high-quality clinical supervision in this under-resourced group. This paper outlines specific factors that contribute to clinical supervision quality for rural and remote allied health professionals. What are the implications for practitioners? Effective and high-quality clinical supervision of the rural and remote allied health workforce can enhance recruitment and retention in those areas. Healthcare organisations can facilitate effective clinical supervision delivery by using the evidence gathered in this study in clinical supervision policy, training and practice.

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Understanding barriers to accessing mental health services for newcomers to Canada using Peterborough, Ontario, as an illustrative example

10.32920/ryerson.14657181.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nurun Layla Chowdhury

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Services ◽

Health Services ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Mental Healthcare ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Mental Illnesses ◽

Cultural Barriers ◽

Accurate Information

The quality of an individual’s mental health has a significant impact on their quality of life, as well as on the cost to society. Regular access to mental health services can help mitigate the risk factors of developing mental illnesses. This paper examines barriers to accessing mental health services, using the community of Peterborough, Ontario, as an example. Social, economic, and cultural barriers impact help-seeking amongst immigrants, putting them at a higher risk of developing mental disorders. The social determinants of mental health can be useful when developing policies aimed at improving utilization of mental healthcare services. Policy makers need to first focus on collecting accurate information on the population, and then developing targeted solutions to eliminate barriers such as language and employment that prevent help-seeking in immigrants.

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The Importance of Information and Communication Technologies in Establishing Healthcare Services with a Universal Coverage

E-Health and Telemedicine ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-8756-1.ch005 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 77-93 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Davuthan Günaydin ◽

Hakan Cavlak ◽

GamzeYıldız Şeren ◽

Korhan Arun

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Services ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Universal Coverage ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Quality Of Healthcare ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Health Practices ◽

Information And Communication

One of the most important challenges faced by the healthcare system is the organization of healthcare services to cope with the increase in population and aging of citizens. Especially in developing countries, demographic movements of the population, regional disparities, political concerns, and increasing expectations of health services have led to a search for new ways to serve all of the population with healthcare services. With traditional methods, it is not possible to increase the supply of health services because of inadequate infrastructure and shortcomings in quantity and quality of healthcare staff. This new health system called e-health and uses all of the possibilities provided by information and communication technologies that aim to improve public health. In this chapter, the effects of e-health practices on the quality and accessibility of healthcare services are assessed and the extent of e-health practices in Turkey are evaluated.

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Quality

Commissioning and a Population Approach to Health Services Decision-Making ◽

10.1093/oso/9780198840732.003.0013 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 166-183

Author(s):

Julie Sin

Keyword(s):

Health Services ◽

Health System ◽

Services Quality ◽

Quality Care ◽

System Level ◽

Quality Of Services ◽

Provider Perspective ◽

Multidimensional Concept

This chapter looks at the topic of health services quality from a commissioning and whole population perspective. Quality is noted to be a multidimensional concept and dimensions of quality are considered. The role of the commissioner in maintaining and improving quality of services is explored, and this is seen within a wider backdrop of a health system with commissioner and provider functions (if there are such distinctions in the system). Commissioners need to know whether they are securing quality care for their population for the money spent. They also need an understanding of how this dovetails with the provider perspective on this topic. Commissioners also need to be able to articulate what they wish to assess in practice under the guise of quality. Finally, at a system level there are also bearings on how to compile and interpret a picture of a population’s health if needed.

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The Importance of Information and Communication Technologies in Establishing Healthcare Services with a Universal Coverage

International Business ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-9814-7.ch033 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 691-707

Author(s):

Davuthan Günaydin ◽

Hakan Cavlak ◽

GamzeYıldız Şeren ◽

Korhan Arun

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Services ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Universal Coverage ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Quality Of Healthcare ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Health Practices ◽

Information And Communication

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Clinical supervision for allied health staff: necessary but not sufficient

Australian Health Review ◽

10.1071/ah15080 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 40 (4) ◽

pp. 431 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sandra G. Leggat ◽

Bev Phillips ◽

Philippa Pearce ◽

Margaret Dawson ◽

Debbie Schulz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Services ◽

Performance Management ◽

Clinical Supervision ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Allied Health ◽

Clinical Governance ◽

Health Staff ◽

Allied Health Professionals ◽

Australian Health ◽

The Relationship

Objectives The aim of the present study was to explore the perspectives of allied health professionals on appropriate content for effective clinical supervision of staff. Methods A set of statements regarding clinical supervision was identified from the literature and confirmed through a Q-sort process. The final set was administered as an online survey to 437 allied health professionals working in two Australian health services. Results Of the 120 respondents, 82 had experienced six or more clinical supervision sessions and were included in the analysis. Respondents suggested that clinical supervision was beneficial to both staff and patients, and was distinct from line management performance monitoring and development. Curiously, some of the respondents did not agree that observation of the supervisee’s clinical practice was an aspect of clinical supervision. Conclusions Although clinical supervision is included as a pillar of clinical governance, current practice may not be effective in addressing clinical risk. Australian health services need clear organisational policies that outline the relationship between supervisor and supervisee, the role and responsibilities of managers, the involvement of patients and the types of situations to be communicated to the line managers. What is known about the topic? Clinical supervision for allied health professionals is an essential component of clinical governance and is aimed at ensuring safe and high-quality care. However, there is varied understanding of the relationship between clinical supervision and performance management. What does this paper add? This paper provides the perspectives of allied health professionals who are experienced as supervisors or who have experienced supervision. The findings suggest a clear role for clinical supervision that needs to be better recognised within organisational policy and procedure. What are the implications for practitioners? Supervisors and supervisees must remember their duty of care and ensure compliance with organisational policies in their clinical supervisory practices.

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Quality of Dutch integrated head and neck cancer care: Measurement and evaluation.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2017.35.8_suppl.173 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 35 (8_suppl) ◽

pp. 173-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lydia Francisca Jacoba van Overveld ◽

Robert P. Takes ◽

Jozé C.C. Braspenning ◽

Matthias A.W. Merkx ◽

Ludi E Smeele ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Head And Neck Cancer ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Integrated Care ◽

Neck Cancer ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Allied Health ◽

Case Mix ◽

Allied Health Professionals ◽

First Results

173 Background: Oncologic care is very complex, and delivery of integrated care with optimal alignment and collaboration of several disciplines is crucial. To monitor and effectively improve high-quality integrated oncologic care, a dashboard of valid and reliable quality indicators (QIs) is indispensable. A set of QIs is developed specifically for head and neck cancer (HNC) patients from three perspectives: patients (development of indicators from patient perspective, including the first results, are described in the abstract "PROMs and PREMs in Dutch integrated head and neck cancer care: Measurements and evaluation"), medical specialist and allied health professionals. This presentation concerns the first results from medical and allied health professional perspective. Methods: QIs on process, structure and outcome of care, were developed using an evidence based method: the Rand modified Delphi method. Data was collected in nine Dutch hospitals nearly 1,500 patients (November 2014 - December 2016). Indicators were calculated on national and hospital level and corrected for case-mix using SPSS. Results: The final set contained 5 outcome indicators from both perspectives, 13 and 18 process indicators from the perspective of medical specialists and allied health professionals respectively, and three structure indicators from the perspective of allied health professionals. Besides, 10 case-mix factors were selected. Current practice assessment, in 1263 patients, produced high scores on integrated care indicators, e.g., the percentage of patients discussed in multidisciplinary team meeting before start of the treatment (93%) and availability of a treatment plan (99%). However, involvement of dental teams (range 57 – 100%) and malnutrition screening (range 8-35%) could be improved in most hospitals. In addition, most hospitals did not meet the standard of 80% on patients starting with treatment within 30 days. Conclusions: The quality of integrated multidisciplinary care for patients with head and neck cancer in the Netherlands is already high on some aspects, but varied between hospitals and shows room for improvement. This study can be an example for other oncologic diseases where integrated care is necessary.

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An assessment of the needs of oncology outpatients for the development of Allied Health Services

Australian Health Review ◽

10.1071/ah000134 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 134 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Pam McGrath ◽

Veronica Corcoran ◽

Angela O'Malia

Keyword(s):

Health Services ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Allied Health ◽

Mater Hospital ◽

Allied Health Professionals ◽

Practical Information ◽

Theoretical Issues

This article presents the findings of a study that arose out of the desire by the Allied Health Professionals(AHP) at the Mater Hospital, Brisbane, to better understand the needs of their clients in order to beable to offer a more effective and appropriate service. A questionnaire designed specifically to explorethe needs of patients and their families for AHP services was administered to consecutive patients(n=62) attending the Mater out-patient oncology clinic during one month. The findings provide awealth of practical information for AHPs to use in planning for the effective utilisation of their services,as well as fresh insights into a number of theoretical issues that need further research.

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