published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

International mass sports gatherings like the FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) World Cup Soccer and Olympics can cause great challenges to local healthcare systems and emergency medical services. History has shown that disasters do occur during these events, whether on a small or large scale. Disaster Management Practitioners from the public health perspective widely recognize that poor planning and a range of other underlying factors, create conditions of vulnerability. These result in insufficient capacity or measures to reduce hazards’ potentially negative consequences. The eThekwini District has to be prepared in the event of a mass disaster. Pre-empting and planning for disasters will lead to the safety and security of our citizens. The aim of this study was to undertake a baseline survey (in a total number of eleven public sector hospitals) to assess the state of hospital readiness, medical preparedness, and emergency care in preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Soccer in the eThekwini District. A general assessment tool in the form of a standard questionnaire, and a walkthrough visit with a checklist, was used to collect data. There is no previous study conducted at the eThekwini District to assess requirements for an international event in terms of a mass disaster. South Africa is a developing country, and this was the first time any developing country had hosted a sporting event on such a large magnitude thus there are no international standards on sports disaster management by any other developing countries to generalise to eThekwini District. The current disaster management operational plan that is being used for the World Cup is based on a United Kingdom integrated management philosophy tool. The study herein adopted a public health approach and incorporates the Yokohama Strategy within its tool along with the use of HMIMMS and MIMMS in the assessment of the clinical criteria. The perceived minimum requirements suggested by the hospitals and a Provincial Task Team, from the Provincial Health Disaster Management office, was used as a guideline. The study showed that although disaster plans and policies are in situ, there still exists a need for resources to be directed toward skills training, attraction and retention of healthcare professionals, revitalisation of emergency and theatre areas and the commissioning of more isolation units. The results of the study would enable the District Office to note any shortcomings and lack of resources in public sector hospitals. The study outcome would be important for the implementation of any strategic planning to aid the hospitals in preparation for mass disasters that may occur during the 2010 FIFA World Cup Soccer. / Thesis (M.Med.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

Delivering health care services in an efficient and effective way has become a great challenge for many countries due to the aging population worldwide, rising health expenses, and increasingly complex healthcare delivery systems. It is widely recognized that models and analytical tools can aid decision-making at various levels of the healthcare delivery process, especially when decisions have to be made under uncertainty. This thesis employs stochastic models to improve decision-making under uncertainty in two specific healthcare settings: inpatient flow management and infectious disease modeling. In Part I of this thesis, we study patient flow from the emergency department (ED) to hospital inpatient wards. This line of research aims to develop insights into effective inpatient flow management to reduce the waiting time for admission to inpatient wards from the ED. Delayed admission to inpatient wards, also known as ED boarding, has been identified as a key contributor to ED overcrowding and is a big challenge for many hospitals. Part I consists of three main chapters. In Chapter 2 we present an extensive empirical study of the inpatient department at our collaborating hospital. Motivated by this empirical study, in Chapter 3 we develop a high fidelity stochastic processing network model to capture inpatient flow with a focus on the transfer process from the ED to the wards. In Chapter 4 we devise a new analytical framework, two-time-scale analysis, to predict time-dependent performance measures for some simplified versions of our proposed model. We explore both exact Markov chain analysis and diffusion approximations. Part I of the thesis makes contributions in three dimensions. First, we identify several novel features that need to be built into our proposed stochastic network model. With these features, our model is able to capture inpatient flow dynamics at hourly resolution and reproduce the empirical time-dependent performance measures, whereas traditional time-varying queueing models fail to do so. These features include unconventional non-i.i.d. (independently and identically distributed) service times, an overflow mechanism, and allocation delays. Second, our two-time-scale framework overcomes a number of challenges faced by existing analytical methods in analyzing models with these novel features. These challenges include time-varying arrivals and extremely long service times. Third, analyzing the developed stochastic network model generates a set of useful managerial insights, which allow hospital managers to (i) identify strategies to reduce the waiting time and (ii) evaluate the trade-off between the benefit of reducing ED congestion and the cost from implementing certain policies. In particular, we identify early discharge policies that can eliminate the excessively long waiting times for patients requesting beds in the morning. In Part II of the thesis, we model the spread of influenza pandemics with a focus on identifying factors that may lead to multiple waves of outbreak. This line of research aims to provide insights and guidelines to public health officials in pandemic preparedness and response. In Chapter 6 we evaluate the impact of seasonality and viral mutation on the course of an influenza pandemic. In Chapter 7 we evaluate the impact of changes in social mixing patterns, particularly mass gatherings and holiday traveling, on the disease spread. In Chapters 6 and 7 we develop agent-based simulation models to capture disease spread across both time and space, where each agent represents an individual with certain socio-demographic characteristics and mixing patterns. The important contribution of our models is that the viral transmission characteristics and social contact patterns, which determine the scale and velocity of the disease spread, are no longer static. Simulating the developed models, we study the effect of the starting season of a pandemic, timing and degree of viral mutation, and duration and scale of mass gatherings and holiday traveling on the disease spread. We identify possible scenarios under which multiple outbreaks can occur during an influenza pandemic. Our study can help public health officials and other decision-makers predict the entire course of an influenza pandemic based on emerging viral characteristics at the initial stage, determine what data to collect, foresee potential multiple waves of attack, and better prepare response plans and intervention strategies, such as postponing or cancelling public gathering events.

Atualmente, percebe-se que algumas unidades hospitalares, preocupadas com as constantes mudanças no mundo globalizado, onde a demanda está em constante evolução, aplicam em suas organizações os procedimentos da organização hoteleira, com o objetivo de atender o paciente com maior qualidade. Este estudo teve por objetivo avaliar o modelo de gestão da hospitalidade hospitalar implantado em um Hospital localizado em uma cidade da Serra Gaúcha, e descrever o nível de satisfação dos pacientes em relação aos serviços prestados nessa organização. O método de pesquisa aplicado, face ao problema e aos objetivos, foi de caráter descritivo, de corte qualitativo. No estudo, empregou-se a pesquisa bibliográfica, entrevista estruturada com os coordenadores e gestores de áreas, entrevistas semiestruturadas com os pacientes internados atendidos através de convênios e particulares, e observação direta realizada no Hospital. Os aspectos levantados evidenciaram que os pacientes entrevistados possuíam um conhecimento limitado sobre o conceito de qualidade de serviços. O resultado também sugere que os gestores reavaliem o conceito e as estratégias praticadas para prestar um serviço com qualidade, levando-se em conta a importância da hospitalidade no ambiente hospitalar. / Submitted by Marcelo Teixeira (mvteixeira@ucs.br) on 2014-06-03T17:06:37Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Nandri Candida Strassburger.pdf: 1271472 bytes, checksum: 42a24415bf2124fdee90e6cfceabdc13 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-03T17:06:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Nandri Candida Strassburger.pdf: 1271472 bytes, checksum: 42a24415bf2124fdee90e6cfceabdc13 (MD5)

Orientador: Solange L'Abbate / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciencias Medicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-09T01:40:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Spagnol_CarlaAparecida_D.pdf: 6634502 bytes, checksum: 47034f29257b951227f80406fc8f54c2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Resumo: Nessa pesquisa, investiguei os conflitos vivenciados pela equipe de enfermagem do Hospital das Clínicas-UFMG, motivada pelo fato de o enfermeiro desempenhar atividade de gerência nos serviços de saúde e freqüentemente lidar com relações conflituosas. Os objetivos delineados foram: conhecer as diferentes percepções de conflito dos enfermeiros; identificar aqueles mais comuns e os principais fatores que geram esses conflitos; compreender como o enfermeiro lida com os conflitos no trabalho; levantar facilidades e dificuldades para lidar com os conflitos e propor aos enfermeiros a construção coletiva de um dispositivo socioanalítico, a ser utilizado como espaço de análise e reflexão da prática profissional, focalizando o objeto de estudo. Por se tratar de um fenômeno processual, optei pela abordagem qualitativa, desenvolvendo uma pesquisa-intervenção em duas fases. Na primeira, realizei uma pesquisa exploratória, com o objetivo de me aproximar dos sujeitos e do objeto de estudo, utilizando um questionário, que foi aplicado, em setembro de 2003, a cento e cinco enfermeiros (105), sendo que desses, trinta e sete (37), o devolveram. Na segunda, utilizei a perspectiva da socioanálise, para construir um dispositivo, visando a criação de um espaço que permitisse à pesquisadora e às pesquisadas realizarem, conjuntamente, análises e reflexões acerca da prática profissional, focalizando situações de conflito vivenciadas no trabalho. Foram realizados cinco encontros nos meses de setembro e outubro de 2005, com duração de duas horas cada, onde participaram seis enfermeiras que, no questionário, responderam afirmativamente quanto à sua continuidade no estudo. Nessa fase, as integrantes ao elaborarem a demanda de análise do grupo, expressaram vários motivos para participarem dessa investigação, dentre eles destaco suas implicações com a pesquisadora. Para as enfermeiras conflito é: diferença de pensamentos e de posições, coisa que incomoda e algo estressante. Apresentam uma visão bipolar desse fenômeno, pois, a princípio, são percebidos como negativos, mas dependendo do ângulo que se olha também o consideram como positivo, isso se forem discutidos com todos os envolvidos e conduzidos adequadamente. Identifiquei os seguintes tipos de conflitos: intrapessoal, interpessoal, intergrupal, de poder e de interesse. As principais causas que geram esses conflitos são: duplicidade de vínculo empregatício; deficiências na estrutura organizacional e no modelo de gerência implantado; escassez de recursos; centralização do trabalho; hierarquia; autoritarismo; imaturidade; escalas de serviço; falta de respeito e compromisso profissional, trazendo conseqüências para as relações interpessoais e para a assistência prestada. As enfermeiras lidam com situações de conflito, de forma racional, apresentando desejo de fuga, ao realizarem ações imediatistas, a fim de contornarem ou amenizarem a situação, assumindo que não são preparadas para conduzirem questões problemáticas ligadas ao comportamento e relacionamento interpessoal. Sendo assim, em determinadas situações, solicitam ajuda aos psicólogos da Diretoria de Recursos Humanos do hospital. O próprio dispostivo socioanalítico se constituiu em um analisador, permitindo explicitar instituídos e instituintes, implicações e transversalidades, presentes na organização hospital que é atravessada pelas 'instituições enfermagem e medicina¿. Diante das avaliações positivas relacionadas aos encontros grupais, sugiro desenvolvermos outros trabalhos tendo o dispositivo socioanalítico como um espaço coletivo de análise e reflexão das relações e práticas profissionais / Abstract: In this research, I investigated the conflicts experienced by a nursing team at the Federal University of Minas Gerais Hospital, motivated by the fact that nurses manage health care and frequently face conflict situations. The aims of this research were: to learn about nurses different perceptions regarding conflict; to identify the most common conflicts and the main factors that generate these conflicts; to understand how nurses manage conflicts at work; to find out motivations and difficulties to manage conflicts and propose to nurses a collective construction of a socio-analytical instrument to be used as a space for analysis and reflection of professional practice, focusing on the study object. As it is a process phenomenon, I used a qualitative approach, developing an intervention research in two phases. In the first phase, I developed an exploratory research with the purpose to get closer to the subjects and study object, using a questionnaire that was applied in September 2003 to 105 nurses. Among them, 37 responded and sent it back. In the second phase, I used the socio-analysis perspective to build an instrument, aiming at creating a space that would allow the researcher and research to be developed as well as analyses and reflections regarding professional practice, focusing on conflict situations experienced at work. Five meetings happened in September and October 2005, of two hours each, with the participation of six nurses that manifested in the questionnaire their intention to continue the study. In this phase, the members of the group expressed their motivations to participate in the study, emphasized its implications regarding the researcher. According to these nurses, conflict is a difference of thoughts and positions, something that may impair the relationship. They present a bipolar view of this phenomenon as at first they are perceived as negative, but depending on the way they are seen they can be considered positive, if they are discussed with all the persons involved and managed adequately. The following types of conflict were identified: intrapersonal, interpersonal, intergroup, of power and of interest. The main causes that generate these conflicts are: work in more than one place, problems regarding the organizational structure and management, lack of resources, work centralization, hierarchy, authoritarianism, immaturity, work shifts, lack of respect and professional commitment that influence interpersonal relations and the care provided. Nurses manage conflict situations in a rational way, presenting their desire to run away when they implement immediate actions, in order to minimize the situation, assuming that they are not prepared to conduct problems related to behaviors and interpersonal relationships. Therefore, in some situations they ask for help to psychologists from the Hospital Human Resources Division. The socio-analytical instrument was a means to analyze it, enabling them to expose the situations, implications and transversal intersections that are present at the hospital organization that is crossed by other institutions such as ¿nursing and medicine¿. Considering the positive evaluation of the group meetings, I suggest the development of other works based on socio-analytical instruments as a collective space for the analysis and reflection of relationships and professional practices / Doutorado / Saude Coletiva / Doutor em Saude Coletiva

Atualmente, percebe-se que algumas unidades hospitalares, preocupadas com as constantes mudanças no mundo globalizado, onde a demanda está em constante evolução, aplicam em suas organizações os procedimentos da organização hoteleira, com o objetivo de atender o paciente com maior qualidade. Este estudo teve por objetivo avaliar o modelo de gestão da hospitalidade hospitalar implantado em um Hospital localizado em uma cidade da Serra Gaúcha, e descrever o nível de satisfação dos pacientes em relação aos serviços prestados nessa organização. O método de pesquisa aplicado, face ao problema e aos objetivos, foi de caráter descritivo, de corte qualitativo. No estudo, empregou-se a pesquisa bibliográfica, entrevista estruturada com os coordenadores e gestores de áreas, entrevistas semiestruturadas com os pacientes internados atendidos através de convênios e particulares, e observação direta realizada no Hospital. Os aspectos levantados evidenciaram que os pacientes entrevistados possuíam um conhecimento limitado sobre o conceito de qualidade de serviços. O resultado também sugere que os gestores reavaliem o conceito e as estratégias praticadas para prestar um serviço com qualidade, levando-se em conta a importância da hospitalidade no ambiente hospitalar.

Department of Public Health / MPH

MPH / Department of Public Health / This study was aimed at gaining an in-depth understanding into the managerial factors that are associated with hospital performance. Out of all the contributing factors, managerial factors have the greatest impact on hospital performance. In South Africa, despite the availability of policies and guidelines and adequate funding, hospital performance is still poor. This study investigates the different aspects of managerial performance, looking specifically at organisational factors such as organisational culture, available resources, and performance monitoring methods; as well as personal factors of the managers; namely, their focus on quality, and personal leadership styles and skills. The study is a quantitative cross-sectional descriptive survey, utilising questionnaires distributed at the two largest district hospitals in Vhembe District. The study was aimed at a total population sample of managers, doctors and professional nurses in the two hospitals. The study highlighted areas of management in the two hospitals studied that were commendable, as well as those needing urgent attention. There was a statistically significant association between managerial factors associated with hospital performance, and better perceptions of hospital performance. In particular, leadership skills such as motivation and dedication, methodical and logical management styles, and a hands-on approach had a significant contribution to perceptions of hospital performance. The study also highlighted the importance of good communication between senior management and subordinates. / NRF

Thesis (M. Tech. (Public Management)) -- Central University of Technology, free State, [2014] / The primary aim of the proposed study is to investigate the technical problems affecting the efficiency and effectiveness of District Hospitals in the Free State Province. The proposed research therefore stands to contribute to the existing body of evidence on the efficiency and effectiveness of health care services, with regard to the existing problems in the health sector such as high staff turnover, facilities with lack of appropriate equipment, unmanageable workload, lack of appropriate infrastructure, a high absenteeism rate and low morale of the employees in the public health institutions. Therefore the study will identify potential shortcomings that are compromising the efficiency and effectiveness of the district hospitals. The findings of the study will be used to address some of the identified problems and also to describe how progress can be measured. The outcomes of this study are intended to raise important issues and to assist management of the Free State Department of Health to address the challenges that are affecting the functioning of the district hospitals. The findings will also assist the relevant managers in planning and implementation of policies that will address inequalities and problems as highlighted in the study. It will also create opportunities for shared responsibilities that management and the staff need to resolve jointly.