National Board of Health

About: National Board of Health is a government organization based out in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Public health. The organization has 276 authors who have published 356 publications receiving 20149 citations.

The Danish National Patient Register

Abstract: Introduction: The Danish National Patient Register (NPR) was established in 1977, and it is considered to be the finest of its kind internationally. Content: At the onset the register included information on inpatient in somatic wards. The content of the register has gradually been expanded, and since 2007 the register has included information on all patients in Danish hospitals. Validity and coverage: Although the NPR is overall a sound data source, both the content and the definitions of single variables have changed over time. Changes in the organisation and provision of health services may affect both the type and the completeness of registrations. Conclusion: The NPR is a unique data source. Researchers using the data should carefully consider potential fallacies in the data before drawing conclusions.

The Danish Cancer Registry

Abstract: Introduction: The Danish Cancer Registry was founded in 1942. Content: The Cancer Registry contains data on the incidence of cancer in the Danish population since 1943. Validity and coverage: Validity of the Cancer Registry is secured by the application of manual quality control routines in the daily production of the Cancer Registry, the application of the automated cancer logic, and the use of multiple notifications from different data sources, which also secures a high degree of completeness. Conclusion: In 2008 the Cancer Registry finished a process of modernisation where reporting became electronic through integration with the patient administrative systems and manual coding was partly replaced by an automatic coding logic.

A Quality Study of a Medical Birth Registry

Abstract: A quality control study was made of the Swedish Medical Birth Registry This registry used one mode of data collection during 1973-1981 and another from 1982 onwards The number of errors in the register was checked by comparing register information with a sample of the original medical records, and the variability in the use of diagnoses between hospitals was studied Different types of errors were identified and quantified and the efficiency of the two methods of data collection evaluated

Evolution of Wenger's concept of community of practice

Abstract: In the experience of health professionals, it appears that interacting with peers in the workplace fosters learning and information sharing. Informal groups and networks present good opportunities for information exchange. Communities of practice (CoPs), which have been described by Wenger and others as a type of informal learning organization, have received increasing attention in the health care sector; however, the lack of uniform operating definitions of CoPs has resulted in considerable variation in the structure and function of these groups, making it difficult to evaluate their effectiveness. To critique the evolution of the CoP concept as based on the germinal work by Wenger and colleagues published between 1991 and 2002. CoP was originally developed to provide a template for examining the learning that happens among practitioners in a social environment, but over the years there have been important divergences in the focus of the concept. Lave and Wenger's earliest publication (1991) centred on the interactions between novices and experts, and the process by which newcomers create a professional identity. In the 1998 book, the focus had shifted to personal growth and the trajectory of individuals' participation within a group (i.e., peripheral versus core participation). The focus then changed again in 2002 when CoP was applied as a managerial tool for improving an organization's competitiveness. The different interpretations of CoP make it challenging to apply the concept or to take full advantage of the benefits that CoP groups may offer. The tension between satisfying individuals' needs for personal growth and empowerment versus an organization's bottom line is perhaps the most contentious of the issues that make CoPs difficult to cultivate. Since CoP is still an evolving concept, we recommend focusing on optimizing specific characteristics of the concept, such as support for members interacting with each other, sharing knowledge, and building a sense of belonging within networks/teams/groups. Interventions that facilitate relationship building among members and that promote knowledge exchange may be useful for optimizing the function of these groups.