Qualitative Study Of Views And Experiences Of Performance Management For Healthcare-associated Infections

Authors: L. Brewster, C. Tarrant, M. Dixon-Woods

Abstract:

Background

Centrally led performance management regimes using standard setting, monitoring, and incentives have become a prominent feature of infection prevention and control (IPC) in health systems.

Aim

To characterize views and experiences of regulation and performance management relating to IPC in English hospitals.

Methods

Two qualitative datasets containing 139 interviews with healthcare workers and managers were analysed. Data directly relevant to performance management and IPC were extracted. Data analysis was based on the constant comparative method.

Citation: L. Brewster, C. Tarrant, M. Dixon-Woods Qualitative Study Of Views And Experiences Of Performance Management For Healthcare-associated Infections DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2016.01.021

Received: January 8, 2016, Accepted: January 25, 2016, Published Online: February 12, 2016

Copyright: © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of the Healthcare Infection Society. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Conclusion

Centrally led performance management may have some important roles in IPC, but identifying where it is appropriate and determining its limits is critical. Persisting with harsh regimes may affect relationships and increase resistance to continued improvement efforts, but leaving all improvement to local teams may also be a flawed strategy.

Acknowledgements

We thank A. Holmes, R. Ahmad, F. Secci, and E.C. Sanchez for their input into the research design. We thank R. Ahmad for conducting four of the interviews in Source 1. We thank M.Leslie and J. Willars for conducting some of the interviews in Source 2.

Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Funding sources
This study was funded by the Health Foundation, Charity Number 286967, and by M. Dixon-Woods’ Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator Award (WT097899)