Full document - International Hospital Federation

Introduction
Introduction
ERIC DE ROODENBEKE, PhD
Chief Executive Officer, International Hospital Federation
Innovation does involve a revolution, but rather the appropriate
use of inventions to enhance the result of a process.
Opportunities for innovation are very frequent in health services
and this is the reason why International Hospital Federation (IHF)
has decided to rename its reference yearbook The Hospital and
Healthcare Innovation Book. This move is not to look more
fashionable or to present a cutting edge image, but it is simply to
emphasis the potential of adopting new approaches to enhance
hospital performance. As a vehicle for cross fertilization of
knowledge, IHF must also show that decision makers should not
only constantly think out of the box but should also rely on
activities that have achieved successful results in a given
environment.
Innovation does not involve systematically experimenting but it
is more often customizing and introducing, at full scale or within a
new environment, that which has been proven effective or initiated
locally at a small scale. Innovation also presents leaders of health
services the opportunity to observe evolution in the various
healthcare related activities both beyond and across borders. This
annual publication offers a chance to gain an insight into matters
that would not ordinarily feature as priority in your daily schedule.
It is the role of IHF to highlight all dimensions that may affect
strategic development of healthcare facilities both in the
developed and developing world. Because healthcare facilities
confront life and death issues, there is little room for unproven
experiences. There should, however, be readiness and openness
to either explore or implement novel processes that may result in
improved performance.
It is also the role of IHF to encourage and assist decisionmakers
of the individual facility in making choices as well as
influencing policy-makers whose choices wrongly influence
performance in service delivery.
In this edition, you will have the opportunity to read how
creativity can be applied to management and should not only be
considered as the territory of artists. It is obvious that by bringing
creativity in the organization, top managers can both engage the
staff and create an extraordinary movement and stimulation. In an
ever rapidly evolving world, it is important to reconcile the need to
rely on data and the capacity to look for new approaches that
cannot be documented.
On the other hand, the reader will discover a new approach in
risk and emergency confrontation. This concept is contrary to that
of creativity, as it addresses the ways in which processes to
reduce vulnerability and response to any potential disaster, can be
reconciled in hospitals and healthcare facilities. This year, as past
years, has witnessed catastrophes and with each event, the
capacity of healthcare facilities to respond immediately to
emergencies, has made a difference in survival and treatment of
the injured. This very comprehensive article should be considered
as a key tool for hospital decision-makers, with which to ensure
they take seriously their role and responsibility in providing safety
to the population they serve. If responding to the demand for care
is an obvious function of hospitals it is not always the same for
providing safety to the population. Recognition of this factor,
before rather than after the occurrence of a disaster, is possible
through advocating for and adoption of a comprehensive
approach. Funding should not be an issue if politicians are
convinced of such a role. Response to fire threats is an accepted
priority around the world and fairly well resourced, healthcare
decision-makers should, therefore, make a case for having a
similar support when it comes to health threat.
This year communicable diseases have been very much under
the spotlight with the H1N1 flu threat. Although, to date, this threat
has failed to manifest as a real public health issue when the death
toll is compared with that from annual seasonal flu epidemics,
hospitals and healthcare facilities have, nevertheless, been on the
front line to respond. The IHF has surveyed major hospital and
healthcare associations and found that they have all been involved
in one form or another in the response strategies developed (Full
survey results: www.ihf-fih.org). Enhancement of influenza
surveillance in order to avoid excessive and costly mobilization
should be the way forward, in order to prevent the consequences
of lack of preparedness. When reading the other articles related
to infectious diseases you will appreciate and come to understand
emerging issues, one of which addresses the issue of coverage by
immunization. The work done on hepatitis B vaccine provides a
warning with regards to the use of treatment in facilities, which may
stimulate resistance and thereby result in a reduction in the
coverage of immunization programmes. The change in
environment has an impact in the development of communicable
diseases. Satellite images can help to shape adequate responses
ahead of time, not through major investment but just by appropriate
use of existing technologies. While advanced technology should
not be disregarded the appropriate use of low-technology has still
to be better mastered. The existing event-based outbreak
systems can provide large support in decision-making by
Hospital and Health-care Innovation Book 2009/2010 09