Issues of Labor Remuneration in the Conditions of Remote Work

Recently, the number of works transferred to remote conditions has been increasing. In this regard, questions and disputes over wages will become more acute. A controversial issue of remuneration in remote work is the difficulty of recording the recording of the working time spent by the employee during the performance of his job function. Another problem for workers transferred to remote work conditions is the actual impossibility of performing part of their work duties. The consequence of this is the nonpayment of the incentive part of the salary in whole or in part.

SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence Among Healthcare Workers by Job Function and Work Location in a New York Inner-City Hospital

OBJECTIVE: To describe the seroprevalence and risk for SARS-CoV-2 among healthcare workers (HCWs) by job function and work location following the pandemic’s first wave in New York City (NYC). METHODS: A cross-sectional study conducted between May 18 and June 26, 2020, during which HCWs at a large inner-city teaching hospital in NYC received voluntary antibody testing. The main outcome was presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies indicating previous infection. Seroprevalence and adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for seropositivity by type and location of work were calculated using logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Of 2,749 HCWs tested, 831 tested positive, yielding a crude seroprevalence of 30.2% (95% CI, 29%-32%). Seroprevalence ranged from 11.1% for pharmacy staff to 44.0% for nonclinical HCWs comprised of patient transporters and housekeeping and security staff, with 37.5% for nurses and 20.9% for administrative staff. Compared to administrative staff, aORs (95% CIs) for seropositivity were 2.54 (1.64-3.94) for nurses; 2.51 (1.42-4.43) for nonclinical HCWs; between 1.70 and 1.83 for allied HCWs such as patient care technicians, social workers, registration clerks and therapists; and 0.80 (0.50-1.29) for physicians. Compared to office locations, aORs for the emergency department and inpatient units were 2.27 (1.53-3.37) and 1.48 (1.14-1.92), respectively. CONCLUSION: One-third of hospital-based HCWs were seropositive for SARS-CoV-2 by the end of the first wave in NYC. Seroprevalence differed by job function and work location, with the highest estimated risk for nurses and the emergency department, respectively. These findings support current nationwide policy prioritizing HCWs for receipt of newly authorized COVID-19 vaccines.

Influence of participation in a quality improvement collaborative on staff perceptions of organizational sustainability

Background Sustainability capacity (SC), which is an organization’s ability to implement and maintain change, is influenced by internal attributes, environmental contextual influencers, and intervention attributes. Temporal changes in staff SC perceptions, as well as the influence of quality improvement collaborative (QIC) participation, has generally not been explored. This project addresses this gap, measuring staff SC perceptions at four time points (baseline and every 9 months) for clinics participating in an intervention – the Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment QIC initiative (called NIATx200). Methods A mixed linear model repeated measures analysis was applied to matched staff members (n = 908, representing 2329 total cases) across the evaluation timeframe. Three separate statistical models assessed potential predictors of SC perceptions: Time (Models I-III); NIATx200 intervention, staff job function, and tenure (Models II &III); and NIATx200 participation hours and four organizational variables (Model III). Results For Model I, staff perceptions of total SC increased throughout most of the study (t1,4 = − 6.74, p < .0001; t2,4 = − 3.100, p < .036; t3,4 = − 0.23, p = ns). Model II did not change Model I’s overall Time effect, but combined NIATx200 services (t = − 2.23, p = .026), staff job function (t = − 3.27, p = .001), and organizational administrators (t = − 3.50, p = .001) were also significantly associated with greater perceptions of total SC. Inclusion of additional variables in Model III demonstrated the importance of a higher participation level (t = − 3.09, p < .002) and being in a free-standing clinic (t = − 2.06, p < .04) on staff perceptions of total SC. Conclusion Although staff exposure to sustainability principals was minimal in NIATx200, staff perceptions about their organization’s SC significantly differed over time. However, an organization’s participation level in a QIC became the principal predictor of staff SC perceptions, regardless of other factors’ influence. Given these findings, it is possible to develop and introduce specific sustainability content within the structure of a QIC to assess the impact on staff SC perceptions over time and the sustainment of organizational change. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00934141. Registered July 6, 2009. Retrospectively registered.

Influence of Participation in a Quality Improvement Collaborative on Staff Perceptions of Organizational Sustainability

Background: Sustainability capacity (SC), which is an organization’s ability to implement and maintain change, is influenced by internal attributes, environmental contextual influencers, and intervention attributes. Temporal changes in staff SC perceptions, as well as the influence of quality improvement collaborative (QIC) participation, has generally not been explored. This project addresses this gap, measuring staff SC perceptions at four time points (baseline and every 9 months) for clinics participating in an intervention – the Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment QIC initiative (called NIATx200).Methods: A mixed linear model repeated measures analysis was applied to matched staff members (n=908, representing 2,329 total cases) across the evaluation timeframe. Three separate statistical models assessed potential predictors of SC perceptions: Time (Models I-III); NIATx200 intervention, staff job function, and tenure (Models II &III); and NIATx200 participation hours and four organizational variables (Model III).Results: For Model I, staff perceptions of total SC increased throughout most of the study (t1,4=-6.74, p<.0001; t2,4=-3.100, p<.036; t3,4=-0.23, p=ns). Model II did not change Model I’s overall Time effect, but combined NIATx200 services (t=-2.23, p=.026), staff job function (t=-3.27, p=.001), and organizational administrators (t=-3.50, p=.001) were also significantly associated with greater perceptions of total SC. Inclusion of additional variables in Model III demonstrated the importance of a higher participation level (t=-3.09, p<.002) and being in a free-standing clinic (t=-2.06, p<.04) on staff perceptions of total SC. Conclusion: Although staff exposure to sustainability principals was minimal in NIATx200, staff perceptions about their organization’s SC significantly differed over time. However, an organization’s participation level in a QIC became the principal predictor of staff SC perceptions, regardless of other factors’ influence. Given these findings, it is possible to develop and introduce specific sustainability content within the structure of a QIC to assess the impact on staff SC perceptions over time and the sustainment of organizational change.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00934141 Registered July 6, 2009. Retrospectively registered. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00934141

Mind the gap. How job task distributions of health professional developers constitute evidence-based practice

BACKGROUND: Development of clinical practice at a Danish neurorehabilitation centre was delegated to a group of health professional developers. Their job function lacked conceptual foundation, and it was unclear how their working tasks contributed to evidence-based practice. OBJECTIVE: Conceptual clarification of the job function and pattern analysis of activity distributions for health professional developers. METHODS: Health professional developers kept continuous time geographical diaries for two weeks. Meaningful categories were subtracted through content analysis. Patterns were analysed within activity distributions with regards to evidence-based practice. RESULTS: A total of 213 diaries were collected from 21 health professional developers of three professions (physiotherapists, occupational therapists and nurses). Each participant reported 6–13 workdays (median 10 days). Eleven main categories of work tasks emerged with 42 subcategories. Overall, 7% of total time reported was spent on external knowledge, with minimal variation between professions and contractual time allocation. CONCLUSION: Conceptual clarification of work tasks was established for health professional developers. Their work activity distributions contributed mainly to maintenance of existing level of professional knowledge rather than to implementation of new knowledge, which did not fulfil the intended responsibility for development of evidence-based practice. Educational competence boost and data-driven change of organisation structure was recommended.

Influence of Participation in a Quality Improvement Collaborative on Staff Perceptions of Organizational Sustainability

Background: Sustainability capacity (SC), which is an organization’s ability to implement and maintain change, is influenced by internal attributes, environmental contextual influencers, and intervention attributes. Temporal changes in staff SC perceptions, as well as the influence of quality improvement collaborative (QIC) participation, has generally not been explored. This project addresses this gap, measuring staff SC perceptions at four time points (baseline and every 9 months) for clinics participating in an intervention – the Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment QIC initiative (called NIATx200).Methods: A mixed linear model repeated measures analysis was applied to matched staff members (n=908, representing 2,329 total cases) across the evaluation timeframe. Three separate statistical models assessed potential predictors of SC perceptions: Time (Models I-III); NIATx200 intervention, staff job function, and tenure (Models II &III); and NIATx200 participation hours and four organizational variables (Model III).Results: For Model I, staff perceptions of total SC increased throughout most of the study (t1,4=-6.74, p<.0001; t2,4=-3.100, p<.036; t3,4=-0.23, p=ns). Model II did not change Model I’s overall Time effect, but combined NIATx200 services (t=-2.23, p=.026), staff job function (t=-3.27, p=.001), and organizational administrators (t=-3.50, p=.001) were also significantly associated with greater perceptions of total SC. Inclusion of additional variables in Model III demonstrated the importance of a higher participation level (t=-3.09, p<.002) and being in a free-standing clinic (t=-2.06, p<.04) on staff perceptions of total SC. Conclusion: Although staff exposure to sustainability principals was minimal in NIATx200, staff perceptions about their organization’s SC significantly differed over time. However, an organization’s participation level in a QIC became the principal predictor of staff SC perceptions, regardless of other factors’ influence. Given these findings, it is possible to develop and introduce specific sustainability content within the structure of a QIC to assess the impact on staff SC perceptions over time and the sustainment of organizational change.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00934141 Registered July 6, 2009. Retrospectively registered. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00934141

An institutional analysis of graduate outcomes reveals a contemporary workforce footprint for biomedical master’s degrees

There is continued growth in the number of master’s degrees awarded in the life sciences to address the evolving needs of the biomedical workforce. Academic medical centers leverage the expertise of their faculty and industry partners to develop one to two year intensive and multidisciplinary master’s programs that equip students with advanced scientific skills and practical training experiences. However, there is little data published on the outcomes of these graduates to evaluate the effectiveness of these programs and to inform the return on investment of students. Here, the authors show the first five-year career outlook for master of science graduates from programs housed at an academic medical center. Georgetown University Biomedical Graduate Education researchers analyzed the placement outcomes of 1,204 graduates from 2014–2018, and the two-year outcomes of 412 graduates from 2016 and 2017. From the 15 M.S. programs analyzed, they found that 69% of graduates entered the workforce, while 28% entered an advanced degree program such as a Ph.D., allopathic or osteopathic medicine (M.D. or D.O.), or health professions degree. International students who pursue advanced degrees largely pursued Ph.D. degrees, while domestic students represent the majority of students entering into medical programs. Researchers found that a majority of the alumni that entered the workforce pursue research-based work, with 59% of graduates conducting research-based job functions across industries. Forty-nine percent of employed graduates analyzed from 2016 and 2017 changed employment positions, while 15% entered advanced degree programs. Alumni that changed positions changed companies in the same job function, changed to a position of increasing responsibility in the same or different organization, or changed to a different job function in the same or different company. Overall, standalone master’s programs equip graduates with research skills, analytical prowess, and content expertise, strengthening the talent pipeline of the biomedical workforce.

Issues of Labor Remuneration in the Conditions of Remote Work

Recently, the number of works transferred to remote conditions has been increasing. In this regard, questions and disputes over wages will become more acute. A controversial issue of remuneration in remote work is the difficulty of recording the recording of the working time spent by the employee during the performance of his job function. Another problem for workers transferred to remote work conditions is the actual impossibility of performing part of their work duties. The consequence of this is the non-payment of the incentive part of the salary in whole or in part.

Influence of Participation in a Quality Improvement Collaborative on Staff Perceptions of Organizational Sustainability

Background: Sustainability capacity (SC), which is an organization’s ability to implement and maintain change, is influenced by internal attributes, environmental contextual influencers, and intervention attributes. Temporal changes in staff SC perceptions, as well as the influence of quality improvement collaborative (QIC) participation, has generally not been explored. This project addresses this gap, measuring staff SC perceptions at four time points (baseline and every 9 months) for clinics participating in an intervention – the Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment QIC initiative (called NIATx200).Methods: A mixed linear model repeated measures analysis was applied to matched staff members (n=908, representing 2,329 total cases) across the evaluation timeframe. Three separate statistical models assessed potential predictors of SC perceptions: Time (Models I-III); NIATx200 intervention, staff job function, and tenure (Models II &III); and NIATx200 participation hours and four organizational variables (Model III).Results: For Model I, staff perceptions of total SC increased throughout most of the study (t1,4=-6.74, p<.0001; t2,4=-3.100, p<.036; t3,4=-0.23, p=ns). Model II did not change Model I’s overall Time effect, but combined NIATx200 services (t=-2.23, p=.026), staff job function (t=-3.27, p=.001), and organizational administrators (t=-3.50, p=.001) were also significantly associated with greater perceptions of total SC. Inclusion of additional variables in Model III demonstrated the importance of a higher participation level (t=-3.09, p<.002) and being in a free-standing clinic (t=-2.06, p<.04) on staff perceptions of total SC. Conclusion: Although staff exposure to sustainability principals was minimal in NIATx200, staff perceptions about their organization’s SC significantly differed over time. However, an organization’s participation level in a QIC became the principal predictor of staff SC perceptions, regardless of other factors’ influence. Given these findings, it is possible to develop and introduce specific sustainability content within the structure of a QIC to assess the impact on staff SC perceptions over time and the sustainment of organizational change.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00934141 Registered July 6, 2009. Retrospectively registered. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00934141