INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE最新文献

{"title":"Government-donor-academia collaboration model in the pharmaceutical regulatory system and considerations for sustainability in low- and middle-income countries.","authors":"Rima S Saleh, Rita Karam, Lynn Adaimy, Chadi Baalbaki","doi":"10.1108/IJHCQA-12-2025-0220","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-12-2025-0220","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study assesses how collaboration between Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and ESA Business School (ESA) strengthened the pharmaceutical regulatory framework during severe crises. It reviews the design and outcomes of reforms in governance, pharmacovigilance and quality assurance; identifies key enabling and limiting factors and draws lessons for other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).</p><p><strong>Design/methodology/approach: </strong>A descriptive-qualitative approach combined a desk review of technical documents, reports, and outputs with triangulated semi-structured interviews involving key institutional actors. Data were thematically analyzed and compared with international literature to generate evidence-based insights.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Results show that well-governed partnerships can sustain reform momentum during instability. Sustainability requires costed financial roadmaps, domestic co-financing and value-for-money disciplines to reduce dependence on fluctuating external funding. Long-term capacity building, institutional ownership and adaptive policy design are vital to safeguard regulatory and supply-chain quality. The MoPH-AFD-ESA case demonstrates a triple-helix model aligning government, donor support and academic expertise to deliver durable institutional capacity and effective regulatory institutionalization.</p><p><strong>Originality/value: </strong>The study provides rare empirical evidence from a fragile context, contributing to limited literature on government-donor-academia cooperation and offering a transferable model for resilient, locally led and financially integrated regulatory reform.</p>","PeriodicalId":47455,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE","volume":" ","pages":"1-22"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148563404","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum: Reducing patient waiting times in operating theatres via Lean 4.0: a qualitative study.","authors":"","doi":"10.1108/IJHCQA-07-2026-0198","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-07-2026-0198","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47455,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE","volume":" ","pages":"1"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148438457","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Experiential over-softening: a boundary condition of servicescape in high-reliability contexts.","authors":"Irene Raguenet Troccoli","doi":"10.1108/IJHCQA-12-2025-0216","DOIUrl":"10.1108/IJHCQA-12-2025-0216","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Purpose: &lt;/strong&gt;This study examines how highly \"hotelized\" hospital servicescapes may unintentionally weaken procedural compliance and patient safety by reshaping patients' role perceptions from \"patient\" to \"guest.\" More specifically, it explores whether the over-optimization of comfort, hospitality and experiential design can generate behavioral dissonance and activate hospitality-consistent scripts that conflict with institutional healthcare norms. The paper introduces \"experiential over-softening\" as a provisional boundary condition of servicescape theory, suggesting that experiential enhancement and procedural integrity may relate in a non-linear manner within high-reliability service contexts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Design/methodology/approach: &lt;/strong&gt;The study adopts an interpretivist, abductive qualitative design grounded in narrative inquiry. Empirical material derives from a single theoretically revelatory retrospective narrative involving a patient who unintentionally bypassed formal hospital discharge procedures in a luxury hospital environment. The analysis combines abductive narrative interpretation with cognitive dissonance mapping to reconstruct a theoretically plausible mechanism linking servicescape cues, symbolic role reinterpretation and protocol deviation. Rather than testing causal relationships, the study seeks analytical generalization and hypothesis generation through iterative dialogue between empirical material and competing theoretical lenses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Findings: &lt;/strong&gt;The findings suggest that highly hospitality-oriented hospital environments may reorganize the salience of competing role-consistent cognitions, amplifying \"guest\" scripts while attenuating institutional \"patient\" norms. Within this symbolic configuration, the patient's autonomous exit became situationally coherent rather than consciously deviant. The analysis indicates that environmental cues may function not only as experiential stimuli, but also as carriers of institutional meaning capable of reshaping role expectations and behavioral intelligibility. The study therefore proposes \"experiential over-softening\" as a provisional boundary condition of servicescape theory, highlighting a possible non-linear relationship between experiential enhancement and procedural compliance in high-reliability contexts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Originality/value: &lt;/strong&gt;The originality of this study lies in identifying and theorizing a previously underexplored paradox within experiential service design: the possibility that excessive experiential enhancement may weaken procedural integrity in high-reliability systems. The paper advances servicescape theory by introducing \"experiential over-softening\" as a hypothesis-generating boundary condition and by conceptualizing the servicescape as a carrier of institutional meaning rather than merely an affective stimulus. It also offers a novel abductive integration of servicescape theory, hospitality healthscapes, institut","PeriodicalId":47455,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE","volume":" ","pages":"1-15"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148438425","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Application of two-phase statistical process control to detect glycemic instability in critically ill patients.","authors":"Mohamed Metwally Mosly, Hesham Metwalli, Hesham Mousli","doi":"10.1108/IJHCQA-02-2026-0034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-02-2026-0034","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To apply a two-phase statistical process control (SPC) framework to monitor ICU Day-2 glycemic performance, detect SPC-defined glycemic instability, and identify clinical predictors of out-of-control Day-2 glycemic patterns in a tertiary hospital ICU in Egypt's Delta region.</p><p><strong>Design/methodology/approach: </strong>A prospective observational cohort study was conducted in an adult mixed medical-surgical ICU. Phase I data included 300 patients, each with four glucose measurements on ICU Day-2, and were used to estimate empirical x̄-chart control limits. Phase II surveillance applied the fixed Phase I limits to 1,000 additional patients, each with four ICU Day-2 glucose measurements. Nelson Rules 1 and 2 were used as pre-specified operational signal-detection criteria to identify extreme excursions and sustained unit-level process shifts. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore clinical factors associated with SPC-defined out-of-control Day-2 glycemic status.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>In Phase II, 505/1,000 (50.5%) patient subgroups signaled \"out-of-control\" by the union of Nelson rules. Rule-1 limit exceedances occurred in 150 subgroups, while Rule-2 shift signaling affected 413 subgroups (35 distinct run events). In adjusted analyses, higher illness severity (APACHE II), sepsis, older age, higher baseline HbA1c, vasopressor use, corticosteroid use, and comorbidity burden (CKD and/or liver disease) increased the odds of \"out-of-control\" status; higher caloric intake was associated with lower odds. BMI, sex, and surgical admission type were not significant predictors.</p><p><strong>Research limitations/implications: </strong>Observational design precludes causal inference and assessment of real-time SPC impact. Excluding DKA/HHS and stays <48 h may limit generalizability. Subgrouping (n = 4) favors shift detection but may mask very short-term variability. Single-center results may not generalize to ICUs with different nutrition/sedation and glycemic management practices.</p><p><strong>Practical implications: </strong>A combined SPC-and-regression framework can provide early operational surveillance of ICU Day-2 glycemic instability and may support targeted, data-driven quality-improvement interventions. However, prospective interventional studies are required to determine whether SPC-guided glycemic management improves clinical outcomes.</p><p><strong>Originality/value: </strong>This study combines Phase-I-derived SPC limits with Phase II surveillance and multivariable risk modeling to measure and explain Day-2 glycemic special-cause variation in a resource-relevant tertiary ICU environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":47455,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE","volume":" ","pages":"1-25"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148438454","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Factors influencing burnout as perceived by resident physicians in a Jordanian tertiary hospital: a qualitative descriptive study.","authors":"Muhammad Ahmed Alshyyab, Baker Suleiman Momany, Gerard FitzGerald, Rania Al-Bsoul","doi":"10.1108/IJHCQA-05-2025-0069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-05-2025-0069","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Burnout is a common problem among resident physicians. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of resident physicians working in a Jordanian tertiary hospital and to identify the factors they believe contribute to burnout.</p><p><strong>Design/methodology/approach: </strong>This was a qualitative descriptive study in a Jordanian tertiary hospital. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with residents identified in the Maslach Burnout survey as experiencing burnout. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis were performed using SPSS and thematic analysis, respectively.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>The study interviewed 19 out of 23 residents who met the criteria for burnout. Five main themes and several subthemes emerged from the interviews. These themes were (1) personal and social factors, (2) workplace-related factors, (3) organizational factors, (4) patient-related factors, (5) academic factors.</p><p><strong>Originality/value: </strong>Factors associated with burnout in residents can fall into one of several categories related to either themselves or the environment within which they work. Understanding the complexity of these factors and their relationships may assist health service managers in reducing burnout in junior medical staff.</p>","PeriodicalId":47455,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE","volume":" ","pages":"1-17"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148425127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Examining the relationship between perceived behavioral control and purchasing intention toward health insurance with a moderating effect of demographics.","authors":"Simarpreet Kaur, Veerpaul Kaur Maan, Pritpal Singh Bhullar","doi":"10.1108/IJHCQA-01-2026-0016","DOIUrl":"10.1108/IJHCQA-01-2026-0016","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study investigates the relationship between customers' intention to purchase health insurance in Northern India and perceived behavioral control (PBC), which is based on the decomposed theory of planned behavior (DTPB). Three core dimensions of PBC are identified: social influence, perceived ease of access and financial affordability, discovered through the use of exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The study further investigates how gender and marital status moderate these relationships to inform targeted marketing strategies.</p><p><strong>Design/methodology/approach: </strong>Convenience sampling was used to gather primary data through an online poll with 400 participants. The three PBC dimensions were extracted and validated using EFA, and their direct impacts on purchase intention were then tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Moderation effects by marital status and gender were investigated using multi-group analysis (MGA), which produced strong t-statistics and p-values.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>PLS-SEM reveals perceived ease of access is the best predictor of purchase intention (t = 6.070, p < 0.001), followed by social influence (t = 4.400, p < 0.001) and financial affordability (t = 5.486, p < 0.001). Financial affordability and social influence have a greater impact on women, whereas perceived ease of access had a greater impact on males, according to MGA, which shows significant gender-based moderation. These associations are also moderated by marital status; married people react more strongly to accessibility, whereas single people are more impacted by affordability and social influence.</p><p><strong>Research limitations/implications: </strong>These results offer practical applications for lawmakers and insurance companies undertaking business in developing nations. The study makes recommendations for future longitudinal and cross-cultural research while acknowledging the drawbacks of convenience sampling and a cross-sectional approach.</p><p><strong>Originality/value: </strong>This study examines the dimensional structure of PBC in relation to health insurance purchase intention in a developing-nation situation by integrating PLS-SEM and EFA in a novel way inside the TPB framework. It fills a major vacuum in culturally nuanced consumer Behavior research in emerging nations and provides actionable data for insurers looking to segment their marketing strategies by revealing innovative moderations based on gender and marital status.</p>","PeriodicalId":47455,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE","volume":" ","pages":"1-17"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148363150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Health insurance, health care utilization and health outcomes in Nigeria: evidence from DHS data.","authors":"Chinasa E Urama, Divine N Obodoechi, Christian Agu, Chilotam C Urama","doi":"10.1108/IJHCQA-09-2025-0143","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-09-2025-0143","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>One vital concern of health policy globally is to achieve equity in access to health care services for all. This study aims to examine the interconnectedness of health insurance, healthcare utilization and health outcomes in Nigeria. It set out to ascertain how enrollment in health insurance impacts healthcare utilization and health outcomes in Nigeria.</p><p><strong>Design/methodology/approach: </strong>The study utilized the latest demographic survey data collected by the National Bureau of Statistics in Nigeria. The data was analyzed using binary logistic regression models.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>The study demonstrates that father's education and occupation are positively associated with health outcomes, while age and decision on healthcare utilization have negative associations. It also observed that insurance enrollment does not significantly improve child and maternal health outcomes even though insurance ownership and the type of plan significantly influence health service use in Nigeria. This result is further supported by the ordinary least squares regression result, serving as a robustness check.</p><p><strong>Originality/value: </strong>The results provide evidence that investments in health insurance infrastructure, educational attainment (especially among men) and geographic equity in service provision are critical levers for improving population health in Nigeria. The study recommends that strengthening the health system in Nigeria requires multidimensional efforts targeting insurance access, educational empowerment, employment stability and geographical service distribution so as to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3: \"Good Health and Well-Being for all.\"</p>","PeriodicalId":47455,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148354249","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The balanced scorecard as a strategic management tool in urban medical groups in China: an experimental study.","authors":"Li-Li Huang, Binliang Wang, Weiwei Hu, Aiping Zhou, Xiaoyu Chen","doi":"10.1108/IJHCQA-07-2025-0085","DOIUrl":"10.1108/IJHCQA-07-2025-0085","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Purpose: &lt;/strong&gt;This paper aims to integrate the balanced scorecard (BSC) into the medical service quality management of urban medical groups (UMGs), verify its feasibility and enhance resource allocation and system efficiency in addressing challenges like fragmented resources and poor coordination in China's urban medical service systems.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Design/methodology/approach: &lt;/strong&gt;A retrospective study was conducted, in which a BSC-based strategic management model (using BSC as an improvement tool strategy) was constructed in a Zhejiang UMG from 2021 to 2024. The following four core dimensions were selected based on BSC theory and UMGs' operational needs. Financial: focused on resource allocation efficiency including medical revenue and outpatient as well as inpatient costs to ensure sustainable operations. Customer: targeted patient accessibility and satisfaction including county visit rate and chronic disease management to align with hierarchical care policies. Internal processes: measured service capacity including number of cases handled by branches to reflect grassroots capability upgrades. Learning and growth: tracked technical diffusion including new technologies introduced to branches and workforce development to strengthen long-term competitiveness.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Findings: &lt;/strong&gt;Significant improvements were observed in key indicators: county visit rate rose by 36.35% (p &lt; 0.001), diabetes management rate increased by 13.79% (p &lt; 0.001), new technologies in branches grew by 66.67% and branch hospitals reduced outpatient (-20.68%) and inpatient costs (-23.96%). However, head hospital outpatient costs rose by 14.36% and hypertension management showed no significant change (p = 0.145).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Research limitations/implications: &lt;/strong&gt;This study's rigor is anchored in its BSC-driven key performance indicators and longitudinal design, but several limitations. First, the exclusive focus on quantitative metrics neglects qualitative dimensions, such as patient experience or staff morale, which are critical for holistic evaluation. Second, the absence of cost-effectiveness analysis limits understanding of resource utility. Third, the short observation period (three years) may not capture long-term impacts of BSC implementation, such as generational shifts in healthcare-seeking behavior. Fourth, the study's focus on UMGs may limit its generalizability to rural or underserved areas with distinct healthcare infrastructure and population needs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practical implications: &lt;/strong&gt;It is the first integration of BSC into UMGs' medical service quality management, demonstrating BSC's effectiveness in driving balanced growth via enhanced grassroots accessibility and technical integration. It offers a data-driven strategic model for UMGs to improve resource allocation and achieve equitable healthcare.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Originality/value: &lt;/strong&gt;This study fills the research gap in applying multi-dimensional perfo","PeriodicalId":47455,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE","volume":" ","pages":"187-199"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145589446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of machine learning on spare parts availability for critical medical devices: a supervised machine learning perspective.","authors":"F H P A Dattu, S T Syed Shazali, S J Tanjong, Nurlaila Rosli, Abdul Rani Achmed Abdullah","doi":"10.1108/IJHCQA-05-2025-0063","DOIUrl":"10.1108/IJHCQA-05-2025-0063","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Purpose: &lt;/strong&gt;This paper seeks to improve the reliability and quality of operation of the critical medical equipment methods through the combination of failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) and supervised machine learning (ML) approaches to predictive spare parts management. The paper aims to reduce downtime, optimise the maintenance planning and increase the quality of healthcare services in general by advanced decision support.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Design/methodology/approach: &lt;/strong&gt;A dataset comprising 2,800 maintenance records from six hospitals, covering 10 categories of medical devices including ventilators, dialysis machines, infusion pumps and computed tomography scanners, was analysed. The FMEA was initially used to calculate risk priority numbers (RPNs) to indicate the criticality of devices and their probability of failure. These RPNs were used as input features to three supervised ML models, which are the random forest (RF), the artificial neural network (ANN) and the support vector machine (SVM). Each model underwent grid-search hyperparameter tuning and five-fold stratified cross-validation to ensure reproducibility. The accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score and area under the curve were used to evaluate the models.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Findings: &lt;/strong&gt;The accuracy of the RF model and ANN was 1.00 with an F1-score of 0.90 and SVM had the highest recall of 0.94, implying that it is more sensitive in identifying actual spare parts replacement requirements. The combined failure mode and effects analysis-machine learning model enhanced the availability of spare parts by an estimated 12-15% in all hospital locations. The strength and discriminative performance of the proposed models were tested with the help of visual analysis through confusion matrices and receiver operating characteristic curves. These outcomes demonstrate how predictive analytics can strengthen maintenance traceability and ensure continuity of patient-care equipment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Research limitations/implications: &lt;/strong&gt;The suggested hybrid structure assists in data-based maintenance planning within the biomedical engineering departments of hospitals. It helps minimise the downtime, promote patient safety and increase the adherence to the healthcare quality standards, including International Organization for Standardization 13485 and Joint Commission International accreditation, by predicting replacement requirements and aligning them with inventory management. The model is also consistent with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being and SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practical implications: &lt;/strong&gt;Hospitals can optimise inventory planning and preventive maintenance scheduling.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Social implications: &lt;/strong&gt;Improved equipment availability supports better patient care and healthcare reliability.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Originality/value: &lt;/strong&gt;This study is one of the ","PeriodicalId":47455,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE","volume":" ","pages":"236-249"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145758144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prepare for the worst, hope for the best: a qualitative study on workplace violence in healthcare.","authors":"John Haymore, Judy Sun, Dennis Barber","doi":"10.1108/IJHCQA-05-2025-0062","DOIUrl":"10.1108/IJHCQA-05-2025-0062","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Purpose: &lt;/strong&gt;The purpose of the study is to explore how healthcare employees process and cope with workplace violence (WPV) in an effort to improve employee and organizational performance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Design/methodology/approach: &lt;/strong&gt;This qualitative study is based on the theories of cognitive adaptation and social exchange. Research and interview questions were developed from these theories to uncover how healthcare workers process and cope with the trauma of violence. Participants gave accounts of verbal, physical and psychological acts of violence perpetrated by patients, patient family members, and colleagues.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Findings: &lt;/strong&gt;Findings are discussed including WPV experiences, coping with WPV and organizational support to WPV, among others. Detailed preventive and reactive organizational strategies to help employees cope with WPV are recommended. The study offers significant theoretical implications and provides a comprehensive framework for interpreting how employees process, cope with and perceive organizational responses to WPV.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Research limitations/implications: &lt;/strong&gt;The study advances our understanding of how healthcare workers cope with WPV at different times and informs future research on the resources and support that are needed from employers at different stages of the coping process. The study has several limitations. First, the study relies on interview data that are the perceptions and self-reported data of healthcare workers. Another limitation is that while data saturation was achieved after 11 interviews, this number is modest considering the number of healthcare workers that experience WPV.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practical implications: &lt;/strong&gt;Healthcare organizations should adopt a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP) that addresses all types, forms and levels of violence, including the threat of terrorism. Selection techniques should be designed to assess candidates' responses to high-stress situations, helping to identify individuals who may struggle with workplace conflict or criticism. Organizations should implement a confidential reporting system and establish a dedicated threat management team (TMT). Healthcare organizations should routinely update their training programs and provide ongoing support to those who have experienced WPV.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Social implications: &lt;/strong&gt;Organizations have a responsibility to keep their employees safe and secure. Trauma resulting from violence and unsafe conditions not only harms performance but has significant implications for employee mental health and physical well-being. Organizations can and must do more to keep workers safe from deviant, violent and counterproductive work behaviors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Originality/value: &lt;/strong&gt;To our knowledge, this is among the few research studies to examine how healthcare workers from both administrative and clinical positions cope with WPV through the frameworks of cognitive adaptation a","PeriodicalId":47455,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE","volume":" ","pages":"200-218"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145565781","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}