Evidence-based health care management: what is the research evidence available for health care managers?

In light of increasing interest in evidence-based management, we conducted a scoping review of systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) to determine the availability and accessibility of evidence for health care managers; 14 MAs and 61 SRs met the inclusion criteria. Most reviews appeared in medical journals (53%), originated in the United States (29%) or United Kingdom (22%), were hospital-based (55%), and targeted clinical providers (55%). Topics included health services organization (34%), quality/patient safety (17%), information technology (15%), organization/workplace management (13%), and health care workforce (12%). Most reviews addressed clinical topics of relevance to managers; management-related interventions were rare. The management issues were mostly classified as operational (65%). Surprisingly, 96.5% of search results were not on target. A better classification within PubMed is needed to increase the accessibility of meaningful resources and facilitate evidence retrieval. Health care journals should take initiatives encouraging the publication of reviews in relevant management areas.

CAH staff perceptions of a clinical information system implementation.

OBJECTIVES: This study examines staff perceptions of patient care quality and the processes before and after implementation of a comprehensive clinical information system (CIS) in critical access hospitals (CAHs). STUDY DESIGN: A prospective, nonexperimental design, evaluation study. METHODS: A modified version of the Information Systems Expectations and Experiences (I-SEE) survey instrument was administered to staff in 7 CAHs annually over 3 years to capture baseline, readiness, and postimplementation perceptions. RESULTS: Descriptive analyses examined 840 survey responses across 3 survey administrations and job categories (registered nurses [RNs], providers, and other clinical staff). Analysis of variance compared responses for main effects (ie, administration, staff position, hospital, and cohort) and interactions between groups over time. Correlations examined the relationships between variables. In general, the responses indicate a high level of positive perceptions regarding the processes and quality of care in these hospitals. For most of the items, responses were quite consistent across the 3 survey administrations. Significant changes occurred for 5 items; 4 reflecting information flow and increased communication, and 1 reflecting a decrease in improved patient care. Overall, providers had lower mean responses compared with nurses and other clinical staff. Significant interactions between administrations and job categories were found for 4 items. CONCLUSIONS: Even though staff had overwhelmingly positive perceptions of patient care quality and processes, significant differences between providers, RNs, and other clinical staff were observed. Variability was also found across CAHs. Research on CIS implementation in small hospitals is rare and needed to guide the identification of factors and strategies related to success.

Nurses' perceptions of how clinical information system implementation affects workflow and patient care.

There is a little evidence of the impact of clinical information system implementation on nurses' workflow and patient care to guide institutions across the nation as they implement electronic health records. This study compared changes in nurse's perceptions about patient care processes and workflow before and after a comprehensive clinical information system implementation at a rural referral hospital. The study used the Information Systems Expectations and Experiences survey, which consists of seven scales-provider-patient communication, interprovider communication, interorganizational communication, work-life changes, improved care, support and resources, and patient care processes. Survey responses were examined across three administrations-before and after training and after implementation. The survey responses decreased significantly for eight of the 47 survey items from the first administration to the second and for 37 items from the second administration to the third. Perceptions were more positive in nurses who had previous experience with electronic health records and less positive in nurses with more years of work experience. These findings point to the importance of setting realistic expectations, assessing user perceptions throughout the implementation process, designing training to meet the needs of the end user, and adapting training and implementation processes to support nurses who have concerns.

Patient safety outcomes in small urban and small rural hospitals.

PURPOSE: To assess patient safety outcomes in small urban and small rural hospitals and to examine the relationship of hospital and patient factors to patient safety outcomes. METHODS: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample and American Hospital Association annual survey data were used for analyses. To increase comparability, the study sample was restricted to hospitals with fewer than 100 beds. Out of 292 hospitals in the sample, 185 were rural hospitals and 107 were urban hospitals. AHRQ Patient Safety Indicators (PSI) were used to examine 9 common patient safety outcomes at these hospitals. The unit of analysis was the patient. Associations between hospital location and patient and hospital characteristics were determined using 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Pearson chi-square test. Multivariable analysis using generalized estimating equation regression models assessed the relationship between hospital location and PSIs. RESULTS: Most of the observed rates for the 9 PSIs were higher (indicating worse outcomes) for small urban hospitals than for small rural hospitals. In the multivariable analyses, after adjusting for important patient and hospital characteristics, many of these differences disappeared, except for decubitus ulcer. Small urban hospitals had significantly higher odds for decubitus ulcer than small rural hospitals. CONCLUSION: These results deviate from findings in the literature that urban-rural differences in patient safety rates exist. This study highlights the importance of understanding the factors that differ between small urban and small rural hospitals while developing hospital-relevant patient safety interventions at these hospitals.

Transformation of Emergency Department processes of care with EHR, CPOE, and ER event tracking systems.

Mercy Medical Center, North Iowa implemented electronic health records (EHR), computerised provider order entry (CPOE) and event tracking systems in the emergency department (ED) as part of hospital-wide implementation of clinical information systems. This case study examines the changes in outcomes and processes in the ED following implementation. Although the system was designed to enhance efficiency, there was a significant increase in the mean length of stay (about 17 minutes, or 15%) in the ED after implementation. This surprising finding was examined in relationship to the multiple process-of-care changes in the ED.

Do postoperative complications vary by hospital teaching status?

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper is to assess postoperative patient safety outcomes across teaching and nonteaching hospitals and to examine the relation of hospital and patient factors to patient safety outcomes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample and American Hospital Association annual survey data were used for analyses. Patient safety indicators (PSIs) developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) were used to identify 6 postoperative PSIs. The study sample consisted of 646 acute care hospitals, divided into nonteaching (n = 400), minor teaching (n = 207), and major teaching hospitals (n = 39). The unit of analysis was the patient. Associations between hospital teaching status and patient and hospital characteristics were determined using one-way analysis of variance and Pearson chi test. Multivariable analysis using generalized estimating equation regression models assessed the relationship between teaching status and PSIs. RESULTS: Bivariate results showed higher observed PSI rates at major teaching hospitals. Results from multivariable analyses, after adjusting for hospital size, staffing variables, patient case mix, and other risk factors, showed that major teaching hospitals had significantly higher odds of postoperative pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis and postoperative sepsis, lower odds of postoperative respiratory failure, and showed no difference for postoperative hip fracture, postoperative hematoma or hemorrhage, and postoperative physio-metabolic derangement. CONCLUSIONS: The present analysis found an inconsistent relationship between teaching status and postoperative patient safety event rates. Teaching status of the hospital was associated with numerous hospital and patient characteristics which mediate the relationship between teaching status and PSIs.

Clinical information system availability and use in urban and rural hospitals.

Clinical information systems (CIS) capture clinical data to support more efficient and effective decision making and clinical care delivery. Only a few estimates of CIS availability and use in hospitals are available nationally. The purpose of the current research is to examine differences in CIS availability and use between urban and rural hospitals. A survey addressing this purpose was completed by 74 (63.7%) of Iowa hospitals. Rural hospitals lag behind urban hospitals in terms of many CIS applications. More than 80% of the urban hospitals, but only between 30 and 40% of the rural hospitals, reported using computers to collect basic clinical information for potential use in an electronic medical record (EMR) and computerized provider order entry (CPOE) system. Comparison of CIS within one state's urban and rural hospitals sheds light on variation in clinical support applications, decision support, and electronic medical record "readiness" in these settings.