Implementation of consensus-based perioperative care pathways to reduce clinical variation for elective surgery in an Australian private hospital: a mixed-methods pre-post study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Addressing clinical variation in elective surgery is challenging. A key issue is how to gain consensus between largely autonomous clinicians. Understanding how the consensus process works to develop and implement perioperative pathways and the impact of these pathways on reducing clinical variation can provide important insights into the effectiveness of the consensus process. The primary objective of this study is to understand the implementation of an organisationally supported, consensus approach to implement perioperative care pathways in a private healthcare facility and to determine its impact. METHODS: A mixed-methods Effectiveness-Implementation Hybrid (type III) pre-post study will be conducted in one Australian private hospital. Five new consensus-based perioperative care pathways will be developed and implemented for specific patient cohorts: spinal surgery, radical prostatectomy, cardiac surgery, bariatric surgery and total hip and knee replacement. The individual components of these pathways will be confirmed as part of a consensus-building approach and will follow a four-stage implementation process using the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation and Sustainment framework. The process of implementation, as well as barriers and facilitators, will be evaluated through semistructured interviews and focus groups with key clinical and non-clinical staff, and participant observation. We anticipate completing 30 interviews and 15-20 meeting observations. Administrative and clinical end-points for at least 152 participants will be analysed to assess the effectiveness of the pathways. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study received ethical approval from Macquarie University Human Research Ethics Medical Sciences Committee (Reference No: 520221219542374). The findings of this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and reports for key stakeholders.

Using the WHO International Classification of patient safety framework to identify incident characteristics and contributing factors for medical or surgical complication deaths.

This study aimed to operationalise and use the World Health Organisation's International Classification for Patient Safety (ICPS) to identify incident characteristics and contributing factors of deaths involving complications of medical or surgical care in Australia. A sample of 500 coronial findings related to patient deaths following complications of surgical or medical care in Australia were reviewed using a modified-ICPS (mICPS). Over two-thirds (69.0%) of incidents occurred during treatment and 27.4% occurred in the operating theatre. Clinical process and procedures (55.9%), medication/IV fluids (11.2%) and healthcare-associated infection/complications (10.4%) were the most common incident types. Coroners made recommendations in 44.0% of deaths and organisations undertook preventive actions in 40.0% of deaths. This study demonstrated that the ICPS was able to be modified for practical use as a human factors taxonomy to identify sequences of incident types and contributing factors for patient deaths. Further testing of the mICPS is warranted.

Between the flags: implementing a safety-net system at scale to recognise and manage deteriorating patients in the New South Wales Public Health System.

QUALITY PROBLEM: In 2005, the Clinical Excellence Commission (CEC) found that unrecognised patient deterioration remained an important problem in New South Wales (NSW) public hospitals. INITIAL ASSESSMENT: The challenge was to design and implement an effective and sustainable safety-net system in all 225 NSW public hospitals. DESIGNING A SOLUTION: The CEC's system was designed in collaboration with a broad coalition of partners, including clinicians, managers, system administrators and collaborating agencies. A five-element system comprising governance, standard calling criteria in standard observation charts, two-level clinical emergency response systems (CERS) in each facility, an education programme and evaluation, was designed for state-wide implementation. This system was called 'Between the Flags' (BTF). IMPLEMENTATION: Implementation was led by the CEC on behalf of a NSW coalition, and commenced in January 2010 with the implementation of the Standard Adult General Observation Chart, awareness training for all staff and a CERS in each facility. EVALUATION: Since the introduction of BTF, the cardiac arrest rate has declined by 42% (P < 0.05) and the Rapid Response rate has increased by 135.9% (P < 0.05) in NSW. The strength of staff support for BTF has grown with the proportion of respondents strongly agreeing that BTF has benefitted patient safety more than doubling from 21% to 44%, and overall agreement rising from 68% to 82% between 2010 and 2012. LESSONS LEARNED: Key success factors are a focus on governance, standardisation of observation charts and striking the right balance between a rule-based approach and individual clinical judgement.

How to do better health reform: a snapshot of change and improvement initiatives in the health systems of 30 countries.

Health systems are continually being reformed. Why, and how? To answer these questions, we draw on a book we recently contributed, Healthcare Reform, Quality and Safety: Perspectives, Participants, Partnerships and Prospects in 30 Countries. We analyse the impact that these health-reform initiatives have had on the quality and safety of care in an international context-that is, in low-, middle- and high-income countries-Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Denmark, England, Ghana, Germany, the Gulf states, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Myanmar, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Papua New Guinea (PNG), South Africa, the USA, Scotland and Sweden. Popular reforms in less well-off countries include boosting equity, providing infrastructure, and reducing mortality and morbidity in maternal and child health. In countries with higher GDP per capita, the focus is on new IT systems or trialling innovative funding models. Wealthy or less wealthy, countries are embracing ways to enhance quality of care and keep patients safe, via mechanisms such as accreditation, clinical guidelines and hand hygiene campaigns. Two timely reminders are that, first, a population's health is not determined solely by the acute system, but is a product of inter-sectoral effort-that is, measures to alleviate poverty and provide good housing, education, nutrition, running water and sanitation across the population. Second, all reformers and advocates of better-quality of care should include well-designed evaluation in their initiatives. Too often, improvement is assumed, not measured. That is perhaps the key message.

Minimizing premature closure and diagnostic error in the Operating Room.

The Operating Room does not leave time for scholarly reflection before action. Old ways of managing the risk of Premature Closure under stress need re-appraisal and perhaps a new paradigm. Is it time to say farewell to the autonomous surgeon?

The development, design, testing, refinement, simulation and application of an evaluation framework for communities of practice and social-professional networks.

BACKGROUND: Communities of practice and social-professional networks are generally considered to enhance workplace experience and enable organizational success. However, despite the remarkable growth in interest in the role of collaborating structures in a range of industries, there is a paucity of empirical research to support this view. Nor is there a convincing model for their systematic evaluation, despite the significant potential benefits in answering the core question: how well do groups of professionals work together and how could they be organised to work together more effectively? This research project will produce a rigorous evaluation methodology and deliver supporting tools for the benefit of researchers, policymakers, practitioners and consumers within the health system and other sectors. Given the prevalence and importance of communities of practice and social networks, and the extent of investments in them, this project represents a scientific innovation of national and international significance. METHODS AND DESIGN: Working in four conceptual phases the project will employ a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to develop, design, field-test, refine and finalise an evaluation framework. Once available the framework will be used to evaluate simulated, and then later existing, health care communities of practice and social-professional networks to assess their effectiveness in achieving desired outcomes. Peak stakeholder groups have agreed to involve a wide range of members and participant organisations, and will facilitate access to various policy, managerial and clinical networks. DISCUSSION: Given its scope and size, the project represents a valuable opportunity to achieve breakthroughs at two levels; firstly, by introducing novel and innovative aims and methods into the social research process and, secondly, through the resulting evaluation framework and tools. We anticipate valuable outcomes in the improved understanding of organisational performance and delivery of care. The project's wider appeal lies in transferring this understanding to other health jurisdictions and to other industries and sectors, both nationally and internationally. This means not merely publishing the results, but contextually interpreting them, and translating them to advance the knowledge base and enable widespread institutional and organisational application.