ArticleBMC health services research2017
Challenges, uncertainties and perceived benefits of providing weekend allied health services-a managers' perspective.
Article in BMC health services research, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Translating evidence into practice: a longitudinal qualitative exploration of allied health decision-making.Health research policy and systems · 2021Trial
- Impact of Seven-Day Versus Five-Day Inpatient Physiotherapy: A Review of Clinical and Economic Outcomes.Cureus · 2026Review
- Consultation behaviors and factors influencing hesitation to seek medical care among local dengue patients in Guangzhou, China: a retrospective analysis.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Additional saturday occupational therapy for adults receiving inpatient physiotherapy rehabilitation: a prospective cohort study.BMC health services research · 2022Article
- Patients' and professionals' perspectives on the consideration of patients' convenient therapy periods as part of personalised rehabilitation: a focus group study with patients and therapists from inpatient neurological rehabilitation.BMC health services research · 2022Article
- Understanding Health Professional Responses to Service Disinvestment: A Qualitative Study.International journal of health policy and management · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHealth services that operate 7 days per week are under pressure to show the increased cost of providing weekend services can be measured in improved patient outcomes. The evidence for weekend allied health services in acute medical and surgical wards is weak and there is wide variation between the services offered at different hospitals.
methodsThis qualitative study was undertaken during a multi-site stepped wedge randomised controlled trial involving twelve acute medical and surgical wards from two Australian hospitals, in which weekend allied health services were removed before being reinstated with a stakeholder driven model. In-depth interviews were conducted with twenty-two staff responsible for managing weekend services at the involved hospitals. Participants were asked about their perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of providing a weekend allied health service.
resultsManagers perceive the services improve patient flow and quality of care and reduce adverse incidents, such as falls and intensive care admissions. They also highlighted the challenges involved in planning, staffing and managing these services and the uncertainties about how to provide it most effectively.
conclusionsRising healthcare costs provide opportunity for public and professional debate about the most effective way of providing weekend allied health care services, particularly when health services provide limited other weekend services. Some managers perceived weekend allied health services to improve patient quality of care, but without studies which show these services on acute medical and surgical wards clearly change patient outcomes or provide health economic gains, these resources may need to be redirected. The resources may be better spent in areas with clear evidence to show the addition of weekend allied health services improves patient outcomes, such as on acute assess units and rehabilitation wards.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.