Search

Sickness absence is a major concern in public health, affecting individuals, businesses, and society. Developing efficient sickness absence policies could help reduce sickness absence. A key aspect of these policies concerns the financial compensation provided to absent employees, including its amount and the length of time it is offered. This study addresses how financial incentives, like salary reductions, might influence sickness absence. For this purpose, we first develop a model to estimate the sensitivity of employees to a financial incentive using a large dataset consisting of approximately six million sickness cases. We then perform a simulation study to determine the effect of similar incentives at different moments and for varying sensitivities. Our findings indicate that financial incentives can notably shorten the duration of sickness absence and decrease its associated costs, particularly when such incentives are implemented early in the absence period. Incentives implemented later have less impact on absence duration, but can still reduce the overall cost. The results of this study can be used by healthcare professionals and employers in the design and evaluation of diverse sickness absence policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepsis remains a complex and costly disease with high morbidity and mortality. This article discusses Sepsis-2 and Sepsis-3 definitions, highlighting the 2021 Surviving Sepsis International guidelines as well as the regulatory requirements and reimbursement for the Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Management Bundle (SEP-1) measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Workers in the construction industry frequently work in construction sites with numerous areas that can potentially accumulate water, such as tanks, wet cement surfaces, or water puddles. These water collection sites become ideal breeding grounds for mosquito infestation, which leads to a higher prevalence of mosquito-borne diseases, especially malaria and dengue among construction workers. Despite that numerous factors have been identified in controlling vector-borne diseases, the specific factors that influence mosquito control at construction sites have yet to be explored. Aims: This systematic review aims to determine the factors associated with mosquito control among construction workers. Methods: Primarily, articles related to factors associated with mosquito control among construction workers were collected from two different online databases (ScienceDirect and EBSCOhost). Two independent reviewers were assigned to screen the titles and abstracts of the collected data, stored in Microsoft Excel, against the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Afterwards, the quality of the included articles was critically assessed using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Of the 171 articles identified, 4 were included in the final review. Results: Based on the thorough evaluation, mosquito-related knowledge, practical mosquito prevention measures, and Larval Source Management (LSM) were identified as vital factors associated with mosquito control among construction workers. The significant association between mosquito-related knowledge and control practices indicates higher knowledge linked to effective practices, particularly among female workers and those who were recently infected with malaria. Concurrently, there were notable challenges regarding sustainable preventive measures and larval control methods in construction settings. Conclusion: Implementing effective mosquito control, including knowledge and practice on mosquito control together with vector control, is highly required to suppress the expanding mosquito population. It is recommended that employers provide continuous mosquito control education and training to their employees and reward them with incentives, while employees should comply with the guidelines set by their employers to ensure successful mosquito control and reduce the spread of mosquito-borne diseases in the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: First, to analyze the relationship between value-based payment (VBP) program participation and documentation burden among office-based physicians. Second, to analyze the relationship between specific VBP programs (eg, accountable care organizations [ACOs]) and documentation burden. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analyses of US office-based physicians in 2019 and 2021. METHODS: We used cross-sectional data from the National Electronic Health Records Survey to measure VBP program participation and our outcomes of reported electronic health record (EHR) documentation burden. We used ordinary least squares regression models adjusting for physician and practice characteristics to estimate the relationship between participation in any VBP program and EHR burden outcomes. We also estimated the relationship between participation in 6 distinct VBP programs and our outcomes to decompose the aggregate relationship into program-specific estimates. RESULTS: In adjusted analyses, participation in any VBP program was associated with 10.5% greater probability of reporting more than 1 hour per day of after-hours documentation time (P = .01), which corresponded to an estimated additional 11 minutes per day (P = .03). Program-specific estimates illustrated that ACO participation drove the aggregate relationship, with ACO participants reporting greater after-hours documentation time (18 additional minutes per day; P < .001), more difficulty documenting (30.6% more likely; P < .001), and more inappropriateness of time spent documenting (21.7% more likely; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Office-based physicians participating in ACOs report greater documentation burden across several measures; the same is not true for other VBP programs. Although many ACOs relax documentation requirements for reimbursement, documentation for quality reporting and risk adjustment may lead to a net increase in burden, especially for physicians exposed to numerous programs and payers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess whether and how beverage companies incentivize universities to maximize sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) sales through pouring rights contracts. Cross-sectional study of contracts between beverage companies and public U.S. universities with 20,000 or more students active in 2018 or 2019. We requested contracts from 143 universities. The primary measures were presence of financial incentives and penalties tied to sales volume. 124 universities (87%) provided 131 unique contracts (64 Coca-Cola, 67 Pepsi). 125 contracts (95%) included at least one provision tying payments to sales volume. The most common incentive type was commissions, found in 104 contracts (79%). Nineteen contracts (15%) provided higher commissions or rebates for carbonated soft drinks compared to bottled water. Most contracts between universities and beverage companies incentivized universities to market and sell bottled beverages, particularly SSBs. Given the health risks associated with consumption of SSBs, universities should consider their role in promoting them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a two-country model (North and South) that describes the phenomenon of offshoring and reshoring. The model is a continuous time-controlled Markov chain with binary states. The main trade-off involves production costs and transaction costs between one country and another. In the first part of this paper, we identify the key parameters of the model: the difference in unit production costs between the two countries considered, the marginal cost of transitioning between countries, and the incentive paid by the North country to all companies that have not relocated at the end of the planning interval. The final goal of our paper is to understand how national tax incentives can influence this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article summarizes key considerations and opportunities for sexually transmitted infection (STI) programs and policy makers to expand the role of community health workers (CHWs) in addressing STIs, identify optimal Medicaid reimbursement approaches, and coordinate CHWs' role. Topics include potential role of CHWs in the STI field, ways public health departments could promote the role of CHWs in STI programs, and Medicaid support of CHWs.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and change in low-value cancer services. STUDY DESIGN: In this retrospective cohort study, we used administrative claims from the HealthCore Integrated Research Environment, a repository of medical and pharmacy data from US health plans representing more than 80 million members, between January 1, 2016, and March 31, 2021. METHODS: We used linear probability models to investigate the relation between the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and 4 guideline-based metrics of low-value cancer care: (1) conventional fractionation radiotherapy instead of hypofractionated radiotherapy for early-stage breast cancer; (2) non--guideline-based antiemetic use for minimal-, low-, or moderate- to high-risk chemotherapies; (3) off-pathway systemic therapy; and (4) aggressive end-of-life care. We identified patients with new diagnoses of breast, colorectal, and/or lung cancer. We excluded members who did not have at least 6 months of continuous insurance coverage and members with prevalent cancers. RESULTS: Among 117,116 members (median [IQR] age, 60 [53-69] years; 72.4% women), 59,729 (51.0%) had breast cancer, 25,751 (22.0%) had colorectal cancer, and 31,862 (27.2%) had lung cancer. The payer mix was 18.7% Medicare Advantage or Medicare supplemental and 81.2% commercial non-Medicare. Rates of low-value cancer services exhibited minimal changes during the pandemic, as adjusted percentage-point differences were 3.93 (95% CI, 1.50-6.36) for conventional radiotherapy, 0.82 (95% CI, -0.62 to 2.25) for off-pathway systemic therapy, -3.62 (95% CI, -4.97 to -2.27) for non--guideline-based antiemetics, and 2.71 (95% CI, -0.59 to 6.02) for aggressive end-of-life care. CONCLUSIONS: Low-value cancer care remained prevalent throughout the pandemic. Policy makers should consider changes to payment and incentive design to turn the tide against low-value cancer care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the Swedish hospitality industry is experiencing substantial growth, this growth comes with a cost, as the industry has neither the knowledge nor the incentive to pay enough attention to human resource development. This continuous growth will therefore impose challenges and erect obstacles once the industry begins expanding again after the pandemic. Insofar as attracting, engaging and retaining talent are the biggest challenges, it might be time to go back to the drawing board and identify a possible shift to an employee-based approach to developing businesses. Based on interviews with managers and owners representing 28 predominantly seasonal restaurants in the Swedish coastal region of Bohuslän, this study identifies current obstacles and challenges facing the Swedish restaurant industry with a clear focus on the concept of human capital. The results of the study clearly indicate that human resource development (HRD) is by far the most critical factor in addressing staffing issues and overcoming the difficulty involved in attracting, engaging, and retaining not only enough staff but more importantly staff with basic knowledge, experience, and interest. The aim here is to initiate a shift to a more direct and sustained focus on human capital in the hospitality industry, from the perspective of human capital theory, by highlighting some of the most highly relevant factors associated with this perspective. According to an employee-driven restaurant analysis (EDRA) approach, a shortage of human capital could pose the biggest obstacle to further development, as restaurants find it increasingly difficult to attract, engage and retain employees for all positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: An important part of Norwegian welfare policy is to provide subsidized orthodontic treatment for children and adolescents. The objective of this policy is that dental services should be allocated according to children's need for treatment, and not according to parents' ability to pay. The probability of receiving orthodontic treatment independent of parent's household income was examined. Methods: The study population encompassed children and adolescents aged 10–18 years in 2019 (n = 354 439). Information about whether they had started orthodontic treatment was obtained from the Norwegian Health Economics Administration. The key independent variable was net equalized household income. Inequalities were measured using concentration indices, which were estimated according to the severity of the malocclusion (very great need, great need, obvious need and no need). Two indices were used to measure relative inequality: the unstandardized concentration index and the partial concentration index. Absolute inequality was measured using the corrected concentration index. Relevant control variables were included in some of the analyses. Results: The unstandardized indices were in the range 0.04 (very great need) to 0.05 (obvious need). For all three groups of severity, the 95% confidence intervals overlapped. The values of the partial indices were significantly lower than the values of the unstandardized indices. The partial indices were in the range 0.008 (very great need) to 0.03 (obvious need). The 95% confidence intervals for the partial indices did not overlap with the 95% confidence intervals of the unstandardized indices. For all three groups of severity, the indices that measured absolute inequality were close to zero. Conclusions: It is possible to achieve the egalitarian aim of equality in service provision by subsidizing orthodontic treatment. This is possible within a system where the cost of orthodontic treatment is reimbursed according to the criteria of need. These criteria function in such a way that patients with the greatest need for orthodontic treatment are given the highest priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responding to persistent gender inequity, organizations have adopted diversity initiatives to promote women's representation in traditionally male-dominated occupations. Although studies have identified challenges to these initiatives for women entering occupations, we uncover a performance recognition penalty for incumbent workers originating from the process of occupational diversification. As women incrementally enter a male-dominated occupation, a conflict arises between the changing gender composition at the work-unit level and the masculine "ideal worker" prototype embedded in the occupation. We propose that this conflict will lower the performance expectations of the work unit, decreasing the individual likelihood of performance recognition for each worker in the unit. Using detailed panel data on police officers, we found that an officer's individual likelihood of being nominated for a performance award consistently declined when their police unit proportionately increased in women officers. Both men and women managers enacted this penalty, with men managers penalizing men subordinates more than women subordinates. This pattern remained for awards recognizing exceptional performance, regardless of gender-typing of the unit or its work tasks, and considering officer tenure and attrition from the unit. Our findings offer novel insights into the challenge of diversifying male-dominated occupations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Pharmaceutical incentivisation of physicians for profit maximisation is a well-documented health system challenge. This study examined general practitioners' (GPs) reactions to pharmaceutical incentivisation offers in one region in Pakistan. Methods: We used the Standardised Pharmaceutical Sales Representative (SPSR) method and qualitative interviews with GPs. SPSRs were field researchers representing mock pharmaceutical companies who recorded their observations of 267 GPs' responses to pharmaceutical incentivisation offers. We triangulated SPSR data using qualitative interviews with a subset of the same GPs to gather information about how they interpreted different interaction outcomes. Results: We found four major outcomes for GPs being offered incentives by pharmaceutical companies for prescribing medications. GPs might agree to make incentivisation deals, reject incentivisation offers, disallow PSRs to access them, or remain indeterminate with no clear indication of acceptance or rejection of incentivisation offers. GPs rejecting SPSRs' incentivisation offers indicated having active commitments to other pharmaceutical companies, not being able to work with unheard-of companies, and asking SPSRs to return later. Conclusions: The GP-pharmaceutical sales representative interaction that centres on profit-maximisation is complex as offers to engage in prescribing for mutual financial benefit are not taken up immediately. The SPSR method helps understand the extent of distortion of practices impacted by incentivisation. Such an understanding can support the development of strategies to control unethical behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In developing countries, banks have been looking out for new ways to improve their performance using digital transformation. This research bases itself on critical methodology, in which, a Data Analytics Lifecycle based on the Design Thinking concept (DAL-DT) has been used to support management control systems, and propose ways to optimise employee incentives, capital budgeting, workforce planning systems, in the context of a commercial bank in Vietnam. In addition, our study also examines the organisational actors engaged in the application of DT initiatives through the social practice theoretical lens of Bourdieu, regarding habitus, capitals, and fields. The results reveal that although DAL-DT, in principle, provides effective strategic plans along with a cohesive corporate culture that supports the implementation of DT initiatives, there are some constraints to this innovative reform. For instance, the top management of commercial banks in developing nations seem to display a lack of willingness and misunderstanding of the concept of DT, add to that the lack of suitable resources coupled with over-expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The construction of the ordered health delivery system in China aims to enhance equity and optimize the efficient use of medical resources by rationally allocating patients to different levels of medical institutions based on the severity of their condition. However, superior hospitals have been overcrowded, and primary healthcare facilities have been underutilized in recent years. China has developed a new case-based payment method called "Diagnostic Intervention Package" (DIP). The government is trying to use this economic lever to encourage medical institutions to actively assume treatment tasks consistent with their functional positioning and service capabilities. Methods: This study takes Tai'an, a DIP pilot city, as a case study and uses an interrupted time series analysis to analyze the impact of DIP reform on the case severity and service scope of medical institutions at different levels. Results: The results show that after the DIP reform, the proportion of patients receiving complicated procedures (tertiary hospitals: β3 = 0.197, P < 0.001; secondary hospitals: β3 = 0.132, P = 0.020) and the case mix index (tertiary hospitals: β3 = 0.022, P < 0.001; secondary hospitals: β3 = 0.008, P < 0.001) in tertiary and secondary hospitals increased, and the proportion of primary-DIP-groups cases decreased (tertiary hospitals: β3 = -0.290, P < 0.001; secondary hospitals: β3 = -1.200, P < 0.001), aligning with the anticipated policy objectives. However, the proportion of patients receiving complicated procedures (β3 = 0.186, P = 0.002) and the case mix index (β3 = 0.002, P < 0.001) in primary healthcare facilities increased after the reform, while the proportion of primary-DIP-groups cases (β3 = -0.515, P = 0.005) and primary-DIP-groups coverage (β3 = -2.011, P < 0.001) decreased, which will reduce the utilization efficiency of medical resources and increase inequity. Conclusion: The DIP reform did not effectively promote the construction of the ordered health delivery system. Policymakers need to adjust economic incentives and implement restraint mechanisms to regulate the behavior of medical institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced the Severe Sepsis/Septic Shock Management Bundle (SEP-1) as a pay-for-reporting measure in 2015 and is now planning to make it a pay-for-performance measure by incorporating it into the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program. This joint IDSA/ACEP/PIDS/SHEA/SHM/SIPD position paper highlights concerns with this change. Multiple studies indicate that SEP-1 implementation was associated with increased broad-spectrum antibiotic use, lactate measurements, and aggressive fluid resuscitation for patients with suspected sepsis but not with decreased mortality rates. Increased focus on SEP-1 risks further diverting attention and resources from more effective measures and comprehensive sepsis care. We recommend retiring SEP-1 rather than using it in a payment model and shifting instead to new sepsis metrics that focus on patient outcomes. CMS is developing a community-onset sepsis 30-day mortality electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) that is an important step in this direction. The eCQM preliminarily identifies sepsis using systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria, antibiotic administrations or diagnosis codes for infection or sepsis, and clinical indicators of acute organ dysfunction. We support the eCQM but recommend removing SIRS criteria and diagnosis codes to streamline implementation, decrease variability between hospitals, maintain vigilance for patients with sepsis but without SIRS, and avoid promoting antibiotic use in uninfected patients with SIRS. We further advocate for CMS to harmonize the eCQM with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Adult Sepsis Event surveillance metric to promote unity in federal measures, decrease reporting burden for hospitals, and facilitate shared prevention initiatives. These steps will result in a more robust measure that will encourage hospitals to pay more attention to the full breadth of sepsis care, stimulate new innovations in diagnosis and treatment, and ultimately bring us closer to our shared goal of improving outcomes for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Nurses' creativity is an imperative necessity for healthcare organizations to grow. The creative abilities of nurses are affected by many factors; some of these factors are stimulants and some of these are inhibitors. Supervisors' knowledge sharing behavior and the capacity to absorb new knowledge and technologies are important factors in the recent era that delineate the creativity of nurses. Aim of the Study. Assess the effect of supervisor knowledge sharing behavior and organizational absorptive capacity on nurses' creativity. Method. Cross-sectional multicenter descriptive correlational exploratory research design was used to conduct the study. Data were collected conveniently from 700 nurses recruited from five large hospitals at Alexandria, Egypt, using three self-administered printed questionnaires. Findings were investigated via descriptive and inferential statistics as well as structured equation modeling. Results. Nurses' creativity was positively associated with supervisor knowledge sharing behavior and organizational absorptive behavior (r = 0.619, p value <0.001, and r = 0.545, p value <0.001, respectively). Supervisor knowledge sharing behavior accounted for 87% of variance in nurses' creativity, while organizational absorptive capacity accounted for 55% of variance in nurses' creativity. Conclusion. Supervisors' knowledge sharing behavior and absorptive capacity of organization are powerful significant stimulants for nurses' creativity. Implications to Nursing Management. Hospital directors, managers, and nursing leaders should cultivate knowledge sharing behavior in healthcare settings by establishing a reward and incentive system for healthcare workers who share their knowledge with their colleagues for mutual benefit and organizational development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"The Great Resignation" refers to the large numbers of people who were quitting or changing jobs in the aftermath of COVID-19. This qualitative study was conducted with twenty-seven social service and behavioral health agencies in early 2022. The study sought to understand how behavioral health and social service agencies fared during the Great Resignation. Agency managers interviewed in this study discussed six themes including: 1) Loss of Staff & Burnout; 2) Pressure & Increasing Need; 3) Retention & Workplace Culture; 4) Salary; 5) Benefits; and 6) Recruitment Challenges. Practice and policy implications include the need for higher reimbursement rates and the importance of employee benefits and workplace culture to retention. 2022 was a time of high quit rates among employees in mental health and social services which were likely due to pandemic burnout. Employers noted that the pressure in many social and behavioral services sector positions increased during the pandemic, and this created a great deal of stress and burnout for the workforce. Reimbursement rates for services are too low and this makes it difficult for agencies to pay the salaries needed to retain high quality staff. Advocacy around reimbursement rates is needed. Benefits, including health insurance, licensure supervision, and virtual work, are important considerations for employees in behavioral health and social service sector positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shareholder say-on-pay voting allows institutional investors to influence the incentives of managers and, consequently, corporate behaviour. Surprisingly, the preferences of investors on executive compensation have been largely overlooked in the ongoing debates on the role of say-on-pay in corporate governance and the impact of shareholder stewardship on sustainable corporate behaviour. The analysis of investor disclosed explanations of say-on-pay votes in the FTSE 100 companies during 2013–2021 shows that institutional investors rely repeatedly on several dominant themes aimed at improving the incentives of corporate managers and controlling managerial rent extraction. But shareholder interests remain the core focus of say-on-pay votes, with only few investors demanding that companies reward executive directors for protecting the interests of a broader range of affected stakeholders. Additionally, most investors can be grouped into several clusters formed around the voting recommendations of proxy advisers. A group of UK-based institutional investors stands out by taking a more individualistic and diverse approach to the stewardship of executive compensation. These findings highlight the role of local investors in the oversight of executive pay, the growing influence of proxy advisers along with the increasing share of foreign institutional investors, and the influence of best practice governance codes in driving investor stewardship preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hysteresis has been used to understand various social phenomena, such as political polarization, the persistence of the vaccination-compliance problem, or the delayed response of employees in a firm to wage incentives. The aim of this article is to show the insights that can be gained from using agent-based models (ABMs) to study hysteresis. To build up an intuition about hysteresis, we start with an illustrative example from physics that demonstrates how hysteresis manifests as collective memory. Next, we present examples of hysteresis in psychology and social systems. We then present two simple ABMs of binary decisions—the Ising model and the q -voter model—to explain how hysteresis can be observed in ABMs. Specifically, we show that hysteresis can result from the influence of various external factors present in social systems, such as organizational polices, governmental laws, or mass media campaigns, as well as internal noise associated with random changes in agent decisions. Finally, we clarify the relationship between several closely related concepts such as order–disorder transitions or bifurcation, and we conclude the article with a discussion of the advantages of ABMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing number of hospitals and health systems are turning to staff layoffs in the face of postpandemic financial challenges. This article describes the often unforeseen downsides of layoffs and 10 alternatives that can achieve the same or better outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While patients with dementia entering the hospital have worse outcomes than those without dementia, early detection of dementia in the inpatient setting is less than 50%. We developed and assessed the positive predictive value (PPV) and feasibility of a novel electronic health record (EHR) banner to identify patients with dementia who present to the inpatient setting using data from the medical record. Methods: We developed and implemented an EHR algorithm to flag hospitalized patients age ≥65 years with potential cognitive impairment in the Epic EHR system using dementia ICD‐10 codes, FDA‐approved medications, and the use of the term "dementia" in the emergency department physician note. Medical records were reviewed for all patients who were flagged with an EHR banner from October 2022 to May 2023. Results: A total of 344 individuals were identified who had a banner on their chart of which 280 (81.4%) were either diagnosed with dementia or were on an FDA‐approved dementia medication. Forty‐three individuals who had confirmed dementia were identified by a medication only (15.4%). Of the patients without confirmed dementia, the majority (N = 33, 9.6%) had a diagnosis of altered mental status, cognitive dysfunction, or mild cognitive impairment. Only 31 individuals (9.0%) had no indication of dementia or cognitive decline in their problem list, past medical history, or medication list. Conclusions: We found that it was feasible to implement an EHR algorithm for prospective dementia identification with a high PPV. These types of algorithms provide an opportunity to accurately identify hospitalized older individuals for inclusion in quality improvement projects, clinical trials, pay‐for‐performance programs, and other initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyze how much influence incentives, work environment and work discipline have on employee job satisfaction. In this study using primary data obtained from the distribution of questionnaires to 142 employees as respondents at PT, XYZ cakung branch. This study used descriptive analysis methods and inferential analysis. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression correlation analysis, instrument test, model feasibility test, and t test. The results of this study show a positive and significant influence on employee job satisfaction, resulting from the results of the regression equation model in the Coefficients table Y = 4.307 + 0.246 + 0.241 + 0.202. In the feasibility test of the model, a significant value of 0.000 was obtained, which means that the model is said to be significant and the model is said to be feasible to be used in this study. In the results of the t-test hypothesis value, the sig value on the incentive variable is 0.000, the sig value on the work environment variable is 0.008, and the sig value on work discipline is 0.000. So it can be concluded that partially these three variables have a positive and significant influence on the dependent variable of employee performance. If the management provides good incentives and creates a comfortable and conducive work environment as well as implementing good discipline in the work environment to stimulate employees to do their jobs better, it will be able to influence employees to do their jobs better. Which will have an impact on achieving common goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Walker and Avant's eight-step approach was used to analyze the concept of the patient experience. Defining attributes, antecedents, consequences, empirical referents, and a model case example are presented. A working operational definition was developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was conducted with the aim of determining the influence of work discipline and incentives on employee performance at PT Energi Cipta Utama. The population in this study is all employees at PT Energi Cipta Utama consisting of supervisors, finance, admin, cashiers, operators and cleaning services at PT Energi Cipta Utama. In 2022, there will be 100 employees and all of them will be sampled using the census method in determining the sample. The results of multiple linear regression analysis show that work discipline and incentives have a positive and significant effect on employee performance. Work discipline at PT Energi Cipta Utama can be said to be good. This requires providing repeated and clear information to all employees, especially new employees regarding regulations and sanctions if they violate the regulations that have been implemented. Incentives, there needs to be an increase and evaluation of goods and supporting facilities that need to be renewed or added units so that employee work is not hampered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a secondary analysis of the evaluations of 22 sites participating in four primary care redesign initiatives funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. Our objectives were to determine the overall impact of the initiatives on Medicare expenditures and whether specific site-level program features influenced expenditure findings. Averaged over sites, the mean intervention effect was a statistically insignificant US$26 per beneficiary per year. Policy implications from meta-regression results suggest that funders should consider supporting technical assistance efforts and pay for performance incentives to increase savings. There was no evidence that paying for medical home transformation produced savings in total cost of care. We estimate that in future evaluations, data from 35 sites would be needed to detect feature effects of US$300 per beneficiary per year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lo largo del siglo xx, en el Tercer Mundo, la izquierda que se definía revolucionaria y permanecía en la oposición reivindicó una mejor distribución de la riqueza sin considerar el crecimiento económico ni los incentivos a la productividad. Cuando logró acceder al gobierno, debió enfrentar un dilema: desechar o promover incentivos al uso eficiente de los recursos y, junto con ello, definir si debía priorizar los estímulos morales por sobre los materiales. Así ocurrió con Salvador Allende en 1970. El debate y las acciones que desplegó durante tres años, hasta su caída en 1973, se nutrieron de la experiencia de otros países, tensionando distintas perspectivas sobre el carácter de las transformaciones y las posibles dosis de pragmatismo en la acción. Este artículo indaga los pormenores de esa discusión para el caso chileno, en un contexto de creciente complejidad, tomando como base las declaraciones de variadas vertientes de la izquierda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The expanding scope of practice for pharmacists in Australia now includes the provision of vaccination services. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the perceptions of pharmacists regarding vaccination services and the impact of providing this service on their job satisfaction and well‐being. Aim: This study aims to evaluate the job satisfaction and well‐being of pharmacists in Australia regarding the provision of vaccination services. Additionally, it aims to determine the barriers to administering vaccines by pharmacists. Method: A mixed‐methods study was conducted among pharmacists in Australia. An anonymous survey was distributed to pharmacies via email and advertised on social media sites. Ethics approval was granted by the RMIT Research Ethics Committee (Reference no: 24747) and the study conforms to the Australian National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. Informed consent was obtained for all participants via a project information sheet and voluntary completion of an anonymous survey. Results: The study found that community pharmacists experienced moderate job satisfaction levels, with mean job satisfaction and well‐being scores of 17.6 (±6.2) and 17.0 (±6.50) respectively. A correlation was identified between job satisfaction and well‐being, indicating that lower job satisfaction corresponded to lower well‐being. Factors such as years of experience (p = 0.001), work‐related stress (p = 0.001), willingness to vaccinate (p = 0.001), workload (p = 0.001) and lack of support and reimbursement for vaccinating pharmacists influenced job satisfaction and well‐being levels. Conclusion: The study highlights the median to minimal job satisfaction levels among pharmacists in Australia and the correlation between pharmacists' willingness to administer vaccines and their job satisfaction and well‐being. Additionally, the study underscores the need for additional support and reimbursement for vaccinating pharmacists. To enhance the pharmacy profession's role in the healthcare system, new strategies are required to support pharmacists in providing vaccination services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. This research study aims to examine the professional quality of life (ProQOL) among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Pakistan during the fourth wave of COVID-19. Background. Under intense pressure to fight the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, HCWs are more likely to experience psychological problems. Numerous investigations carried out in the past at various points during the pandemic have shown that COVID-19 has had important detrimental effects on HCWs. However, there are many unknowns with regard to ProQOL for HCWs. Methods. This is a cross-sectional study conducted with Pakistani HCWs who performed their duties during the fourth wave of COVID-19. Data were collected between January 1 and March 31, 2022. A total of 258 HCWs took part in the study evaluating ProQOL. The significance level was <0.05. Results. Most respondents were males (79.1%), and 20.9% were females. The scores of secondary traumatic stress (STS), burnout (BO), and compassion satisfaction (CS) were 24.03 ± 3.79, 19.18 ± 2.92, and 35.29 ± 4.37, respectively. Compared with higher-income groups, HCWs with lower incomes were significantly (P < 0.001) more likely to experience psychological issues. Males had lower BO and STS than female HCWs (P < 0.001). Similarly, doctors had a lower STS than nurses (P < 0.05). HCWs who worked hours per day longer had a heavier STS (P < 0.001). Conclusion. This study shows low BO levels, moderate CS levels, and STS levels among HCWs. HCWs with lower salary were at a higher risk of mental distress due to the pandemic. HCWs who worked for long hours and had less income had more STS and BO. HCWs who were dissatisfied with their works had poor CS. Implications for Nursing Management. It is supposed that these results may help HCW managers to improve job satisfaction and rewards while reducing working hours and workload to improve the ProQOL of HCWs fighting COVID-19. The government should focus on the mental health of HCWs, enhancing their satisfaction and allocating sufficient resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to investigate the impact of tobacco industry interference on the implementation and management of tobacco control and the tobacco epidemic using the Tobacco Industry Interference Index (TIII) and MPOWER—a package of measures for tobacco control—and adult daily smoking prevalence in 30 countries. Methods: The TIII was extracted from the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2019 and Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC). MPOWER measures and adult daily smoking prevalence rate were extracted from the World Health Organization (WHO) report on the global tobacco epidemic in 2021. We assessed the ecological cross-lagged association between TIII and MPOWER scores and between TIII and age-standardized prevalence rates for adult daily tobacco users. Results: Tobacco industry interference was inversely correlated with a country's package of tobacco control measures (β = -0.088, P = 0.035). The TIII was correlated with weaker warnings about the dangers of tobacco (β = -0.016, P = 0.078) and lack of enforcement of bans on tobacco advertising promotion and sponsorship (β = -0.023, P = 0.026). In turn, the higher the TIII, the higher the age-standardized prevalence of adult daily tobacco smokers for both sexes (β = 0.170, P = 0.036). Adult daily smoking prevalence in males (β = 0.417, P = 0.004) was higher in countries where the tobacco industry received incentives that benefited its business. Conclusion: Where the interference of the tobacco industries was high, national compliance with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) was lower, and the prevalence of adult daily smokers higher. National governments and global society must work together to minimize the tobacco industry's efforts to interfere with tobacco control policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) across the US continue to remove statutory and regulatory barriers to patients' full access to APRN care. The status of APRN practice in each US state and Washington, D.C. is examined, with any updates to practice authority and reimbursement reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is an increasingly important concern in the delivery of high-quality nursing home care. Obese nursing home residents require specialized equipment and resources. As high Medicaid nursing homes have limited financial ability, they may lack the necessary resources to address the needs of obese residents. Moreover, there are variations in the availability of obesity-related specialized resources across these facilities. This study aims to investigate the organizational and market factors associated with the availability of obesity-related specialized resources in high-Medicaid nursing homes. Survey and secondary data sources for the study period 2017–2018 were utilized. The survey data were merged with Brown University's Long Term Care Focus (LTCFocus), Nursing Home Compare, and Area Health Resource File datasets. The dependent variable was the composite score of obesity-related specialized resources, ranging from 0–19. An ordinary least square regression with propensity score weights (to adjust for potential survey non-response bias), along with appropriate organizational/market level control variables were used for our analysis. Our results suggest that payer-mix (>Medicare residents) and a higher proportion of obese residents were positively associated with the availability of obesity-related specialized resources. Policymakers should consider implementing incentives, such as increased Medicaid payments, to assist high Medicaid nursing homes in addressing the specific needs of obese residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the impact of public subsidies on the efficiency of performing arts through an empirical analysis of Italian theatres (including opera houses, permanent theatres, and theatre production companies), using an output-oriented approach. Firstly, we discuss the previous works on efficiency and its determinants in the presence of public subsidies. Secondly, the stochastic frontier analysis true random-effects model and the IV GMM second stage regressions are used together with a procedure to measure the marginal effects of subsidies. Our findings suggest that the impact of public funds on technical efficiency of the Italian theatrical firms is positive and significant. The elasticity of public subsidy on efficiency is smaller than one. However, the return on subsidies amounts to 87 on average. These returns vary between Italian performing arts sub-sectors, and are very high for theatre production companies, low for permanent theatres, and very low for opera houses. We also find that the technological progress is negative for the theatrical Italian sector and it leads to the decline in total factor productivity over time, providing empirical support to the presence of Baumol's disease in the sector. Overall, since Italian theatres technical efficiency could be increased at least by 25–27%, policy makers could work on public incentives in such a way as to avoid that, due to asymmetric information between government and theatrical firms, subsidies are provided (and criticised) indiscriminately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the longitudinal experiences of the 2008 cohort of first-time Disability Insurance (DI) beneficiaries who were at risk of benefit overpayment because of work activity. Less than 4 percent of these beneficiaries ever met the criteria for benefit suspension or termination for work within 10 years of award, yet 82 percent of this at-risk subsample were overpaid during those 10 years. Nearly all overpayments (89 percent) began in the first month after work incentives were exhausted. About 16 percent of beneficiaries received employment support services before being overpaid, representing a potential point for intervention to avoid overpayments. We also find that overpaid beneficiaries were less likely than other working beneficiaries to have benefits terminated for work in the 10 years after DI award. Understanding the beneficiary pathways that lead to overpayments might help policy-makers design policies that minimize overpayments or, if they occur, help beneficiaries maintain employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite robust evidence and international guidelines, to support routine pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing, integration in practice has been limited. This study explored clinicians' views and experiences of pre-treatment DPYD and UGT1A1 gene testing and barriers to and enablers of routine clinical implementation. Methods: A study-specific 17-question survey was emailed (01 February–12 April 2022) to clinicians from the Medical Oncology Group of Australia (MOGA), the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA) and International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners (ISOPP). Data were analysed and reported using descriptive statistics. Results: Responses were collected from 156 clinicians (78% medical oncologists, 22% pharmacists). Median response rate of 8% (ranged from 6% to 24%) across all organisations. Only 21% routinely test for DPYD and 1% for UGT1A1. For patients undergoing curative/palliative intent treatments, clinicians reported intent to implement genotype-guided dosing by reducing FP dose for DPYD intermediate metabolisers (79%/94%), avoiding FP for DPYD poor metabolisers (68%/90%), and reducing irinotecan dose for UGT1A1 poor metabolisers (84%, palliative setting only). Barriers to implementation included: lack of financial reimbursements (82%) and perceived lengthy test turnaround time (76%). Most Clinicians identified a dedicated program coordinator, i.e., PGx pharmacist (74%) and availability of resources for education/training (74%) as enablers to implementation. Conclusion: PGx testing is not routinely practised despite robust evidence for its impact on clinical decision making in curative and palliative settings. Research data, education and implementation studies may overcome clinicians' hesitancy to follow guidelines, especially for curative intent treatments, and may overcome other identified barriers to routine clinical implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article emphasizes a health financing policy agenda for climate mitigation and adaptation. Climate mitigation and adaptation policy options for health financing include revenue raising, pooling and purchasing. It calls for the fair distribution of carbon budget for health gains, mapping and assessment of co-benefits of investments in health for climate mitigation and adaptation, and a whole-of-government approach to financing the health sector to protect human health from climate change.

The article discusses a study on the receipt of two nationally endorsed quality measures for children with sickle cell anemia (SCA), antibiotic prophylaxis and annual stroke risk screening. Topics include link between quality improvement initiatives and improved receipt of important services, initiatives that could include targeted Medicaid policies to increase access to care for children with SCA, and the need to prioritize delivering high-impact and lifesaving care to children with SCA.

The article presents the highlights of the 2023 "American Journal of Managed Care" (AJMC) Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Stakeholder Summit. The event was moderated by Ryan Haumschild. Topics include the primary causes of CKD like diabetes and hypertension, the increasing prevalence and incidence of CKD in the U.S., and the standard of care (SOC) for CKD like the use of angiontensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB).

The life expectancy of persons with intellectual disability is increasing, and this is often occurring concurrently with the aging of their long‐term parental carers. Research in both Australia and around the world indicates that proactive post‐parental care planning is not widely implemented, and transitions primarily happen suddenly following a personal crisis for the primary caregiver. Little focus in Australia has been placed on identifying the barriers that inhibit post‐parental care planning in rural areas, specifically in the context of the newly implemented National Disability Insurance Scheme. This paper examines the factors that limit disability services and their staff in supporting successful post‐parental care planning for individuals with intellectual disability and their aging carers in rural South Australia. Small focus groups were conducted with three groups of rural disability support workers using online technologies to assist with the participants' geographic disparity. A semi‐structured interview guide was developed prior to commencement and was used to initiate discussions on key points. A thematic analysis methodological approach was used for data analysis. There were three themes identified through the analysis; Recruitment; Provision of Care; and Retention. The key findings relating to these themes are presented and supported with exemplar quotes. This research proposes three recommendations for policy or practice change: developing a national advertising campaign for new disability staff that positively emphasizes the high‐level skillset need for proactive planning; supporting rural disability providers to collaborate to establish shared teams of staff with expertise in post‐parental care planning; and, using incentive payments to retain staff with these invaluable skillsets in the disability sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When physicians admit patients to a hospital, their decisions about where--and to whose professional stewardship and services--those patients belong are influenced by federal policies, of which many clinicians are not aware. The distinction between observation and admission has clinical and ethical implications for patients and practices. The evolution of "observation status" from a clinical tool to a catchall of vague and imprecise meaning has been driven by changes to physician payment and compensation structures, particularly Current Procedural Terminology codes and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regulations, and its current value to clinicians and patients is questionable. This article contextualizes clinicians' admission and observation practices and considers how metrics influence patient costs and how clinicians and organizations are compensated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy PointsState and federal payers are actively considering strategies to increase the adoption of social risk screening and interventions in health care settings, including through the use of financial incentives.Activities related to social care in Oregon community health centers (CHCs) provided a unique opportunity to explore whether and how fee‐for‐service payments for social risk screening and navigation influence CHC activities.CHC staff, clinicians, and administrative leaders were often unaware of existing financial payments for social risk screening and navigation services. As currently designed, fee‐for‐service payments are unlikely to strongly influence CHC social care practices. Context: A growing crop of national policies has emerged to encourage health care delivery systems to ask about and try to address patients' social risks, e.g., food, housing, and transportation insecurity, in care delivery contexts. In this study, we explored how community health center (CHC) staff perceive the current and potential influence of fee‐for‐service payments on clinical teams' engagement in these activities. Methods: We interviewed 42 clinicians, frontline staff, and administrative leaders from 12 Oregon CHC clinical sites about their social care initiatives, including about the role of existing or anticipated financial payments intended to promote social risk screening and referrals to social services. Data were analyzed using both inductive and deductive thematic analysis approaches. Findings: We grouped findings into three categories: participants' awareness of existing or anticipated financial incentives, uses for incentive dollars, and perceived impact of financial incentives on social care activities in clinical practices. Lack of awareness of existing incentives meant these incentives were not perceived to influence the behaviors of staff responsible for conducting screening and providing referrals. Current or anticipated meaningful uses for incentive dollars included paying for social care staff, providing social services, and supporting additional fundraising efforts. Frontline staff reported that the strongest motivator for clinic social care practices was the ability to provide responsive social services. Clinic leaders/managers noted that for financial incentives to substantively change CHC practices would require payments sizable enough to expand the social care workforce as well. Conclusions: Small fee‐for‐service payments to CHCs for social risk screening and navigation services are unlikely to markedly influence CHC social care practices. Refining the design of financial incentives—e.g., by increasing clinical teams' awareness of incentives, linking screening to well‐funded social services, and changing incentive amounts to support social care staffing needs—may increase the uptake of social care practices in CHCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to analyze the effect of electoral political cycles on the management of budgetary results by observing the unpaid commitments of Brazilian local governments. The study proposes a model to estimate discretionary budgetary accruals based on unpaid commitments, addressing an empirical-theoretical gap regarding incipient quality metrics of accounting information in public administration, considering the theory of agency, legitimacy, and impression management. The theory of political cycles was adopted to justify the managers’ opportunistic cyclical behavior aligned with the electoral calendar. Three hypotheses based on the literature were tested from a sample covering 62.1% of Brazilian municipalities. The results showed positive discretionary budgetary accruals in the years immediately preceding the elections and the opposite in election years (i.e., negative discretionary budgetary accruals), completing the budgetary electoral cycle. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that managers in their first term are more inclined to enter into this type of practice, motivated by the chances of being re-elected. This evidence is ratified by the absence of this practice at significant levels during the managers’ second term. This research incrementally contributes to public administration research, proposing a proxy for the quality of government accounting information. It proves that earnings management, measured by discretionary budgetary accruals, has cyclical behavior aligned with the electoral calendar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of social platforms and human activities, people are now interested to solve their problems with the help of the social crowd-powered system. So, crowdsourcing has become a promising way of solving problems in a distributed manner within a specific time. Crowd workers pick up a task (simple or complex) and solve it with competing interest or collaboratively and receive an incentive (as monetary or non-monetary). In paid crowdsourcing platforms, crowd workers solve complex tasks and get remunerations through prior bidding or prior announcement of fee decided by the requester (task provider). For decomposable tasks, a single winner may not provide a significant solution to the requester due to the insufficient knowledge. So, we induce collaboration in competitive crowdsourcing markets to better handle decomposable-type tasks. In this paper, we propose an envelope game-based mechanism that ensures if the tasks are decomposable then the workers will be encouraged to collaborate with their subtasks and share their remunerations. This mechanism also increases the chance of receiving more number of cost-effective solutions. Thus both the requester and crowd workers get benefits from the system. The effectiveness of the proposed mechanism is evaluated through empirical analysis on simulated environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Online surveys in nursing research have both advantages and disadvantages. Reaching a sample and attaining an appropriate response rate is an ongoing challenge and necessitates careful consideration when designing a nursing research study using an online survey approach. Objective: In this study, we aimed to explore response rates and survey characteristics of studies by nurse researchers that used online methodologies to survey nurses, nursing students, and nursing faculty. Methods: We conducted an integrative review of research studies that used online surveys for data collection published from 2011 to 2021. We examined response rates and survey characteristics such as recruitment method, use of incentives, question type, length of survey, time to complete the survey, and use of reminders. Results: Our review included 51 studies published by nurses with target samples of nurses, nursing students, or nursing faculty. Study sample sizes ranged from 48 to 29,283, the number of respondents ranged from 29 to 3,607, and the response rates ranged from 3.4% to 98%, with an average of 42.46%. Few patterns emerged regarding recruitment or other factors to enhance response rates; only five studies used incentives. Conclusion: Response rates to online surveys are unlikely to reach the rates seen in older mailed surveys. Researchers need to design online survey studies to be easily accessible, concise, and appealing to participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: Commercial health insurers can participate in the rapidly growing Medicare Advantage (MA) market, which may affect network formation and prices in traditional commercial insurance markets. We aim to quantify the prevalence and growth of commercial insurers participating in MA within the same state. STUDY DESIGN: Repeated cross-sectional analysis of Clarivate's Interstudy enrollment data comprising the universe of insurers in the United States from 2015 to 2021. METHODS: We calculated the share of employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) enrollees covered by an insurer offering MA in their state in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021. We documented this share across states, years, and the state's 2015 tercile. RESULTS: Between 2015 and 2021, the share of ESI enrollees covered by an insurer offering MA in the same state increased from 83.5% to 95.3%. This growth was concentrated in states with initially low rates in 2015 (lowest 2015 state tercile, ≤ 70.5%), in which the share grew from 47.6% to 87.9%. In 2015, 23.5% of states had a share greater than 90.0% compared with 74.5% in 2021. CONCLUSIONS: By 2021, almost all ESI enrollees were covered by insurers who participated in MA in the same state. Future research should investigate how insurer participation in MA affects network formation and prices in commercial markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age-Friendly Health Systems (AFHS) commit to providing evidence-based, low-risk, coordinated care centered on what matters most to older adults, their families, and caregivers. Nova Southeastern University's South Florida Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (NSU SFGWEP) has partnered with primary care clinics to provide AFHS training and support to promote AFHS transformation in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties. NSU SFGWEP provides face-to-face and virtual training for AFHS and Electronic Health Record (EHR) documentation as part of the initiative. This project focuses on a group of primary care clinics in Broward County, Florida. In this paper, we evaluate the progress of AFHS transformation through six e-clinical measures that collectively provide indicators of the 4 M framework of AFHS (What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility). We used provider feedback and e-clinical measures aligned with the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) to measure clinic outcomes. From Jan 1– Dec 31, 2019, to Jan 1–Dec 31, 2020, the clinics improved high-risk medication management (0–3.71%), advanced care planning (6.79%–20.74%), and fall risk assessment (no data- 46.72%). Results demonstrate some success and ongoing opportunities to continue and expand AFHS interventions for sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of multiple cost-effectiveness thresholds in pharmacoeconomic evaluation is a hotly debated topic in the international academic community. This study analyzed and discussed thresholds in the context of pharmacoeconomic evaluation and reimbursement decision-making. We suggest that the thresholds inferred from reimbursement decisions should be distinguished from cost-effectiveness threshold in pharmacoeconomic evaluation. Pharmacoeconomic evaluations should adopt a fixed threshold, which should not vary with the subjects evaluated. This would help avoid the invitation of numerous cost-effectiveness thresholds for a specific drug, an exceptional disease, a type of innovation, or a certain level of malignancy, which misleads economic evaluation adopting restless changing standards and making pharmacoeconomic evaluation and decision-making more complex and contradictory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the increasing concern among researchers about the use of study participants' data in ways unintended during data collection, highlighting the need for ethical data handling practices and transparency. Topics include the ethical obligation of researchers to return health research data to participants, patients' preferences regarding data access, and the importance of clear and comprehensible data presentation to study participants.

The article examines teacher shortages in the U.S. and argues that the proposed incentives to combat this problem lack consideration of the Cobweb model implications. Topics discussed include impact of salary changes, working conditions and COVID-19 pandemic on education and the teaching profession, attempts to resolve teacher shortage via temporary salary increases and relaxed teacher certification standards, and the need to consider teacher labor market characteristics in educational reform.

Microtask crowdsourcing platforms are social intelligence systems in which volunteers, called crowdworkers, complete small, repetitive tasks in return for a small fee. Beyond payments, task requesters are considering non-monetary incentives such as points, badges, and other gamified elements to increase performance and improve crowdworker experience. In this article, we present Qrowdsmith, a platform for gamifying microtask crowdsourcing. To design the system, we explore empirically a range of gamified and financial incentives and analyse their impact on how efficient, effective, and reliable the results are. To maintain participation over time and save costs, we propose furtherance incentives, which are offered to crowdworkers to encourage additional contributions in addition to the fee agreed upfront. In a series of controlled experiments, we find that while gamification can work as furtherance incentives, it impacts negatively on crowdworkers' performance, both in terms of the quantity and quality of work, as compared to a baseline where they can continue to contribute voluntarily. Gamified incentives are also less effective than paid bonus equivalents. Our results contribute to the understanding of how best to encourage engagement in microtask crowdsourcing activities and design better crowd intelligence systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]