Public Health Policy
| Programme Director: Dr Peter Roberts |
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1. The pursuit of a safety culture in New Zealand public hospitals |
This programme investigates the complexity of health care delivery and the inadequacy of dominant paradigms and the degree to which they limit policy options. It focuses on how policy can enhance human performance and aid in the establishment of a safety culture. The research findings to date show significant relationships between management of professionals and staff attitudes that influence outcome for patients.
The research method has been validated in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Further research linking safety attitudes to patient outcomes are being organised in Australia and Canada.
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2. “Transition from medical student to Junior doctor” series in the Student BMJ. |
This series of thirteen articles published in the Student BMJ provide guidance to medical students and junior doctors on practical issues relevant to their practice. A wide range of topics were covered from (i) Day to day survival skills (clerking, investigation, prescribing, handover). (ii) Difficult clinical problems and professional issues (confidentiality, care of the deceased, informed consent, difficult patient). (iii) Personal survival skills (maintaining good health, drugs and alcohol, night shift, IT and information overload). The series was designed to help junior doctors with informative and practical guidelines on a broad range of professional, clinical and medicolegal issues. It represented the major series published by the Student BMJ in 2006.