Healthcare Management Forum

The study compared each province's supply of surgeons in three specialities (ophthalmologists, orthopedic surgeons, and cardiac and thoracic surgeons) with the rates of key procedures (cataract removal, hip and knee replacement, and coronary artery bypass) that residents received. We found little or no relationship between the supply of surgeons and a population's surgery rate. We conclude that the supply of surgical specialists is the wrong focus for health care resource planning.

L'étude a comparé le nombre de chirurgiens de chaque province de trois spécialités (ophtalmologie, orthopédie et chirurgie thoracique et cardiologie) avec les taux d'interventions clés (cataracte, remplacement du genou et de la hanche, et pontage aortocoronarien) que les habitants subissent. Nous avons trouvé peu ou pas de lien entre le nombre de chirurgiens et les taux d'interventions subies par les habitants. Nous concluons donc que le nombre de chirurgiens spécialisés ne constitue pas une mesure pertinente pour la planification des ressources en soins de la santé.

Institutional policy makers have a useful resource in the “Joint Statement on Preventing and Resolving Ethical Conflicts Involving Healthcare Providers and Persons Receiving Care”. Yet, some aspects of the joint statement pose challenges for institutional policy development and merit further reflection. With the aim of clarifying and augmenting the recommendations in the joint statement, this paper gives additional guidance on the issues of benefit, power imbalance, and legitimate decisional authority.

The aim of this study was to test a questionnaire for more detailed management information of a community care program in rural Alberta. A total of 24 community care clients and 486 home visits to these clients were assessed. The Client Homebound Score (CHS) and the Case Management Intensity Score (CMIS) were positively associated with time spent on home visits. These scores would be useful indicators for improved resource-based planning of home visiting.

To remain accountable to stakeholders, healthcare governing boards need meaningful and actionable feedback on their performance. In 1998, the Board of Governors of West Park Hospital (now West Park Healthcare Centre) used the 360° feedback® technique for the first time to gather feedback from a range of stakeholders. Board members found the technology accessible and the process valuable. They are using the individual results to improve individual performance, and have developed work plans to address areas for continued board development.