Asia-Pacific Journal of Health Management (ACHSM)
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Achievements and Challenges of Iran Health System after Islamic Revolution: Structural reforms at the second step
No full textThis commentary explained the causes of health financing issues in IRAN and needs for a structural reforms in the near future
The Case for a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement between Australia and South Korea
No full textObjectives: This study presents the case for a reciprocal health care agreement (RHCA) between Australia and South Korea.
Design and Setting: The research utilised a qualitative social scientific methodology. Document analysis was conducted on government reports, official statistics and media articles in English and Korean.
Main outcomes: In Australia, the Health Insurance Act 1973 enables health care agreements with 11 nations, however, Korea has no similar legislation in place. Therefore, Korea would need to build a broader consensus on the need for a RHCA in full, based on the precedent of Australia's agreements with other nations, as well as on the Korean Pension Act, which has enabled reciprocal (equal treatment among the countries) pension agreements with 28 nations through an exceptive clause.
Results: The active government commitment and involvement of the Ministry of Health and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Australia, and of the Ministry of Health & Welfare and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in South Korea, would be essential for a successful RHCA process to come to fruition.
Conclusions: While a potential health care agreement between Australia and Korea would constitute a significant step forward in strengthening people-to-people links between these two significant trading partners in the spirit of health diplomacy, the feasibility at the current time is very low indeed
The Association Between Admission to A Tertiary Children’s Hospital and Future Unplanned Dental Presentation
No full textObjective: Dentistry should aim to prevent rather than focus on end-stage treatment which is more costly and less effective. This study investigated the association between unplanned dental presentations and any previous admissions at a tertiary hospital for children.
Design: A retrospective analysis of 351 unplanned dental presentations at PCH was performed.
Setting: A tertiary children’s hospital, the Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH).
Main outcome measures: Reasons for unplanned presentations (infection, trauma, others) and the history of any previous admissions at PCH were analysed.
Results: Dental infection and trauma were the main reasons for the unplanned dental presentations. More than half of those who presented due to dental infection had at least once previous admission at PCH due to other reasons. Patients who presented with dental infection were more likely to have previous visits by community nurse or social worker, while those who presented due to trauma, were more likely to have had previous visits at orthopaedic or fracture wards of the same hospital.
Conclusions: Community nurses and social workers can possibly play a role in informing patients about dental care options in the primary care sector
Designing A Model of Medical Equipment Purchase Management in Hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences
No full textObjective: Medical equipment plays an effective and vital role in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Each society dedicates a plethora of health resources to these facilities. Since prioritizing and resource allocation are crucial in low-income countries with limited health resources, understanding and improving the purchase management of medical equipment in hospitals is a primary key for preparing high-quality health services. The aim of this study was to design a model for medical equipment purchase management at hospitals affiliated with the Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
Methods: The statistical population for the present applied study, consisted of 623 people and the research sample was comprised of 420 people, which was selected using the stratified random sampling method. Data was collected using a researcher-made questionnaire whose variables were extracted from comparative studies and whose validity was measured by the relative content validity coefficient, content validity index and Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The SPSS 18 and AMOS were employed for analyses.
Results: The most and the least effective aspects of medical equipment purchase management in the studied hospitals were found to be decision-making (path coefficient of 1.244) and organization respectively (path coefficient of 0. 845).
Conclusion: It is crucial to take factors into consideration when using the facilities and capacities available in health and treatment centres. The proposed model can best guide buyer institutions to move towards efficient purchase mentioned in upstream policy documents
A Focussed Literature Review of Power and Influence Leadership Theories
No full textThis Narrative Theoretical Literature Review relates to the evolution and translation of two contemporary leadership theories and anchors these to a leadership theory framework that demonstrates where they fit within the leadership theory body of knowledge.
This literature review was an integral part of the preparation for a mixed-methods study related to leadership in the aged care sector which has successfully concluded and one of the major findings of that yet unpublished study is that the followership is positively influenced in their work performance with a reduced turnover intention if they considered that their leader was authentic and ethical. Authentic and ethical leadership appear to be escalating in importance and translatability to the health and social care environments struggling with unmet workforce demands and high consumer expectations.
The review contains a description and timeline of the development of each of the theories included. This literature review is useful for investigating either or both leadership theories or their application to health and social care or designing leadership training programs or leader performance assessment tools
Message from the College President – Dr Neale Fong
No full textLeadership and management spawn numerous catchphrases to assert what is important “right now”. Resilience. Leaning in, or out. Authenticity. Balance. Agility. As a College for health managers and leaders, our clear challenge is to look past the “right now” and create the best platform to support our members through what we hope will be their lengthy career and positive contribution to the health of their communities.
In the past year the College has introduced a credentialling approach for health leaders which is inclusive of any and all of the latest leadership theories whilst acknowledging that real and substantial contributions to the health of the community is an iterative process requiring the commitment of individual leaders over long careers spanning decades. Our vision is “Better Leadership. Healthier Communities.” Our body of services is directed at supporting our members to achieve this vision.
Why Certification?
At the very foundation of the notion of what constitutes a profession is a body of knowledge and skills that requires attainment and continuous improvement. The individual leader is supported by an external body (the College) that describes that body of knowledge and skills and creates a framework for the individual to point to how they personally are committing to lifelong learning and development.
In the health sector certification in a profession is an employment currency that has traditionally excluded the leaders and managers. Through the introduction of these credentials, the College supports members and future members to have their body of knowledge and skills recognised and provides the platform for continuing development.
The role of consumer expectation plays a role in the need for the College credentialling system. Consumers expect a professional and independent recognition of the capability of the senior people who develop, lead, manage and have responsibility for their health facilities and services.
Our Challenge to our CHM’s and CHE’s
Implicit in this Certification system is that it is very important that the College’s Certified Health Manager and Certified Health Executives use their postnominals in communications within the health sector, talk about the College’s work in supporting the profession and “live” the vision of committing to lifelong learning as part of a community of leaders.
Over the past difficult 18 months the College itself has leaned into this attribute of community which goes beyond the triteness of “we are all in this together”. I have been proud and delighted to see how many of our members stepped up to support each other during this time and have been glad to harness that collegiate good will in developing both free and more importantly more opportunities for members to come together in small and large groups to listen and learn.
This journal continues to be an excellent and informative part of health leaders’ journeys. We are thankful for the partnership with SHAPE and commend members’ contributions to this publication; another way to continue the life-long learning that is so necessary in meeting the challenges of the health and community care sectors
Library Bulletin May 2021
No full textThis is the latest news and journal articles related to health management and leadership. Click rea
Work From Home, Mental Health and Employee Needs: A pilot study in selected information technology organizations in India
No full textIntroduction: The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted the economy and has resulted in changes to the working arrangements of employees who are based at home and may continue to work from home (WFH). Organizations are expected to develop an inclusive policy for their employees to promote mental health whilst working from home. The aim of this study was to document the impact of WFH on mental health and determine the expectations of employees from their organizations regarding occupational health policy.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted on the impact of work from home on mental health and to document the mental health support needs of employees. Google form was floated through social media platform to receive the responses. A total of 74 responses were received. Descriptive analysis was conducted using Microsoft Excel, while qualitative answers were manually analysed.
Results: About 67% employees (n=45) mentioned that their workload has increased significantly during work from home. Thirty five percent (n=26) felt lonely and lost and 47% (n= 34) felt disconnected from the real world, indicating the mental health impact of work from home. Fifty three percent employees (n=40) mentioned that there were no efforts made by their organization to reduce the mental health impact of work from home.
Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that there is an urgent need to create a comprehensive occupational health and safety policy inclusive of strategies to improve mental health by the organizations in light of “work from home” as a “new-normal”
The Effectiveness of Employee Performance Appraisal System in Health Sector: Evidence from Iranian organizations
No full textIntroduction: Performance appraisal is a formal process to review and improve the organizational performance of employees regularly. Despite the appropriate organizational frameworks for performance appraisal, they are not apparently addressing the operational realities of health care organizations. This study thus aimed to examine the effectiveness of the current performance appraisal system of employees at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) from the perspective of employees.
Methods: The data were collected from 504 TUMS employees using researcher-developed questionnaire following the validation. It consisted of 46 questions covering such various dimensions as performance expectations, communication of performance objectives to employees, self-assessment, performance metrics, surveyors, and performance appraisal results. ANOVA, t-test, Post hoc and Tukey statistical tests were used during analysis process by SPSS 22.
Results: The performance appraisal system was not found as effective as expected from the employees’ perspective and the scores for all its dimensions dropped below the average. The overall performance appraisal score was 2.71 (out of 5). There was also a significant correlation between the employees’ education and organizational job group and the score of performance appraisal (p<0.0001).
Conclusion: The current appraisal system according to the results is not well functioning. Therefore, it seems necessary to make urgent changes. The lack of active participation from employees and managers in performance appraisal development process, and the subsequent low motivation to improve their performance seems to be a persistent challenge. A fairly desirable solution might be to decentralize the appraisal processes rendering more authority to managers and supervisors along with empowering managers
Acceptability and Willingness to Pay for Influenza Vaccination among Healthcare Professionals in Vietnam
No full textBackground: While Vietnam’s Expanded Program on Immunization does not cover influenza vaccines, people must pay out-of-pocket for influenza vaccination. Healthcare professionals have a high risk of contracting influenza, but their vaccination rate is low.
Objective: To examine the willingness to pay (WTP) for influenza vaccination among healthcare professionals in Vietnam. It also recommends financing sources for influenza vaccination among healthcare professionals and determines possible measures to expand vaccine coverage.
Method: We interviewed 130 healthcare professionals in a national hospital in Hanoi in July 2021. We used Andersen’s behavioral Model (ABM) as an initial approach. The double-bounded dichotomous-choice questions were used to determine WTP for influenza vaccination among the target group. Collected responses were coded and analysed through IBM SPSS version 20 for descriptive, chi-square analyses.
Results: Most of the healthcare professionals who responded to this study were female with 75.4 % of the total 130 respondents. The mean age of participants was 34.08 years old. The average maximum WTP for influenza vaccination services was 357.57 VND (USD 15.3). Most of the participants reported that individuals should pay a part of the cost, and four-fifths reported they believed that the government and medical insurance should subsidize the service (80.8 % and 85.4 %). The Chi-square test showed that there was a significant association between perceived severity and history of influenza vaccination with the WTP, X2(1, N=130) = 4.18, p = 0.04 and X2 (1, N=130) = 7.81, p = 0.005, respectively.
Conclusion: The WTP for influenza vaccination among healthcare professionals was found relatively high. Suggesting that price is not a primary barrier. The government and medical insurance were believed to be the potential agencies for improving vaccination uptake as these agencies were expected to be the subsidized actors. Other health interventions such as influenza literacy and communication methods are also needed to expand vaccine coverage.
(*The paper was presented at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s College of Professional and Continuing Education (CPCE) Conference “Post-pandemic health and long-term care: A new paradigm”. September 2021