Asia-Pacific Journal of Health Management (ACHSM)
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Quality Improvement Project by Reducing None Compliance Rate to The Writing and Approving the Discharge Summery At KFMMC-Dhahran
No full textBackground& aim: More than 300,000 active patients' medical records are kept at our institute. In 2021 only 19% of respondents (consultant in charge of the patient) agreed to the discharge summary (DC). Consequently, a corrective action plan was put into place to increase the compliance rate to policy to at least 90%.
Methods & context: This is an observational, retrospective study undertaken at tertiary medical center. Around 1,600 health informatic (HIS) records for patients who required admission to the hospital for more than 24 hours and were for patients of any age were selected for this study. An audit team to monitor compliance with writing /approving policies for the DC summary was established. Furthermore, correction action plans were implemented and the auditing for compliance was monitored.
Result: Our interventions have significantly improved the quality of discharge documentation as well as increase the rate of compliance to writing/approving the DC summery up to ≥ 90% by June 2023. The rate of DC summery delinquency was also reduced to < 10%. Moreover, no printing for discharge summery also was of great value in ink and paper use coast reduction of 13327 SR by Y 2023.
Conclusion: The quality of DC summery documentation, and the rate of delinquent DC summery reports could be improved by applying health informatics restrictive measurement and quality monitoring tool
Allied Health Professionals’ Involvement in the COVID-19 Vaccination Response: A cross-sectional online survey
No full textBackground: Allied health professionals offered an additional workforce strategy to support the COVID-19 vaccination response. The aim of this study was to understand the experiences of Australian AHPs who worked in the COVID-19 vaccination response.
Methods: An explanatory-sequential mixed-methods design was conducted, with the first phase involving a cross-sectional online survey. The survey consisted of 36 questions related to participant demographics, role/s undertaken in the COVID-19 vaccination response, and perceptions regarding benefits, concerns, and future roles for allied health professionals in vaccination responses.
Results: 29 participants were eligible for study inclusion defined by completion of all survey questions representing three Australian states and five allied health professions (physiotherapy, speech pathology, occupational therapy, dietetics, and podiatry). The most reported benefit was ‘enhanced knowledge base related to vaccines’ (n=25, 86.25%), while concerns were expressed related to keeping current with guidelines and accidentally causing harm (each n=11, 37.9%). Theoretical domains enabling allied health professional participation were ‘knowledge’, ‘reinforcement’, ‘beliefs about consequences’, and ‘environmental context and resources’. Three key categories were identified in open-ended responses: “An appropriate role” for allied health? The impact of allied health participation; and, Processes shape the experience.
Conclusions: Findings enhance our understanding of allied health professionals’ experiences in the COVID-19 vaccination response, and the benefits and barriers to their involvement. There is an opportunity to better utilise the AHP workforce. Organisations are implored to review their use of AHPs both in the COVID-19 pandemic and broadly in health service delivery to support enhanced use of this workforce in future extended scope of practice or disaster management responses
How Do Meta-Organizations Reach Collective Action? A Comparative Study of Digital Transformation in Healthcare
No full textObjective: To investigate how meta-organizations and traditional hierarchical organizations differ in their approaches to facilitating collective action in digital transformation initiatives within healthcare settings.
Design: A comparative case study utilizing primary data collection for the meta-organization case and secondary data analysis for the traditional organization case.
Setting: Comparing Abc Dental Group (a meta-organization of 12 dental clinics in Taiwan) and Princess Alexandra Hospital (a traditional hierarchical public hospital in Australia).
Main outcome measures: Decision-making processes, implementation strategies, knowledge sharing mechanisms, and alignment approaches for digital transformation initiatives.
Results: Meta-organizations rely on collaborative decision-making, voluntary implementation, peer learning networks, and identity-based alignment. Traditional organizations employ centralized decision-making, structured implementation, formal training, and authority-based alignment.
Conclusions: Organizational structure fundamentally shapes collective action approaches in digital transformation. Meta-organizational distributed approaches particularly suit contexts requiring clinical autonomy and adaptation to diverse environments, while traditional centralized approaches promote consistency in critical systems. These findings extend meta-organization theory by identifying specific mechanisms that overcome limited formal authority challenges
Impact of Work-Life Balance (WLB) on Employee Retention And Organisational Performance Across Pan-Asian Countries: - Confab 360 Degree Annual Conference in Dubai, 2025
No full textThe interplay between professional commitments and personal life has become an important point to ponder over, particularly within the diverse socio-economic landscape of Pan-Asian countries. Work-life balance (WLB) is a growing aspect that is getting recognised as a keystone for both individual employee well-being and organisational sustainability.
This study investigates the impact of WLB on employee retention and organisational performance across Pan-Asian countries, employing a comprehensive, systematic review with a qualitative comparative approach drawing from empirical studies, systematic reviews, and data-driven analysis published between 2014 and 2025. Utilising person-organisation fit and social exchange theories as conceptual frameworks, the study synthesises evidence from diverse sectors, including IT, healthcare, public administration, and hospitality.
Thematic analysis reveals that well-implemented WLB initiatives, such as flexible scheduling, supervisor support, and family-friendly policies, consistently reduce turnover intentions and enhance productivity, motivation, and overall job satisfaction, particularly when aligned with cultural norms and organisational contexts. Comparative findings highlight regional differences, such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and India showing particularly strong retention and performance gains, while challenges such as resource scarcity in SMEs, ingrained overwork cultures, and uneven policy enforcement persist across Asia. Despite these advances, significant research gaps remain. Studies are predominantly cross-sectional and sector-focused, limiting understanding of the long-term WLB impact and neglecting underexplored sectors like manufacturing and agriculture.
The manuscript concludes with actionable best practices and recommendations, calling for more longitudinal and intersectional research, integrating technology-driven work models, and greater support for resource-limited organisations. This review establishes WLB as a foundational lever for organisational resilience in Asia, underlining the need for context-sensitive, evidence-based approaches to policy, practice, and future research
Cross-Border Mergers & Acquisitions and Business Growth in Healthcare: An absorptive capacity perspective: - Confab 360 Degree Annual Conference in Dubai, 2025
No full textObjective: This study explores the impact of cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) on the business growth of pharmaceutical companies. Based on evidence from the 2015 acquisition of Novartis's vaccine division by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) as a paradigmatic case study, we also explore how this M&A led to business growth during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design: We employ qualitative analysis of 10 years of executive reports, annual reports, market research, and peer-reviewed journal articles from Business Source Premier. Then, we developed a thematic analysis of this secondary data based on five critical dimensions of post-merger success, including strategic rationale, after-acquisition growth, operational synergies, cultural integration, and competitive positioning.
Results: Our findings suggest that the acquisition’s success was fundamentally driven by its tight strategic alignment with GSK's long-term objectives of specialising in vaccines and innovative healthcare. Operational efficiencies were achieved through phased integration, while proactive leadership and open communication were found to be crucial in reducing cultural challenges.
Conclusions: We conclude that in the intricate healthcare ecosystem, carefully planned and executed M&As that prioritise cultural alignment in addition to financial and operational objectives can result in substantial, long-term value. For executives, academics, and policymakers navigating international M&A strategy in the healthcare industry, the paper offers insightful theoretical analysis and useful recommendations
Evaluating AI-Enabled Healthcare Services: A bibliometric and topic modelling analysis of scholarly publications: - Confab 360 Degree Annual Conference in Dubai, 2025
No full textThis study examines emerging topics and trends in Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled healthcare services, with a particular emphasis on service quality, diagnosis, and treatment enhancement due to the emergence of technology. This study aimed to identify the primary themes found in scholarly publications and examine how those themes have significance in the healthcare sector.
Bibliometric and topic modelling techniques were used to analyse the extracted set of relevant publications. For bibliometric analysis, the bibliometric package Biblioshiny was used in R version 4.4.1, and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) was utilised for topic modelling. Academic papers from Scopus are included in the dataset, covering the period from 2011 to 2024.
The research analysis highlights that there is a substantial emphasis placed on the use of artificial intelligence in the healthcare industry, notably in the areas of improving diagnosis, treatment personalisation, and operational efficiency related to services provided in the healthcare sector
Trends of Research in Hospital Financing and Health Industry 4.0/5.0: A bibliometric analysis
No full textIntroduction: The convergence of Industry 4.0 and 5.0 within the health sector heralds a transformative era, leveraging advanced technologies and human intelligence to redefine healthcare delivery. This evolution not only revolutionizes patient care and outcomes but also revolutionizes hospital financing, enabling cost reduction, improved efficiency, and enhanced revenue streams through the strategic integration of artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain technologies.
Aim: Through a bibliometric analysis, this paper seeks to unravel the evolving trends in research within hospital financial and Health Industry 4.0/5.0.
Materials & Methods: Bibliometric analysis was performed using the search results from Scopus database, Bibliometrix package in R Studio, and Vosviewer.
Result & Discussion: 178 studies were eligible for analysis from the search on Scopus database. Cooccurrence analysis revealed 5 clusters of keywords in the topic of hospital financing and Health Industry 4.0/5.0. The overlay cooccurrence map showed a shift of the main research topic from focusing on cost analysis and reduction to applying more advanced technologies and addressing privacy concerns.
Conclusions: The increasing impact of Industry 4.0 and 5.0 on hospital financing is indicated by an increasing scholarly focus towards applying more sophisticated technology in hospital financing
Effects Of Smokers’ Recent Cessation Failure on Their Responses to Threat Appeals in Anti-Smoking Ads
No full textBackground: Quitting smoking often involves multiple cessation attempts before smokers succeed. Recent cessation failure can influence how smokers respond to smoking-related threat appeals in anti-smoking ads that may encourage them to quit smoking. This study aims to investigate the effects of smokers’ recent cessation failure on their responses to smoking-related threat appeals in anti-smoking ads.
Methods: This study conducted a 2 (strong vs. weak verbal threat appeal) x 2 (strong vs. weak visual threat appeal) pretest-posttest experiment online with a smoker segment (Korean male smokers in their 30’s) who had the highest rate of attempted smoking cessation across all gender and age groups in Korea. Participants’ recent cessation failure (quit attempts within the previous 12 months) was measured in pretest session. And their cessation intention and defensive responses (e.g., wishful thinking) were assessed during pretest and posttest sessions.
Results: For participants with a recent cessation failure (n = 84), anti-smoking ad exposure increased their fatalism and hopelessness. Among participants without a recent cessation failure (n = 41), anti-smoking ad exposure intensified their cessation intention. However, exposure to strong visual threat appeal increased their wishful thinking.
Conclusion: Verbal and visual threat appeals in anti-smoking ads had a differential effect on adaptive (e.g., cessation intention) and maladaptive (e.g., fatalism) responses between smokers with and without a recent cessation failure. Study findings expand our understanding of the empirical linkage between recent cessation failure, smoking prevention messaging in anti-smoking ads and psychological coping mechanism among smokers
A Critical and Progressive Review on Maternal and Child Health Policies in India
No full textBackground: Mothers' survival and well-being are crucial for addressing major economic, societal, and child development issues. They are also significant in and of themselves. The current mother and child health situation in India is a complex topic with both hurdles and improvement. The Government of India has the foresight to reduce maternal mortality with the help of different programmes and healthcare facilities being introduced and cautiously implemented.
Objective: The author summarised the literature on maternal and child health programmes, investing in their impact, especially the programmes initiated through national health missions and analysed the programmes.
Result: This paper discussed the programmes and their current scenario with their benefits and problems. Some programmes are near to achieving their objectives such as Jannani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), and Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK) but not at their full potential there is still some laguna in these programmes. In this direction reviewed research papers highlighted the problems in the implementation and utilisation of the programmes and suggested further steps that should be taken to fully utilise these programmes and improve maternal and child health.
Conclusion: Maternal deaths can be reduced if proper healthcare treatments are used to prevent or break the chains of problems. Although India outperformed the global average in terms of maternal mortality reduction between 1990 and 2016, we still have a long way to go to catch up with large economies such as Brazil (44), China (27) and Japan (5)
The Interplay of Anxiety, Stress, and Depressive Symptoms among Sexual Orientations in Asian Populations
No full textBackground: Healthcare management in modern society plays a crucial role in addressing both physical and mental health conditions, with depression being a prominent concern. Stress and anxiety were intercorrelated with depression, which is commonly reported among individuals of both genders. However, few studies have presented results on this interlink based on sexual orientation.
Methods: This study involved examining the association between stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, and the ability of anxiety and stress to predict depressive symptoms in a sample of 21,972 volunteer participants from Asian countries (Open-Source & Open-Source Psychometrics Project), who self-reported their mental health experiences in questionnaires on an online platform using the DASS-42 self-report questionnaire. Simple and multiple regression analyses were used to examine the interaction between the three emotional states across five sexual orientations.
Results: Across all five sexual orientations (heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual, asexual, and ‘others’), anxiety has been found to be a significant predictor of stress (R2=0.68-0.73) and depressive symptoms (R2=0.64-0.72). Additionally, stress has been shown to be a significant predictor (R2=0.79-0.84) of depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the combination of stress and anxiety was a statistically significant predictor of depressive symptoms in individuals with all five sexual orientations. (Depressive symptoms = 1.26+0.76 stress+0.22 anxiety, R2= 0.66, p < .001). In other words, people with higher levels of anxiety and stress are more likely to develop depressive symptoms.
Conclusions: This study confirms that anxiety and stress predict depression not only in a general population but also across sexual minority groups, suggesting that mental healthcare management should combine universal approaches addressing common risk factors and targeted interventions to respond to the unique determinants of mental health in sextual minority populations, especially stigma, discrimination, and social exclusion which differ from those in the general population