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The Upstream Hospital Leader: Taking Action to Improve Population Health.
1The leader of physician performance enhancement at the Vancouver Island Health Authority and an affiliate researcher at the UBC Centre for Health Services and Policy Research.
Healthcare Quarterly (Toronto, Ont.)
|March 25, 2016
Summary
Canadian hospital leaders can improve population health by embracing the "upstream hospital leader" role. This involves clear behaviors to address barriers and enhance health outcomes at multiple levels.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Public Health
- Health Systems Research
Background:
- Canadian hospital leaders encounter significant barriers to improving population health.
- A primary challenge identified is the lack of clear role definition for leaders engaging in upstream health initiatives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and define the concept of an "upstream hospital leader".
- To propose specific behaviors for this role to advance population health.
- To contribute to the discourse on hospitals' role in population health improvement.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual framework development.
- Literature review on hospital roles in population health.
- Synthesis of suggested leadership behaviors.
Main Results:
- The concept of an "upstream hospital leader" is proposed to clarify roles.
- Specific behaviors are suggested for individual, organizational, and health system levels.
- The study aims to foster greater upstream action within hospitals.
Conclusions:
- Defining the "upstream hospital leader" role can overcome key barriers.
- Hospitals can actively contribute to population health improvement through defined upstream strategies.
- Further exploration and feedback are encouraged for optimizing hospital leadership in population health.