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The quality of care remains a critical concern for health systems around the globe, especially in an era of unprecedented financial challenges and rising demands. Previous research indicates large variation in several indicators of quality in the long-term care setting, highlighting the need for further investigation into the factors contributing to such disparities. As different ways of delivering long-term care services likely affect quality of care, the objectives of our study is to investigate (1) variation in structure, process and outcome quality between municipalities, and (2) to what extent variation in quality is associated with municipal models of care and structural characteristics. The study had a cross-sectional approach and we utilized data on the municipal level from 3 sources: (1) a survey for models of care (2) Statistics Norway for municipal structural characteristics and (3) the National Health Care Quality Indicator System. Descriptive statistics showed that the Norwegian long-term care sector performs better (measured as percentage or probability) on structure (85.53) and outcome (84.86) quality than process (37.85) quality. Hierarchical linear regressions indicated that municipal structural characteristics and model of care had very limited effect on the quality of long-term care. A deeper understanding of variation in service quality may be found at the micro level in healthcare workers’ day-to-day practice.

Introduction Patient satisfaction is one of the important indicators of quality care. Objective To examine patient ratings of pain management satisfaction before and after introducing a nurse-led management program. Methods A quasi-experimental design with three cross-sectional surveys between October 1, 2016 and June 15, 2017. A total of 845 patients admitted to the four inpatient departments (medicine, surgery, maternity, and gynecology) of Jimma University Medical Centre were invited to participate in the study. A questionnaire adapted from the American Pain Society Patient Outcome Questionnaire, Pain Treatment Satisfaction Scale, and related literature was used for the survey. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test (categorical variables), t -tests for continuous variables, and robust regression to determine the effect of nurse-led management program on patient satisfaction. For all tests, p -values

Demographic changes, as well as the transfer of medical and caring tasks from specialist to primary care in Norwegian municipalities, have led to changes in care service delivery. So far, we have limited knowledge of how this affects the design of the care services. Based on a semi-structured questionnaire survey, this article presents the development of a new care service landscape in Norway, where municipalities increasingly set up specialized care services for different patient groups and their care needs. This leads to a continuum of care service models from a generalist approach to highly specialized care services. Larger municipalities typically have a higher degree of specialization, indicating that volume is an important prerequisite for specialization. Similarly, a higher degree of specialization corresponds to higher formal competencies in the workforce. To understand the development of the services and the impact on care service delivery, further research is required.

During the last decades, the work of homecare nurses has been affected by several changes, including an aging population, the decentralization of health care, nursing recruitment crises and the scarcity of public resources. Few scholars have analyzed how these changes have impacted homecare nursing. In this article, we describe and discuss aspects of homecare nurses’ work, with specific focus on nurses “organising work.” We outline three phenomena that are increasingly occurring: (a) homecare nurses are frequently involved in negotiating care level and, consequently, what kind of care the patient will receive; (b) homecare nurses’ clinical practice has become increasingly advanced; and (c) and homecare nurses play an important role in coordinating care among interdependent actors. The article draws on material from participant observation and interviews with homecare nurses in two Norwegian studies. Changes in work practice increase the demand for nurses to be competent and have excellent organizational and collaborative skills.