Reimagining hospital management: the balanced scorecard as a catalyst for employee retention and organizational excellence.

Employee turnover in healthcare institutions is a critical issue affecting both quality of care and organizational costs. This study examines the potential impact of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) as a communication tool on employee turnover rates in a Japanese hospital setting. A case study of Bethlehem Garden Hospital in Tokyo, Japan, was conducted to examine turnover rates before and after the implementation of BSC.

AI-directed formulation strategy design initiates rational drug development.

Rational drug development would be impossible without selecting the appropriate formulation route. However, pharmaceutical scientists often rely on limited personal experiences to perform trial-and-error tests on diverse formulation strategies. Such an inefficient screening manner not only wastes research investments but also threatens the safety of clinical volunteers and patients.

Evaluation of the quality of safe dental services based on the perception of patients with the IPA approach: a powerful diagnostic tool for managers.

Background: In today's competitive world, especially in critical situations, dental clinic managers seek to retain customers and allocate more market share. The importance-performance analysis (IPA) technique is a powerful diagnostic tool that helps managers identify fundamental deficiencies, establish priorities and provide insights into which service improvement areas managers should focus on. This study aimed to improve the quality of life of patients at the Alborz Dental Clinic based on their perception of safe services during the coronavirus pandemic using IPA.

Medical Marijuana Documentation Practices in Patient Electronic Health Records: Retrospective Observational Study Using Smart Data Elements and a Review of Medical Records.

Background: Medical marijuana (MMJ) is available in Pennsylvania, and participation in the state-regulated program requires patient registration and receiving certification by an approved physician. Currently, no integration of MMJ certification data with health records exists in Pennsylvania that would allow clinicians to rapidly identify patients using MMJ, as exists with other scheduled drugs. This absence of a formal data sharing structure necessitates tools aiding in consistent documentation practices to enable comprehensive patient care.

Medical and Surgical Episodes Among Hospital Participants in the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement-Advanced Program.

Importance: Hospital participation in the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement-Advanced (BPCI-A) initiative has been associated with modest savings and stable clinical outcomes overall, but it is unknown whether the program performs differently for medical and surgical or procedural (henceforth, surgical) episodes.

Objective: To assess the association of BPCI-A participation with Medicare spending and clinical outcomes for medical and surgical episodes.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective difference-in-differences cohort study utilized 100% Medicare fee-for-service inpatient claims for episodes initiated between January 1, 2017, and September 30, 2019, and included 90 days of follow-up.

There is no "too small" for frequent workplace-based assessment: Differences between large and small residency programs in anesthesia when using a mobile application to assess EPAs.

Background: A competency-based education approach calls for frequent workplace-based assessments (WBA) of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs). While mobile applications increase the efficiency, it is not known how many assessments are required for reliable ratings and whether the concept can be implemented in all sizes of residency programs.

Methods: Over 5 months, a mobile app was used to assess 10 different EPAs in daily clinical routine in Swiss anesthesia departments.

Seasonal volatile organic compound dynamics in urban and forest environments in Thailand: Implications for air quality and secondary pollutants.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) notably influence air quality, climate and secondary pollutant formation, particularly regions in where urban emissions interact with natural biogenic sources at the interface of urban and natural ecosystems. This study examined the VOC profiles in the Sakaerat dry evergreen forest and the urban area of Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, throughout 2023, focusing on seasonal and spatial variations in biogenic and anthropogenic VOCs (BVOCs and AVOCs, respectively). Hydrocarbons, mainly alkanes, dominated VOC compositions, contributing 43.

The role of trehalose metabolism in plant stress tolerance.

Background: Trehalose is a nonreducing disaccharide containing two glucose molecules linked through an α,α-1,1-glycosidic bond. This unique chemical structure causes trehalose levels to fluctuate significantly in plants under stress, where it functions as an osmoprotectant, enhancing plant resistance to stress. Previous studies have confirmed that the trehalose synthesis pathway is widely conserved across most plants.

Complementary insights into gut viral genomes: a comparative benchmark of short- and long-read metagenomes using diverse assemblers and binners.

Background: Metagenome-assembled viral genomes have significantly advanced the discovery and characterization of the human gut virome. However, we lack a comparative assessment of assembly tools on the efficacy of viral genome identification, particularly across next-generation sequencing (NGS) and third-generation sequencing (TGS) data.

Results: We evaluated the efficiency of NGS, TGS, and hybrid assemblers for viral genome discovery using 95 viral-like particle (VLP)-enriched fecal samples sequenced on both Illumina and PacBio platforms.

Anesthesia-Specific Software Module for Voluntary Adverse Event Reporting.

Objectives: Hospital staff are expected to report adverse events to safety leaders and risk managers. At our institution, staff report adverse events via an incident reporting software system, known as "RL." These "RL reports" are kept separate from patient medical records.

Practical strategies to improve MRI operations and workflow in pediatric radiology.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an essential tool in pediatric imaging. It offers detailed, high-contrast images without ionizing radiation, making it particularly suitable for children. Creating an efficient MRI service is challenging given the balancing priorities of image quality and scan time and the overlying logistical challenges, including MRI safety protocols, the need for sedation in certain patient populations, and flexibility to accommodate patients at different phases of care.

Quality of life and quality of care experience in Australian residential aged care: a retrospective cohort study of 1,772 residents.

Background: In April 2023, quality of life (QOL) and quality of care experience (QCE) indicators were introduced as mandatory indicators in Australian residential aged care (RAC) to measure and monitor wellbeing and consumer experience respectively. In this study, we used data for the initial four months after their introduction to describe QOL and QCE scores, explore related factors and assess variations by completion mode and facility.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study using electronic data (Mar-Jun 2023) from 1,772 residents in 22 RAC facilities in metropolitan Sydney, Australia.

[A supplementary detection method and supervision strategy for adulteration of Panacis Quinquefolii Radix in Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma and its preparations].

Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma and its preparations are often adulterated with Panacis Quinquefolii Radix. Based on the research on Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma and Panacis Quinquefolii Radix, the causes and analytical method of adulteration were determined. A UPLC-MS/MS method was developed for the detection of Panacis Quinquefolii Radix mixed in Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, with pseudoginsenoside F_(11) as the marker.

A systematic review of condition-specific preference-based measures used in young people and their valuation methods.

Background: Condition-specific health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) instruments can be more responsive and sensitive to specific conditions and diseases than generic HRQoL instruments. This systematic review aims to identify the condition-specific preference-based instruments that have been used with young people and identify how preference values have been obtained for these instruments. This review will inform future researchers about the methods used to elicit utilities for condition-specific HRQoL instruments.

Baseline concentrations and quantitative health risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in relation to particle grain size in street dust of Warsaw Poland.

Total concentrations, toxicity, and health risks of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in street dust from Warsaw (Poland) in 6 granulometric fractions were investigated. Street dust was collected from 149 sampling points distributed among Area 1 (central districts, left bank of the Vistula River, mostly traffic-related pollution) and Area 2&3 (suburb area, mostly residential, right bank of the river). Street dust was investigated before ("all") and after separating into 5 size-dependent samples: (1-0.

Analyzing and mitigating the risks of patient harm during operating room to intensive care unit patient handoffs.

Patients continue to suffer from preventable harm and uneven quality outcomes. Reliable clinical outcomes depend on the quality of robust administrative systems and reliable support processes. Critically ill patient handoffs from the operating room (OR) to the intensive care unit (ICU) are known to be high-risk events.

The Effect of Lean Hospital Practices on Nurses' Direct Care Activities: Time and Motion Study.

Background: This study investigates the effects of lean management practices on nurses' direct patient care activities and the interruptions they encounter in healthcare settings. The literature indicates that lean management enhances efficiency and improves patient care. Increased nursing time per patient correlates with better outcomes; however, rising patient loads and frequent interruptions hinder nurses' ability to deliver effective care, jeopardising patient safety.

Cost-effectiveness of a machine learning risk prediction model (LungFlag) in the selection of high-risk individuals for non-small cell lung cancer screening in Spain.

Objective: The LungFlag risk prediction model uses individualized clinical variables to identify individuals at high-risk of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT). This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of LungFlag implementation in the Spanish setting for the identification of individuals at high-risk of NSCLC.

Methods: A model combining a decision-tree with a Markov model was adapted to the Spanish setting to calculate health outcomes and costs over a lifetime horizon, comparing two hypothetical scenarios: screening with LungFlag versus non-screening, and screening with LungFlag versus screening the entire population meeting 2013 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) criteria.

[Survey on the current situation of human resources and basic configuration of the intensive care medicine in Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps from 2019 to 2021].

Objective: To comprehensively understand the basic situation of critical care medicine in Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in order to promote the standardization, specialization, and systematization of quality control in critical care medicine.

Methods: A survey was conducted from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2021, using a questionnaire to investigate the human resources and basic allocation of comprehensive intensive care medicine departments in Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps division level hospitals and surrounding second-class hospitals. The survey content includes: basic situation of medical units, intensive care unit (ICU) basic information, ICU personnel situation, ICU equipment configuration situation, ICU performance situation, etc.

Embedding a culture of research in Canadian community hospitals: a qualitative study.

Background: In Canada, academic hospitals are the principal drivers of research and medical education, while community hospitals provide patient care to a majority of the population. Benefits of increasing community hospital research include improved patient outcomes and access to research, enhanced staff satisfaction and retention and increased research efficiency and generalizability. While the resources required to build Canadian community hospital research capacity have been identified, strategies for strengthening organizational research culture in these settings are not well defined.

Examining patient choice and provider competition under the National Health Insurance Fund outpatient cover in Kenya: does it enhance access and quality of care?

Background: While patient choice and provider competition are predicted to influence provider behaviour for enhancing access and quality of care, evidence on provider perceptions and response to patient choice and provider competition is largely missing in low-resource settings such as Kenya. We examined provider and purchaser perceptions about whether patient choice and provider competition influenced provider behaviour and enhanced access and quality of outpatient care in Kenya.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative study to explore this across two purposefully selected counties.

Challenges of providing of special care services in hospitals during emergencies and disasters: a scoping review.

Background: The ability of hospitals to provide special care services for critically ill or injured patients during emergencies and disasters poses very significant challenges that necessitate the response in-place plans. the increasing frequency of such events, coupled with limited hospital resources and increasing patient volumes, underscores the urgency of addressing these issues. Specifically, this study aims to identify the challenges faced by hospitals in providing special services during disasters.

Evaluation of the effect of DRG payment policy based on interrupted time series modeling: evidence from a tertiary hospital in Anhui Province.

Background: The payment methodology for diagnosis-related groups (DRG) has implications for both society and medical institutions. Our study aims to analyse the impact of the reform of the payment policy according to the DRG on the operation of a tertiary hospital in Anhui Province.

Methods: Monthly data were collected from April 2020 to September 2023 during the reform period for a tertiary hospital on nine types of operational indicators, including average length of stay (ALOS), number of discharges, number of outpatient visits, percentage of discharged patients undergoing level III or IV surgery, bed turnover rate, inpatient essential drug utilization rate, low-risk group mortality, outpatient subaverage cost and inpatient subaverage cost.

Effective coverage of maternal and neonatal healthcare services in low-and middle-income countries: a scoping review.

Background: There is no consistent operationalization of effective coverage (EC) across studies. Therefore, this scoping review synthesized evidence on the definitions and measurement approaches, outcomes reported, and the factors that are associated with variations in quality-adjusted EC estimates of maternal and neonatal healthcare services in low- and middle-income countries.

Methods: Article search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, and other databases.

Effectiveness of Peer-Assisted Learning in health professional education: a scoping review of systematic reviews.

Background: Peer-assisted learning (PAL) has been widely implemented for many years worldwide. To further enhance the understanding of available data, a scoping review of systematic reviews was conducted to synthesize existing evidence on the effectiveness of PAL in health professional education, aiming to provide more comprehensive outcomes.

Methods: Nine databases were systematically searched.