HIA in Switzerland: strategies for achieving Health in All Policies

The purpose of this article is to review the status of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) in Switzerland and assess whether HIA can be used to implement Health in All Policies (HiAP) in this highly decentralized country. The methods include expert opinion and an extensive literature review, as well as targeted interviews with key informers in the cantons of Geneva, Jura and Ticino. HIA has been implemented successfully since the early 2000s in Switzerland. However, integration has been heterogeneous with only a few cantons taking the lead. Integration of HIA at the federal level was attempted in 2012 but failed due to resistance from a pro-business lobby. HIA in Switzerland has the potential to contribute to HiAP, but success depends on a wider dissemination of HIA and on some form of integration at the national level. In this respect, a‘bottom-up' approach based on inter-cantonal collaborations appearsmore promising than the‘top-down'federal level approach

HIA in Switzerland: strategies for achieving Health in All Policies

The purpose of this article is to review the status of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) in Switzerland and assess whether HIA can be used to implement Health in All Policies (HiAP) in this highly decentralized country. The methods include expert opinion and an extensive literature review, as well as targeted interviews with key informers in the cantons of Geneva, Jura and Ticino. HIA has been implemented successfully since the early 2000s in Switzerland. However, integration has been heterogeneous with only a few cantons taking the lead. Integration of HIA at the federal level was attempted in 2012 but failed due to resistance from a pro-business lobby. HIA in Switzerland has the potential to contribute to HiAP, but success depends on a wider dissemination of HIA and on some form of integration at the national level. In this respect, a ‘bottom-up ’ approach based on inter-cantonal collaborations appears more promising than the ‘top-down ’ federal level approach. Key words: determinants of health, Health Impact Assessment, healthy public policy, Switzerlan

HIA in Switzerland: strategies for achieving Health in All Policies

The purpose of this article is to review the status of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) in Switzerland and assess whether HIA can be used to implement Health in All Policies (HiAP) in this highly decentralized country. The methods include expert opinion and an extensive literature review, as well as targeted interviews with key informers in the cantons of Geneva, Jura and Ticino. HIA has been implemented successfully since the early 2000s in Switzerland. However, integration has been heterogeneous with only a few cantons taking the lead. Integration of HIA at the federal level was attempted in 2012 but failed due to resistance from a pro-business lobby. HIA in Switzerland has the potential to contribute to HiAP, but success depends on a wider dissemination of HIA and on some form of integration at the national level. In this respect, a ‘bottom-up' approach based on inter-cantonal collaborations appears more promising than the ‘top-down' federal level approach

Implementation of a Novel Concept of Emergency Department Management: e-Boss

Hospital-based emergency services are frequently criticized worldwide for their management, which can lead to a decrease in staff motivation, with a potential impact on patient safety. This article describes how harnessing the power of social networks can facilitate the management of emergency department teams. Beyond teaching, promoting emergency medicine and recruiting health professionals, these tools can unite employees around a virtual leader and help develop a true service culture. The concept of management through social networks is a novel manner to reach out to staff and should be further explored for use in the health care context