| 1. |
- Eldh, Ann Catrine, 1965-, et al.
(författare)
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Depicting the interplay between organisational tiers in the use of a national quality registry to develop quality of care in Sweden
- 2015
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Ingår i: BMC Health Services Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1472-6963. ; 15:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: With a pending need to identify potential means to improved quality of care, national quality registries (NQRs) are identified as a promising route. Yet, there is limited evidence with regards to what hinders and facilitates the NQR innovation, what signifies the contexts in which NQRs are applied and drive quality improvement. Supposedly, barriers and facilitators to NQR-driven quality improvement may be found in the healthcare context, in the politico-administrative context, as well as with an NQR itself. In this study, we investigated the potential variation with regards to if and how an NQR was applied by decision-makers and users in regions and clinical settings. The aim was to depict the interplay between the clinical and the politico-administrative tiers in the use of NQRs to develop quality of care, examining an established registry on stroke care as a case study.METHODS: We interviewed 44 individuals representing the clinical and the politico-administrative settings of 4 out of 21 regions strategically chosen for including stroke units representing a variety of outcomes in the NQR on stroke (Riksstroke) and a variety of settings. The transcribed interviews were analysed by applying The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).RESULTS: In two regions, decision-makers and/or administrators had initiated healthcare process projects for stroke, engaging the health professionals in the local stroke units who contributed with, for example, local data from Riksstroke. The Riksstroke data was used for identifying improvement issues, for setting goals, and asserting that the stroke units achieved an equivalent standard of care and a certain level of quality of stroke care. Meanwhile, one region had more recently initiated such a project and the fourth region had no similar collaboration across tiers. Apart from these projects, there was limited joint communication across tiers and none that included all individuals and functions engaged in quality improvement with regards to stroke care.CONCLUSIONS: If NQRs are to provide for quality improvement and learning opportunities, advances must be made in the links between the structures and processes across all organisational tiers, including decision-makers, administrators and health professionals engaged in a particular healthcare process.
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| 2. |
- Eldh, Ann Catrine, et al.
(författare)
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Facilitators and barriers to applying a national quality registry for quality improvement in stroke care
- 2014
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Ingår i: BMC Health Services Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1472-6963. ; 14, s. 354-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: National quality registries (NQRs) purportedly facilitate quality improvement, while neither the extent nor the mechanisms of such a relationship are fully known. The aim of this case study is to describe the experiences of local stakeholders to determine those elements that facilitate and hinder clinical quality improvement in relation to participation in a well-known and established NQR on stroke in Sweden. Methods: A strategic sample was drawn of 8 hospitals in 4 county councils, representing a variety of settings and outcomes according to the NQR's criteria. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 25 managers, physicians in charge of the Riks-Stroke, and registered nurses registering local data at the hospitals. Interviews, including aspects of barriers and facilitators within the NQR and the local context, were analysed with content analysis. Results: An NQR can provide vital aspects for facilitating evidence-based practice, for example, local data drawn from national guidelines which can be used for comparisons over time within the organisation or with other hospitals. Major effort is required to ensure that data entries are accurate and valid, and thus the trustworthiness of local data output competes with resources needed for everyday clinical stroke care and quality improvement initiatives. Local stakeholders with knowledge of and interest in both the medical area (in this case stroke) and quality improvement can apply the NQR data to effectively initiate, carry out, and evaluate quality improvement, if supported by managers and co-workers, a common stroke care process and an operational management system that embraces and engages with the NQR data. Conclusion: While quality registries are assumed to support adherence to evidence-based guidelines around the world, this study proposes that a NQR can facilitate improvement of care but neither the registry itself nor the reporting of data initiates quality improvement. Rather, the local and general evidence provided by the NQR must be considered relevant and must be applied in the local context. Further, the quality improvement process needs to be facilitated by stakeholders collaborating within and outside the context, who know how to initiate, perform, and evaluate quality improvement, and who have the resources to do so.
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| 3. |
- Eldh, Ann Catrine, 1965-, et al.
(författare)
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Factors facilitating a national quality registry to aid clinical quality improvement : findings of a national survey
- 2016
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Ingår i: BMJ Open. - : BMJ. - 2044-6055. ; 6:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: While national quality registries (NQRs) are suggested to provide opportunities for systematic follow-up and learning opportunities, and thus clinical improvements, features in registries and contexts triggering such processes are not fully known. This study focuses on one of the world's largest stroke registries, the Swedish NQR Riksstroke, investigating what aspects of the registry and healthcare organisations facilitate or hinder the use of registry data in clinical quality improvement.Methods: Following particular qualitative studies, we performed a quantitative survey in an exploratory sequential design. The survey, including 50 items on context, processes and the registry, was sent to managers, physicians and nurses engaged in Riksstroke in all 72 Swedish stroke units. Altogether, 242 individuals were presented with the survey; 163 responded, representing all but two units. Data were analysed descriptively and through multiple linear regression.Results: A majority (88%) considered Riksstroke data to facilitate detection of stroke care improvement needs and acknowledged that their data motivated quality improvements (78%). The use of Riksstroke for quality improvement initiatives was associated (R2=0.76) with ‘Colleagues’ call for local results’ (p=<0.001), ‘Management Request of Registry data’ (p=<0.001), and it was said to be ‘Simple to explain the results to colleagues’ (p=0.02). Using stepwise regression, ‘Colleagues’ call for local results’ was identified as the most influential factor. Yet, while 73% reported that managers request registry data, only 39% reported that their colleagues call for the unit's Riksstroke results.Conclusions: While an NQR like Riksstroke demonstrates improvement needs and motivates stakeholders to make progress, local stroke care staff and managers need to engage to keep the momentum going in terms of applying registry data when planning, performing and evaluating quality initiatives.
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| 4. |
- Fredriksson, Mio, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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Are data from national quality registries used in quality improvement at Swedish hospital clinics?
- 2017
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Ingår i: International Journal for Quality in Health Care. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1353-4505 .- 1464-3677. ; 29:7, s. 909-915
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To investigate the use of data from national quality registries (NQRs) in local quality improvement as well as purported key factors for effective clinical use in Sweden. Comparative descriptive: a web survey of all Swedish hospitals participating in three NQRs with different levels of development (certification level). Heads of the clinics and physician(s) at clinics participating in the Swedish Stroke Register (Riksstroke), the Swedish National Registry of Gallstone Surgery and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (GallRiks) and the Swedish Lung Cancer Registry (NLCR). Individual and unit level use of NQRs in local quality improvement, and perceptions on data quality, organizational conditions and user motivation. Riksstroke data were reported as most extensively used at individual and unit levels ((x) over bar 17.97 of 24 and (x) over bar 27.06 of 35). Data quality and usefulness was considered high for the two most developed NQRs ((x) over bar 19.86 for Riksstroke and (x) over bar 19.89 for GallRiks of 25). Organizational conditions were estimated at the same level for Riksstroke and GallRiks ((x) over bar 12.90 and (x) over bar 13.28 of 20) while the least developed registry, the NLCR, had lower estimates (x 10.32). In Riksstroke, the managers requested registry data more often ((x) over bar 15.17 of 20). While there were significant differences between registries in key factors such as management interest, use of NQR data in local quality improvement seems rather prevalent, at least for Riksstroke. The link between the registry's level of development and factors important for routinization of innovations such as NQRs needs investigation.
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| 5. |
- Fredriksson, Mio, et al.
(författare)
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Local politico-administrative perspectives on quality improvement based on national registry data in Sweden : a qualitative study using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.
- 2014
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Ingår i: Implementation Science. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1748-5908. ; 9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. Through a national policy agreement, over 167 million Euros will be invested in the Swedish National Quality Registries (NQRs) between 2012 and 2016. One of the policy agreement¿s intentions is to increase the use of NQR data for quality improvement (QI). However, the evidence is fragmented as to how the use of medical registries and the like lead to quality improvement, and little is known about non-clinical use. The aim was therefore to investigate the perspectives of Swedish politicians and administrators on quality improvement based on national registry data.Methods. Politicians and administrators from four county councils were interviewed. A qualitative content analysis guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was performed.Results. The politicians and administrators perspectives on the use of NQR data for quality improvement were mainly assigned to three of the five CFIR domains. In the domain of intervention characteristics, data reliability and access in reasonable time were not considered entirely satisfactory, making it difficult for the politico-administrative leaderships to initiate, monitor, and support timely QI efforts. Still, politicians and administrators trusted the idea of using the NQRs as a base for quality improvement. In the domain of inner setting, the organizational structures were not sufficiently developed to utilize the advantages of the NQRs, and readiness for implementation appeared to be inadequate for two reasons. Firstly, the resources for data analysis and quality improvement were not considered sufficient at politico-administrative or clinical level. Secondly, deficiencies in leadership engagement at multiple levels were described and there was a lack of consensus on the politicians¿ role and level of involvement. Regarding the domain of outer setting, there was a lack of communication and cooperation between the county councils and the national NQR organizations.Conclusions. The Swedish experiences show that a government-supported national system of well-funded, well-managed, and reputable national quality registries needs favorable local politico-administrative conditions to be used for quality improvement; such conditions are not yet in place according to local politicians and administrators.
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| 6. |
- Sanner, Margareta A., 1937-, et al.
(författare)
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The dilemma of patient safety work : Perceptions of hospital middle managers
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Healthcare Risk Management. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2040-0861 .- 1074-4797. ; 38:2, s. 47-55
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Patient safety continues to be a challenge for health care. Medical errors are not decreasing but continue to show roughly the same patterns in Sweden and other Western countries. This interview study aims to explore how 27 hospital middle managers responsible for patient safety work in a Swedish university hospital perceive this task. A qualitative analysis was performed. A code template was created, and each code was explored in depth and summarized into six categories. We conclude that patient safety work appears to have low priority; hospital top management does not seem to have any real interest in patient safety; incidents are underreported; and the organization of patient safety work seems to be insufficient and carried out insofar as resources are available. These parameters may explain why medical errors remain on a certain level and do not seem to decrease in spite of various support programs.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Vengberg, Sofie
(författare)
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Marketisation of Swedish Primary Care : Patient Choice, Provider Competition and Payment Incentives
- 2022
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In the last decades, market elements—such as patient choice, provider competition and payment incentives—have been introduced in Swedish primary care, the Patient Choice reform in 2010 being pivotal for the marketisation of the sector. The political intentions with the reform were to empower patients and increase provider diversity, thereby stimulating competition and improving quality and access. The reform embedded a more market-based governance of the sector; resource allocation and accountability being achieved on the basis of patient choices, and policy goals being attained through provider competition. For this to occur, several conditions on both the demand-side and supply-side must be fulfilled. Empirical evidence on market conditions are, however, especially lacking on the supply-side. The aim of this dissertation is therefore to investigate whether and how the Swedish primary care sector and its providers have adapted to the market elements of the Patient Choice reform. Three research questions are raised, addressing how providers perceive and respond to the different market elements, how competitive the sector is, and in what way the market elements promote achievement of central policy goals: quality, access and equity. To answer these questions, four studies are presented: two qualitative interview studies and two quantitative cross-sectional studies. Together, the studies demonstrate that providers are, in general, not very sensitive to patients’ choices and to competition. In the government bill preceding the Patient Choice reform, provider reimbursements were described as a way for money to follow patients’ choices, thereby sharpening the demand signals. Instead, findings indicate that reimbursements mainly are a tool for the regions to steer provider behaviours. The primary care market is also diverse in terms of competition. A large share of the primary healthcare centres is located in local monopoly markets, whereas those located in competitive markets often face rather stiff competition. Moreover, findings show a mixed picture on how market elements promote goals on quality, access and equity. Higher levels of competition are found in more urban local markets and in local markets with a population of higher socioeconomic status. Because competition is unequally distributed, so are conditions for competition to improve performance. Furthermore, providers describe how equity in access has been negatively affected by fee-for-service reimbursements. In summary, there are several obstacles on the supply-side of the Swedish primary care market for the market elements to function as intended in the Patient Choice reform, but also for promoting central policy goals.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Vengberg, Sofie, et al.
(författare)
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Money matters : primary care providers' perceptions of payment incentives
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Health Organization & Management. - : Emerald Group Publishing Limited. - 1477-7266 .- 1758-7247. ; 35:4, s. 458-474
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose Payments to healthcare providers create incentives that can influence provider behaviour. Research on unit-level incentives in primary care is, however, scarce. This paper examines how managers and salaried physicians at Swedish primary healthcare centres perceive that payment incentives directed towards the healthcare centre affect their work. Design/methodology/approach An interview study was conducted with 24 respondents at 13 primary healthcare centres in two cities, located in regions with different payment systems. One had a mixed system comprised of fee-for-service and risk-adjusted capitation payments, and the other a mainly risk-adjusted capitation system. Findings Findings suggested that both managers and salaried physicians were aware of and adapted to unit-level payment incentives, albeit the latter sometimes to a lesser extent. Respondents perceived fee-for-service payments to stimulate production of shorter visits, up-coding of visits and skimming of healthier patients. Results also suggested that differentiated rates for patient visits affected horizontal prioritisations between physician and nurse visits. Respondents perceived that risk-adjustments for diagnoses led to a focus on registering diagnosis codes, and to some extent, also up-coding of secondary diagnoses. Practical implications Policymakers and responsible authorities need to design payment systems carefully, balancing different incentives and considering how and from where data used to calculate payments are retrieved, not relying too heavily on data supplied by providers. Originality/value This study contributes evidence on unit-level payment incentives in primary care, a scarcely researched topic, especially using qualitative methods.
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