Book Review: M. Sheaff Sociology of Health Care: An Introduction for Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Professionals

Sociology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 588-589
Author(s):  
Seán Stitt
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Allied Health ◽  
Allied Health Professionals ◽  
Sociology Of Health

Responding and adapting to change: an allied health perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 339-349
Author(s):  
Lisa Beasley ◽  
Sandra Grace ◽  
Louise Horstmanshof
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Change Management ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Allied Health ◽  
Change Processes ◽  
Allied Health Professionals ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Scoping Reviews ◽  
Change Leaders

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on the response and adaption to change of allied health professionals. Understanding how individuals respond and adapt to change is essential to assist leaders to manage transformational change effectively. Contemporary health-care environments are characterised by frequent and rapid change, often with unrealistic and challenging time frames. Individuals operate independently, but also as members of teams, professions and organisations. Therefore, having a sound understanding of individual response to change is important for change leaders. In the Australian context, allied health professionals represent a quarter of the health-care workforce. There is a significant gap in understanding how allied health professionals respond and adapt to change. Design/methodology/approach A scoping review was designed to report on the nature and extent of the literature on the response and adaption to change in the context of allied health professionals. Change leaders in the health-care environment face a number of complex challenges when attempting to facilitate change. While this scoping review did not identify any specific literature on the response and adaption to change of allied health professionals, it did however provide information on change models and factors to take into consideration when implementing a change process. Findings The results of this scoping review identified findings in two main areas with regard to response and adaptation of allied health to change: a review of change management literature at the organisation level and change management for allied health. Most of the literature described organisational level change management without providing a structural framework for change. At the professional individual level, the literature focused on specific clinical interventions, rather than on the response and adaption to change for allied health. Minimal literature was identified in regard to the response and adaption to change of allied health professionals. In an environment characterised by continuous change and policy reform, a greater understanding of the response and adaption to change by allied health is a priority for research, policy and practice. Research limitations/implications This scoping review was undertaken to explore the response and adaption to change of allied health. It sought to identify the factors that may explain why certain disciplines within the allied health professional group responded to change differently. Scoping reviews do not set out to comprehensively source all relevant literature but rather to ascertain the nature and extent of the published literature in the field. Therefore, it is possible that a systematic review might uncover additional relevant papers. However, this scoping review provides a clear indication of the nature and extent of the literature in allied health. Practical implications Social implications This scoping review will assist change leaders to gain a better understanding of theoretical frameworks of individual, team and organisational change processes and the impacts these have individually and collectively on change processes. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this scoping review is the first of its kind to identify the minimal literature available on the way allied health professionals respond and adapt to change.

scholarly journals Cost of Sickness Absenteeism during Seasonal Influenza Outbreaks of Medium Intensity among Health Care Workers

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Gianino ◽  
Gianfranco Politano ◽  
Antonio Scarmozzino ◽  
Michela Stillo ◽  
Viola Amprino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Allied Health ◽  
Seasonal Influenza ◽  
Medical Doctor ◽  
Allied Health Professionals ◽  
Sickness Absenteeism ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Care Workers

This study aims to estimate the economic costs of sickness absenteeism of health care workers in a large Italian teaching hospital during the seasonal flu periods. A retrospective observational study was performed. The excess data of hospital’s sickness absenteeism during three seasonal influenza periods (2010/2011; 2011/2012; 2012/2013) came from a previous study. The cost of sickness absenteeism was calculated for six job categories: medical doctor, technical executive (i.e., pharmacists); nurses and allied health professionals (i.e., radiographer), other executives (i.e., engineer), non-medical support staff, and administrative staff, and for four age ranges: <39, 40–49, 50–59, and >59 years. An average of 5401 employees working each year were under study. There were over 11,100 working days/year lost associated with an influenza period in Italy, the costs associated were approximately 1.7 million euros, and the average work loss was valued at € 327/person. The major shares of cost appeared related to nurses and allied health professionals (45% of total costs). The highest costs for working days lost were reported in the 40–49 age range, accounting for 37% of total costs. Due to the substantial economic burden of sickness absenteeism, there are clear benefits to be gained from the effective prevention of the influenza.

Best Practice and Allied Health

1996 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
Jill Thoroughgood
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Allied Health ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Models Of Care ◽  
Allied Health Professionals ◽  
Primary Health

In this paper, issues are discussed relating to the provision of quality allied health advice, and the focus of the allied health program in primary health care and community health settings in the Peninsula and Torres Strait Region of Queensland, since Regionalisation in 1991. It was apparent to allied health professionals working in community health, that the change process presented an opportunity to influence not only the Regional Health Authority, but also to act as a united voice for the professions and to be advocates for best practice models of care for the community. Why do allied health professionals need to be utilised in an advisory role in community based health settings? What are the impacts on policy, planning, and on the services provided by community health care workers? How can allied health advisers enhance the quality of outcomes of best practice for the consumers of community health programs? Allied health advisers are important for the whole health sector by ensuring that effective and appropriate allied health services are delivered, that there are increases in allied health resources, that there are improvements in health outcomes for clients, that primary health care models of care are implemented, and, finally, that best practice is implemented by the allied health professional.

scholarly journals Similarities and Differences Between Asthma Health Care Professional and Patient Views Regarding Medication Adherence

2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 221-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Peláez ◽  
Simon L Bacon ◽  
Mark W Aulls ◽  
Guillaume Lacoste ◽  
Kim L Lavoie
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Medication Adherence ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Allied Health ◽  
Allied Health Professionals ◽  
Collective Case Study ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Asthma Patients

BACKGROUND: The recent literature has reported disparate views between patients and health care professionals regarding the roles of various factors affecting medication adherence.OBJECTIVE: To examine the perspectives of asthma patients, physicians and allied health professionals regarding adherence to asthma medication.METHODOLOGY: A qualitative, multiple, collective case study design with six focus-group interviews including 38 participants (13 asthma patients, 13 pulmonologist physicians and 12 allied health professionals involved in treating asthma patients) was conducted.RESULTS: Patients, physicians and allied health professionals understood adherence to be an active process. In addition, all participants believed they had a role in treatment adherence, and agreed that the cost of medication was high and that access to the health care system was restricted. Major disagreements regarding patient-related barriers to medication adherence were identified among the groups. For example, all groups referred to side effects; however, while patients expressed their legitimate concerns, health care professionals believed that patients’ opinions of medication side effects were based on inadequate perceptions.CONCLUSION: Differences regarding medication adherence and barriers to adherence among the groups examined in the present study will provide insight into how disagreements may be translated to overcome barriers to optimal asthma adherence. Furthermore, when designing an intervention to enhance medication adherence, it is important to acknowledge that perceptual gaps exist and must be addressed.

scholarly journals Models of psychological service provision under Australia's Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care program

2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Pirkis ◽  
Philip Burgess ◽  
Fay Kohn ◽  
Belinda Morley ◽  
Grant Blashki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Allied Health ◽  
Care Program ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Allied Health Professionals ◽  
Psychological Service ◽  
Health Care Program

The Access to Allied Psychological Services component of Australia?s Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care program enables eligible general practitioners to refer consumers to allied health professionals for affordable, evidence-based mental health care, via 108 projects conducted by Divisions of General Practice. The current study profiled the models of service delivery across these projects, and examined whether particular models were associated with differential levels of access to services. We found: � 76% of projects were retaining their allied health professionals under contract, 28% via direct employment, and 7% some other way; � Allied health professionals were providing services from GPs? rooms in 63% of projects, from their own rooms in 63%, from a third location in 42%; and � The referral mechanism of choice was direct referral in 51% of projects, a voucher system in 27%, a brokerage system in 24%, and a register system in 25%. Many of these models were being used in combination. No model was predictive of differential levels of access, suggesting that the approach of adapting models to the local context is proving successful.

Exploration of an allied health workforce redesign model: quantifying the work of allied health assistants in a community workforce

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Somerville ◽  
Annette Davis ◽  
Sarah Milne ◽  
Desiree Terrill ◽  
Kathleen Philip
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Allied Health ◽  
Care Setting ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Health Care Setting ◽  
Allied Health Professionals ◽  
The Right ◽  
Ambulatory Health Care

The Victorian Assistant Workforce Model (VAWM) enables a systematic approach for the identification and quantification of work that can be delegated from allied health professionals (AHPs) to allied health assistants (AHAs). The aim of the present study was to explore the effect of implementation of VAWM in the community and ambulatory health care setting. Data captured using mixed methods from allied health professionals working across the participating health services enabled the measurement of opportunity for workforce redesign in the community and ambulatory allied health workforce. A total of 1112 AHPs and 135 AHAs from the 27 participating organisations took part in the present study. AHPs identified that 24% of their time was spent undertaking tasks that could safely be delegated to an appropriately qualified and supervised AHA. This equates to 6837 h that could be redirected to advanced and expanded AHP practice roles or expanded patient-centred service models. The VAWM demonstrates potential for more efficient implementation of assistant workforce roles across allied health. Data outputs from implementation of the VAWM are vital in informing strategic planning and sustainability of workforce change. A more efficient and effective workforce promotes service delivery by the right person, in the right place, at the right time. What is known about this topic? There are currently workforce shortages that are predicted to grow across the allied health workforce. Ensuring that skill mix is optimal is one way to address these shortages. Matching the right task to right worker will also enable improved job satisfaction for both allied health assistants and allied health professionals. Workforce redesign efforts are more effective when there is strong data to support the redesign. What does this paper add? This paper builds on a previous paper by Somerville et al. with a case study applying the workforce redesign model to a community and ambulatory health care setting. It provides evidence that this workforce redesign model enables data to be collected to identify the opportunity for redesign in the allied health workforce in this clinical setting. What are the implications for practitioners? There are career pathways and opportunity for growth in the allied health assistant workforce in the community and ambulatory health care setting. These opportunities will need to be coupled with the development of supervision and delegation skills in the allied health professional workforce to ensure that an integrated workforce is built to provide optimal clinical care in the community and ambulatory setting.

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