BMC Health Services Research

BackgroundSubstantial evidence has highlighted the importance of considering healthcare workers (HCW) mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and several organisations have issued guidelines with recommendations. However, the definition of wellbeing and the evidence-base behind such guidelines remains unclear. ObjectivesAssessing the applicability of wellbeing guidelines in practice; identifying unaddressed HCWs needs; and providing recommendations for supporting frontline staff during the ...

ObjectivesLimited data exist on the U.S. long-term care (LTC) pharmacy market and how skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) may differ by LTC pharmacy provider. We estimated the market shares of two major LTC pharmacies (Omnicare and PharMerica) and assessed if SNF characteristics differ by pharmacy. DesignCross-sectional. Setting and ParticipantsSeventy-five Rhode Island (RI) SNFs that provided post-acute care (PAC) services in 2019. MethodsSNF location, structure, staffing measures, and quality...

BackgroundHospital drug formularies function within Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS), where the alignment between drug supply and disease patterns is critical for patient care and cost-effectiveness. However, measuring this adaptability is challenging due to conflicting priorities among stakeholders and a lack of standardized assessment tools. ObjectivesThis study aims to analyze the perspectives of three key stakeholder groups-clinical providers, non-clinical service providers, and policymakers-...

ObjectivesBusiness continuity plans (BCPs) are vital for hospital pharmacies (HPs) seeking to maintain essential operations during crises. Although generic BCPs exist, we found no guidelines for HP BCPs. We sought to use an expert consensus methodology to develop specific recommendations for BCP content for HPs. MethodsAn expert panel (comprising hospital chief pharmacists, deputies or quality managers) conducted a two-round Delphi study. Participants were recruited from civilian HPs in Switzer...

Drug shortages are prominent, persistent operational challenges that hospital pharmacies have been facing for years. During a drug shortage, hospital pharmacists must solve the problem of how best to invest resources to mitigate the effect of the drug shortage on patient health care. One piece of data they use to inform their decision-making is the estimate release date (ERD) of a drug, a point estimate given from the pharmaceutical manufacturer specifying when the next release of a drug (that i...

PurposeAlthough numerous research studies have demonstrated the positive impact of clinical pharmacy services, these benefits do not translate into sustained practice changes without support from hospital pharmacy leaders. Factors influencing leadership decisions to expand pharmacy services remained unclear. This study aimed to identify barriers to implementing pharmacy practice model changes and gain insights on potential methods of overcoming these barriers from the hospital pharmacy leader pe...

BackgroundSexually transmitted infections (STIs) disproportionately impact populations with higher social vulnerability. Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT), which allows the treatment of partners without requiring a medical visit, reduces STI reinfection rates and expands treatment access for underserved groups. However, EPT remains underutilized, particularly in the electronic prescription era, which introduces logistical complexities. Previous studies highlight low pharmacist awareness of EPT, bu...

Safety is a foundational concern in adolescent behavioral health crisis units (BHCUs), where therapeutic care must be delivered in complex, rapidly evolving environments. However, limited research has explored how key personnel involved in shaping the environment of care in such units, such as clinicians and healthcare designers, understand and prioritize safety. To address this gap, one-hour, online semi-structured interviews were conducted with a panel of experts (N = 13) at a national level i...

Under the ever-dynamic dynamism in healthcare management, one fact holds without a speck of doubt: optimization of program delivery can be a key factor for the accomplishment of enhanced patient outcomes and operational efficiency. This paper conducts a comparative analysis between Agile and traditional management approaches to optimizing healthcare programs, thus responding to the major gap in the literature on how applicable Agile methodologies are in healthcare settings. Our mixed-methods re...

IntroductionNewfoundland and Labrador (NL) faces persistent difficulty attaching its residents to primary care. We undertook a stock and flow analysis to represent how inflows and outflows of family physicians (FPs) shape effective capacity and to provide a reconciled estimate of FP supply for 2024. This approach clarifies drivers of change, exposes intervention points, and supports timely planning. MethodsWe assembled a multi-year headcount series and linked it to CIHIs "entering/leaving direc...

Patient satisfaction is crucial for evaluating healthcare quality and guiding continuous quality improvement. Globally, patient satisfaction has been extensively studied; however, there is limited research on this topic in Bhutan, where the healthcare system is in the early stages of developing a quality-oriented culture. To address this gap, we aimed to evaluate patient satisfaction levels among different socio-demographic and clinical groups and identify the predictors of patient satisfaction ...

BackgroundInternational Medical Graduates (IMGs) constitute 40% of the NHS resident doctor workforce. However, there is no documented clinical orientation programme (COP) facilitating their transition into the workplace. We developed and implemented a structured COP to support new entrant IMGs. MethodSurvey data was collected from new entrant IMGs in medicine who completed the COP between December 2017 and December 2019. In addition, formal feedback was collected from supervising registrars dur...

ObjectiveInvestigate knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of health and care professionals (H&CPs) in England concerning drivers and barriers for promoting self-care in service-users with multimorbidity. DesignA cross-sectional online survey of the health and care workforce. SettingHealth and social care workforce. ParticipantsEighty-eight health and social care professionals in England. MethodsA cross-sectional online survey administered via Imperial College Qualtrics platform. Questions w...

PurposePost-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) is a complex condition with multisystem involvement. We assessed patients perspectives and experience with a PASC clinic established at University of Iowa in June 2020. MethodsWe conducted a mixed-method survey in June 2021 to ask PASC clinic patients about 1) PASC symptoms and their impact on physical and mental health, and cognition using the PROMIS Global Health and Cognitive Function abilities items, and 2) satisfaction with clinic services an...

BackgroundThere has been scant evidence about the safety and efficacy of Physician Associates (PA) working within primary care. The recent climate created by qualitative surveys have not been helpful in understanding the use of dependent practitioners within the primary care setting. AimThis study aimed to compare outcomes in terms of safety of same-day requested consultations of differentiated and undifferentiated patients by PAs, Advanced Nurse practitioners (ANP) and post graduate doctors in...

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has been unsurpassed in clinical severity or infectivity since the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic and continues to impact the world. During the A/H1N1 influenza pandemic, healthcare workers presented frequent concerns regarding their ownand their families health, as well as high levels of psychological distress. ObjectivesTo assess hospital trainees concerns, perceived sufficiency of information, behaviour and reported psychological health during the COVID-19...

ObjectivesThe Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) is a well-established and internationally recognized scale for measuring patients experience with hospital inpatient care. This study aimed to develop a Japanese version of the HCAHPS and to examine its structural validity, criterion-related validity, and internal consistency reliability. DesignMulticenter cross-sectional study. SettingA total of 48 hospitals in Japan. ParticipantsPatients aged [≥] 16 y...

IntroductionPersons with long-term conditions (LTCs) have been identified as a group that could benefit from more person-centred care (PCC). However, the complexity of PCC as a concept, combined with the scarcity of a shared understanding of its definition across different healthcare contexts, has challenged systematic evaluation. To address this gap, a conceptual framework, operationalised in a patient-reported instrument: the Person-Centred Care instrument for outpatient care (PCCoc), was deve...

BackgroundThe World Health Organization recommends rational drug usage to protect patient health and quality of life. Study assessed the quality of drug prescription and dispensing in a tertiary hospital. MethodsCross-sectional study with retrospective and prospective data collection underpinned by the WHO core prescribing indicators. A cluster sample of 10 clinical units and their attached pharmacies in the hospital. Six hundred prescriptions from the pharmacy over six months were randomly sel...

ObjectiveTo assess the use of remote care by patients with long-term conditions (LTC) in France to interact with their referring physician (RP), and their preferences for in-person versus remote care with their RP or another physician. Methods and AnalysisVignette-based survey among adults with at least one LTC recruited from the ComPaRe cohort, a nationwide cohort of patients with LTC in France. Data were weighted to represent French patients with LTC. The survey assessed 1) the availability a...