Leadership quality: a factor important for social capital in healthcare organizations

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Strömgren ◽  
Andrea Eriksson ◽  
Linda Ahlstrom ◽  
David Kristofer Bergman ◽  
Lotta Dellve

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relation between leadership and social capital and what qualities of leadership are important for social capital among employees in hospital settings over time. Design/methodology/approach A cohort of employees in hospitals answered a questionnaire at three occasions. Five small (approx. 100-bed) or mid-sized (approx. 500-bed) hospitals were included. The response rate was 54 percent at baseline (n=865), 59 percent at one-year follow-up (n=908) and 67 percent at two-year follow-up (n=632). Findings Repeated measures over time showed differences between groups in levels of social capital with respect to levels of leadership quality. Relation-oriented leadership had the strongest association with social capital. There was evidence that leadership was associated with social capital over time and that different kinds of leadership qualities were associated with social capital. Research limitations/implications This study conducted and analyzed quantitative data, and therefore, there is no knowledge of managers’ or employees’ own perceptions in this study. However, it would be interesting to compare managers’ decreased and increased leadership quality and how such differences affect social capital over time. Practical implications The findings feature the possibility for healthcare leaders to build high quality leadership as an important resource for social capital, by using different leadership orientations under different circumstances. Originality/value The paper showed that leadership was an important factor for building social capital and that different leadership qualities have different importance with respect to certain circumstances.

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walid El Moghazy ◽  
Samy Kashkoush ◽  
Glenda Meeberg ◽  
Norman Kneteman

Background. We aimed to assess incidentally discovered hepatocellular carcinoma (iHCC) over time and to compare outcome to preoperatively diagnosed hepatocellular carcinoma (pdHCC) and nontumor liver transplants.Methods.We studied adults transplanted with a follow-up of at least one year. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.Results.Between 1990 and 2010, 887 adults were transplanted. Among them, 121 patients (13.6%) had pdHCC and 32 patients (3.6%) had iHCC; frequency of iHCC decreased markedly over years, in parallel with significant increase in pdHCC. Between 1990 and 1995, 120 patients had liver transplants, 4 (3.3%) of them had iHCC, and only 3 (2.5%) had pdHCC, while in the last 5 years, 263 patients were transplanted, 7 (0.03%) of them had iHCC, and 66 (25.1%) had pdHCC (P<0.001). There was no significant difference between groups regarding patient survival; 5-year survival was 74%, 75.5%, and 77.3% in iHCC, pdHCC, and non-HCC groups, respectively (P=0.702). Patients with iHCC had no recurrences after transplant, while pdHCC patients experienced 17 recurrences (15.3%) (P=0.016).Conclusions.iHCC has significantly decreased despite steady increase in number of transplants for hepatocellular carcinoma. Patients with iHCC had excellent outcomes with no tumor recurrence and survival comparable to pdHCC.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 216-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Westerberg ◽  
Susanne Tafvelin

Purpose – The purpose of the this study was to explore the development of commitment to change among leaders in the home help services during organizational change and to study this development in relation to workload and stress. During organizational change initiatives, commitment to change among leaders is important to ensure the implementation of the change. However, little is known of development of commitment of change over time. Design/methodology/approach – The study used a qualitative design with semi-structured interviews with ten leaders by the time an organizational change initiative was launched and follow-up one year later. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze the interviews. Findings – Commitment to change is not static, but seems to develop over time and during organizational change. At the first interview, leaders had a varied pattern reflecting different dimensions of commitment to change. One year later, the differences between leaders’ commitment to change was less obvious. Differences in commitment to change had no apparent relationship with workload or stress. Research limitations/implications – The data were collected from one organization, and the number of participants were small which could affect the results on workload and stress in relation to commitment to change. Practical implications – It is important to support leaders during organizational change initiatives to maintain their commitment. One way to accomplish this is to use management team meetings to monitor how leaders perceive their situation. Originality/value – Qualitative, longitudinal and leader studies on commitment to change are all unusual, and taken together, this study shows new aspects of commitment.


2005 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Heikkinen ◽  
P. Jalovaara

Background and Aims: As a rule, follow-up for at least one year is recommended for fracture studies. This is considered the shortest reliable interval. Still, in the case of hip fractures of the elderly, shorter follow-up might be more practical, since the life expectancy of these patients is often short. The aim of this study was to see if a short four months follow-up period would be acceptable in hip fracture surveys. Material and Methods: Information on 196 consecutive non-pathological hip fracture patients aged 50 years or over (mean 79 years) was collected using a standardised hip fracture audit concentrating on functional measurements at admission and at four and twelve months' follow-ups. Results: 167 patients were alive at four months and 152 and at one year. The patients who died between four and twelve months had poorer functional capacity in the four-month evaluation than those who survived one year. The analysis of repeated measures, including only the patients alive at the last follow-up, showed that residential status, use of walking aids and 6 out of 10 and ADL variables (bathing, toileting, shopping, household activities, doing laundry, banking) did not change significantly. Walking ability and the rest 4 ADL variables (dressing, eating, food preparation, use of transportation) improved and pain decreased. Conclusions: Due to high mortality and age-related deterioration of functioning, no steady state i.e. “final result” is ever reached after hip fracture in the elderly. Four-month follow-up is justified as the shortest possible period, because the socioeconomically most important variable, i.e. place of living, and most of the ADL functions do not change significantly after that.


Author(s):  
Eeman Basu ◽  
Rabindra Kumar Pradhan ◽  
Hare Ram Tewari

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and job performance. It also examines the mediating role of social capital in influencing the relationship between OCB and job performance. Design/methodology/approach The study explores the dynamic relationship among the variables of OCB and job performance and social capital. Data were collected from 501 respondents working in 15 healthcare organizations in Kolkata, India, through questionnaire survey. Likert-type rating scales of OCB, job performance and social capital with sound reliability and validity were used to carry out the survey. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings The results of the present study show that OCB significantly predicts job performance in healthcare organizations. Social capital found to be a significant mediator between OCB and job performance. Research limitations/implications The findings of the study have a number of implications for organizations in acknowledging and leveraging social capital and encouraging OCB to facilitate superior performance of employees. The generalization of the findings of the study should be restricted to the healthcare organizations in Kolkata due to its own style of functioning, workforce and work environment. The role of demographic variables in influencing the outcome measures has not been considered for the present study. Further research on these aspects may reveal more interesting results with regard to the dynamics among organizational citizenship behavior, social capital and job performance. Practical implications Employee-friendly management practices should be adopted in organizations to facilitate the formation of network building and development of social capital which serves as an asset to organizations and creates competitive advantage. Originality/value The research findings enrich our understanding of voluntary social participation and citizenship behavior of employees for influencing performance at work. The study also provides useful and unique insight on the benefits of networking in healthcare organizations particularly helping employees to cope with emergency situations. The findings as well as methodology used in this study are original and unique.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 245-259
Author(s):  
Rebecca Mosson ◽  
Henna Hasson ◽  
Ulrica von Thiele Schwarz ◽  
Anne Richter

Purpose A common component in leadership interventions is the provision of feedback on leadership behaviors. The assumption is that, when there is a discrepancy in this feedback between managers’ and others’ ratings of leadership, this will increase managers’ self-awareness and motivate them to close this gap. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how agreement between managers and their subordinates changes over time as a result of a leadership intervention. Design/methodology/approach Questionnaire data were collected from line managers (N=18) and their subordinates (N=640) at pre-intervention, post-intervention and at a six-month follow-up. The managers participated in a leadership intervention that aimed to increase their knowledge and skills related to the leadership behaviors described in the Full-Range Leadership Model. Inter-rater agreement and reliability were calculated to justify aggregating the subordinates’ ratings. The managers and their subordinates were grouped according to three agreement categories: in agreement, managers’ over-rating and managers’ under-rating based on the managers’ views of their leader behaviors in relation to their subordinates’. Findings Manager-subordinate agreement on the managers’ leadership increased between pre-intervention and post-intervention but then decreased at the six-month follow-up (17, 61 and 44 percent, respectively). Most managers (n=15) changed agreement categories over time, and only three managers remained in the same agreement category throughout. The subordinates’ mean leadership ratings changed more than the managers’ mean ratings. Originality/value This is the first study to explore how manager-subordinate agreement changes when managers participate in a leadership intervention in a health care context. It shows that an intervention that includes upward feedback, by which managers self-rating of their leadership is compared with their subordinates’ ratings, can be an effective way to increase agreement.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
F Posch ◽  
T Glantschnig ◽  
S Firla ◽  
M Smolle ◽  
M Balic ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Monitoring left-ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is a routinely-practiced strategy to survey patients with breast cancer (BC) towards cardiotoxic treatment effects. However, whether the LVEF as a single measurement or as a trajectory over time is truly sufficient to identify patients at high risk for cardiotoxicity is currently debated. Purpose To quantify the prognostic impact of LVEF and its change over time for predicting cardiotoxicity in women with HER2+ early BC. Methods We analyzed 1,136 echocardiography reports from 185 HER2+ early BC patients treated with trastuzumab ± chemoimmunoendocrine therapy in the neoadjuvant/adjuvant setting (Table 1). Cardiotoxicity was defined as a 10% decline in LVEF below 50%. Results Median baseline LVEF was 64% (25th-75th percentile: 60–69). Nineteen patients (10%) experienced cardiotoxicity (asymptomatic n=12, symptomatic n=7, during treatment n=19, treatment modification/termination n=14), Median time to cardiotoxicity was 6.7 months, and median LVEF decline in patients with cardiotoxicity was 18%. One-year cardiotoxicity risk was 7.6% in the 35 patients with a baseline LVEF≥60% and 24.5% in the 150 patients with a baseline LVEF<60% (Hazard Ratio (HR)=3.45, 95% CI: 1.35–8.75, Figure 1). During treatment, LVEF declined significantly faster in patients who developed cardiotoxicity than in patients without cardiotoxicity (1.3%/month vs. 0.1%/month, p<0.0001). A higher rate of LVEF decrease predicted for higher cardiotoxicity risk (HR per 0.1%/month higher LVEF decrease/month=2.50, 95% CI: 1.31–4.76, p=0.005), and cardiotoxicity risk increased by a factor of 1.7 per 5% absolute LVEF decline from baseline to first follow-up (HR=1.70, 95% CI: 1.30–2.38, p<0.0001). Thirty-six patients (19%) developed an LVEF decline of at least 5% from baseline to first follow-up (“early LVEF decline”). One-year cardiotoxicity risk was 6.8% in those without early LVEF decline and a baseline LVEF≥60% (n=117), 15.7% in those without an early LVEF decline and a baseline LVEF<60% (n=65), and 66.7% in those with an early LVEF decline and a baseline LVEF<60% (n=3), respectively (log-rank p<0.0001). Table 1. Baseline characteristics Age (years, median [IQR]) 55 [49–65] Estrogen receptor positive (n, %) 124 (67%) Neoadjuvant setting (n, %) 103 (56%) Figure 1. Risk of Cardiotoxicity. Conclusion Both a single LVEF measurement and the rate of LVEF decrease strongly predict cardiotoxicity in early BC patients undergoing HER2-targeted therapy. Routine LVEF monitoring identifies individuals at high risk of cardiotoxicity that may benefit from more sensitive screening techniques such as strain imaging.


2018 ◽  
Vol 127 (3) ◽  
pp. 171-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young Min Park ◽  
Kyung Ho Oh ◽  
Jae-Gu Cho ◽  
Seung-Kuk Baek ◽  
Soon-Young Kwon ◽  
...  

Objective: We analyzed the changes in voice- and swallowing-related symptoms that occurred over time in patients who underwent thyroidectomy and identified any associated risk factors. Methods: One hundred and three patients who underwent thyroidectomy were enrolled. Results: The mean thyroidectomy voice-related questionnaire (TVQ) score before surgery was 12.41 ± 12.19; it significantly increased to 28.24 ± 18.01 ( P < .001) 1 month postoperatively, decreased to 24.02 ± 17.30 ( P = .014) and 20.66 ± 15.29 ( P = .023) 3 and 6 months postoperatively, respectively. It was continuously decreased to 18.83 ± 14.63 twelve months postoperatively. The temporal changes in TVQ scores between patients who underwent total thyroidectomy or lobectomy were significantly different. There was a statistically significant difference in the temporal changes in TVQ according to whether neck dissection was performed. The temporal changes in TVQ in patients with and without extrathyroidal extension were significantly different. Conclusions: Voice- and swallowing-related discomfort in patients who received thyroidectomy showed dynamic changes over time. There was a significant difference in the degree of change according to clinicopathological factors. Patients with these risk factors may benefit from appropriate patient education and various rehabilitation programs for symptom relief.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 556-568
Author(s):  
Anneli Frelin ◽  
Göran Fransson

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand, from principals’ points of view, how a teacher registration reform is enacted by examining the potential changes in the relationships between principals and newly qualified teachers (NQTs). The reform entailed principals performing an aptitude assessment of new teachers in their probationary year. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five principals from two Swedish municipalities on three occasions in one academic year. A third follow-up interview was conducted one year later with four of the principals, the fifth no longer being in post. Findings The assessment appears to be downplayed by the principals, whereas the supportive dimension and the facilitation of NQTs’ professional development seem to be acknowledged and made explicit. For some of the principals, their creative translation of the reform’s intentions transformed these relations and strengthened their leadership. Research limitations/implications The study is small-scale and was carried out in a specific period of policy implementation from the principals’ perspectives. Future studies would benefit from involving both principals’ and teachers’ perspectives. Practical implications Policymakers appear to have underestimated the structural aspects of the reform, even though in general the reform enactments had some kind of positive effect on these relations. Social implications For some principals, their creative translation of the reform’s intentions transformed relations and strengthened their leadership. Originality/value The data are from a unique period when a reform was implemented and later partly withdrawn. The study deepens the understanding on how principals tries to enact and balance their roles as evaluators of NQTs and pedagogical and instructional leaders.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Thijs J. Burger ◽  
Frederike Schirmbeck ◽  
Jentien M. Vermeulen ◽  
Piotr J. Quee ◽  
Mariken B. de Koning ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Cognitive alterations are a central and heterogeneous trait in psychotic disorders, driven by environmental, familial and illness-related factors. In this study, we aimed to prospectively investigate the impact of high familial risk for cognitive alterations, unconfounded by illness-related factors, on symptomatic outcomes in patients. Methods In total, 629 probands with non-affective psychosis and their sibling not affected by psychosis were assessed at baseline, 3- and 6-year follow-up. Familial cognitive risk was modeled by three cognitive subtypes (‘normal’, ‘mixed’ and ‘impaired’) in the unaffected siblings. Generalized linear mixed models assessed multi-cross-sectional associations between the sibling cognitive subtype and repeated measures of proband symptoms across all assessments. Between-group differences over time were assessed by adding an interaction effect of time and sibling cognitive subtype. Results Probands affected by psychosis with a sibling of the impaired cognitive subtype were less likely to be in symptomatic remission and showed more disorganization across all time points. When assessing differences over time, probands of siblings with the impaired cognitive subtype showed less remission and less improvement of disorganization after 3 and 6 years relative to the other subtypes. They also showed less reduction of positive, negative and excitement symptoms at 6-year follow-up compared to probands with a sibling of the normal cognitive subtype. Conclusions Cross-sibling pathways from higher levels of familial cognitive vulnerability to worse long-term outcomes may be informative in identifying cognition-related environmental and genetic risks that impact psychotic illness heterogeneity over time.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessa Leila Andrade ◽  
Zenewton André da Silva Gama ◽  
Marise Reis de Freitas ◽  
Wilton Rodrigues Medeiros ◽  
Kelienny de Meneses Sousa ◽  
...  

PurposeObstetric adverse outcomes (AOs) are an important topic and the use of composite measures may favor the understanding of their impact on patient safety. The aim of the present study was to estimate AO frequency and obstetric care quality in low and high-risk maternity hospitals.Design/methodology/approachA one-year longitudinal follow-up study in two public Brazilian maternity hospitals. The frequency of AOs was measured in 2,880 randomly selected subjects, 1,440 in each institution, consisting of women and their newborn babies. The frequency of 14 AOs was estimated every two weeks for one year, as well as three obstetric care quality indices based on their frequency and severity as follows: the Adverse Outcome Index (AOI), the Weighted Adverse Outcome Score and the Severity Index.FindingsA significant number of mothers and newborns exhibited AOs. The most prevalent maternal AOs were admission to the ICU and postpartum hysterectomy. Regarding newborns, hospitalization for > seven days and neonatal infection were the most common complications. Adverse outcomes were more frequent at the high-risk maternity, however, they were more severe at the low-risk facility. The AOI was stable at the high-risk center but declined after interventions during the follow-up year.Originality/valueHigh AO frequency was identified in both mothers and newborns. The results demonstrate the need for public patient safety policies for low-risk maternity hospitals, where AOs were less frequent but more severe.


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