Quality of care – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

August 24, 2022

Complaints, missing persons, assaults – contracting outside workers in aged care increases problems

Nicole Sutton, University of Technology Sydney and Nelson Ma, University of Technology Sydney

We studied 1,709 aged care homes over five years and found increases in the use of ‘agency’ staff impacted quality of care. Ahead of the federal jobs summit, the sector faces ongoing challenges.

When staff make a mistake, hospitals should follow three simple steps to better care for patients and avoid litigation. Nick Cooper

February 15, 2018

Hospital staff – don’t hide when something goes wrong, listen to patients and ask what they need

Jennifer Moore, UNSW Sydney

Litigation may sound like an obvious route for someone who experiences a medical injury. But it’s a lengthy and stressful process, and rarely provides relief to patients and their families.

Is that needle really necessary, doctor? A new list of recommendations by Canadian resident physicians suggests it might not be. (Shutterstock)

September 11, 2017

Five simple ways to improve Canadian health care

Reza Mirza, McMaster University and Justin Hall, University of Toronto

A recent study found that 30 per cent of Canadian health care is unnecessary. Here are five recommendations to avoid pointless health care – for doctors and patients.

The solution is not necessarily more of the same, or more funding. wandee007/Shutterstock

March 14, 2016

The problems with Australia’s hospitals – and how they can be fixed

Stephen Duckett, Grattan Institute

In a time of growing populations, hospitals must guarantee access, ensure quality, minimise the chances of anything going wrong, and do it all within the available budget. So they need to change.

State health departments should continuously monitor the hospital activity data it collects for red flags. Tyler Olson/Shutterstock

December 16, 2015

How can we save lives in hospitals? Start by looking for and investigating red flags

Stephen Duckett, Grattan Institute; Danielle Romanes, Grattan Institute, and Terri Jackson, The University of Melbourne

Seven babies died unnecessarily at Bacchus Marsh hospital between 2013 and 2014. The My Hospitals website and other reporting mechanisms gave no sign of any problems.

Let’s bring out the dolls. Toddlers playing via Daria Filimonova/Shutterstock

January 16, 2015

Making guys play with dolls won’t create an army of men working as carers

Gina Rippon, Aston University

The equalities minister, Jo Swinson, has suggested that boys should be encouraged to play with dolls to make them more “nurturing and caring”. This is apparently in the hope that they will become more…

Effective, safe and patient-centred care is needed across the board. Jorgejesus4

May 2, 2014

Quality of hospital care varies more within countries than between them

Oliver Groene, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Patient safety and quality of care are priorities in health, as is learning from our mistakes when things go wrong. But little is known about what hospitals are doing to make sure the services they deliver…

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