•Middle management strategies are decisive when transforming healthcare services.•Learning-oriented leadership and adaptive management emphasizes involvement and facilitate workplace ...learning.•Employees and managers need help to make sense of the complexities in changing work practices.•Scenario planning and backcasting are tools for sensemaking in complex organizations.
eHealth is considered a solution to current challenges in healthcare. However, its use is not very well developed, and its potential has been little exploited. There are many reasons for the limited diffusion of eHealth. Knowledge, opportunities for training and collaborative activities are examples of factors that influence diffusion. Managerial responsibility is decisive in transforming healthcare. This paper aims at exploring middle management strategies that can facilitate workplace learning when introducing eHealth and new ways of providing healthcare. Introduction of eHealth will imply new and innovative working processes, where both employees and managers need to be aware that their work will change fundamentally, from routine work to work that involves learning, skills development and continuous changes in work practice. This study takes a qualitative approach by analysing data collected through focus group interviews. The findings indicate a necessity for a shift towards learning-oriented leadership and adaptive management that emphasizes employee involvement and opportunities for learning. Helping employees make sense of the complexities associated with continuously changing work practices is another identified middle management strategy. Scenario planning and backcasting stand out as suitable tools for sensemaking in complex organizations and as techniques that can promote workplace learning.
Medical education must equip future professionals with the necessary skills to navigate the complex healthcare landscape. Clinical knowledge is essential, and critical and creative thinking skills ...are vital to meet the challenges of the system. Design thinking offers a structured approach that integrates creativity and innovation, yet its application in medical education is absent.
The compulsory MasterMinds Challenge course at Leiden University Medical Center utilizes design thinking principles to address real world healthcare challenges. Final-year medical students participated in a two-day program. The course encompassed empathizing with stakeholders, problem definition, ideation, prototyping, and refining solutions. Presentation skills were emphasized, culminating in a symposium where teams showcase their outcomes. Implementation of the MasterMinds Challenge course was successful with 33 sessions delivered to 1217 medical students. Challenges covered various healthcare topics, yielding creative yet practical outcomes. Students appreciate the real world healthcare challenge, team-based approach, and the applicability of design thinking principles. Challenge owners expressed satisfaction with students' commitment, creativity, and empathizing abilities.
To further enhance the MasterMinds Challenge course, a more longitudinal format is being designed, enabling greater autonomy and emphasizing the refining and implementation phases. The course can be extended to medical postgraduate professionals and interdisciplinary collaborations, fostering innovative ideas beyond current practices. By developing problem-solving skills, the MasterMinds Challenge course contributes to a future-proof medical education program and prepares students to meet the evolving needs of healthcare.
To understand healthcare experiences among patients with uterine fibroids (fibroids) across the continuum of care, from early symptoms through diagnosis, treatment, and management, while also ...investigating health disparities.
We conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with patients with fibroids. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and qualitatively analyzed using thematic analysis. Eligible participants were women aged 18 and over, residing within 75 miles of one of the two recruitment locations (Tippecanoe or Marion County) in Indiana, USA.
Women experienced myriad physical symptoms, which often manifested into psychological and sexual disturbances and infiltrated all aspects of daily life. Internet searches were frequently mentioned as their main information source. Fertility became a prominent factor in deciding treatment options. However, health disparities prevented some from receiving quality fibroids healthcare. Some women reported staying home during COVID-19 pandemic facilitated the management of physical symptoms. Overall, participants advocated for greater fibroids awareness and education.
Results highlight barriers and facilitators to fibroids-related decisions, behaviors, and outcomes. Translation of research to practice was guided by a combined Social-Ecological Model and social determinants of health framework for development of strategic interventions.
Interventions should aim to improve fibroids healthcare access, education and awareness, and patient-provider communication for minority, rural, and low socioeconomic status communities disproportionately impacted by fibroids.
•Explore the experiences of patients with uterine fibroids across the continuum of care.•This work contributes to the limited body of qualitative research on fibroids.•Results capture fibroids experiences of minority, rural, and low socioeconomic status communities.•Health disparities prevented some from receiving quality fibroids healthcare.•Practical recommendations can improve fibroids awareness, treatment, and management.
Continuous monitoring by wearable technology is ideal for quantifying mobility outcomes in "real-world" conditions. Concurrent factors such as validity, usability, and acceptability of such ...technology need to be accounted for when choosing a monitoring device. This study proposes a bespoke methodology focused on defining a decision matrix to allow for effective decision making. A weighting system based on responses (
= 69) from a purpose-built questionnaire circulated within the IMI Mobilise-D consortium and its external collaborators was established, accounting for respondents' background and level of expertise in using wearables in clinical practice. Four domains (concurrent validity, CV; human factors, HF; wearability and usability, WU; and data capture process, CP), associated evaluation criteria, and scores were established through literature research and group discussions. While the CV was perceived as the most relevant domain (37%), the others were also considered highly relevant (WU: 30%, HF: 17%, CP: 16%). Respondents (~90%) preferred a hidden fixation and identified the lower back as an ideal sensor location for mobility outcomes. Overall, this study provides a novel, holistic, objective, as well as a standardized approach accounting for complementary aspects that should be considered by professionals and researchers when selecting a solution for continuous mobility monitoring.
Eating disorders and diabetes mellitus are distinct yet closely linked health conditions, presenting distinct challenges in terms of care and management. Eating disorders encompass a spectrum of ...mental health disorders characterized by abnormal eating behaviors and disruptions in weight regulation. Research indicates that individuals with diabetes might be at an elevated risk of developing eating disorders. The necessity to adhere to specific dietary guidelines, monitor blood sugar levels vigilantly, and manage drug administration can collectively contribute to the emergence of detrimental attitudes toward food and body image. On the other hand, incorrect eating behaviors such as binge eating and purging can disrupt blood sugar control, significantly impacting the development and management of diabetes. This intricate relationship emphasizes the crucial necessity for a comprehensive understanding and specialized care to effectively address the dual challenges faced by individuals dealing with both diabetes and eating disorders. This paper represents the inaugural comprehensive review delving into the intricate connection between eating disorders and diabetes, thereby illuminating previously under-researched areas. The insights gleaned from this review may contribute to developing integrated interventions that aim to improve the overall well-being and quality of life for individuals grappling with the complexities of eating disorders and diabetes.
This article focuses on the health and health care challenges experienced by young and emerging adult gay men. Evidence is provided on the extent to which young and emerging adult gay men are ...disproportionally burdened by multidimensional health disparities, barriers to health care access, and inadequate provider-patient interactions. Recommendations are provided for health care providers and public health officials working with populations of emerging adult gay men that might have the greatest overall impact on improving this population's well-being and access to competent health care by increasing providers' awareness of the unique needs of young and emerging adult gay men.
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