This thesis examines a middle manager’s response to strategic directives on integrated care in a National Health Service (NHS) organisation and the development of an awareness of prejudice that acknowledges its relationship to the process of understanding. The research focuses on an integration of two community NHS trusts and an NHS hospital trust into one integrated care organisation (ICO). A change programme was initiated and promulgated on an assumption that integrating the three organisations would facilitate integrated care. However, despite the use of organisational change approaches (such as communication plans and systematic approaches to staff engagement), implementing the strategy directives in practice remained problematic. What emerged during the integration process was resistance to change and a clear division in the different ways of working in the community NHS trusts versus the community and hospital trusts – differences that became apparent from the prejudices of individuals and staff groups. The proposition is that prejudice is an important aspect of relationships whose significance in processes of change is often overlooked. I argue that prejudice is a phenomenon that emerges in the processes of particularisation, which I describe as an ongoing exploration and negotiation in our day-to-day activities of relating to one another. Our pejorative understanding of the term ‘prejudice’ has overshadowed more subtle connotations, which I propose are unhelpful in understanding change in organisations. However, I suggest a different way of thinking about prejudice – namely as a process that should be acknowledged as a characteristic of human beings relating to one another, which has the potential to generate and enhance understanding. The research is a narrative-based inquiry and describes critical incidents during the integration process of the three organisations and focusing on interactions between key staff members within the organisation. In paying attention to our ongoing relationships, there has been a growing awareness of disconnection from traditional management practices, which advocate systematic approaches and staff engagement techniques that are designed to encourage cooperation and reduce resistance to proposed change. This thesis challenges assumptions surrounding prejudice and how middle managers traditionally manage organisational change in practice in their attempts to apply deterministic approaches (which assume a linear causality) to control and influence human behaviour. I have taken into consideration a hermeneutic perspective on prejudice, drawing on the work of Hans Georg Gadamer, and have argued from the viewpoint of the theory of complex responsive processes. This offers an alternative way of thinking about management as social processes that are emergent in our daily interactions with one another, that are not based on linear causality, or on locating leadership and management with individuals. It provides a way of taking seriously the relationships between individuals by paying attention to what emerges from the interplay of our expectations and intentions. This leads to a different way of thinking about the relationship between prejudice and strategic directives, which I argue are not fixed instructions but unpredictable articulations of our gestures and responses that emanate from social interaction and continually iterate our thinking over time. This paradoxically influences how we make generalisations and particularise them in reflecting on and revising our expectation of meaning I suggest that it is not possible to predetermine a strategic outcome; and that traditional management practice, which locates change with individuals – and reduces aspects of organisational life, such as resistance, into a problem to be fixed – obscures our capacity to understand the processes of organisational change in the context of a much wider social phenomenon. I therefore conclude that my original and significant contribution to the theory of complex responsive processes and to practice is encouraging a different way of thinking about prejudice – as a process that can be productive and generate understanding, when considered as encompassing our expectations of meaning, linked to our own self-interests. This then opens up possibilities for transforming ourselves in relation to others – and, through this process, to transform the organisations in which we work.

<p><p>Aim: To examine how midwives describe good and safe postpartum care of mothers with infants in neonatal care, and which prerequisites and obstacles they see to giving good and safe care while minimizing time of separation. Method: Semi structured qualitative interviews with ten midwives at two maternity wards in Uppsala. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and processed by manifest analysis. Results: Three categories were identified, <em>Good and safe care, Organization as an obstacle </em>and <em>The midwife role.</em> Good and safe postpartum care of mothers with infants in neonatal care required knowledge, appropriate equipment, good guidelines, possibility to see the mother, contact between mother and infant and good collaboration between the maternity and neonatal wards. This collaboration was insufficient. Organizational obstacles were shortage of staff, lack of guidelines and the distance between the wards. The midwives thought that integrated care of mother and child would be optimal, or at least a midwife responsible for the mother at the neonatal ward and a pediatric nurse on the maternity ward. The midwife saw herself as the woman's advocate who perceives the family as a whole. Being responsible for the mother´s care, their dilemma was how to prioritize between medical safety and encouraging her to stay with her infant. Conclusions: This is a topic that midwives are committed to. It causes frustration and feelings of insufficiency, but also of being important and capable of making a difference. Many thoughts about how the nursing care functions and should be provided were found. Many improvements are needed, organizational improvements as well as an increased collaboration between the departments are desired.<strong> </strong></p></p><p> </p>

Aim: To examine how midwives describe good and safe postpartum care of mothers with infants in neonatal care, and which prerequisites and obstacles they see to giving good and safe care while minimizing time of separation. Method: Semi structured qualitative interviews with ten midwives at two maternity wards in Uppsala. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and processed by manifest analysis. Results: Three categories were identified, Good and safe care, Organization as an obstacle and The midwife role. Good and safe postpartum care of mothers with infants in neonatal care required knowledge, appropriate equipment, good guidelines, possibility to see the mother, contact between mother and infant and good collaboration between the maternity and neonatal wards. This collaboration was insufficient. Organizational obstacles were shortage of staff, lack of guidelines and the distance between the wards. The midwives thought that integrated care of mother and child would be optimal, or at least a midwife responsible for the mother at the neonatal ward and a pediatric nurse on the maternity ward. The midwife saw herself as the woman's advocate who perceives the family as a whole. Being responsible for the mother´s care, their dilemma was how to prioritize between medical safety and encouraging her to stay with her infant. Conclusions: This is a topic that midwives are committed to. It causes frustration and feelings of insufficiency, but also of being important and capable of making a difference. Many thoughts about how the nursing care functions and should be provided were found. Many improvements are needed, organizational improvements as well as an increased collaboration between the departments are desired.

The expectations of patients have dramatically changed since the introduction of the first public health services more than a decade ago, as have the surrounding conditions a health system has to tackle. The grown health systems of the industrialised countries counter the challenges of an ageing society, technological advancement and chronic disease by a state of constant reform, which has been present for the last few years, without the abolition of the basic principles of affordability, accessibility and solidarity. One solution to answer all these expectations and requirements is so-called "integrated care", a patient-centred model, which propagates better processes, coordination and cooperation between the different service providers and sectors in health care. Based on a comprehensive discussion of the existing theories on health systems analysis, decision making and performance measurement in health as well as the trade-offs emerging therefrom, the first part of this thesis examines the changing conditions and expectations as well as problem areas of organisation and restructuring in health care systems. This analysis serves as a foundation for the introduction of the integrated care concept, an international expert questionnaire on the decision making in integrated care and conclusions on priority setting of decision makers in health. The analysis of the results demonstrates the high value that is placed on a clear political framework and incentives for the promotion of integrated care, as well as the substantive demand for improved communication, coordination and information structures. (author's abstract)

p. 1-156 / Submitted by Santiago Fabio (fabio.ssantiago@hotmail.com) on 2013-04-30T20:15:12Z No. of bitstreams: 1 222222222222222.pdf: 1003612 bytes, checksum: 8852f6826b8435e2e96e2c6bd96a7f45 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Creuza Silva(mariakreuza@yahoo.com.br) on 2013-05-04T17:41:35Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 222222222222222.pdf: 1003612 bytes, checksum: 8852f6826b8435e2e96e2c6bd96a7f45 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-05-04T17:41:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 222222222222222.pdf: 1003612 bytes, checksum: 8852f6826b8435e2e96e2c6bd96a7f45 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / No Brasil, os CAPS (Centros de Atenção Psicossocial) são considerados equipamentos estratégicos para efetivar a reforma psiquiátrica, visto que são responsáveis pela assistência e principais articuladores da rede de cuidados em saúde mental. Esta dissertação teve como objetivo principal identificar estratégias de integração entre os serviços de saúde que visam assegurar que o cuidado à saúde mental seja efetuado em rede. Seus objetivos secundários foram: identificar estratégias de integração entre os serviços de saúde propostas pelo CAPS (entendido como dispositivo ordenador da rede) que visam assegurar que o cuidado à saúde mental seja efetuado em rede; entender como outros serviços de saúde concebem o cuidado em rede para a assistência à saúde mental em um território e como organizam e desenvolvem práticas nessa direção; descrever o modelo utilizado na regulação do fluxo de usuários de saúde mental para garantir a assistência do ponto de vista dos diversos profissionais e serviços que compõem esta rede; investigar se existem mecanismos construídos em conjunto, CAPS e demais serviços de saúde, para a efetivação do cuidado em rede e descrevê-los; e analisar se os CAPS têm cumprido o seu papel de regulador da porta de entrada em saúde mental no seu território. A fim de atingir estes objetivos, foi realizado um estudo de caso único da rede de saúde mental em um distrito sanitário com a adoção de estratégias metodológicas qualitativas, tais como, observação direta nos serviços especializados de saúde mental, entrevistas semiestruturadas com coordenadores de tais serviços e coordenador do distrito sanitário, grupos focais com profissionais, bem como coleta de dados em prontuários e documentos concernentes a implantação desses serviços. Observou-se que estratégias de integração vêm sendo propostas pelo CAPS estudado, principalmente no que se refere à atenção básica, bem como que o acesso dos usuários é feito pelos diversos serviços, assim a regulação não se limita a uma porta de entrada única. Diante desta realidade, considera-se importante que novas estratégias sejam desenvolvidas no sentido de integrar a rede descentralizada dos serviços especializados com o objetivo de melhorar o fluxo dos usuários pelo sistema e definir melhor a missão de cada um dos serviços existentes na rede assistencial a saúde mental. / Salvador

Abstract The aim of the thesis is to increase understanding about creation of value in health care. Value is created through knowledge processes in multiprofessional integrated care pathways (ICP) of childhood obesity and defined as health and well-being which benefits the patients, their families, health care organisations and society. An ICP is a practice among Finnish primary and special care which in this study is regarded as the value creating network. Knowledge processes take place in social networks of health professionals and families and information technology (IT) networks. The transdisciplinary study combines theories of Information Studies with theories of customer value in Business and Marketing research. The care and prevention of childhood obesity pursues permanent lifestyle changes through health counselling. Examination of value creation in networks based on knowledge processes has the potential to enhance health professionals’, patients’, and their families’ interaction in counselling. The qualitative case study involves the ICPs of two Finnish University Hospital districts. The empirical data, collected between 2009 and 2012, consists of semi-structured interviews of 30 health professionals in primary and special health care, of three children and their mothers, a family questionnaire (N=13), and care path instructions and memos of an ICP work group. The findings indicate that information practices and IT do not support knowledge processes and organisational learning in the ICP. Along with structural and IT-based boundaries in and between organisations, organisational culture confirms boundaries. Moreover, lack of time restricts the sharing of experiences. Knowing in health care is a complex phenomena; especially the care of childhood obesity appeared to include emotional aspects not addressed in previous research. Thus, the study contributes to theoretical knowledge by suggesting empathetic knowing to be included in the typology of knowing in the context of health care. Even if counselling was perceived well, it does not ensure permanent lifestyle changes. Actual value for the families is created in the everyday practices which should be supported by the environment. The theoretical framework can be tested further in similar constructions in health care organisations or in other ICPs to enhance Knowledge Management and value creation in health care. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimus pyrkii lisäämään ymmärrystä siitä, miten arvoa luodaan lasten lihavuuden hoitoketjun tietoprosesseissa moniammatillisessa yhteistyössä. Hoitoketju on perusterveydenhuollon ja erikoissairaanhoidon välille luotu käytäntö, jota tarkastellaan arvoa luovana verkostona. Arvolla tarkoitetaan hyötyä, joka syntyy potilaille, heidän perheilleen, terveydenhuolto-organisaatioille ja yhteiskunnalle. Tietoprosessit muodostavat arvoverkoston ammattilaisten ja perheiden sosiaalisten verkostojen sekä hoitoketjun tietoverkostojen kautta. Tieteidenvälinen tutkimus yhdistää informaatiotutkimuksen teorioita liiketalouden tutkimuksen teorioihin asiakasarvon luomisesta. Lasten lihavuuden tärkein hoito- ja ennaltaehkäisykeino on terveysneuvonta, joka pyrkii pysyviin elämäntapamuutoksiin. Tietoprosessien tarkastelu arvoverkostoina mahdollistaa ammattilaisten ja perheiden vuorovaikutuksen kehittämisen terveysneuvonnassa. Laadullinen tapaustutkimus toteutettiin kahdessa suomalaisessa yliopistollisessa sairaanhoitopiirissä. Aineisto kerättiin vuosina 2009–2012. Se koostuu 30 terveydenhuollon ammattilaisen, kolmen potilaan ja heidän äitiensä teemahaastatteluista, 13 perheen lomakekyselyvastauksista sekä hoitopolkuohjeistuksista ja kokousmuistioista. Tulokset osoittavat, että tietoverkot ja informaatiokäytännöt eivät tue tietoprosesseja ja organisaatioiden oppimista hoitoketjussa. Rakenteellisten ja informaatio- ja viestintäteknologian luomien rajojen lisäksi erilaiset organisaatiokulttuurit muodostavat esteitä tietoprosessien etenemiselle. Kiire estää kokemusten jakamista. Tietämys ja osaaminen terveydenhuollossa ovat moniulotteisia seikkoja. Tutkimus nostaa esille lasten lihavuuden hoitoon liittyvät tunteet, joita ei ole tarkasteltu aikaisemmissa tutkimuksissa. Siten tulokset täydentävät teoriataustana sovelletun tietämisen typologiaa empaattisen tietämisen tyypillä terveydenhuollon kontekstissa. Perheet kokivat terveysneuvonnan hyväksi, mutta vaikutukset pysyviin elämäntapamuutoksiin eivät nouse vahvasti esille. Hoidon arvo muodostuu perheiden jokapäiväisen elämän käytännöissä, mitä myös ympäristön tulisi tukea. Tutkimuksessa sovellettua teoriaa ja viitekehystä voidaan testata vastaavissa yhteistoimintahankkeissa ja hoitoketjuissa. Niiden avulla voidaan kehittää arvoa luovia tietoprosesseja ja tietojohtamista terveydenhuollossa.

Background Youth and young adults represent a critical time for early detection and intervention of serious mental health conditions (SMHCs); however, of all age groups, health care use is lowest in young adults. Continued access to health services such as outpatient primary care and specialized mental health care, especially during the transition from pediatric to adult care, is important to improving outcomes in those with serious mental health conditions. Methods Stakeholder engagement and a mixed-method design were used. Quantitative Aims 1 and 2 used the IBM MarketScanCommercial Database. Qualitative Aim 3 used semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of pediatricians and child/adolescent psychiatrists. Stakeholders were engaged throughout all Aims to ensure relevance of goals, real-world interpretation of results, and dissemination of key findings. Aim 1 described patterns of outpatient (e.g., primary, reproductive, mental health care) and acute (e.g., emergency room use, inpatient hospitalization) health care use by age, and serious mental health condition for youth and young adults. Aim 2 used logistic models with generalized estimating equations to identify factors associated with mental health follow-up after hospitalization and emergency room use for a serious mental health condition. Aim 3 explored pediatrician and child/adolescent psychiatrist perspectives on coordinated care for youth and young adults with serious mental health conditions, particularly as they transition to adult care. Main Results The prevalence of outpatient mental health care and primary care decreased with age, with a larger drop in primary care utilization. While 74.0-78.4% of those aged 12-17 years used both outpatient mental health care and primary care, 53.1-59.7% of those aged 18-27 years did. Differences were observed by mental health condition; those with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders had the lowest rates of outpatient primary care use and the highest rates of acute care use. Of those hospitalized, 42.7% received follow-up within 7 days and 64.7% within 30 days. Of those with emergency room use not resulting in a hospitalization, 28.6% received follow-up within 7 days and 46.4% within 30 days. Having established mental health care strongly predicted follow-up, and more so than having established primary care. Providers described poor communication systems, no organized process for the transition from pediatric to adult care, a lack of time and reimbursement, and inadequate connection to community supports as key barriers to continuous, coordinated care for youth with serious mental health conditions. Conclusion Findings provide foundational knowledge to inform efforts to provide a comprehensive continuum of care for people with serious mental health conditions, potentially through increased access to primary care and specialized mental health care via enhanced care coordination of providers.

No description available.

Serious mental illness (SMI) affects 5% of the United States population and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Use of high-cost healthcare services is common, including hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits. Integrating behavioral and physical healthcare may improve care for consumers with SMI, but prior research findings have been mixed. This quantitative retrospective cohort study addressed the impact of integrated care on physical health and ambulatory care sensitive (ACS) utilization via a program evaluation of an integrated health clinic (IHC) at a community mental health center (CMHC). The research questions assessed whether there was a predictive relationship between IHC enrollment and physical health and ACS-specific service utilization for consumers with SMI when controlling for demographic characteristics and disease severity. Secondary administrative healthcare data, including authorization and electronic medical record data, were provided by the CMHC. Logistic regressions assessed the odds of experiencing an inpatient admission or ED visit before or after IHC enrollment; the predictive relationship between IHC enrollment and service utilization was assessed using multiple linear and Poisson regression analyses. There was no statistically significant impact of integrated care clinic enrollment on physical health or ACS-specific utilization. The sample had lower levels of physical health utilization than would have been expected. In terms of positive social change, results may help the CMHC assess the IHC program, overall clinic success, and use of data. Since policy and payment structures continue to support integrated care models, further research on different programs are encouraged, as each setting and practice pattern is unique.

This study compared the differences in treatment length, cost, cost effectiveness, dropout, and recidivism between a biomedical, talk therapy, and a collaborative mental health model for outpatient psychotherapy insurance claims. A biomedical model was the most cost effective with fewer sessions, but had a significantly higher dropout rate. Collaborative care had the least dropout, but also had higher costs and recidivism rates. Within collaborative care, differences between modality type, diagnosis, and provider type combinations were also examined. Within collaborative models, mixed modes of therapy had the lowest dropout, but at significantly higher costs and recidivism rates. Family therapy had the lowest recidivism and cost, with the highest dropout rate. In terms of specific problems, eating disorders had significantly more sessions and were significantly less cost-effective than any other diagnoses, followed by mood disorders. Relational disorders had the fewest sessions, best cost-effectiveness, and lowest recidivism rates. Finally, the MD/MFT provider type combination had the lowest dropout and recidivism rates, with the lowest cost, and a significantly better cost effectiveness than the MD/psychologist combination. The MD/psychologist combination had a significantly higher recidivism rate, and the MD/MSW combination had the highest dropout. No significant differences were found for any RN/talk therapy combination. Implications of the findings are discussed, along with limitations and future directions for research.