National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Blogs This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Developing a high-performance support workforce in acute care: innovation, evaluation and engagement
This study aimed to identify and facilitate the development of innovative practice as it relates to support worker roles in an acute health-care setting; evaluate various acute trust policies and practices designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of stakeholder interaction with support worker roles; and to secure the engagement of various stakeholders in sharing knowledge, practice and learning on support worker roles. Report Summary NIHR publications (Source: Health Management Specialist Library)
Source: Health Management Specialist Library - August 15, 2014 Category: UK Health Authors: The King's Fund Information & Knowledge Service Tags: Workforce and employment Source Type: blogs

Meeting the support needs of patients with complex regional pain syndrome through innovative use of wiki technology: a mixed-methods study
This study set up a peer-support online forum to identify the nature of support provided and to explore its development over time. Report Summary NIHR publications (Source: Health Management Specialist Library)
Source: Health Management Specialist Library - August 1, 2014 Category: UK Health Authors: The King's Fund Information & Knowledge Service Tags: Patient involvement, experience and feedback Source Type: blogs

Facilitating technology adoption in the NHS: negotiating the organisational and policy context - a qualitative study
This study investigated the organisational and policy context for the adoption and implementation of clinical technologies, because this context may present barriers that slow – or even prevent – uptake. The research focused on three clinical technologies: insulin pump therapy; breast lymph node assay, a diagnostic tool for metastases; and ultrawide field retinal imaging. Full report Plain English summary report Scientific summary NIHR - publications (Source: Health Management Specialist Library)
Source: Health Management Specialist Library - July 31, 2014 Category: UK Health Authors: The King's Fund Information & Knowledge Service Tags: New technologies Source Type: blogs

A mixed-methods study exploring therapeutic relationships and their association with service user satisfaction in acute psychiatric wards and crisis residential alternatives
This study aimed to test the hypothesis that stronger therapeutic alliances are achieved in crisis houses than in hospital. It also aimed to develop a model of service user satisfaction with acute services, exploring its relationship to service type, service user characteristics, therapeutic relationships, perceived peer support, recovery and negative events experienced as well as trying to understand the factors that impede and facilitate good staff–service user relationships in acute settings. Full report Scientific summary NIHR - publications (Source: Health Management Specialist Library)
Source: Health Management Specialist Library - July 24, 2014 Category: UK Health Authors: The King's Fund Information & Knowledge Service Tags: Local authorities, public health and health inequalities Source Type: blogs

Initiatives to reduce length of stay in acute hospital settings: a rapid synthesis of evidence relating to enhanced recovery programmes
NHS National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) -This objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of enhanced recovery programmes for patients undergoing elective surgery in acute hospital settings. It aimed to identify and critically describe key factors associated with successful adoption, implementation and sustainability of enhanced recovery programmes in UK settings. It also summarises existing knowledge about patient experience of enhanced recovery programmes in UK settings. Full report Scientific summary NIHR - publications (Source: Health Management Specialist Library)
Source: Health Management Specialist Library - July 24, 2014 Category: UK Health Authors: The King's Fund Information & Knowledge Service Tags: NHS finances and productivity NHS measurement and performance Patient involvement, experience and feedback Source Type: blogs

Could One in Three Cases of Alzheimer's be Prevented?
The researchers estimate that by reducing the relative risk from seven known risk factors associated with Alzheimer's disease, the number of people living with Alzheimer's could be reduced by 8.5%.Alzheimer's Reading Room Tackling physical inactivity will reduce levels of obesity, hypertension and diabetes, and prevent some people from developing dementia – it’s a win-win situationAlzheimer’s disease is caused by a complex interplay of genetic and lifestyle factors.Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading RoomEmail: The estimate is lower than the previous estimate of one in two cases as it takes into account the fact som...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - July 17, 2014 Category: Dementia Tags: alzheimer's prevention alzheimer's research Alzheimers Dementia alzheimers risk factors causes of alzheimer's lifestyle likelihood of alzheimer's medical science Source Type: blogs

New ways of working in mental health services: a qualitative, comparative case study assessing and informing the emergence of new peer worker roles in mental health services in England
This study aimed to test the international evidence base, and what is known generally about role adoption in public services, in a range of mental health services in England. It also aimed to develop organisational learning supporting the introduction of peer worker roles, identifying learning that was generic across mental health services and that which was specific to organisational contexts or service delivery settings. Report Summary NIHR publications (Source: Health Management Specialist Library)
Source: Health Management Specialist Library - July 7, 2014 Category: UK Health Authors: The King's Fund Information & Knowledge Service Tags: Mental Health Workforce and employment Source Type: blogs

Developing a model of mental health self-care support for children and young people
This study looks at the options of self-care support available to children and young people in order to help prevent mental ill-health or speed recovery from it. The study consists of a systematic review of the literature as well as case studies of existing self-care services for mental health in England and Wales. It found that self-care could aid in recovery and that patients and families welcomed the choice and flexibility in self-care services. Report Summary NIHR publications (Source: Health Management Specialist Library)
Source: Health Management Specialist Library - July 1, 2014 Category: UK Health Authors: The King's Fund Information & Knowledge Service Tags: Mental Health Patient involvement, experience and feedback Source Type: blogs

Modelling, evaluating and implementing cost effective services to reduce the impact of stroke
The objective of this study was to estimate risk of stroke, longer-term needs and outcomes, risk of recurrence, trends and predictors of effective care, to model cost-effective configurations of care, to understand stakeholders’ perspectives of services and to develop proposals to underpin policy. Full report Scientific summary NIHR - publications (Source: Health Management Specialist Library)
Source: Health Management Specialist Library - June 19, 2014 Category: UK Health Authors: The King's Fund Information & Knowledge Service Tags: NHS finances and productivity NHS measurement and performance Quality of care and clinical outcomes Source Type: blogs

Transitions at the end of life for older adults - patient, carer and professional perspectives: a mixed-methods study
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) - The aim of this study was to understand the experiences, influences and consequences of transitions between settings for older adults at the end of life. Three conditions, heart failure, lung cancer and stroke, were the focus of study, chosen to represent differing disease trajectories. Report Summary NIHR abstract (Source: Health Management Specialist Library)
Source: Health Management Specialist Library - June 16, 2014 Category: UK Health Authors: The King's Fund Information & Knowledge Service Tags: Patient involvement, experience and feedback Quality of care and clinical outcomes Source Type: blogs

Investigating the contribution of physician assistants to primary care in England: a mixed-methods study
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) - Primary health care is changing as it responds to demographic shifts, technological changes and fiscal constraints. This, and predicted pressures on medical and nursing workforces, raises questions about staffing configurations. Physician assistants (PAs) are mid-level practitioners, trained in a medical model over 2 years at postgraduate level to work under a supervising doctor. A small number of general practices in England have employed PAs and this study aimed to investigate the contribution of PAs to the delivery of patient care. Report Summary NIHR abstract (Sour...
Source: Health Management Specialist Library - June 16, 2014 Category: UK Health Authors: The King's Fund Information & Knowledge Service Tags: Developments in primary and community care Workforce and employment Source Type: blogs

The new Congenital Heart Disease review: 25th update – John Holden
Your feedback From time to time we are challenged as to whether the review has a pre-determined outcome. Some think we have already decided that one or more units have to close, and that we know which ones. Others think that we have already decided that no units will close, come what may. The truth is that nothing is decided yet, but I do understand that in the absence of a simple clear cut decision, everyone will have a view. I recently exchanged correspondence with a national charity on this point and I enclose the exchange here so you can see how I have replied. Another comment that we have heard recently is: this is a...
Source: Fade Library - June 10, 2014 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: NHS England Tags: blog CHD congenital heart disease review Home John Holden News Source Type: blogs

Informing the NHS Outcomes Framework: evaluating meaningful health outcomes for children with neurodisability
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) - The identification of suitable outcome measures will improve the evaluation of integrated NHS care for the large number of children affected by neurodisability, and has the potential to encourage the provision of more appropriate and effective health care. This research sought to appraise the potential of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for children and young people with neurodisability. Report Summary NIHR (Source: Health Management Specialist Library)
Source: Health Management Specialist Library - June 3, 2014 Category: UK Health Authors: The King's Fund Information & Knowledge Service Tags: NHS measurement and performance Patient involvement, experience and feedback Quality of care and clinical outcomes Source Type: blogs

Being a manager, becoming a professional? A case study and interview-based exploration of the use of management knowledge across communities of practice in health-care organisations
This study aimed to investigate how NHS middle managers encounter, adapt and apply management knowledge in their working practices and to examine the factors which may facilitate or impede the acceptance of new management knowledge and its integration with practice in health-care settings. Full report Plain English summary Scientific summary NIHR - publications (Source: Health Management Specialist Library)
Source: Health Management Specialist Library - May 29, 2014 Category: UK Health Authors: The King's Fund Information & Knowledge Service Tags: Leadership and leadership development Source Type: blogs

The role of informal networks in creating knowledge among healthcare managers: a prospective case study
This study focuses on how health and well-being managers collectively create knowledge. The objective was to develop a better understanding of the way that knowledge is created within and between healthcare organisations, across different managerial levels, and of the role played by informal networks in those processes. Full report Scientific summary NIHR - publications (Source: Health Management Specialist Library)
Source: Health Management Specialist Library - May 28, 2014 Category: UK Health Authors: The King's Fund Information & Knowledge Service Tags: Leadership and leadership development Source Type: blogs