Social media for health care managers: creating a workshop in collaboration with the UBC Centre for Health Care Management

Objectives To identify ways to improve the usefulness of systematic reviews for health care managers and policy-makers that could then be evaluated prospectively. Methods We systematically reviewed studies of decision-making by health care managers and policy-makers, conducted interviews with a purposive sample of them in Canada and the United Kingdom (n=29), and reviewed the websites of research funders, producers/purveyors of research, and journals that include them among their target audiences (n=45). Results Our systematic review identified that factors such as interactions between researchers and health care policy-makers and timing/timeliness appear to increase the prospects for research use among policy-makers. Our interviews with health care managers and policy-makers suggest that they would benefit from having information that is relevant for decisions highlighted for them (e.g. contextual factors that affect a review's local applicability and information about the benefits, harms/risks and costs of interventions) and having reviews presented in a way that allows for rapid scanning for relevance and then graded entry (such as one page of take-home messages, a three-page executive summary and a 25-page report). Managers and policy-makers have mixed views about the helpfulness of recommendations. Our analysis of websites found that contextual factors were rarely highlighted, recommendations were often provided and graded entry formats were rarely used. Conclusions Researchers could help to ensure that the future flow of systematic reviews will better inform health care management and policy-making by involving health care managers and policy-makers in their production and better highlighting information that is relevant for decisions. Research funders could help to ensure that the global stock of systematic reviews will better inform health care management and policy-making by supporting and evaluating local adaptation processes such as developing and making available online more user-friendly ‘front ends’ for potentially relevant systematic reviews.

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A framework to provide clarity in the use of predictive technologies in health care management

Australian Health Review ◽

10.1071/ah070073 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 73

Author(s):

Christopher A Bain ◽

Leon K Au

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Care Management ◽

Health Care Management ◽

Strong Support ◽

Mutual Benefit ◽

Health Care Managers ◽

Low Level ◽

Care Managers ◽

Tools And Techniques ◽

Insight Into

This paper reports on a survey of health care managers and other stakeholders which assesses the need for a framework regarding predictive technologies in health care management. In the context of this paper, predictive technologies are defined as those that enable an insight into, or measurement of, events yet to occur. A framework could include the ability to classify the problems confronting managers, and the range of possible tools and techniques that could be used to address those problems. This could be of mutual benefit to health care managers, technologists and modellers. The survey was intended to clarify the level of interest in such a framework, and also the possible dimensions that it ought to contain. Our results indicate that there is strong support for a proposed framework, with 97% of respondents indicating that a framework would be possibly or very useful. The results also show a low level of background knowledge in relation to existing tools, techniques and technologies. The draft framework is also presented. It includes dimensions relating to problem and tool definitions, scenarios to be investigated and the findings of those investigations.

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Building upon Our Values: Health Care's Promises to its Patients and Communities

INQUIRY The Journal of Health Care Organization Provision and Financing ◽

10.5034/inquiryjrnl_39.3.201 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 201-206 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gail L. Warden

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Care Management ◽

Health Care Management ◽

Health Care Environment ◽

Health Care Managers ◽

Care Environment ◽

Care Managers

Originally presented as an endowed lecture, this paper outlines the values that have always driven health care management and how those values can be used to confront today's challenges. The challenges are discussed in a way that clearly calls for promises to build upon the values that will improve the health care environment and the obligations that health care managers have to fulfill those promises.

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The strategy of casemix

Australian Health Review ◽

10.1071/ah950105 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 105

Author(s):

John Dowling

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Care Management ◽

Health Care Management ◽

Process Innovation ◽

The Political ◽

Political Debate ◽

Health Care Managers ◽

Australian Health ◽

Care Managers

While the political debate rages over whether casemix brings economic benefitsfor Australian health care, managers are observing a pragmatic change to theirbusiness and some are using casemix to understand and manage their businessbetter. Casemix is a useful tool in this environment of increasing managementaccountability and process re-engineering.This article reviews casemix from a process innovation perspective; commentson its real use for strategic health care management; and suggests a simple matrixused by St John of God hospitals throughout Australia to implement and measureprogress towards quality casemix-managed hospitals. The management motivationfor this matrix was to promote hospital resourcing decisions supplemented bycasemix information.

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