scholarly journals Sustainability of hospital-based midwife-led antenatal care consultation — a qualitative study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anja Siegle ◽  
Friederike Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein ◽  
Martina Roes

Abstract Background All evidence-based knowledge and improvement strategies for quality care must be implemented so patients can benefit from them. In Germany, national expert standards (NES) contribute to quality care in nursing and midwifery. The NES defines for several action levels a dedicated level of quality, which is operationalized by structure, process, and outcome (SPO) criteria. An NES to promote normal childbirth was developed and implemented in 2014. The first action level involves midwife-led antenatal consultation (ML-AC) being conducted in a structured way. Most implementation processes aim to accomplish sustainability, but implementation studies rarely use definitions or a theory of sustainability, even when assessing sustainability. This lack led to the assumption that intervention sustainability after implementation is still a largely unexplored domain. The aim of this study is to investigate the sustainability of midwife-led antenatal consultation (ML-AC) implemented at two hospitals, in Germany. Methods In a qualitative approach, 34 qualitative interviews were conducted (between March and October 2017) using semi-structured interview guides. All interviews were transcribed verbatim, anonymized and analyzed thematically using framework method. Four groups of stakeholders in two hospitals offering ML-AC were interviewed: managers (n = 8), midwives conducting ML-AC (n = 10), pregnant women who attended ML-AC (n = 8), and physicians working in obstetrics (n = 8) at the hospitals. Results The interviewees identified key benefits of ML-AC on a personal and unit level, e.g., reduced obstetric interventions, easier admission processes. Furthermore, the participants defined key requirements that are needed for routinized and institutionalized ML-AC, such as allocating working time for ML-AC, and structural organization of ML-AC. All study participants saw a need to establish secure long-term funding. Additionally, the interviewed staff members stated that ML-AC topics need evaluating and adapting in the future. Conclusions Implementing ML-AC in the hospital setting has led to manifold benefits. However, reimbursement through the health care system will be needed to sustain ML-AC. Hospitals implementing ML-AC will need to be aware that adaptations of the NES are necessary to accomplish routinization and institutionalization. After initial implementation, sustaining ML-AC will generally require on-going monitoring and evaluating of benefits, routinization/institutionalization and further development.

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (29_suppl) ◽  
pp. 50-50
Author(s):  
Areej El-Jawahri ◽  
Jennifer Adrienne Shin ◽  
Lara Traeger ◽  
Helen Knight ◽  
Kristina Mirabeau-Beale ◽  
...  

50 Background: Despite the benefits of hospice for patients with advanced cancer and their FC, many patients are referred late or not at all. To assess potential patient and FC barriers to enrollment, we assessed their perceptions, knowledge, and information preferences about hospice. Methods: We conducted qualitative interviews with 16 adult patients with metastatic cancer and a prognosis ≤ 12 months and 8 of their FC. We used a semi-structured interview guide to elicit their perceptions (including perceived barriers to utilization), knowledge, and information preferences about hospice. Two raters coded interviews independently and reached acceptable inter-rater reliability (κ > 0.85). We used content analysis to identify themes. Results: We found similar themes between patients and FC interviews. Participants had mixed views about which patients need hospice with some stating it is for patients only at the end-of-life and others perceiving it as important for patients who need care their family cannot provide. Notably, most patients perceived themselves as not needing hospice in the near future. While the majority perceived the role of hospice to enhance quality of life and provide comfort, some viewed it as providing practical support, including 24-hour care. 50% of participants had positive feelings about hospice, while others were more ambivalent. All participants felt they needed more information about hospice, yet they were mixed regarding the optimal timing of this information. Many thought it would be helpful to have information about hospice through pamphlets, websites, or videos, prior to a discussion with their oncologist. Most viewed denial and hope as the main barriers to early hospice enrollment. Conclusions: Study participants had misunderstandings about which patients were appropriate for hospice and regarding the services offered. Participants expressed strong desires for more information about hospice with educational tools, although were mixed about the optimal timing for reviewing these tools. These findings suggest that patients and FC would benefit from interventions to enhance their understanding of hospice and to facilitate a discussion with their oncologists.


2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (148) ◽  
pp. 369-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Ludwig-Mayerhofer ◽  
Ariadne Sondermann ◽  
Olaf Behrend

The recent reform of the Bundesagentur fijr Arbeit, Germany's Public Employment Service (PES), has introduced elements of New Public Management, including internal controlling and attempts at standardizing assessments ('profiling' of unemployed people) and procedures. Based on qualitative interviews with PES staff, we show that standardization and controlling are perceived as contradicting the 'case-oriented approach' used by PES staff in dealing with unemployed people. It is therefore not surprising that staff members use considerable discretion when (re-)assigning unemployed people to one of the categories pre-defined by PES headquarters. All in all, the new procedures lead to numerous contradictions, which often result in bewilderment and puzzlement on the part of the unemployed.


1970 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-58
Author(s):  
Fellipe Afonso de Azevedo ◽  
Noé D’jalma Araújo ◽  
Néliton Célio de Novais ◽  
José Vítor da Silva ◽  
Renato Augusto Passos

RESUMOObjetivo: o presente trabalho teve como objetivo identificar os significados de morte emergentes das equipes de enfermagem que atuam nas unidades de Pronto Socorro e Unidade de Terapia Intensiva (UTI) em uma entidade de médio porte situada no Sul de Minas Gerais. Materiais e métodos: estudo de abordagem qualitativa, do tipo descritivo, de campo e transversal. A amostra estudada foi composta de oito enfermeiros, 22 técnicos e quatro auxiliares de enfermagem, totalizando 34 profissionais, sendo utilizado o instrumento de caracterização pessoal e profissional da equipe de enfermagem e o roteiro de entrevista semiestruturada. A amostragem foi proposital. A coleta de dados foi realizada através de entrevista semiestruturada, gravada e transcrita. As diretrizes metodológicas do Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo foram utilizadas para a seleção das ideias centrais e expressões-chave correspondentes, a partir das quais foram extraídos os discursos dos sujeitos, no cenário da instituição hospitalar. Resultados e Discussão: ao analisar o tema “significados de morte”, obtiveram-se as seguintes ideias centrais: “passagem”, “diversos significados”, “fim da vida” e “fim e começo de outra vida”. Conclusão: As concepções acerca do tema morte para os profissionais participantes deste trabalho reforça a necessidade de estudos sobre o tema durante a formação acadêmica. Certos de que irão vivenciar este tipo de situação no dia-a-dia profissional, é preciso prepará-los psicologicamente para isso.Palavras-chave: Morte, Equipe de enfermagem, Assistência ao paciente.ABSTRACTObjective: This study aimed to identify the meanings of emerging death of the nursing staff working in the Emergency Units and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in a medium-sized entity located in southern Minas Gerais. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional qualitative field research. The sample was composed of 8 nurses, 22 technicians and 4 nursing assistants, totaling 34 professionals. It was used a tool of personal and professional characterization of the nursing team and a semi-structured interview. Sampling was intentional. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured interviews, that were recorded and transcribed. The methodological guidelines of the Collective Subject Speech were used for the selection of the central ideas and corresponding key expressions, from which the speeches of the subjects were taken, in the hospital setting. Results and discussion: to examine the topic "death meanings" yielded the following core ideas: "pass", "different meanings", "end of life" and "end and beginning of another life." Conclusion: The conceptions about the death theme for the professional participants of this study reinforces the need for studies on the subject during their academic training. It is certain that they will experience this type of situation on their daily professional routine, therefore there is a need to prepare them psychologically for this.Keywords: Death, Nursing staff, Patient care.


Author(s):  
Yu-Sheng Yang ◽  
Alicia M. Koontz ◽  
Yu-Hsuan Hsiao ◽  
Cheng-Tang Pan ◽  
Jyh-Jong Chang

Maneuvering a wheelchair is an important necessity for the everyday life and social activities of people with a range of physical disabilities. However, in real life, wheelchair users face several common challenges: articulate steering, spatial relationships, and negotiating obstacles. Therefore, our research group has developed a head-mounted display (HMD)-based intuitive virtual reality (VR) stimulator for wheelchair propulsion. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of this VR stimulator for wheelchair propulsion performance. Twenty manual wheelchair users (16 men and 4 women) with spinal cord injuries ranging from T8 to L2 participated in this study. The differences in wheelchair propulsion kinematics between immersive and non-immersive VR environments were assessed using a 3D motion analysis system. Subjective data of the HMD-based intuitive VR stimulator were collected with a Presence Questionnaire and individual semi-structured interview at the end of the trial. Results indicated that propulsion performance was very similar in terms of start angle (p = 0.34), end angle (p = 0.46), stroke angle (p = 0.76), and shoulder movement (p = 0.66) between immersive and non-immersive VR environments. In the VR episode featuring an uphill journey, an increase in propulsion speed (p < 0.01) and cadence (p < 0.01) were found, as well as a greater trunk forward inclination (p = 0.01). Qualitative interviews showed that this VR simulator made an attractive, novel impression and therefore demonstrated the potential as a tool for stimulating training motivation. This HMD-based intuitive VR stimulator can be an effective resource to enhance wheelchair maneuverability experiences.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 216495612110210
Author(s):  
Eileen M Dryden ◽  
Rendelle E Bolton ◽  
Barbara G Bokhour ◽  
Juliet Wu ◽  
Kelly Dvorin ◽  
...  

Background The US Veterans Health Administration (VA) is transforming its healthcare system to create a Whole Health System (WHS) of care. Akin to such reorganization efforts as creating patient-centered medical homes and primary care behavioral health integration, the WHS goes beyond by transforming the entire system to one that takes a proactive approach to support patient and employee health and wellness. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic disrupted the VA’s healthcare system and added stress for staff and patients, creating an exogenous shock for this transformation towards a WHS. Objective We examined the relationship between VA’s WHS transformation and the pandemic to understand if transformation was sustained during crisis and contributed to VA’s response. Methods Qualitative interviews were conducted as part of a multi-year study of WHS transformation. A single multi-person interview was conducted with 61 WHS leaders at 18 VA Medical Centers, examining WH transformation and use during the pandemic. Data were analyzed using rapid directed content analysis. Results While the pandemic initially slowed transformation efforts, sites intentionally embraced a WH approach to support patients and employees during this crisis. Efforts included conducting patient wellness calls, and, for patients and employees, promoting complementary and integrative health therapies, self-care, and WH concepts to combat stress and support wellbeing. A surge in virtual technology use facilitated innovative delivery of complementary and integrative therapies and promoted continued use of WH activities. Conclusion The pandemic called attention to the need for healthcare systems to address the wellbeing of both patients and providers to sustain high quality care delivery. At a time of crisis, VA sites sustained WH transformation efforts, recognizing WH as one strategy to support patients and employees. This response indicates cultural transformation is taking hold, with WH serving as a promising approach for promoting wellbeing among patients and employees alike.


Author(s):  
Kari White ◽  
Subasri Narasimhan ◽  
Sophie A. Hartwig ◽  
Erin Carroll ◽  
Alexandra McBrayer ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Thirty-seven states require minors seeking abortion to involve a parent, either through notification or consent. Little research has examined how implementation of these laws affect service delivery and quality of care for those who involve a parent. Methods Between May 2018 and September 2019, in-depth interviews were conducted with 34 staff members involved in scheduling, counseling, and administration at abortion facilities in three Southeastern states. Interviews explored procedures for documenting parental involvement, minors’ and parents’ reactions to requirements, and challenges with implementation and compliance. Both inductive and deductive codes, informed by the Institute of Medicine’s healthcare quality framework, were used in the thematic analysis. Results Parental involvement laws adversely affected four quality care domains: efficiency, patient-centeredness, timeliness, and equity. Administrative inefficiencies stemmed from the extensive documentation needed to prove an adult’s relationship to a minor, increasing the time and effort needed to comply with state reporting requirements. If parents were not supportive of their minor’s decision, participants felt they had a duty to intervene to ensure the minor’s decision and needs remained centered. Staff further noted that delays to timely care accumulated as minors navigated parental involvement and other state mandates, pushing some beyond gestational age limits. Lower income families and those with complex familial arrangements had greater difficulty meeting state requirements. Conclusions Parental involvement mandates undermine health service delivery and quality for minors seeking abortion services in the Southeast. Policy Implications Removing parental involvement requirements would protect minors’ reproductive autonomy and support the provision of equitable, patient-centered healthcare.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathrine Håland Jeppesen ◽  
Kirsten Frederiksen ◽  
Marianne Johansson Joergensen ◽  
Kirsten Beedholm

Abstract Background From 2014 to 17, a large-scale project, ‘The User-involving Hospital’, was implemented at a Danish university hospital. Research highlights leadership as crucial for the outcome of change processes in general and for implementation processes in particular. According to the theory on organizational learning by Agyris and Schön, successful change requires organizational learning. Argyris and Schön consider that the assumptions of involved participants play an important role in organizational learning and processes. The purpose was to explore leaders’ assumptions concerning implementation of patient involvement methods in a hospital setting. Methods Qualitative explorative interview study with the six top leaders in the implementation project. The semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed in accordance with Kvale and Brinkmanns’ seven stages of interview research. Result The main leadership assumptions on what is needed in the implementation process are in line with the perceived elements in organizational learning according to the theory of Argyris and Schön. Hence, they argued that implementation of patient involvement requires a culture change among health care professionals. Two aspects on how to obtain success in the implementation process were identified based on leadership assumptions: “The health care professionals’ roles in the implementation process” and “The leaders’ own roles in the implementation process”. Conclusion The top leaders considered implementation of patient involvement a change process that necessitates a change in culture with health care professionals as crucial actors. Furthermore, the top leaders considered themselves important facilitators of this implementation process.


Author(s):  
Jepri Ali Saiful

In recent years, mobile phones have been used for teacher professional development (TPD). However, the potential use of smartphones, a current-generation of mobile phones, to develop teachers’ pedagogical, social, personal, and professional competences remains underexplored. This mixed methods study, examining the potential use of smartphones for TPD by delving into English teachers’ beliefs, employed a sequential explanatory approach. A quantitative survey was completed by 81 participants, followed by qualitative interviews with 8 selected participants. All the respondents were English teachers in elementary, junior, and senior high schools in 11 provinces in Indonesia. The survey was tested for validity and reliability, and analysed using the descriptive statistics method, while the semi-structured interview was analysed using the content analysis method. Almost all teachers had very favourable and favourable beliefs about the use of smartphones for TPD, perceiving that a smartphone could facilitate the enhancement of their pedagogical knowledge, communication skills, positive characters and English proficiency. Very few teachers had unfavourable beliefs, but among those who did, they believed traditional face-to-face TPD was more beneficial and that smartphones would only lead to addiction. This study recommends that smartphones be optimally applied by English teachers for TPD activities and that governments facilitate such implementation by constructing smartphone TPD models and applications.


2021 ◽  
pp. 193229682110322
Author(s):  
Michelle L. Litchman ◽  
Ashley Ng ◽  
Ana Sanchez-Birkhead ◽  
Nancy A. Allen ◽  
Bruno Rodriguez-Gonzales ◽  
...  

Background: Previous research has identified that people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) within the Hispanic community would benefit from an online peer support community (OPSC) and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data to facilitate diabetes self-management. Methods: A mixed-methods feasibility study enrolled Hispanic, Spanish-speaking adults with T2D, not on insulin. Participants were provided with CGM and access to an OPSC for 12 weeks. Feasibility was assessed by number of eligible participants who enrolled, attrition, quantity of CGM data, validated clinical measures of self-efficacy, quality of life and adverse events. Engagement in the OPSC was measured using objective metrics on the online platform. Qualitative interviews were conducted upon conclusion of the intervention to assess feasibility, acceptability, participant satisfaction, and key recommendations for improvement. Results: Of 46 participants screened, 39 were eligible and 26 completed the study. Participants significantly improved self-efficacy scores. Posts in the OPSC related to goal setting had the highest engagement followed by mid-week and end of week check-in posts respectively. Participant interviews described challenges accessing the OPSC platform as a barrier to engagement. Despite this, all participants were satisfied with the intervention. Key recommendations for improvement included providing greater variety of and individualized education and the use of a peer support platform that is easily accessible. Conclusions: The CGM + OPSC intervention tailored to the Hispanic community with T2D was feasible, acceptable and satisfactory and improved participant self-efficacy for diabetes management which may lead to improved clinical outcomes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 1647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ferudun Sezgin ◽  
Ayşe Tınmaz ◽  
Sezgin Tetik

The purpose of this study was to examine the opinions of school principals and teachers about the new implication process which teachers are being evaluated by school principals according to performance criteria. Phenomenological study design was chosen in this qualitative research. Participants were selected according to maximum variation sampling which is one of the purposeful sampling methods. Data were collected from 11 school principals and 14 teachers via semi-structured interview forms in Tokat city center. Data were analyzed according to descriptive analyzing technique. According to the results obtained in the study, participants stated that the purpose of current performance evaluation is the evaluation of teachers and to support their professional development. About the new application’s access to the purposes, while many of the teachers reported that the system could not achieve its goals, most of the school principals stated that the system would reach the goals with some shortcomings. Participants criticized the system for fast coming up and implementation. Participants stated that school principals were not qualified for this system. The most important strength of the system was defined as the teacher’s close awareness of the school principals. According to teachers’ views about the weaknesses of the system; the impact of conflicts or prejudices affecting school, school principals’ failure to take into account the criteria list, the existence of biased behaviors, the fact that principals were not educated in supervision, erroneous or incomplete practices in branch-specific evaluations, the deterioration of organizational peace. The majority of school principals reported that the applied system could contribute to the professional development of teachers, while the majority of teachers thought that the system would make a limited contribution. A two-day seminar was held with the school principals while training for teachers was not arranged by the Ministry of Education prior to the performance evaluation process. In the study, some suggestions were also made regarding the development of the current practice and the assessment of teacher performance in Turkey.Extended English abstract is in the end of PDF (TURKISH) file. ÖzetBu çalışmanın amacı öğretmenlerin performans kriterlerine göre okul müdürleri tarafından değerlendirildiği yeni uygulama konusunda okul müdürleri ve öğretmenlerin görüşlerini ortaya koymaktır. Nitel araştırma yöntemine göre tasarlanan bu çalışmada olgu bilim deseni benimsenmiştir. Çalışmada katılımcılar amaçlı örnekleme yöntemlerinden maksimum çeşitlemeye göre oluşturulmuştur. Tokat il merkezinde görev yapmakta olan 11 okul müdürü ve 14 öğretmenle yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu kullanılarak veri toplanmıştır. Veriler betimsel analiz tekniğine göre çözümlenmiştir. Araştırmada elde edilen verilere göre katılımcılar mevcut performans değerlendirme uygulamasının amacının daha çok öğretmenlerin değerlendirilmesi ve mesleki gelişimlerini artırma olduğu yönünde görüş belirtmişlerdir. Yeni uygulamanın amacına ulaşabilmesine ilişkin öğretmenlerin çoğunluğu sistemin amacını gerçekleştiremeyeceğini düşünürken okul müdürlerinin çoğunluğu bazı eksiklikler belirtmekle birlikte sistemin amacına ulaşabileceğini ifade etmektedirler. Uygulanma süreciyle ilgili katılımcılar sistemin bir anda gündeme gelmesi ve uygulanmasını eleştirmektedir. Katılımcılar okul müdürlerinin bu konuda yeterli olmadığını düşünmektedir. Sisteminin en önemli güçlü yanının okul müdürünün öğretmeni yakından tanıması olduğu ifade edilmiştir. Sistemin zayıf yönleri ile ilgili olarak öğretmenler; okulda yaşanacak çatışmaların veya önyargıların değerlendirmeyi etkilemesi, okul müdürlerinin kriter listesini dikkate almaması, taraflı davranışların varlığı, müdürlerin denetim konusunda eğitimli olmamaları, branşa özgü değerlendirmelerde hatalı veya eksik uygulama, örgüt barışının bozulması şeklinde görüş belirtmişlerdir. Okul müdürlerinin çoğunluğu uygulanmakta olan sistemin öğretmenlerin mesleki gelişimine katkı sağlayacağını belirtirken öğretmenlerin çoğunluğu kısıtlı katkı sağlayacağını düşünmektedir. Performans değerlendirme süreci öncesinde Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı tarafından öğretmenlere yönelik bir eğitim düzenlenmezken, okul müdürlerine iki günlük bir seminer düzenlenmiştir. Çalışmada ayrıca mevcut uygulamanın geliştirilmesi ile ilgili ve Türkiye’de genel anlamda öğretmen performansının değerlendirilmesi ile ilgili olarak birtakım önerilerde bulunulmuştur.


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