The Social Role of Technology in Healthcare Quality Improvement

Author(s):  
Anastasia K. Kadda

The aim of this study is to describe the social role of technology in healthcare quality improvement. Methodologically, the study was based on a review of the relevant literature, Greek and foreign, as well as Internet sources related to the social role of technology in healthcare quality improvement. The main conclusions drawn were the following: a) The development of new technologies in the field of health and their involvement within the social context is today a fast accelerating process; b) The presentday expansion of health-oriented technology is of vital importance because of current trends in the field of healthcare and of the social evolution on healthcare services; c) Information technology is capable of profoundly contributing to the improvement of the quality of health, and thus to the wellbeing of the citizens in a society; d) By the use of health technology, more efficient and productive financial management is achieved with numerous benefits for the economy; e) Electronic health can improve the quality of healthcare thereby facilitating the work of health professionals; f) Greek society is being increasingly influenced by both international and domestic scientific and technological advances in health technology despite the existence of significant legal barriers; g) Current trends in the European Union as far as health technology is concerned are intimately connected with expanding citizen participation in the electronic revolution and their increasing access to the Information Society.

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (suppl 2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Margareth Crisóstomo Portela ◽  
Sheyla Maria Lemos Lima ◽  
Mônica Martins ◽  
Claudia Travassos

Abstract: The development and study of healthcare quality improvement interventions have been reshaped, moving from more intuitive approaches, dominated by biomedical vision and premised on easy transferability, to gradually acknowledge the need for more planning and systematization, with greater incorporation of the social sciences and enhancement of the role of context. Improvement Science has been established, with a conceptual and methodological framework for such studies. Considering the incipient of the debate and scientific production on Improvement Science in Brazil, this article aims to expound its principal conceptual and theoretical fundamentals, focusing on three central themes: the linkage of different disciplines; recognition of the role of context; and the theoretical basis for the design, implementation, and evaluation of interventions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 106
Author(s):  
Dominik Dorosz

During 39th session of UNESCO General Conference which held on 7 November 2017 the date May 16th was proclaimed as International Day of Light (IDL). This decision was made after the success of the International Year of Light (IYL) celebrated in 2015. It confirmed that raising awareness of the social role of photonics is crucial for further development. Based on the rich experience of IYL 2015 ("more than 13,000 activities took place in 147 countries to reach an estimated 100 million people"), the most important goals are to be followed by the IDL, including: raising social awareness, education, showing the influence of photonics on culture and art, promoting foreign cooperation and the important role of conducting basic research. As a result, it will lead to the creation of new solutions based on photonic technology, which has resulted in increased energy efficiency and improved quality of our life.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (23) ◽  
pp. 179-191
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Trocka

Compliance with the principles of ethics in accounting as a manifestation of social responsibility A manifestation of the social role of accounting is the appropriate quality of financial and non-financial statements ensuring their truthfulness and reliability. This is guaranteed by the norms and principles shaping the organization of accounting in a business unit, but above all by the persons responsible for its keeping. Accountant is recognized as a profession of public trust. The person carrying it out should have the appropriate knowledge and practical skills. It is also very important in this profession to respect the law and comply with ethical standards. The aim of the article is to show the importance of ethics in the accountant profession in the context of the social role of accounting.


2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. 136-137
Author(s):  
Louise Bernier ◽  
Georges-Auguste Legault ◽  
Charles-Etienne Daniel ◽  
Suzanne Kocsis Bédard ◽  
Jean-Pierre Béland ◽  
...  

INTRODUCTION:One of the barriers of integrating ethics in Health Technology Assessment (HTA) relates to the social role of HTA (1). The aim of this study is to provide a better understanding of the way by which law circumscribes the social role of HTA. Our hypothesis: HTA's social role is embedded within a mixed governance based on hard law and soft law.METHODS:Three HTA agencies were conveniently selected for our study: Haute Autorité de santé (HAS) (France), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (United Kingdom) and Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS) (Québec, Canada). Our analysis of the legal, administrative and procedural documents relating to the existence and assessment processes of these three agencies is guided by the following criteria: 1.The normative strength of the documents (categories of hard law or soft law) (2)2.The definition of the agencies’ social role (1)3.The integration of ethics in the agencies’ mandate.RESULTS:Hard law contributes to establish a general mandate and some legal legitimacy for these agencies. Soft law, grounded in the HTA producers' practices, plays a major role in the legal governance of HTA. Our results demonstrate that these agencies existing practices seem to circumscribe their social role further than their constitutive laws. In this context, social actors become responsible to define, structure and operationalize the implementation of HTA.In addition, the legal framework (hard law) through which HTA unfolds does not clearly support its structural and social role. Despite existing legal frameworks, the normative legitimacy of HTA is not entirely established, as it depends on soft law. Taken altogether, this maintains a persisting conceptual vagueness in HTA governance.CONCLUSIONS:The social role of HTA should be defined either through modifying existing legislations (hard law) or through harmonization of the agencies internal policies and regulations (soft law). Such legal initiatives would help clarify the aims of HTA evaluations: assessments (scientific) or appraisal (value-laden), and therefore give a clearer indication on how best to integrate ethics in HTA.


2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 1242-1258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Melo

Purpose Research on accreditation has mostly focused on assessing its impact using large scale quantitative studies, yet little is known on how quality is improved in practice through an accreditation process. Using a case study of an acute teaching hospital in Portugal, the purpose of this paper is to explore the dynamics through which accreditation can lead to an improvement in the quality of healthcare services provided. Design/methodology/approach Data for the case study was collected through 46 in-depth semi-structured interviews with 49 clinical and non-clinical members of staff. Data were analyzed using a framework thematic analysis. Findings Interviewees felt that hospital accreditation contributed to the improvement of healthcare quality in general, and more specifically to patient safety, as it fostered staff reflection, a higher standardization of practices, and a greater focus on quality improvement. However, findings also suggest that the positive impact of accreditation resulted from the approach the hospital adopted in its implementation as well as the fact that several of the procedures and practices required by accreditation were already in place at the hospital, albeit often in an informal way. Research limitations/implications The study was conducted in only one hospital. The design of an accreditation implementation plan tailored to the hospital’s context can significantly contribute to positive outcomes in terms of quality and patient safety improvements. Originality/value This study provides a better understanding of how accreditation can contribute to healthcare quality improvement. It offers important lessons on the factors and processes that potentiate quality improvements through accreditation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Taylor ◽  
Chiya Shikaislami ◽  
Chris McNicholas ◽  
David Taylor ◽  
Julie Reed ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Healthcare teams often consist of geographically dispersed members. Virtual worlds can support immersive, high-quality, multimedia interaction between remote individuals; this study investigated use of virtual worlds to support remote healthcare quality improvement team meetings. Methods Twenty individuals (12 female, aged 25–67 [M = 42.3, SD = 11.8]) from 6 healthcare quality improvement teams conducted collaborative tasks in virtual world or face-to-face settings. Quality of collaborative task performances were measured and questionnaires and interviews were used to record participants’ experiences of conducting the tasks and using the virtual world software. Results Quality of collaborative task outcomes was high in both face-to-face and virtual world settings. Participant interviews elicited advantages for using virtual worlds in healthcare settings, including the ability of the virtual environment to support tools that cannot be represented in equivalent face-to-face meetings, and the potential for virtual world settings to cause improvements in group-dynamics. Reported disadvantages for future virtual world use in healthcare included the difficulty that people with weaker computer skills may experience with using the software. Participants tended to feel absorbed in the collaborative task they conducted within the virtual world, but did not experience the virtual environment as being ‘real’. Conclusions Virtual worlds can provide an effective platform for collaborative meetings in healthcare quality improvement, but provision of support to those with weaker computer skills should be ensured, as should the technical reliability of the virtual world being used. Future research could investigate use of virtual worlds in other healthcare settings.


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