scholarly journals Ballarat Health Consortium: A Case Study of Influential Factors in the Development and Maintenance of a Health Partnership

2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
John McDonald ◽  
Angela Murphy ◽  
Warren Payne

Intersectoral partnerships in health have a central role in current policy and programs. Partnerships are seen to be an effective strategy for maximising health outcomes. However, theoretical models of health partnerships are underdeveloped. Moreover, the research literature contains inconsistent findings about their effectiveness, and there has been very little evaluative research on health partnerships in this country. This paper reports on a case study of an intersectoral consortium using a health promotion approach to cardiovascular disease. A model of partnership formation and development is presented. From this, a research strategy was devised and carried out. Results indicate that the health consortium was formed in response to a critical health issue, and as a separate legal entity without recurrent funding, it has been sustained through the commitment of individual members. Project funding has, in large part, dictated its operations. The case study reveals the strengths, vulnerabilities and achievements of this consortium over five years. To produce sustainable health outcomes, the researchers conclude, partnerships require strategic management to capitalise on individual endeavours, organisational alignments, and government or funder priorities. Ideological zeal for intersectoral health partnerships must be balanced by rigorous evaluation; together with more sophisticated indicators for measuring success in partnerships in health promotion. Theoretical development of models of health partnerships will also contribute to their enhanced effectiveness.

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreea Daniela Pana Talpeanu ◽  
Lazar Rusu

Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) has generated considerable interest within Information Systems (IS) research as a consequence of its benefits in terms of cost efficiency and freedom to focus on core capabilities. This study covers the area of ITO in the public sector, specifically, in Swedish Municipalities where ITO has become a mainstream strategy. The influential ITO factors of the post-contract stage of an ITO relationship are examined and debated in light of existent research literature. The research is based on a case study of a Swedish Municipality and a direct IT vendor. A thematic analysis brings light upon three new ITO influential factors which are: (1) mutual understanding and long-term engagement; (2) Multi-sourcing, and (3) Communication between Municipalities, together with other seven factors present in the research literature that have an influence on the ITO relationship. The findings of this study can support ITO decision-makers from Swedish municipalities in improving the ITO relationship between their organizations and IT vendors.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Razavi ◽  
Ngozi Erondu ◽  
Katie Haddock ◽  
Gurnam Johal ◽  
Oyeronke Oyebanji ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Bilateral Institutional Health Partnerships (IHPs) are a means of strengthening health systems and are becoming increasing prevalent in global health. Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and Public Health England (PHE) have engaged in one such IHP as part of Public Health England’s International Health Regulations Strengthening project. Presently, there have been limited evaluations of IHPs resulting in limited evidence of their effectiveness in strengthening health systems despite the concept being used across the world.Methods: The ESTHER EFFECt tool was used to evaluate the IHP between NCDC and PHE. Senior leadership from both organisations participated in a two-day workshop where their perceptions of various elements of the partnership were evaluated. This was done through an initial quantitative survey followed by a facilitated discussion to further explore any arising issues.Results: This evaluation is the first published evaluation of a bilateral global health partnership undertaken by NCDC and PHE. NCDC scores were consistently higher than PHE scores. Key strengths and weaknesses of the partnership were identified such as having wide ranging institutional engagement, however needing to improve dissemination mechanisms following key learning activity.Conclusions: There is a dearth of evidence measuring the effectiveness of international health partnerships; of the studies that exist, many are lacking in academic rigour. We used the ESTHER EFFECt tool as it is an established method of evaluating the progress of the partnership, with multiple previous peer-reviewed publications. This will hopefully encourage more organisations to publish evaluations of their international health partnerships and build the evidence base.


Author(s):  
Ayana N. Perkins

This article explores a case study of the potential influence of a capacity building investment toward public health partnerships (PHPs) targeting asthma. This case study explores what factors were salient among PHPs who were indirect recipients of a funder’s capacity building. Our case study suggests that a funder’s capacity building efforts may be linked to evaluation practice guidelines and decisions toward individual and organizational level use of evaluation use within partnerships. Moreover, examining the contextual factors that were associated with the evaluation of these PHPs explicates where adjustments may be needed in applying capacity building to the PHP setting. This case study has implications for future health planning policies.


2003 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Magrini ◽  
P. Ricciardi

At the present time, music performances frequently take place in ancient religious buildings, and significant problems related to acoustic quality may occur. Measurement results obtained in 10 historically significant churches in the city of Genova, are examined. Experimental data obtained from research literature on auditoria and churches has been compared with the experimental results. A survey of the available theoretical models of the spatial distribution of the most significant acoustical parameters has been conducted, and the models most suitable for religious buildings have been applied to the churches selected. A comparison between theoretical models and experimental data is presented. A case study on the effects of permanent and non permanent acoustical treatment, without significantly changing the architectural characteristics, is presented for one of the churches selected. The results of the measurements, at various phases of the acoustical treatment, and some software simulations are presented.


2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Scheibelhofer

This paper focuses on gendered mobilities of highly skilled researchers working abroad. It is based on an empirical qualitative study that explored the mobility aspirations of Austrian scientists who were working in the United States at the time they were interviewed. Supported by a case study, the paper demonstrates how a qualitative research strategy including graphic drawings sketched by the interviewed persons can help us gain a better understanding of the gendered importance of social relations for the future mobility aspirations of scientists working abroad.


Author(s):  
Michael W. Pratt ◽  
M. Kyle Matsuba

Chapter 9 focuses on contexts of positive engagement in the domain of the wider society among emerging adults. The authors examine the growing research literature on civic engagement and volunteering, covering patterns of development and change during emerging to young adulthood, describing how this development is linked to the three personality levels of the McAdams and Pals model. They also describe work on one salient contemporary type of civic engagement, environmentalism, and review what is known on this particular topic in youth. The authors cover the evidence on both of these domains from their Futures Study sample, using both questionnaire and narrative material to expand these findings. As a way of illuminating the key points, the chapter ends with a case study of the early life story of John Muir, an important founder of the environmental and conservation movement in the United States.


2021 ◽  
pp. 155982762110012
Author(s):  
Fei-Chi Yang ◽  
Aishwarya B. Desai ◽  
Pelareh Esfahani ◽  
Tatiana V. Sokolovskaya ◽  
Doreen J. Bartlett

Background. Tai Chi is a form of exercise that is accessible to people from different socioeconomic backgrounds, making it a potentially valuable activity for health promotion of older adults. Purpose. The objective of this scoping review was to summarize the current knowledge about the effectiveness of Tai Chi for older adults across a range of general health outcomes from published, peer reviewed, unique meta-analyses. Methods. Meta-analyses were retrieved from Medline, Embase, AMED, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, PsychINFO, Web of Science, PubMed Health, and the Cochrane Library from database inception to late August 2019. Multistage deduplication and screening processes identified eligible full-length meta-analyses. Two people independently appraised 27 meta-analyses based on the GRADE system and organized results into 3 appendices subsequently collated into heterogeneous, statistically significant, and statistically insignificant tables. Results. “High” and “moderate” quality evidence extracted from these meta-analyses demonstrated that practicing Tai Chi can significantly improve balance, cardiorespiratory fitness, cognition, mobility, proprioception, sleep, and strength; reduce the incidence of falls and nonfatal stroke; and decrease stroke risk factors. Conclusions. Health care providers can now recommend Tai Chi with high level of certainty for health promotion of older adults across a range of general health outcomes for improvement of overall well-being.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amare Worku Tadesse ◽  
Kassu Ketema Gurmu ◽  
Selamawit Tesfaye Kebede ◽  
Mahlet Kifle Habtemariam

Abstract Background Evidence exists about synergies among universal health coverage, health security and health promotion. Uniting these three global agendas has brought success to the country’s health sector. This study aimed to document the efforts Ethiopia has made to apply nationally synergistic approaches uniting these three global health agendas. Our study is part of the Lancet Commission on synergies between these global agendas. Methods We employed a case study design to describe the synergistic process in the Ethiopian health system based on a review of national strategies and policy documents, and key informant interviews with current and former policymakers, and academics. We analyzed the “hardware” (using the World Health Organization’s building blocks) and the “software” (ideas, interests, and power relations) of the Ethiopian health system according to the aforementioned three global agendas. Results Fragmentation of health system primarily manifested as inequities in access to health services, low health workforce and limited capacity to implementation guidelines. Donor driven vertical programs, multiple modalities of health financing, and inadequate multisectoral collaborations were also found to be key features of fragmentation. Several approaches were found to be instrumental in fostering synergies within the global health agenda. These included strong political and technical leadership within the government, transparent coordination, and engagement of stakeholders in the process of priority setting and annual resource mapping. Furthermore, harmonization and alignment of the national strategic plan with international commitments, joint financial arrangements with stakeholders and standing partnership platforms facilitated efforts for synergy. Conclusions Ethiopia has implemented multiple approaches to overcome fragmentation. Such synergistic efforts of the primary global health agendas have made significant contributions to the improvement of the country’s health indicators and may promote sustained functionality of the health system.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7504
Author(s):  
Jie Liu ◽  
Paul Schonfeld ◽  
Jinqu Chen ◽  
Yong Yin ◽  
Qiyuan Peng

Time reliability in a Rail Transit Network (RTN) is usually measured according to clock-based trip time, while the travel conditions such as travel comfort and convenience cannot be reflected by clock-based trip time. Here, the crowding level of trains, seat availability, and transfer times are considered to compute passengers’ Perceived Trip Time (PTT). Compared with the average PTT, the extra PTT needed for arriving reliably, which equals the 95th percentile PTT minus the average PTT, is converted into the monetary cost for estimating Perceived Time Reliability Cost (PTRC). The ratio of extra PTT needed for arriving reliably to the average PTT referring to the buffer time index is proposed to measure Perceived Time Reliability (PTR). To overcome the difficulty of obtaining passengers’ PTT who travel among rail transit modes, a Monte Carlo simulation is applied to generated passengers’ PTT for computing PTR and PTRC. A case study of Chengdu’s RTN shows that the proposed metrics and method measure the PTR and PTRC in an RTN effectively. PTTR, PTRC, and influential factors have significant linear relations among them, and the obtained linear regression models among them can guide passengers to travel reliably.


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