Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39237937›Full record

ArticleBMC health services research2024

Exploring the use of social network analysis methods in process improvement within healthcare organizations: a scoping review.

Troy Francis, Morgan Davidson, Laura Senese, Lianne Jeffs, Reza Yousefi-Nooraie, Mathieu Ouimet, Valeria Rac, Patricia Trbovich

Abstract readScoping Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC health services research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
17citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

17 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Troy FrancisInstitute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. troy.francis@theta.utoronto.ca.
Morgan DavidsonInstitute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Laura SeneseInstitute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Lianne JeffsInstitute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Reza Yousefi-NooraieDepartment of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester, New York, USA.
Mathieu OuimetDepartment of Political Science, Université Laval, Quebec, Canada.
Valeria Rac *Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Patricia Trbovich *Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCommunication breakdowns among healthcare providers have been identified as a significant cause of preventable adverse events, including harm to patients. A large proportion of studies investigating communication in healthcare organizations lack the necessary understanding of social networks to make meaningful improvements. Process Improvement in healthcare (systematic approach of identifying, analyzing, and enhancing workflows) is needed to improve quality and patient safety. This review aimed to characterize the use of SNA methods in Process Improvement within healthcare organizations.

methodsRelevant studies were identified through a systematic search of seven databases from inception - October 2022. No limits were placed on study design or language. The reviewers independently charted data from eligible full-text studies using a standardized data abstraction form and resolved discrepancies by consensus. The abstracted information was synthesized quantitatively and narratively.

resultsUpon full-text review, 38 unique articles were included. Most studies were published between 2015 and 2021 (26, 68%). Studies focused primarily on physicians and nursing staff. The majority of identified studies were descriptive and cross-sectional, with 5 studies using longitudinal experimental study designs. SNA studies in healthcare focusing on process improvement spanned three themes: Organizational structure (e.g., hierarchical structures, professional boundaries, geographical dispersion, technology limitations that impact communication and collaboration), team performance (e.g., communication patterns and information flow among providers., and influential actors (e.g., key individuals or roles within healthcare teams who serve as central connectors or influencers in communication and decision-making processes).

conclusionsSNA methods can characterize Process Improvement through mapping, quantifying, and visualizing social relations, revealing inefficiencies, which can then be targeted to develop interventions to enhance communication, foster collaboration, and improve patient safety.

Indexed as

Quality ImprovementSocial Network AnalysisCommunicationDelivery of Health CareHealth PersonnelHumansPatient SafetyHealthcare organizationsOrganizational structurePatient safetyProcess improvementQuality improvementSocial network analysisTeam performance

Identifiers

PMID39237937
PMCPMC11376022

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

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.