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1 – 10 of 22
Article
Publication date: 22 June 2010

B.P. Geisler, K.F. Widerberg, A. Berghöfer and S.N. Willich

This paper's aim is to identify existing and developing new concepts of organization, management, and leadership at a large European university hospital; and to evaluate whether…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper's aim is to identify existing and developing new concepts of organization, management, and leadership at a large European university hospital; and to evaluate whether mixed qualitative‐quantitative methods with both internal and external input can provide helpful views of the possible future of large health care providers.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the Delphi method in semi‐structured, semi‐quantitative interviews, with managers and employees as experts, the authors performed a vertical and a horizontal internal analysis. In addition, input from innovative faculties in other countries was obtained through structured power questions. These two sources were used to create three final scenarios, which evaluated using traditional strategic planning methods.

Findings

There is found a collaboration scenario in which faculty and hospital are separated; a split scenario which divides the organization into three independent hospitals; and a corporation scenario in which corporate activities are bundled in three separate entities.

Practical implications

In complex mergers of knowledge‐driven organizations, the employees of the own organization (in addition to external consultants) might be tapped as a knowledge resource to successful future business models.

Originality/value

The paper uses a real world consulting case to present a new set of methods for strategic planning in large health care provider organizations.

Details

Journal of Health Organization and Management, vol. 24 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7266

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 1 July 2001

31

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, vol. 14 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0952-6862

Article
Publication date: 21 July 2020

Rui M. Lima, José Dinis-Carvalho, Thiago A. Souza, Elisa Vieira and Bruno Gonçalves

Even though the implementation of lean in health care environments is relatively recent, it has been receiving a lot of attention in recent years. Partly because of the fact that…

1334

Abstract

Purpose

Even though the implementation of lean in health care environments is relatively recent, it has been receiving a lot of attention in recent years. Partly because of the fact that it is a recent field of practise and research and partly because the number of works developed in this field has grown rapidly, it is important to frequently update the perspectives on this field of investigation. Thus, this study aims to review the implementation of lean tools and techniques applied to hospital organizational areas in a five-year period, between 2014 and 2018, complementing some of the most relevant reviews already published. The most important criteria such as tools, methods and principles, hospital areas intervened, improvements and difficulties were assessed and quantified.

Design/methodology/approach

As starting point for this systematic literature review (SLR), a set of selected pre-existing review publications was used to support the current study and as the ground base for the expansion of the studies about lean health care. The current study contemplated 114 articles from a five-year period between 2014 and 2018. A subset of 58 of these articles was critically assessed to understand the application of lean tools and methods in different hospital areas.

Findings

The thorough analysis of selected articles show a lack of works in continuous improvement approaches when compared to the application of production organization methods, visual management and diagnosing and problem-solving tools. The reported improvement results demonstrate alignment with the principles and foundations of lean philosophy, but such results are presented in isolated initiatives and without robust evidence of long-term maintenance. Moreover, this study shows an evolution in the number of articles referring to lean implementation in hospital areas, but in its great majority, such articles report isolated implementations in different areas, not spreading those for the global organization. Thus, some of the main recommendations are the need to implement studies on complete flows of patients, drugs and materials, instead of isolated initiatives and strive to promote the cultural change of hospitals through structural changes, following new visions and strategic objectives, supported by real models of continuous structural and sustained improvement.

Originality/value

The current study develops a new perspective of the articles published under the thematic of lean health care, published in a recent period of five years, which are not completely covered by other works. Additionally, it explicitly applied, in an innovative way, an approach that used a set of previous reviews as the starting point for this SLR. In this way, it integrates approaches and categories from different SLRs, creating a framework of analysis that can be used by future researchers. Finally, it shows the most recent implementations of lean health care, exposing the current trends, improvements and also the main gaps.

Details

International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-4166

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 June 2016

Stefan Kohler

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between different areas of workplace health promotion (WHP) activities and predictors of the number of areas in which…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between different areas of workplace health promotion (WHP) activities and predictors of the number of areas in which WHP activities are offered.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire with ten questions on WHP was mailed to the 478 largest businesses in Berlin and Brandenburg, Germany. The cross-sectional data from this survey are presented and explored using correlation and linear regression analyses.

Findings

In total, 30 businesses, of which 90 percent offered WHP activities, participated in the survey. Businesses with WHP were, on average, active in 5.59 (SD=2.24) areas of health promotion. Offering an activity was positively correlated with offering an activity in at least one other area for all WHP areas except ergonomic workplace design (p < 0.05). Among businesses offering WHP, reporting that WHP would be strengthened with more support (−2.02, 95 percent CI: −4.04 to −0.01) and being a medium-sized business with an information need (−3.63, 95 percent CI: −5.70 to −1.57) or an opinion that health insurance companies should offer WHP (−1.96, 95 percent CI: −3.86 to −0.05) were all associated with offering activities in fewer WHP areas. In a multiple regression analysis, the information need of mid-size businesses was the only significant predictor (−5.25, 95 percent CI: −9.41 to −1.08).

Practical implications

Addressing the information needs of medium-sized businesses concerning WHP could be an effective strategy for increasing the spectrum of WHP activities offered.

Originality/value

This study complements existing studies by assessing associations between WHP activities and predictors of WHP activity emphasizing business size.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 9 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8351

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 3 December 2020

Tobias Otterbring, Christina Bodin Danielsson and Jörg Pareigis

This study aims to examine the links between office types (cellular, shared-room, small and medium-sized open-plan) and employees' subjective well-being regarding cognitive and…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the links between office types (cellular, shared-room, small and medium-sized open-plan) and employees' subjective well-being regarding cognitive and affective evaluations and the role perceived noise levels at work has on the aforementioned associations.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey with measures of office types, perceived noise levels at work and the investigated facets of subjective well-being (cognitive vs affective) was distributed to employees working as real estate agents in Sweden. In total, 271 useable surveys were returned and were analyzed using analyses of variance (ANOVAs) and a regression-based model mirroring a test of moderated mediation.

Findings

A significant difference was found between office types on the well-being dimension related to cognitive, but not affective, evaluations. Employees working in cellular and shared-room offices reported significantly higher ratings on this dimension than employees working in open-plan offices, and employees in medium-sized open-plan offices reported significantly lower cognitive evaluation scores than employees working in all other office types. This pattern of results was mediated by perceived noise levels at work, with employees in open-plan (vs cellular and shared-room) offices reporting less satisfactory noise perceptions and, in turn, lower well-being scores, especially regarding the cognitive (vs affective) dimension.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies to compare the relative impact of office types on both cognitive and affective well-being dimensions while simultaneously testing and providing empirical support for the presumed process explaining the link between such aspects.

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 19 July 2021

Koki Hirata, Kunichika Matsumoto, Ryo Onishi and Tomonori Hasegawa

The purpose of this article is to clarify the social burden of Japan’s three major diseases including Long-term Care (LTC) burden.

2596

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to clarify the social burden of Japan’s three major diseases including Long-term Care (LTC) burden.

Design/methodology/approach

A modification of the Cost of Illness (COI)—the Comprehensive-COI (C-COI) was utilized to estimate three major diseases: cancer, heart disease, and cerebrovascular diseases (CVD). The C-COI consists of five parts: medical direct cost, morbidity cost, mortality cost, formal LTC cost and informal LTC cost. The latter was calculated by two approaches: opportunity cost approach (OC) and replacement approach (RA), which assumed that informal caregivers were substituted by paid caregivers.

Findings

The C-COI of cancer, heart disease and CVD in 2017 amounted to 10.5 trillion JPY, 5.2 trillion JPY, and 6.7 trillion JPY, respectively (110 JPY= 1 US$). The mortality cost was preponderant for cancer (61 percent) and heart disease (47.9 percent); while the informal LTC cost was preponderant for CVD (27.5 percent). The informal LTC cost of the CVD in OC amounted to 1.8 trillion JPY; while the RA amounted to 3.0 trillion JPY.

Social implications

The LTC burden accounted for a significant proportion of the social burden of chronic diseases. The informal care was maintained by unsustainable structures such as the elderly providing care for the elderly. This result can affect health policy decisions.

Originality/value

The C-COI is more appropriate for estimating the social burden of chronic diseases including the LTC burden and can be calculated using governmental statistics.

Details

Public Administration and Policy, vol. 24 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1727-2645

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 May 2019

Coosje Hammink, Nienke Moor and Masi Mohammadi

This systematic literature review focusses on original research that examines the effect of persuasive architectural interventions on stimulating health behaviour. This paper…

Abstract

Purpose

This systematic literature review focusses on original research that examines the effect of persuasive architectural interventions on stimulating health behaviour. This paper gives an overview of the empirical evidence and aims to examine the evidence for health behaviour change through architectural interventions and the underlying theoretical pathways and mechanisms using social cognitive theory.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reviewed 40 peer-reviewed articles found through Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed and a supplementary hand search and examined for effect, type of interventions, type of behaviour and underlying mechanisms using social cognitive theory.

Findings

This review shows that architectural interventions can stimulate healthy behaviour. However, much of the research focusses on specific health behaviours (physical activity), in specific target groups (children or older adults) and with specific types of interventions (supplying provisions). Furthermore, the effect of the physical environment on cognitive factors should be taken into consideration.

Research limitations/implications

Hardly any research on smart architectural interventions for health behaviour change exists, but combining insights from product design and built environment has the potential to impact designing for health behaviour change.

Originality/value

Stimulating certain types of health behaviour can positively contribute to health goals and has been the focus of many health promotion practitioners over the years. The focus of health promotion interventions has primarily been on social and psychological factors. However, current research shows the importance of the physical environment as an influence on health behaviour. Potentially, with the use of smart technology, this effect could be enhanced.

Article
Publication date: 27 March 2020

John M. Violanti, Desta Fekedulegn, Mingming Shi and Michael E. Andrew

Law enforcement is a dangerous profession not only due to assaults, accidents and homicides but also due to health risks. This study examined trends in the national frequency and…

Abstract

Purpose

Law enforcement is a dangerous profession not only due to assaults, accidents and homicides but also due to health risks. This study examined trends in the national frequency and rate of law enforcement job-related illness deaths in the United States over a 22-year period (1997–2018).

Design/methodology/approach

Data were obtained from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) on death frequencies related to health issues at work. Death rates were based on the total number of police officers in the United States [rate = (frequency/population at risk) × 100,000]. Trends were examined using standardized regression.

Findings

A total of 646 deaths were attributed to job-related illness. There was a significant upward trend in overall job-related illness deaths (frequency analyses: β = 0.88, < 0.0001; rate analyses: β = 0.82, p ≤ 0.0001) mainly driven by a significant increase in 911 cancer deaths (frequency analyses: β = 0.88, < 0.0001; rate analyses: β = 0.88, p ≤ 0.0001). Nearly 82 percent of circulatory deaths were from a heart attack, with an average death age of 46.5 years.

Research limitations/implications

Deaths were not included if they failed to meet medical requirements of the NLEOMF. The data are descriptive, do not estimate risk and should be interpreted cautiously.

Practical implications

Police wellness programs may help to reduce the danger of deaths associated with job-related illness.

Originality/value

This is among the first studies to examine frequency and rate of police health–related deaths due to job exposures.

Details

Policing: An International Journal, vol. 43 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 September 2015

Erica Lynn Thomas, Anna Puig Ribera, Anna Senye-Mir, Sheila Greenfield and Frank Eves

Worksites have been targeted as an important setting for physical activity interventions. A recent emphasis for health promoters is the use of point-of-choice interventions to…

Abstract

Purpose

Worksites have been targeted as an important setting for physical activity interventions. A recent emphasis for health promoters is the use of point-of-choice interventions to encourage stair climbing at work. The purpose of this paper is to explore three point-of-choice campaigns to increase stair climbing at work.

Design/methodology/approach

Ten focus groups and a rating task were conducted with 59 employees from a University and a University Hospital in the UK. Focus groups were structured around three messages and four prompts and sought to explore the motivational power of the resources, identify factors contributing to their effectiveness and provide recommendations to improve and optimize content. Benefits and barriers to stair climbing at work were also explored. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed and coded to identify key themes.

Findings

Intra-personal factors health, motivation, social norms and time management influence stair climbing at work. Critically, extra-personal factors associated with the worksite itself can also bias a traveler’s choice independently of any intervention. Results suggest that messages targeting heart health have the greatest impact on reported propensity to climb the stairs at work. Messages targeting rate of respiration for fitness, however, may have a negative effect given that most people want to avoid getting out of breath at work.

Originality/value

Qualitative research is essential for developing and refining the design detail of point-of-choice interventions and tailoring their components to address individuals’ needs in different settings but there is little evidence of this in practice.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8351

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 April 2020

Sandhya S and Sulphey M M

The purpose of the study is to explore the influence of psychological empowerment, psychological contract and employee engagement on voluntary turnover intentions of employees in…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to explore the influence of psychological empowerment, psychological contract and employee engagement on voluntary turnover intentions of employees in theinformation technology (IT) industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a cross-sectional, quantitative research design. The analysis for the study is based on a sample of 392 Indian IT professionals. Partial least square–structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyse the data.

Findings

This study has identified a significant relationship between turnover intentions, employee engagement, psychological contract and psychological empowerment. The findings of the study are that there exists significant positive influence of psychological contract and psychological empowerment on employee engagement. Employee engagement, in turn, has the capability to influence intention to leave the organization.

Originality/value

There is heightened awareness among industry leaders about the need to retain top performers. However, organizations are found to repeatedly fail in this regard. The study has succeeded in empirically establishing the complex relationship between empowerment, psychological contract, employee engagement and turnover intentions. The findings of the study are significant and have practical implications. It can be put to use by progressive managements in devising strategies to reduce turnover intentions.

Details

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 70 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0401

Keywords

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