Organizing Work in Healthcare

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Policy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 2358

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculté de Médecine, Université de Genève 1206 Geneva, Switzerland
Interests: implementation of public policies in health organizations; the development of the nursing profession

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Guest Editor
Addiction Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, 1004 Lausanne, Switzerland
Interests: epidemiology; public health; behavioral addiction
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Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Robert Debre Hospital, Hopital Universitaire Robert-Debre - APHP, 48 BdSérurier, 75019 Paris, France
Interests: pediatric anesthesia; pain assessment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We have the pleasure to present a Special Issue on healthcare management. In the last three decades, in the context of growing concern for patient safety, service quality, and financial constraints, the organization of work in healthcare has been strongly affected by reforms of all kinds: new governance, diagnosis-related groups (DRGs), mandatory quality assessment and certification procedures, coordinated pathways, the implementation of lean management, new nursing jobs, electronic health records, etc. These policies consisted mostly of the implementation from above of managerial tools and procedures developed on the basis of metrological evidence that does not always take into account the specificity of local contexts of work. These tools and procedures had an unpredictable and variable impact on work and workload. In order to better implement and assess these changes, a more pragmatic approach is needed. This Special Issue seeks manuscripts (original qualitative/quantitative research articles, reviews, opinion papers, etc.) that describe and analyze the development of work and workload in healthcare organizations. These include (but are not limited to) the following topics:

  • Interdisciplinary teamwork;
  •  The implementation of quality policies in healthcare organizations;
  • The content and development of nursing work;
  • Coordination activity;
  • The use of IT at work.

Dr. Mathias Waelli
Dr. Emilien Jeannot
Prof. Dr. Souhayl Dahmani
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 1412 KiB  
Article
Are Nurse Coordinators Really Performing Coordination Pathway Activities? A Comparative Analysis of Case Studies in Oncology
by Maria-Ximena Acero, Etienne Minvielle and Mathias Waelli
Healthcare 2023, 11(8), 1090; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11081090 - 11 Apr 2023
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Abstract
Patient Pathway Coordination (PPC) improves patient care quality and safety, particularly in oncology. PPC roles, such as nurse coordinators (NCs), have positively impacted the quality of patient care and reduced financial costs. However, NCs and their real activities in Health Care Organizations (HCOs) [...] Read more.
Patient Pathway Coordination (PPC) improves patient care quality and safety, particularly in oncology. PPC roles, such as nurse coordinators (NCs), have positively impacted the quality of patient care and reduced financial costs. However, NCs and their real activities in Health Care Organizations (HCOs) are unclear. Our aim was to identify, quantify, and compare all activities performed by NCs in oncology care settings from an organizational approach. Methods: We used qualitative and quantitative approaches based on case study principles. We accumulated 325 observation hours by shadowing and timing the activities of 14 NCs in four French HCO in oncology. Data analysis was conducted using an analytical framework to investigate the Activity of PAtient PAthway Nurse Coordinators in Oncology (APANCO). Results: Our research generated important findings: (1) NC roles and job titles are not standardized. (2) Non-coordination related activities are important in NC work content. Non-coordination times were consistent with distribution times between ward NCs and NCs in centralized structures. Ward NCs had higher non-coordination activities when compared with NCs in centralized structures. (3) PPC times varied for both ward NCs and NCs in centralized structures. Ward NCs performed less design coordination when compared with NCs in centralized structures, and this latter group also performed more external coordination than ward NCs. Conclusions: NCs do not just perform PPC activities. Their position in HCO structures, wards, or centralized structures, influence their work content. Centralized structures allow NCs to focus on their PPC roles. We also highlight different dimensions of NC work and training requirements. Our study could help managers and decision-makers develop PPC roles in oncology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organizing Work in Healthcare)
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