Prince Agwu, Aloysius Odii, Charles Orjiakor, Pamela Ogbozor, Chinyere Mbachu, Obinna Onwujekwe
{"title":"Implications of absenteeism of health workers on achieving universal health coverage in Nigeria: exploring lived experiences in primary healthcare.","authors":"Prince Agwu, Aloysius Odii, Charles Orjiakor, Pamela Ogbozor, Chinyere Mbachu, Obinna Onwujekwe","doi":"10.1093/intqhc/mzae015","DOIUrl":"10.1093/intqhc/mzae015","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Primary healthcare facilities are the bedrock for achieving universal health coverage (UHC) because of their closeness to the grassroots and provision of healthcare at low cost. Unfortunately, in Nigeria, the access and quality of health services in public primary healthcare centres (PHCs) are suboptimal, linked with persistent occurrence of absenteeism of health workers. We used a UHC framework developed by the World Health Organization-African Region to examine the link between absenteeism and the possible achievement of UHC in Nigeria. We undertook a qualitative study to elicit lived experiences of healthcare providers, service users, chairpersons of committees of the health facilities, and policymakers across six PHCs from six local government areas in Enugu, southeast Nigeria. One hundred and fifty participants sourced from the four groups were either interviewed or participated in group discussions. The World Health Organization-African Region UHC framework and phenomenological approach were used to frame data analysis. Absenteeism was very prevalent in the PHCs, where it constrained the possible contribution of PHCs to the achievement of UHC. The four indicators toward achievement of UHC, which are demand, access, quality, and resilience of health services, were all grossly affected by absenteeism. Absenteeism also weakened public trust in PHCs, resulting in an increase in patronage of both informal and private health providers, with negative effects on quality and cost of care. It is important that great attention is paid to both availability and productivity of human resources for health at the PHC level. These factors would help in reversing the dangers of absenteeism in primary healthcare and strengthening Nigeria's aspirations of achieving UHC.</p>","PeriodicalId":13800,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Quality in Health Care","volume":"36 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139989984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elom Hillary Otchi, Reece Hinchcliff, David Greenfield
{"title":"A beacon to guide others: improving chronic disease management through targeted, evidence-based primary healthcare quality measures.","authors":"Elom Hillary Otchi, Reece Hinchcliff, David Greenfield","doi":"10.1093/intqhc/mzae014","DOIUrl":"10.1093/intqhc/mzae014","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13800,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Quality in Health Care","volume":"36 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139944130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Victoria Stewart, Sara S McMillan, Jie Hu, Jack C Collins, Sarira El-Den, Claire L O'Reilly, Amanda J Wheeler
{"title":"Are SMART goals fit-for-purpose? Goal planning with mental health service-users in Australian community pharmacies.","authors":"Victoria Stewart, Sara S McMillan, Jie Hu, Jack C Collins, Sarira El-Den, Claire L O'Reilly, Amanda J Wheeler","doi":"10.1093/intqhc/mzae009","DOIUrl":"10.1093/intqhc/mzae009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Goal planning is an important element in brief health interventions provided in primary healthcare settings, with specific, measurable, achievable, realistic/relevant, and timed (SMART) goals recommended as best practice. This study examined the use of SMART goals by Australian community pharmacists providing a brief goal-oriented wellbeing intervention with service-users experiencing severe and persistent mental illnesses (SPMIs), in particular, which aspects of SMART goal planning were incorporated into the documented goals. Goal data from the PharMIbridge Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) were used to investigate how community pharmacists operationalized SMART goals, goal quality, and which SMART goal planning format aspects were most utilized. Goals were evaluated using the SMART Goal Evaluation Method (SMART-GEM) tool to determine how closely each documented goal met the SMART criteria. Goals were also categorized into five domains describing their content or purpose. Descriptive analysis was used to describe the SMART-GEM evaluation results, and the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to compare the evaluation results across the goal domains. All goals (n = 512) co-designed with service-users (n = 156) were classified as poor quality when assessed against the SMART guidelines for goal statements, although most goals contained information regarding a specific behaviour and/or action (71.3% and 86.3%, respectively). Less than 25% of goals identified how goal achievement would be measured, with those related to lifestyle and wellbeing behaviours most likely to include measurement information. Additionally, the majority (93.5%) of goals lacked details regarding monitoring goal progress. Study findings raise questions regarding the applicability of the SMART goal format in brief health interventions provided in primary healthcare settings, particularly for service-users experiencing SPMIs. Further research is recommended to identify which elements of SMART goals are most relevant for brief interventions. Additionally, further investigation is needed regarding the impact of SMART goal training or support tools on goal quality.</p>","PeriodicalId":13800,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Quality in Health Care","volume":"36 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10880889/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139931053","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abel E Moreyra, Chirag Mehta, Nora M Cosgrove, Stavros Zinonos, Davit Sargsyan, Alex Gold, Mihir Trivedi, John B Kostis, Javier Cabrera, William J Kostis
{"title":"Factors influencing the indication of coronary angiography in patients presenting with chest pain unspecified: an analysis of two decades (1994-2014).","authors":"Abel E Moreyra, Chirag Mehta, Nora M Cosgrove, Stavros Zinonos, Davit Sargsyan, Alex Gold, Mihir Trivedi, John B Kostis, Javier Cabrera, William J Kostis","doi":"10.1093/intqhc/mzae012","DOIUrl":"10.1093/intqhc/mzae012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Guidelines for cardiac catheterization in patients with non-specific chest pain (NSCP) provide significant room for provider discretion, which has resulted in variability in the utilization of invasive coronary angiograms (CAs) and a high rate of normal angiograms. The overutilization of CAs in patients with NSCP and discharged without a diagnosis of coronary artery disease is an important issue in medical care quality. As a result, we sought to identify patient demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic factors that influenced the performance of a CA in patients with NSCP who were discharged without a diagnosis of coronary artery disease. We intended to establish reference data points for gauging the success of new initiatives for the evaluation of this patient population. In this 20-year retrospective cohort study (1994-2014), we examined 107 796 patients with NSCP from the Myocardial Infarction Data Acquisition System, a large statewide validated database that contains discharge data for all patients with cardiovascular disease admitted to every non-federal hospital in NJ. Patients were partitioned into two groups: those offered a CA (CA group; n = 12 541) and those that were not (No-CA group; n = 95 255). Geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic variables were compared between the two groups using multivariable logistic regression, which determined the predictive value of each categorical variable on the odds of receiving a CA. Whites were more likely than Blacks and other racial counterparts (19.7% vs. 5.6% and 16.5%, respectively; P < .001) to receive a CA. Geographically, patients who received a CA were more likely admitted to a large hospital compared to small- or medium-sized ones (12.5% vs. 8.9% and 9.7%, respectively; P < .05), a primary teaching institution rather than a teaching affiliate or community center (16.1 % vs. 14.3% and 9.1%, respectively; P < .001), and at a non-rural facility compared to a rural one (12.1% vs. 6.5%; P < .001). Lastly from a socioeconomic standpoint, patients with commercial insurance more often received a CA compared to those having Medicare or Medicaid/self-pay (13.7% vs. 9.5% and 6.0%, respectively; P < .001). The utilization of CA in patients with NSCP discharged without a diagnosis of coronary artery disease in NJ during the study period may be explained by differences in geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic factors. Patients with NSCP should be well scrutinized for CA eligibility, and reliable strategies are needed to reduce discretionary medical decisions and improve quality of care.</p>","PeriodicalId":13800,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Quality in Health Care","volume":"36 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139971817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hang Yang, Zhenzhen Gao, Ye Zhou, Zhenyi Liao, Caiping Song, Yajun Mao
{"title":"Effects of gait adaptation training on augmented reality treadmill for patients with stroke in community ambulation.","authors":"Hang Yang, Zhenzhen Gao, Ye Zhou, Zhenyi Liao, Caiping Song, Yajun Mao","doi":"10.1093/intqhc/mzae008","DOIUrl":"10.1093/intqhc/mzae008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gait adaptability is essential for stroke survivors to achieve efficient and safe community ambulation. However, conventional treadmill rehabilitation is only a repetitive practice of leg movement. This study compared the effects of augmented reality treadmill-based gait adaptation training with regular treadmill programs for patients with stroke. Forty patients with stroke (n = 40) were randomly assigned to the gait adaptation training {n = 20, age: 49.85 [standard deviation (SD) 8.44] years; onset of stroke: 107.80 (SD 48.31) days} and regular training [n = 20, age: 50.75 (SD 8.05) years, onset of stroke: 111.60 (SD 49.62) days] groups. Both groups completed three sessions of training per week for 5 weeks (15 sessions). The primary outcomes were the 10-m walk test and success rate of obstacle avoidance, while secondary outcomes included the Berg balance scale, component timed-up-and-go, and fall rate in a 6-month follow-up period. Assessments were performed before and after the intervention. The paired t-test was applied to compare the differences within groups and independent sample t-test was performed to compare the differences between groups. The 10-m walk test, success rate of obstacle avoidance, Berg balance scale, and component timed-up-and-go all significantly improved in the both groups (P < .001). The success rate of obstacle avoidance [P = .02, 95% confidence interval (CI): -21.07, -1.64], Berg Balance Scale (P = .02, 95% CI: -8.03, -0.67), 'turning around time' (P = .04, 95% CI: 0.08, 2.81), 'stand-to-sit' (P = .03, 95% CI: 0.16, 2.41) and 'total time' (P = .048, 95% CI: 0.04, 10.32) improved significantly in gait adaptation training group after intervention, while the 10-m walk test (P = .09, 95% CI: -0.17, 0.01), timed 'sit-to-stand' (P = .09, 95% CI: -0.14, 2.04), and 'linear walking' (P = .09, 95% CI: -0.27, 3.25) in gait adaptation training group did not show statistical difference compared to the regular training group. Total fall rate during the follow-up period was statistically decreased in the gait adaptation training group (P = .045). Both interventions improved mobility outcomes, with augmented reality treadmill-based gait adaptation indicating greater improvement in obstacle avoidance, balance, turning, and stand-to-sit. Augmented reality treadmill-based gait adaptation training emerges as an effective and promising intervention for patients with stroke in early rehabilitation.</p>","PeriodicalId":13800,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Quality in Health Care","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139706675","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Health system performance assessment: embedding resilience through performance intelligence.","authors":"Dionne Kringos, Damir Ivanković, Erica Barbazza, Niek Klazinga, Óscar Brito Fernandes","doi":"10.1093/intqhc/mzae010","DOIUrl":"10.1093/intqhc/mzae010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Health systems around the world are facing challenges in achieving their goals. In the wake of the coronavirus disease pandemic, the need for resilient health systems has become even more apparent. This article argues that embedding resilience into health system performance assessment (HSPA) frameworks can be a valuable approach for improving health system performance. This perspective examines key challenges threatening health systems and makes a case for the continued relevance of HSPA by embedding resilience-related performance intelligence.</p>","PeriodicalId":13800,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Quality in Health Care","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10873822/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139706676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Holistic support for the well-being of nurses during health crisis in the Philippines.","authors":"Dalmacito A Cordero","doi":"10.1093/intqhc/mzae007","DOIUrl":"10.1093/intqhc/mzae007","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13800,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Quality in Health Care","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139706677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Laurien S Kuhrij, Perla J Marang-van de Mheen, Lisanne van Lier, Razia Alimahomed, Rob G H H Nelissen, Leti van Bodegom-Vos
{"title":"Reduction in use of MRI and arthroscopy among patients with degenerative knee disease in independent treatment centers versus general hospitals: a time series analysis.","authors":"Laurien S Kuhrij, Perla J Marang-van de Mheen, Lisanne van Lier, Razia Alimahomed, Rob G H H Nelissen, Leti van Bodegom-Vos","doi":"10.1093/intqhc/mzae004","DOIUrl":"10.1093/intqhc/mzae004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The use of MRI and arthroscopy are considered low-value care in most patients with degenerative knee disease. To reduce these modalities, there have been multiple efforts to increase awareness. Reductions have been shown for general hospitals (GH), but it is unclear whether this may be partly explained by a shift of patients receiving these modalities in independent treatment centers (ITCs). The aims of this study were to assess (i) whether the trend in use of MRI and arthroscopy in patients with degenerative knee disease differs between ITCs and GH, and (ii) whether the Dutch efforts to raise awareness on these recommendations were associated with a change in the trend for both types of providers. All patients insured by a Dutch healthcare insurer aged ≥50 years with a degenerative knee disease who were treated in a GH or ITC between July 2014 and December 2019 were included. Linear regression was used with the quarterly percentage of patients receiving an MRI or knee arthroscopy weighted by center volume, as the primary outcome. Interrupted time-series analysis was used to evaluate the effect of the Dutch efforts to raise awareness. A total of 14 702 patients included were treated in 90 GHs (n = 13 303, 90.5%) and 29 ITCs (n = 1399, 9.5%). Across the study period, ITCs on an average had a 16% higher MRI use (P < .001) and 9% higher arthroscopy use (P = .003). MRI use did not change in both provider types, but arthroscopy use significantly decreased and became stronger in ITCs (P = .01). The Dutch efforts to increase awareness did not significantly influence either MRI or arthroscopy use in ITCs (P = .55 and P = .84) and GHs (P = .13 and P = .70). MRI and arthroscopy uses were higher in ITCs than GHs. MRI use did not change significantly among patients ≥ 50 years with degenerative knee disease in both provider types between 2014 and 2019. MRI- and arthroscopy use decreased with ITCs on average having higher rates for both modalities, but also showing a stronger decrease in arthroscopy use. The Dutch efforts to increase awareness did not accelerate the already declining trend in the Netherlands.</p>","PeriodicalId":13800,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Quality in Health Care","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10849166/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139520690","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Saleh Alghamdi, Nancy Dixon, Fahmi Al-Senani, Zohair Al Aseri, Shukri Al Saif, Talal AlTahan
{"title":"Effects of a team Quality Improvement method in a national clinical audit programme of four clinical specialties in Ministry of Health hospitals in Saudi Arabia.","authors":"Saleh Alghamdi, Nancy Dixon, Fahmi Al-Senani, Zohair Al Aseri, Shukri Al Saif, Talal AlTahan","doi":"10.1093/intqhc/mzad107","DOIUrl":"10.1093/intqhc/mzad107","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In 2018, the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Saudi Arabia developed a clinical excellence strategy. An objective was to reduce variation in clinical practices in MoH hospitals, particularly for conditions with high mortality in Saudi Arabia, by applying best practice clinical standards and using the clinical audit process to measure clinical practice. The strategy included working with multiprofessional teams in hospitals to implement improvements needed in clinical practice. To test the feasibility of carrying out national clinical audits in MoH hospitals, audits were carried out in 16 MoH hospitals on four clinical subjects-acute myocardial infarction, major trauma, sepsis, and stroke. Clinical expert groups, including Saudi clinicians and an international clinical expert, developed clinical care standards for the four conditions from analyses of international and Saudi clinical guidelines. The audits were designed with the expert groups. Multiprofessional teams were appointed to carry out the audits in designated MoH hospitals. Data collectors in each hospital were trained to collect data. Workshops were held with the teams on the clinical care standards and how data would be collected for the audits, and later, on the findings of data collection and how to use the improvement process to implement changes to improve compliance with the standards. After 4 months, data collection was repeated to determine if compliance with the clinical care standards had improved. Data collected from each hospital for both cycles of data collection were independently reliably tested. All designated hospitals participated in the audits, collecting and submitting data for two rounds of data collection and implementing improvement plans after the first round of data collection. All hospitals made substantial improvements in clinical practices. Of a total of 84 measures used to assess compliance with a total of 52 clinical care standards for the four clinical conditions, improvements were made by hospital teams in 58 (69.1%) measures. Improvements were statistically significant for 34 (40.5%) measures. The project demonstrated that well-designed and executed audits using evidence-based clinical care standards can result in substantial improvements in clinical practices in MoH hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Keys to success were the improvement methodology built into the audit process and the requirement for hospitals to appoint multiprofessional teams to carry out the audits. The approach adds to evidence on the effectiveness of clinical audits in achieving improvements in clinical quality and can be replicated in national audit programmes.</p>","PeriodicalId":13800,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Quality in Health Care","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10842466/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139048719","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kanaka D Shetty, Peggy G Chen, Harsimran S Brara, Neel Anand, David L Skaggs, Vinicius F Calsavara, Nabeel S Qureshi, Rebecca Weir, Karma McKelvey, Teryl K Nuckols
{"title":"Variations in surgical practice and short-term outcomes for degenerative lumbar scoliosis and spondylolisthesis: do surgeon training and experience matter?","authors":"Kanaka D Shetty, Peggy G Chen, Harsimran S Brara, Neel Anand, David L Skaggs, Vinicius F Calsavara, Nabeel S Qureshi, Rebecca Weir, Karma McKelvey, Teryl K Nuckols","doi":"10.1093/intqhc/mzad109","DOIUrl":"10.1093/intqhc/mzad109","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>For diverse procedures, sizable geographic variation exists in rates and outcomes of surgery, including for degenerative lumbar spine conditions. Little is known about how surgeon training and experience are associated with surgeon-level variations in spine surgery practice and short-term outcomes. This retrospective observational analysis characterized variations in surgical operations for degenerative lumbar scoliosis or spondylolisthesis, two common age-related conditions. The study setting was two large spine surgery centers in one region during 2017-19. Using data (International Classification of Diseases-10th edition and current procedural terminology codes) extracted from electronic health record systems, we characterized surgeon-level variations in practice (use of instrumented fusion - a more extensive procedure that involves device-related risks) and short-term postoperative outcomes (major in-hospital complications and readmissions). Next, we tested for associations between surgeon training (specialty and spine fellowship) and experience (career stage and operative volume) and use of instrumented fusion as well as outcomes. Eighty-nine surgeons performed 2481 eligible operations. For the study diagnoses, spine surgeons exhibited substantial variation in operative volume, use of instrumented fusion, and postoperative outcomes. Among surgeons above the median operative volume, use of instrumented fusion ranged from 0% to >90% for scoliosis and 9% to 100% for spondylolisthesis, while rates of major in-hospital complications ranged from 0% to 25% for scoliosis and from 0% to 14% for spondylolisthesis. For scoliosis, orthopedic surgeons were more likely than neurosurgeons to perform instrumented fusion for scoliosis [49% vs. 33%, odds ratio (OR) = 2.3, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.3-4.2, P-value = .006] as were fellowship-trained surgeons (49% vs. 25%, OR = 3.0, 95% CI 1.6-5.8; P = .001). Fellowship-trained surgeons had lower readmission rates. Surgeons with higher operative volumes used instrumented fusion more often (OR = 1.1, 95% CI 1.0-1.2, P < .05 for both diagnoses) and had lower rates of major in-hospital complications (OR = 0.91, 95% CI 0.85-0.97; P = .006). Surgical practice can vary greatly for degenerative spine conditions, even within the same region and among colleagues at the same institution. Surgical specialty and subspecialty, in addition to recent operative volume, can be linked to variations in spine surgeons' practice patterns and outcomes. These findings reinforce the notion that residency and fellowship training may contribute to variation and present important opportunities to optimize surgical practice over the course of surgeons' careers. Future efforts to reduce unexplained variation in surgical practice could test interventions focused on graduate medical education. Graphical Abstract.</p>","PeriodicalId":13800,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Quality in Health Care","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10849168/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139058358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}