This study aimed to evaluate nurses' knowledge, perceptions and opinions of double-checking medication administration in a UK children's hospital. Of 119 questionnaires distributed, 48 were returned. Only 30 respondents had seen a written version of the hospital double-checking policy. More than half stated that they had not received formal training in double-checking medications. Of 35 nurses ...

Background Public policymaking is complex and lacks research evidences, particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). This policy analysis aims to generate insights about the process of hospital accreditation policy making in Iran, to identify factors influencing policymaking and to evaluate utilization of evidence in policy making process. Methods The study examined the policymakin...

BACKGROUND Severe pressures on beds in psychiatric services have led to the implementation of an early ("crisis") discharge policy in the Western Cape, South Africa. The study examined the effect of this policy and length of hospital stay (LOS) on readmission rates in one psychiatric hospital in South Africa. METHODS Discharge summaries of adult male patients (n = 438) admitted to Stikland Ps...

Background and Aim: Hospital accreditation is “an external evaluation of a hospital’s structures, processes, outputs and outcomes by an independent professional accreditation body using pre-established optimum standards”. Accreditation is a strategy for ensuring the quality and, safety of hospital services. An accreditation program’s efficacy depends on the validity of its governance, methods, ...

In this paper, we study the optimal strategy of a specialty hospital in providing traditional face-to-face consultations via experts and remote medical services via tele-specialists. We model the whole system as a queuing problem and provide the optimal staffing policy for this hospital by taking into account the various cost components, such as those for staffing, mistreatment, and waiting. We...