The Impact of Strategic Planning on Job Satisfaction among Hospital Staff: a case study

Background & Objectives: Hospital staff's job satisfaction has a significant role in improving the quality of hospital productivity. This study aimed to examine the impact of strategic planning on hospital staff's job satisfaction. Methods: This participatory action research was carried out in a selected private hospital in Isfahan/ Iran during 2012-2014. The hospital strategic plan, with a goal for improving job satisfaction was designed and implemented. Employees’ job satisfaction was measured before and after implementing the strategic plan through 9-item Job Satisfaction Questionnaire. Data were analyzed through SPSS22 software package. Results: The rate of subjects' job satisfaction in 2012 was approximately 58.6%. The highest satisfaction rate was found for the nature of job and job and coworkers' needs and the lowest was obtained for salary, job promotion, work conditions and job security. Employees’ job satisfaction increased to 64.7% in 2014 (10.1% improvement). Employees’ tendency for job quit decreased by 61.4% (from 42.2% in 2012 to 16.3% in 2014). Strategic plan had the most impact on dimensions of job promotion, management and supervision, coworkers and salary. Conclusion: Adequate designing and implementation of a strategic plan can improve job satisfaction of employees and reduces their tendency for job quit. Key¬words: Strategic planning, Employees, Job satisfaction, Hospital, Case study ¬Citation: Mosadeghrad AM, Ebneshahidi A, Abdolmohammadi N. The Impact of Strategic Planning on Job Satisfaction among Hospital Staff: a case study. Journal of Health Based Research 2017; 3(2): 99-114

The Impact of Strategic Planning on Patient Satisfaction: a case study

Background & Objectives: Patient satisfaction is a key hospital quality and effectiveness indicator. Strategic planning is necessary for hospitals to respond to the rapidly changing internal and external environments, to provide quality services, to maximize revenues and to minimize costs. This study aimed to examine the impact of strategic planning on patient satisfaction in a hospital. Methods: A participatory action research was conducted in a private hospital during the period 2012-2014. Hospital strategic plan was developed and implemented. A goal for enhancing patients’ satisfaction was determined in the strategic plan. Structural, procedural and cultural interventions were applied to improve patient satisfaction. Patient satisfaction was measured before and after implementing the strategic plan via a valid and reliable questionnaire. Data was analyzed using the SPSS software. Results: The quality of inpatient services and outpatient services were increased 6% and 8.6% respectively. Accordingly, inpatient satisfaction has increased from 77.4% in 2012 to 83.8% in 2014 (a growth of 8.3%). Out patient satisfaction has increased from 71.6% to 88.8% (a growth of 24%) during the same time period. Outpatients’ waiting time has declined by 33%. Improving quality of services and patient satisfaction enhanced inpatients’ and outpatients’ loyalty by 20% and 87% respectively. Conclusion: Developing an appropriate strategic plan, promoting a collaborative and cooperative culture, empowering employees, expanding organizational resources and implementing the strategic plan appropriately improve patient satisfaction and enhance their loyalty. Keywords: Strategic planning, Inpatients satisfaction, Outpatients satisfaction, Private hospital, case study, Participatory action research Citation: Mosadeghrad AM, Ebneshahidi A, Abdolmohammadi N. The Impact of Strategic Planning on Patient Satisfaction: a case study. Journal of Health Based Research 2018; 4(1): 13-29

The Impact of Strategic Planning on Hospital Efficiency: A Case Study

Background & Objectives: It is necessary to utilize hospital scare resources to meet patients’ unlimited needs. Hospital managers should pay more attention to efficiency. This study aimed to examine the impact of strategic planning on hospital efficiency in 2012-2014. Methods: A participatory action research was used in this study. The hospital strategic plan was formulated and implemented. There was a goal and objectives for increasing hospital productivity and efficiency in the strategic plan. Hospital efficiency was measured before and after implementing the strategic plan using bed occupancy (BO), patients’ average length of stay (LOS) in the hospital, bed turnover (BT) and bed turnover interval (BTI) indicators. Data was analyzed using the SPSS software. Results: The hospital BO and BT rates were increased by 16.7% and 25% respectively in 2014 compared to 2011. The average LOS and BTI rates swere reduced by 7.5% and 57% respectively during the same period. The case hospital’s BO and BT rates were respectively 3.2% and 79.8% higher than the average of all Iranian general hospitals’ BO and BT rates. Patient LOS and hospital BTI rate in the case hospital were 57% and 54% lower than the average of these indicators among the country’s general hospitals. Conclusion: Developing an appropriate strategic plan and implementing it properly help to improve hospital efficiency. Adopting and adapting industrial management theories and models could enhance hospitals’ performance. Hospital managers should be trained properly in strategic planning formulation and implementation. Key¬words: Strategic planning, Efficiency, Private hospital, Participative action research. Citation: Mosadeghrad AM, Ebneshahidi A, Abdolmohammadi N. The Impact of Strategic Planning on Hospital Efficiency: A Case Study. Journal of Health Based Research 2018; 4(3): 317-34. [In Persian

Blinding Techniques in Randomized Controlled Trials of Laser Therapy: An Overview and Possible Solution

Low-level laser therapy has evidence accumulating about its effectiveness in a variety of medical conditions. We reviewed 51 double blind randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of laser treatment. Analysis revealed 58% of trials showed benefit of laser over placebo. However, less than 5% of the trials had addressed beam disguise or allocation concealment in the laser machines used. Many of the trials used blinding methods that rely on staff cooperation and are therefore open to interference or bias. This indicates significant deficiencies in laser trial methodology. We report the development and preliminary testing of a novel laser machine that can blind both patient and operator to treatment allocation without staff participation. The new laser machine combines sealed preset and non-bypassable randomization codes, decoy lights and sound, and a conical perspex tip to overcome laser diode glow detection

How might acupuncture work? A systematic review of physiologic rationales from clinical trials

BACKGROUND: Scientific interest in acupuncture has led numerous investigators to conduct clinical trials to test the efficacy of acupuncture for various conditions, but the mechanisms underlying acupuncture are poorly understood. METHODS: The author conducted a PubMed search to obtain a fair sample of acupuncture clinical trials published in English in 2005. Each article was reviewed for a physiologic rationale, as well as study objectives and outcomes, experimental and control interventions, country of origin, funding sources and journal type. RESULTS: Seventy-nine acupuncture clinical trials were identified. Twenty-six studies (33%) offered no physiologic rationale. Fifty-three studies (67%) posited a physiologic basis for acupuncture: 33 (62% of 53) proposed neurochemical mechanisms, 2 (4%) segmental nervous system effects, 6 (11%) autonomic nervous system regulation, 3 (6%) local effects, 5 (9%) effects on brain function and 5 (9%) other effects. No rationale was proposed for stroke; otherwise having a rationale was not associated with objective, positive or negative findings, means of intervention, country of origin, funding source or journal type. The dominant explanation for how acupuncture might work involves neurochemical responses and is not reported to be dependent on treatment objective, specific points, means or method of stimulation. CONCLUSION: Many acupuncture trials fail to offer a meaningful rationale, but proposing a rationale can help investigators to develop and test a causal hypothesis, choose an appropriate control and rule out placebo effects. Acupuncture may stimulate self-regulatory processes independent of the treatment objective, points, means or methods used; this would account for acupuncture's reported benefits in so many disparate pathologic conditions

Livable neighbourhoods in multicultural cities : immigrant women’s experiences and preferences

Immigrant women’s needs and their experiences of neighbourhood livability in multicultural countries such as Canada have been demonstrated to be worthy of study because they face barriers to settlement, accessing supports, and social integration. This dissertation, therefore, aims to achieve a deeper knowledge of immigrant women’s experiences in residential neighbourhoods and specifically asks the main question of what makes a neighbourhood livable for them in multicultural cities? This study was conducted in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada, using mixed methods. The findings of this study have been organized into three major manuscript-based chapters. Using a survey, the first manuscript examines how immigrant women perceive the importance of livability factors and tests the combined effect of those factors on their neighbourhood selection. The results stress the importance of neighbourhood safety, housing affordability and quality, and proximity to public transit. This manuscript also argues that immigrant women who valued socio-cultural amenities/events, ethnolinguistic signs, and social contacts among neighbours preferred to live close to co-ethnics. Finally, this study reveals that participants who highly valued the factors of nightlife and proximity to workplaces, restaurants, and cafes had a tendency toward Vancouver neighbourhoods, while those who valued the factors of proximity to schools and daycares, police stations, and having friendly neighbours had a tendency toward suburban neighbourhoods. Data for the second manuscript was collected through interviews. Exploring how newcomer women experience the social aspects of neighbourhood livability, this manuscript identifies four potential actions to make neighbourhoods socially livable for newcomer women: boosting social cohesion, building multicultural neighbourhoods, developing settlement supports, and improving neighbourhood safety. The research data in the final manuscript was drawn from mental mapping exercises, investigating how newcomer women perceive their physical neighbourhood boundaries. The results of this manuscript demonstrate the contribution of the following four main amenities to shaping the perceived neighbourhood boundaries and livability: lively social and community-based spaces, inviting green spaces, shopping streets and shopping malls, and ethnic markets. According to these results, I proposed a guiding framework in the concluding chapter, including ten dimensions, for the design and development of more livable neighbourhoods in multicultural cities.Graduate and Postdoctoral StudiesGraduat