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Publishing work that contributes to the continuous improvement of health care organisations, providing a forum for current thinking on the theoretical and practical aspects of quality and management in health care.

ISSN: 0952-6862
eISSN: 0952-6862

Aims and scope

International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance (IJHCQA) explores quality within the context of health care, examines managerial and planning models and methods and discusses the implications of introducing and maintaining quality initiatives. The journal publishes research on topics including but not limited to:

  • Qualitative and quantitative research grounded in established theories, empirical and analytical methodologies, including statistical and mathematical modeling on all aspects of quality in health care which demonstrates relevance to practice
  • Evidence-based, robustly designed, and validated data-driven Case Studies detailing real-life examples of quality assurance techniques and management within health and social care settings. 

Themes addressed are clinical, managerial, and educational in scope and cover, including:

  • Successful quality/continuous improvement health care projects
  • The use of quality tools and models in health care leadership management development, such as the EFQM Excellence Model, Balanced Scorecard, Quality Standards, Managed Care, and Patient and Family Centered Care
  • Issues relating to process control, such as Lean Six Sigma, Managing Change and Process Mapping in health care activities related to Medical Error Management, Patient Safety, Value in Health Care, Healthy Aging, and Best Nursing Practices
  • Improving patient care and health care delivery through quality related programs and/or research 


Covid-19 Update
Emerald is aware that healthcare journals are being particularly affected by the disruption caused by Covid-19. As a result, the IJHCQA Editorial team has amended the review process to support the author and reviewer communities, and to ensure that the publication process continues to run smoothly. 
All research articles will be initially reviewed by the Editor, who will decide if the submission should be sent out for review; if sent for review, it will be reviewed by one member of the editorial team and one external reviewer. At all times, the review process will remain fully double-blinded. This amended process will be a temporary measure until the impact of Covid-19 has lessened.

Checklist for Manuscripts
The Editorial Team is committed to helping authors improve the quality of their submissions to this journal. A checklist that the Editorial Team follows at the time of the initial desk-review can be found below. Authors are strongly urged to use this checklist as a guide while preparing the manuscript.

 

Manuscript Requirements by Section Key Consideration and Content
Structured Abstract Abbreviated and written for a layperson, without any technical jargon, numbers, or equations
Include in abbreviated form - Purpose, Design/Methodology/Approach, Findings, Research limitations/implications, Practical implications, Social implications, and Originality/value
Title Brief and relevant to topic covered in the manuscript
Keywords Specific to topic and meaningful with concatenation of two or more words for a Boolean search
Article Classification Choose appropriate classification
In the case of Case Study / Survey Study, provide Institutional Review Board clearance at the time of submission of the manuscript. Such clearance must include (1) name and location of study’s sponsor institution, (2) title and purpose of the study, (3) date(s) when the study was conducted and (4) permission to publish results of the study. 
Introduction Include the following:
Research question(s)
Statement of research hypothesis(es) to support research question(s)
Motivation and aims of study
Relevance to quality in health care
Overview of research and manuscript
Road map of rest of the manuscript
Literature Review Selective literature review of research published in peer-reviewed archival journals (including IJHCQA), strictly related to the research topic under study and current for at least last five years
Assessment of gaps in prior research
Delineate contributions of the manuscript in light of gaps
Study Design, selection of sample, and Study Data Describe how study is designed, population size and sample selection process, justify sample validity, describe, and discuss source and type of study data used
Methodology Offer technical presentation in detail of the new idea, methodology used, models used or developed and appropriate theoretical basis
Include full explanation of models used in the appendix
Include explanatory figures and tables 
Offer an overview of any application developed
Quantitative Analysis Provide quantitative analysis that gleans insights into the research problem and supports/rejects research hypothesis(es)
Comparative Analysis Offer comparative analysis of study’s research outcomes to similar studies published in the open literature
Generalization and replication Make a case (with specific example) of generalization and replication of the proposed methodology/technique applied to the localized case to another health care entity in other parts of the world to enhance its broader impact
Implications for Research Describe implications of the proposed research on general direction of the research topic described in the manuscript
Limitations (if any) Discuss any limitations with regard to any study component, such as study design, study sample, study data etc.
Conclusions Offer summary of accomplishments and contributions of the study
Emphasize generalizable outcomes and lessons learned from the study
Future Direction Discuss future direction of the proposed research
References Formatted per Harvard style with complete citations
Figures and Tables Include appropriately formatted small number of explanatory figures and tables
Appendix Include study Questionnaire
Offer detailed discussion of models and methods utilized in the study

 

The manuscript should also be formatted according to author guidelines: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/ijhcqa#author-guidelines

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