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Health Quality Management
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Health Quality Management

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 8094

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Mariano Gacto

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Guest Editor
Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, Campus Espinardo, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Interests: disability; outcome measures; health quality management; public health
Dr. Marta San-Millán

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Guest Editor
1. Medical Sciences Department, Clinical Anatomy, Embriology and Neuroscience Research Group (NEOMA), Faculty of Medicine, University of Girona, 17071 Girona, Spain
2. University School of Health and Sport (EUSES), University of Girona, 17190 Girona, Spain
Interests: public health; anthropology; health quality management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Quality management in health care is mainly based in reducing errors and improving overall patient care. The safety and effectiveness of treatments have been, traditionally, two of the most critical measures of quality, but measuring quality is one of the most relevant challenges in the present and future of health care, since patient care becomes more complex as customers’ expectations rise, resources decrease and health-care institutions rise the question of paramount importance on whether the traditional approaches to organizing, standardizing and staffing quality are still at the latest cutting edge.

If approaches based on continuous quality improvement are in fact the future of quality management, it therefore corresponds to all the sectors and involved parties to participate in the plan for a challenging future. The new quality of management approach is characterized by advanced research methods, as well as by facing competitive pressures, rising expectations and resource streamlining. Papers addressing these topics are invited for this Special Issue, especially those combining a high academic standard coupled with a practical focus on providing optimal health quality management solutions.

Prof. Dr. Mariano Gacto
Dr. Marta San-Millán
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • quality management
  • health care
  • adverse events
  • patient safety
  • treatment effectiveness
  • quality standards

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 696 KiB  
Article
Knowledge and Attitudes towards Patient Safety among Students in Physical Therapy in Spain: A Longitudinal Study
by Joaquina Montilla-Herrador, José A. Lozano-Meca, Aitor Baño-Alcaraz, Carmen Lillo-Navarro, Rodrigo Martín-San Agustín and Mariano Gacto-Sánchez
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(18), 11618; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811618 - 15 Sep 2022
Viewed by 1768
Abstract
(1) Background: Patient safety is a discipline of health care management aiming to prevent and reduce errors and harm to patients. The assessment of knowledge and attitudes on patient safety among students in physical therapy is still scarce; no studies have yet explored [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Patient safety is a discipline of health care management aiming to prevent and reduce errors and harm to patients. The assessment of knowledge and attitudes on patient safety among students in physical therapy is still scarce; no studies have yet explored the changes that internship periods may produce. Objectives: 1. to determine the attitudes and knowledge of students in physical therapy with respect to patient safety in a Spanish University; and 2. to explore changes following a practical internship period. (2) Methods: Longitudinal study. Data from the Attitudes to Patient Safety Questionnaire III (APSQ-III) before and after the internship period were obtained from an initial sample of 125 students and average positive response rates were compared. (3) Results: “Team functioning”, “Importance of patient safety in the curriculum”, and “Error inevitability” displayed the highest scores, in accordance with the current literature. After the internship period, the dimensions “Patient safety training received” (p = 0.001), “Error reporting confidence” (p = 0.044), and “Professional incompetence as an error cause” (p = 0.027) showed significant changes. (4) Conclusions: The current study, highlighting areas of strengths and weaknesses in the knowledge and attitudes of students in physical therapy towards patient safety, may be a foundation to adopt tailored programs to enhance students’ competencies in patient safety. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Quality Management)
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15 pages, 390 KiB  
Article
Nurses’ Perception of Patient Safety Culture in a Referral Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study
by Eva María Sosa-Palanca, Carlos Saus-Ortega, Vicente Gea-Caballero, Joaquín Andani-Cervera, Pedro García-Martínez and Rafael Manuel Ortí-Lucas
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(16), 10131; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191610131 - 16 Aug 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1828
Abstract
Healthcare systems are becoming increasingly complex which is helping to promote a ‘culture of safety’ within them based on the best scientific evidence available. Indeed, creating a positive institutional culture of patient safety is reflected in health outcomes. The aim of this present [...] Read more.
Healthcare systems are becoming increasingly complex which is helping to promote a ‘culture of safety’ within them based on the best scientific evidence available. Indeed, creating a positive institutional culture of patient safety is reflected in health outcomes. The aim of this present study was to describe the perception of culture of safety by nurses in adult inpatient units in a tertiary hospital and to analyze adverse events reporting. It was a cross-sectional study in which 202 nurses from adult hospitalization units of the Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe in Valencia (Spain) participated. The perception of safety culture was measured using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety questionnaire version 1.0, which consists of 42 items distributed in 12 dimensions that are considered strengths or weaknesses. In addition, adverse events related to nursing care during the study period and those reported in the official hospital registry were collected. Finally, the association between safety culture and sociodemographic and labor variables was explored. A total of 148 responses to the questionnaire were analyzed (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.94), where seven dimensions and 25 items were identified as weaknesses. Two hundred and fourteen events were identified and none were reported in the official registry. Years of experience were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with safety culture. It is necessary to establish strategies to improve the perception of the safety culture of nurses, as well as to make nurses aware of the importance of notifying adverse events derived from health care. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Quality Management)
12 pages, 369 KiB  
Article
The Perceptions of Children and Adolescents with Cancer Regarding Nurses’ Communication Behaviors during Needle Procedures
by Encarna Gómez-Gamboa, Olga Rodrigo-Pedrosa, Marta San-Millán, Maria Angeles Saz-Roy, Anna Negre-Loscertales and Montserrat Puig-Llobet
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 9372; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159372 - 30 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2185
Abstract
Background: Communicating with children and adolescents with cancer during a needle procedure can prove challenging for healthcare professionals. Objective: Our aim was to explore the perceptions of children and adolescents with cancer regarding communication with nurses during needle procedures. Method: Thus was a [...] Read more.
Background: Communicating with children and adolescents with cancer during a needle procedure can prove challenging for healthcare professionals. Objective: Our aim was to explore the perceptions of children and adolescents with cancer regarding communication with nurses during needle procedures. Method: Thus was a qualitative phenomenological study. Data were gathered through seven in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of children and adolescents with cancer. Data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach to identify themes in the participants’ narratives. Results: The analysis revealed three themes describing participants’ experience: (1) nurses need to explain clearly what they are going to do while also allowing children to express their emotions without feeling coerced; (2) nurses need to be honest and approachable and relate to children as active participants in the treatment process; and (3) it is distressing to hear other children who are undergoing a needle procedure cry out in pain. Further application of the constant comparison method yielded a core theme: (4) the pressures faced by oncology nurses lead them to focus on the technical side of procedures at the expense of their young patients’ communication needs. Conclusions: We suggest that hospital managers need to ensure that oncology nurses have sufficient training in communication skills and are confident in their ability to respect and respond to the communication preferences and needs of patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Quality Management)
19 pages, 1588 KiB  
Article
Physicians’ Perspectives on the Implementation of the Second Opinion Directive in Germany—An Exploratory Sequential Mixed-Methods Study
by Susann May, Dunja Bruch, Felix Muehlensiepen, Yuriy Ignatyev, Edmund Neugebauer, Cecile Ronckers and Sebastian von Peter
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(12), 7426; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127426 - 17 Jun 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1755
Abstract
A new Second Opinion Directive (SOD) was introduced in Germany in December 2018 for hysterectomy, tonsillotomy, and tonsillectomy to support shared decision making and to avoid unnecessary surgeries. Owing to its recent implementation, evidence and insights regarding outcomes and challenges encountered with the [...] Read more.
A new Second Opinion Directive (SOD) was introduced in Germany in December 2018 for hysterectomy, tonsillotomy, and tonsillectomy to support shared decision making and to avoid unnecessary surgeries. Owing to its recent implementation, evidence and insights regarding outcomes and challenges encountered with the SOD are lacking, notably from the physicians’ perspective. To assess this, we undertook an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design with an initial qualitative phase followed by a quantitative evaluation. A qualitative analysis of 22 interviews with specialists in gynecology and otorhinolaryngology was followed by a statistical analysis of a survey of 136 physicians in those disciplines. The specialists expressed a generally positive opinion of the new SOD, emphasizing the aspects of patient orientation, support in decision making, and patient safety. However, they also highlighted the following structural problems regarding the SOD implementation: In addition to an increased organisational effort, the specialists criticised the SOD with regard to its implementation in rural regions with a low availability of specialists for referral. Barriers that impede the implementation of the current directive, such as the adaptation of the qualifying requirements for authorized second opinion physicians, as well as the inclusion of relevant indications, need focused consideration to obtain better alignment with everyday practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Quality Management)
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