| 1. |
- Andersson, Ann-Christine, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluating a questionnaire to measure improvement initiatives in Swedish healthcare
- 2013
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Ingår i: BMC Health Services Research. - : BioMed Central. - 1472-6963. ; 13:48
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Quality improvement initiatives have expanded recently within the healthcare sector. Studies have shown that less than 40% of these initiatives are successful, indicating the need for an instrument that can measure the progress and results of quality improvement initiatives and answer questions about how quality initiatives are conducted. The aim of the present study was to develop and test an instrument to measure improvement process and outcome in Swedish healthcare. Methods: A questionnaire, founded on the Minnesota Innovation Survey (MIS), was developed in several steps. Items were merged and answer alternatives were revised. Employees participating in a county council improvement program received the web-based questionnaire. Data was analysed by descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. The questionnaire psychometric properties were investigated and an exploratory factor analysis was conducted. Results: The Swedish Improvement Measurement Questionnaire consists of 27 items. The Improvement Effectiveness Outcome dimension consists of three items and has a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.67. The Internal Improvement Processes dimension consists of eight sub-dimensions with a total of 24 items. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the complete dimension was 0.72. Three significant item correlations were found. A large involvement in the improvement initiative was shown and the majority of the respondents were satisfied with their work. Conclusions: The psychometric property tests suggest initial support for the questionnaire to study and evaluate quality improvement initiatives in Swedish healthcare settings. The overall satisfaction with the quality improvement initiative correlates positively to the awareness of individual responsibilities.
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| 2. |
- Andersson, Ann-Christine, et al.
(författare)
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Five Types of Practice-Based ImprovementIdeas in Health Care Services: An EmpiricallyDefined Typology
- 2011
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Ingår i: Quality Management in Health Care. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 1063-8628 .- 1550-5154. ; 20:2, s. 122-130
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study is to empirically identify and present different kinds of practice-based improvement ideas developed in health care services. 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 health care sector. This study is based on a Swedish county council improvement program. Health care departments and primary health care centers in the Kalmar County Council were invited to apply for money to accomplish improvement projects. A qualitative content analysis was done of 183 proposed applications from various health care departments and primary health care centers. The following 5 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. These projects point to the various problems and experiences health care professionals encounter in their day-to-day work. To generalize beyond this improvement program and to validate the typology, we applied it to all articles found when searching for quality improvement projects in the journal Quality Management in Health Care during the last 2 years and found that all of them could be fitted into at least 1 of those 5 categories. This article provides valuable insights into the current state of improvemen work in Swedish health care, and will serve as a foundation for further investigations in this quality improvement program.
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| 3. |
- Andersson, Ann-Christine
(författare)
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Managers' views and experiences of a large-scale county council improvement program : limitations and opportunities
- 2013
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Ingår i: Quality Management in Health Care. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 1063-8628 .- 1550-5154. ; 22:2, s. 152-160
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study was to explore and evaluate managers’ views of a large-scale improvement program, including their experiences and opinions about improvement initiatives and drivers for change. The study is based on a survey used in 2 nationwide mappings of improvement initiatives and developmental trends in Swedish health care. The participants were all managers in a county council in Sweden. Data were analyzed descriptively, and statements were ranked in order of preferences. A majority of the respondents stated that they had worked with improvements since the county council improvement program started. The managers sometimes found it difficult to find data and measurements that supported the improvements, yet a majority considered that it was worth the effort and that the improvement work yielded results. The top-ranked driving forces were ideas from personnel and problems in the daily work. Staff satisfaction was ranked highest of the improvement potentials, but issues about patients’ experiences of their care and patient safety came second and third. The managers stated that no or only a few patients had been involved in their improvement initiatives. Large-scale county council improvement initiatives can illuminate quality problems and lead to increased interest in improvement initiatives in the health care sector.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Andersson, Ann-Christine, et al.
(författare)
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Sustainable outcomes of an improvement programme: do financial incentives matter?
- 2013
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Ingår i: Total Quality Management and Business Excellence. - : Taylor and Francis (Routledge): SSH Titles. - 1478-3363 .- 1478-3371. ; 24:7-8, s. 959-969
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether an improvement programme can contribute to positive sustainable improvements in an organisation, and whether financial incentives are driving forces for improvements. The material was all projects (n=232) that applied for funding in a county council improvement programme between 2007 and 2010. The projects were analysed as to whether they received funding (n=98) or were rejected (n=95). In addition, a categorisation of the projects intentions was analysed. Some projects were still ongoing, but 50 projects were implemented and sustained two or more years after being finalised. Implemented improvements were on different levels, from (micro-level) units up to the entire (macro-level) organisation. In addition, 27 rejected projects were finalised without funding. Eighteen of those 27 were sustainably implemented. This study indicates that there are incentives other than financial at work if an improvement programme contributes to sustainable improvements in the organisation. To encourage practice-based improvements is one way of incentivising the intention and effort to become and perform better.
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| 6. |
- Athlin, Elsy, 1945-, et al.
(författare)
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Factors of importance to the development of pressure ulcers in the care trajectory : perceptions of hospital and community care nurses
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Nursing. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0962-1067 .- 1365-2702. ; 19:15-16, s. 2252-2258
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim. The study aimed at describing contributing factors for the progression or regression of pressure ulcers in the care trajectory as they were understood by nurses working in hospitals or community care. Background. The development of pressure ulcers is considered to be connected with early prevention and awareness among nurses and some studies have indicated that the care trajectory may be a weak point. Design. The study was carried out with a qualitative design. Method. Fifteen nurses from two Swedish hospitals and 15 nurses from community care were interviewed during 2005. Qualitative content analysis was used to make an understanding of patterns possible. Findings. Three main categories arose, showing that pressure ulcers were considered to be affected in the care trajectory by factors related to the individual patient, to the healthcare personnel and to the healthcare structure. Hospital and community care nurses mostly had corresponding perceptions of these factors. Conclusion. The study both confirmed previous findings and added new knowledge about factors that may affect pressure ulcer in the trajectory of care. The informants' views of nurses' responsibilities and their attitudes towards the care of pressure ulcers could, along with their views on the organisation of care, increase the understanding of the occurrence of pressure ulcers. The need for development and clarification of the organisation and responsibility of pressure ulcer care in the care trajectory was stressed. Relevance to clinical practice. The study highlighted attitudes and values among registered nurses, as well as to how to preserve their commitment and increase their knowledge concerning prevention of pressure ulcers.
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| 7. |
- Berg, Katarina, et al.
(författare)
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Postoperative recovery after different orthopedic day surgical procedures
- 2011
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Ingår i: International Journal of Orthopaedic and Trauma Nursing. - Amsterdam : Elsevier. - 1878-1241 .- 1878-1292. ; 15:4, s. 165-175
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Orthopedic day surgery is common. Postoperative recovery may differ according to surgical procedures and personal factors. We studied postoperative recovery up to 2 weeks after different orthopedic day surgical procedures and tried to identify possible predictors associated with recovery. Three-hundred and fifty eight patients who had undergone knee arthroscopy or surgery to the hand/arm, foot/leg or shoulder were included. Data were collected on postoperative days 1, 7 and 14 using the Swedish Post-discharge Surgery Recovery scale, the emotional state, physical comfort and physical independence dimensions in the Quality of Recovery-23 and a general health question. Multiple linear regression was used to explore predictors of recovery. The shoulder patients experienced significantly lower postoperative recovery and general health 1 and 2 weeks after surgery compared to the other patient groups (p < 0.001). Significant predictors of recovery were age, perceived health and emotional status on the first postoperative day and type of surgery. Postoperative recovery after common orthopedic day surgical procedures varies and factors influencing it need to be further explored. The impact of a patient’s emotional state on recovery after day surgery can be of particular interest in this work. Post-discharge planning needs to be tailored to the surgical procedure.
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| 8. |
- Berg, Katarina, et al.
(författare)
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Psychometric evaluation of the post-discharge surgical recovery scale
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Evaluation In Clinical Practice. - : Blackwell Publishing Ltd. - 1356-1294 .- 1365-2753. ; 16:4, s. 794-801
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rationale, aim and objectives Day surgery patients are discharged after a short period of postoperative surveillance, and reliable and valid instruments for assessment at home are needed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a Swedish version of the post-discharge surgical recovery (PSR) scale, an instrument to monitor the patients recovery after day surgery, in terms of data quality, internal consistency, dimensionality and responsiveness. Methods Data were collected on postoperative days 1 and 14 and included 525 patients. Data quality and internal consistency were evaluated using descriptive statistics, correlation analyses and Cronbachs alpha. The dimensionality of the scale was determined through an exploratory factor analysis. Responsiveness was evaluated using the standardized response mean and the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC). The correlation between change score in PSR and change score in self-rated health was assessed using Pearsons correlation coefficient. Patients ability to work and their self-rated health on postoperative day 14 were used as external indicators of change. Results Six items showed floor or ceiling effects. Cronbachs coefficient alpha was 0.90 and the average inter-item correlation coefficient was 0.44 after the deletion of two items. The items were closely related to each other, and a one-factor solution was decided on. A robust ability to detect changes in recovery (standardized response mean = 1.14) was shown. The AUC for the entire scale was 0.60. When initial PSR scores were categorized into three intervals, the ability to detect improved and non-improved patients varied (AUC 0.58-0.81). There was a strong correlation between change scores in PSR and health (0.63). Conclusions The Swedish version of the PSR scale demonstrates acceptable psychometric properties of data quality, internal consistency, dimensionality and responsiveness. In addition to previous findings, these results strengthen the PSR scale as a potential instrument of recovery at home.
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| 9. |
- Bergenzaun, Lill, et al.
(författare)
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Assessing left ventricular systolic function in shock : evaluation of echocardiographic parameters in intensive care
- 2011
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Ingår i: Critical Care. - : BioMed Central. - 1364-8535 .- 1466-609X. ; 15:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- INTRODUCTION: Assessing left ventricular (LV) systolic function in a rapid and reliable way can be challenging in the critically ill patient. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and reliability of, as well as the association between, commonly used LV systolic parameters, by using serial transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). METHODS: Fifty patients with shock and mechanical ventilation were included. TTE examinations were performed daily for a total of 7 days. Methods used to assess LV systolic function were visually estimated, "eyeball" ejection fraction (EBEF), the Simpson single-plane method, mean atrioventricular plane displacement (AVPDm), septal tissue velocity imaging (TDIs), and velocity time integral in the left ventricular outflow tract (VTI). RESULTS: EBEF, AVPDm, TDIs, VTI, and the Simpson were obtained in 100%, 100%, 99%, 95% and 93%, respectively, of all possible examinations. The correlations between the Simpson and EBEF showed r values for all 7 days ranging from 0.79 to 0.95 (P < 0.01). the Simpson correlations with the other LV parameters showed substantial variation over time, with the poorest results seen for TDIs and AVPDm. The repeatability was best for VTI (interobserver coefficient of variation (CV) 4.8%, and intraobserver CV, 3.1%), and AVPDm (5.3% and 4.4%, respectively), and worst for the Simpson method (8.2% and 10.6%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: EBEF and AVPDm provided the best, and Simpson, the worst feasibility when assessing LV systolic function in a population of mechanically ventilated, hemodynamically unstable patients. Additionally, the Simpson showed the poorest repeatability. We suggest that EBEF can be used instead of single-plane Simpson when assessing LV ejection fraction in this category of patients. TDIs and AVPDm, as markers of longitudinal function of the LV, are not interchangeable with LV ejection fraction.
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| 10. |
- Bergenzaun, Lill, et al.
(författare)
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High-sensitive cardiac Troponin T is superior to echocardiography in predicting 1-year mortality in patients with SIRS and shock in intensive care.
- 2012
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Ingår i: BMC Anesthesiology. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2253 .- 1471-2253. ; 12:25
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Left ventricular (LV) dysfunction is well documented in the critically ill. We assessed 1-year mortality in relation to cardiac biomarkers and LV function parameters by echocardiography in patients with shock. METHODS: A prospective, observational, cohort study of 49 patients. B-natriuretic peptide (BNP), highsensitive troponin T (hsTNT) and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) were assessed within 12 h of study inclusion. LV systolic function was measured by ejection fraction (LVEF), mean atrioventricular plane displacement (AVPDm), peak systolic tissue Doppler velocity imaging (TDIs) and velocity time integral in the LV outflow tract (LVOT VTI). LV diastolic function was evaluated by transmitral pulsed Doppler (E, A, E/A, E-deceleration time), tissue Doppler indices (e, a, E/e) and left atrial volume (La volume). APACHE II (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation) and SOFA (Sequential Organ Failure Assessment) scores were calculated. RESULTS: hsTNT was significantly higher in non-survivors than in survivors (60 [17.0-99.5] vs 168 [89.8-358] ng/l, p = 0.003). Other univariate predictors of mortality were APACHE II (p = 0.009), E/e (p = 0.023), SOFA (p = 0.024) and age (p = 0.031). Survivors and nonsurvivors did not differ regarding BNP (p = 0.26) or any LV systolic function parameter (LVEF p = 0.87, AVPDm p = 0.087, TDIs p = 0.93, LVOT VTI p = 0.18). Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified hsTNT (p = 0.010) as the only independent predictor of 1-year mortality; adjusted odds ratio 2.0 (95% CI 1.2- 3.5). CONCLUSIONS: hsTNT was the only independent predictor of 1-year mortality in patients with shock. Neither BNP nor echocardiographic parameters had an independent prognostic value. Further studies are needed to establish the clinical significance of elevated hsTNT in patients in shock.
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