On assessing the efficiency of executive authorities in achieving the national development goals

Objective: to identify and characterize the current trends in improving approaches to evaluating the performance of executive authorities, taking into account the trends and prospects for improving their activities to implement the goals and objectives of national, federal, and regional projects.Methods: general scientific methods of the systematic approach aimed at a holistic perception of the research object, such as comparison, grouping, other statistical methods, as well as the scenario approach and expert assessments.Results: the issues of management system in the activities of government bodies that affect the efficiency of public servants are identified, systematized and characterized. Based on the analysis of the dynamics and structure of the number of state and municipal employees and their remuneration in the Russian Federation, Southern Federal district and Volgograd region, the differences in the work of state and municipal employees at different levels are reasoned and proposals are developed for the use of a system of key performance indicators (KPI) linked to the goals and objectives of national projects at all levels of executive power. Taking into account the example of calculating KPI, an algorithm for its implementation is proposed, the positive and negative consequences of this system in executive authorities are justified.Scientific novelty: the article for the first time gives an assessment of the prospects for implementing KPI for state and municipal employees with a detailed justification of both advantages and risks of implementing such a system, taking into account the impact of national projects’ goals and objectives on the content and working conditions of executive authorities involved in their implementation.Practical significance: the findings and results of the study can be used in the educational process when studying the use of KPI to improve the efficiency of state and municipal employees at the level of individual governance bodies; the article is also of interest for implementation or development of the KPI system at regional and municipal levels of executive authorities

Screening policies, preventive measures and in-hospital infection of COVID-19 in global surgical practices

Background: In a surgical setting, COVID-19 patients may trigger in-hospital outbreaks and have worse postoperative outcomes. Despite these risks, there have been no consistent statements on surgical guidelines regarding the perioperative screening or management of COVID-19 patients, and we do not have objective global data that describe the current conditions surrounding this issue. This study aimed to clarify the current global surgical practice including COVID-19 screening, preventive measures and in-hospital infection under the COVID-19 pandemic, and to clarify the international gaps on infection control policies among countries worldwide. Methods: During April 2-8, 2020, a cross-sectional online survey on surgical practice was distributed to surgeons worldwide through international surgical societies, social media and personal contacts. Main outcome and measures included preventive measures and screening policies of COVID-19 in surgical practice and centers' experiences of in-hospital COVID-19 infection. Data were analyzed by country's cumulative deaths number by April 8, 2020 (high risk, >5000; intermediate risk, 100-5000; low risk, <100). Results: A total of 936 centers in 71 countries responded to the survey (high risk, 330 centers; intermediate risk, 242 centers; low risk, 364 centers). In the majority (71.9%) of the centers, local guidelines recommended preoperative testing based on symptoms or suspicious radiologic findings. Universal testing for every surgical patient was recommended in only 18.4% of the centers. In-hospital COVID-19 infection was reported from 31.5% of the centers, with higher rates in higher risk countries (high risk, 53.6%; intermediate risk, 26.4%; low risk, 14.8%; P < 0.001). Of the 295 centers that experienced in-hospital COVID-19 infection, 122 (41.4%) failed to trace it and 58 (19.7%) reported the infection originating from asymptomatic patients/staff members. Higher risk countries adopted more preventive measures including universal testing, routine testing of hospital staff and use of dedicated personal protective equipment in operation theatres, but there were remarkable discrepancies across the countries. Conclusions: This large international survey captured the global surgical practice under the COVID-19 pandemic and highlighted the insufficient preoperative screening of COVID-19 in the current surgical practice. More intensive screening programs will be necessary particularly in severely affected countries/institutions

Impact of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients in global surgical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CorrespondenceImpact of asymptomatic COVID-19patients in global surgical practiceduring the COVID-19 pandemi