Suchergebnisse

Aim - The study sought to identify and explain common issues and lessons arising from four national health policy initiatives related to nursing, midwifery and allied health professions (NMAHPs) in Scotland between 2005 and 2010. Background - The Scottish government has been seeking effective practice developments in NMAHPs through enacting policy initiatives to improve patient care. Despite many of these initiatives being individually evaluated, no integrative systematic study has been undertaken to synthesise better understandings. Design - Multiple case study design involving qualitative research was the main methodology. Methods - The study used purposive and snowball sampling and in-depth interviews to elicit the views of 24 stakeholders. Findings - This study enabled identification and explanation of key generic lessons such as internal policy alignment, good leadership and governance at all levels, effective communication, and sustainability linked to policy external alignment. Conclusion and implications for nursing management - Findings highlight the importance of strategy for internal policy alignment involving top-down and cross-sectional cooperation and appraising external policy alignment when progressing a sustainable policy initiative. At all levels, leadership is important to provide clear guidance, manage different expectations and enable understanding of initiatives for enactment. Analysis of such initiatives would be useful in preparing nurse managers.

Training in appropriate infection prevention and control (IPC) measures is crucial in minimising the incidence of hospital-associated infections (HAIs), a growing cause of patient illness and death in hospital. This paper describes the co-development of visualisation tools intended to form part of a digital tablet-based training package for hospital-based staff across a number of roles. It argues that, in a typically hierarchical organisation, taking a cross-cohort approach to developing tools to raise awareness and understanding of IPC and HAIs recognises the complex service ecology of behaviours, relationships, the environment and the organization, and introduces a democratic, open innovation approach to developing IPC training materials.

The Socio-Economic Costs of Bereavement in Scotland (SECOB) research study was funded by the Scottish Government Health Directorates in late 2010 as part of ongoing work to inform national policy on bereavement and bereavement care practice. The project aimed to: a) articulate the likely nature and scope of the impact of bereavement on social and economic aspects of life for Scottish citizens as evidenced in relevant literature; b) seek to estimate the socio-economic costs of bereavement in an emergent sub-set of key aspects, and c) develop methodological approaches that will enhance capacity for large-scale research into the socio-economic impact of bereavement.