Deborah White’s research while affiliated with University of Calgary and other places

Background: Single room maternity care (SRMC) includes all aspects of the birth process (labour, delivery, postpartum) in a single room with a consistent team of healthcare providers. Traditional maternity care (TMC) involves having mothers labouring and delivering their baby in one room and then transferring to a room on another unit, which also means a transition in providers. Although many hospitals have transitioned to SRMC, there has been limited evidence to support their development. Methods: This study was conducted in two large hospitals (one offering SRMC, the other TMC) in Western Canada. A cross-sectional between-subjects design was used to compare differences between SRMC and TMC. New mothers were asked to complete validated questionnaires. Health information was collected from administrative and health databases. The main outcomes included readiness for hospital discharge, mothers' satisfaction, newborn length of stay, and mother length of stay. Several covariates were examined. Results: In total, 506 (292 SRMC; 214 TMC) mothers participated. Readiness for discharge and maternal satisfaction were significantly higher in SRMC. Although newborn and mother length of stay were significantly reduced in SRMC compared to TMC for univariate tests, mother length of stay was not significantly different when adjusting for other variables. Conclusions: There are positive health and psychosocial outcomes for mothers and newborns in the SRMC model of care compared to TMC. Since readiness for discharge and satisfaction are associated with positive maternal-infant interactions and transitions to community, SRMC could be the better approach. Further research should examine healthcare provider outcomes and implementation costs.

Strategic Clinical Networks (SCNs) in Alberta include multidisciplinary teams that work toward health system innovation and improvement; however, what contributes to team effectiveness is unclear. This theory-informed longitudinal survey (n = 826) evaluated team effectiveness within SCNs and predictors of effectiveness. Satisfaction, inter-team relationships and seven predictors including team inputs and team and leadership processes improved over two years. Attitudinal outputs were predicted by the same factors over time, whereas performance outputs were predicted by different factors. This innovative study emphasizes that SCN teams and their effectiveness evolve over time and that team-based research can refine network evaluations.

Aim To describe the single‐room maternity care model and evaluate its influence on patient, provider and system outcomes. Design Mixed‐method systematic review and narrative synthesis. Methods We conducted searches of MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the grey literature from January 1985–August 2018, yielding 151 records. Pairs of reviewers independently applied the inclusion criteria using a standardized screening tool to both titles/abstracts and full texts. Overall, 13 studies were retained. Results Most studies of single‐room care were from the United States and Canada, and assessed costs, patient satisfaction and/or provider satisfaction. Studies used cross‐sectional and/or pre–post comparative, retrospective descriptive and qualitative designs. Methodological quality of quantitative studies was generally weak, and few studies conducted inferential statistics. Maternal satisfaction with the single‐room maternity model was positive across the studies; however, healthcare provider satisfaction was mixed.

Background Patient and family engagement in health care has emerged as a critical priority. Understanding engagement, from the perspective of the patient and family member, coupled with an awareness of how patient and family members are motivated to be involved, is an important component in increasing the effectiveness of patient engagement initiatives. The purpose of this research was to co‐design a patient and family engagement framework. Methods Workshops were held to provide additional context to the findings from a survey. Participants were recruited using a convenience sampling strategy. Workshop data collected were analysed using a modified constant comparative technique. The core research team participated in a workshop to review the findings from multiple inputs to inform the final framework and participated in a face validity exercise to determine that the components of the framework measured what they were intended to measure. Results The framework is organized into three phases of engagement: why I got involved; why I continue to be involved; and what I need to strengthen my involvement. The final framework describes seven motivations and 24 statements, arranged by the three phases of engagement. Conclusion The results of this research describe the motivations of patient and family members who are involved with health systems in various roles including as patient advisors. A deeper knowledge of patient and family motivations will not only create meaningful engagement opportunities but will also enable health organizations to gain from the voice and experience of these individuals, thereby enhancing the quality and sustainability of patient and family involvement.

This qualitative grounded theory pilot study investigated the concerns and coping mechanisms of mothers of very low-birth-weight (VLBW; <1500 g) infants following discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit in Alberta, Canada. In-depth, semistructured, face-to-face, audio-recorded interviews were conducted with women of VLBW infants. Interviews lasting 75 to 90 minutes were transcribed verbatim and coded using grounded theory methodology. Data saturation and theoretical redundancy were achieved in interviews with 6 mothers of VLBW infants. The core variable of "reconstructing normal" emerged from the interview data. Women indicated that mothering a VLBW infant is an unfolding experience that is continuously being revised, creating a new sense of normal. The construct consists of 4 categories; mother-infant relationship, maternal development , maternal caregiving and role-reclaiming strate

Functional decline in seniors admitted to hospital is due in part to lack of mobilization. Many Quality Improvement (QI) initiatives targeting mobilization of the elderly population in acute care exist; however, their long-term effectiveness is not well-documented. Mobilization of Vulnerable Elders (MOVE) was a grant-funded initiative that started in Ontario and spread to Alberta. The primary objective of this project was to ascertain the sustainability of the MOVE project 1 year post implementation at two hospital sites in Alberta, Canada. Qualitative and quantitative cross-sectional data were gathered from multidisciplinary healthcare professionals. Our findings suggest MOVE was not well-sustained one year post implementation. Examination of specific survey questions provided an indication of strengths and weaknesses of the MOVE QI. Sustainable and cost-effective QI targeted at this elderly patient demographic could alleviate some of the demand on the healthcare system. Modifications to improve the sustainability of MOVE are summarized.

This qualitative grounded theory pilot study investigated the concerns and coping mechanisms of mothers of very low-birth-weight (VLBW; <1500 g) infants following discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit in Alberta, Canada. In-depth, semistructured, face-to-face, audio-recorded interviews were conducted with women of VLBW infants. Interviews lasting 75 to 90 minutes were transcribed verbatim and coded using grounded theory methodology. Data saturation and theoretical redundancy were achieved in interviews with 6 mothers of VLBW infants. The core variable of "reconstructing normal" emerged from the interview data. Women indicated that mothering a VLBW infant is an unfolding experience that is continuously being revised, creating a new sense of normal. The construct consists of 4 categories; mother-infant relationship, maternal development, maternal caregiving and role-reclaiming strategies, and infant developmental milestones. Findings from this study suggest that women found the transition into motherhood following the birth of a VLBW infant as a multidimensional and dynamic process. Further research is warranted to confirm these results and to further explore mothering issues with VLBW infants.

Background: Advance care planning is a process through which people share their values, goals and preferences regarding future medical treatments with the purpose of aligning care received with patient wishes. The objective of this study was to explore perspectives from patients and clinicians in 4 clinical settings to understand how context influences interpretation and application of advance care planning processes. Methods: This study used a qualitative interpretive descriptive design. Patient and clinician participants were recruited across 4 clinical outpatient settings (cancer, heart failure, renal failure and supportive living) in Calgary and Edmonton. Data were collected between 2014 and 2015 by means of recorded one-on-one semistructured interviews. We analyzed the data using thematic analysis in 2016-2017. Results: Thirty-four patients and 34 clinicians participated in interviews. Themes common to all 4 contexts were lack of shared understanding between patients and clinicians, and a lack of consistent clinical process related to advance care planning. Advance care planning understanding and process varied substantially between contexts. This variation seemed to be driven by differences in perceptions around disease burden and the nature of the physician-patient relationship. Interpretation: Provision of a system-wide policy and procedural framework alone was not found to be sufficient to form a standardized approach to advance care planning, as considerable variability existed in advance care planning process between and within clinical settings. Quality-improvement methods that consider local processes, gaps and barriers can help in developing a consistent, comprehensive process.

Background Large‐scale transformation depends on effective engagement of diverse stakeholders. With the evolution of the role of the ‘patient partner’ in health‐care decision making, understanding the motivations of these individuals is essential to the success of engagement initiatives. This study reports on motivational factors associated with patient engagement in health care. Methods Patient co‐investigators and a researcher co‐designed and conducted this study. A survey was administered to patients and family members. Key informant interviews and previous research informed the development of the survey tool. The survey data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis to identify the underlying dimensions in the data. Cronbach's alpha was used to determine reliability. Results A total of 1449 individuals participated in the survey. Of these, 543 completed and 427 partially completed the survey (67% complete rate). The mean age of the respondents was 54 years. The majority of participants were female, well‐educated, retired, married and lived in an urban centre. Seven motivational factors explained 65% of the total variance. Analysis of internal consistency revealed acceptable reliability for all items. The seven motivations were as follows: Self‐fulfillment, Improving Healthcare, Compensation, Influence, Learning New Things, Conditional and Perks. Conclusion The results of this research describe a sample of patient and family members currently engaged with health systems. We identified seven motivational factors underlying their engagement. A deeper knowledge of volunteer motivations will not only create meaningful engagement opportunities for patients, but also enable health organizations to gain from the experience of these individuals, thereby enhancing quality and sustainability of patient engagement programmes.

The cover image is based on the Special Issue Paper Understanding the motivations of patients: A co‐designed project to understand the factors behind patient engagement by McCarron et al., DOI 10.1111/hex.12942.