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PubMed2006

Access to care and the allied oral health care workforce in Kansas: perceptions of Kansas dental hygienists and scaling dental assistants.

Access to oral health care continues to be a problem in the United States. Research has called for innovative approaches to improve access to oral health care and reduce oral health care disparities. Successful alternate approaches have been reported. In 1998 the Kansas Legislature passed a proposal to enhance access to care and manpower needs by allowing dental assistants to provide supragingival scaling, a service traditionally assigned to dental hygienists. In 2000, Mitchell et al. investigated the perceptions of Kansas dental hygienists and scaling dental assistants in relation to House Bill 2724 (HB 2724), which allows dental assistants to perform coronal scaling. The intent of the study was to collect baseline data in relation to HB 2724. The purpose of the present study was to follow up on the impact of HB 2724 six years after legislation. Both groups report satisfaction with their professions: scaling dental assistants believe the delivery of care in Kansas has changed, and areas of Kansas previously noted as dental health professional shortage areas are now served by either a registered dental hygienist or scaling dental assistant.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2002

Managing the healthcare workforce: cost reduction or innovation.

Labour costs are the largest proportion of total costs in the health industry in developed countries and are a target in health sectory reform. The Kennett government in Victoria introduced policies based on competition and cost reduction and the decentralisation of industrial relations through enterprise bargaining. These policies directly impacted on the health workforce leading to work intensification, labour shortages and poor morale. The Bracks government has since returned to centralisation. This paper argues that it is time for a more innovative approach to health workforce management based on recognising staff as an asset rather than a cost.

Capitalism↗
PubMed2000

A workforce survey of health promotion education and training needs in the state of Victoria.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the education and training needs of health professionals and factors affecting participation in education and training. METHODS: A survey of health promotion professionals, health professionals, GPs and CEOs of community health centres, conducted across different settings and locations. Information was obtained on: involvement in health promotion activities, most useful content and format of past training, current preferences for education and training and barriers and incentives to education and training. RESULTS: Health promotion professionals were involved in the widest variety of health promotion activities, including more evaluation, research and planning than GPs and other health professionals who were involved in more client-focussed activities. Professionals' preference for training content reflected the type of activities in which they were most frequently involved. Practical courses, of short duration, delivered by experienced peers or health promotion experts were preferred over university and TAFE courses. Professionals in rural and provincial locations require both greater access to information on training and conveniently located training. More organisational support, funding and time release would encourage the training of professionals in government departments, community health centres and public hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: To be most effective, training must be tailored to suit the specific needs of different professionals involved in health promotion and take into consideration how factors, such as financial incentives and time release, influence participation across different settings and locations. IMPLICATIONS: Further development of the health promotion workforce will require recognition of its professional diversity and a more responsive and organised approach to education and training programs.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A mental health worker for minority ethnic communities.

The Mental Health Workforce Strategy for England outlined a commitment to ensure that the mental health workforce had the skills, capabilities and capacity to meet the needs of people with mental health problems. One of its commitments involves creating new roles, including the community development worker for black and minority ethnic communities. This article outlines the key components of the role and how it is intended to ensure the mental health needs of black and minority ethnic communities are met.

Career Mobility↗
PubMed2005

User patterns and satisfaction with on-line trainings completed on the North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness Training Web Site.

Short online training modules have been developed by the North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness (NCCPHP) and provided to registered users for free on its Training Web Site. Use of these modules can improve the knowledge, skills, and awareness of public health professionals in topics related to public health preparedness. According to the results of a survey implemented in October 2004, the NCCPHP Training Web Site is effectively reaching its target audience of local and state public health workers. The utilization of distance learning technology allows for broad distribution of training materials, with registered users in all 50 US states and 122 foreign countries. In addition, the NCCPHP Training Web Site is providing training materials in topics most requested by the public health workforce. According to the findings of this survey, online training in public health preparedness and response is an efficient way to improve the knowledge and skills of our public health workforce to increase competency.

Consumer Behavior↗
PubMed1998

Occupational upper extremity disorders in the federal workforce. Prevalence, health care expenditures, and patterns of work disability.

Upper extremity disorders (UEDs) account for a significant number of work-related illnesses in the US workforce. Little information exists on the distribution of UEDs, their associated health care and indemnity costs, or patterns of work disability. The study presented is an analysis of upper extremity claims within the federal workforce. In this study, the universe consisted of all claims accepted by the US Department of Labor, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP), from October 1, 1993, through September 30, 1994. A total of 185,927 claims of notices of injury were processed during the study period, and of these, 8,147 or 4.4% had an UED diagnosis coded according to the International Classification of Diseases, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM). 5,844 claims involved a single UED diagnosis and were the only claims field by these employees between October 1, 1990, and September 30, 1994. These single claims with single diagnoses comprised the sample for further analysis. Mononeuritis and enthesopathies of the upper limb were the most common diagnoses, accounting for 43% and 31% of the claims, respectively. Women had a higher proportion of carpal tunnel syndrome, "unspecified" mononeuritis, and "unspecified" enthesopathies. The majority of claimants for both the mononeuritis- and enthesopathy-related diagnoses were between 31 and 50 years of age, received only health care benefits, and did not incur wage loss. Health care costs for mononeuritis and enthesopathy claims were $12,228,755 (M = $2,849). Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and enthesopathy of the elbow were the most costly diagnoses, accounting for 57% and 16% of the total, respectively. Surgical services represented the highest expenditures in CTS claims. Physical therapy accounted for the majority of health care costs for enthesopathy cases. The mean number of workdays lost for CTS and enthesopathy claims were 84 and 79, and the average indemnity costs were $4,941 and $4,477, respectively. These findings indicate that while UEDs represent a relatively small percentage of all workers' compensation cases, the health care and indemnity costs are considerable. Also mean duration and pattern of work disability revealed that these disorders can result in chronic work disability similar to that observed in low back pain. The results highlight the need to determine whether interventions that account for the majority of costs significantly impact long-term outcomes. There is also a need to identify risk factors for prolonged disability in those who experience problems with delayed recovery.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

The training gap: an acute crisis in behavioral health education.

Changes in health care have outpaced changes in the educational programs offered to the behavioral health workforce. The result is a training gap that leaves graduate students, working professionals, and other direct care providers inadequately prepared for practice in the current health care environment. This article is based on a keynote address delivered at the Annapolis Conference on Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training. Major changes in health care are reviewed, followed by a description of the training gap as an acute crisis that impedes the delivery of effective and efficient mental health and addiction services. The author describes a national initiative to narrow the training gap and he calls for collective action by the varied groups and organizations that have a stake in this agenda.

Allied Health Personnel↗
PubMed2005

Promoting diversity in health management: the University of Michigan Experience.

There has been a resurgence in the call for greater racial and ethnic diversity in the health workforce. Researchers in health services have made the "business case" for diverse leadership of healthcare organizations, arguing that this will make these organizations more effective in serving diverse populations. Greater diversity in health management training programs will also have positive effects on their students. This article has three purposes: to discuss the importance of diversity in health management training programs; to describe the University of Michigan's Summer Enrichment Program (SEP), a program to increase the number of students of color who receive graduate training in health management; and to report the results of a survey of SEP alumni, conducted after the program's 15th year, which describe the graduate school and career experiences of 167 SEP alumni. Based upon the survey results, the SEP appears to have been very successful in enlarging the pool of students of color who attend graduate programs in health management and who embark on careers in the field. It has also had a very positive effect on diversity within the University of Michigan program. The implications of the Michigan experience and recent Supreme Court decisions for other graduate programs are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Specialist public health capacity in England: working in the new primary care organizations.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the capacity and development needs, in relation to key areas of competency and skills, of the specialist public health workforce based in primary care organizations following the 2001 restructuring of the UK National Health Service. STUDY DESIGN: Questionnaire survey to all consultants and specialists in public health (including directors of public health) based in primary care trusts (PCTs) and strategic health authorities (SHAs) in England. RESULTS: Participants reported a high degree of competency. However, skill gaps were evident in some areas of public health practice, most notably "developing quality and risk management" and in relation to media communication, computing, management and leadership. In general, medically qualified individuals were weaker on community development than non-medically qualified specialists, and non-medically qualified specialists were less able to perform tasks that require epidemiological or clinical expertise than medically qualified specialists. Less than 50% of specialists felt that their links to external organizations, including public health networks, were strong. Twenty-nine percent of respondents felt professionally isolated and 22% reported inadequate team working within their PCT or SHA. Approximately 21% of respondents expressed concerns that they did not have access to enough expertise to fulfil their tasks and that their skills were not being adequately utilized. CONCLUSIONS: Some important skill gaps are evident among the specialist public health workforce although, in general, a high degree of competency was reported. This suggests that the capacity deficit is a problem of numbers of specialists rather than an overall lack of appropriate skills. Professional isolation must be addressed by encouraging greater partnership working across teams.

England↗
PubMed2005

Impact evaluation of a five-day Short Course in Health Promotion: workforce development in action.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: This paper reports on impact evaluation of a series of five-day Short Courses in Health Promotion that have been delivered to more than 2,000 people since 2002 as part of a state-wide workforce development strategy. METHODS: A triangulated mixed methods research design was selected for the evaluation. Data were collected through a mail survey, key informant interviews, focus groups and organisational case studies. Stakeholder and participant involvement were central to the evaluation. RESULTS: Organisational change emerged as a key theme. Impacts of the short course were felt in relation to health promotion practice and on organisational capacity to conduct health promotion, while the development of confidence and skills of participants to engage in collaborative opportunities was a not-unexpected, but important, benefit of the course. CONCLUSIONS: A short course is effective if attention is given to quality delivery, adult learning methods, participant involvement, appropriate targeting, good planning, and adequate funding. However, respondents commonly report the need for organisational change in order for health promotion practice to be embedded into organisations and for practitioners to be supported in their efforts to re-orient services towards health promotion.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1994

Health care workforce priorities: what nursing should do now.

We provide an appraisal of the adequacy of the aggregate supply of nurses and the appropriateness of their educational mix in view of anticipated changes in health care. We view the supply as adequate, but the educational mix as deficient with regard to nurses with baccalaureate and higher degrees who will be in greatest demand in new and expanding roles. Five priority areas are identified in which nursing can make particularly important contributions to improving health and health care: restructuring hospitals, improving primary care availability, contributing to the viability of academic health centers, improving care of the underserved, and redesigning the role of public health in a reformed health care system.

Education, Nursing↗
PubMed2004

Changing the skill-mix of the health care workforce.

OBJECTIVE: Changing workforce skill-mix is one strategy for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of health care. Our aim was to summarise available research into the success or failure of skill-mix change in achieving planned outcomes. METHODS: A systematic search for existing reviews of research into skill-mix was conducted. Databases searched included: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychINFO, Cochrane Library, HMIC, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, and Department of Health Research Findings Register. Search terms included keywords defining the type of publication, clinical area, type of health personnel and the focus of the article (role change, skill-mix, etc.). English language publications from 1990 onwards were included. Two reviewers independently identified relevant publications, graded the quality of reviews and extracted findings. In addition, the wider literature was scanned to identify which factors were associated with the success or failure of skill-mix change. RESULTS: A total of 9064 publications were identified, of which 24 met our inclusion criteria. There was a dearth of research, particularly for role changes involving workers other than doctors or nurses. Cost-effectiveness was generally not evaluated, nor was the wider impact of change on health care systems. The wider literature suggested that factors promoting success include: introducing 'treatments' of proven efficacy; appropriate staff education and training; removal of unhelpful boundary demarcations between staff or service sectors; appropriate pay and reward systems; and good strategic planning and human resource management. Unintended consequences sometimes occurred in respect of: staff morale and workload; coordination of care; continuity of care; and cost. CONCLUSIONS: In order to make informed choices, health care planners need good research evidence about the likely consequences of skill-mix change. The findings from existing research need to be made more accessible while the dearth of evidence makes new research necessary.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed2004

Regulating the health care workforce: next steps for research.

This article explores the recent ferment surrounding professional self-regulation in medicine and other health professions. It reviews the academic literature and sets out an agenda for research. The first section considers definitions, acknowledging the particularly complex regulatory maze in UK health care at present, in which professional self-regulation is only one part. The second section reviews academic writing, currently dispersed among the disciplines. 'The logic of light touch regulation', a feature of the 19th century establishment of the General Medical Council, can perhaps shed light on present debates. Alongside the intense political spotlight on regulation in the wake of the Bristol case, consumer-led research and consumer pressure to rethink the principles of regulation has emerged. This is examined in the third section. Finally, themes for research are advanced. First, there is a need to explore the changing relationship between the state and professions and implications, not only for the professions but for health care more broadly. Second, calls for a new professionalism need to be given clearer content. Third, the moves towards more lay involvement in regulatory bodies need study. Fourth, questions of human rights and professional registers must be explored. Fundamental questions of what professional self-regulation can hope to achieve and where it fits in relation to government ambitions as a whole, remain unresolved. Alongside the work programme of the new overarching regulator, there may well be scope for a new style of public enquiry covering the whole territory of regulation.

Health Personnel↗
PubMed2004

Use of on-line evidence databases by Australian public health practitioners.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate use of a web-based portal, known as the Clinical Information Access Program (CIAP), and evidence databases in an Australian population health workforce. METHODS: Self-administered postal survey of 104 staff in a regional Division of Population Health in Sydney, Australia. The main outcome measures were CIAP use and organization support for CIAP use. Two thirds of the respondents agreed that using CIAP was a legitimate part of their practice. However, half agreed that staff were encouraged to use it. One in five respondents (21%) used CIAP weekly. CIAP use was significantly associated with medical qualification or, among non-medical staff, with having at least a Masters qualification. CIAP use was not associated with occupational category, gender, age, employment status nor years of experience. Use of specific evidence databases such as Cochrane also differed significantly by respondents' characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: There has been only partial uptake of on-line databases among this population health workforce, particularly according to attainment of relevant postgraduate qualifications. As CIAP is a resource for evidence-based practice, greater effort to increase its use is recommended to ensure population health does not fall behind hospital-based clinicians.

Adult↗