A Assistência Farmacêutica (AF) é um conceito de prática profissional onde o usuário que precisa do medicamento é o mais importante beneficiário das ações do farmacêutico e dos demais profissionais de saúde que atendem este serviço, ou seja, o usuário é o centro da atenção destes profissionais. Ela, entretanto, não pode ser visualizada apenas pela função de dispensar medicamentos, mas sim como um serviço que complementa as ações em saúde, com um enfoque amplo, incorpora a multidisciplinaridade e a integralidade. O sucesso deste processo depende da participação das diferentes classes de profissionais da saúde, além dos usuários. Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar os papéis, as formas de comunicação e os fluxos de informação que influenciam nas operações multiprofissionais de atendimento ao usuário na Assistência Farmacêutica. Para tanto, foi escolhido o município de Arroio do Tigre/RS onde foram entrevistados os médicos, enfermeiros, técnicos de enfermagem, farmacêuticos, agentes de saúde, dentistas, psicólogos e assistentes sociais envolvidos na rede multiprofissional de Assistência Farmacêutica do município. Os dados obtidos nas entrevistas foram analisados qualitativamente, com o apoio de planilhas no software Excel para identificação de padrões entre os respondentes. Os fluxos de comunicação/informação foram analisados com o auxílio da ferramenta de análise de redes sociais, o NodeXL. O estudo permitiu observar que há uma necessidade de melhoria da comunicação e do fluxo de informação existente entre os profissionais além de um aumento da clareza do conceito do sistema entre os envolvidos na rede de atendimento ao usuário, esclarecendo as responsabilidades e papéis de cada um dentro da rede para uma gestão de atendimento na AF mais eficaz. / The Pharmaceutical Services consists of a set of people with different relations among them, exchanging lots of information on a daily basis. Thus, it cannot be seen as just a function of dispensing drugs, but as a resource complementing healthcare actions, with a wide approach that incorporates a multidisciplinary and integrality. The success of this process depends on the participation of different classes of healthcare professionals, besides users. The aim of this paper is to study the roles, the forms of communication and information flows that influence multidisciplinary operations of service to users in Pharmaceutical Services. Therefore, the city of Arroio do Tigre/RS was chosen and interviews occurred with professionals such as doctors, nurses, nursing technicians, pharmacists, health workers, dentists, psychologists and social workers involved in the city’s Pharmaceutical Services multidisciplinary network. The data obtained from the interviews were qualitatively analyzed, with the support of Microsoft Excel’s spreadsheets for the identification of patterns among the interviewed. The communication/information flows were analyzed with the aid of NodeXL, a social network analysis tool. The study concluded that there is a need of communication and information flow improvement as well as a more clarity regarding the system concept among the professionals involved in the user service network, clarifying the accountabilities and roles of each one inserted in the network for a more effective drug management.

A Assistência Farmacêutica (AF) é um conceito de prática profissional onde o usuário que precisa do medicamento é o mais importante beneficiário das ações do farmacêutico e dos demais profissionais de saúde que atendem este serviço, ou seja, o usuário é o centro da atenção destes profissionais. Ela, entretanto, não pode ser visualizada apenas pela função de dispensar medicamentos, mas sim como um serviço que complementa as ações em saúde, com um enfoque amplo, incorpora a multidisciplinaridade e a integralidade. O sucesso deste processo depende da participação das diferentes classes de profissionais da saúde, além dos usuários. Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar os papéis, as formas de comunicação e os fluxos de informação que influenciam nas operações multiprofissionais de atendimento ao usuário na Assistência Farmacêutica. Para tanto, foi escolhido o município de Arroio do Tigre/RS onde foram entrevistados os médicos, enfermeiros, técnicos de enfermagem, farmacêuticos, agentes de saúde, dentistas, psicólogos e assistentes sociais envolvidos na rede multiprofissional de Assistência Farmacêutica do município. Os dados obtidos nas entrevistas foram analisados qualitativamente, com o apoio de planilhas no software Excel para identificação de padrões entre os respondentes. Os fluxos de comunicação/informação foram analisados com o auxílio da ferramenta de análise de redes sociais, o NodeXL. O estudo permitiu observar que há uma necessidade de melhoria da comunicação e do fluxo de informação existente entre os profissionais além de um aumento da clareza do conceito do sistema entre os envolvidos na rede de atendimento ao usuário, esclarecendo as responsabilidades e papéis de cada um dentro da rede para uma gestão de atendimento na AF mais eficaz. / The Pharmaceutical Services consists of a set of people with different relations among them, exchanging lots of information on a daily basis. Thus, it cannot be seen as just a function of dispensing drugs, but as a resource complementing healthcare actions, with a wide approach that incorporates a multidisciplinary and integrality. The success of this process depends on the participation of different classes of healthcare professionals, besides users. The aim of this paper is to study the roles, the forms of communication and information flows that influence multidisciplinary operations of service to users in Pharmaceutical Services. Therefore, the city of Arroio do Tigre/RS was chosen and interviews occurred with professionals such as doctors, nurses, nursing technicians, pharmacists, health workers, dentists, psychologists and social workers involved in the city’s Pharmaceutical Services multidisciplinary network. The data obtained from the interviews were qualitatively analyzed, with the support of Microsoft Excel’s spreadsheets for the identification of patterns among the interviewed. The communication/information flows were analyzed with the aid of NodeXL, a social network analysis tool. The study concluded that there is a need of communication and information flow improvement as well as a more clarity regarding the system concept among the professionals involved in the user service network, clarifying the accountabilities and roles of each one inserted in the network for a more effective drug management.

A Assistência Farmacêutica (AF) é um conceito de prática profissional onde o usuário que precisa do medicamento é o mais importante beneficiário das ações do farmacêutico e dos demais profissionais de saúde que atendem este serviço, ou seja, o usuário é o centro da atenção destes profissionais. Ela, entretanto, não pode ser visualizada apenas pela função de dispensar medicamentos, mas sim como um serviço que complementa as ações em saúde, com um enfoque amplo, incorpora a multidisciplinaridade e a integralidade. O sucesso deste processo depende da participação das diferentes classes de profissionais da saúde, além dos usuários. Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar os papéis, as formas de comunicação e os fluxos de informação que influenciam nas operações multiprofissionais de atendimento ao usuário na Assistência Farmacêutica. Para tanto, foi escolhido o município de Arroio do Tigre/RS onde foram entrevistados os médicos, enfermeiros, técnicos de enfermagem, farmacêuticos, agentes de saúde, dentistas, psicólogos e assistentes sociais envolvidos na rede multiprofissional de Assistência Farmacêutica do município. Os dados obtidos nas entrevistas foram analisados qualitativamente, com o apoio de planilhas no software Excel para identificação de padrões entre os respondentes. Os fluxos de comunicação/informação foram analisados com o auxílio da ferramenta de análise de redes sociais, o NodeXL. O estudo permitiu observar que há uma necessidade de melhoria da comunicação e do fluxo de informação existente entre os profissionais além de um aumento da clareza do conceito do sistema entre os envolvidos na rede de atendimento ao usuário, esclarecendo as responsabilidades e papéis de cada um dentro da rede para uma gestão de atendimento na AF mais eficaz. / The Pharmaceutical Services consists of a set of people with different relations among them, exchanging lots of information on a daily basis. Thus, it cannot be seen as just a function of dispensing drugs, but as a resource complementing healthcare actions, with a wide approach that incorporates a multidisciplinary and integrality. The success of this process depends on the participation of different classes of healthcare professionals, besides users. The aim of this paper is to study the roles, the forms of communication and information flows that influence multidisciplinary operations of service to users in Pharmaceutical Services. Therefore, the city of Arroio do Tigre/RS was chosen and interviews occurred with professionals such as doctors, nurses, nursing technicians, pharmacists, health workers, dentists, psychologists and social workers involved in the city’s Pharmaceutical Services multidisciplinary network. The data obtained from the interviews were qualitatively analyzed, with the support of Microsoft Excel’s spreadsheets for the identification of patterns among the interviewed. The communication/information flows were analyzed with the aid of NodeXL, a social network analysis tool. The study concluded that there is a need of communication and information flow improvement as well as a more clarity regarding the system concept among the professionals involved in the user service network, clarifying the accountabilities and roles of each one inserted in the network for a more effective drug management.

This thesis focuses on the role of communication from healthcare professionals to patients, their relatives, and colleagues and its impact on patient care outcomes. We demonstrate the importance of appropriate communication style and strong communication skills to these outcomes (i.e. higher adherence, overall satisfaction, and social support). We also illustrate various situations requiring difficult communication that healthcare professionals commonly encounter in practice. The aim is to capture the most common communication demanding situations from the practice of healthcare professionals and provide a "reference" for their successful completion. The outcome of the practical part of this work is to map the difficult communication situations of Czech healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses and others) through questionnaire survey , and to design a mobile application that will serve as a form of aid for healthcare professionals or medics in individual communication situations with adult patients, their relatives, and colleagues. Keywords: Communication in healthcare, communication-demanding situations, patient care, health professionals

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the design of a digital communication tool for caregiver-patient communication with language barriers. This is done through a case study at Worldish, a company that develops a digital communication tool named Helen. An iterative service design approach is used in the case study to understand enablers and complicators for usage of a digital communication tool in care consultations with language barriers. Also, for investigating how the design of such tool better can be adapted to fit the service process of a care consultation. The case study is divided into phases where the first two, phase A and B, investigates the care consultation process with and without language barriers as well as how a digital communication tool is used in this process. These phases results in several insights about what in the care consultation process with language barriers that enable and complicates the usage of a digital communication tool. In total, this thesis identifies four enabling factors and six complicating factors for usage of a digital communication tool in the care consultation process. In the third and fourth phase, phase C and D, two design-iterations are conducted where design ideas are ideated, prototyped and tested with users. These phases results in design features and insights connected to how the design of a digital communication tool can better be adapted to the service process. In total this thesis identifies six guidelines that serves as inspiration for someone who wants to create or adapt the design of a digital communication tool to the service process in a care consultation with language barriers.

The Diploma Thesis addresses Ethical aspects of care of children with autism spectrum disorders (communication with parents, grandparents, etc.). The research results revealed that parents usually noticed their children?s handicap during the first three years of the children?s life, when children started to show various problems associated with the autism spectrum disorders. Parents agreed that, at the time, the most difficult thing was to cope with the handicap of their children and the symptoms of such handicap. Most parents also stated that it was very difficult to cope with the information about the diagnosis; this process took them a long time. According to parents, the following would be most helpful: information from specialists, contact with parents of children with similar handicaps, support, help of others in their environment, hope, contact to an organization that could help them/give them practical advice and instructions with regard to communication with children and their development. Parents of children with the handicap find contact with parents of children with similar handicaps very important. The following problems associated with the autism spectrum disorders are viewed as the most significant by parents: problems with communication, inability of socialization, stereotype behavior, hyperactivity, possible self-harm, mood changes, but also impenetrability of the world of children with autism spectrum disorders. According to some parents, the diagnostics of their children was not in order. Their children?s autism was not recognized by physicians and parents had to arrange a specialized diagnostic examination on their own. In case of some children, autism spectrum disorders were recognized by a general practitioner for children and youth, who recommended a visit to a child psychiatrist, where diagnostics took place. In these cases, parents were not given any opportunity to give questions to physicians and, moreover, they did not receive much information about the handicap of their children. Parents had to look for important information on the internet or in specialized literature. Furthermore, autism spectrum disorders were not sufficiently explained by physicians to some parents. Parents received information about the consequences of this type of handicap from a special pedagogue, psychologist, or worker of an organization that provides social services to children with autism spectrum disorders and their parents. Moreover, some parents were not given any contact to organizations providing care or consulting to children with this type of handicap. Most parents view the approach of physicians to their children as negative. Children with autism spectrum disorders most frequently visit a child psychiatrist; some children also see a child neurologist. According to parents, physicians only communicate with them and do not focus on their children at all. However, only one half of parents informed their physicians about the way they can communicate with their children. Parents usually prepare for the doctor?s appointment using photographs and pictures that illustrate the visit or its individual steps. A hospitalization of children with the autism spectrum disorder usually took place with their mothers, who rate it as standard, with no problems to address during such hospitalization. Health professionals mostly communicated with mothers and tried to respect the child?s habits.

Preventable medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States. Healthcare leaders must consistently promote the delivery of quality and safe care of patients to reduce unnecessary errors and prevent harm. The purpose of this case study was to explore human resource strategies for improving organizational performance to reduce medical errors. The study included face-to-face interviews with 5 healthcare clinical managers who work within a multifaceted health system in the Midwestern region of the United States. Complex adaptive systems theory was used to frame this study. Interview notes, publicly available documents, and audio recordings were transcribed and analyzed to identify themes regarding strategies used by managers to find effective ways for improvement. Four themes emerged: addressing seminal/never events, ongoing training programs, communication/collaboration, and promoting a culture of safety and quality. Results may directly benefit healthcare managers by facilitating successful strategies to reduce preventable medical errors through education, feedback, innovation, and leadership. Implications for social change for healthcare managers include continued training, building a culture of safety, and using collaborative and communicative efforts while making contributions to the best practices within healthcare organizations to reduce the likelihood of medical errors.