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- Andersson, Ann-Christine, et al.
(author)
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Practice-based improvement ideas in healthcare services
- 2010
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Objective. The present study will contribute to knowledge of how practitioners in a healthcare region engage in quality improvement initiatives. The focus is on individual placement needs, problems/issues and the ability to organize work on the development, implementation and institutionalization of ideas for the healthcare sector. Design and settings. This study is based on the Kalmar county council Improvement Program. Healthcare departments and primary healthcare centers in the county council were invited to apply for money to accomplish improvement projects. The aim is to empirically identify and present the different kinds of practice-based improvement ideas developed in healthcare services. The 202 applications received from various healthcare departments and primary healthcare centers are analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Outcome and Results. Five types of improvement projects were identified: Organizational Process; Evidence and Quality; Competence Development; Process Technology; and Proactive Patient Work. This illustrates the range of strategies that encourage letting individual units define their own improvement needs. In addition, a common characteristic among the studied project applications is to increase patient safety, effectiveness and availability of care, and education/training. Those intentions are found in many of the applications and therefore give the impression of being most important to caregivers today. Conclusions. These projects point to the various problems and experiences healthcare professionals encounter in their day-to-day work. This paper provides valuable insights into the current state of improvement work in Swedish healthcare, and will serve as a foundation for further investigations in this quality program.
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- Andersson, Ann-Christine, et al.
(author)
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Who conducts quality improvement initiatives in healthcare services? An evaluation of an improvement program in acounty council in Sweden
- 2010
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Purpose – The aim of this paper is to contribute to the knowledge of who engages in quality improvement initiatives and to describe whether staff professions or gender are relevant variables. Design/methodology/approach – This paper contains an evaluation of the participants in a specific defined strategic improvement initiative program in one county council in southeast Sweden. The improvement program was initiated by county council politicians to encourage improvement initiatives and to spread improvement skills and knowledge in the organization. The program is driven both “top down” (teaching/convincing line managers to demand improvements) and “bottom up” through improvement programs using methodology to help teams identify, plan and adopt improvements in their daily work. Data was collected from special applications (called Free Applications, FA) and from participants in the education program (called Improvement Program, IP), both of which include information about profession and 2 gender. A content analysis was made. After the first categorization of which types of improvement projects practitioners engage in, further analysis of staff disciplines, professions (hierarchy) and gender was done. The results were compared to the overall structure of staff presence in the county council. Findings – Changes in participation occurred over time. The FA (Free Applications) part (n=202) shows a higher share of leaders and managers (35%), but their participation in the IP (Improvement Program) (n=477) fluctuated (8-26%). Physicians were more represented in the FA than in the IP. The largest single group was nurses. Overall the gender perspective reflects the conditions of the county council, but in FA the representation of women was lower. Five types of improvement projects were identified: 1) Organizational process focus; 2) Evidence and quality; 3) Competence development; 4) Process Technology; and 5) Proactive patient work. Managers were most represented in the category “Organizational process”. The largest difference was seen in the category “Proactive patient work” with the highest occurrence among women (86%) and less among men (17%) and managers (21%). The patient as a contributor taking active part was not found in either the FA or the IP. Research limitations/implications – This study shows differences in participation between free applications and methodology-guided programs when it comes to professions and gender in the country council improvement drive. It may be useful for further research regarding how to successfully work for and implement improvements and change in healthcare environments. Practical implications – The study will discuss and contribute to further knowledge of whether profession, hierarchy and gender have an impact (obstructive or as an asset) in performing improvement work in healthcare settings. Originality/value - Not much has been written about who is accomplishing quality improvements in terms of profession and gender. This paper provides some valuable insights into the differences between staff categories (professions) and gender in the improvement work in Swedish healthcare.
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- Berghammer, Malin, et al.
(author)
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The impact of anxiety in relation to COVID-19 on the life-situation of young people in Sweden
- 2021
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In: Quality of Life Research. - : SPRINGER. - 0962-9343 .- 1573-2649. ; 30:SUPPL 1, s. S4-S4
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Aims: In general, COVID-19 symptoms are milder in children than inadults, but the experience of the pandemic could increase anxiety andsignificantly affect the life situation of children and adolescents. Itcould also lead to a long-term negative effect on their health. To studyhow the corona pandemic affected the life situation of children andadolescents in Sweden. Methods: A self-reported online survey wasperformed July–November 2020. Cross-sectional data were collectedusing non-probability and convenience sampling methods. The sample consisted of children 6–14 years and their guardians, and adolescents 15–19 years. The questionnaire covered items regarding the life situation including demographics, school situation, social isolation, and an open-ended question to provide a subjective expression of the living situation. A standardized measurement of anxiety was collected using the Children’s Anxiety Questionnaire (CAQ) (scores range 4–12) and the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)(scores range 0–10). Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics andwith qualitative manifest content analysis. Results: In total, 1487 participants, 768 children with guardians and 719 adolescents participated. Most of the participants, 754 children (97.2%) and 634 adolescents (89.2%) attended school where a mixture of physical attendance and distance learning was reported by 79 children (10.2%)and 261 adolescents (36.7%). Two children (0.3%) and 298 adolescents (41.9%) reported only having distance learning. A larger proportion of children (n = 339, 43.9%) and adolescents (n = 420,59.2%) reported abstaining from leisure activities, while a minority ofchildren (n = 103, 13%) and adolescent (n = 135, 19%) reportedexperiencing a feeling of ‘social isolation’. These experiences ofchanges in daily routine were prominent in the qualitative result. Social restrictions and loss of contact with older relatives led to fear and anxiety. However, for young children, their lives continued torevolve around the everyday things in life rather than the coronapandemic, for the adolescents; however, their life situation was negatively affected by isolation from peer groups and the loss ofschool routine. Conclusion: The experiences by children due toCOVID-19 in Sweden highlight the importance that children continue living their lives as unchanged as possible and that particularly adolescents need receiving greater support with the maintenance of an educational routine.
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