It takes a community to care for the sick and disabled

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a broad overview of the articles published in the current issue. Design/methodology/approach The review editor reads all articles accepted for the current issue of IJHG, identifying common themes and selecting other relevant articles to explore these themes more fully. Findings The findings of this review indicate that the most effective way to care for the sick or disabled is with community involvement. Practical implications The practical implications are that the review helps readers to gain a better understanding of the journal content and how for each issue, common themes can be developed and discussed. Originality/value No other Emerald Journal has a review section of this type so it is a unique selling point for IJHG

The pre-eminence of patient safety in health care governance

In the field of health care, the first decades of the 21st century will be remembered as the time period when patient safety became a central pillar of healthcare governance. This era was ushered in by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report “To err is human: building a safer health system” (Kohn, Corrigan & Donaldson 1999) which focused on the human cost of medical error Patient safety continues to occupy the minds of both patients and of health care providers. This article reviews a number of authors publishing in the current issue of IJHG who pose questions about patient safety and consider solutions to ensure patients remain safe and health practitioners can do their jobs with the assurance that they will be able to fulfill the edict of the Hippocratic oath, to do no harm

Chasing the golden fleece : increasing healthcare quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction while reducing costs

There are a number of global concerns in healthcare today including ageing populations, high cost of developing new drugs, high-risk lifestyles, and how to transfer research into practice. However, the overarching goal of healthcare systems everywhere, regardless of the particular issues, is to improve care while at the same time reducing cost. This could be called the ‘Golden Fleece’ of healthcare. Just as in Greek mythology, Jason and his Argonauts embarked on a long and risky journey to find something of which they had only heard rumours, healthcare managers seek methods of providing better care more efficiently, yet many fail on the quest. This is a review article which examines the seven articles which make up one issue of the International Journal of Clinical Governance (IJHG), and exploring themes relating to lean management in health governance

The blind men and the elephant

An old folk tale describes five blind men encountering an elephant. One grasps the tail, another feels the tusk, the third explores the flank while the last men encounter an ear and the elephant’s trunk. Each man describes a very different animal, yet all the descriptions together provide a clear picture of the elephant. Similarly each article in this issue of IJHG is very different. However taken together they provide an informative overview of some current global issues in health governance

The BaSICS (Baby Skin Integrity Comparison Survey) study : a prospective experimental study using maternal observations to report the effect of baby wipes on the incidence of irritant diaper dermatitis in infants, from birth to eight weeks of age

Background Baby wipes have been shown to be safe and effective in maintaining skin integrity when compared to the use of water alone. However, no previous study has compared different formulations of wipe. The aim of the BaSICS study was to identify any differences in incidence of irritant diaper dermatitis (IDD) in infants assigned to three different brands of wipe, all marketed as suitable for neonates, but which contained varying numbers of ingredients. Methods Women were recruited during the prenatal period. Participants were randomly assigned to receive one of three brands of wipe for use during the first eight weeks following childbirth. All participants received the same nappies. Participants reported their infant’s skin integrity on a scale of 1 to 5 daily using a bespoke smartphone application. Analysis of effect of brand on clinically significant IDD (score 3 or more) incidence was conducted using a negative binomial generalised linear model, controlling for possible confounders at baseline. Analysts were blind to brand of wipe. Results Of 737 women enrolled, 15 were excluded (admitted to neonatal intensive care, premature or other infant health issues). Of the 722 eligible babies, 698 (97%) remained in the study for the full 8-week duration, 24.6% of whom had IDD at some point during the study. Mothers using the brand with the fewest ingredients reported fewer days of clinically significant nappy rash (score≥3) than participants using the two other brands (p=0.002 and p<0.001). Severe IDD (grades 4 and 5) was rare (2.4%). Conclusions Rarity of severe IDD suggested that sensitive formula baby wipes are safe when used in cleansing babies from birth to eight weeks during nappy changes. The brand with fewest ingredients had significantly fewer days of clinically significant IDD. Daily observations recorded on a smartphone application proved to be a highly acceptable method of obtaining real-time data on IDD

Part 2 : a qualitative description of participation in an eight-week infant skin integrity study

Background This is the second paper in a two-part series; the first paper was published in volume 29, issue 4 of the British Journal of Midwifery. The qualitative phase of the Baby Skin Integrity Comparison Survey (BaSICS) study was designed to address a dearth of information about research recruitment and retention, and how mothers make decisions about neonatal skincare. Aims The aim of the qualitative phase of the BaSICS study was to explore participants’ experience of participating in the research and how this interrelated with the experience of newborn skincare. Methods Semi-structured, face-to-face or telephone interviews were used to collect data. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. Data analysis used both software and manual methods. Findings Motivation included both altruism and personal benefits. The bespoke smartphone application was a convenient and easy tool for data collection, and being afforded full responsibility for observing and recording infant skin condition increased mothers' awareness of skin changes. Family, friends and the internet were the most commonly used sources of information about baby skincare. Conclusion The qualitative interview component of the BaSICS study provided information that could not have been deduced from the daily survey and final questionnaire alone. This provides valuable guidance for future research in the field of infant skincare

Health policy : what/when/how?

Health policy is a very broad term encompassing ways in which care is planned in a single setting to national or international guidelines to improve population health. Policy guidance may relate to prevention or treatment of a single illness or to environmental changes, which have multiple impacts on various different aspects of health. Health policy also relates to medicines development and management, the organisation of healthcare, models of healthcare and training and regulation of health professionals

Introduction to Health Informatics : A Canadian Perspective

Book revie

Good maternity care governance is a global issue

Journal editorial