Identity Management for Health Professionals - A Method for the Integration of Responsibility, Organization, and IT

As a result of growing economic pressures, collaborations and process orientation are rapidly gaining importance for hospitals. With organisation and software landscapes which have grown over time in line with specific professional groups and functions, the paradigm shift places high demands on integration. One of the key challenges in this context is the hospital-wide management of medical staff identities along patient processes. Effective identity management calls for technical means (e.g. for exchanging user data between applications), organisational definitions (e.g. HR processes for starts, departures and changes of hospital medical staff) and regulated responsibilities (e.g. for role definitions). The article shows that while the technical solutions do exist in practice, the necessary prerequisites are frequently missing where organisation and responsibility are concerned. The changes linked with meeting those prerequisites are likely to affect the work of medical staff and can encounter resistance. A very cautious approach is required to the apparently “technical” task of establishing a system of identity management. The article presents a procedure model which has been put to the test in practice. It ensures that responsibility and authority for identity management are successively installed in line with the specific circumstances that prevail in hospitals

Implementing Care Aims in an integrated team

Care Aims is increasingly being used as a model of care within NHS services, particularly by allied health professionals. This article reports the findings of a pilot study exploring the impact of implementing Care Aims in an integrated community health team. It describes the main findings, and discusses the factors that appeared to impact on the implementation and use of the Care Aims approach in these teams. The model has been traditionally used in uni-professional teams rather than integrated teams. This case study suggests Care Aims has potential to support integrated team working. In this study, clinicians perceived Care Aims was a model that could improve care for patients, support professionals working together and support self-management. However, it is unclear whether it was Care Aims itself or the training and discussion that took place that enabled this team to develop and agree more consistent working practices. Similar to previous studies, this study has shown how team and professional culture can influence how team members work together and provide care in an integrated way. Team and professional cultures are also shown to influence how team members approach and embrace that change. As such, Care Aims may be more challenging to some staff groups to implement

Do management accounting systems influence organizational change or vice-versa? Evidence from a case of constructive research in the Healthcare Sector

The paper aims to analyze the process of change of management accounting system (MAS) as a consequence of changes in the complexity of organizational structure in healthcare. It analyzes the process of change of MAS according with the theoretical frameworks of Habermas (1987) and Laughlin (1991).In this organizational changes are seen as the consequence of the interaction between tangible and intangible elements of the organization and between the organization and the external environment. The process of change was not studied from an external standpoint, but through an active participation and contribution of the researchers in the process of change itself. Using a constructive approach, the researchers were actively involved with the actors of the change in developing the process of change, and in facilitating the overcoming of some cultural gaps and resistance which could arise in professional organization. The paper provides empirical insights of the characteristics of the process of change of MAS in a Heath Care setting with a particular focus on aspects characterizing the process of change itself. Finding suggests the importance of putting high attention in the development of the process of change and underlines how the attention to peculiarities of the organization, in to this phase, could make the MAS able to impact on the behaviours and culture of professionals.Management Accounting Change, Healthcare Accounting, Habermas

Entry-Level Competencies of New Student Affairs Professionals: A Delphi Study

The study examines the perceptions of 104 mid- and senior-level student affairs administrators of positions, responsibilities, competencies, and theories important for professional practice for new student affairs professionals. In regard to competencies, the results of this study provide important information about preprofessional abilities that are integral to professional practice, and participants also identified several competencies not identified in prior research that may be important to positions involving high contact with students. These results, then, provide vital information for curriculum development in graduate preparation programs and for professional development training for new professionals

New Frontiers of Social Investment: Learning from the InterCement Experience

This is a case study done by the Dom Cabral Foundation evaluating the presence of Camargo Corrêa Institute programs and InterCement company Camargo Corrêa Group, in the municipality of Pedro Leopoldo (MG)

Strengthening health-related rehabilitation services at national levels.

OBJECTIVE: One of the aims of the World Health Organization\u27s Global Disability Action Plan is to strengthen rehabilitation services. Some countries have requested support to develop (scale-up) rehabilitation services. This paper describes the measures required and how (advisory) missions can support this purpose, with the aim of developing National Disability, Health and Rehabilitation Plans. RECOMMENDATIONS: It is important to clarify the involvement of governments in the mission, to define clear terms of reference, and to use a systematic pathway for situation assessment. Information must be collected regarding policies, health, disability, rehabilitation, social security systems, the need for rehabilitation, and the existing rehabilitation services and workforce. Site visits and stakeholder dialogues must be done. In order to develop a Rehabilitation Service Implementation Framework, existing rehabilitation services, workforce, and models for service implementation and development of rehabilitation professions are described. Governance, political will and a common understanding of disability and rehabilitation are crucial for implementation of the process. The recommendations of the World Report on Disability are used for reporting purposes. CONCLUSION: This concept is feasible, and leads to concrete recommendations and proposals for projects and a high level of consensus stakeholders

Il costo dell’intervento chirurgico in laparoscopia con l’Activity Based Costing

The purpose of this research is to analyze the role of the Management Control System (MCS) and of the Management Accounting System (MAS) in healthcare (HC) organizations. It aims at studying if and how managerial considerations affect the clinical culture. Results are based on the findings of a research developed within 12 Local Health Authorities (Aziende Sanitarie Locali LHAs) and 4 Teaching Hospital (Aziende Ospedaliere Universitarie THs) in Italian Tuscany Region and address the possibility to develop an alternative model from those of accountingization or legitimation proposed in literature to understand the role of these systems in healthcare. Results highlight that the economic language may assume a great importance in clinicians’ decision making and penetrates into clinical culture. Most important factor affecting results is the development of an alliance between controllers and clinicians, based trust and collaboration. The paper is a contribution to the literature about the role of MCS and MAS in healthcare and it is developed within the schemes traced by Habermas and refined by Laughlin and by Broadbent and Laughlin. The original value stands on the individuation of a model where the “integrative interactive” management model is able to penetrate clinical discourse and the conditions at which it can be developed.Management Accounting Change, Management Control Change, Healthcare Accounting, Professional organization, accountinization, legitimation, Habermas

Unmet goals of tracking: within-track heterogeneity of students' expectations for

Educational systems are often characterized by some form(s) of ability grouping, like tracking. Although substantial variation in the implementation of these practices exists, it is always the aim to improve teaching efficiency by creating homogeneous groups of students in terms of capabilities and performances as well as expected pathways. If students’ expected pathways (university, graduate school, or working) are in line with the goals of tracking, one might presume that these expectations are rather homogeneous within tracks and heterogeneous between tracks. In Flanders (the northern region of Belgium), the educational system consists of four tracks. Many students start out in the most prestigious, academic track. If they fail to gain the necessary credentials, they move to the less esteemed technical and vocational tracks. Therefore, the educational system has been called a 'cascade system'. We presume that this cascade system creates homogeneous expectations in the academic track, though heterogeneous expectations in the technical and vocational tracks. We use data from the International Study of City Youth (ISCY), gathered during the 2013-2014 school year from 2354 pupils of the tenth grade across 30 secondary schools in the city of Ghent, Flanders. Preliminary results suggest that the technical and vocational tracks show more heterogeneity in student’s expectations than the academic track. If tracking does not fulfill the desired goals in some tracks, tracking practices should be questioned as tracking occurs along social and ethnic lines, causing social inequality

Models for schools of public health: A scoping review and synthesis of existing evidence

The final report on 'Models for schools of public health: A scoping review and synthesis of existing evidence' produced by Steven, Lombardo and Goodall and commissioned by Public Health Gateshead is now available. To date, existing evidence regarding models (organisational, structural, managerial, administrational) for Schools of Public Health (SsPH) has not been systematically collected or synthesised. This study aims to begin to fill that gap by using a combination of rapid review and scoping review techniques to retrieve and assess existing literature to identify potential and existing models, themes and issues and where possible highlight strengths and weaknesses