Stakeholder Views on Solutions to Improve Health System Performance

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Health Policy Analysis
• Organizational Behavior in Healthcare

Background:

• Quebec's healthcare system requires significant reforms for improved performance.
• Despite knowledge of high-performing system characteristics, reforms have faced implementation challenges.
• Stakeholder preferences are recognized as key drivers of healthcare policy adoption and implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if the preferences of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and health administrators explain Quebec's difficulties in implementing high-performing healthcare system elements.
• To identify potential barriers to healthcare reform within Quebec.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire survey was distributed to 2,491 potential respondents, including healthcare professionals and administrators.
• The survey included propositions derived from scientific literature on healthcare system improvement.
• Response rate was 37%.

Main Results:

• Considerable consensus was found among respondents regarding solutions for healthcare system improvement.
• Resistance to reform was notably observed concerning information systems and changes impacting medical practice.
• The collective positions of the surveyed groups did not adequately explain the failure to implement key high-performing system characteristics.

Conclusions:

• The study's findings suggest that the preferences of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and administrators alone do not account for the implementation gaps in Quebec's healthcare reforms.
• The research indicates that the true sources of resistance to implementing high-performing healthcare system characteristics remain unidentified and warrant further investigation.