Counting what counts: performance measurement and evidence‐based practice

Development of Balanced Scorecard for healthcare using Interpretive Structural Modeling and Analytic Network Process

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop a Balanced Scorecard-based performance measurement framework for health care system.

Design/methodology/approach

– An integrated ISM-ANP-based quantitative approach is used for the development of balance scorecard for health care system. The necessary insights are drawn from the secondary literature.

Findings

– This research identifies Key Performance Indicators and their interrelationships for health care system. An integrated approach of ISM and ANP is employed for the development of balance scorecard.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings of the research are based on insights gained from secondary literature and an analysis of five cases in health care segment and hence generalization of proposed framework is limited to the system representing some commonalities with chosen cases.

Practical implications

– Health care is the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease, illness, injury and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Access to health care varies across countries, groups and individuals, largely influenced by social and economic conditions as well as the health policies in place. The changing nature of today's health care organizations, including pressure to reduce costs, improve the quality of care and meet stringent guidelines, has forced health care professionals to re-examine how they evaluate their performance.

Originality/value

– The Balanced Scorecard health care expanded organization measures beyond financial analysis. It was first proposed by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton in their book “The Balanced Scorecard (1996, Harvard Business School Press).” This research reports a development of Balanced Scorecard for health care using an integrated approach of Interpretive Structural Modeling and Analytic Network Process is used.

Keeping the information profession up to date: Are compulsory schemes the answer?

This paper explores issues in relation to the contribution and importance of mandatory continuing professional development (CPD) in re-energizing and motivating the information profession. Set within the context of developing our understanding of the concept of ‘professionalism’ for the contemporary information profession, the mandatory schemes offered by professional associations in the UK and New Zealand are compared and contrasted, and an assessment made of their pros and cons in this regard.

Systematic performance measurement for university libraries in Vietnam

Purpose

Higher education reform in Vietnam has recently required university libraries to improve their quality, to evaluate their performance, and to be accountable for the purpose of quality assessment and accreditation. Systematic performance measurement is an integral part of this process. The aims of this paper are: to provide an overview of the current state of performance development in Vietnamese university libraries; to address issues related to the measurement of library performance; and to propose an approach to evaluation for university libraries in Vietnam.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews the literature on library performance measurement, with particular focus on university libraries in Vietnam. Relevant documents relating to performance measurement were examined, and two case studies of performance measurement in university libraries in Vietnam were carried out.

Findings

It is critical that university libraries in Vietnam develop systematic performance measures and apply different methods and tools for performance measurement. To succeed, cooperation between the administering authority, university administration and library management is essential.

Research limitations/implications

This paper reports on the first phase of a doctoral research project at Monash University. Further research is being undertaken to develop a framework for quality assurance and performance measurement for Vietnamese university libraries. The efficacy if this framework is yet to be tested through its deployment in practice.

Originality/value

While performance measurement is well established in Western countries, it is less so in Vietnam. The current research is seeking to develop a performance measurement framework for university libraries that is attuned to the Vietnamese context. The paper stresses the urgent need for the development of effective performance measures and systematic performance measurement systems amongst this sector.

A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The expansion of evidence-based practice across sectors has lead to an increasing variety of review types. However, the diversity of terminology used means that the full potential of these review types may be lost amongst a confusion of indistinct and misapplied terms. The objective of this study is to provide descriptive insight into the most common types of reviews, with illustrative examples from health and health information domains.

METHODS

Following scoping searches, an examination was made of the vocabulary associated with the literature of review and synthesis (literary warrant). A simple analytical framework -- Search, AppraisaL, Synthesis and Analysis (SALSA) -- was used to examine the main review types.

RESULTS

Fourteen review types and associated methodologies were analysed against the SALSA framework, illustrating the inputs and processes of each review type. A description of the key characteristics is given, together with perceived strengths and weaknesses. A limited number of review types are currently utilized within the health information domain.

CONCLUSIONS

Few review types possess prescribed and explicit methodologies and many fall short of being mutually exclusive. Notwithstanding such limitations, this typology provides a valuable reference point for those commissioning, conducting, supporting or interpreting reviews, both within health information and the wider health care domain.

Embracing change: evidence‐based management in action

Purpose

In recent years public libraries have increasingly been required to collect data for the assessment of their performance and to inform service developments. The purpose of this paper is to describe an initiative to promote an evidence‐based approach to library management in a UK county library service.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper gives a definition of evidence‐based librarianship and describes how a three‐year study put evidence‐based management (EBM) principles into practice, and the implications for the staff and service as a whole.

Findings

An evidence‐based approach to library management yields considerable benefits in terms of service delivery and staff attitudes to data handling. When staff understand the purpose and benefits of collecting data and have the skills to handle evidence, they are more inclined to take ownership of these processes.

Research limitations/implications

This research is limited to one public library authority in the UK. A key priority for future work is the exploration of how the experience gained in this initiative may be transferred to other library services and domains.

Practical implications

The practical implications of this work are widespread across the service. Staff at all levels seem to have greater awareness of the data collection process and how evidence can be used to inform decisions, both in the day‐to‐day running of the service and in the strategic planning process. The project culminated in the formulation of a performance management resource; a single point of reference for all staff involved in data handling and decision making.

Originality/value

A practical study of evidence‐based librarianship has never before been undertaken on this scale in the UK.