VCU Media Lab

We propose the establishment of a VCU Media Lab – a professional creative media technology unit whose mission is to support the development, design, production and delivery of innovative media, multimedia, computer-based instruction, publications and tools in support of VCU education, research and marketing initiatives. This centrally administered, budgeted and resourced facility will acknowledge, refine, focus and expand media services that are currently being provided at VCU in a decentralized manner

Addressing the Health Needs of an Aging America: New Opportunities for Evidence-Based Policy Solutions

This report systematically maps research findings to policy proposals intended to improve the health of the elderly. The study identified promising evidence-based policies, like those supporting prevention and care coordination, as well as areas where the research evidence is strong but policy activity is low, such as patient self-management and palliative care. Future work of the Stern Center will focus on these topics as well as long-term care financing, the health care workforce, and the role of family caregivers

How can diagnostic assessment programs be implemented to enhance inter-professional collaborative care for cancer?

BackgroundInter-professional collaborative care (ICC) for cancer leads to multiple system, organizational, professional, and patient benefits, but is limited by numerous challenges. Empirical research on interventions that promote or enable ICC is sparse so guidance on how to achieve ICC is lacking. Research shows that ICC for diagnosis could be improved. Diagnostic assessment programs (DAPs) appear to be a promising model for enabling ICC. The purpose of this study was to explore how DAP structure and function enable ICC, and whether that may be associated with organizational and clinical outcomes.MethodsA case study approach will be used to explore ICC among eight DAPs that vary by type of cancer (lung, breast), academic status, and geographic region. To describe DAP function and outcomes, and gather information that will enable costing, recommendations expressed in DAP standards and clinical guidelines will be assessed through retrospective observational study. Data will be acquired from databases maintained by participating DAPs and the provincial cancer agency, and confirmed by and supplemented with review of medical records. We will conduct a pilot study to explore the feasibility of estimating the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio using person-level data from medical records and other sources. Interviews will be conducted with health professionals, staff, and referring physicians from each DAP to learn about barriers and facilitators of ICC. Qualitative methods based on a grounded approach will be used to guide sampling, data collection and analysis.DiscussionFindings may reveal opportunities for unique structures, interventions or tools that enable ICC that could be developed, implemented, and evaluated through future research. This information will serve as a formative needs assessment to identify the nature of ongoing or required improvements, which can be directly used by our decision maker collaborators, and as a framework by policy makers, cancer system managers, and DAP managers elsewhere to strategically plan for and implement diagnostic cancer services

Proposal to Strenghern Health Information System [HIS]

\ud The HMIS Program described in this document aims at improving and strengthening the current Health Management Information System (HMIS) in Tanzania, known as MTUHA. The consortium behind the HMIS Program is headed by the Ministry of Health & Social Welfare (MOHSW) and consists of the following additional partners; Ifakara Health Research and Development Centre, University of Dar es Salaam and the University of Oslo, representing national and international capacity in HMIS. The HMIS Program is linked to the Payment for performance (P4P) funding scheme which is initiated by the Norway Tanzania Partnership Initiative. The P4P has a focus on maternal and child health and relies upon quality indicators on performance in these areas from health facilities and districts. The provision of quality data and indicators on MDG 4 & 5 is therefore a key target for the HMIS Program. The chosen approach is, however, to derive these data from the HMIS and not to establish a separate data collection structure, hence the HMIS Program. Quality information by way of essential indicators, such as for monitoring the Millennium Development Goals 4 & 5, are crucial for health services delivery and program management as well as for M&E. Currently, however, the HMIS is not providing such needed data of sufficient completeness, timeliness and quality, leading health programs and funding agencies to establish their own structures for data collection, and thus creating fragmentation and adding to the problem. The HMIS Program aims at changing this negative trend and turning the HMIS into the key source of shared essential quality information in Tanzania by; focusing on action oriented use of information for management at each level of the health services and by providing timely quality information to all stakeholders, including all health programs and funding agencies in the HMIS strengthening process – making it an all-inclusive national process, focusing on capacity development; on-site support and facilitation, short courses and continuous education, building capacity in the MOHSW and establishing a national network of HMIS support, and by building on experience, methods and tools from Africa’s “best practices” HMIS, such as South Africa – and Zanzibar Within this proposal the aim is to carry out the HMIS strengthening process in 1/3 of the districts in the country, 7 regions, during the first 3 years. The objective, however, is to cover the entire country during the 5 years duration of the NTPI. By aiming at quick and tangible results, the expectation is that other funding agencies will join forces and thereby ensuring national coverage.\ud \u

Health System Reform: The Value and Price of Innovation

Explores the role of innovation in healthcare by reviewing the literature on international, federal, state, and local examples of system change; barriers to change; the contributions of research, academia, and industry; and the financing of innovation

Technology Target Studies: Technology Solutions to Make Patient Care Safer and More Efficient

Presents findings on technologies that could enhance care delivery, including patient records and medication processes; features and functionality nurses require, including tracking, interoperability, and hand-held capability; and best practices

Curriculum renewal for interprofessional education in health

In this preface we comment on four matters that we think bode well for the future of interprofessional education in Australia. First, there is a growing articulation, nationally and globally, as to the importance of interprofessional education and its contribution to the development of interprofessional and collaborative health practices. These practices are increasingly recognised as central to delivering effective, efficient, safe and sustainable health services. Second, there is a rapidly growing interest and institutional engagement with interprofessional education as part of pre-registration health professional education. This has changed substantially in recent years. Whilst beyond the scope of our current studies, the need for similar developments in continuing professional development (CPD) for health professionals was a consistent topic in our stakeholder consultations. Third, we observe what might be termed a threshold effect occurring in the area of interprofessional education. Projects that address matters relating to IPE are now far more numerous, visible and discussed in terms of their aggregate outcomes. The impact of this momentum is visible across the higher education sector. Finally, we believe that effective collaboration is a critical mediating process through which the rich resources of disciplinary knowledge and capability are joined to add value to existing health service provision. We trust the conceptual and practical contributions and resources presented and discussed in this report contribute to these developments.Office of Learning and Teaching Australi