Participation of Guido Offermanns, Alexandra Kratki and Andrea Schweiger at the conference of the European Health Management Association (EHMA) in Bucharest

The European Health Management Association (EHMA) conference was held from 5 to 7 June 2024 at the Politehnica University of Bucharest. The conference, ‘Shaping and managing innovative health ecosystems’, was attended by Guido Offermanns, Alexandra Kratki from the University of Klagenfurt and Andrea Schweiger from the Karl Landsteiner Institute for Hospital Organization, who presented three papers.

The first paper by Guido Offermanns and Alexandra Kratki entitled ‘Measuring patient safety culture in Austrian hospitals: open communication as a key factor in improving handovers, teamwork, and adverse event reporting’ presents the findings of an empirical study examining the correlation between effective communication and the level of patient safety. It can be shown that patient safety culture can be empirically measured and that instruments for a measurable improvement in communication can be derived from this. Therefore, it becomes hospital managers’ responsibility to foster an open communication environment and strive to establish a just culture. Referring to the topic of communication, the second contribution by Andrea Schweiger and Guido Offermanns ‘Key factors for effective multidisciplinary work in tumour boards linking team culture and communication to the perceived benefit for patients in cancer care’ dealt with the collaboration of inter- and multidisciplinary teams in oncology. The empirical study analyzed different dimensions of cooperation in cancer care.

The third contribution by Guido Offermanns and Andrea Schweiger was a poster entitled ‘Establishing patient advocacy in cancer care in Austria: The alliance of oncological patient organizations’. The content shows the results of a project carried out with oncological patient organizations in Austria. It shows how the structured and target group-focused process can improve oncological care.

Link to the conference and further information: https://ehmaconference.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/the-european-health-management-association-ehma-_ehma2024-patientsafety-healthcareexcellence-activity-7216714812532150272-p1pe?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

For further information please contact Guido Offermanns, guido [dot] offermanns [at] aau [dot] at

Pictures from Guido Offermanns and EHMA

Guido Offermanns and Andrea Schweiger presented two papers and a poster at the conference of the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQUA) in Seoul (South Korea)

Guido Offermanns took part in the congress of the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQUA) in Seoul (South Korea) from 27 to 31 August. With over 1,600 participants from 77 countries, a record number of visitors was set, making the congress ISQUA’s largest event to date. Over 350 health professionals shared and reflected on their knowledge with a focus on quality and safety in healthcare organisations. Discussions also took place on future-relevant topics such as sustainability and digitalisation.

In the first lecture, “Processes and structures affecting tumour board quality: a systematic review”, the results of a systematic review were presented, which illustrates the current state of research on the quality of work in multidisciplinary teams using the example of tumour boards. Tumour boards are interdisciplinary case reviews and discussions in oncology in which a treatment recommendation is made for patients. The aim is to find the best and evidence-based decision for the patients concerned in the multidisciplinary team. This is associated with a high financial, personnel and time expenditure, while the quality of the work in tumour boards is difficult to measure and prove. The key message of the systematic review is that tumour boards, which have to deal with complex tasks in the context of treatment decisions, must use targeted team development tools in order to optimise and coordinate the care process in the long term. In this way, it may be possible to improve cooperation within the teams on the one hand and improve the outcome of patient care on the other. However, this can pose a major challenge in the context of implementation in expert organisations, as different professional groups, each with different professional perspectives, come together in the tumour boards.

 

The poster “Tumour boards and their quality of processes, structures and outcomes from the experts’ perspective: a qualitative study in an academic hospital” shows the results of 56 interviews with health professionals. From this it was possible to derive themes that were incorporated into the development of an empirical instrument for measuring the quality of the work of teams.

 

Referring to this topic, the next presentation “Quality improvement in multidisciplinary cancer team meetings at a university hospital: First results of a self-assessment tool” dealt with results from an empirical study at an Austrian university hospital, which used a self-assessment tool to measure the increase in the effectiveness and efficiency of teamwork in tumour boards and promote the implementation of potential improvements. The results show the essential importance of team culture, the decision-making process, the regular presence of the disciplines, the formal structures in the tumour boards and the appropriate documentation with the resulting implementation of the recommendations in the clinics. In order to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the work in the tumour boards, scientifically proven instruments for team development can be used in a targeted manner

 

Link to the conference and further information: https://isqua.org/events/seoul-2023.html

For further information please contact Guido Offermanns, guido [dot] offermanns [at] aau [dot] at

Pictures by Guido Offermanns and ISQUA

Interdisciplinary exchange on current challenges in health organisations at the LSZ Health Congress in Loipersdorf

Guido Offermanns moderated the LSZ Health Congress in Loipersdorf on 4th and 5th July 2023 and also contributed with presentations in workshops. At the congress, the focus was on interdisciplinary exchange between decision-makers from the Austrian health and social care sectors. In a highly interactive atmosphere, the challenges in the fields of medicine, nursing, therapy, administration, IT, management, quality management and HR were discussed together, best practices were presented and valuable experiences were shared.

 

Guido Offermanns spoke on the topics “Does a higher degree of patient safety reduce costs? – What role does the patient safety culture play?” and “Negotiations – a core competence for managers – How can better negotiation results be achieved in interdisciplinary teams?

 

 

Andrea Schweiger from the Karl Landsteiner Institute for Hospital Organisation and PhD student at the Institute presented a paper on “Empirical data on the quality of work in multidisciplinary teams using a self-assessment instrument – approaches to improving work in teams”. Guido Offermanns was co-author here.

The students of the ULG Management in Health Organisations (https://mot.ac.at/universitaetslehrgaenge/gesundheit-und-soziales/management-in-gesundheitsorganisationen-emba/) were also represented at the congress and were thus able to inform themselves about the new developments in the health system and in the industry, make active contributions and network.

The next Health Congress will take place again in Loipersdorf on 2nd and 3rd July 2024.

Aftermovie Health Congress 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wpAkx0R4Q0

Review of the 2023 Congress and outlook for 2024: https://lsz.at/events/gesundheitskongress

University course Management in Health Organisations: https://mot.ac.at/universitaetslehrgaenge/gesundheit-und-soziales/management-in-gesundheitsorganisationen-emba/

Participation of Guido Offermanns and Andrea Schweiger at the conference of the European Health Management Association (EHMA) in Rome

From 5 to 7 June 2023, the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore hosted the European Health Management Association (EHMA) conference in Rome. The university shares the campus with one of the best hospitals in the world, the Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli. The title of the conference was “Health management: sustainable solutions for complex systems”. Guido Offermanns from the University of Klagenfurt and Andrea Schweiger from the Karl Landsteiner Institute for Hospital Organisation were represented with two contributions. The first paper, “Processes and structures affecting tumour board quality: a systematic review”, presented the results of a systematic review of the current state of work in multidisciplinary teams using the example of tumour boards. In Austria, 45,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year, and this number will at least double by 2040, which will pose great challenges to the health care system. In tumour boards, health professionals from different disciplines who deal with a specific tumour entity work together. This results in a high financial, personnel and time expenditure. The aim is to find the best and most evidence-based decision for the patients concerned and thus to optimise and coordinate the care process. The inclusion of patients in the healing process should also be actively promoted.

The core message of the study is that tumour board teams, which have to deal with complex tasks of decision-making for patients, must use targeted instruments for team development. In this way, on the one hand, the cooperation in the teams can function better and, on the other hand, the results in patient care can improve. However, this can be a great challenge in the context of implementation in expert organisations, as different professional groups with different professional perspectives on the disease come together in the tumour boards.

Referring to the topic, the second contribution “Quality improvement in multidisciplinary cancer team meetings at a university hospital: First results of a self-assessment tool” dealt with results from an empirical study at a university hospital, which promotes the increase of effectiveness and efficiency of teamwork in tumour boards through the use of a self-assessment tool. The results show the outstanding importance of, among other things, the working culture in the teams, the process of decision-making, regular attendance, formal structures in the boards, decision-making as well as appropriate documentation with the resulting implementation of decisions in the clinics. In order to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the work in the teams, scientifically validated instruments for team development can be used in a targeted manner, with each tumour board receiving individual feedback on its work. Due to the success of the study, the investigation will be extended to other tumour boards with other tumour entities of the University Hospital.

Link to the conference and further information: https://ehmaconference.org/

Please direct any queries to Guido Offermanns, guido [dot] offermanns [at] aau [dot] at

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictures from Guido Offermanns