Conectar
To explain how government policies affected decision-making on Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant employment and training within Dutch healthcare organisations, and how organisational and sectoral circumstances were influential.
An online, cross-sectional survey study.
A literature- and interview-based program theory was tested using surveys. Respondents from hospital care, (nursing) home care, primary care, and intellectual disability services were recruited using convenience sampling. Data analysis used descriptive statistics and inferential tests. Open-ended responses were analysed using thematic synthesis techniques. Survey results were clustered to assess verification, falsification, or refinement of program theory elements.
A total of 568 experts in hiring and training healthcare professionals participated. Respondents indicated that most government policies promoted employment and training. Organisational and sectoral circumstances caused significant variations in Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant deployment across healthcare sectors, shaping how decision-makers interpreted and acted on government policies. Specific circumstances within primary care hampered deployment.
Government policies stimulated training and employment by: (1) removing practice restrictions (scope of practice expansion, legal acknowledgment), (2) facilitating cost-effective training and deployment (training grants, billing options), (3) providing sectoral knowledge on deployment, training, and healthcare outcomes (funding research and a sectoral knowledge center), and (4) establishing sectoral agreements (on apprenticeships). Organisational and sectoral circumstances significantly influenced outcomes. Key circumstances included flanking policies, stakeholder support, labor market capacity, healthcare demand, organisational resources and aims, and type of decision-makers (medical doctor or manager/director). Familiarity with the professions stimulated deployment.
The refined and verified program theory supports designing effective skill-mix policies and facilitating Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant employment and training. Tailoring skill-mix policies can optimise outcomes. This offers opportunities for governments, healthcare funders, organisations, and professionals to contribute to healthcare quality, cost efficiency, and patient satisfaction.
Healthcare professionals were part of the study population.
Countries face challenges in maternal and newborn care (MNC) regarding costs, workforce and sustainability. Organising integrated care is increasingly seen as a way to address these challenges. The evidence on the optimal organisation of integrated MNC in order to improve outcomes is limited.
(1) To study associations between organisational elements of integrated care and maternal and neonatal health outcomes, experiences of women and professionals, healthcare costs and care processes and (2) to examine how the different dimensions of integrated care, as defined by the Rainbow Model of Integrated Care, are reflected in the literature addressing these organisational elements.
We included 288 papers and identified 23 organisational elements, grouped into 6 categories: personal continuity of care; interventions to improve interdisciplinary collaboration and coordination; care by a midwife; alternative payment models (non-fee-for-service); place of birth outside the obstetric unit and woman-centred care. Personal continuity, care by a midwife and births outside obstetric units were most consistently associated with improved maternal and newborn outcomes, positive experiences for women and professionals and potential cost savings, particularly where well-coordinated multidisciplinary care was established. Positive professional experiences of collaboration depended on clear roles, mutual trust and respectful interdisciplinary behaviour. Evidence on collaboration interventions and alternative payment models was inconclusive. Most studies emphasised clinical and professional aspects rather than organisational integration, with implementation barriers linked to prevailing biomedical system orientations.
Although the literature provides substantial evidence of organisational elements that contribute to improved outcomes, a significant gap remains in understanding how to overcome the barriers in sustainable implementation of these elements within healthcare systems. Interpreted through a systems and transition science lens, these findings suggest that strengthening integrated maternity care requires system-level changes aligning with WHO policy directions towards midwifery models of person-centred care.
FreshRSS 