Johanna Lammintakanen

Clinical management and prioritisation criteria

The aim of this study was to investigate the acceptability of 14 prioritisation criteria from nurses’, doctors’, local politicians’ and the general publics perspective. Respondents (nurses, n=682, doctors, n=837 politicians, n=1,133 and the general public, n=1,178) received a questionnaire with 16 imaginary patient cases, each containing 2‐3 different prioritisation criteria. The subjects were asked to indicate how important it was for them that the treatments in the presented patient cases be subsidised by the community. All respondents preferred treatments for poor people and children. With the exception of the doctors, the three other study groups also prioritised elderly patients. Treatment for institutionalised patients, those with self‐induced disease, diseases with both poor and good prognosis, and mild disease were given low priorities. Priority setting in health care should be regarded as a continuous process because of changes in attitudes. However, the best method for surveying opinions and et...

Continuing professional development in nursing: does age matter?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe and compare the views of nurses of different ages on continuing professional development (CPD). The authors were interested in possible differences in the use of formal and especially informal CPD practices between nurses of different ages, and likewise in possible differences in attitudes of nurses of different ages to CPD.Design/methodology/approach – A postal questionnaire was sent to a random sample of nursing staff (n=653) in six Finnish hospital districts. Three age groups were formed for this study: 39 or under, 40‐50 and 51 or older. The data were analyzed with statistical methods.Findings – The youngest nurses participated least in those CPD practices that enhanced transfer of tacit knowledge. In addition, they reported more experiences of injustice in terms of CPD than their older colleagues.Research limitations/implications – These results are preliminary, but supported by earlier research.Practical implications – A crucial challenge for nursin...

Managers' perspectives on recruitment and human resource development practices in primary health care

Objectives. The aim of this study is to describe primary health care managers’ attitudes and views on recruitment and human resource development in general and to ascertain whether there are any differences in the views of managers in the southern and northern regions of Finland. Study design. A postal questionnaire was sent to 315 primary health care managers, of whom 55% responded. Methods. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and cross-tabulation according to the location of the health centre. Results. There were few differences in managers’ attitudes and views on recruitment and human resource development. In the southern region, managers estimated that their organization would be less attractive to employees in the future and they were more positive about recruiting employees abroad. Furthermore, managers in the northern region were more positive regarding human resource development and its various practices. Conclusions. Although the results are preliminary in nature, it seems that managers in different regions have adopted different strategies in order to cope with the shrinking pool of new recruits. In the southern region, managers were looking abroad to find new employees, while in the northern region, managers put effort into retaining the employees in the organization with different human resource development practices.

Human resource development in nursing: views of nurse managers and nursing staff.

AIM This study describes the views of nurse managers and staff members on human resource development (HRD) in health care. Our interest here is whether there are any differences between these two groups. BACKGROUND The need for HRD in order to cope with an ageing workforce and a diminishing number of younger nurses. METHODS A postal questionnaire was sent to a random sample of nursing staff (n = 653) and all nurse managers (n = 302) in six Finnish hospital districts in spring 2005. The data were analysed by statistical methods. RESULTS The nurse managers placed more emphasis on human resource development than did staff members. In general, both the nurse managers and nursing staff held positive views on human resource development, but they reported that HRD practices were quite under-developed. Some differences emerged between the groups. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT These findings underline the importance of human resource development and its practices in health care. Nurse managers need to implement strategically steered HRD in order to maintain high quality of care in the future.

Factors associated with staying or leaving a dentist leader’s position – a qualitative study

BackgroundLeadership and leaders have important roles today, possibly even more so in the future, since major organizational changes will occur throughout the health care sector. Tomorrow’s leaders will need to be competent and motivated. It is important to clarify the factors why some individuals stay and some quit leadership positions. We investigated factors associating with dentist leaders’ likelihood to stay in or leave a leadership position.MethodsData were gathered while or after participants attended “the Special Competence in dental administration for leading dentists” education, utilizing the method of empathy-based stories. Participants wrote short essays on the basis of two contrasting frame stories, i.e. an imagined situation where either they left (Leavers, Group 1) or stayed in (Stayers, Group 2) a leadership position. Content analysis was used inductively to describe intent to stay or to leave factors and categorized according to the theory of “Career Anchors”.ResultsThe factors were not only specific to groups, since several common factors were also found such as satisfaction with leadership position even though the post was not initially the participant’s voluntary decision and the inadequate time for leadership work. Factors in both groups formed three themes: personal, working community, and health care sector levels. Both groups expected conditions to improve in their organizations, even though there were major concerns about on-going changes. Concurrently the uncertainty and the instability in the health care sector and the status of oral health care worried both groups. Leaver-specific factors were loneliness of leadership position, lack of support and the appropriate salary combined with the excessive number of duties. Stayer-specific factors were enthusiasm for leadership supported by education and possibility of develop oral health care as part of health care. The General Managerial Competence anchor was the dominant career anchor, especially among the Leaders.ConclusionsWorking as a dentist leader is both demanding and challenging. In order to succeed and be personally satisfied and fulfilled in these leadership positions, it is essential to recognize either supporting or enervating factors towards leadership positions and that appropriate education, support, and time for leadership are needed.

Communication elements supporting patient safety in psychiatric inpatient care

Communication is important for safe and quality health care. The study provides needed insight on the communication elements that support patient safety from the psychiatric care view. Fluent information transfer between the health care professionals and care units is important for care planning and maintaining practices. Information should be documented and implemented accordingly. Communication should happen in an open communication culture that enables discussion, the opportunity to have debriefing discussions and the entire staff can feel they are heard. For effective communication, it is also important that staff are active themselves in information collecting about the essential information needed in patient care. In mental health nursing, it is important to pay attention to all elements of communication and to develop processes concerning communication in multidisciplinary teams and across unit boundaries. The study aims to describe which communication elements support patient safety in psychiatric inpatient care from the viewpoint of the nursing staff. Communication is an essential part of care and one of the core competencies of the psychiatric care. It enables safe and quality patient care. Errors in health care are often connected with poor communication. The study brings needed insight from the psychiatric care view to the topic. The data were gathered from semi-structured interviews in which 26 nurses were asked to describe the elements that constitute patient safety in psychiatric inpatient care. The data were analysed inductively from the viewpoint of communication. The descriptions connected with communication formed a main category of communication elements that support patient safety; this main category was made up of three subcategories: fluent information transfer, open communication culture and being active in information collecting. Fluent information transfer consists of the practical implementation of communication; open communication culture is connected with the cultural issues of communication; and being active in information collecting is related to a nurses personal working style, which affects communication. It is important to pay attention to all the three areas and use this knowledge in developing patient safety practices and strategies where communication aspect and culture are noted and developed. In mental health nursing, it is important to develop processes concerning communication in multidisciplinary teams and across unit boundaries.

Career anchors of dentist leaders.

Abstract Objective: The work of a health care leader is demanding; in order to cope, leaders need motivation and support. The occurrence of intrinsic factors called career anchors (combination of one’s competence, motives and values) could be a contributing factor in dentist leaders’ career decisions. The aim of our study was to identify dentist leaders’ career anchors and their association to dentist leaders’ retention or turnover of the leadership position. Material and methods: Materials were gathered in 2014 via an electronic questionnaire from 156 current (Leaders) or former (Leavers) Finnish dentist leaders. Career anchor evaluation was conducted by the questionnaire and scoring-table taken from Edgar Schein’s Career Anchors Self-Assessment. Both the most and the least important career anchors were detected by the highest and lowest scores and their occurrence reported as percentages. Associations between career anchor scores and tendency to stay were analyzed with logistic regression. Results: ‘Technical/Functional Competence’ and ‘Lifestyle’ were most frequently reported as the most important and ‘Entrepreneurial Creativity’ and ‘General Managerial Competence’ as the least important career anchors. However, a higher level of ‘General Managerial Competence’ anchor was most significantly associated with staying in a leadership position. Instead, ‘Pure Challenge’ and ‘Lifestyle’ decreased the odds to stay. Conclusions: The knowledge of the important and essential career anchors of dentist leaders’ and individuals’ could perform crucial part in career choices and also in planning education, work opportunities and human resource policies promoting retention of dentist leaders and probably also other health care leaders.