Selection of Medical Teachers: An Initiative for Ensuring a Fair and Transparent Selection Process.

BACKGROUND: The first step towards creating a sound educational environment and healthcare in a medical institute is employing medical teachers who maintain ethical behavior in their professional practice. A method where bias and subjectivity can be minimized is by making the recruitment process objective. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The recruitment started as an offline process and was soon converted into an online form incorporating parameters for scoring. A total of 1,151 medical teachers had submitted their applications for posts in various departments, and 778 candidates were shortlisted and called for an interview. After the interview process, a unique symposium on the selection of medical teachers was organized. The feedback was incorporated into the online application that was released for the subsequent phases of recruitment. RESULTS: The response rate of the study was 96.55%. Analysis of the feedback by the applicants showed that 47.59% of the applicants were of the opinion that the prevailing selection process in the country needs a change; 84.14% felt that the inclusion of objective criteria would make the selection process more transparent; and 91.03% were happy with the stratification of marks; 82.75% of the applicants and experts felt that knowledge of statistics for quality research and publications in indexed and institutional journals may be considered for the selection process; and 52.41% thought that all authors of an article should be given equal weightage. Adopting a fairly new concept of workplace-based assessment (WPBA) in India was acceptable to 83.45%. CONCLUSIONS: Parameter-based, objective selection reduces bias, and merit alone is recognized.

'People that suffer or have been through it know the answers': stakeholders' perspectives on improving healthcare systems for end-of-life care in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive and disabling lung condition with a high mortality. Our research has shown that health care for end-of-life COPD is poorly integrated. The aim of this study was to involve people with end-of-life COPD, their support people and health professionals in the design of healthcare services to help improve the delivery of care for advanced COPD, including informing system-level quality improvement. DESIGN: We conducted a focus group study involving stakeholders of healthcare services: people with end-of life COPD, support people, bereaved support people, and community- and hospital-based health care professionals. METHODS: We conducted qualitative analysis using deductive structural coding, and then inductive descriptive and pattern coding. Analyses were triangulated by investigators. The research positioned people with end-of-life COPD, their support people and health professionals as experts in healthcare services. Critical theory and Actor-Network theory informed the analysis. RESULTS: Seven focus groups involving 74 participants reported their experiences of end-of-life care for COPD. Five themes related to healthcare systems responses to improving care quality were identified: governance, system integration, resource design and development, standardisation of processes, and communication. CONCLUSION: Stakeholders provided multiple healthcare system-level responses to end-of-life care in COPD that could inform healthcare service design and clinical quality improvement.

Social Determinants of Health: An Overview for the Primary Care Provider.

Social determinants of health (SDoH) are reflected in how people live (access to health care, economic stability, built environment, food security, climate), learn (the educational environment), work (occupational environment), and play/socialize (social context and digital domain). All of these day-to-day conditions play a vital role in a patient's overall health, and a primary care provider should be prepared to understand their role to screen, assess, and address SDoH in clinical practice.

Developing Standard Treatment Workflows-way to universal healthcare in India.

Primary healthcare caters to nearly 70% of the population in India and provides treatment for approximately 80-90% of common conditions. To achieve universal health coverage (UHC), the Indian healthcare system is gearing up by initiating several schemes such as National Health Protection Scheme, Ayushman Bharat, Nutrition Supplementation Schemes, and Inderdhanush Schemes. The healthcare delivery system is facing challenges such as irrational use of medicines, over- and under-diagnosis, high out-of-pocket expenditure, lack of targeted attention to preventive and promotive health services, and poor referral mechanisms. Healthcare providers are unable to keep pace with the volume of growing new scientific evidence and rising healthcare costs as the literature is not published at the same pace. In addition, there is a lack of common standard treatment guidelines, workflows, and reference manuals from the Government of India. Indian Council of Medical Research in collaboration with the National Health Authority, Govt. of India, and the WHO India country office has developed Standard Treatment Workflows (STWs) with the objective to be utilized at various levels of healthcare starting from primary to tertiary level care. A systematic approach was adopted to formulate the STWs. An advisory committee was constituted for planning and oversight of the process. Specialty experts' group for each specialty comprised of clinicians working at government and private medical colleges and hospitals. The expert groups prioritized the topics through extensive literature searches and meeting with different stakeholders. Then, the contents of each STW were finalized in the form of single-pager infographics. These STWs were further reviewed by an editorial committee before publication. Presently, 125 STWs pertaining to 23 specialties have been developed. It needs to be ensured that STWs are implemented effectively at all levels and ensure quality healthcare at an affordable cost as part of UHC.

Missed nursing care in emergency departments: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Patient safety is a global health priority. Errors of omission, such as missed nursing care in hospitals, are frequent and may lead to adverse events. Emergency departments (ED) are especially vulnerable to patient safety errors, and the significance missed nursing care has in this context is not as well known as in other contexts. AIM: The aim of this scoping review was to summarize and disseminate research about missed nursing care in the context of EDs. METHOD: A scoping review following the framework suggested by Arksey and O'Malley was used to (1) identify the research question; (2) identify relevant studies; (3) select studies; (4) chart the data; (5) collate, summarize, and report the results; and (6) consultation. RESULTS: In total, 20 themes were derived from the 55 included studies. Missed or delayed assessments or other fundamental care were examples of missed nursing care characteristics. EDs not staffed or dimensioned in relation to the patient load were identified as a cause of missed nursing care in most included studies. Clinical deteriorations and medication errors were described in the included studies in relation to patient safety and quality of care deficiencies. Registered nurses also expressed that missed nursing care was undignified and unsafe. CONCLUSION: The findings from this scoping review indicate that patients' fundamental needs are not met in the ED, mainly because of the patient load and how the ED is designed. According to registered nurses, missed nursing care is perceived as undignified and unsafe.

Why Bhutan needs a policy push on person-centred care.

Delivering quality healthcare services to people has become a core issue for the Bhutanese healthcare system. There are considerable challenges for healthcare policymakers to recognise and implement an appropriate healthcare model to enhance quality healthcare services in the Bhutanese healthcare system. Actions to improve quality healthcare services in Bhutan requires careful analysis of the healthcare model in the context of the Bhutanese socio-political and healthcare environment. This article provides a brief concept analysis of person-centred care in the context of the Bhutanese socio-political and healthcare environment and describes why it is important to integrate person-centred care into the healthcare system. The article argues that person-centred care is important and relevant to the Bhutanese healthcare system to achieve quality healthcare services and Gross National Happiness.

Leverage of mHealth integration in Maternal and child health services and COVID-19 Pandemic.

The growing use of mobile phones has enabled potential mobile health users to respond to various healthcare crises, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. In low- and middle-income countries where people lack access to basic healthcare, various "mHealth" interventions have been proven effective. In addition, it would facilitate public health researchers in developing new ways to improve the sustainability of MNCH programmes during emergencies or public health alerts. This article aims to provide evidence of mHealth integration in Pakistan's MNCH programme and to look into unique techniques used during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article suggested four key innovative mHealth strategies, including improving communication, teleconsultation, and CHW accessibility via mobile phones, providing free medication supplies to ANC&PNC mothers during health emergencies; and advocating for women's access to abortion services when necessary to support safe abortion. This article observes that mHealth can help improve maternal health in Pakistan and other LMICs by increasing human resource management and training, quality service delivery, and teleconsultation. However, additional digital health solutions are needed to attain SGD 3.

The state of adolescent medicine as a specific field: an international exploratory survey.

OBJECTIVES: The emergence of adolescent medicine (AM) as a specific area of training and health care delivery is progressing at various pace around the world. The objective of this exploratory survey was to inquire about the existence of official bodies and institutions offering recognition of the discipline as a specific field and on the status of related training initiatives. METHODS: A questionnaire was spread among a convenience sample of 21 colleagues involved in adolescent health care around the world, and answers were collected and analysed manually. RESULTS: All 21 colleagues from the North and South American, African, Asian and European regions have responded. Only seven countries report the existence of adolescent inpatient wards in some hospitals, while 16 have specialized outpatient clinics; in only eight countries is formal mandatory training in AM required for paediatricians; in seven others, such a stay is available but optional. Six countries have implemented a systematic assessment tackling AM in the certification process of paediatricians and just four recognize AM as a sub-specialty. Only two countries mention compulsory training in AM for family doctors. Fourteen countries report on the existence of an AM association. CONCLUSIONS: Despite an encouraging number of initiatives testifying the growing place of AM in the practice of medicine, our data bring a worrisome portray of the status of AM in the involved countries and call for the development of appropriate health care and training centres.

Cancer statistics for American Indian and Alaska Native individuals, 2022: Including increasing disparities in early onset colorectal cancer.

American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) individuals are diverse culturally and geographically but share a high prevalence of chronic illness, largely because of obstacles to high-quality health care. The authors comprehensively examined cancer incidence and mortality among non-Hispanic AIAN individuals, compared with non-Hispanic White individuals for context, using population-based data from the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. Overall cancer rates among AIAN individuals were 2% higher than among White individuals for incidence (2014 through 2018, confined to Purchased/Referred Care Delivery Area counties to reduce racial misclassification) but 18% higher for mortality (2015 through 2019). However, disparities varied widely by cancer type and geographic region. For example, breast and prostate cancer mortality rates are 8% and 31% higher, respectively, in AIAN individuals than in White individuals despite lower incidence and the availability of early detection tests for these cancers. The burden among AIAN individuals is highest for infection-related cancers (liver, stomach, and cervix), for kidney cancer, and for colorectal cancer among indigenous Alaskans (91.3 vs. 35.5 cases per 100,000 for White Alaskans), who have the highest rates in the world. Steep increases for early onset colorectal cancer, from 18.8 cases per 100,000 Native Alaskans aged 20-49 years during 1998 through 2002 to 34.8 cases per 100,000 during 2014 through 2018, exacerbated this disparity. Death rates for infection-related cancers (liver, stomach, and cervix), as well as kidney cancer, were approximately two-fold higher among AIAN individuals compared with White individuals. These findings highlight the need for more effective strategies to reduce the prevalence of chronic oncogenic infections and improve access to high-quality cancer screening and treatment for AIAN individuals. Mitigating the disparate burden will require expanded financial support of tribal health care as well as increased collaboration and engagement with this marginalized population.

Notificação de incidentes e a segurança do paciente em tempos de pandemia / Notificación de incidentes y la seguridad del paciente en tiempos de pandemia / Incident notification and patient safety in times of a pandemic

Resumo Objetivo Analisar as notificações de incidentes ocorridos durante a pandemia de COVID-19. Métodos Estudo com delineamento transversal de abordagem quantitativa do tipo descritivo exploratório. Foram analisadas 1.466 notificações à gerência de risco de um hospital privado, no período de setembro de 2020 a setembro de 2021. Utilizou-se a análise estatística descritiva, aplicando o teste Qui-quadrado de Pearson ou o teste da Razão de Verossimilhança. A margem de erro utilizada foi de 5%. Resultados Identificou-se como incidentes prevalentes a falha na comunicação (358 - 24,5%), falha no uso de sondas e cateteres (232 - 15,9%) e falha no uso de artigos e equipamentos (132 - 9,1%). A circunstância notificável totalizou (55,9%) dos relatos e destas, (33,4%) eram falha na comunicação. Os eventos adversos foram em número de 416 (28,6%) e a queda esteve relacionada a dano leve (43,9%); Infecção relacionada à assistência à saúde ao dano moderado (31%) e a falha no uso de medicamentos a (50%) como dano grave e óbito. Conclusão Falha na comunicação foi a circunstância de risco mais notificada, seguida de falha no uso de medicamentos como evento adverso com dano grave. A unidade de enfermaria evidenciou a possibilidade de maior número de eventos adversos; enquanto que nas unidades de terapia intensiva o grau de dano dos eventos adversos foi superior.

Resumen Objetivo Analizar las notificaciones de incidentes ocurridos durante la pandemia de COVID-19. Métodos Estudio con diseño transversal de enfoque cuantitativo del tipo descriptivo exploratorio. Se analizaron 1.466 notificaciones de la gestión de riesgo de un hospital privado, en el período de septiembre de 2020 a septiembre de 2021. Se utilizó el análisis estadístico descriptivo, aplicando la prueba χ2 de Pearson o la prueba de razón de verosimilitud. El margen de error utilizado fue del 5 %. Resultados Se identificaron como incidentes prevalentes la falla en la comunicación (358 - 24,5 %), falla en el uso de sondas y de catéteres (232 - 15,9 %) y falla en el uso de artículos y equipos (132 - 9,1 %). Las circunstancias que pueden ser notificadas totalizaron (55,9 %) de los relatos y, entre ellas, (33,4 %) era una falla en la comunicación. Los eventos adversos totalizaron 416 (28,6 %) y la disminución estuvo relacionada con el daño leve (43,9 %); infección relacionada con la atención a la salud al daño moderado (31 %) y a la falla al usar medicamentos (50 %) como daño grave y defunción. Conclusión La falla en la comunicación fue la circunstancia de riesgo más notificada, seguida de falla al usar medicamentos como evento adverso con daño grave. La unidad de enfermería evidenció la posibilidad de un número más elevado de eventos adversos; mientras que en las unidades de terapia intensiva el grado de daño de los eventos adversos fue superior.

Abstract Objective To review notification of incidents that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This is a cross-sectional, exploratory descriptive quantitative study. A total of 1,466 notifications to risk management of a private hospital were analyzed from September 2020 to September 2021. Descriptive statistical analysis was used, applying Pearson's chi-square test or the likelihood ratio test. The margin of error used was 5%. Results Communication failure (358 - 24.5%), probe and catheter use failure (232 - 15.9%) and article and equipment use failure (132 - 9.1%) were identified as prevalent incidents. The notifiable circumstance totaled 55.9% of reports, and, of these, 33.4% were communication failure. Adverse events were 416 (28.6%), and fall was related to mild damage (43.9%), health care-associated infections, to moderate harm (31%), and medication use failure (50%), to severe harm and death. Conclusion Communication failure was the most reported risk circumstance, followed by medication use failure as an adverse event with severe harm. The nursing unit showed the possibility of a greater number of adverse events, while in Intensive Care Units, the degree of harm from adverse events was higher.

Antenatal care as a risk factor for caesarean section: a case study in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Antenatal care is an important tool to prevent complications and decrease the incidence of maternal and antenatal morbidity and mortality. In Brazil, quality, access, and coverage of antenatal care are described as insufficient. Consequently, high rates of caesarean section, congenital morbidities such as syphilis, maternal and early neonatal mortality occur, as well as obstetric violence and dissatisfaction with healthcare. It is important to reflect on health disparities in antenatal care. This study aimed to carry out a critical analysis of antenatal care in one city of São Paulo state in Brazil. METHODS: A case study was performed, structured in a descriptive cross-sectional epidemiological study and two qualitative studies. Data for the epidemiological study was obtained from the Informatics Department of the Unified Health System (DATASUS) of Brazil, which was processed in the Epi-info v software 7.2. and treated descriptively and by the Mantel-Haenszel or Fisher's exact tests. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 30 pregnant women and 8 nurses in the primary healthcare service of one city in São Paulo. The qualitative data analysis was based on thematic content analysis. RESULTS: The data revealed a limited quality of antenatal care. More than six antenatal visits increased the probability of a caesarean section by 47% and babies born vaginally had a lower Apgar score. There was little participation of nurses in antenatal care and women described it as "a quick medical appointment", limited by protocols, based on procedures and insufficient in dialogue. Antenatal care appeared to be fragmented and permeated by challenges that involve the need for change in management, performance, and ongoing training of professionals, as well as in the guarantee of women's rights. CONCLUSIONS: Caesarean section was statistically related to the number of antenatal care visits. Interactions between professionals and pregnant women were poor and resulted in dissatisfaction. There is an urgent need to connect health indicators with the findings from professionals and women's experiences to improve the quality of antenatal care.

Self-Assessment of Health Professionals' Cultural Competence: Knowledge, Skills, and Mental Health Concepts for Optimal Health Care.

Current research often refers to cultural competence to improve health care delivery. In addition, it focuses on the cultural uniqueness of each health service user for optimal personalized care. This study aimed to collect self-assessment data from health professionals regarding their cultural competence and to identify their development needs. A mixed methods design was adopted using the Cultural Competence Self-assessment Checklist of the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society. This was translated into Greek, validated, and then shared with health professionals in Cyprus. Subsequently, a semi-structured interview guide was designed and utilized. This was structured in exactly the same question categories as the questionnaire. Data collection took place between October 2021 and May 2022, and convenience sampling was used to recruit 499 health scientists in Cyprus. The sample comprised doctors, nurses, psychologists, midwives, social workers, and physiotherapists. Subsequently, 62 interviews were conducted with participants from the same specialties. The results showed that (compared to other health professionals) nurses and psychologists are more sensitive to issues of cultural competence. It would appear that the more socially oriented sciences had better-prepared healthcare staff to manage diversity in context. However, there is a gap between knowledge and skills when comparing doctors to nurses; they seem to be more skilled and willing to intervene actively in cases of racist behavior or problem-solving. In conclusion, participants identified the importance of their cultural competence; they also realized the importance of optimal planning of personalized health care. There is a significant need for continuous and specialized cultural competence training for all health professions.

Barreras y facilitadores en la atención primaria de salud en personas con discapacidad física / Barriers and facilitators in primary health care for people with physical disabilities

Introducción: La discapacidad se considera un problema de salud a nivel mundial. Las personas con discapacidad física son susceptibles de padecer distintos problemas de salud. A pesar de ser un grupo priorizado, el acceso a los servicios de salud es menor que el de la población en general, debido a barreras de distintos tipos. Objetivo: Describir las barreras y facilitadores de acceso a la atención primaria de salud en personas con discapacidad física. Métodos: Se realizó una revisión bibliográfica cuya metodología estuvo basada en la búsqueda, selección, revisión, interpretación y síntesis de la evidencia científica relacionada con el problema de investigación. Se utilizó como fuente de literatura científica primaria la publicada en las bases de datos Scielo, Redalyc, Latindex y PudMed en los últimos 5 años, con los términos de búsqueda MeSH en idoma español, inglés y portugués. Desarrollo: Se identificó un total de 67 documentos de los cuales se empleó 46 en la investigación realizada. Los restantes 21 manuscritos fueron excluidos por presentar deficiencias metodológicas que limitaban su utilización. Las principales barreras son las condiciones físicas de las unidades de salud; el funcionamiento del Sistema de Salud; el acceso de las personas con discapacidad a la atención primaria de salud; y las características del paciente y su entorno familiar. El principal facilitador es el relacionado con el Sistema de Salud. Conclusiones: El acceso de las personas con discapacidad física a los servicios de salud está condicionado por situaciones que se interpretan como barreras o facilitadores. En este sentido los factores relacionados con el sistema de salud nacional y con las características y el entorno de la persona con discapacidad pueden comportarse como barrera o como facilitador, en dependencia de su expresión(AU)

Introduction: Disability is considered a health problem worldwide. People with physical disabilities are susceptible to different health problems. Despite being a prioritized group, access to health services is lower than that of the general population, conditioned by the presence of different types of barriers. Objective: To describe the barriers and facilitators of access to primary health care in people with physical disabilities. Methods: A bibliographic review was carried out whose methodology was based on the search, selection, review, interpretation and synthesis of the scientific evidence related to the research problem. It was used as a source of primary scientific literature published in the databases Scielo, Redalyc, Latindex and PudMed in the last 5 years, with the MeSH search terms in Spanish, English and Portuguese. Results: A total of 67 documents were identified, of which 46 were used in the research carried out. The remaining 21 manuscripts were excluded due to methodological deficiencies that limited their use. Conclusions: The access of people with physical disabilities to health services is conditioned by situations that are interpreted as barriers or facilitators. In this sense, the factors related to the national health system and the characteristics and environment of the person with a disability can act as a barrier or as a facilitator, depending on their expression(AU)

The Case for Ethical Efficiency: A System That Has Run Out of Time.

The American health care system increasingly conflates physician "productivity" with true clinical efficiency. In reality, inordinate time pressure on physicians compromises quality of care, decreases patient satisfaction, increases clinician burnout, and costs the health care system a great deal in the long term even if it is financially expedient in the short term. Inadequate time to deliver care thereby conflicts with the core principles of biomedical ethics, including autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. We propose that the health care system adjust its focus to recognize the nonmonetary value of physician time while still realizing the need to deploy resources as effectively as possible, a concept we describe as "ethical efficiency."

Safety culture in emergency medicine: An exploratory qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Safety culture in Emergency Departments (EDs) requires special attention due to unique operational feature of the ED environment. Which may influence a culture of patients' safety in the ED. OBJECTIVE: To identify the factors that influence patient safety culture in EDs. METHODS: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with 12 ED staff was carried out in two Australian EDs. The data was thematically analysed to identify and describe the factors perceived by staff as influencing patient safety culture. RESULTS: The findings revealed four super-ordinate themes and 19 categories. The themes were the following: (1) Environmental and Organisational; (2) Healthcare Professional (3) Managerial factors; and (4) Patients factors. CONCLUSIONS: Safety culture in the ED is influenced by complex set of factors. The results of this study may help ED workers with improving patient safety culture and healthcare quality in the ED.

The Experiences of Ghanaian Midwives on the Use of Nonadjustable Delivery Beds: A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: Hospital beds are of great assistance to both clients and caregivers as they give lots of choices to the users. More often, clients have difficulty getting in and out of beds, but the adjustable features of the beds make it possible for them to be comfortable, regardless of their condition. This situation may not be the same if nonadjustable delivery beds (NADBs) are used in conducting deliveries at health care facilities. This study explored the experiences of midwives using NADBs in selected Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) hospitals in the Volta Region of Ghana. METHODS: The study employed an exploratory qualitative research design with purposive sampling. Semistructured interview data were audio recorded. The inclusion criteria were professional midwives with at least 1 year of working skills and the midwives should have conducted deliveries using NADBs during their practice. Data were collected concurrently with data transcription and analyzed using content analysis. Saturation was reached after the 20th interview. RESULTS: Three themes emerged from the study: NADBs not comfortable to work with, assumption of awkward postures, and the nature of the delivery beds. CONCLUSION: The findings of the study show that midwives experience several setbacks in the use of NADBs in conducting deliveries as they sacrifice their health for work.

Development of employment indicators to advance the quality of spinal cord injury rehabilitation care: SCI-High Project.

CONTEXT: Employment and Return to Work (RTW) rates following spinal cord injury/disease (SCI/D) are low due to individual and impairments characteristics, secondary health conditions, social and environmental barriers, prior work experience, workplace supports and resources, and physical or psychosocial work demands. To improve RTW, the SCI-High Project team developed a set of Employment structure, process, and outcome indicators for adults with SCI/D in the first 18 months after rehabilitation admission. METHODS: A pan-Canadian Working Group of diverse stakeholders: (1) defined the Employment construct; (2) conducted a systematic search of available outcomes measures; (3) constructed a Driver diagram summarizing factors associated with employment. Subsequent facilitated meetings allowed for the creation of structure and process indicators, and the selection of outcome indicators. RESULTS: The structure indicator is the proportion of SCI/D rehabilitation programs with an employment resource center. The process indicator is the proportion of SCI/D rehabilitation inpatients who receive an employment assessment during inpatient rehabilitation. The intermediary and final outcome measures are the Readiness for Return-to-Work Scale (RRTW) and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI). Scale A of the RRTW for those who are unemployed and Scale B of RRTW and WPAI will be used for those who are employed. CONCLUSION: This framework of Employment indicators intends to support the RTW needs of persons with SCI/D by ensuring that rehabilitation professionals provide opportunities to explore RTW within the first 18 months after rehab admission. Increased employment rates have the potential to enhance the wellbeing, health, and longevity of individuals with SCI/D.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Hospital: Inpatient's Perceived Quality in Spain.

Although the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has generated a large amount of studies, the patient-perceived quality of care (PQ) in this context is still not well known, so more studies intending to focus on this issue are strongly needed. This study assesses changes on PQ in patients hospitalized in Spain during the first month of the COVID-19 pandemic and investigates differences between those admitted for this cause and the rest a descriptive study using the "Net Promoters Score" and the hospital regular monitoring plan. Due to this point of view, ethical approval is not applicable. Four PQ dimensions (nurse, physician, and nurse assistant actions [NA], and discharge information [DI]) were measured in all COVID patients (57) and in a sample of non-COVID patients (60) discharged at home during the first month of the pandemic, and also compared with another sample (384) from an immediately previous period. The COVID patients scored worse (8.2) than non-COVID ones (9.0; P < .0001), especially in NA and DI, and were more likely to be detractors (odds ratio [OR]: 3.05, P < .0001) and less to be promoters (OR: 0.64, P < .05). Global and DI net promoters score values before the pandemic were higher than afterward. In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic negatively and significantly influenced the health care quality as perceived by inpatients, both in COVID and in non-COVID ones, but more intensely in the former. As a health care organization, this knowledge meant an opportunity from improvement and to be better qualified to face the pandemic.

Impact assessment of accreditation in primary and secondary public health-care institutions in Kerala, India.

BACKGROUND: Accreditation has become a benchmark for health-care organizations that require huge investment and effort. The impact of accreditation in health-care delivery needs to be assessed. OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to assess the impact of accreditation on the quality of public healthcare delivery in primary and secondary healthcare settings in Kerala. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2017 to July 2018 among 621 in-patients in medical wards at accredited (312) and nonaccredited (309) primary (community health center) and secondary (general, women and children, and taluk level hospitals) public health-care facilities. Ten constructs such as physical facility, admission services, patient centeredness, accessibility of medical care, financial matters, professionalism, staff services, medical quality, diagnostic services, and patient satisfaction were used in the study. Nonaccredited and accredited hospitals were compared using Median and Kruskal-Wallis test using SPSS version 22, with a set significance level of P ≤0 .05. RESULTS: The median score of constructs of accredited primary health-care facilities in the Structure, Process, and Outcome domains are higher than the nonaccredited hospitals. There are significant differences between the scores of these three domains in accredited and nonaccredited primary health-care institutions but absent in secondary care institutions. CONCLUSION: If accreditation has to bring the embedded quality, structural, and procedural aspects of health-care facilities must be improved. Structural upgradation of a health-care facility alone cannot guarantee patient satisfaction. Accreditation process must be perceived as a tool for holistic and continuous transformation of a health-care facility overarching infrastructural and interpersonal domains.

Mapping evidence on standards and quality of care for older persons in long-term care facilities: a scoping review protocol.

BACKGROUND: Ageing is a global and universal process that results in physiological, psychological and behavioural changes. Due to the changing needs of the individual and the circumstances of the family, long-term care of older persons in facilities has become essential. The standard and quality of health care for older persons in long-term care facilities is critical to maintain functional ability in keeping with international goals of healthy ageing. This study, therefore, will aim to systematically map literature and describe the evidence on standards and the quality of health care for older persons living in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). METHODS: A scoping review will be conducted using Arksey and O'Malley's framework and recommendations set out by Levac and colleagues. PubMed, CINAHL, Health Sources, PsycInfo, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar will be searched for relevant published studies/sources of evidence up to the last search date. The search will be conducted using keywords, and Boolean terms, and Medical Subject Headings/Subject Headings. EndNote X9 will be used to compile all relevant sources of evidence. This study will include studies involving participants ≥ 65 years old, living in LTCFs for older persons. English language publications, with no time limitations, and primary studies, guidelines, and quality of care specific to LTCFs for older persons will be sourced. Two reviewers will independently screen all sources of evidence at the title, abstract, and full-text screening stages as well as perform the data charting. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis flow diagram will be used to account for all relevant sources of evidence during the screening. Thematic content analysis will be used to describe the themes aligned with this study's research question based on initial coding and categorisation and a summary of the findings reported narratively for each theme. DISCUSSION: We anticipate that this scoping review will highlight the standards of care and assessment tools available worldwide, in addition to gaps that exist in the evidence base for older persons in LTCFs. These may include an exposition of the standards and quality of care documented, monitoring and evaluation processes, instruments used for reviewing standards of care. This would contribute towards identifying the need for practical and universally acceptable tools for LTCFs for older persons.