Journal of management in medicine最新文献

This paper introduces the concept of the emotional climate of the workplace and explores how it both shapes and is shaped by the emotions experienced, expressed and redefined by nurses. It extracts emotional aspects of an organizational climate framework developed by Litwin and Stringer and examines these with respect to nurse's experiences. The primary research was carried out at a general hospital NHS Trust in the East Midlands of the UK using a grounded theory methodology. The research methods included semi-structured interviews and observation. The themes identified include many of those found by Litwin and Stringer, others which represent variations upon these, and a new set, which, when combined, identify the emotional climate of the organization. The findings have confirmed that the "experiment" of using a 33-year-old positivistic framework to investigate aspects of qualitative research has enabled a robust contribution to the conceptual area of emotional climate.

In this research we report an analysis of comments from managers and executives in healthcare organizations to provide insights into the strategic management needs of healthcare organizations. The comments were obtained as part of a survey that asked upper-level managers and executives to identify strategic management skill and knowledge needs in healthcare organizations. After completing the survey, the respondents were given the opportunity to comment on any topics of concern to them. A total of 67 comments, many of them extensive and insightful, were obtained. In this paper, we review the literature dealing with educational and developmental needs of healthcare managers. Much of this literature is academic in nature and permits an interesting comparison to the perspective of management and executive practitioners. Emerging from the literature was a concern for environmental turbulence and a recognition that healthcare managers are at risk of falling behind in terms of skill development under such conditions. Respondent comments suggested a recognition of the potential problems. The comments are classified into four major categories: needs and skills in turbulent conditions; program and educational needs; issue clarification; and additional comments. Moreover, the first two categories appeared to break out into a set of six additional themes, which we suggest will be important to those designing programs for executive development in healthcare during turbulent times. While the source of this research is healthcare settings in Canada and the USA, the findings should be applicable to international healthcare organizations that use strategic management concepts and practices.

Describes part of a wider evaluation exercise undertaken to assess the impact of the introduction of a picture-archiving and communication system (PACS) on the adult intensive care unit (AICU) at the Royal Brompton NHS Trust in London. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the perceptions of PACS of the medical and ancillary staff working within AICU as well as to undertake a preliminary assessment of its impact on the workload of radiographers. Questionnaires, interviews and a process analysis were undertaken. The research findings indicate that the overall perception of staff towards the introduction of the PACS was positive. The impact of the system on the workload of radiographers was significant, reducing the time taken to obtain an image from 90 to 60 minutes. However, lessons to be learned for future PACS implementations include the need to ensure compatibility with existing IT systems, adequate IT support and initiatives to ensure that the benefits of PACS are communicated to the hospital at large.