Impact of Technological Innovation Management on Health Care Service Delivery: A Systematic Review

This work was funded by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (71774069). Abstract The objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive, systematic review on the progress of research on technological innovation management literature in healthcare delivery and its impact, whereby we seek to highlight the knowledge gaps, and provide researchers and scholars’ approaches for future research. We statistically reviewed and analyzed 289 articles relevant to our research objectives using publications in journals, articles, conferences and those available in press from 1990 to 2018. Based on which we critically synthesized 36 articles for content analysis (conceptual, and empirical studies) and created a framework for technological innovation management research. Content analysis showed some appreciable contributions of conceptual, empirical, evidential and review articles in the field. We observed that though there has been some research into the area of innovation, open innovation and the application of technological innovation in the area of health care delivery, little study has been done in assessing the impact management of such technological innovation on the delivery of public health care services to citizens; thus the use of our proposed framework will provide guidance for researchers and scholars seeking to advance discussions and studies in this area. Keywords: Technological innovation management, technological innovation, process innovation, open innovation, public health, research and development (R & D)

Quality Assurance Management in Private Higher Education Institutions in Ghana. A Case Study of All Nations University College, Koforidua.

The increasing rate of private higher education institutions in Ghana has called for the need to research into the quality management methods for their credibility. The government is giving out less funding and thus losing steering capacity. Public universities are unable to provide placements for all qualifying students in the institutions and therefore private universities have come to the aid of the public universities. The aim of the research is to find out the quality management methods that private higher education institutions involve themselves with in steering their institutions. It will also look superficially at what the national systems put in place to manage them and what it has to do with the management methods of these institutions. The All Nations University College (ANUC) was chosen as the research sample out of all private universities in Ghana. The methodology used to pursue this objective was qualitative in nature and based on semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis. In all eight respondents were purposefully selected from specific units within the university for the study. The study revealed that ANUC has quite a young Quality Assurance (QA) system. This system is doing its possible best to ensure quality in the institution. However, it depicts a control-oriented approach to its management system. The contents of the system seem to be more pedagogically focused but with few signs of routines that provide staff with feedback and much seems geared towards control. It also seems that the QA Department is operating in a quite autonomous way. The study also revealed that private universities aim at satisfying external accreditation demands and that means that controlling quality "works" in the country for private sector. Also a recommendation that, 'private universities in general could also adopt the strategy of providing attractive courses like ANUC is doing, that will benefit students on the job market so that societal problems can be addressed in the country' was made. Research development was also seen as an area of concern where quality management should focus on in private universities. The study also revealed that quality management should be dealt with in every aspect of managing the institutions, be it curriculum designing, employability skills and so forth. Lastly, the study revealed that in order to attain quality, a result-oriented approach instead of a control-oriented approach should be adopted as well as ensuring a reliable and quick feedback system

Palliative care practices among nurses at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Ghana: A cross-sectional study

Background: In the past decade, the number of people living with life-threatening diseases has increased. However, these people need to live their remaining life as meaningful as possible, even when they are at the end stage and may have a few months to live. Objectives: This study sought to examine the practices of palliative care (PC) among nurses at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH). Method: The study employed an analytical cross-sectional design. The instrument used for the study was a questionnaire and 215 respondents were randomly selected. Frequency counts and percentages, means and standard deviations, one sample t-test as well a Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (r) was employed in the analysis. Results: The results of the study showed that the nurses at CCTH have good knowledge of palliative care (M = 17.4, SD = 0.91). They also have a favorable attitude towards PC. Again, the study found that nurses at CCTH practice PC. The study also revealed a statistically significant, low positive correlation (r = 0.146, p = 0.041) between nurses' knowledge and practice; and between knowledge and attitude (r = 0.313, p < 0.001). More so, nurses perceived poor funding and inadequate education as the key barriers to PC practices at the CCTH. Conclusion: These findings provide the nurse with a meaningful understanding of nurse attitudes and practices towards PC. The study, therefore, recommends that authorities at CCTH should focus on continuous in-service training as well as encouraging nurses to continually sustain a favorable attitude towards the terminally ill patients who requires PC services