Research Peter Van Bogaert

Abstract

Healthcare organizations worldwide are under increasing pressure to deliver safe, high-quality care while navigating budgetary constraints, underscoring the imperative for quality enhancements. Nurses, as frontline providers, play a central role in improving care delivery and outcomes. However, the effectiveness of quality improvement initiatives (QI) remains highly variable, with contextual factors playing a crucial role. This research project aims to investigate the impact of contextual factors and competencies on the presence of a culture of continuous QI within nursing teams at the microsystem level in acute care settings. Drawing from existing literature and a qualitative study, a conceptual framework outlining contextual factors and competencies was developed. Subsequently, a measurement tool was constructed and validated to assess the QI culture within nursing teams. A multicentre cross-sectional study will be conducted in to investigate the presence of contextual factors and competencies within nursing teams and their impact on the efficacy of QI efforts and perceived quality of care. Findings from this study will inform the development of a toolkit in collaboration with subject matter experts, aimed at fostering a culture of continuous QI within nursing teams. The research outcomes have the potential to advance scientific understanding and guide healthcare organizations in cultivating a QI culture, ultimately enhancing the quality and safety of care delivery.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Franck Erik
• Co-promoter: Van Bogaert Peter
• Fellow: Slootmans Stijn

Research team(s)

• Centre for Research and Innovation in Care (CRIC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

To set up a scientific program as guidance for the Wit-Gele Kruis van Antwerpen quality and patient safety policy and strategy additional to a first 3 year period during second 2 year period with the focus on the ANCC Pathway of Excellence program® as well as to identify and implement quality and patient safety indicators in daily practice. To implement the SaaS Balance Nursing Teams for home care organizations as well as to support a study trip in Canada and US visiting exemplary home care organizations and academic partners.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Bogaert Peter

Research team(s)

• Centre for Research and Innovation in Care (CRIC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

There is a growing staff shortage in healthcare. Many healthcare professionals want to leave healthcare or are doing so. Together we care focuses on retaining healthcare professionals and strengthening their adaptive & innovative capacity. This cross-border Interreg project is a follow-up to the previous projects Stay @ work and Care2Adapt. Specifically, this project offers several free pathways for healthcare and welfare organisations: Pathway Team Champions: for team members working bottom-up to increase resilience. Pathway Leadership to captivate and engage: for managers working on developing a positive leadership style. Pathway Simuleerkracht: for nurses starting a training programme to increase resilience Pathway Care2Adapt: for employees who will fulfil a bridging function between innovation and the workplace. We are also developing an instrument to measure, among other things, resilience of individuals and teams, allowing more data-driven (to reality) action to be taken. In addition to contextual data and data from self-reports, this application will also integrate data from activity trackers, providing additional information on physiological parameters around stress and resilience of healthcare staff and teams.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Franck Erik
• Co-promoter: Haegdorens Filip
• Co-promoter: Van Bogaert Peter

Research team(s)

• Centre for Research and Innovation in Care (CRIC)

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Healthcare services such as acute care hospitals are confronted with challenges to attract and retain nurses in order provide high quality of care and a safe environment for patients. Currently, the nursing profession is considered as a bottleneck profession. Balance Nursing Teams or BNuT is a software-as-a-service (SAAS) which allows informed strategic, tactical, and operational decision-making by using relevant and available data on nursing teams and their patients. The aim of BNuT is to align team composition (numbers, skill mix, qualifications, and competencies) with components of team capacity, reliability, and efficiency to guarantee desirable team and patient outcomes. This PhD-project will examine how nursing team should be composed and has three research objectives: the relationships between team composition on the one hand and the other key capacity and efficient and reliable performance factors and how do they jointly impact nursing care team outcomes; identify the key parameters within the BNuT database to explain differences in team and patient outcomes and how to utilize knowledge on key concepts and parameters to improve nursing teams over time. The study sample contains 12 acute care hospitals that are using the BNuT system. For each hospital 8 nursing units have been selected such as medical or surgical nursing units, combined medical and surgical nursing units and geriatric nursing units. BNuT implementation started in four hospitals in February 2021. This means the PhD applicant will use the existing dataset together collected data up to October 30th, 2024 to achieve a dataset with a duration of at least two years. To our knowledge, the proposed project's aim is new, innovative and neither studied nor implemented in practice nationally or internationally. Our findings will provide a better insight for decision makers in healthcare organizations as well as policy makers to understand how to put in place resources to achieve desirable outcomes in healthcare. By examining a wide variety of compositional characteristics as well as key team-level context factors using data mining and scenario analyses, we can create a better theoretical understanding of what constitutes an optimal nursing team composition.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Bogaert Peter
• Co-promoter: De Meulenaere Kim
• Co-promoter: Willem Lander
• Fellow: Vleminckx Senne

Research team(s)

• Centre for Research and Innovation in Care (CRIC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Within the framework of the Chair of the Province of Antwerp – Healthcare professions in evolution - PAZOE, financed by the partnership between the Province of Antwerp, Governor Kinsbergen Center (GKC) and University of Antwerp, we are investigating the important dropout and outflow within healthcare professions. More specifically, how the care and welfare sector can deal with the capacity shortages of careproviders in combination with the growing and changing demand for care from society. The healthcare sector is undergoing many changes and is also facing major challenges in the province of Antwerp. The transition from (health)care education to the labor market is difficult. As a result, there are staff shortages. On the other hand, the demand for care from society is increasing due to more chronic, complex care and the increasing aging of the population. Using mixed-method research methods, as well as implementation research, we will (1) analyze and synthesize existing initiatives on working and learning differently within the healthcare sector; (2) build a learning network; (3) roll out three pilot projects based on the initial analysis, supported by the learning network, initially in the primary care zones Middenkempen and De Rupelaar. The chair also wants to ensure a connection between various ongoing projects in interprofessional collaboration between professionals and organizations in the healthcare sector.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Royen Paul
• Co-promoter: Van Bogaert Peter

Research team(s)

• Primary and interdisciplinary care Antwerp (ELIZA)

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The nursing shortage is an international phenomenon with wide-reaching implications for healthcare. The WHO estimated a 7.6 million shortfall in nurses by 2030. Attracting and, most importantly, retaining nurses is a global challenge. In Belgium, there is a chronic shortage in nurses and allied staff throughout all healthcare sectors. Moreover, because patient care is becoming more complex, there is an increasing need for sufficient, qualified and well-trained staff that can be assigned in changing environments as critical experienced since March 2020 because of the COVID-2 pandemic. The Chief Nursing Officers workgroup of Zorgnet-Icuro and previous research insights identified a strong need for the development of a standardised method to objectively allocate nurses and other care professionals to care teams considering the assigned governmental budget (Flemish and/or Federal). The computerised decision support instrument Balance Nursing Teams or BNUT support informed decisions concerning the allocation, monitoring and benchmarking of nursing care composition including numbers, qualification and competencies (skill mix) as well as additional roles related to care demands and other factors. In a conceptual phase, BNUT was developed to Technology Readiness Level 4 (June 2020) and was financed externally. In a next phase, financed by IOF-POC, a software as a service solution (SaaS) was developed with data of five hospitals to Technology Readiness Level 5 and prepared for the market with a sales and market plan (commercial readiness plan of CRL6) (December 2021). Now, we will have to develop and implement our SaaS solution in collaboration with 3 acute care hospitals and further develop a first commercial version (TRL8) with first representative sales (CRL7) in general and university acute care hospitals in Flanders in 2022.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Bogaert Peter

Research team(s)

• Centre for Research and Innovation in Care (CRIC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

To set up a scientific program as guidance for the Wit-Gele Kruis van Antwerpen quality policy and strategy during a period of 3 years with the focus on the ANCC Pathway of Excellence program® as well as to identify and implement quality and patient safety indicators in daily practice. To develop and implement the SaaS Balance Nursing Teams for home care organizations as well as in year 3 to organize a study trip in Canada and US visiting exemplary home care organizations and academic partners.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Bogaert Peter

Research team(s)

• Centre for Research and Innovation in Care (CRIC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

For years, the care sector has been struggling: vacancies are not filled and care courses are also understaffed. On top of that, the perception of working in care, especially in residential care, has deteriorated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to a persistent imbalance between the inflow and outflow of personnel, the pressure on the existing workforce has sharply increased. In the Netherlands, the metaphor of the colander is used for this: the inflow of care personnel is in order while the outflow remains unchanged. Blijf aan Z wants to reduce this outflow by focusing on the current care professionals so that they can remain at work as long as possible and long-term absenteeism can be minimised. The project wants to promote sustainable and high-quality employment, resulting in a lower turnover, a positive image of working in the care sector and better support for younger employees and those returning to work. Specifically, an analysis of the problem will be carried out and predictors of outflow and dropout will be identified. A 'dashboard' will monitor these predictors for the partners involved. In addition, Team Champions will be installed and educated in the form of a train-the-trainer programme. The team members are the change managers who intervene from within to increase (team) resilience and reduce retention. As a final aspect, a Community of Practice (COP) is started in which managers of care workers share and learn about leading workplace cultures in which care workers want to (continue to) work. This self-directed development programme significantly broadens the horizons of the participants by placing them in a learning environment with others of similar functions/roles but in totally different contexts.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van den Broeck Kris
• Co-promoter: Franck Erik
• Co-promoter: Van Bogaert Peter

Research team(s)

• Primary and interdisciplinary care Antwerp (ELIZA)

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The nursing shortage is an international phenomenon with wide-reaching implications for healthcare. The WHO estimated a 7.6 million shortfall in nurses by 2030. Attracting and, most importantly, retaining nurses is a global challenge. In Belgium, there is a chronic shortage in nurses and allied staff throughout all healthcare sectors. Moreover, because patient care is becoming more complex, there is an increasing need for sufficient, qualified and well-trained staff that can be assigned in changing environments. Policy makers are addressing the need for qualified staff by increasing the numbers of nurses entering the workplace. However, increasing the supply of nurses is insufficient to address the current staffing problems in healthcare. Organisations should also focus on methods to retain experienced personnel. However, organisations are not always well equipped to estimate if care teams are working optimally. To estimate the ideal composition of care teams, organisations apply patient assessment systems estimating acuity and care needs. However, these systems lack contextual information and need adjustment by management to be used for staff deployment. Because of the pressing shortage in nurses, organisations search for an optimal allocation of nurses across care teams. It is known that nurses sometimes are undertaking work that could be done by other caretakers. However, an optimal proportion of highly educated nurses is essential to provide high-quality care. It seems very difficult to acquire an optimally composed care team aiming for retention of staff and ensuring the quality of care. A report by the department of health by the Irish government recommended the development of software package using an evidence-based approach to assist in decisions on nurse staffing and skill-mix. The Chief Nursing Officers workgroup of Zorgnet-Icuro, a Flemish member organisation including 94 hospitals and 332 nursing homes, identified a strong need for the development of a standardised method to objectively allocate nurses and other care professionals to care teams taking into account the assigned governmental budget (Flemish and/or Federal). The project aim is to develop and study a computerised decision support instrument (CDSI), Balance Nursing Teams or BNUT, as a proof of concept, to support decisions concerning the allocation, monitoring and benchmarking of nursing care composition including numbers, qualification and competencies (skill mix) as well as additional roles related to care demands. The project is focussed on nursing care teams in acute care and psychiatric hospital as well as long-term facilities and primary care. BNUT discriminates and predicts the balance of care teams, in a continuum from negative imbalance, balance to positive imbalance, between supply and organisation of human resources including their capacity, efficiency and reliability and patient care needs and demands. During a conceptual phase of 10 months, the CDSI BNUT will be developed to Technology Readiness Level 4 (June 2020) and was financed externally. In the next phase, which will last 18 months (proof of concept A), BNUT will be developed further to implement in practice aiming for Technology Readiness Level 7 and operating at a pre-commercial scale guided by an internal and external technological and scientific validation process. In addition, the CDSI will be integrated as a Software as a Service (SaaS) product in order to assure the provision and dissemination in Belgian healthcare services. Lastly, BNUT will be prepared for full commercial international application reaching Technological Readiness Level 9.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Bogaert Peter

Research team(s)

• Centre for Research and Innovation in Care (CRIC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Identify and develop competencies in primary healthcare for practice and education programs in Flanders and the Netherlands about (1) entrepeneurship, (2) inteprofessional collaboration (3) applying technology and (4) ethical decision making in care processes for (licensed practice, diplome and bachelor) nurses as well as other qualifications in care providers such as nurse aids.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Bogaert Peter

Research team(s)

• Centre for Research and Innovation in Care (CRIC)

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The project aim is to develop and study a computerized decision support instrument (CDSI), Balance Nursing Teams or BNUT, as a proof of concept, to support decisions about the allocation, monitoring and benchmarking of nursing care composition concerning numbers, qualification and competencies (skills mix) as well as additional roles related to patient care demands. The project focus is on nursing care teams in acute care and psychiatric hospital as well as long-term facilities and home care. BNUT discriminates and predicts the balance of care teams, in a continuum from negative imbalance, balance to positive imbalance, between supply and organization of human resources including their capacity, efficiency and reliability and patient care needs and demands. During a conceptual phase of 10 months, the CDSI BNUT wil be developed to Technology Readiness Level 4 (June 2020).

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Bogaert Peter

Research team(s)

• Centre for Research and Innovation in Care (CRIC)

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project represents a formal research agreement between UA and on the other hand UZA. UA provides UZA research results mentioned in the title of the project under the conditions as stipulated in this contract.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Monsieurs Koenraad
• Co-promoter: Van Bogaert Peter
• Fellow: De Meester Koen

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Surgical Training, Anatomy and Research Centre (ASTARC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project