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Managers, myths and misses: target efficiency and health care management education in Australia

Grant C

Asia Pac J Public Health, 1994;7(2):111-4.
PMID: 7946649

The Australian penchant for monitoring overseas developments in general and health matters is noted. The face validity of the findings of the International Project on Culture and Management (IPCM) is assessed positively and certain structural commonalities of the health systems of the USA and Australia are identified, without attributing causality in the development of managers' attributes. Linkages between Australia, Malaysia and Hong Kong are also explored briefly. In addition, key attributes of the sample of Australian managers are discussed together with the limitations related to emerging forms of provision and organization in health services and to their distribution in the study sample. The IPCM findings may be used in course design but are unlikely to cause any major change, although one may debate on the values of applicants towards health service management education courses. The findings may help to stimulate the establishment of performance measures for management education in Australia.

Matched MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel/education
"Population is key factor in environmental degradation," Parliamentarian conference on ocean life declares

Asian Forum Newsl, 1995 Oct-Dec.
PMID: 12320069
Matched MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel
Assessing the competency of University of Malaya dental graduates: employers' and graduates' perceptions

Razak IA, Latifah RR, Jaafar N, Abu Hassan MI, Ab Murat N

J Dent Educ, 2008 Mar;72(3):364-9.
PMID: 18316541

A survey was conducted to assess competencies of dental graduates of the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya, as perceived by the graduates and their employers, based on the five-year undergraduate curriculum introduced in 1995. All senior dental officers in the Ministry of Health (MOH), representing employers, and all 164 dental graduates of the years 2000, 2001, and 2002 were sent a self-administered questionnaire covering eight areas of competency. The respondents had to rate these areas on a scale of 1 (very poor) to 4 (very good). The responses for each area were then dichotomized into poor (1 and 2) and good (3 and 4). If less than 60 percent of the respondents rated an area as good, then it was categorized as needing attention; 60-69 percent as satisfactory; and 70 percent and above as excellent. One hundred and six graduates (64.6 percent) and twenty-nine employers (96.7 percent) responded; of the graduates, 73.6 percent were working in the MOH and 22.6 percent in private practice. About 57.1 percent of employers reported that at least five graduates have worked under them. Graduates (85.7 percent) and employers (83.3 percent) agreed that graduates have excellent skills in communication. Although all graduates perceived their competency to be excellent in the four areas (treatment planning; community-based skills; management, administrative skills, and personal management; and professional development skills), employers felt that these are the areas that are of concern and needed attention. In conclusion, whilst generally the graduates' level of competency in almost all areas is acceptable or good, there are areas of concern that need to be addressed to further improve the five-year curriculum at the University of Malaya.

Matched MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel
Engaging policy makers in road safety research in Malaysia: a theoretical and contextual analysis

Tran NT, Hyder AA, Kulanthayan S, Singh S, Umar RS

Health Policy, 2009 Apr;90(1):58-65.
PMID: 18937995 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2008.08.009

Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are a growing public health problem that must be addressed through evidence-based interventions including policy-level changes such as the enactment of legislation to mandate specific behaviors and practices. Policy makers need to be engaged in road safety research to ensure that road safety policies are grounded in scientific evidence. This paper examines the strategies used to engage policy makers and other stakeholder groups and discusses the challenges that result from a multi-disciplinary, inter-sectoral collaboration. A framework for engaging policy makers in research was developed and applied to describe an example of collective road safety research in Malaysia. Key components of this framework include readiness, assessment, planning, implementation/evaluation, and policy development/sustainability. The case study of a collaborative intervention trial for the prevention of motorcycle crashes and deaths in Malaysia serves as a model for policy engagement by road safety and injury researchers. The analytic description of this research process in Malaysia demonstrates that the framework, through its five stages, can be used as a tool to guide the integration of needed research evidence into policy for road safety and injury prevention.

Matched MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel*
Security threats categories in healthcare information systems

Samy GN, Ahmad R, Ismail Z

Health Informatics J, 2010 Sep;16(3):201-9.
PMID: 20889850 DOI: 10.1177/1460458210377468

This article attempts to investigate the various types of threats that exist in healthcare information systems (HIS). A study has been carried out in one of the government-supported hospitals in Malaysia.The hospital has been equipped with a Total Hospital Information System (THIS). The data collected were from three different departments, namely the Information Technology Department (ITD), the Medical Record Department (MRD), and the X-Ray Department, using in-depth structured interviews. The study identified 22 types of threats according to major threat categories based on ISO/IEC 27002 (ISO 27799:2008). The results show that the most critical threat for the THIS is power failure followed by acts of human error or failure and other technological factors. This research holds significant value in terms of providing a complete taxonomy of threat categories in HIS and also an important component in the risk analysis stage.

Matched MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel
Fulltext Malaysia collaborates with the new york academy of sciences to develop an innovation-based economy

Wahome M, Rubinstein E

Malays J Med Sci, 2011 Jul;18(3):1-3.
PMID: 22135594 MyJurnal

If Malaysia is to become a high-income country by 2020, it will have to transform into a knowledge-based, innovation economy. This goal will be achieved by developing an atmosphere conducive to experimentation and entrepreneurship at home; while reaching out to partners across the globe. One of Malaysia's newest partnerships is with the New York Academy of Sciences. The Academy has expertise in innovation and higher education and a long history of promoting science, education, and science-based solutions through a global network of scientists, industry-leaders, and policy-makers. Malaysia's Prime Minister, Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak, leveraged the Academy's network to convene a science, technology, and innovation advisory council. This council would provide practical guidance to establish Malaysia as an innovation-based economy. Three initial focus areas, namely palm-oil biomass utilisation, establishment of smart communities, and capacity building in science and engineering, were established to meet short-term and long-term targets.

Matched MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel
Attitudes of medical school deans toward interprofessional education in Western Pacific Region countries

Lee B, Celletti F, Makino T, Matsui H, Watanabe H

J Interprof Care, 2012 Nov;26(6):479-83.
PMID: 22830530 DOI: 10.3109/13561820.2012.706336

To examine the attitudes of medical school deans toward interprofessional education (IPE) and collaborative practice (CP), we conducted survey research in the Western Pacific Region. This regional survey was conducted as a collaborative research project with the World Health Organization. A survey was distributed to the medical school deans in Malaysia, the Philippines, Republic of Korea and Japan. Thirty-five surveys were returned from four countries. The survey demonstrated that many medical school deans have positive attitudes toward IPE and CP. However, respondents also reported that it is not easy to introduce interprofessional learning in their academic settings. It is suggested that collaboration between education systems and health systems is needed to introduce IPE in the academic setting. The possible role of international organizations is mentioned. This information helps to identify local efforts on which global health organizations and national governments can build.

Matched MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel/psychology*
Fulltext Impact of climate change on water resources: global and Malaysian scenarios

Mohd Armi, A.S., Afiza, A.S., Mohd Ramzi, A.

ASM Science Journal, 2012;6(2):149-151.
MyJurnal

Over the last century, the earth’s climate has changed. It is a serious global, long-term problem which involves complex interactions. A lot of evidence suggests that most of the observed factors contributing to the crisis over the last 50 years can be attributed to human activities. Malaysia has always been vulnerable to extreme climatic events such as typhoons, floods and drought. We expect climate change to exacerbate these vulnerabilities. To ensure, that our water resources will always be secure and ready for use. We need to create awareness in the public and the policy makers so that they will acknowledge that the climate change issue is real. They also need to accept that actions to adapt with our vulnerabilities should be immediately put in place. We can do this by integrating the various sector policies and securing the participation of all stakeholders in Malaysia and other countries.

Matched MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel
A proposal to help achieve equitable treatment of transgender people in the health system

Ahmadi K, Allotey P, Reidpath DD

Acad Med, 2013 May;88(5):559.
PMID: 23611970 DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e31828a0d46
Matched MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel/education*
Counterfeit drug demand: perceptions of policy makers and community pharmacists in Sudan

Alfadl AA, Hassali MA, Ibrahim MI

Res Social Adm Pharm, 2013 May-Jun;9(3):302-10.
PMID: 22835708 DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2012.05.002

The counterfeit drug trade has become widespread and has developed into a substantial threat to both the public's health and the pharmaceutical industry.

Matched MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel*
Fulltext Present status and future concerns of expanded newborn screening in malaysia: sustainability, challenges and perspectives

Leong YH, Gan CY, Tan MA, Majid MI

Malays J Med Sci, 2014 Mar;21(2):63-7.
PMID: 24876809 MyJurnal

Newborn screening (NBS) program is an important tool for the early diagnosis and preventive treatment of life-long impairments. NBS is one of the strategies recommended by the World Health Organization to promote the primary prevention of congenital anomalies and the health of children with these conditions. However, NBS initiation and implementation in developing countries, especially South-East Asian and North African regions, are slow and challenging. Expanded NBS is not mandatory and has not yet been incorporated into the public healthcare system in our country. Limited funding, manpower shortages, inadequate support services, low public awareness, and uncertain commitment from healthcare practitioners are the main challenges in establishing this program at the national level. Involvement and support from policy makers are very important to the success of the program and the benefit of the entire population.

Matched MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel
Fulltext Development of conceptual framework to understand factors associated with return to work among cancer survivors: a systematic review

Chow SL, Ting AS, Su TT

Iran J Public Health, 2014 Apr;43(4):391-405.
PMID: 28435811

This systematic review was conducted to develop a conceptual framework that addresses various factors associated with return to work among cancer survivors. Databases Medline, EMBASE, ProQuest, PubMed and ScienceDirect were systematically searched using medical subject headings [MeSH] for studies published in English from 1990 to 2013. Studies that described adult cancer patients' self-reported data or patients' point of view on factors associated with return to work or employment status following cancer diagnosis were included. Articles selection was conducted in three steps: selection based on title and abstract, retrieval of full text and additions of articles from reference lists and recommendations from experts. Disagreement in data extraction was solved by consultation of third reviewer. Out of twenty seven articles, breast cancer was the most studied type of cancer (30%) while colorectal cancer was studied independently in two articles (7.4%). Conceptual framework on return to work identifies factors under environmental, personal, work demand, work ability, health status and financial factors. Extensive search of scientific databases over last 24 years and the development of the conceptual frame-work are the strength of this review. Conceptual framework reveals the various factors including non-medical factors associated with return to work upon cancer diagnosis. It serves as a reminder to the policy makers to focus on modifiable factors as potential areas for intervention to assist cancer survivors return to work, especially those with little financial assistance and health insurance.

Matched MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel
Supervisors' experiences of workplace supervision of nursing and paramedic students in rural settings: a scoping review

Trede F, McEwen C, Kenny A, O'Meara P

Nurse Educ Today, 2014 May;34(5):783-8.
PMID: 24698307 DOI: 10.1016/j.nedt.2013.10.003

We present our findings from a scoping review that sought to identify what is known about nursing and paramedic clinical supervisors' experiences of their supervision practices in rural settings. Our interest in these two groups is based on the central role that nurses and paramedics play in rural health care.

Matched MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel*
Fulltext A review of HIV/AIDS research in Malaysia

Koh KC

Med J Malaysia, 2014 Aug;69 Suppl A:68-81.
PMID: 25417954 MyJurnal

Two hundred fifty seven articles related to HIV/AIDS were found in a search through a database dedicated to indexing all original data relevant to medicine published in Malaysia between the years 2000-2013. One hundred seventy one articles were selected and reviewed on the basis of clinical relevance and future research implications. This review of literature has been divided into six sections, namely, epidemiology, risk behaviour, clinical features and opportunistic infections, management, diagnosis and discussion. Wherever possible, the reviewed articles have been presented in a chronological order to provide a historical perspective to the reader as many of the results of earlier publications, which are common knowledge now, were relatively unknown then. Since the early days of the HIV epidemic in Malaysia, there have been rapid advances in the understanding and the management of the epidemic in Malaysia based on the insights derived from the results of these research. These insights are invaluable tools for policy makers, advocators, healthcare providers, researchers and everyone and anyone who are involved in the care of individuals with HIV/AIDS. Attempts have been made to identify gaps in certain research areas with the hope of providing directions for future research in HIV/AIDS in Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel
Fulltext Factors influencing community pharmacist decision to dispense generic or branded medicines; Eastern Province, Alahsa, Saudi Arabia

Albadr Y, Khan TM

Saudi Pharm J, 2015 Apr;23(2):143-6.
PMID: 25972733 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsps.2014.07.002

Rising costs of medicines have increased the interest of policy makers in generic medicines. However, consumers' and health care providers' perception and attitude towards generic medicine act as a main barrier to the promotion of generic medicines.

Matched MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel
Fulltext Healthcare professionals' and policy makers' views on implementing a clinical practice guideline of hypertension management: a qualitative study

Lee PY, Liew SM, Abdullah A, Abdullah N, Ng CJ, Hanafi NS, et al.

PLoS One, 2015;10(5):e0126191.
PMID: 25942686 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0126191

INTRODUCTION: Most studies have reported barriers to guideline usage mainly from doctors' perspective; few have reported the perspective of other stakeholders. This study aimed to determine the views and barriers to adherence of a national clinical practice guideline (CPG) on management of hypertension from the perspectives of policymakers, doctors and allied healthcare professionals.
METHODS: This study used a qualitative approach with purposive sampling. Seven in depth interviews and six focus group discussions were conducted with 35 healthcare professionals (policy makers, doctors, pharmacists and nurses) at a teaching hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, between February and June 2013. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and checked. Thematic approach was used to analyse the data.
RESULTS: Two main themes and three sub-themes emerged from this study. The main themes were (1) variation in the use of CPG and (2) barriers to adherence to CPG. The three sub-themes for barriers were issues inherent to the CPG, systems and policy that is not supportive of CPG use, and attitudes and behaviour of stakeholders. The main users of the CPG were the primary care doctors. Pharmacists only partially use the guidelines, while nurses and policy makers were not using the CPG at all. Participants had suggested few strategies to improve usage and adherence to CPG. First, update the CPG regularly and keep its content simple with specific sections for allied health workers. Second, use technology to facilitate CPG accessibility and provide protected time for implementation of CPG recommendations. Third, incorporate local CPG in professional training, link CPG adherence to key performance indicators and provide incentives for its use.
CONCLUSIONS: Barriers to the use of CPG hypertension management span across all stakeholders. The development and implementation of CPG focused mainly on doctors with lack of involvement of other healthcare stakeholders. Guidelines should be made simple, current, reliable, accessible, inclusive of all stakeholders and with good policy support.

Matched MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel*
Statistical analysis of vehicle theft crime in peninsular Malaysia using negative binomial regression model

Ahmad Mahir Razali, Nurulkamal Masseran, Noriszura Ismail, Malina Zulkifli

Sains Malaysiana, 2015;44:1363-1370.

The aim of this paper was to identify the determinants that influence vehicle theft by applying a negative binomial regression model. The identification of these determinants is very important to policy-makers, car-makers and car owners, as they can be used to establish practical steps for preventing or at least limiting vehicle thefts. In addition, this paper also proposed a crime mapping application that allows us to identify the most risky areas for vehicle theft. The results from this study can be utilized by local authorities as well as management of internal resource planning of insurance companies in planning effective strategies to reduce vehicle theft. Indirectly, this paper has built ingenuity by combining information obtained from the database of Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia and insurance companies to pioneer the development of location map of vehicle theft in Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel
Evaluation performance of time series approach for forecasting air pollution index in Johor, Malaysia

Nur Haizum Abd Rahman, Muhammad Hisyam Lee, Suhartono, Mohd Talib Latif

Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1625-1633.

The air pollution index (API) has been recognized as one of the important air quality indicators used to record the
correlation between air pollution and human health. The API information can help government agencies, policy makers
and individuals to prepare precautionary measures in order to eliminate the impact of air pollution episodes. This study
aimed to verify the monthly API trends at three different stations in Malaysia; industrial, residential and sub-urban areas.
The data collected between the year 2000 and 2009 was analyzed based on time series forecasting. Both classical and
modern methods namely seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) and fuzzy time series (FTS) were
employed. The model developed was scrutinized by means of statistical performance of root mean square error (RMSE).
The results showed a good performance of SARIMA in two urban stations with 16% and 19.6% which was more satisfactory
compared to FTS; however, FTS performed better in suburban station with 25.9% which was more pleasing compared
to SARIMA methods. This result proved that classical method is compatible with the advanced forecasting techniques in
providing better forecasting accuracy. Both classical and modern methods have the ability to investigate and forecast
the API trends in which can be considered as an effective decision-making process in air quality policy.

Matched MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel
Fulltext Switching from monoculture to polyculture farming benefits birds in oil palm production landscapes: Evidence from mist netting data

Yahya MS, Syafiq M, Ashton-Butt A, Ghazali A, Asmah S, Azhar B

Ecol Evol, 2017 08;7(16):6314-6325.
PMID: 28861235 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3205

Monoculture farming is pervasive in industrial oil palm agriculture, including those RSPO plantations certified as sustainably managed. This farming practice does not promote the maintenance of farmland biodiversity. However, little scientific attention has been given to polyculture farming in oil palm production landscapes. Polyculture farming is likely to increase the floristic diversity and stand structural complexity that underpins biodiversity. Mist nets were used to sample birds at 120 smallholdings in Peninsular Malaysia. At each site, 12 vegetation structure characteristics were measured. We compared bird species richness, abundance, and composition between monoculture and polyculture smallholdings and used predictive models to examine the effects of habitat quality on avian biodiversity. Bird species richness was significantly greater in polyculture than that of monoculture smallholdings. The number of fallen and standing, dead oil palms were also important positive predictors of species richness. Bird abundance was also strongly increased by standing and dead oil palms and decreased with oil palm stand height. Our results indicate that polyculture farming can improve bird species richness in oil palm production landscapes. In addition, key habitat variables that are closely associated with farming practices, such as the removal of dead trees, should and can be managed by oil palm growers in order to promote biodiversity. To increase the sustainability of oil palm agriculture, it is imperative that stakeholders modify the way oil palms are currently planted and managed. Our findings can guide policy makers and certification bodies to promote oil palm production landscapes that will function more sustainably and increase existing biodiversity of oil palm landscapes.

Matched MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel
Fulltext Barriers to routine G6PD testing prior to treatment with primaquine

Ley B, Thriemer K, Jaswal J, Poirot E, Alam MS, Phru CS, et al.

Malar J, 2017 08 10;16(1):329.
PMID: 28797255 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-017-1981-y

BACKGROUND: Primaquine is essential for the radical cure of vivax malaria, however its broad application is hindered by the risk of drug-induced haemolysis in individuals with glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Rapid diagnostic tests capable of diagnosing G6PD deficiency are now available, but these are not used widely.
METHODS: A series of qualitative interviews were conducted with policy makers and healthcare providers in four vivax-endemic countries. Routine G6PD testing is not part of current policy in Bangladesh, Cambodia or China, but it is in Malaysia. The interviews were analysed with regard to respondents perceptions of vivax malaria, -primaquine based treatment for malaria and the complexities of G6PD deficiency.
RESULTS: Three barriers to the roll-out of routine G6PD testing were identified in all sites: (a) a perceived low risk of drug-induced haemolysis; (b) the perception that vivax malaria was benign and accordingly treatment with primaquine was not regarded as a priority; and, (c) the additional costs of introducing routine testing. In Malaysia, respondents considered the current test and treat algorithm suitable and the need for an alternative approach was only considered relevant in highly mobile and hard to reach populations.
CONCLUSIONS: Greater efforts are needed to increase awareness of the benefits of the radical cure of Plasmodium vivax and this should be supported by economic analyses exploring the cost effectiveness of routine G6PD testing.

Matched MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel/psychology

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