Niven and Scott (2003): Sixteen years of hindsight

This paper revisits a 2003 publication in Nursing Philosophy: The need for accurate perception and informed judgement in determining the appropriate use of the nursing resource: hearing the patient's voice. The author suggests that the basic ideas and focus of this 16‐year‐old paper are still topical and relevant in considerations of nursing care. However, it is also suggested that greater attention to the importance of the nurse–patient relationship in considerations of resource allocation, and potential rationing of nursing care, would have strengthened the original paper.     

基于卡方自动交互检测分析方法的病区单元护理绩效考核

目的探讨公平、公正、科学、便捷的病区单元护理绩效考核与分配方法。方法建立护理工作数量、质量、效率、业绩4个维度90个具体指标的病区单元护理绩效考核体系,从医院信息系统提取实际数据并完成绩效赋值计算,借助卡方自动交互检测分析方法每个月对全部病区单元护理绩效赋值进行分析,按显著性差异(P0.05)将病区单元归属到不同的绩效等级集群,从而完成对病区单元护理绩效的分类评价,实现护理绩效的动态考核与分配。结果应用新绩效考核方法后,护士及护士长对绩效考核满意度显著提高,护士长绩效考核工作效率显著提高(均P0.01)。结论借助医院信息系统及卡方自动交互检测分析,能准确、快速完成对病区单元护理绩效考核的分类评价,为护理绩效考核分配提供科学的决策依据,提高工作效率及护理人员的满意度。     

行为决策的评估理论构建研究

本研究构建了行为决策的评估理论,揭示人类行为发生、发展和改变的规律,为开展健康相关行为干预提供科学依据。本理论认为,所有的人类行为都是个体为了生存和发展,在对内、外部刺激进行评估后所做出的主动反应。个体以基因遗传、自我图式、群体规范和直觉为参照系,对内、外部刺激的重要性、安全性威胁和获益性,以及个体所拥有的行为资源进行感觉性评估和社会性评估,用以做出生理性反应和社会性行为决策,并通过感受器、中枢神经和效应器,形成“刺激-评估-行为决策-行为”循环。开展行为干预时,应通过与个体进行讨论和分析,帮助其发现和确认刺激的重要性、安全性、获益性及其拥有的行为资源。     

A prognostic signature based on immune-related genes for cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma

Cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma (CESC) is the fourth commonest female malignancy worldwide. CESC progresses in immune-microenvironment mainly composed of infiltrating immune and stromal cells. Here, we performed an integrated analysis incorporating the expression profiles from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and scores of immune and stromal cells calculated by Estimation of Stromal and Immune cells in Malignant Tumours using Expression data (ESTIMATE) algorithm. A two-gene signature (CD1C and CD6 genes) was established to predict the prognosis of CESC. Based on this signature, patients were divided into the high- and low-risk groups, and this signature showed good prognostic performance according to the results of Kaplan-Meier analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis in train set and two validation sets. A nomogram was built for evaluating the clinical applicability of this signature. In addition, based on Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) database, 2 hub genes showed negative correlations with tumor purity and positive correlations with infiltrating levels of immune filtrating cells. What’s more, we propose new treatment strategies for the two prognostic subtypes. Low- risk patients were found presenting with a higher level of immune checkpoint molecules and showing higher immunogenicity in immunophenoscore (IPS) analysis, which indicated a better response for immunotherapy. Meanwhile, estimated by Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer (GDSC) database, the high-risk patients showed sensitive responses to five chemotherapy drugs. Finally, 10 candidate small-molecule drugs for CESC were defined. In summary, the CD1C-CD6 signature can accurately predict the prognosis of CESC.     

Our Next Pandemic Ethics Challenge? Allocating “Normal” Health Care Services

The pandemic creates unprecedented challenges to society and to health care systems around the world. Like all crises, these provide a unique opportunity to rethink the fundamental limiting assumptions and institutional inertia of our established systems. These inertial assumptions have obscured deeply rooted problems in health care and deflected attempts to address them. As hospitals begin to welcome all patients back, they should resist the temptation to go back to business as usual. Instead, they should retain the more deliberative, explicit, and transparent ways of thinking that have informed the development of crisis standards of care. The key lesson to be learned from those exercises in rational deliberation is that justice must be the ethical foundation of all standards of care. Justice demands that hospitals take a safety-net approach to providing services that prioritizes the most vulnerable segments of society, continue to expand telemedicine in ways that improve access without exacerbating disparities, invest in community-based care, and fully staff hospitals and clinics on nights and weekends.     

基于超效率DEA的天津市基本公共卫生配置资源效率研究

评价天津市各辖区基本公共卫生服务的资源配置效率,寻求有效的资源配置措施和方法,为进一步优化卫生资源配置提供参考依据。方法利用数据包络分析,对天津市16辖区的基本公共卫生服务进行效率评价。结果天津市基本公共卫生服务的资源配置效率整体不高,仅有5辖区达到了规模最优,多数区非DEA有效,且投入过剩与产出不足并存。结论为了达到最优的基本公共卫生服务效率,政府及各级基本公共卫生服务机构必须有效地完善、落实相关政策,优化资源投入结构,统筹地区差异,加强资源供给管理,提高资源利用效率。     

Mapping variability in allocation of Long-Term Care funds across payer agencies in OECD countries

IntroductionLong-term care (LTC) is organized in a fragmented manner. Payer agencies (PA) receive LTC funds from the agency collecting funds, and commission services. Yet, distributional equity (DE) across PAs, a precondition to geographical equity of access to LTC, has received limited attention. We conceptualize that LTC systems promote DE when they are designed to set eligibility criteria nationally (vs. locally); and to distribute funds among PAs based on needs-formula (vs. past-budgets or government decisions).ObjectivesThis cross-country study highlights to what extent different LTC systems are designed to promote DE across PAs, and the parameters used in allocation formulae.MethodsQualitative data were collected through a questionnaire filled by experts from 17 OECD countries.Results11 out of 25 LTC systems analyzed, fully meet DE as we defined. 5 systems which give high autonomy to PAs have designs with low levels of DE; while nine systems partially promote DE. Allocation formulae vary in their complexity as some systems use simple demographic parameters while others apply socio-economic status, disability, and LTC cost variations.Discussion and conclusionsA minority of LTC systems fully meet DE, which is only one of the criteria in allocation of LTC resources. Some systems prefer local priority-setting and governance over DE. Countries that value DE should harmonize the eligibility criteria at the national level and allocate funds according to needs across regions.