Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Health Services Research
Published in: BMC Health Services Research 1/2019

Open Access 01-12-2019 | Research article

Developing a framework of quality indicators for healthcare business cases: a qualitative document analysis consolidating insight from expert guidance and current practice

Authors: Myles-Jay Linton, Joanna Coast, Iestyn Williams, Joanna Copping, Amanda Owen-Smith

Published in: BMC Health Services Research | Issue 1/2019

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Business cases are used to provide a structured justification in favour of investing in new projects, services or interventions. Despite the use of business cases in determining how limited resources will be allocated within England’s National Health Service (NHS), guidance concerning how to develop and evaluate business cases in the context of healthcare is inconstant and of varying relevance. This study aimed to develop a new framework of quality indicators for healthcare-related business cases by analysing the content of expert guidance documents and a sample of NHS business cases.

Methods

Qualitative document analysis was conducted on guidance documents (n = 7) and existing NHS business case documents (n = 18). Documents were purposefully sampled using criteria to ensure the framework reflected a diverse spread of expert opinion, and a varied sample of example business cases from current practice. Data were analysed using thematic and content analysis, and are presented in a visualised framework.

Results

Seven themes were identified within the qualitative document analysis (purpose, strategic priorities, options, benefits, costs, risks and evaluation). These themes were described and presented with a framework of quality indicators for healthcare-related business cases.

Conclusion

To ou`r knowledge, this is the first framework of business case quality indicators designed specifically for use in a healthcare context. The framework presented in this study has implications for how business cases are developed and evaluated by decision makers. In the future it would be beneficial to investigate how the framework could be used in practice as a tool for critical appraisal.
Literature
1.
Marmor TR, Klein R. Politics, health, and health care: selected essays. Dordrecht: Yale University Press; 2012.
2.
Lavis JN, Oxman AD, Lewin S, Fretheim A. SUPPORT tools for evidence-informed health policymaking (STP) 3: setting priorities for supporting evidence-informed policymaking. Health Research Policy and Systems. 2009;7(1):S3.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
3.
Langlois EV, Montekio VB, Young T, Song K, Alcalde-Rabanal J, Tran N. Enhancing evidence informed policymaking in complex health systems: lessons from multi-site collaborative approaches. Health research policy and systems. 2016;14(1):20.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
4.
Oliver K, Innvar S, Lorenc T, Woodman J, Thomas J. A systematic review of barriers to and facilitators of the use of evidence by policymakers. BMC Health Serv Res. 2014;14(1):2.
5.
Carroll AB, Shabana KM. The business case for corporate social responsibility: a review of concepts, research and practice. Int J Manag Rev. 2010;12(1):85–105.CrossRef
6.
Robinson G, Dechant K. Building a business case for diversity. Acad Manag Perspect. 1997;11(3):21–31.CrossRef
7.
Ackermann RT, Marrero DG, Hicks KA, Hoerger TJ, Sorensen S, Zhang P, Engelgau MM, Ratner RE, Herman WH. An evaluation of cost sharing to finance a diet and physical activity intervention to prevent diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2006;29(6):1237–41.PubMedCrossRef
8.
Robinson H, Carrillo P, Anumba C, Al-Ghassani A. Developing a business case for knowledge management: the IMPaKT approach. Construction Management & Economics. 2004;22(7):733–43.CrossRef
9.
Harris C, Green S, Elshaug AG. Sustainability in health care by allocating resources effectively (SHARE) 10: operationalising disinvestment in a conceptual framework for resource allocation. BMC Health Serv Res. 2017;17(1):632.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
10.
Charmel P, Frampton SB. Building the business case for patient-centered care. Healthcare Financial Management. 2008;62(3):80–5.PubMed
11.
Perencevich EN, Stone PW, Wright SB, Carmeli Y, Fisman DN, Cosgrove SE. Raising standards while watching the bottom line making a business case for infection control. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. 2007;28(10):1121–33.CrossRef
12.
Edwards C, Robinson O. Evaluating the business case for part-time working amongst qualified nurses. Br J Ind Relat. 2004;42(1):167–83.CrossRef
13.
Nanda U, Eisen S, Zadeh R, Owen D. Effect of visual art on patient anxiety and agitation in a mental health facility and implications for the business case. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2011;18(5):386–93.PubMedCrossRef
14.
Kuper M, Gold SJ, Callow C, Quraishi T, King S, Mulreany A, Bianchi M, Conway DH. Intraoperative fluid management guided by oesophageal Doppler monitoring. Bmj. 2011;342:d3016.PubMedCrossRef
15.
Robertson R, Wenzel L, Thompson J, Charles A. Understanding NHS financial pressures: how are they affecting patient care. London: The Kings Fund; 2017.
16.
17.
Galloway M. Best practice no 177: best practice guideline: writing a business case for service development in pathology. J Clin Pathol. 2004;57(4):337–43.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
18.
Bowen GA. Document analysis as a qualitative research method. Qual Res J. 2009;9(2):27–40.CrossRef
19.
O’brien BC, Harris IB, Beckman TJ, Reed DA, Cook DA. Standards for reporting qualitative research: a synthesis of recommendations. Acad Med. 2014;89(9):1245–51.PubMedCrossRef
20.
Reiter KL, Kilpatrick KE, Greene SB, Lohr KN, Leatherman S. How to develop a business case for quality. Int J Qual Health Care. 2006;19(1):50–5.PubMedCrossRef
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
Nowell LS, Norris JM, White DE, Moules NJ. Thematic analysis: striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. Int J Qual Methods. 2017;16(1):1609406917733847.CrossRef
26.
Morse JM. The significance of saturation. Qual Health Res. 1995;5(2):147–9.CrossRef
27.
McDonnell A, Wilson R, Goodacre SJB. Evaluating and implementing new services. 2006;332(7533):109–12.
28.
Parry G, Coly A, Goldmann D, Rowe AK, Chattu V, Logiudice D, Rabrenovic M, Nambiar BJIJQHC. Practical recommendations for the evaluation of improvement initiatives. 2018;30(suppl_1):29–36.
29.
Balasubramanian BA, Cohen DJ, Davis MM, Gunn R, Dickinson LM, Miller WL, Crabtree BF, Stange KCJIS. Learning evaluation: blending quality improvement and implementation research methods to study healthcare. innovations. 2015;10(1):31.
30.
Tomlinson P, Hewitt S, Blackshaw N. Joining up health and planning: how joint strategic needs assessment (JSNA) can inform health and wellbeing strategies and spatial planning. Perspectives in Public Health. 2013;133(5):254–62.PubMedCrossRef
31.
Mensah Abrampah N, Syed SB, Hirschhorn LR, Nambiar B, Iqbal U, Garcia-Elorrio E, Chattu VK, Devnani M, Kelley E. Quality improvement and emerging global health priorities. Int J Qual Health Care. 2018;30(suppl_1):5–9.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
32.
Roca I, Akova M, Baquero F, Carlet J, Cavaleri M, Coenen S, Cohen J, Findlay D, Gyssens I, OJNm H, et al. The global threat of antimicrobial resistance: science for intervention. 2015;6:22–9.
33.
Oliver K, Lorenc T, Innvær S. New directions in evidence-based policy research: a critical analysis of the literature. Health Research Policy and Systems. 2014;12(1):34.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
34.
Katrak P, Bialocerkowski AE, Massy-Westropp N, Kumar VS. Grimmer KA. A systematic review of the content of critical appraisal tools. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2004;4(1):22.
35.
Ruta D, Mitton C, Bate A, Donaldson C. Programme budgeting and marginal analysis: bridging the divide between doctors and managers. BMJ. 2005;330(7506):1501.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
36.
Baltussen R, Niessen L. Priority setting of health interventions: the need for multi-criteria decision analysis. Cost effectiveness and resource allocation. 2006;4(1):14.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
37.
Ryan M, Gerard K, Amaya-Amaya M. Using discrete choice experiments to value health and health care, vol. 11: Springer Science & Business Media; 2007.
Metadata
Title
Developing a framework of quality indicators for healthcare business cases: a qualitative document analysis consolidating insight from expert guidance and current practice
Authors
Myles-Jay Linton
Joanna Coast
Iestyn Williams
Joanna Copping
Amanda Owen-Smith
Publication date
01-12-2019
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Health Services Research / Issue 1/2019
Electronic ISSN: 1472-6963
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4269-9

Other articles of this Issue 1/2019

BMC Health Services Research 1/2019 Go to the issue

Research article

Validation of use of billing codes for identifying telemedicine encounters in administrative data

Research article

Patients’ perspective on self-management: type 2 diabetes in daily life

Research article

An investigation of Australian osteopaths’ attitudes, skills and utilisation of evidence-based practice: a national cross-sectional survey

Research article

Examining the impact of WHO’s Focused Antenatal Care policy on early access, underutilisation and quality of antenatal care services in Malawi: a retrospective study

Research article

Pathways to diabetic care at hospitals in rural Eastern Uganda: a cross sectional study

Research article

Rapid evaluation for health and social care innovations: challenges for “quick wins” using interrupted time series