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Factors influencing health care utilisation among Aboriginal cardiac patients in central Australia: a qualitative study
Background Aboriginal Australians suffer from poorer overall health compared to the general Australian population, particularly in terms of cardiovascular disease and prognosis following a cardiac event. Despite such disparities, Aboriginal Australians utilise health care services at much lower rates than the general population. Improving health care utilisation (HCU) among Aboriginal cardiac patients requires a better understanding of the factors that constrain or facilitate use. The study aimed to identify ecological factors influencing health care utilisation (HCU) for Aboriginal cardiac patients, from the time of their cardiac event to 6–12 months post-event, in central Australia. Methods This qualitative descriptive study was guided by an ecological framework. A culturally-sensitive illness narrative focusing on Aboriginal cardiac patients' "typical" journey guided focus groups and semi-structured interviews with Aboriginal cardiac patients, non-cardiac community members, health care providers and community researchers. Analysis utilised a thematic conceptual matrix and mixed coding method. Themes were categorised into Predisposing, Enabling, Need and Reinforcing factors and identified at Individual, Interpersonal, Primary Care and Hospital System levels. Results Compelling barriers to HCU identified at the Primary Care and Hospital System levels included communication, organisation and racism. Individual level factors related to HCU included language, knowledge of illness, perceived need and past experiences. Given these individual and health system barriers patients were reliant on utilising alternate family-level supports at the Interpersonal level to enable their journey. Conclusion Aboriginal cardiac patients face significant barriers to HCU, resulting in sub-optimal quality of care, placing them at risk for subsequent cardiovascular events and negative health outcomes. To facilitate HCU amongst Aboriginal people, strategies must be implemented
Urban Aboriginal mobility in Canada: examining the association with health care utilization.
Snyder, Marcie; Wilson, Kathi
In recent decades, Indigenous peoples across the globe have become increasingly urbanized. Growing urbanization has been associated with high rates of geographic mobility between rural areas and cities, as well as within cities. In Canada, over 54 percent of Aboriginal peoples are urban and change their place of residence at a higher rate than the non-Aboriginal population. High rates of mobility may affect the delivery and use of health services. The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between urban Aboriginal peoples' mobility and conventional (physician/nurse) as well as traditional (traditional healer) health service use in two distinct Canadian cities: Toronto and Winnipeg. Using data from Statistics Canada's 2006 Aboriginal Peoples Survey, this analysis demonstrates that mobility is a significant predisposing correlate of health service use and that the impact of mobility on health care use varies by urban setting. In Toronto, urban newcomers were more likely to use a physician or nurse compared to long-term residents. This was in direct contrast to the effect of residency on physician and nurse use in Winnipeg. In Toronto, urban newcomers were less likely to use a traditional healer than long-term residents, indicating that traditional healing may represent an unmet health care need. The results demonstrate that distinct urban settings differentially influence patterns of health service utilization for mobile Aboriginal peoples. This has important implications for how health services are planned and delivered to urban Aboriginal movers on a local, and potentially global, scale. PMID:23078674
Aboriginal Health Care and Bioethics: A Reflection on the Teaching of the Seven Grandfathers.
Kotalik, Jaro; Martin, Gerry
Contemporary bioethics recognizes the importance of the culture in shaping ethical issues, yet in practice, a process for ethical analysis and decision making is rarely adjusted to the culture and ethnicity of involved parties. This is of a particular concern in a health care system that is caring for a growing Aboriginal population. We raise the possibility of constructing a bioethics grounded in traditional Aboriginal knowledge. As an example of an element of traditional knowledge that contains strong ethical guidance, we present the story of the Gifts of the Seven Grandfathers. We note a resemblance of this Ojibway teaching to virtue ethics in European traditions, but we suggest that there are also important differences in how these two traditions are currently presented. We hope that further engagement with a variety of indigenous moral teachings and traditions could improve health care involving Aboriginal patients and communities, and enrich the discipline of bioethics. PMID:27111368
The perspectives of Aboriginal patients and their health care providers on improving the quality of hemodialysis services: A qualitative study
Rix, Elizabeth F; Barclay, Lesley; Stirling, Janelle; Tong, Allison; Wilson, Shawn
Chronic kidney disease has a higher prevalence in Indigenous populations globally. The incidence of end-stage kidney disease in Australian Aboriginal people is eight times higher than non-Aboriginal Australians. Providing services to rural and remote Aboriginal people with chronic disease is challenging because of access and cultural differences. This study aims to describe and analyze the perspectives of Aboriginal patients' and health care providers' experience of renal services, to inform service improvement for rural Aboriginal hemodialysis patients. We conducted a thematic analysis of interviews with Aboriginal patients (n = 18) receiving hemodialysis in rural Australia and health care providers involved in their care (n = 29). An overarching theme of avoiding the "costly" crisis encompassed four subthemes: (1) Engaging patients earlier (prevent late diagnosis, slow disease progression); (2) flexible family-focused care (early engagement of family, flexibility to facilitate family and cultural obligations); (3) managing fear of mainstream services (originating in family dialysis experiences and previous racism when engaging with government organizations); (4) service provision shaped by culture (increased home dialysis, Aboriginal support and Aboriginal-led cultural education). Patients and health care providers believe service redesign is required to meet the needs of Aboriginal hemodialysis patients. Participants identified early screening and improving the relationship of Aboriginal people with health systems would reduce crisis entry to hemodialysis. These strategies alongside improving the cultural competence of staff would reduce patients' fear of mainstream services, decrease the current emotional and family costs of care, and increase efficiency of health expenditure on a challenging and increasingly unsustainable treatment system. PMID:25056441
The perspectives of Aboriginal patients and their health care providers on improving the quality of hemodialysis services: a qualitative study.
Rix, Elizabeth F; Barclay, Lesley; Stirling, Janelle; Tong, Allison; Wilson, Shawn
Chronic kidney disease has a higher prevalence in Indigenous populations globally. The incidence of end-stage kidney disease in Australian Aboriginal people is eight times higher than non-Aboriginal Australians. Providing services to rural and remote Aboriginal people with chronic disease is challenging because of access and cultural differences. This study aims to describe and analyze the perspectives of Aboriginal patients' and health care providers' experience of renal services, to inform service improvement for rural Aboriginal hemodialysis patients. We conducted a thematic analysis of interviews with Aboriginal patients (n = 18) receiving hemodialysis in rural Australia and health care providers involved in their care (n = 29). An overarching theme of avoiding the "costly" crisis encompassed four subthemes: (1) Engaging patients earlier (prevent late diagnosis, slow disease progression); (2) flexible family-focused care (early engagement of family, flexibility to facilitate family and cultural obligations); (3) managing fear of mainstream services (originating in family dialysis experiences and previous racism when engaging with government organizations); (4) service provision shaped by culture (increased home dialysis, Aboriginal support and Aboriginal-led cultural education). Patients and health care providers believe service redesign is required to meet the needs of Aboriginal hemodialysis patients. Participants identified early screening and improving the relationship of Aboriginal people with health systems would reduce crisis entry to hemodialysis. These strategies alongside improving the cultural competence of staff would reduce patients' fear of mainstream services, decrease the current emotional and family costs of care, and increase efficiency of health expenditure on a challenging and increasingly unsustainable treatment system. PMID:25056441
Primary Health Networks and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.
Couzos, Sophia; Delaney-Thiele, Dea; Page, Priscilla
The Australian Government has established that the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is a priority for the newly established 31 Primary Health Networks (PHNs). Efforts to reduce the high hospitalisation rates of Aboriginal people will require PHNs to build formal participatory structures with Aboriginal health organisations to support best practice service models. There are precedents as to how PHNs can build formal partnerships with Aboriginal community controlled health services (ACCHSs), establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander steering committee to guide strategic plan development, and work towards optimising comprehensive primary care. All health services within PHN boundaries can be supported to systematically and strategically improve their responsiveness to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by assessing systems of care, adopting best practice models, embedding quality assurance activity, and participating in performance reporting. PHNs can be guided to adopt an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-specific quality improvement framework, agree to local performance measures, review specialist and other outreach services to better integrate with primary health care, enhance the cultural competence of services, and measure and respond to progress in reducing potentially preventable hospitalisations. Through collaborations and capacity building, PHNs can transition certain health services towards greater Aboriginal community control. These proposals may assist policy makers to develop organisational performance reporting on PHN efforts to close the gap in Aboriginal health disparity. PMID:27031397
Investigating the feasibility, acceptability and appropriateness of outreach case management in an urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care service: a mixed methods exploratory study
Askew, Deborah A.; Togni, Samantha J.; Schluter, Philip J.; Rogers, Lynne; Egert, Sonya; Potter, Nichola; Hayman, Noel E.; Cass, Alan; Brown, Alex D. H.
Background The disparities in health and life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples compared to non-Indigenous Australians are well documented. Chronic diseases are a leading contributor to these disparities. We aimed to determine the feasibility, acceptability and appropriateness of a case management approach to chronic disease care integrated within an urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care service. Methods The Home-based, Outreach case Managem...
Building better systems of care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: findings from the Kanyini health systems assessment
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Peiris David
Full Text Available Abstract Background Australian federal and jurisdictional governments are implementing ambitious policy initiatives intended to improve health care access and outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In this qualitative study we explored Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS staff views on factors needed to improve chronic care systems and assessed their relevance to the new policy environment. Methods Two theories informed the study: (1 'candidacy', which explores "the ways in which people's eligibility for care is jointly negotiated between individuals and health services"; and (2 kanyini or 'holding', a Central Australian philosophy which describes the principle and obligations of nurturing and protecting others. A structured health systems assessment, locally adapted from Chronic Care Model domains, was administered via group interviews with 37 health staff in six AMSs and one government Indigenous-led health service. Data were thematically analysed. Results Staff emphasised AMS health care was different to private general practices. Consistent with kanyini, community governance and leadership, community representation among staff, and commitment to community development were important organisational features to retain and nurture both staff and patients. This was undermined, however, by constant fear of government funding for AMSs being withheld. Staff resourcing, information systems and high-level leadership were perceived to be key drivers of health care quality. On-site specialist services, managed by AMS staff, were considered an enabling strategy to increase specialist access. Candidacy theory suggests the above factors influence whether a service is 'tractable' and 'navigable' to its users. Staff also described entrenched patient discrimination in hospitals and the need to expend considerable effort to reinstate care. This suggests that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are still
A research review: exploring the health of Canada's Aboriginal youth
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Ashley Ning
Full Text Available Objective. To compare the current state of health research on Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth in Canada. Design. A search of published academic literature on Canadian Aboriginal youth health, including a comprehensive review of both non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal youth research, was conducted using MEDLINE and summarized. Methodology. A MEDLINE search was conducted for articles published over a 10-year period (2000–2010. The search was limited to research articles pertaining to Canadian youth, using various synonyms for "Canada," "youth," and "Aboriginal." Each article was coded according to 4 broad categories: Aboriginal identity, geographic location, research topic (health determinants, health status, health care, and the 12 key determinants of health proposed by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC. Results. Of the 117 articles reviewed, only 34 pertained to Aboriginal youth, while the remaining 83 pertained to non-Aboriginal youth. The results revealed major discrepancies within the current body of research with respect to the geographic representation of Aboriginal youth, with several provinces missing from the literature, including the northern territories. Furthermore, the current research is not reflective of the demographic composition of Aboriginal youth, with an under-representation of Métis and urban Aboriginal youth. Health status of Aboriginal youth has received the most attention, appearing in 79% of the studies reviewed compared with 57% of the non-Aboriginal studies. The number of studies that focus on health determinants and health care is comparable for both groups, with the former accounting for 62 and 64% and the latter comprising 26 and 19% of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal studies, respectively. However, this review reveals several differences with respect to specific focus on health determinants between the two populations. In non-Aboriginal youth studies, all the 12 key determinants of health of PHAC
Sustaining an Aboriginal mental health service partnership.
Fuller, Jeffrey D; Martinez, Lee; Muyambi, Kuda; Verran, Kathy; Ryan, Bronwyn; Klee, Ruth
The Regional Aboriginal Integrated Social and Emotional (RAISE) Wellbeing program commenced in February 2003 as an Aboriginal mental health service partnership between one Aboriginal Health Service and three mainstream services: a community mental health team, a hospital mental health liaison, and an "outback" community counselling service. A case study method was used to describe the drivers (incentives for program development), linkage processes (structures and activities through which the partnership operated), and sustainability of the program. Program drivers were longstanding problems with Aboriginal peoples' access to mental health care, policy direction favouring shared service responsibility, and a relatively small amount of new funding for mental health that allowed the program to commence. Linkage processes were the important personal relationships between key individuals. Developing the program as a part of routine practice within and across the partner organisations is now needed through formal agreements, common care-management tools, and training. The program's sustainability will depend on this development occurring, as well as better collection and use of data to communicate the value of the program and support calls for adequate recurrent funds. The development of care-management tools, training and data systems will require a longer period of start-up funding as well as some external expertise. PMID:16296956
Engaging Australian Aboriginal narratives to challenge attitudes and create empathy in health care: a methodological perspective
Wain, Toni; Sim, Moira; Bessarab, Dawn; Mak, Donna; Hayward, Colleen; Rudd, Cobie
Background Unconscious bias and negative attitudes towards minority groups have detrimental effects on the way health care is, or is not, provided to these groups. Recognition of racist attitudes and behaviours as well as understanding clients' experiences of health and health care are pivotal to developing better health care strategies to positively impact on the quality and safety of care provided to Indigenous people. Indigenous research demands inclusive research processes and the use of ...
Community as Teacher Model: Health Profession Students Learn Cultural Safety from an Aboriginal Community
Kline, Cathy C.; Godolphin, William J.; Chhina, Gagun S.; Towle, Angela
Communication between health care professionals and Aboriginal patients is complicated by cultural differences and the enduring effects of colonization. Health care providers need better training to meet the needs of Aboriginal patients and communities. We describe the development and outcomes of a community-driven service-learning program in…
Australia hopes new strategy will improve health services for aboriginal population.
Brooks, J
Australia has embarked on a National Aboriginal Health Strategy that aims to give aboriginals equal access to health services by 2001. Although the harmful effects of colonization are now recognized, it is not possible to eradicate overnight the health problems resulting from 200 years of mistreatment and neglect, officials say. In implementing the strategy, the Australian government is spending $1.3 billion over 5 years to improve the basic infrastructure of housing, water, waste disposal, roads and communications in aboriginal communities, enhance health services and encourage more aboriginals to seek careers in health care. PMID:7728705
Trauma and cultural safety: providing quality care to HIV-infected women of aboriginal descent.
McCall, Jane; Lauridsen-Hoegh, Patricia
In Canada, the Aboriginal community is most at risk for HIV infection. Aboriginal peoples have disproportionately high rates of violence, drug use, and challenging socioeconomic circumstances. All of this is related to a history of colonization that has left Aboriginal people vulnerable to HIV infection through unsafe sex, needle sharing, and lack of access to health promotion and education. Aboriginal women are at particular risk for HIV infection. They experience a disproportionate degree of trauma, which is associated with colonization, high rates of childhood sexual abuse, and illicit drug use. A history of trauma impacts on access to health care, uptake of antiretroviral therapy, and mortality and morbidity in people with HIV. We describe the case of a 52-year-old, HIV-infected Aboriginal woman. We review the current evidence related to her case, including colonization, intersectionality, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, revictimization, and substance use. PMID:24012166
Health inequities experienced by Aboriginal children with respiratory conditions and their parents.
Stewart, Miriam; King, Malcolm; Blood, Roxanne; Letourneau, Nicole; Masuda, Jeffrey R; Anderson, Sharon; Bearskin, Lisa Bourque
Asthma and allergies are common conditions among Aboriginal children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to assess the health and health-care inequities experienced by affected children and by their parents. Aboriginal research assistants conducted individual interviews with 46 Aboriginal children and adolescents who had asthma and/or allergies (26 First Nations, 19 Métis, 1 Inuit) and 51 parents or guardians of these children and adolescents. Followup group interviews were conducted with 16 adolescents and 25 parents/ guardians. Participants reported inadequate educational resources, environmental vulnerability, social and cultural pressures, exclusion, isolation, stigma, blame, and major support deficits. They also described barriers to health-service access, inadequate health care, disrespectful treatment and discrimination by health-care providers, and deficient health insurance. These children, adolescents, and parents recommended the establishment of culturally appropriate support and education programs delivered by Aboriginal peers and health professionals. PMID:24236369
Aboriginal Health Workers experience multilevel barriers to quitting smoking: a qualitative study
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Dawson Anna P
Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Long-term measures to reduce tobacco consumption in Australia have had differential effects in the population. The prevalence of smoking in Aboriginal peoples is currently more than double that of the non-Aboriginal population. Aboriginal Health Workers are responsible for providing primary health care to Aboriginal clients including smoking cessation programs. However, Aboriginal Health Workers are frequently smokers themselves, and their smoking undermines the smoking cessation services they deliver to Aboriginal clients. An understanding of the barriers to quitting smoking experienced by Aboriginal Health Workers is needed to design culturally relevant smoking cessation programs. Once smoking is reduced in Aboriginal Health Workers, they may then be able to support Aboriginal clients to quit smoking. Methods We undertook a fundamental qualitative description study underpinned by social ecological theory. The research was participatory, and academic researchers worked in partnership with personnel from the local Aboriginal health council. The barriers Aboriginal Health Workers experience in relation to quitting smoking were explored in 34 semi-structured interviews (with 23 Aboriginal Health Workers and 11 other health staff and 3 focus groups (n = 17 participants with key informants. Content analysis was performed on transcribed text and interview notes. Results Aboriginal Health Workers spoke of burdensome stress and grief which made them unable to prioritise quitting smoking. They lacked knowledge about quitting and access to culturally relevant quitting resources. Interpersonal obstacles included a social pressure to smoke, social exclusion when quitting, and few role models. In many workplaces, smoking was part of organisational culture and there were challenges to implementation of Smokefree policy. Respondents identified inadequate funding of tobacco programs and a lack of Smokefree public spaces as policy
Planning, implementing, and evaluating a program to address the oral health needs of aboriginal children in port augusta, australia.
Parker, E J; Misan, G; Shearer, M; Richards, L; Russell, A; Mills, H; Jamieson, L M
Aboriginal Australian children experience profound oral health disparities relative to their non-Aboriginal counterparts. In response to community concerns regarding Aboriginal child oral health in the regional town of Port Augusta, South Australia, a child dental health service was established within a Community Controlled Aboriginal Health Service. A partnership approach was employed with the key aims of (1) quantifying rates of dental service utilisation, (2) identifying factors influencing participation, and (3) planning and establishing a program for delivery of Aboriginal children's dental services that would increase participation and adapt to community needs. In planning the program, levels of participation were quantified and key issues identified through semistructured interviews. After 3.5 years, the participation rate for dental care among the target population increased from 53 to 70 percent. Key areas were identified to encourage further improvements and ensure sustainability in Aboriginal child oral health in this regional location. PMID:22577401
Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating a Program to Address the Oral Health Needs of Aboriginal Children in Port Augusta, Australia
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E. J. Parker
Full Text Available Aboriginal Australian children experience profound oral health disparities relative to their non-Aboriginal counterparts. In response to community concerns regarding Aboriginal child oral health in the regional town of Port Augusta, South Australia, a child dental health service was established within a Community Controlled Aboriginal Health Service. A partnership approach was employed with the key aims of (1 quantifying rates of dental service utilisation, (2 identifying factors influencing participation, and (3 planning and establishing a program for delivery of Aboriginal children's dental services that would increase participation and adapt to community needs. In planning the program, levels of participation were quantified and key issues identified through semistructured interviews. After 3.5 years, the participation rate for dental care among the target population increased from 53 to 70 percent. Key areas were identified to encourage further improvements and ensure sustainability in Aboriginal child oral health in this regional location.
The protocol for the Be Our Ally Beat Smoking (BOABS study, a randomised controlled trial of an intensive smoking cessation intervention in a remote Aboriginal Australian health care setting
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Marley Julia V
Full Text Available Abstract Background Australian Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders (Indigenous Australians smoke at much higher rates than non-Indigenous people and smoking is an important contributor to increased disease, hospital admissions and deaths in Indigenous Australian populations. Smoking cessation programs in Australia have not had the same impact on Indigenous smokers as on non-Indigenous smokers. This paper describes the protocol for a study that aims to test the efficacy of a locally-tailored, intensive, multidimensional smoking cessation program. Methods/Design This study is a parallel, randomised, controlled trial. Participants are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smokers aged 16 years and over, who are randomly allocated to a 'control' or 'intervention' group in a 2:1 ratio. Those assigned to the 'intervention' group receive smoking cessation counselling at face-to-face visits, weekly for the first four weeks, monthly to six months and two monthly to 12 months. They are also encouraged to attend a monthly smoking cessation support group. The 'control' group receive 'usual care' (i.e. they do not receive the smoking cessation program. Aboriginal researchers deliver the intervention, the goal of which is to help Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders quit smoking. Data collection occurs at baseline (when they enrol and at six and 12 months after enrolling. The primary outcome is self-reported smoking cessation with urinary cotinine confirmation at 12 months. Discussion Stopping smoking has been described as the single most important individual change Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smokers could make to improve their health. Smoking cessation programs are a major priority in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and evidence for effective approaches is essential for policy development and resourcing. A range of strategies have been used to encourage Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders to quit
Supporting aboriginal knowledge and practice in health care: lessons from a qualitative evaluation of the strong women, strong babies, strong culture program
Lowell, Anne; Kildea, Sue; Liddle, Marlene; Cox, Barbara; Paterson, Barbara
Background The Strong Women, Strong Babies, Strong Culture Program (the Program) evolved from a recognition of the value of Aboriginal knowledge and practice in promoting maternal and child health (MCH) in remote communities of the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. Commencing in 1993 it continues to operate today. In 2008, the NT Department of Health commissioned an evaluation to identify enabling factors and barriers to successful implementation of the Program, and to identify potential ...
Innovations on a shoestring: a study of a collaborative community-based Aboriginal mental health service model in rural Canada
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Graham Douglas
Full Text Available Abstract Background Collaborative, culturally safe services that integrate clinical approaches with traditional Aboriginal healing have been hailed as promising approaches to ameliorate the high rates of mental health problems in Aboriginal communities in Canada. Overcoming significant financial and human resources barriers, a mental health team in northern Ontario is beginning to realize this ideal. We studied the strategies, strengths and challenges related to collaborative Aboriginal mental health care. Methods A participatory action research approach was employed to evaluate the Knaw Chi Ge Win services and their place in the broader mental health system. Qualitative methods were used as the primary source of data collection and included document review, ethnographic interviews with 15 providers and 23 clients; and 3 focus groups with community workers and managers. Results The Knaw Chi Ge Win model is an innovative, community-based Aboriginal mental health care model that has led to various improvements in care in a challenging rural, high needs environment. Formal opportunities to share information, shared protocols and ongoing education support this model of collaborative care. Positive outcomes associated with this model include improved quality of care, cultural safety, and integration of traditional Aboriginal healing with clinical approaches. Ongoing challenges include chronic lack of resources, health information and the still cursory understanding of Aboriginal healing and outcomes. Conclusions This model can serve to inform collaborative care in other rural and Indigenous mental health systems. Further research into traditional Aboriginal approaches to mental health is needed to continue advances in collaborative practice in a clinical setting.
The missing link in Aboriginal care: resource accounting.
Ashton, C W; Duffie-Ashton, Denise
Resource accounting principles provide more effective planning for Aboriginal healthcare delivery through driving best management practices, efficacious techniques for long-term resource allocation, transparency of information and performance measurement. Major improvements to Aboriginal health in New Zealand and Australia were facilitated in the context of this public finance paradigm, rather than cash accounting systems that remain the current method for public departments in Canada. Multiple funding sources and fragmented delivery of Aboriginal healthcare can be remedied through similar adoption of such principles. PMID:18536535
Improving healthcare for Aboriginal Australians through effective engagement between community and health services
Durey, Angela; McEvoy, Suzanne; Swift-Otero, Val; Taylor, Kate; Katzenellenbogen, Judith; Bessarab, Dawn
Background Effectively addressing health disparities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians is long overdue. Health services engaging Aboriginal communities in designing and delivering healthcare is one way to tackle the issue. This paper presents findings from evaluating a unique strategy of community engagement between local Aboriginal people and health providers across five districts in Perth, Western Australia. Local Aboriginal community members formed District Aboriginal Healt...
"They should come out here ...": research findings on lack of local palliative care services for Australian aboriginal people.
McGrath, Pam; Holewa, Hamish; Kail-Buckley, Stasia
Although Aboriginal Australians experience morbidity and mortality rates far greater than that of the wider Australian population, to date, their access to culturally appropriate palliative care services has remained unexplored. This article provides findings from an Australian National Health and Medical Research funded study that documents the availability of palliative care services to Aboriginal peoples of the Northern Territory, Australia. The data were collected through a series of open-ended, qualitative interviews with a cross section of Aboriginal peoples and health professionals conducted during a 2-year period. The findings provide an overview of the palliative care services that are presently available and reflect a serious lack of local, culturally appropriate palliative care services. This research shows the similarities in the struggles and difficulties faced by Australian Aboriginals and Indigenous peoples worldwide. The hope is that the suggestions put forward for improvement will one day be useful for the world's Indigenous peoples. PMID:17502434
Racism and Oral Health Outcomes among Pregnant Canadian Aboriginal Women.
Lawrence, Herenia P; Cidro, Jaime; Isaac-Mann, Sonia; Peressini, Sabrina; Maar, Marion; Schroth, Robert J; Gordon, Janet N; Hoffman-Goetz, Laurie; Broughton, John R; Jamieson, Lisa
This study assessed links between racism and oral health outcomes among pregnant Canadian Aboriginal women. Baseline data were analyzed for 541 First Nations (94.6%) and Métis (5.4%) women in an early childhood caries preventive trial conducted in urban and on-reserve communities in Ontario and Manitoba. One-third of participants experienced racism in the past year determined by the Measure of Indigenous Racism Experience. In logistic regressions, outcomes significantly associated with incidents of racism included: wearing dentures, off-reserve dental care, asked to pay for dental services, perceived need for preventive care, flossing more than once daily, having fewer than 21 natural teeth, fear of going to dentist, never received orthodontic treatment and perceived impact of oral conditions on quality of life. In the context of dental care, racism experienced by Aboriginal women can be a barrier to accessing services. Programs and policies should address racism's insidious effects on both mothers' and children's oral health outcomes. PMID:26853210
The health of older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
LoGiudice, Dina
The health of Aboriginal Australians is poorer than that of all other Indigenous cultures in developed nations, and recent studies suggest high rates of dementia and other conditions that are common in old age. This has implications for health promotion, provision of services and planning for older age in these communities. This article provides an overview on the health of Older Aboriginal Australians. PMID:27155822
Using theory to improve low back pain care in Australian Aboriginal primary care: a mixed method single cohort pilot study
Lin, Ivan B; Coffin, Juli; O'Sullivan, Peter B.
Background Low back pain (LBP) care is frequently discordant with research evidence. This pilot study evaluated changes in LBP care following a systematic, theory informed intervention in a rural Australian Aboriginal Health Service. We aimed to improve three aspects of care; reduce inappropriate LBP radiological imaging referrals, increase psychosocial oriented patient assessment and, increase the provision of LBP self-management information to patients. Methods Three interventions to improv...
The photovoice method: researching the experiences of Aboriginal health workers through photographs.
Wilkin, Alice; Liamputtong, Pranee
This paper discusses the methodological framework and perspectives that were used in a larger study aiming at examining the experience of working life among female Aboriginal health care workers. Currently, the voice of Aboriginal women who work in the Australian health system has not received much attention. In comparison to other occupations and backgrounds, there is virtually no literature on Aboriginal woman health care workers despite 15% of health care and social service industry employees in Australia being Aboriginal. In this study, we selected female participants because of the fact that of these 15% of health workers in the Victorian health system, 76% of them are women. This paper outlines some of the barriers in researching Indigenous communities. These barriers were overcome in this study by framing the research in feminist theory, decolonising theory, empowerment and by employing the photovoice method. The photovoice method was used because it is relatively unobtrusive and has the capacity to be empowering. All data was extrapolated from the participants' own narratives that were prompted by the photographs they had taken. The data produced were rich descriptions and narratives that were oral as well as visual. Finally, the article discusses the experience of using the photovoice method from the researcher and participants' perspective. PMID:20815993
Health literacy in relation to cancer: addressing the silence about and absence of cancer discussion among Aboriginal people, communities and health services.
Treloar, Carla; Gray, Rebecca; Brener, Loren; Jackson, Clair; Saunders, Veronica; Johnson, Priscilla; Harris, Magdalena; Butow, Phyllis; Newman, Christy
Cancer outcomes for Aboriginal Australians are poorer when compared with cancer outcomes for non-Aboriginal Australians despite overall improvements in cancer outcomes. One concept used to examine inequities in health outcomes between groups is health literacy. Recent research and advocacy have pointed to the importance of increasing health literacy as it relates to cancer among Aboriginal people. This study examined individual, social and cultural aspects of health literacy relevant to cancer among Aboriginal patients, carers and their health workers in New South Wales. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 22 Aboriginal people who had been diagnosed with cancer, 18 people who were carers of Aboriginal people with cancer and 16 healthcare workers (eight Aboriginal and eight non-Aboriginal health workers). Awareness, knowledge and experience of cancer were largely absent from people's lives and experiences until they were diagnosed, illustrating the need for cancer awareness raising among Aboriginal people, communities and services. Some beliefs about cancer (particularly equating cancer to death) differed from mainstream Western biomedical views of the body and cancer and this served to silence discussion on cancer. As such, these beliefs can be used to inform communication and help illuminate how beliefs can shape responses to cancer. Participants proposed some practical strategies that could work to fill absences in knowledge and build on beliefs about cancer. These results were characterised by a silence about cancer, an absence of discussions of cancer and an acknowledgement of an already full health agenda for Aboriginal communities. To promote health literacy in relation to cancer would require a multi-layered programme of work involving grass-roots community education, workers and Board members of Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations and speciality cancer services, with a particular focus on programmes to bridge community-based primary
Yarning about health checks: barriers and enablers in an urban Aboriginal medical service.
Jennings, Warren; Spurling, Geoffrey K; Askew, Deborah A
The annual health check for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People has been welcomed as a means of conducting a comprehensive assessment to address preventive health care delivery, identify new diagnoses and initiate new treatments. Rates of health check uptake across Australia have been poor with less than 12% of the eligible population receiving one during 2009/10. This qualitative study sought to identify barriers and enablers to undertaking health checks in an urban Aboriginal Medical Service through semistructured interviews with 25 clinical staff (doctors, nurses and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers). Clinical systems for conducting health checks were unclear to staff, with barriers relating to time pressures for both patients and clinic staff, and lack of clarity about staff responsibilities for initiating and conducting the health check. Additionally some staff perceived some content as sensitive, invasive, culturally inappropriate and of questionable value. Other barriers included concerns about community health literacy, disengagement with preventative health care, and suspicion about confidentiality and privacy. The development of clear service-wide systems that support the conduct of health checks are required to increase uptake, combined with supportive local clinical leadership and audit and feedback systems. Staff training, consideration of culture and roles, and critical review of health check content may improve staff confidence and community acceptance. Community-based health education and promotion is strongly supported by staff to increase client engagement, knowledge and acceptance of the health check. PMID:23552601
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner regulation.
Freckelton, Ian
An aspect of the much needed efforts to "close the gap" in Indigenous health disadvantage in Australia has been workforce reform. This has included targeted training for general practitioners and has also been characterised by sensitising of psychiatrists to the particular mental health needs of persons of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background. It has also incorporated increasing involvement by Indigenous persons in providing health services. In 2012, each Australian State and Territory constituted the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board to regulate and register Indigenous health practitioners. This marked an important recognition of the contribution able to be made by this complementary component of the Australian health workforce which is particularly enabled to understand and meet the needs of Indigenous persons. This column chronicles the first steps of the new regulatory board and identifies issues which face it. PMID:24804527
Improving the provision of pregnancy care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women: a continuous quality improvement initiative
Gibson-Helm, Melanie E.; Rumbold, Alice R; Teede, Helena J; Ranasinha, Sanjeeva; Bailie, Ross S; Jacqueline A. Boyle
Background Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) women are at greater risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes than non-Indigenous women. Pregnancy care has a key role in identifying and addressing modifiable risk factors that contribute to adverse outcomes. We investigated whether participation in a continuous quality improvement (CQI) initiative was associated with increases in provision of recommended pregnancy care by primary health care centers (PHCs) in predominantly I...
Racism and health among urban Aboriginal young people
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Stewart Paul
Full Text Available Abstract Background Racism has been identified as an important determinant of health but few studies have explored associations between racism and health outcomes for Australian Aboriginal young people in urban areas. Methods Cross sectional data from participants aged 12-26 years in Wave 1 of the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service's Young People's Project were included in hierarchical logistic regression models. Overall mental health, depression and general health were all considered as outcomes with self-reported racism as the exposure, adjusting for a range of relevant confounders. Results Racism was reported by a high proportion (52.3% of participants in this study. Self-reported racism was significantly associated with poor overall mental health (OR 2.67, 95% CI 1.25-5.70, p = 0.01 and poor general health (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.03-4.57, p = 0.04, and marginally associated with increased depression (OR 2.0; 95% CI 0.97-4.09, p = 0.06 in the multivariate models. Number of worries and number of friends were both found to be effect modifiers for the association between self-reported racism and overall mental health. Getting angry at racist remarks was found to mediate the relationship between self-reported racism and general health. Conclusions This study highlights the need to acknowledge and address racism as an important determinant of health and wellbeing for Aboriginal young people in urban areas of Australia.
Implementing a working together model for Aboriginal patients with acute coronary syndrome: an Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer and a specialist cardiac nurse working together to improve hospital care.
Daws, Karen; Punch, Amanda; Winters, Michelle; Posenelli, Sonia; Willis, John; MacIsaac, Andrew; Rahman, Muhammad Aziz; Worrall-Carter, Linda
Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) contributes to the disparity in life expectancy between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. Improving hospital care for Aboriginal patients has been identified as a means of addressing this disparity. This project developed and implemented a working together model of care, comprising an Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer and a specialist cardiac nurse, providing care coordination specifically directed at improving attendance at cardiac rehabilitation services for Aboriginal Australians in a large metropolitan hospital in Melbourne. A quality improvement framework using a retrospective case notes audit evaluated Aboriginal patients' admissions to hospital and identified low attendance rates at cardiac rehabilitation services. A working together model of care coordination by an Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer and a specialist cardiac nurse was implemented to improve cardiac rehabilitation attendance in Aboriginal patients admitted with ACS to the cardiac wards of the hospital. A retrospective medical records audit showed that there were 68 Aboriginal patients admitted to the cardiac wards with ACS from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2011. A referral to cardiac rehabilitation was recorded for 42% of these. During the implementation of the model of care, 13 of 15 patients (86%) received a referral to cardiac rehabilitation and eight of the 13 (62%) attended. Implementation of the working together model demonstrated improved referral to and attendance at cardiac rehabilitation services, thereby, has potential to prevent complications and mortality. PMID:25200319
Evaluation of the first strategic plan for Aboriginal health in south western Sydney, 1993-98.
Carriage, C; Harris, E; Kristensen, E
The 1993-98 Aboriginal Health Strategic Plan for South Western Sydney represented the first partnership of its kind between an Area Health Service, local Aboriginal Health Workers and the local Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service in Australia. During 1998, an evaluation of the plan was undertaken as part of the preparation for the second Aboriginal Health Plan. Of the 45 strategies in the first plan, 38% had been fully implemented, 42% had been partly implemented, and 20% were not implemented at all. This paper discusses the importance of data collection and monitoring systems, the integration of Aboriginal health into mainstream services, the further development of Aboriginal health infrastructure, and continued leadership by senior managers. PMID:11186054
A phase II clinical trial of a dental health education program delivered by aboriginal health workers to prevent early childhood caries
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Blinkhorn Fiona
Full Text Available Abstract Background Early Childhood Caries (ECC is a widespread problem in Australian Aboriginal communities causing severe pain and sepsis. In addition dental services are difficult to access for many Aboriginal children and trying to obtain care can be stressful for the parents. The control of dental caries has been identified as a key indictor in the reduction of Indigenous disadvantage. Thus, there is a need for new approaches to prevent ECC, which reflect the cultural norms of Aboriginal communities. Methods/Design This is a Phase II single arm trial designed to gather information on the effectiveness of a dental health education program for Aboriginal children aged 6 months, followed over 2 years. The program will deliver advice from Aboriginal Health Workers on tooth brushing, diet and the use of fluoride toothpaste to Aboriginal families. Six waves of data collection will be conducted to enable estimates of change in parental knowledge and their views on the acceptability of the program. The Aboriginal Health Workers will also be interviewed to record their views on the acceptability and program feasibility. Clinical data on the child participants will be recorded when they are 30 months old and compared with a reference population of similar children when the study began. Latent variable modeling will be used to interpret the intervention effects on disease outcome. Discussion The research project will identify barriers to the implementation of a family centered Aboriginal oral health strategy, as well as the development of evidence to assist in the planning of a Phase III cluster randomized study. Trial registration ACTRN12612000712808
Strategic approaches to enhanced health service delivery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic illness: a qualitative study
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Aspin Clive
Full Text Available Abstract Background Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic illness confront multiple challenges that contribute to their poor health outcomes, and to the health disparities that exist in Australian society. This study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to care and support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic illness. Methods Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with diabetes, chronic heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n-16 and family carers (n = 3. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and the transcripts were analysed using content analysis. Recurrent themes were identified and these were used to inform the key findings of the study. Results Participants reported both negative and positive influences that affected their health and well-being. Among the negative influences, they identified poor access to culturally appropriate health services, dislocation from cultural support systems, exposure to racism, poor communication with health care professionals and economic hardship. As a counter to these, participants pointed to cultural and traditional knowledge as well as insights from their own experiences. Participants said that while they often felt overwhelmed and confused by the burden of chronic illness, they drew strength from being part of an Aboriginal community, having regular and ongoing access to primary health care, and being well-connected to a supportive family network. Within this context, elders played an important role in increasing people's awareness of the impact of chronic illness on people and communities. Conclusions Our study indicated that non-Indigenous health services struggled to meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic illness. To address their complex needs, health services could gain considerably by recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating a Program to Address the Oral Health Needs of Aboriginal Children in Port Augusta, Australia
Misan, G.; Jamieson, L. M.; L. Richards; H. Mills; A. Russell; Shearer, M.; Parker, E J
Aboriginal Australian children experience profound oral health disparities relative to their non-Aboriginal counterparts. In response to community concerns regarding Aboriginal child oral health in the regional town of Port Augusta, South Australia, a child dental health service was established within a Community Controlled Aboriginal Health Service. A partnership approach was employed with the key aims of (1) quantifying rates of dental service utilisation, (2) identifying factors influencin...
From the community to the classroom: the Aboriginal health curriculum at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.
Jacklin, Kristen; Strasser, Roger; Peltier, Ian
More undergraduate medical education programs are including curricula concerning the health, culture and history of Aboriginal people. This is in response to growing international recognition of the large divide in health status between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, and the role medical education may play in achieving health equity. In this paper, we describe the development and delivery of the Aboriginal health curriculum at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM). We describe a process for curriculum development and delivery, which includes ongoing engagement with Aboriginal communities as well as faculty expertise. Aboriginal health is delivered as a core curriculum, and learning is evaluated in summative assessments. Aboriginal health objectives are present in 4 of 5 required courses, primarily in years 1 and 2. Students attend a required 4-week Aboriginal cultural immersion placement at the end of year 1. Resources of Aboriginal knowledge are integrated into learning. In this paper, we reflect on the key challenges encountered in the development and delivery of the Aboriginal health curriculum. These include differences in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal knowledge; risk of reinforcing stereotypes in case presentations; negotiation of curricular time; and faculty readiness and development. An organizational commitment to social accountability and the resulting community engagement model have been instrumental in creating a robust, sustainable program in Aboriginal health at NOSM. PMID:25291039
Prevention and management of chronic disease in Aboriginal and Islander Community Controlled Health Services in Queensland: a quality improvement study assessing change in selected clinical performance indicators over time in a cohort of services
Panaretto, K S; Gardner, K L; Button, S; Carson, A; Schibasaki, R; Wason, G; Baker, D.; Mein, J.; Dellit, A; Lewis, D; Wenitong, M; Ring, I
Objective To evaluate clinical healthcare performance in Aboriginal Medical Services in Queensland and to consider future directions in supporting improvement through measurement, target setting and standards development. Design Longitudinal study assessing baseline performance and improvements in service delivery, clinical care and selected outcomes against key performance indicators 2009–2010. Setting 27 Aboriginal and Islander Community Controlled Health Services (AICCHSs) in Queensland, w...
Identifying Multi-Level Culturally Appropriate Smoking Cessation Strategies for Aboriginal Health Staff: A Concept Mapping Approach
Dawson, Anna P.; Cargo, Margaret; Stewart, Harold; Chong, Alwin; Daniel, Mark
Aboriginal Australians, including Aboriginal Health Workers (AHWs), smoke at rates double the non-Aboriginal population. This study utilized concept mapping methodology to identify and prioritize culturally relevant strategies to promote smoking cessation in AHWs. Stakeholder participants included AHWs, other health service employees and tobacco…
Service providers' perspectives, attitudes and beliefs on health services delivery for Aboriginal people receiving haemodialysis in rural Australia: a qualitative study
Rix, Elizabeth F; Barclay, Lesley; Wilson, Shawn; Stirling, Janelle; Tong, Allison
Objective Providing services to rural dwelling minority cultural groups with serious chronic disease is challenging due to access to care and cultural differences. This study aimed to describe service providers' perspectives on health services delivery for Aboriginal people receiving haemodialysis for end-stage kidney disease in rural Australia. Design Semistructured interviews, thematic analysis Setting A health district in rural New South Wales, Australia Participants Using purposive sampling, 29 renal and allied service providers were recruited, including nephrologists, renal nurses, community nurses, Aboriginal health workers, social workers and managers. Six were Aboriginal and 23 non-Aboriginal. Results Improving cultural understanding within the healthcare system was central to five themes identified: rigidity of service design (outreach, inevitable home treatment failures, pressure of system overload, limited efficacy of cultural awareness training and conflicting priorities in acute care); responding to social complexities (respecting but challenged by family obligations, assumptions about socioeconomic status and individualised care); promoting empowerment, trust and rapport (bridging gaps in cultural understanding, acknowledging the relationship between land, people and environment, and being time poor); distress at late diagnosis (lost opportunities and prioritise prevention); and contending with discrimination and racism (inherent judgement of lifestyle choices, inadequate cultural awareness, pervasive multilevel institutionalised racism and managing patient distrust). Conclusions Service providers believe current services are not designed to address cultural needs and Aboriginality, and that caring for Aboriginal patients receiving haemodialysis should be family focused and culturally safer. An Aboriginal-specific predialysis pathway, building staff cultural awareness and enhancing cultural safety within hospitals are the measures recommended
Appropriate Health Promotion for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities
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Demaio, Alessandro Rhyll; Drysdale, Marlene; de Courten, Maximilian
Health promotion for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and their people has generally had limited efficacy and poor sustainability. It has largely failed to recognise and appreciate the importance of local cultures and continues to have minimal emphasis on capacity......, and their socio-cultural environment, towards better health. This commentary aims to examine and apply the 8 principles of Culturally-Appropriate Health Promotion to the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context. It proposes its widespread adoption as a framework for a more respectful......, collaborative, locally-acceptable and therefore appropriate approach to Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health promotion....
Historical Factors, Discrimination and Oral Health among Aboriginal Australians.
Steffens, Margie; Jamieson, Lisa; Kapellas, Kostas
Discrimination is a very real facet of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) life. Paradies has detailed the strong links between racism and chronic stress and the influence this may have on general health, confounding the pre-supposed notion that ATSI populations are more genetically predisposed to chronic diseases. For example a genetic predisposition promoting central adipose storage in populations with recent (in evolutionary terms) changes to hunter-gatherer dietary patterns is thought to contribute to the higher rates of diabetes seen in ATSI and other Native populations. This relationship, however, is far from causal in any straight-forward way. In support of the work by Paradies, research from the U.S. also shows that racism, both explicit and subtle, contributes to chronic disease and suffering among ethnic minorities. While the exploration of the perceived or self-reported racial discrimination is recent, this concept has increasing evidence to support its relationship to poor health outcomes. PMID:26853197
Picture of the health status of Aboriginal children living in an urban setting of Sydney.
Gardner, Suzie; Woolfenden, Susan; Callaghan, Lola; Allende, Trudy; Winters, Jennifer; Wong, Grace; Caplice, Shea; Zwi, Karen
Objectives The aims of the present study were to: (1) describe the health status and health indicators for urban Aboriginal children (age 0-16 years) in south-east Sydney; and (2) evaluate the quality of routinely collected clinical data and its usefulness in monitoring local progress of health outcomes. Methods Aboriginal maternal and child health routine data, from multiple databases, for individuals accessing maternal and child health services between January 2007 and December 2012 were examined and compared with state and national health indicators. Results Reductions in maternal smoking, premature delivery and low birthweight delivery rates were achieved in some years, but no consistent trends emerged. Paediatric services had increased referrals each year. The most frequent diagnoses were nutritional problems, language delay or disorder and developmental delay or learning difficulties. Twenty per cent of children had a chronic medical condition requiring long-term follow-up. Aboriginal children were more likely to be discharged from hospital against medical advice than non-Aboriginal children. Routinely collected data did not include some information essential to monitor determinants of health and health outcomes. Conclusions Aboriginal children living in this urban setting had high levels of need. Routinely recorded data were suboptimal for monitoring local health status and needed to reflect national and state health indicators. Routinely collected data can identify service gaps and guide service development. What is known about this topic? Despite improvements in some areas, there continue to be significant gaps in maternal and child health outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. These are poorly documented at a local service level. What does this paper add? Intensive, local services offered to Aboriginal women and children can result in rapid service engagement. Health service data routinely collected by local services can be used to
Improving access to primary care for Aboriginal babies in Western Australia: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
McAullay, Daniel; McAuley, Kimberley; Marriott, Rhonda; Pearson, Glenn; Jacoby, Peter; Ferguson, Chantal; Geelhoed, Elizabeth; Coffin, Juli; Green, Charmaine; Sibosado, Selina; Henry, Barbara; Doherty, Dorota; Edmond, Karen
Background Despite a decade of substantial investments in programs to improve access to primary care for Aboriginal mothers and infants, more than 50 % of Western Australian Aboriginal babies are still not receiving primary and preventative care in the early months of life. Western Australian hospitals now input birth data into the Western Australian electronic clinical management system within 48 hours of birth. However, difficulties have arisen in ensuring that the appropriate primary care ...
Maternal health, breast-feeding and infant nutrition in Australian aborigines.
Gracey, M
Undernutrition is widespread in Australian Aboriginal infants and children and is associated with high rates of infections, particularly of the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems. Maternal ill-health and undernutrition seem to be neglected factors which contribute to the high incidence of low birthweight in Aboriginal babies and to their poor growth in the first five years of life. More effective preventive programmes are needed to help overcome these problems. PMID:2514558
The Study of Environment on Aboriginal Resilience and Child Health (SEARCH: study protocol
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Full Text Available Abstract Background Aboriginal Australians have a life expectancy more than ten years less than that of non-Aboriginal Australians, reflecting their disproportionate burden of both communicable and non-communicable disease throughout the lifespan. Little is known about the health and health trajectories of Aboriginal children and, although the majority of Aboriginal people live in urban areas, data are particularly sparse in relation to children living in urban areas. Methods/Design The Study of Environment on Aboriginal Resilience and Child Health (SEARCH is a cohort study of Aboriginal children aged 0-17 years, from urban and large regional centers in New South Wales, Australia. SEARCH focuses on Aboriginal community identified health priorities of: injury; otitis media; vaccine-preventable conditions; mental health problems; developmental delay; obesity; and risk factors for chronic disease. Parents/caregivers and their children are invited to participate in SEARCH at the time of presentation to one of the four participating Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations at Mount Druitt, Campbelltown, Wagga Wagga and Newcastle. Questionnaire data are obtained from parents/caregivers and children, along with signed permission for follow-up through repeat data collection and data linkage. All children have their height, weight, waist circumference and blood pressure measured and complete audiometry, otoscopy/pneumatic otoscopy and tympanometry. Children aged 1-7 years have speech and language assessed and their parents/caregivers complete the Parental Evaluation of Developmental Status. The Study aims to recruit 1700 children by the end of 2010 and to secure resources for long term follow up. From November 2008 to March 2010, 1010 children had joined the study. From those 446 children with complete data entry, participating children ranged in age from 2 weeks to 17 years old, with 144 aged 0-3, 147 aged 4-7, 75 aged 8-10 and 79 aged 11
Acceptability of participatory social network analysis for problem-solving in Australian Aboriginal health service partnerships
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Fuller Jeffrey
Full Text Available Abstract Background While participatory social network analysis can help health service partnerships to solve problems, little is known about its acceptability in cross-cultural settings. We conducted two case studies of chronic illness service partnerships in 2007 and 2008 to determine whether participatory research incorporating social network analysis is acceptable for problem-solving in Australian Aboriginal health service delivery. Methods Local research groups comprising 13–19 partnership staff, policy officers and community members were established at each of two sites to guide the research and to reflect and act on the findings. Network and work practice surveys were conducted with 42 staff, and the results were fed back to the research groups. At the end of the project, 19 informants at the two sites were interviewed, and the researchers conducted critical reflection. The effectiveness and acceptability of the participatory social network method were determined quantitatively and qualitatively. Results Participants in both local research groups considered that the network survey had accurately described the links between workers related to the exchange of clinical and cultural information, team care relationships, involvement in service management and planning and involvement in policy development. This revealed the function of the teams and the roles of workers in each partnership. Aboriginal workers had a high number of direct links in the exchange of cultural information, illustrating their role as the cultural resource, whereas they had fewer direct links with other network members on clinical information exchange and team care. The problem of their current and future roles was discussed inside and outside the local research groups. According to the interview informants the participatory network analysis had opened the way for problem-solving by "putting issues on the table". While there were confronting and ethically
Adherence to management guidelines for growth faltering and anaemia in remote dwelling Australian Aboriginal infants and barriers to health service delivery
Bar-Zeev, Sarah J; Kruske, Sue G; Barclay, Lesley M; Bar-Zeev, Naor; Kildea, Sue V
Background Remote dwelling Aboriginal infants from northern Australia have a high burden of disease and frequently use health services. Little is known about the quality of infant care provided by remote health services. This study describes the adherence to infant guidelines for anaemia and growth faltering by remote health staff and barriers to effective service delivery in remote settings. Methods A mixed method study drew data from 24 semi-structured interviews with clinicians working in ...
Aboriginal Australians' experience of social capital and its relevance to health and wellbeing in urban settings.
Browne-Yung, Kathryn; Ziersch, Anna; Baum, Fran; Gallaher, Gilbert
Social capital has been linked to physical and mental health. While definitions of social capital vary, all include networks of social relationships and refer to the subsequent benefits and disadvantages accrued to members. Research on social capital for Aboriginal Australians has mainly focused on discrete rural and remote Aboriginal contexts with less known about the features and health and other benefits of social capital in urban settings. This paper presents findings from in-depth interviews with 153 Aboriginal people living in urban areas on their experiences of social capital. Of particular interest was how engagement in bonding and bridging networks influenced health and wellbeing. Employing Bourdieu's relational theory of capital where resources are unequally distributed and reproduced in society we found that patterns of social capital are strongly associated with economic, social and cultural position which in turn reflects the historical experiences of dispossession and disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal Australians. Social capital was also found to both reinforce and influence Aboriginal cultural identity, and had both positive and negative impacts on health and wellbeing. PMID:24161085
The Study of Environment on Aboriginal Resilience and Child Health (SEARCH): a long-term platform for closing the gap.
Wright, Darryl; Gordon, Raylene; Carr, Darren; Craig, Jonathan C; Banks, Emily; Muthayya, Sumithra; Wutzke, Sonia; Eades, Sandra J; Redman, Sally
The full potential for research to improve Aboriginal health has not yet been realised. This paper describes an established long-term action partnership between Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs), the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of New South Wales (AH&MRC), researchers and the Sax Institute, which is committed to using high-quality data to bring about health improvements through better services, policies and programs. The ACCHSs, in particular, have ensured that the driving purpose of the research conducted is to stimulate action to improve health for urban Aboriginal children and their families. This partnership established a cohort study of 1600 urban Aboriginal children and their caregivers, known as SEARCH (the Study of Environment on Aboriginal Resilience and Child Health), which is now having significant impacts on health, services and programs for urban Aboriginal children and their families. This paper describes some examples of the impacts of SEARCH, and reflects on the ways of working that have enabled these changes to occur, such as strong governance, a focus on improved health, AH&MRC and ACCHS leadership, and strategies to support the ACCHS use of data and to build Aboriginal capacity. PMID:27421347
Acceptability of Mental Health Apps for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: A Qualitative Study
Mills, Patj Patj Janama Robert; Dingwall, Kylie Maree; Lowell, Anne; Singer, Judy; Rotumah, Darlene; Bennett-Levy, James; Nagel, Tricia
Background Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians experience high rates of mental illness and psychological distress compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. E-mental health tools offer an opportunity for accessible, effective, and acceptable treatment. The AIMhi Stay Strong app and the ibobbly suicide prevention app are treatment tools designed to combat the disproportionately high levels of mental illness and stress experienced within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. Objective This study aimed to explore Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members' experiences of using two culturally responsive e-mental health apps and identify factors that influence the acceptability of these approaches. Methods Using qualitative methods aligned with a phenomenological approach, we explored the acceptability of two culturally responsive e-mental health apps through a series of three 3-hour focus groups with nine Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members. Thematic analysis was conducted and coresearcher and member checking were used to verify findings. Results Findings suggest strong support for the concept of e-mental health apps and optimism for their potential. Factors that influenced acceptability related to three key themes: personal factors (eg, motivation, severity and awareness of illness, technological competence, and literacy and language differences), environmental factors (eg, community awareness, stigma, and availability of support), and app characteristics (eg, ease of use, content, graphics, access, and security and information sharing). Specific adaptations, such as local production, culturally relevant content and graphics, a purposeful journey, clear navigation, meaningful language, options to assist people with language differences, offline use, and password protection may aid uptake. Conclusions When designed to meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, e-mental health
Service providers' perspectives, attitudes and beliefs on health services delivery for Aboriginal people receiving haemodialysis in rural Australia: a qualitative study
Rix, Elizabeth F; Barclay, Lesley; Wilson, Shawn; Stirling, Janelle; Tong, Allison
Objective Providing services to rural dwelling minority cultural groups with serious chronic disease is challenging due to access to care and cultural differences. This study aimed to describe service providers' perspectives on health services delivery for Aboriginal people receiving haemodialysis for end-stage kidney disease in rural Australia. Design Semistructured interviews, thematic analysis Setting A health district in rural New South Wales, Australia Participants Using purposive sampli...
Relationships between Psychosocial Resilience and Physical Health Status of Western Australian Urban Aboriginal Youth
Hopkins, Katrina D.; Shepherd, Carrington C. J.; Catherine L. Taylor; Stephen R Zubrick
Background Psychosocial processes are implicated as mediators of racial/ethnic health disparities via dysregulation of physiological responses to stress. Our aim was to investigate the extent to which factors previously documented as buffering the impact of high-risk family environments on Aboriginal youths' psychosocial functioning were similarly beneficial for their physical health status. Method and Results We examined the relationship between psychosocial resilience and physical health of...
Health care operations management
Carter, M W; Hans, E.W.; Kolisch, R.
Health care operations management has become a major topic for health care service providers and society. Operations research already has and further will make considerable contributions for the effective and efficient delivery of health care services. This special issue collects seven carefully selected papers dealing with optimization and decision analysis problems in the field of health care operations management.
Aboriginal health research in the remote Kimberley: an exploration of perceptions, attitudes and concerns of stakeholders
Mc Loughlin, Frieda; Hadgraft, Nyssa T.; Atkinson, David; Marley, Julia V
Background For decades Indigenous peoples have argued for health research reform claiming methods used and results obtained often reflect the exploitative history of colonisation. In 2006 the Kimberley Aboriginal Health Planning Forum (KAHPF) Research Subcommittee (hereafter, the Subcommittee) was formed to improve research processes in the remote Kimberley region of north Western Australia. This paper explores the major perceptions, attitudes and concerns of stakeholders in the Subcommittee....
Relationships between Psychosocial Resilience and Physical Health Status of Western Australian Urban Aboriginal Youth.
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Katrina D Hopkins
Full Text Available Psychosocial processes are implicated as mediators of racial/ethnic health disparities via dysregulation of physiological responses to stress. Our aim was to investigate the extent to which factors previously documented as buffering the impact of high-risk family environments on Aboriginal youths' psychosocial functioning were similarly beneficial for their physical health status.We examined the relationship between psychosocial resilience and physical health of urban Aboriginal youth (12-17 years, n = 677 drawn from a representative survey of Western Australian Aboriginal children and their families. A composite variable of psychosocial resilient status, derived by cross-classifying youth by high/low family risk exposure and normal/abnormal psychosocial functioning, resulted in four groups- Resilient, Less Resilient, Expected Good and Vulnerable. Separate logistic regression modeling for high and low risk exposed youth revealed that Resilient youth were significantly more likely to have lower self-reported asthma symptoms (OR 3.48, p<.001 and carer reported lifetime health problems (OR 1.76, p<.04 than Less Resilient youth.The findings are consistent with biopsychosocial models and provide a more nuanced understanding of the patterns of risks, resources and adaptation that impact on the physical health of Aboriginal youth. The results support the posited biological pathways between chronic stress and physical health, and identify the protective role of social connections impacting not only psychosocial function but also physical health. Using a resilience framework may identify potent protective factors otherwise undetected in aggregated analyses, offering important insights to augment general public health prevention strategies.
Oral health care for children – a call for action
Rowan-Legg, Anne
Oral health is a fundamental component of overall health. All children and youth should have access to preventive and treatment-based dental care. Canadian children continue to have a high rate of dental disease, and this burden of illness is disproportionately represented by children of lower socioeconomic status, those in Aboriginal communities and new immigrants. In Canada, the proportion of public funding for dental care has been decreasing. This financial pressure has most affected low-i...
Reference genotype and exome data from an Australian Aboriginal population for health-based research.
Tang, Dave; Anderson, Denise; Francis, Richard W; Syn, Genevieve; Jamieson, Sarra E; Lassmann, Timo; Blackwell, Jenefer M
Genetic analyses, including genome-wide association studies and whole exome sequencing (WES), provide powerful tools for the analysis of complex and rare genetic diseases. To date there are no reference data for Aboriginal Australians to underpin the translation of health-based genomic research. Here we provide a catalogue of variants called after sequencing the exomes of 72 Aboriginal individuals to a depth of 20X coverage in ∼80% of the sequenced nucleotides. We determined 320,976 single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and 47,313 insertions/deletions using the Genome Analysis Toolkit. We had previously genotyped a subset of the Aboriginal individuals (70/72) using the Illumina Omni2.5 BeadChip platform and found ~99% concordance at overlapping sites, which suggests high quality genotyping. Finally, we compared our SNVs to six publicly available variant databases, such as dbSNP and the Exome Sequencing Project, and 70,115 of our SNVs did not overlap any of the single nucleotide polymorphic sites in all the databases. Our data set provides a useful reference point for genomic studies on Aboriginal Australians. PMID:27070114
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
This report presents information on Syncrude's efforts and achievements in working with Aboriginal communities and leaders in Alberta since 2002 through its Aboriginal Development Program. The report discusses the six key commitment areas of the Program. First, the report provides an overview of Syncrude's achievements in the area of corporate leadership including participation in the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Industry Advisory Committee; recognition by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business as a leader in Aboriginal relations through the Aboriginal Relations program; supporting the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation; championing the Aboriginal Human Resources Development Council of Canada; membership of the Alberta Chamber of Resources Aboriginal Programs Project; Conference Board of Canada's Council on Corporate Aboriginal Relations; and, chairing the Mining Association of Canada. The report discusses business development of Aboriginal entrepreneurs and business owners including Syncrude's employment targets for Aboriginal employment in the Syncrude workforce. It discusses community development in Aboriginal communities such as long distance learning; the Fort Chipewyan day care centre; the Chipewyan Prairie Dene First Nation Multi-Purpose Community Centre in Janvier; and, an elder care facility in Fort McKay First Nation community. It discusses education and training including the Alberta Aboriginal Apprenticeship Project; Syncrude Aboriginal/Women Education Awards Program; University of Alberta Aboriginal Careers Initiative; and, the Aboriginal Financial Management Internship. The report also discusses Syncrude's consultations with Aboriginal communities on environmental issues such as end-land use, air quality and how further expansion can occur without long-term impacts on traditional land uses. The report also contains questions and answers with Aboriginal leaders to discuss the impact of oil sands development. figs
Prevalence of overweight and obesity and its associated factors in aboriginal Taiwanese: findings from the 2001 National Health Interview Survey in Taiwan.
Ho, Ching-Sung; Tsai, Alan C
The study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of obesity in Taiwanese aborigines and to identify the associated factors. Data for this study were from the "2001 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)" that conducted in-home, face-to-face, interviews on 6,592 households (26,658 persons) of a national probability sample in Taiwan. Aborigine-dense mountainous areas are over-sampled. BMI values were used to indicate obesity status. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine the significance of the association of the variables with the obesity status. Results showed that approximately 10.5% of aboriginal men and 14.5% of women compared to 4.1% and 3.5% of their non-aboriginal counterparts were obese (BMI > 30). An additional 45.1% of aboriginal men and 33.3% of women compared to 27.6% and 17.7% of their non-aboriginal counterparts were overweight (BMI 25-30). Regression analyses revealed few associations with increased risk of obesity in the aborigines. However, the aborigines and non-aborigines were distinctly different from each other in socio-economic status, lifestyle, environmental factors and attitude toward obesity. Results indicate that obesity is more prevalent among the aborigines but the causal reasons are not apparent. The public health authorities should develop more culturally appropriate community-based intervention strategies to promote the health of the aborigines. PMID:17704040
Killing the Mockingbird: Systems Failure and a Radical Hope for Re-Grounding Responsibility and Access to Health Care in a Mallee Town Community
Coldwell, Ian
The plight of Aboriginal health and the question of Aboriginal health care in a remote rural community came into focus when I realised that "the system" was peppered with in-built racist beliefs and values that discriminate against and disadvantage minority groups. Cyborg theory assists the difficulties of explaining the paradoxes that exist for…
"There's a housing crisis going on in Sydney for Aboriginal people": focus group accounts of housing and perceived associations with health
Andersen, Melanie J.; Williamson, Anna B.; Fernando, Peter; Redman, Sally; Vincent, Frank
Background Poor housing is widely cited as an important determinant of the poor health status of Aboriginal Australians, as for indigenous peoples in other wealthy nations with histories of colonisation such as Canada, the United States of America and New Zealand. While the majority of Aboriginal Australians live in urban areas, most research into housing and its relationship with health has been conducted with those living in remote communities. This study explores the views of Aboriginal pe...
This survey encompasses a family of health care provider surveys, including information about the facilities that supply health care, the services rendered, and the characteristics of the patients served.
Bulger, R J
As prefigured in the Greek tragedy Antigone, one of the primary conflicts in contemporary health care is that between humane concern for the individual and concern for society at large and administrative rules. The computerization of the health care system and development of large data bases will create new forms of this conflict that will challenge the self-definition of health care and health care professionals. PMID:2394563
A mental health first aid training program for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: description and initial evaluation
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hart Laura M
Full Text Available Abstract Background Mental Health First Aid (MHFA training was developed in Australia to teach members of the public how to give initial help to someone developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis situation. However, this type of training requires adaptation for specific cultural groups in the community. This paper describes the adaptation of the program to create an Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health First Aid (AMHFA course and presents an initial evaluation of its uptake and acceptability. Methods To evaluate the program, two types of data were collected: (1 quantitative data on uptake of the course (number of Instructors trained and courses subsequently run by these Instructors; (2 qualitative data on strengths, weaknesses and recommendations for the future derived from interviews with program staff and focus groups with Instructors and community participants. Results 199 Aboriginal people were trained as Instructors in a five day Instructor Training Course. With sufficient time following training, the majority of these Instructors subsequently ran 14-hour AMHFA courses for Aboriginal people in their community. Instructors were more likely to run courses if they had prior teaching experience and if there was post-course contact with one of the Trainers of Instructors. Analysis of qualitative data indicated that the Instructor Training Course and the AMHFA course are culturally appropriate, empowering for Aboriginal people, and provided information that was seen as highly relevant and important in assisting Aboriginal people with a mental illness. There were a number of recommendations for improvements. Conclusion The AMHFA program is culturally appropriate and acceptable to Aboriginal people. Further work is needed to refine the course and to evaluate its impact on help provided to Aboriginal people with mental health problems.
A mental health first aid training program for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: description and initial evaluation
Kanowski, Len G; Jorm, Anthony F; Hart, Laura M
Background Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training was developed in Australia to teach members of the public how to give initial help to someone developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis situation. However, this type of training requires adaptation for specific cultural groups in the community. This paper describes the adaptation of the program to create an Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health First Aid (AMHFA) course and presents an initial evaluation of its uptake and acceptability. Methods To evaluate the program, two types of data were collected: (1) quantitative data on uptake of the course (number of Instructors trained and courses subsequently run by these Instructors); (2) qualitative data on strengths, weaknesses and recommendations for the future derived from interviews with program staff and focus groups with Instructors and community participants. Results 199 Aboriginal people were trained as Instructors in a five day Instructor Training Course. With sufficient time following training, the majority of these Instructors subsequently ran 14-hour AMHFA courses for Aboriginal people in their community. Instructors were more likely to run courses if they had prior teaching experience and if there was post-course contact with one of the Trainers of Instructors. Analysis of qualitative data indicated that the Instructor Training Course and the AMHFA course are culturally appropriate, empowering for Aboriginal people, and provided information that was seen as highly relevant and important in assisting Aboriginal people with a mental illness. There were a number of recommendations for improvements. Conclusion The AMHFA program is culturally appropriate and acceptable to Aboriginal people. Further work is needed to refine the course and to evaluate its impact on help provided to Aboriginal people with mental health problems. PMID:19490648
Travel health tips ... and help you avoid problems. Talk to your health care provider or visit a travel clinic 4 - ... or booster) vaccinations before you leave. Ask your health insurance carrier what they will cover (including emergency ...
"I know it's bad for me and yet I do it": exploring the factors that perpetuate smoking in Aboriginal Health Workers - a qualitative study
Dawson Anna P; Cargo Margaret; Stewart Harold; Chong Alwin; Daniel Mark
Abstract Background Aboriginal Health Workers (AHWs) have a mandate to deliver smoking cessation support to Aboriginal people. However, a high proportion of AHWs are smokers and this undermines their delivery of smoking cessation programs. Smoking tobacco is the leading contributor to the burden of disease in Aboriginal Australians and must be prevented. Little is known about how to enable AHWs to quit smoking. An understanding of the factors that perpetuate smoking in AHWs is needed to infor...
Equity in health care and institutional trust: a communitarian view.
Mooney, Gavin; Houston, Shane
Communitarianism acknowledges and values, and not just instrumentally, the bonds that unite and identify communities. Communitarians also value community per se. This paper argues that trust is likely to be stronger in communities where these bonds are greater. Equity in health care is a social phenomenon. In health care, it is apparent that more communitarian societies, such as Scandinavia and within Aboriginal Australia, are likely to value more equity-orientated systems. Where, as in the latter case, this desire for equity takes place against a background of the powerful dominant (white) society treating the minority (black) society as dependent, Aboriginal trust in Australian society and in its public institutions is eroded. Lack of trust and inequity then come to the fore. This paper discusses institutional trust as a facilitator of equity in health care in the specific context of Indigenous health. The example used is Australian Aboriginal health but the principles would apply to other Indigenous populations as in for example South America. PMID:18461246
Donham, Carolyn S.; Maple, Brenda T.; Letsch, Suzanne W.
This regular feature of the journal includes a discussion of each of the following four topics: community hospital statistics; employment, hours, and earnings in the private health sector; health care prices; and national economic indicators. These statistics are valuable in their own right for understanding the relationship between the health care sector and the overall economy. In addition, they allow us to anticipate the direction and magnitude of health care cost changes prior to the avai...
Donham, Carolyn S.; Maple, Brenda T.; Cowan, Cathy A.
This regular feature of the journal includes a discussion of each of the following four topics: community hospital statistics; employment, hours, and earnings in the private health sector; health care prices; and national economic indicators. These statistics are valuable in their own right for understanding the relationship between the health care sector and the overall economy. In addition, they allow us to anticipate the direction and magnitude of health care cost changes prior to the avai...
Donham, Carolyn S.; Maple, Brenda T.; Sensenig, Arthur L.
This regular feature of the journal includes a discussion of each of the following four topics: community hospital statistics; employment, hours, and earnings in the private health sector; health care prices; and national economic indicators. These statistics are valuable in their own right for understanding the relationship between the health care sector and the overall economy. In addition, they allow us to anticipate the direction and magnitude of health care cost changes prior to the avai...
Donham, Carolyn S.; Maple, Brenda T.; Sivarajan, Lekha
This regular feature of the journal includes a discussion of each of the following four topics community hospital statistics; employment, hours, and earnings in the private health sector; health care prices; and national economic indicators. These statistics are valuable in their own right for understanding the relationship between the health care sector and the overall economy. In addition, they allow us to anticipate the direction and magnitude of health care cost changes prior to the avail...
Donham, Carolyn S.; Sensenig, Arthur L.; Heffler, Stephen K.
This regular feature of the journal includes a discussion of each of the following four topics community hospital statistics; employment, hours, and earnings in the private health sector; health care prices; and national economic indicators. These statistics are valuable in their own right for understanding the relationship between the health care sector and the overall economy. In addition, they allow us to anticipate the direction and magnitude of health care cost changes prior to the avail...
Maple, Brenda T.; Cowan, Cathy A.; Donham, Carolyn S.; Letsch, Suzanne W.
This regular feature of the journal includes a section on each of the following four topics: community hospital statistics; employment, hours, and earnings in the private health sector; health care prices; and national economic indicators. These statistics are valuable in their own right for understanding the relationship between the health care sector and the overall economy. In addition, they provide indicators of the direction and magnitude of health care costs prior to the availability of...
Donham, Carolyn S.; Sensenig, Arthur L.; Heffler, Stephen K.
This regular feature of the journal includes a discussion of each of the following four topics: community hospital statistics; employment, hours, and earnings in the private health sector; health care prices; and national economic indicators. These statistics are valuable in their own right for understanding the relationship between the health care sector and the overall economy. In addition, they allow us to anticipate the direction and magnitude of health care cost changes prior to the avai...
Cowan, Cathy A.; Donham, Carolyn S.; Letsch, Suzanne W.; Maple, Brenda T.; Lazenby, Helen C.
This regular feature of the journal includes a section on each of the following four topics: community hospital statistics; employment, hours, and earnings in the private health sector; health care prices; and national economic indicators. These statistics are valuable in their own right for understanding the relationship between the health care sector and the overall economy. In addition, they provide indicators of the direction and magnitude of health care costs prior to the availability of...
Stevens, F; Zee, J. van der
A health care delivery system is the organized response of a society to the health problems of its inhabitants. Societies choose from alternative health care delivery models and, in doing so, they organize and set goals and priorities in such a way that the actions of different actors are effective, meaningful, and socially accepted. From a sociological point of view, the analysis of health care delivery systems implies recognition of their distinct history over time, their specific values an...
Moran, N
OBJECTIVE: To define the special health care needs of Canadian lesbians. DESIGN: A questionnaire containing 61 yes-or-no and multiple-choice questions sought information on six areas: demographics; health care use; habits, diet, and exercise; preventive care; mental health; and physical health. SETTING: The organizational meeting of a lesbian softball league in Toronto. PARTICIPANTS: Of 360 women eligible for the meeting, 205 attended and 195 completed the survey. Questionnaires used for anal...
Key Factors for the Development of a Culturally Appropriate Interactive Multimedia Informative Program for Aboriginal Health Workers
El Sayed, Faeka; Soar, Jeffrey; Wang, Zoe
This research aims to create and evaluate a model for a culturally appropriate, interactive, multimedia and informative health program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers that aims to improve the capacity to independently control their learning within an attractive learning environment. The research also aims to provide…
Methadone, Counselling and Literacy: A health literacy partnership for Aboriginal clients
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Stephen Black
Full Text Available This paper describes a literacy program delivered at the Kirketon Road Centre (KRC, a primary health centre located in Kings Cross, Sydney. KRC was established to meet the health needs of 'at risk' young people, sex workers, and people who inject drugs. The literacy program was initiated from within an Aboriginal health group at KRC, following a request from clients in the group. A teacher from Tranby Aboriginal College delivered the literacy program one afternoon every fortnight over a period of approximately one year. This paper is based on recorded and transcribed 'reflection' discussions undertaken over several months between the literacy teacher, a KRC counsellor and the researcher immediately following the literacy sessions. Of particular interest is the nature of the literacy program and its pedagogical approach which is based largely on the delivery of popularly themed worksheet exercises. These activities represent in some ways an approach to adult literacy education that we term 'autonomous', that is, as a single set of skills generalisable to other life contexts. This pedagogical approach, however, needs to be understood in relation to the social capital outcomes of the course which take into account the complex and varying relationships and networks of the client group. The real value of the course can be seen largely in terms of the social capital outcomes for individual participants.
Stevens, F.; Zee, J. van der
A health care delivery system is the organized response of a society to the health problems of its inhabitants. Societies choose from alternative health care delivery models and, in doing so, they organize and set goals and priorities in such a way that the actions of different actors are effective,
Wound Care in Primary Health Care
Nail Ersoz; Ismail Hakki Ozerhan; Fatih Zor
Wound care starts with occuring of wound. Primary health care wound care important as to affect on quality of healing. It is given information about the types of wounds, brief wound physiopathology and presented the options of wound care to primary health care wound care proffessionals in this article. Wound care must be done in a systematic process by health care professionals. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2008; 7(1.000): 71-74
Wound Care in Primary Health Care
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nail Ersoz
Full Text Available Wound care starts with occuring of wound. Primary health care wound care important as to affect on quality of healing. It is given information about the types of wounds, brief wound physiopathology and presented the options of wound care to primary health care wound care proffessionals in this article. Wound care must be done in a systematic process by health care professionals. [TAF Prev Med Bull. 2008; 7(1: 71-74
Wound Care in Primary Health Care
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nail Ersoz
Full Text Available Wound care starts with occuring of wound. Primary health care wound care important as to affect on quality of healing. It is given information about the types of wounds, brief wound physiopathology and presented the options of wound care to primary health care wound care proffessionals in this article. Wound care must be done in a systematic process by health care professionals. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2008; 7(1.000: 71-74
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Podlekareva, Daria; Reekie, Joanne; Mocroft, Amanda;
ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: State-of-the-art care involving the utilisation of multiple health care interventions is the basis for an optimal long-term clinical prognosis for HIV-patients. We evaluated health care for HIV-patients based on four key indicators. METHODS: Four indicators of health care were...... to North, patients from other regions had significantly lower odds of virological response; the difference was most pronounced for East and Argentina (adjusted OR 0.16[95%CI 0.11-0.23, p care utilization...
Livio Garattini
It is remarkable how health care systems, created over decades and influenced by very different cultures exhibit similar problems. Most health care systems are compartmentalised with managers at margins responding to perverse incentives and seeking to shift patients and costs onto rival organisations. Decision makers behave selfishly, considering the welfare of their own organisations rather than those of the health care system as a whole, and in the absence if evidence about the cost-effecti...
Donham, Carolyn S.; Maple, Brenda T.
Contained in this regular feature of the journal is a section on each of the following four topics: community hospital statistics; employment, hours, and earnings in the private health sector; health care prices; and national economic indicators.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Jacobsen, Christian Bøtcher; Andersen, Lotte Bøgh; Serritzlew, Søren
An important task in governing health services is to control costs. The literatures on both costcontainment and supplier induced demand focus on the effects of economic incentives on health care costs, but insights from these literatures have never been integrated. This paper asks how economic cost...... make health professionals provide more of this service to each patient, but that lower user payment (unexpectedly) does not necessarily mean higher total cost or a stronger association between the number of patients per supplier and the health care utilization. This implies that incentives...... are important, but that economics cannot alone explain the differences in health care utilization....
Experience of menopause in aboriginal women: a systematic review.
Chadha, N; Chadha, V; Ross, S; Sydora, B C
Every woman experiences the menopause transition period in a very individual way. Menopause symptoms and management are greatly influenced by socioeconomic status in addition to genetic background and medical history. Because of their very unique cultural heritage and often holistic view of health and well-being, menopause symptoms and management might differ greatly in aboriginals compared to non-aboriginals. Our aim was to investigate the extent and scope of the current literature in describing the menopause experience of aboriginal women. Our systematic literature review included nine health-related databases using the keywords 'menopause' and 'climacteric symptoms' in combination with various keywords describing aboriginal populations. Data were collected from selected articles and descriptive analysis was applied. Twenty-eight relevant articles were included in our analysis. These articles represent data from 12 countries and aboriginal groups from at least eight distinctive geographical regions. Knowledge of menopause and symptom experience vary greatly among study groups. The average age of menopause onset appears earlier in most aboriginal groups, often attributed to malnutrition and a harsher lifestyle. This literature review highlights a need for further research of the menopause transition period among aboriginal women to fully explore understanding and treatment of menopause symptoms and ultimately advance an important dialogue about women's health care. PMID:26653073
Hawthorne, Henry C; Masterson, David J
Principles of Lean management are being adopted more widely in health care as a way of improving quality and safety while controlling costs. The authors, who are chief executive officers of rural North Carolina hospitals, explain how their organizations are using Lean principles to improve quality and safety of health care delivery. PMID:23802475
World Bank
Health care waste management (HCWM) is a process to help ensure proper hospital hygiene and safety of health care workers and communities. It includes planning and procurement, construction, staff training and behavior, proper use of tools, machines and pharmaceuticals, proper disposal methods inside and outside the hospital, and evaluation. Its many dimensions require a broader focus than ...
Growing up our way: the first year of life in remote Aboriginal Australia.
Kruske, Sue; Belton, Suzanne; Wardaguga, Molly; Narjic, Concepta
In this study, we attempted to explore the experiences and beliefs of Aboriginal families as they cared for their children in the first year of life. We collected family stories concerning child rearing, development, behavior, health, and well-being between each infant's birth and first birthday. We found significant differences in parenting behaviors and child-rearing practices between Aboriginal groups and mainstream Australians. Aboriginal parents perceived their children to be autonomous individuals with responsibilities toward a large family group. The children were active agents in determining their own needs, highly prized, and included in all aspects of community life. Concurrent with poverty, neocolonialism, and medical hegemony, child-led parenting styles hamper the effectiveness of health services. Hence, until the planners of Australia's health systems better understand Aboriginal knowledge systems and incorporate them into their planning, we can continue to expect the failure of government and health services among Aboriginal communities. PMID:22218266
Culturally Competent Service Provision Issues Experienced By Aboriginal People Living With HIV/AIDS
Barlow, Kevin; Loppie, Charlotte; Jackson, Randy; Akan, Margaret; MacLean, Lynne; Reimer, Gwen
Cultural identity is an important factor in how well Aboriginal people respond to HIV/AIDS prevention or, once diagnosed with HIV or AIDS, how it affects their health care. This study explores the cultural skills among service providers who see Aboriginal people living with HIV/AIDS (APHAs) and the perspectives of APHAs. The purpose is to better understand the wellness needs of APHAs and how culturally competent care affects health service access and use. Data collection included face-to-face...
Lifting the burden: a coordinated approach to action on Aboriginal tobacco resistance and control in NSW.
Sarin, Jasmine; Hunt, Jennifer; Ivers, Rowena; Smyth, Colleen
Smoking prevalence continues to be significantly higher among Aboriginal people than non-Aboriginal people, resulting in a range of serious health consequences and inequities. The Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of New South Wales (AHandMRC) and the New South Wales (NSW) Ministry of Health (the Ministry) have worked in partnership to develop The ATRAC Framework: A Strategic Framework for Aboriginal Tobacco Resistance and Control in NSW, in collaboration with Aboriginal communities and a range of stakeholders. The goal of the ATRAC Framework is to reduce smoking prevalence and the harmful impacts of tobacco use among Aboriginal people and communities in NSW. The framework includes reviews of relevant evidence and recommended actions, organised under six areas: leadership, partnerships and coordination; community action, awareness and engagement; workforce development; supportive environments; quitting support; and evidence, evaluation and research. The framework stresses that, to be successful, Aboriginal tobacco resistance and control programs and activities need to be evidence based, coordinated, integrated and involve Aboriginal people and Aboriginal community controlled health organisations in all aspects, from development through to implementation and evaluation. Consultations and evidence reviews highlight the importance of workforce support and development, including the ongoing need for more workers specialising in Aboriginal tobacco resistance and control, as well as ongoing training for all staff involved in delivering care to Aboriginal people. Other key strategies identified in the framework include improving access to nicotine replacement therapy and other medications to support quitting; supporting, strengthening and building on existing innovative community-based programs; and further developing the evidence base. The AHandMRC and the Ministry will continue to work in partnership to drive the use of the ATRAC Framework by all people
Contextual determinants of health behaviours in an aboriginal community in Canada: pilot project
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Joseph Pamela
Full Text Available Abstract Background Rapid change in food intake, physical activity, and tobacco use in recent decades have contributed to the soaring rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD in Aboriginal populations living in Canada. The nature and influence of contextual factors on Aboriginal health behaviours are not well characterized. Methods To describe the contextual determinants of health behaviours associated with cardiovascular risk factors on the Six Nations reserve, including the built environment, access and affordability of healthy foods, and the use of tobacco. In this cross-sectional study, 63 adults from the Six Nations Reserve completed the modified Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS, questionnaire assessing food access and availability, tobacco pricing and availability, and the Environmental Profile of Community Health (EPOCH tool. Results The structured environment of Six Nations Reserve scored low for walkability, street connectivity, aesthetics, safety, and access to walking and cycling facilities. All participants purchased groceries off-reserve, although fresh fruits and vegetables were reported to be available and affordable both on and off-reserve. On average $151/week is spent on groceries per family. Ninety percent of individuals report tobacco use is a problem in the community. Tobacco is easily accessible for children and youth, and only three percent of community members would accept increased tobacco taxation as a strategy to reduce tobacco access. Conclusions The built environment, access and affordability of healthy food and tobacco on the Six Nations Reserve are not perceived favourably. Modification of these contextual factors described here may reduce adverse health behaviours in the community.
Cowan, Cathy A.; Letsch, Suzanne W.; Levit, Katharine R.; Maple, Brenda T.; Stewart, Madie W.
This regular feature of the journal includes a section on each of the following four topics: community hospital statistics; employment, hours, and earnings in the private health sector; prices; and national economic indicators. These statistics are valuable in their own right for understanding the relationship between the health care sector and the overall economy. In addition, they provide indicators of the direction and magnitude of health care costs prior to the availability of more compre...
Donham, Carolyn S.; Letsch, Suzanne W.; Maple, Brenda T.; Singer, Naphtale; Cowan, Cathy A.
Contained in this regular feature of the journal is a section on each of the following four topics community hospital statistics; employment, hours, and earnings in the private health sector; prices; and national economic indicators. These statistics are valuable in their own right for understanding the relationship between the health care sector and the overall economy. In addition, they provide indicators of the direction and magnitude of health care costs prior to the availability of more ...
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Bunkenborg, Mikkel
The liberalization of health care in the course of three decades of 'reform and opening up' has given people in rural China access to a diverse range of treatment options, but the health care system has also been marred by accusations of price hikes, fake pharmaceuticals, and medical malpractice....... This chapter offers an ethnographic description of health as an issue in a Hebei township and it focuses on a popular and a statist response to the perceived inadequacy of the rural health care system. The revival of religious practices in rural China is obviously motivated by many factors, but in the township...... roads to healing. The recent introduction of new rural cooperative medicine in the township represents an attempt to bring the state back in and address popular concern with the cost and quality of health care. While superficially reminiscent of the traditional socialist system, this new state attempt...
... Health Care Font: Aerosol Delivery Oxygen Resources Immunizations Pollution Nutrition Exercise Coming Of Age Older Adults Allergy ... it is so cold it could hurt your skin. Make sure your electrical system doesn't overload ...
American Health Care Association
... Testimony AHCA/NCAL PAC Federal Political Directors Political Events Solutions Facility Operations Affordable Care Act Clinical Emergency Preparedness Finance Health Information Technology Integrity Medicaid Medicare Patient Privacy and ...
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Hollnagel, E.; Braithwaite, J.; Wears, R. L.
Health care is everywhere under tremendous pressure with regard to efficiency, safety, and economic viability - to say nothing of having to meet various political agendas - and has responded by eagerly adopting techniques that have been useful in other industries, such as quality management, lean...... production, and high reliability. This has on the whole been met with limited success because health care as a non-trivial and multifaceted system differs significantly from most traditional industries. In order to allow health care systems to perform as expected and required, it is necessary to have...... engineering's unique approach emphasises the usefulness of performance variability, and that successes and failures have the same aetiology. This book contains contributions from acknowledged international experts in health care, organisational studies and patient safety, as well as resilience engineering...
Rustagi Neeti; Singh Ritesh
Mercury is toxic heavy metal. It has many characteristic features. Health care organizations have used mercury in many forms since time immemorial. The main uses of mercury are in dental amalgam, sphygmomanometers, and thermometers. The mercury once released into the environment can remain for a longer period. Both acute and chronic poisoning can be caused by it. Half of the mercury found in the atmosphere is human generated and health care contributes the substantial part to it. The world ha...
This is an interactive quiz for the team representing the Health Care International (HCI) in an educational game to clarify its role and relationship with other provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and international organizations (IOs) involved in the broad area of humanitarian assistance, relief operations, development and reconstruction in Afghanistan. The educational game involves the following organizations: Health Care International (HCI), Afghan...
Aboriginal medical services cure more than illness: a qualitative study of how Indigenous services address the health impacts of discrimination in Brisbane communities
Baba, Josifini T; Brolan, Claire E; Hill, Peter S
Background Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders persistently experience a significantly lower standard of health in comparison to non-Indigenous Australians. The factors contributing to this disparity are complex and entrenched in a history of social inequality, disempowerment, poverty, dispossession and discrimination. Aboriginal medical services (AMS) provide a culturally appropriate alternative to mainstream medical services as a means to address this health disparity and also advocate f...
Donham, Carolyn S.; Maple, Brenda T.; Lemieux, Jeffrey A.
Contained in this regular feature of the journal is a section on each of the following five topics: community hospital statistics; employment, hours, and earnings in the private health sector; health care prices; hospital skill mix changes: 1980s; and national economic indicators.
Cultural self-efficacy of Canadian nursing students caring for aboriginal patients with diabetes.
Quine, Allisson; Hadjistavropoulos, Heather D; Alberts, Nicole M
Cultural self-efficacy refers to how capable one feels functioning in culturally diverse situations. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of cultural self-efficacy among nursing students, specifically in relation to individuals of Aboriginal ancestry. The authors examined the extent to which intercultural anxiety, intercultural communication, and experience with persons of Aboriginal ancestry predicted two aspects of cultural self-efficacy, namely, knowledge and skills. In this correlational study, non-Aboriginal Canadian nursing students (N = 59) completed a survey assessing these variables. Overall, cultural self-efficacy was rated as moderate by nursing students. Regression analyses indicated that greater intercultural communication skills and experience with persons of Aboriginal ancestry were significant unique predictors of higher cultural knowledge self-efficacy. Greater intercultural communication and lower intercultural anxiety significantly predicted higher cultural skills self-efficacy. The results provide direction to nursing programs interested in facilitating higher levels of cultural self-efficacy among nursing students. PMID:22477719
Health care technology assessment
Goodman, Clifford
The role of technology in the cost of health care is a primary issue in current debates concerning national health care reform. The broad scope of studies for understanding technological impacts is known as technology assessment. Technology policy makers can improve their decision making by becoming more aware, and taking greater advantage, of key trends in health care technology assessment (HCTA). HCTA is the systematic evaluation of the properties, impacts, and other attributes of health care technologies, including: technical performance; clinical safety and efficacy/effectiveness; cost-effectiveness and other economic attributes; appropriate circumstances/indications for use; and social, legal, ethical, and political impacts. The main purpose of HCTA is to inform technology-related policy making in health care. Among the important trends in HCTA are: (1) proliferation of HCTA groups in the public and private sectors; (2) higher standards for scientific evidence concerning technologies; (3) methodological development in cost analyses, health-related quality of life measurement, and consolidation of available scientific evidence (e.g., meta-analysis); (4) emphasis on improved data on how well technologies work in routine practice and for traditionally under-represented patient groups; (5) development of priority-setting methods; (6) greater reliance on medical informatics to support and disseminate HCTA findings.
Medina, J L; De Melo, P C
Quality assurance is a relatively recent concern but already plays a major role in health care management and provision. Quality involves the definition of a comprehensive programme tailored by realistic and effective objectives and norms that include the structured review of procedures (namely clinical audits) and the use of up-to-date protocols. The involvement and motivation of health professionals, together with an adequate internal and external communication strategy, play a key role in the planning and application of these programmes. The use of programmed assessment, based on a solid knowledge of current practice, should have practical implications, optimising procedures in order to improve the quality of care. This commitment towards quality in health care should go far beyond governmental policy and should have clear support from health professionals. PMID:11234496
Identifying multi-level culturally appropriate smoking cessation strategies for Aboriginal health staff: a concept mapping approach.
Dawson, Anna P; Cargo, Margaret; Stewart, Harold; Chong, Alwin; Daniel, Mark
Aboriginal Australians, including Aboriginal Health Workers (AHWs), smoke at rates double the non-Aboriginal population. This study utilized concept mapping methodology to identify and prioritize culturally relevant strategies to promote smoking cessation in AHWs. Stakeholder participants included AHWs, other health service employees and tobacco control personnel. Smoking cessation strategies (n = 74) were brainstormed using 34 interviews, 3 focus groups and a stakeholder workshop. Stakeholders sorted strategies into meaningful groups and rated them on perceived importance and feasibility. A concept map was developed using multi-dimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses. Ten unique clusters of smoking cessation strategies were depicted that targeted individuals, family and peers, community, workplace and public policy. Smoking cessation resources and services were represented in addition to broader strategies addressing social and environmental stressors that perpetuate smoking and make quitting difficult. The perceived importance and feasibility of clusters were rated differently by participants working in health services that were government-coordinated compared with community-controlled. For health service workers within vulnerable populations, these findings clearly implicate a need for contextualized strategies that mitigate social and environmental stressors in addition to conventional strategies for tobacco control. The concept map is being applied in knowledge translation to guide development of smoking cessation programs for AHWs. PMID:23221591
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Marušič Dorjan
Full Text Available In large systems, such as health care, reforms are underway constantly. The article presents a definition of health care reform and factors that influence its success. The factors being discussed range from knowledgeable personnel, the role of involvement of international experts and all stakeholders in the country, the importance of electoral mandate and governmental support, leadership and clear and transparent communication. The goals set need to be clear, and it is helpful to have good data and analytical support in the process. Despite all debates and experiences, it is impossible to clearly define the best approach to tackle health care reform due to a different configuration of governance structure, political will and state of the economy in a country.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Hasman, Andreas; Hope, Tony; Østerdal, Lars Peter
The argument that scarce health care resources should be distributed so that patients in 'need' are given priority for treatment is rarely contested. In this paper, we argue that if need is to play a significant role in distributive decisions it is crucial that what is meant by need can be precis......The argument that scarce health care resources should be distributed so that patients in 'need' are given priority for treatment is rarely contested. In this paper, we argue that if need is to play a significant role in distributive decisions it is crucial that what is meant by need can...... be precisely articulated. Following a discussion of the general features of health care need, we propose three principal interpretations of need, each of which focuses on separate intuitions. Although this account may not be a completely exhaustive reflection of what people mean when they refer to need...
Food choices and practices during pregnancy of immigrant and Aboriginal women in Canada: a study protocol
Higginbottom Gina MA; Vallianatos Helen; Forgeron Joan; Gibbons Donna; Malhi Rebecca; Mamede Fabiana
Abstract Background Facilitating the provision of appropriate health care for immigrant and Aboriginal populations in Canada is critical for maximizing health potential and well-being. Numerous reports describe heightened risks of poor maternal and birth outcomes for immigrant and Aboriginal women. Many of these outcomes may relate to food consumption/practices and thus may be obviated through provision of resources which suit the women's ethnocultural preferences. This project aims to unders...
Adaptation of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire for Remote Aboriginal Australia.
D'Aprano, Anita; Silburn, Sven; Johnston, Vanessa; Robinson, Gary; Oberklaid, Frank; Squires, Jane
A key challenge to providing quality developmental care in remote Aboriginal primary health care (PHC) centers has been the absence of culturally appropriate developmental screening instruments. This study focused on the cross-cultural adaptation of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires, 3rd edition (ASQ-3), with careful attention to language and culture. We aimed to adapt the ASQ-3 for use with remote dwelling Australian Aboriginal children, and to investigate the cultural appropriateness and feasibility of the adapted ASQ-3 for use in this context. We undertook a qualitative study in two remote Australian Aboriginal communities, using a six-step collaborative adaptation process. Aboriginal Health Workers (AHWs) were trained to use the adapted ASQ-3, and follow-up interviews examined participants' views of the cultural acceptability and usefulness of the adapted instrument. The adapted ASQ-3 was found to have high face validity and to be culturally acceptable and relevant to parents, AHWs, and early childhood development experts. PMID:25488936
Understanding your health care costs
... as X-rays or MRIs Rehab, physical or occupational therapy, or chiropractic care Mental health, behavioral health, or substance abuse care Hospice, home health, skilled nursing, or durable medical equipment Prescription drugs Dental and ...
Moore, Kim
This paper provides first-time grant writers with suggestions on how to approach a private funding source. While intended for rural health care advocates, the remarks are equally applicable for educators and others. The rural crisis has produced many heart-rending stories about medically indigent people, but there is a lack of reliable statistics…
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Vrangbæk, Karsten; Byrkjeflot, Haldor
adjustment of such frameworks. In this article we present a framework for analyzing accountability within health care. The paper makes use of the concept of "accountability regime" to signify the combination of different accountability forms, directions and functions at any given point in time. We show...
Australian Aboriginal Astronomy: Overview
Norris, Ray P
The traditional cultures of Aboriginal Australians include a significant astronomical component, perpetuated through oral tradition, ceremony, and art. This astronomical component includes a deep understanding of the motion of objects in the sky, and this knowledge was used for practical purposes, such as constructing calendars. There is also evidence that traditional Aboriginal Australians made careful records and measurements of cyclical phenomena, paid careful attention to unexpected phenomena such as eclipses and meteorite impacts, and could determine the cardinal points to an accuracy of a few degrees.
"Unwell while Aboriginal": iatrogenesis in Australian medical education and clinical case management
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ewen SC
Full Text Available Shaun C Ewen,1 David Hollinsworth2 1Melbourne Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 2Indigenous Studies, Faculty of Arts, Business and Law, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia Introduction: Attention to Aboriginal health has become mandatory in Australian medical education. In parallel, clinical management has increasingly used Aboriginality as an identifier in both decision making and reporting of morbidity and mortality. This focus is applauded in light of the gross inequalities in health outcomes between indigenous people and other Australians. Methods: A purposive survey of relevant Australian and international literature was conducted to map the current state of play and identify concerns with efforts to teach cultural competence with Aboriginal people in medical schools and to provide "culturally appropriate" clinical care. The authors critically analyzed this literature in light of their experiences in teaching Aboriginal studies over six decades in many universities to generate examples of iatrogenic effects and possible responses. Results and discussion: Understanding how to most effectively embed Aboriginal content and perspectives in curriculum and how to best teach and assess these remains contested. This review canvasses these debates, arguing that well-intentioned efforts in medical education and clinical management can have iatrogenic impacts. Given the long history of racialization of Aboriginal people in Australian medicine and the relatively low levels of routine contact with Aboriginal people among students and clinicians, the review urges caution in compounding these iatrogenic effects and proposes strategies to combat or reduce them. Conclusion: Long overdue efforts to recognize gaps and inadequacies in medical education about Aboriginal people and their health and to provide equitable health services
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
The relationship between Syncrude Canada Ltd., and the aboriginal people of Northeast Alberta was discussed. In 1970, Syncrude began development of its oil sands mega-project in the Fort McMurray region. Since then, the company has worked in partnership with the aboriginal communities to maximize their productive participation in the oil sands. Syncrude has provided opportunities in employment, education, and business and community development. Their goals for aboriginal employment are: (1) to attain 10 per cent aboriginal employees in the Company's direct workforce, and (2) to attain 13 per cent aboriginal employees in the overall workforce, including contractors. Currently, Syncrude Canada employs 315 aboriginal people in various career positions. The Company is also committed to the protection of the environment. As proof of this commitment, when a mine site is reclaimed, the Company does all that is required to ensure that the land can support both industry and traditional land uses such as hunting, fishing and trapping. Syncrude also works on air quality issues dealing with odors and sulfur dioxide emissions as shown by a two million dollar company-sponsored program to examine local air quality and its effect on people and their health. figs
Health care and health care delivery in Greenland
Niclasen, Birgit; Mulvad, Gert
Objectives. To describe the health care system and health care delivery in Greenland. Study design and method. This was a literature study that included literature and articles searched in PubMed published from 1989 to 2009 about health care in Greenland. Results. The health care system is a publicly financed governmental responsibility. Its major challenges are limited economic resources, Greenland's demographic structure, rapid epidemiological changes, increased public demand for specialize...
Economies through Application of Nonmedical Primary-Preventative Health: Lessons from the Healthy Country Healthy People Experience of Australia's Aboriginal People.
Campbell, David
The World Health Organization reports noncommunicable disease as a global pandemic. While national and international health research/policy bodies, such as the World Health Organization and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, emphasize the importance of preventative health, there is a continuing distortion in the allocation of resources to curative health as a result of government failure. Government failure is, in part, the result of a political response to individual preference for certainty in receiving treatment for specific health conditions, rather than the uncertainty of population-based preventative intervention. This has led to a failure to engage with those primary causative factors affecting chronic disease, namely the psychosocial stressors, in which the socioeconomic determinants are an important component. Such causal factors are open to manipulation through government policies and joint government-government, government-private cooperation through application of nonmedical primary-preventative health policies. The health benefits of Aboriginal people in traditional land management, or caring-for-country, in remote to very remote Australia, is used to exemplify the social benefits of nonmedical primary-preventative health intervention. Such practices form part of the "healthy country, health people" concept that is traditionally relied upon by Indigenous peoples. Possible health and wider private good and public good social benefits are shown to occur across multiple disciplines and jurisdictions with the possibility of substantial economies. General principles in the application of nonmedical primary-preventative health activities are developed through consideration of the experience of Afboriginal people participation in traditional caring-for-country. PMID:27482574
Economies through Application of Nonmedical Primary-Preventative Health: Lessons from the Healthy Country Healthy People Experience of Australia's Aboriginal People
Campbell, David
The World Health Organization reports noncommunicable disease as a global pandemic. While national and international health research/policy bodies, such as the World Health Organization and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, emphasize the importance of preventative health, there is a continuing distortion in the allocation of resources to curative health as a result of government failure. Government failure is, in part, the result of a political response to individual preference for certainty in receiving treatment for specific health conditions, rather than the uncertainty of population-based preventative intervention. This has led to a failure to engage with those primary causative factors affecting chronic disease, namely the psychosocial stressors, in which the socioeconomic determinants are an important component. Such causal factors are open to manipulation through government policies and joint government-government, government-private cooperation through application of nonmedical primary-preventative health policies. The health benefits of Aboriginal people in traditional land management, or caring-for-country, in remote to very remote Australia, is used to exemplify the social benefits of nonmedical primary-preventative health intervention. Such practices form part of the "healthy country, health people" concept that is traditionally relied upon by Indigenous peoples. Possible health and wider private good and public good social benefits are shown to occur across multiple disciplines and jurisdictions with the possibility of substantial economies. General principles in the application of nonmedical primary-preventative health activities are developed through consideration of the experience of Afboriginal people participation in traditional caring-for-country.
Economies through Application of Nonmedical Primary-Preventative Health: Lessons from the Healthy Country Healthy People Experience of Australia's Aboriginal People.
Campbell, David
The World Health Organization reports noncommunicable disease as a global pandemic. While national and international health research/policy bodies, such as the World Health Organization and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, emphasize the importance of preventative health, there is a continuing distortion in the allocation of resources to curative health as a result of government failure. Government failure is, in part, the result of a political response to individual preference for certainty in receiving treatment for specific health conditions, rather than the uncertainty of population-based preventative intervention. This has led to a failure to engage with those primary causative factors affecting chronic disease, namely the psychosocial stressors, in which the socioeconomic determinants are an important component. Such causal factors are open to manipulation through government policies and joint government-government, government-private cooperation through application of nonmedical primary-preventative health policies. The health benefits of Aboriginal people in traditional land management, or caring-for-country, in remote to very remote Australia, is used to exemplify the social benefits of nonmedical primary-preventative health intervention. Such practices form part of the "healthy country, health people" concept that is traditionally relied upon by Indigenous peoples. Possible health and wider private good and public good social benefits are shown to occur across multiple disciplines and jurisdictions with the possibility of substantial economies. General principles in the application of nonmedical primary-preventative health activities are developed through consideration of the experience of Afboriginal people participation in traditional caring-for-country. PMID:27534723
Setting and meeting priorities in Indigenous health research in Australia and its application in the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health
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Anderson Ian PS
Full Text Available Abstract Priority setting is about making decisions. Key issues faced during priority setting processes include identifying who makes these decisions, who sets the criteria, and who benefits. The paper reviews the literature and history around priority setting in research, particularly in Aboriginal health research. We explore these issues through a case study of the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health (CRCAH's experience in setting and meeting priorities. Historically, researchers have made decisions about what research gets done. Pressures of growing competition for research funds and an increased public interest in research have led to demands that appropriate consultation with stakeholders is conducted and that research is of benefit to the wider society. Within Australian Aboriginal communities, these demands extend to Aboriginal control of research to ensure that Aboriginal priorities are met. In response to these demands, research priorities are usually agreed in consultation with stakeholders at an institutional level and researchers are asked to develop relevant proposals at a project level. The CRCAH's experience in funding rounds was that scientific merit was given more weight than stakeholders' priorities and did not necessarily result in research that met these priorities. After reviewing these processes in 2004, the CRCAH identified a new facilitated development approach. In this revised approach, the setting of institutional priorities is integrated with the development of projects in a way that ensures the research reflects stakeholder priorities. This process puts emphasis on identifying projects that reflect priorities prior to developing the quality of the research, rather than assessing the relevance to priorities and quality concurrently. Part of the CRCAH approach is the employment of Program Managers who ensure that stakeholder priorities are met in the development of research projects. This has enabled
Setting and meeting priorities in Indigenous health research in Australia and its application in the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal health.
Monk, Johanna M; Rowley, Kevin G; Anderson, Ian Ps
Priority setting is about making decisions. Key issues faced during priority setting processes include identifying who makes these decisions, who sets the criteria, and who benefits. The paper reviews the literature and history around priority setting in research, particularly in Aboriginal health research. We explore these issues through a case study of the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health (CRCAH)'s experience in setting and meeting priorities.Historically, researchers have made decisions about what research gets done. Pressures of growing competition for research funds and an increased public interest in research have led to demands that appropriate consultation with stakeholders is conducted and that research is of benefit to the wider society. Within Australian Aboriginal communities, these demands extend to Aboriginal control of research to ensure that Aboriginal priorities are met.In response to these demands, research priorities are usually agreed in consultation with stakeholders at an institutional level and researchers are asked to develop relevant proposals at a project level. The CRCAH's experience in funding rounds was that scientific merit was given more weight than stakeholders' priorities and did not necessarily result in research that met these priorities. After reviewing these processes in 2004, the CRCAH identified a new facilitated development approach. In this revised approach, the setting of institutional priorities is integrated with the development of projects in a way that ensures the research reflects stakeholder priorities.This process puts emphasis on identifying projects that reflect priorities prior to developing the quality of the research, rather than assessing the relevance to priorities and quality concurrently. Part of the CRCAH approach is the employment of Program Managers who ensure that stakeholder priorities are met in the development of research projects. This has enabled researchers and stakeholders to come
Outbreaks in Health Care Settings.
Sood, Geeta; Perl, Trish M
Outbreaks and pseudo-outbreaks in health care settings can be complex and should be evaluated systematically using epidemiologic tools. Laboratory testing is an important part of an outbreak evaluation. Health care personnel, equipment, supplies, water, ventilation systems, and the hospital environment have been associated with health care outbreaks. Settings including the neonatal intensive care unit, endoscopy, oncology, and transplant units are areas that have specific issues which impact the approach to outbreak investigation and control. Certain organisms have a predilection for health care settings because of the illnesses of patients, the procedures performed, and the care provided. PMID:27515142
What factors contribute to positive early childhood health and development in Australian Aboriginal children? Protocol for a population-based cohort study using linked administrative data (The Seeding Success Study)
Falster, Kathleen; Jorm, Louisa; Eades, Sandra; Lynch, John; Banks, Emily; Brownell, Marni; Craven, Rhonda; Einarsdóttir, Kristjana; Randall, Deborah
Introduction Australian Aboriginal children are more likely than non-Aboriginal children to have developmental vulnerability at school entry that tracks through to poorer literacy and numeracy outcomes and multiple social and health disadvantages in later life. Empirical evidence identifying the key drivers of positive early childhood development in Aboriginal children, and supportive features of local communities and early childhood service provision, are lacking. Methods and analysis The st...
International health care spending.
Schieber, G J; Puollier, J P
Trends in health are reviewed for the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) covering the following: the basic difficulties inherent in international comparative studies; the absolute levels of health expenditures in 1984; the levels and rates of growth of the health share in the gross domestic product (GDP) and the public share of total health expenditures; the elasticities of real health expenditures to real GDP for the 1960-75, 1975-84, and 1960-84 time periods; growth in health expenditures for the largest 7 OECD countries in terms of growth in population, health prices, health care prices in excess of overall prices, and utilization/intensity of services per person. International comparisons are a problem due to differences in defining the boundaries of the health sector, the heterogeneity of data, and methodological problems arising from comparing different economic, demographic, cultural, and institutional structures. The most difficult problem in international comparisons of health expenditures is lack of appropriate measures of health outcome. Exhibit 1 contains per capita health expenditures denominated in US dollars based on GDP purchasing power parities for 21 OECD countries for 1984. Per capita health expenditures ranged from less than $500 in Greece, Portugal, and Spain to over $1400 in Sweden and the US, with an OECD average of $871. After adjusting for price level differences, there still appears to be a greater than 3-fold difference in the "volume" of services consumed across the OECD countries. To determine if per capita health expenditures are related to a country's wealth as measured by its per capita GDP, the relationship between per capita health expenditures and per capita GDP for the 21 countries were examined for 1984. The data points and the "best fitting" trend line indicate a statistically significant relationship in which each $100 difference in per capita GDP is associated with a $10
Frize, Monique
Part II of Health Care Engineering begins with statistics on the occurrence of medical errors and adverse events, and includes some technological solutions. A chapter on electronic medical records follows. The knowledge management process divided into four steps is described; this includes a discussion on data acquisition, storage, and retrieval. The next two chapters discuss the other three steps of the knowledge management process (knowledge discovery, knowledge translation, knowledge integration and sharing). The last chapter briefly discusses usability studies and clinical trials.This two-
Is there an Aboriginal bioethic?
Garvey, G; Towney, P; McPhee, J R; Little, M; Kerridge, I H
It is well recognised that medicine manifests social and cultural values and that the institution of healthcare cannot be structurally disengaged from the sociopolitical processes that create such values. As with many other indigenous peoples, Aboriginal Australians have a lower heath status than the rest of the community and frequently experience the effects of prejudice and racism in many aspects of their lives. In this paper the authors highlight values and ethical convictions that may be held by Aboriginal peoples in order to explore how health practitioners can engage Aboriginal patients in a manner that is more appropriate. In doing so the authors consider how the ethics, values, and beliefs of the dominant white Australian culture have framed the treatment and delivery of services that Aboriginal people receive, and whether sufficient effort has been made to understand or acknowledge the different ethical predispositions that form the traditions and identity of Aboriginal Australia(ns). PMID:15574447
Not just bricks and mortar: planning hospital cancer services for Aboriginal people
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Durey Angela
Full Text Available Abstract Background Aboriginal people in Australia experience higher mortality from cancer compared with non-Aboriginal Australians, despite an overall lower incidence. A notable contributor to this disparity is that many Aboriginal people do not take up or continue with cancer treatment which almost always occurs within major hospitals. Thirty in-depth interviews with urban, rural and remote Aboriginal people affected by cancer were conducted between March 2006 and September 2007. Interviews explored participants' beliefs about cancer and experiences of cancer care and were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and coded independently by two researchers. NVivo7 software was used to assist data management and analysis. Information from interviews relevant to hospital services including and building design was extracted. Findings Relationships and respect emerged as crucial considerations of participants although many aspects of the hospital environment were seen as influencing the delivery of care. Five themes describing concerns about the hospital environment emerged: (i being alone and lost in a big, alien and inflexible system; (ii failure of open communication, delays and inefficiency in the system; (iii practicalities: costs, transportation, community and family responsibilities; (iv the need for Aboriginal support persons; and (v connection to the community. Conclusions Design considerations and were identified but more important than the building itself was the critical need to build trust in health services. Promotion of cultural safety, support for Aboriginal family structures and respecting the importance of place and community to Aboriginal patients are crucial in improving cancer outcomes.
Development of mental health first aid guidelines for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experiencing problems with substance use: a Delphi study
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Kingston Anna H
Full Text Available Abstract Background Problems with substance use are common in some Aboriginal communities. Although problems with substance use are associated with significant mortality and morbidity, many people who experience them do not seek help. Training in mental health first aid has been shown to be effective in increasing knowledge of symptoms and behaviours associated with seeking help. The current study aimed to develop culturally appropriate guidelines for providing mental health first aid to an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person who is experiencing problem drinking or problem drug use (e.g. abuse or dependence. Methods Twenty-eight Aboriginal health experts participated in two independent Delphi studies (n = 22 problem drinking study, n = 21 problem drug use; 15 participated in both. Panellists were presented with statements about possible first aid actions via online questionnaires and were encouraged to suggest additional actions not covered by the content. Statements were accepted for inclusion in the guidelines if they were endorsed by ≥ 90% of panellists as either 'Essential' or 'Important'. At the end of the two Delphi studies, participants were asked to give feedback on the value of the project and their participation experience. Results From a total of 735 statements presented over two studies, 429 were endorsed (223 problem drinking, 206 problem drug use. Statements were grouped into sections based on common themes (n = 7 problem drinking, n = 8 problem drug use, then written into guideline documents. Participants evaluated the Delphi method employed, and the guidelines developed, as useful and appropriate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Conclusions Aboriginal health experts were able to reach consensus about culturally appropriate first aid for problems with substance use. Many first aid actions endorsed in the current studies were not endorsed in previous international Delphi studies, conducted on problem
Types of health care providers
Physicians; Nurses; Health care providers; Doctors; Pharmacists ... with a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO). NURSING CARE Registered nurses (RNs) have graduated from a nursing program, have ...
Women Veterans Health Care: Frequently Asked Questions
... Apps More Health Care Veterans Health Administration Health Benefits Health Benefits Home Apply for VA Care Apply Online ... Job with VA Health Care Jobs (VA Careers) Travel Nurses Get Job Help Vets in the Workplace ...
Responding to racism: insights on how racism can damage health from an urban study of Australian Aboriginal people.
Ziersch, Anna M; Gallaher, Gilbert; Baum, Fran; Bentley, Michael
This paper examines responses to racism and the pathways through which racism can affect health and wellbeing for Aboriginal people living in an urban environment. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in 2006/07 with 153 Aboriginal people living in Adelaide, Australia. Participants were asked about their experience of, and responses to, racism, and the impact of these experiences on their health. Racism was regularly experienced by 93% of participants. Almost two thirds of people felt that racism affected their health. Using a thematic analysis with a particular focus on how agency and structure interacted, a number of key reactions and responses to racism were identified. These included: emotional and physiological reactions; and responses such as gaining support from social networks; confronting the person/situation; ignoring it; avoiding situations where they might experience racism; 'minimising' the significance or severity of racism or questioning whether incidents were racist; and consuming alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. A further theme was a conscious decision to not 'allow' racism to affect health. Our study found that most people used more than one of these coping strategies, and that strategies were selected with an awareness of positive and negative health impacts. While individuals demonstrated substantial agency in their responses, there were clear structural constraints on how they reacted and responded. We found that not only was racism potentially detrimental to health, but so too were some responses. However, while some strategies appeared 'healthier' than others, most strategies entailed costs and benefits, and these depended on the meanings of responses for individuals. This paper concludes that initiatives to promote health-protective responses to racism need to consider structural constraints and the overarching goal of reducing systemic racism. PMID:21835522
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
G. Alan Tarr
Full Text Available President Barack Obama proposed a major overhaul of the American healthsystem, and in 2010 the U.S. Congress enacted his proposal, the PatientProtection and Affordable Care Act. Opponents of the Act challenged itsconstitutionality in federal court, claiming that it exceeds the powers grantedto the federal government under the Commerce Clause and the NecessaryProper Clause of the federal Constitution. Some courts have upheldthe law, but others have agreed with the critics, in particular ruling thatthe provision requiring citizens to buy health insurance is unconstitutional.Eventually the U.S. Supreme Court will rule on the issue. This article tracesthe controversy, surveys the interpretation of pertinent constitutional provisionsin past cases, analyzes the constitutional arguments presented byproponents and opponents of the Act, and concludes that the Act is constitutional.
Edgar, Andrew; Pattison, Stephen
The purpose of this paper is to offer an account of 'flourishing' that is relevant to health care provision, both in terms of the flourishing of the individual patient and carer, and in terms of the flourishing of the caring institution. It is argued that, unlike related concepts such as 'happiness', 'well-being' or 'quality of life', 'flourishing' uniquely has the power to capture the importance of the vulnerability of human being. Drawing on the likes of Heidegger and Nussbaum, it is argued that humans are at once beings who are autonomous and thereby capable of making sense of their lives, but also subject to the contingencies of their bodies and environments. To flourish requires that one engages, imaginatively and creatively, with those contingencies. The experience of illness, highlighting the vulnerability of the human being, thereby becomes an important experience, stimulating reflection in order to make sense of one's life as a narrative. To flourish, it is argued, is to tell a story of one's life, realistically engaging with vulnerability and suffering, and thus creating a framework through which one can meaningful and constructively go on with one's life. PMID:26846370
Pastoralist health care in Kenya
Duba, Huka H.; Mur-Veeman, Ingrid M; van Raak, Arno
Abstract Health care for the Kenyan pastoralist people has serious shortcomings and it must be delivered under difficult circumstances. Often, the most basic requirements cannot be met, due to the limited accessibility of health care provisions to pastoralists. This adds major problems to the daily struggle for life, caused by bad climatic circumstances, illiteracy and poverty. We argue that strong, integrated and community based primary health care could provide an alternative for these inad...
Building better research partnerships by understanding how Aboriginal health communities perceive and use data: a semistructured interview study
Young, Christian; Tong, Allison; Sherriff, Simone; Kalucy, Deanna; Fernando, Peter; Muthayya, Sumithra; Craig, Jonathan C
Objective To describe the attitudes and beliefs of health professionals working in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) towards the access, usage and potential value of routinely obtained clinical and research data. Design, setting and participants Face-to-face, semistructured interviews were conducted with 35 health professionals from 2 urban and 1 regional ACCHS in New South Wales. The interviews were transcribed and themes were identified using an adapted grounded theory approach. Results Six major themes were identified: occupational engagement (day-to-day relevance, contingent on professional capacity, emphasising clinical relevance), trust and assurance (protecting ownership, confidence in narratives, valuing local sources), motivation and empowerment (engaging the community, influencing morale, reassuring and encouraging clients), building research capacity (using cultural knowledge, promoting research aptitude, prioritising specific data), optimising service provision (necessity for sustainable services, guiding and improving services, supporting best practice), and enhancing usability (ensuring ease of comprehension, improving efficiency of data management, valuing accuracy and accessibility). Conclusions Participants were willing to learn data handling procedures that could further enhance health service delivery and enable more ACCHS-led research, but busy workloads restrict these opportunities. Staff held concerns regarding the translation of research data into beneficial services, and believed that the outcome and purpose of data collection could be communicated more clearly. Promoting research partnerships, ensuring greater awareness of positive health data and the purposes of data collection, and communicating data in a user-friendly format are likely to encourage greater data use, build research capacity and improve health services within the Aboriginal community. PMID:27113239
Health care in correctional facilities.
Thorburn, K M
More than 1.3 million adults are in correctional facilities, including jails and federal and state prisons, in the United States. Health care of the inmates is an integral component of correctional management. Health services in correctional facilities underwent dramatic improvements during the 1970s. Public policy trends beginning in the early 1980s substantially affected the demographics and health status of jail and prison populations and threatened earlier gains in the health care of inma...
System-Level Action Required for Wide-Scale Improvement in Quality of Primary Health Care: Synthesis of Feedback from an Interactive Process to Promote Dissemination and Use of Aggregated Quality of Care Data
Bailie, Jodie; Laycock, Alison; Matthews, Veronica; Bailie, Ross
Introduction There is an enduring gap between recommended practice and care that is actually delivered; and there is wide variation between primary health care (PHC) centers in delivery of care. Where aspects of care are not being done well across a range of PHC centers, this is likely due to inadequacies in the broader system. This paper aims to describe stakeholders' perceptions of the barriers and enablers to addressing gaps in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander chronic illne...
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
In Slovakia a strange approach to the purchase of health care equipment has not been limited to ophthalmology. Suspicious procurements are symptomatic. This applies also to specialisation where the correct spending of money can make the difference between life and death and can greatly effect the quality of life. More than a year ago, the Ministry of Health started the procurement of linear accelerators for oncology units in three hospitals. This plan placed on the market a potential order worth more than 11 million EUR without VAT. Three companies produce this complex equipment. The US company, Varian, the German company, Siemens, and the Swedish company, Elekta. Three suppliers, three hospitals. What a coincidence that each hospital - in Presov, Banska Bystrica and Bratislava - received only one envelope with an offer. Each from a different supplier. If anyone wanted to prove that the suppliers did not agree on a common approach, he would soon get into trouble. Each tender was organized by Pro-Tender, Kosice. The tender for the purchase of linear accelerators observed all the legal regulations. For each hospital there was only one offer and so it won. No-one complained, because each company got an order. Amedis Piestany will deliver a Varian product to Bystrica. In Narodny onkologicky ustav in Bratislava the winner was Transkontakt with Elekta products. And in Presov it was Ad Rem from Dunajska Streda that succeeded. The small company owned by a local vet joined up with Siemens and is now opening the doors of state-owned and regional hospitals to the company. (authors)
... Population Sex Men's Health Women's Health State and Territorial Data Reproductive Health Contraceptive Use Infertility Reproductive Health ... Term Care Providers Nursing Home Care Residential Care Communities Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services National Association ...
Health care's service fanatics.
Merlino, James I; Raman, Ananth
The Cleveland Clinic has long had a reputation for medical excellence. But in 2009 the CEO acknowledged that patients did not think much of their experience there and decided to act. Since then the Clinic has leaped to the top tier of patient-satisfaction surveys, and it now draws hospital executives from around the world who want to study its practices. The Clinic's journey also holds Lessons for organizations outside health care that must suddenly compete by creating a superior customer experience. The authors, one of whom was critical to steering the hospital's transformation, detail the processes that allowed the Clinic to excel at patient satisfaction without jeopardizing its traditional strengths. Hospital leaders: Publicized the problem internally. Seeing the hospital's dismal service scores shocked employees into recognizing that serious flaws existed. Worked to understand patients' needs. Management commissioned studies to get at the root causes of dissatisfaction. Made everyone a caregiver. An enterprisewide program trained everyone, from physicians to janitors, to put the patient first. Increased employee engagement. The Clinic instituted a "caregiver celebration" program and redoubled other motivational efforts. Established new processes. For example, any patient, for any reason, can now make a same-day appointment with a single call. Set patients' expectations. Printed and online materials educate patients about their stays--before they're admitted. Operating a truly patient-centered organization, the authors conclude, isn't a program; it's a way of life. PMID:23898737
Collaborative Health Care Plan Support
Amir, Ofra; Grosz, Barbara J.; Law, Edith Lok Man; Stern, Roni
This paper envisions a multi-agent system that assists patients and their health care providers. This system would support a diverse, evolving team in formulating, monitoring and revising a shared "care plan" that operates on multiple time scales in uncertain environments. It would also enhance communication of health information within this planning framework. The coordination of care for children with complex conditions (CCC), which is a compelling societal need, is presented as a model env...
Soviet health care and perestroika.
Schultz, D S; Rafferty, M P
Health and health care in the Soviet Union are drawing special attention during these first years of perestroika, Mikhail Gorbachev's reform of Soviet political and economic life. This report briefly describes the current state of Soviet health and medical care, Gorbachev's plans for reform, and the prospects for success. In recent years the Soviet Union has experienced a rising infant mortality rate and declining life expectancy. The health care system has been increasingly criticized for its uncaring providers, low quality of care, and unequal access. The proposed measures will increase by 50 percent the state's contribution to health care financing, encourage private medicine on a small scale, and begin experimentation with capitation financing. It seems unlikely that the government will be able to finance its share of planned health improvements, or that private medicine, constrained by the government's tight control, will contribute much in the near term. Recovery of the Soviet economy in general as well as the ability of health care institutions to gain access to Western materials will largely determine the success of reform of the Soviet health care system. PMID:2297064
Spasojević-Kosić Ljubica; Savić Sara
There are two basic aspects of hunting dog's health care: infectious diseases of hunting dogs and dog's hunting performance. Concerning infectious diseases of hunting dogs, special attention is paid to public health, preventing possible dangers that could possibly arise. On the other hand, hunting performance of dogs depends on their nutrition. A complete analysis of hunting dogs' health care in our country requires an assessment of awareness level in hunte...
Aboriginal Gambling and Problem Gambling: A Review
Breen, Helen; Gainsbury, Sally
The prevention of gambling-related problems amongst Aboriginal communities has been neglected by most public health strategies which concentrate on mainstream populations. Research indicates that rates of problem gambling are higher for Aboriginal groups than the general population. Specific cultural, familial, and social patterns influence gambling by Aboriginal groups, which are individually different, making it difficult to implement a cohesive strategy to address gambling-related harms. B...
The health care information directive
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Goel Vivek
Full Text Available Abstract Background Developments in information technology promise to revolutionise the delivery of health care by providing access to data in a timely and efficient way. Information technology also raises several important concerns about the confidentiality and privacy of health data. New and existing legislation in Europe and North America may make access to patient level data difficult with consequent impact on research and health surveillance. Although research is being conducted on technical solutions to protect the privacy of personal health information, there is very little research on ways to improve individuals power over their health information. This paper proposes a health care information directive, analogous to an advance directive, to facilitate choices regarding health information disclosure. Results and Discussion A health care information directive is described which creates a decision matrix that combines the ethical appropriateness of the use of personal health information with the sensitivity of the data. It creates a range of possibilities with in which individuals can choose to contribute health information with or without consent, or not to contribute information at all. Conclusion The health care information directive may increase individuals understanding of the uses of health information and increase their willingness to contribute certain kinds of health information. Further refinement and evaluation of the directive is required.
Fitzgerald factor deficiency in an Australian aborigine.
Exner, T; Barber, S; Naujalis, J
This case reports the first description of Fitzgerald factor (high molecular weight kininogen) deficiency in Australia. Since this homozygous abnormality was found in an Aborigine it is suggested that the defective gene may be prevalent in some tribes and that abnormal results of clotting tests in Aborigines should be investigated carefully. PMID:3574180
[A Maternal Health Care System Based on Mobile Health Care].
Du, Xin; Zeng, Weijie; Li, Chengwei; Xue, Junwei; Wu, Xiuyong; Liu, Yinjia; Wan, Yuxin; Zhang, Yiru; Ji, Yurong; Wu, Lei; Yang, Yongzhe; Zhang, Yue; Zhu, Bin; Huang, Yueshan; Wu, Kai
Wearable devices are used in the new design of the maternal health care system to detect electrocardiogram and oxygen saturation signal while smart terminals are used to achieve assessments and input maternal clinical information. All the results combined with biochemical analysis from hospital are uploaded to cloud server by mobile Internet. Machine learning algorithms are used for data mining of all information of subjects. This system can achieve the assessment and care of maternal physical health as well as mental health. Moreover, the system can send the results and health guidance to smart terminals. PMID:27382731
Health Care Provider Value Chain
Kawczynski, Lukasz; Taisch, Marco
In every society there is a need for an efficient health care system. This paper aims to propose a value definition and a value chain model within the health care. In order to define value patients and experts were surveyed. The proposed definition offers a complex way of looking at the value within the health care sector. The proposal of the value chain model is anticipated with a value stream mapping activities and experts interviews. Proposed model offers consistent way of looking at the v...
Merkel, Jayne
Construction of health care facilities hit an all-time high in 2002 totalling about $16 billion of work. As baby boomers age health care construction will soar, because seniors are the largest consumers of health care The top five firms--Perkins & Will, HDR, HKS, NBBJ, and Ellerbe Becket--monopolize about 20 percent of the work. H.R. 1 increases Medicare payments to rural hospitals by $25 billion over 10 years--so help is on the way for facilities that are languishing. PMID:15077503
Improving the accuracy of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal disease notification rates using data linkage
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Watkins Rochelle E
Full Text Available Abstract Background Routinely collected infectious disease surveillance data provide a valuable means to monitor the health of populations. Notifiable disease surveillance systems in Australia have consistently reported high levels of completeness for the demographic data fields of age and sex, but low levels of completeness for Aboriginality data. Significant amounts of missing data associated with case notifications can introduce bias in the estimation of disease rates by population subgroups. The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the use of data linkage to improve the accuracy of estimated notification rates for sexually transmitted infections (STIs and blood borne viruses (BBVs in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal groups in Western Australia. Methods Probabilistic methods were used to link disease notification data received in Western Australia in 2004 with core population health datasets from the established Western Australian Data Linkage System. A comparative descriptive analysis of STI and BBV notification rates according to Aboriginality was conducted based on the original and supplemented notification datasets. Results Using data linkage, the proportion of STI and BBV notifications with missing Aboriginality data was reduced by 74 per cent. Compared with excluding notifications with unknown Aboriginality data from the analysis, or apportioning notifications with unknown Aboriginality based on the proportion of cases with known Aboriginality, the rate ratios of chlamydia, syphilis and hepatitis C among Aboriginal relative to non-Aboriginal people decreased when Aboriginality data from data linkage was included. Conclusion Although there is still a high incidence of STIs and BBVs in Aboriginal people, incompleteness of Aboriginality data contributes to overestimation of the risk associated with Aboriginality for these diseases. Data linkage can be effectively used to improve the accuracy of estimated disease notification rates.
Adherence and health care costs
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Iuga AO
Full Text Available Aurel O Iuga,1,2 Maura J McGuire3,4 1Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2Johns Hopkins University, 3Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, 4Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA Abstract: Medication nonadherence is an important public health consideration, affecting health outcomes and overall health care costs. This review considers the most recent developments in adherence research with a focus on the impact of medication adherence on health care costs in the US health system. We describe the magnitude of the nonadherence problem and related costs, with an extensive discussion of the mechanisms underlying the impact of nonadherence on costs. Specifically, we summarize the impact of nonadherence on health care costs in several chronic diseases, such as diabetes and asthma. A brief analysis of existing research study designs, along with suggestions for future research focus, is provided. Finally, given the ongoing changes in the US health care system, we also address some of the most relevant and current trends in health care, including pharmacist-led medication therapy management and electronic (e-prescribing. Keywords: patient, medication, adherence, compliance, nonadherence, noncompliance, cost
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — A list of all Home Health Agencies that have been registered with Medicare. The list includes addresses, phone numbers, and quality measure ratings for each agency.
... top Ensuring Quality Care As with any important purchase, it is wise to talk with friends, neighbors, ... dentures, eyeglasses, canes, walkers, hearing aids, etc. Possible behavior problems and how best to handle them Mobility ...
Distributed leadership in health care
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Günzel-Jensen, Franziska; Jain, Ajay K.; Kjeldsen, Anne Mette
Management and health care literature is increasingly preoccupied with leadership as a collective social process, and related leadership concepts such as distributed leadership have therefore recently gained momentum. This paper investigates how formal, i.e. transformational, transactional...
Lesbian and bisexual health care.
Mathieson, C. M.
OBJECTIVE: To explore lesbian and bisexual women's experiences with their family physicians to learn about barriers to care and about how physicians can provide supportive care. DESIGN: Qualitative study that was part of a larger study of lesbian and bisexual women's health care. SETTING: The province of Nova Scotia, both urban and rural counties. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-eight self-identified lesbian or bisexual women who volunteered through snowball sampling. Women were interviewed by lesbian, ...
Australian Aboriginal Astronomy - An Overview
Norris, Ray P.; Hamacher, Duane W.
The traditional cultures of Aboriginal Australians include a significant astronomical component, perpetuated through oral tradition, ceremony, and art. This astronomical component includes a deep understanding of the motion of objects in the sky, and this knowledge was used for practical purposes such as constructing calendars. There is also evidence that traditional Aboriginal Australians made careful records and measurements of cyclical phenomena, paid careful attention to unexpected phenomena such as eclipses and meteorite impacts, and could determine the cardinal points to an accuracy of a few degrees.
[Corruption and health care system].
Marasović Šušnjara, Ivana
Corruption is a global problem that takes special place in health care system. A large number of participants in the health care system and numerous interactions among them provide an opportunity for various forms of corruption, be it bribery, theft, bureaucratic corruption or incorrect information. Even though it is difficult to measure the amount of corruption in medicine, there are tools that allow forming of the frames for possible interventions. PMID:26016214
Health care system in bangladesh
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Dibyajyoti Saha
Full Text Available Pharmacists are healthcare professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use. The role of pharmacist has shifted from the classical "lick, stick and pour" dispensary role, to being an integrated member of the health care team directly involved in patient care. But, in our country pharmacists are mainly engaged with manufacturing of drugs, which is secondary responsibility of pharmacist.
Health care system in bangladesh
Dibyajyoti Saha,
Pharmacists are healthcare professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use. The role of pharmacist has shifted from the classical "lick, stick and pour" dispensary role, to being an integrated member of the health care team directly involved in patient care. But, in our country pharmacists are mainly engaged with manufacturing of drugs, which is secondary responsibility of pharmacist.
Aborigines, colonizers and newcomers: the landscape of transcultural psychiatry research in Australia.
Zubaran, Carlos; Foresti, Katia; de Moore, Gregory
The authors present an analysis of transcultural psychiatry research in relation to three main population groups in Australia: Aboriginal Australians, documented immigrants, and refugees. The pioneering reports produced by Western psychiatrists in Aboriginal communities are examined in this article. Additional quantitative and qualitative studies developed with Aboriginal people in the context of a traumatic acculturation process are also reviewed. Subsequently, the authors examine the challenges faced by immigrants with mental disorders in a health care system still unequipped to treat a new array of clinical presentations unfamiliar to the clinical staff. The authors also highlight the development of policies aimed at providing quality mental health care to a mosaic of cultures in an evolving multicultural society. Lastly, the psychiatric manifestations of refugees and asylum seekers are analysed in the context of a series of vulnerabilities and deprivations they have experienced, including basic human rights. PMID:24002948
Health care entrepreneurship: financing innovation.
Grazier, Kyle L; Metzler, Bridget
Entrepreneurship is often described as the ability to create new ventures from new or existing concepts, ideas and visions. There has been significant entrepreneurial response to the changes in the scientific and social underpinnings of health care services delivery. However, a growing portion of the economic development driving health care industry expansion is threatened further by longstanding use of financing models that are suboptimal for health care ventures. The delayed pace of entrepreneurial activity in this industry is in part a response to the general economy and markets, but also due to the lack of capital for new health care ventures. The recent dearth of entrepreneurial activities in the health services sector may also due to failure to consider new approaches to partnerships and strategic ventures, despite their mutually beneficial organizational and financing potential. As capital becomes more scarce for innovators, it is imperative that those with new and creative ideas for health and health care improvement consider techniques for capital acquisition that have been successful in other industries and at similar stages of development. The capital and added expertise can allow entrepreneurs to leverage resources, dampen business fluctuations, and strengthen long term prospects. PMID:16583848
Agents of Change for Health Care Reform
Buchanan, Larry M.
It is widely recognized throughout the health care industry that the United States leads the world in health care spending per capita. However, the chilling dose of reality for American health care consumers is that for all of their spending, the World Health Organization ranks the country's health care system 37th in overall performance--right…
The Astronomy of Aboriginal Australia
Norris, Ray P
The traditional cultures of Aboriginal Australians include a significant astronomical component, which is usually reported in terms of songs or stories associated with stars and constellations. Here we argue that the astronomical components extend further, and include a search for meaning in the sky, beyond simply mirroring the earth-bound understanding. In particular, we have found that traditional Aboriginal cultures include a deep understanding of the motion of objects in the sky, and that this knowledge was used for practical purposes such as constructing calendars. We also present evidence that traditional Aboriginal Australians made careful records and measurements of cyclical phenomena, and paid careful attention to unexpected phenomena such as eclipses and meteorite impacts.
Aboriginal Gambling and Problem Gambling: A Review
Breen, Helen; Gainsbury, Sally
The prevention of gambling-related problems amongst Aboriginal communities has been neglected by most public health strategies which concentrate on mainstream populations. Research indicates that rates of problem gambling are higher for Aboriginal groups than the general population. Specific cultural, familial, and social patterns influence…
Primary health care quality and diabetes care
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Marcelo Rodrigues Gonçalves
Full Text Available Objective: To investigate the association between primary health care (PHC quality and diabetes mellitus (DM management in adult patients living within the catchment area of PHC services in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Methods: Cross-sectional, population-based study of adults reporting known diabetes. Quality of PHC was assessed through the Primary Care Assesment Tool (PCATool-Brazil. Statistical analyses were performed with Poisson regression with robust variance. Results: Of the 3,014 adults interviewed, 205 (6.8% reported having diabetes; of these, 64.4% were women and 68.3% were white. Regarding PHC score of the health service attended, people with diabetes that were classified with a high PHC score, presented longer duration of disease (10.9 vs 8.4 anos, p=0.03 and greater frequency of diabetes-related complications (75.3% vs 58.8%, p=0.02. Regarding the proportion of respondents with good glycemic control, no significant difference between groups was found (31.7% vs 38%, p=0.3. In the multivariate analysis, services with a high PHC score presented a better profile of care for the prevention of the main comorbidities – greater blood pressure assessment (PR=1.07; CI95% 1.01-1.14, lipid profile request (PR=1.23; CI95% 1.09-1.39, counseling for physical activity (PR=1.50; CI95% 1.21-1.86, foot examination (PR=2.08; CI95% 1.54-2,81, and counseling for foot care (PR=1.37; CI95% 1.18-1.59. Conclusion: High PHC score services showed better performance in the management of diabetes and care for more complicated patients, but they did not differ significantly from lower PHC score services in terms of patients' glycemic control.
Babesiosis for Health Care Providers
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts
This podcast will educate health care providers on diagnosing babesiosis and providing patients at risk with tick bite prevention messages. Created: 4/25/2012 by Center for Global Health, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria. Date Released: 4/25/2012.
Campos-Outcalt, Douglas; Janoff, Edward
An extensively organized, centrally controlled system, aimed at equalizing and improving the distribution and quality of medical services according to population and geography, characterizes the modern Cuban health care complex. Facilities of increasing sophistication are located in urban areas while an expanding series of ambulatory, multipotential polyclinics attempts to provide most health services in both urban and rural settings.
Oral health and social and emotional well-being in a birth cohort of Aboriginal Australian young adults
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Cairney Sheree J
Full Text Available Abstract Background Social and emotional well-being is an important component of overall health. In the Indigenous Australian context, risk indicators of poor social and emotional well-being include social determinants such as poor education, employment, income and housing as well as substance use, racial discrimination and cultural knowledge. This study sought to investigate associations between oral health-related factors and social and emotional well-being in a birth cohort of young Aboriginal adults residing in the northern region of Australia's Northern Territory. Methods Data were collected on five validated domains of social and emotional well-being: anxiety, resilience, depression, suicide and overall mental health. Independent variables included socio-demographics, dental health behaviour, dental disease experience, oral health-related quality of life, substance use, racial discrimination and cultural knowledge. Results After adjusting for other covariates, poor oral health-related items were associated with each of the social and emotional well-being domains. Specifically, anxiety was associated with being female, having one or more decayed teeth and racial discrimination. Resilience was associated with being male, having a job, owning a toothbrush, having one or more filled teeth and knowing a lot about Indigenous culture; while being female, having experienced dental pain in the past year, use of alcohol, use of marijuana and racial discrimination were associated with depression. Suicide was associated with being female, having experience of untreated dental decay and racial discrimination; while being female, having experience of dental disease in one or more teeth, being dissatisfied about dental appearance and racial discrimination were associated with poor mental health. Conclusion The results suggest there may be value in including oral health-related initiatives when exploring the role of physical conditions on Indigenous
Health disparities and health care financing: restructuring the American health care system.
Diggs, Schnequa N
For more than seven decades there has been a systematic disregard for the health needs of certain groups of individuals. Discrepancies in treatment and privilege based on race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, class, and socio-economic status have been significant players in any portrait of American health care and have helped frame considerations of those who deserve and those undeserving of quality health care. Continuous incidences of inequitable health care practices strongly suggest a need for drastic changes in our current health care system. Although growing interest in social inequalities in health preside, health policy makers struggle to find appropriate intervention strategies to alleviate health disparities. The purpose of this article is to depict a clearer portrait of the American health care system within the context of health disparities and recognize intervention strategies to reduce/eliminate health care disparities. This article concludes with suggestions on how to refinance the American health care system based on equality principles. PMID:22894023
... Information 2015 taxes & your health insurance Reconcile your premium tax credit Finding and using your 1095-A ... your state. Email address is invalid. Mobile phone number is invalid. You need to at least fill ...
Rural migration and health care
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Svendsen, Gunnar Lind Haase; Jensen, Marit Vatn
This literature study focuses on possible links between access to health services and migration in rural areas. Why do people move to or from rural areas or why do they stay? What determines where people settle? And, in this context, do local health care services play an important or minor role......, or no role at all? First, the paper reports on key findings from rural migration studies, in order to shed light on two migration trends: urbanization and counter-urbanization. Then we take a closer look on settlement preferences in rural areas, including the impact of health care facilities. Finally, we end...... up with a more deepgoing review of the relatively small number of studies, which explicitly deal with settlement preferences related to access to health care....
Oral health care for children - a call for action.
Rowan-Legg, Anne
Oral health is a fundamental component of overall health. All children and youth should have access to preventive and treatment-based dental care. Canadian children continue to have a high rate of dental disease, and this burden of illness is disproportionately represented by children of lower socioeconomic status, those in Aboriginal communities and new immigrants. In Canada, the proportion of public funding for dental care has been decreasing. This financial pressure has most affected low-income families, who are also less likely to have dental insurance. Publicly funded provincial/territorial dental plans for Canadian children are limited and show significant variability in their coverage. There is sound evidence that preventive dental visits improve oral health and reduce later costs, and good evidence that fluoridation therapy decreases the rate of dental caries, particularly in high-risk populations. Paediatricians and family physicians play an important role in identifying children at high risk for dental disease and in advocating for more comprehensive and universal dental care for children. PMID:24381493
The health care information directive
Goel Vivek; Upshur Ross EG
Abstract Background Developments in information technology promise to revolutionise the delivery of health care by providing access to data in a timely and efficient way. Information technology also raises several important concerns about the confidentiality and privacy of health data. New and existing legislation in Europe and North America may make access to patient level data difficult with consequent impact on research and health surveillance. Although research is being conducted on techn...
"If it wasn't for OTDs, there would be no AMS": overseas-trained doctors working in rural and remote Aboriginal health settings.
Gilles, Marisa T; Wakerman, John; Durey, Angela
Australian-trained doctors are often reluctant to work in rural and remote areas and overseas-trained doctors (OTDs) are recruited to practise in many rural Aboriginal medical services. This paper focuses on recent research carried out in Australia to analyse factors affecting OTDs' professional, cultural and social integration and examine their training and support needs. Ten case studies were conducted throughout Australia with OTDs, which also included interviews with spouses/partners, professional colleagues, co-workers, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members associated with the health service. Key themes emerging from the data across all informants included the need to better address recruitment, orientation and cross-cultural issues; the importance of effective communication and building community and institutional relationships, both with the local health service and the broader medical establishment. PMID:18980561
Competition in the Dutch Health Care Sector
Schut, Erik
textabstractFor more than two decades, Dutch health policy has been marked by a search for a suitable market order in health care. Suitable in the sense of maintaining universal access, containing the growth of health care expenditure and improving the technical and allocative efficiency of health care delivery. This search was spurred by the seemingly uncontrollable escalation of health care expenditure during the early 1970s. The solution initially put forward to control health care cost in...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
BM Hegde
Full Text Available The modern medical facilities in India are of such good quality that the National Health Service of the UK is negotiating with many corporate hospitals in India to get their patients on the long waiting lists to be flown to India for elective surgery. Be that as it may, health is not contigent on the availability of medical technology but contigent on basic provisions; clean water, three square meals a day, freedom from the effects of pollution and the skills to earn a living.
... Other Hazards (Lack of) PPE Slips/Trips/Falls Stress Tuberculosis Universal Precautions Workplace Violence Use of Medical Lasers Health Effects Use ... Needlesticks Noise Mercury Inappropriate PPE Slips/Trips/Falls ... of Universal Precautions Workplace Violence For more information, see Other Healthcare Wide ...
Eleftheriadis, Pavlos
What does it mean to say that there is a right to health care? Health care is part of a cooperative project that organizes finite resources. How are these resources to be distributed? This essay discusses three rival theories. The first two, a utilitarian theory and an interst theory, are both instrumental, in that they collapse rights to good states of affairs. A third theory, offered by Thomas Pogge, locates the question within an institutional legal context and distinguishes between a right to health care that results in claimable duties and other dimensions of health policy that do not. Pogge's argument relies on a list of "basic needs," which itself, however, relies on some kind of instrumental reasoning. The essay offers a reconstruction of Pogge's argument to bring it in line with a political conception of a right to health care. Health is a matter of equal liberty and equal citizenship, given our common human vulnerability. If we are to live as equal members in a political community, then our institutions need to create processes by which we are protected from the kinds of suffering that would make it impossible for us to live as equal members. PMID:22789045
[Accreditation in health care].
Fügedi, Gergely; Lám, Judit; Belicza, Éva
Besides the rapid development of healing procedures and healthcare, efficiency of care, institutional performance and safe treatment are receiving more and more attention in the 21st century. Accreditation, a scientifically proven tool for improving patient safety, has been used effectively in healthcare for nearly a hundred years, but only started to spread worldwide since the 1990s. The support and active participation of medical staff are determining factors in operating and getting accross the nationally developed, upcoming Hungarian accreditation system. However, this active assistance cannot be expected without the participants' understanding of the basic goals and features of the system. The presence of the ISO certification in Hungary, well-known by healthcare professionals, further complicates the understanding and orientation among quality management and improvement systems. This paper aims to provide an overview of the history, goals, function and importance of healthcare accreditation, and its similarities and differences regarding ISO certification. PMID:26772826
Health care clinics in Cambodia.
Wollschlaeger, K
Under the Pol Pot Khmer Rouge regime, most physicians with clinical experience were either killed or fled the country. The few practitioners who managed to survive were forced to hide their knowledge; much of that knowledge and experience is now lost. As part of a general process of national rehabilitation, Cambodia has trained since the 1980s hundreds of physicians and physician assistants. There were 700 physicians, 1300 physician assistants, and 4000 nurses in the country by 1992. Problems do, however, remain with medical education in Cambodia. In particular, the medical texts and lectures are in French, a language which very few of the younger generation speak; instructional texts are designed to meet the needs of developing nations, not a rehabilitating one like Cambodia; emphasis is upon curative health care, hospitals, and vertical programs instead of primary and preventive health care; Cambodian physicians are used to a system based upon the division of patients by ability to pay instead of by age, disease, or need; corruption has grown as the cost of living has outstripped the level of official salaries; and there is neither professional contact, feedback, nor program evaluation within health care programs. The authors is a resident in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Chicago who worked at two clinics during a stay in Phnom Penh. She recommends that instead of simply training more doctors, these training-related problems should be addressed, including a revision of the curriculum to include both primary health care medicine and psychiatry. Moreover, people in Cambodia need to be taught the importance of preventive health care, which should then reduce the number of visits to physicians. This process will be accomplished more effectively with the cooperation of physicians, the government, nongovernmental organizations, and international organizations associated with health care. PMID:7787486
Child Health USA 2013: Prenatal Care Utilization
... Health Services Utilization > Prenatal Care Utilization Prenatal Care Utilization Narrative Early and adequate prenatal care helps to ... 20.3 6.0 Adequacy of Prenatal Care Utilization Upon Initiation, * by Maternal Race/Ethnicity, 2011 Race/ ...
A 'cold-case' review of historic aboriginal and European-Australian encounters with toxic blooms of cyanobacteria.
Sadgrove, Nicholas John
Interest in preserving the cultural knowledge of Aboriginal Australians continues to rise. Various studies have erupted which aim to redefine knowledge that was once lost or obscured in writing and hitherto ignored. Recognising and acknowledging the traditional Aboriginal knowledge of the Australian environment helps to strengthen Aboriginal identity and gives credibility to the rising paradigm of ecotechnology in historic pre-European Australia. This review aims to establish knowledge of a traditional awareness of factors leading towards eutrophication in water resource management. Journals from pioneering explorers were examined for evidence of cyanobacterial blooms and examples of Aboriginal water resource management practices that aimed at avoiding health threats from poor water quality. Some cultural practices, focused on water resource management, are discussed with brief mentioned of the Waugal. It is concluded that in some cases the incorporation of scientific laws into mythology is a form of conceptual modelling compatible with science if examined carefully. PMID:22777052
Phytotherapy in primary health care
Antonio, Gisele Damian; Tesser, Charles Dalcanale; Moretti-Pires, Rodrigo Otavio
OBJECTIVE To characterize the integration of phytotherapy in primary health care in Brazil. METHODS Journal articles and theses and dissertations were searched for in the following databases: SciELO, Lilacs, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Theses Portal Capes, between January 1988 and March 2013. We analyzed 53 original studies on actions, programs, acceptance and use of phytotherapy and medicinal plants in the Brazilian Unified Health System. Bibliometric data, characteristics of the actions/programs, places and subjects involved and type and focus of the selected studies were analyzed. RESULTS Between 2003 and 2013, there was an increase in publications in different areas of knowledge, compared with the 1990-2002 period. The objectives and actions of programs involving the integration of phytotherapy into primary health care varied: including other treatment options, reduce costs, reviving traditional knowledge, preserving biodiversity, promoting social development and stimulating inter-sectorial actions. CONCLUSIONS Over the past 25 years, there was a small increase in scientific production on actions/programs developed in primary care. Including phytotherapy in primary care services encourages interaction between health care users and professionals. It also contributes to the socialization of scientific research and the development of a critical vision about the use of phytotherapy and plant medicine, not only on the part of professionals but also of the population. PMID:25119949
Health Care Procedure Considerations and Individualized Health Care Plans
Heller, Kathryn Wolff; Avant, Mary Jane Thompson
Teachers need to maintain a safe, healthy environment for all their students in order to promote learning. However, there are additional considerations when students require health care procedures, such as tube feeding or clean intermittent catheterization. Teachers must effectively monitor their students and understand their roles and…
Informal Care and Caregiver's Health
This study aims to measure the causal effect of informal caregiving on the health and health care use of women who are caregivers, using instrumental variables. We use data from South Korea, where daughters and daughters-in-law are the prevalent source of caregivers for frail elderly parents and parents-in-law. A key insight of our instrumental variable approach is that having a parent-in-law with functional limitations increases the probability of providing informal care to that parent-in-la...
Social responsibility in health care
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Full Text Available Research Question (RQ: What is socially responsible behavior in the Slovenian health care system, where we have three main entities which they are actively involved in so called health care system. Purpose: Through the article, I would like for all three entities in the health sector to present, what is socially responsible behavior, which contributes to improving mutual cooperation for each of them and the wider society. Method: The results I achieved by studying domestic and foreign literature, laws and regulations that define social responsibility to the other two entities in the health care and the integration of literature in practice. Results: Each social responsibility within the organization, starting with superiors or managers, whose activities transferred the positive impact of social responsibility on employees and therefore the wider society. Society: By being aware of our role in society or position in the health system, any individual with a positive socially responsible actions have a positive impact on the wider community and to improve the benefits, at least in theoretical terms. Originality: I have not registered any discussions that would include mutual social responsibility - related conduct that contributes to the overall satisfaction of all. Most are present in one entity in health and his social responsibility in the internal and external environment, where they performance. Limitations/Future Research: Accessibility of data nature, from which it was evident social responsibility to other entities in the health system. The lack of literature covering social responsibility in Slovenia.
Describing and analysing primary health care system support for chronic illness care in Indigenous communities in Australia's Northern Territory – use of the Chronic Care Model
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Stewart Allison
Full Text Available Abstract Background Indigenous Australians experience disproportionately high prevalence of, and morbidity and mortality from chronic illness such as diabetes, renal disease and cardiovascular disease. Improving the understanding of how Indigenous primary care systems are organised to deliver chronic illness care will inform efforts to improve the quality of care for Indigenous people. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in 12 Indigenous communities in Australia's Northern Territory. Using the Chronic Care Model as a framework, we carried out a mail-out survey to collect information on material, financial and human resources relating to chronic illness care in participating health centres. Follow up face-to-face interviews with health centre staff were conducted to identify successes and difficulties in the systems in relation to providing chronic illness care to community members. Results Participating health centres had distinct areas of strength and weakness in each component of systems: 1 organisational influence – strengthened by inclusion of chronic illness goals in business plans, appointment of designated chronic disease coordinators and introduction of external clinical audits, but weakened by lack of training in disease prevention and health promotion and limited access to Medicare funding; 2 community linkages – facilitated by working together with community organisations (e.g. local stores and running community-based programs (e.g. "health week", but detracted by a shortage of staff especially of Aboriginal health workers working in the community; 3 self management – promoted through patient education and goal setting with clients, but impeded by limited focus on family and community-based activities due to understaffing; 4 decision support – facilitated by distribution of clinical guidelines and their integration with daily care, but limited by inadequate access to and support from specialists; 5 delivery system
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts
This podcast is based on the November, 2010 CDC Vital Signs report which indicates that more than one in four adults 18-64 years old (about 50 million) report being uninsured for at least part of the past 12 months, and focuses on the growing number of middle-income adults and those with a chronic illness or disability who have no health insurance. Created: 11/9/2010 by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Date Released: 11/9/2010.
Sahoo, Sanjeeb K
Nanomedicine: Emerging Field of Nanotechnology to Human HealthNanomedicines: Impacts in Ocular Delivery and TargetingImmuno-Nanosystems to CNS Pathologies: State of the Art PEGylated Zinc Protoporphyrin: A Micelle-Forming Polymeric Drug for Cancer TherapyORMOSIL Nanoparticles: Nanomedicine Approach for Drug/Gene Delivery to the BrainMagnetic Nanoparticles: A Versatile System for Therapeutic and Imaging SystemNanobiotechnology: A New Generation of Biomedicine Application of Nanotechnology-Based Drug Delivery and Targeting to LungsAptamers and Nanomedicine in C
Entrepreneurship Education in Health Care Education
Salminen, L; Lindberg, E; M.-L. Gustafsson; Heinonen, J; Leino-Kilpi, H.
This study describes the content of entrepreneurship education in health care education and the kinds of teaching methods that are used when teaching about entrepreneurship. Health care entrepreneurship has increased in many countries in recent decades and there is evidence that entrepreneurs have also a role in public health care. Therefore the health care professionals need to be educated to have the entrepreneurial skills. Education in the field of health care is still based on traditional...
Reforms of health care system in Romania
Bara, AC; Van den Heuvel, WJA; Maarse, JAM; Bara, Ana Claudia; Maarse, Johannes A.M.
Aim. To describe health care reforms and analyze the transition of the health care system in Romania in the 1989-2001 period. Method. We analyzed policy documents, political intentions and objectives of health care reform, described new legislation, and presented changes in financial resources of the health care system. Results. The reforms of the health care system in Romania have been realized in a rather difficult context of scarcity of financial and human resources. The Gross Domestic Pro...
Absent otoacoustic emissions predict otitis media in young Aboriginal children: A birth cohort study in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children in an arid zone of Western Australia
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Stokes Annette
Full Text Available Abstract Background Otitis media (OM is the most common paediatric illness for which antibiotics are prescribed. In Australian Aboriginal children OM is frequently asymptomatic and starts at a younger age, is more common and more likely to result in hearing loss than in non-Aboriginal children. Absent transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs may predict subsequent risk of OM. Methods 100 Aboriginal and 180 non-Aboriginal children in a semi-arid zone of Western Australia were followed regularly from birth to age 2 years. Tympanometry was conducted at routine field follow-up from age 3 months. Routine clinical examination by an ENT specialist was to be done 3 times and hearing assessment by an audiologist twice. TEOAEs were measured at ages Results At routine ENT specialist clinics, OM was detected in 55% of 184 examinations in Aboriginal children and 26% of 392 examinations in non-Aboriginal children; peak prevalence was 72% at age 5–9 months in Aboriginal children and 40% at 10–14 months in non-Aboriginal children. Moderate-severe hearing loss was present in 32% of 47 Aboriginal children and 7% of 120 non-Aboriginal children aged 12 months or more. TEOAE responses were present in 90% (46/51 of Aboriginal children and 99% (120/121 of non-Aboriginal children aged Overall prevalence of type B tympanograms at field follow-up was 50% (n = 78 in Aboriginal children and 20% (n = 95 in non-Aboriginal children. Conclusion The burden of middle ear disease is high in all children, but particularly in Aboriginal children, one-third of whom suffer from moderate-severe hearing loss. In view of the frequently silent nature of OM, every opportunity must be taken to screen for OM. Measurement of TEOAEs at age 1–2 months to identify children at risk of developing OM should be evaluated in a routine health service setting.
Phytotherapy in primary health care
Gisele Damian Antonio; Charles Dalcanele Tesser; Rodrigo Otavio Moretti-Pires
OBJECTIVE To characterize the integration of phytotherapy in primary health care in Brazil. METHODS Journal articles and theses and dissertations were searched for in the following databases: SciELO, Lilacs, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Theses Portal Capes, between January 1988 and March 2013. We analyzed 53 original studies on actions, programs, acceptance and use of phytotherapy and medicinal plants in the Brazilian Unified Health System. Bibliometric data, characteristics of the ...
Lower Costs, Better Care- Reforming Our Health Care Delivery
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Affordable Care Act includes tools to improve the quality of health care that can also lower costs for taxpayers and patients. This means avoiding costly...
Reengineering health care materials management.
Connor, L R
Health care executives across the country, faced with intense competition, are being forced to consider drastic cost cutting measures as a matter of survival. The entire health care industry is under siege from boards of directors, management and others who encourage health care systems to take actions ranging from strategic acquisitions and mergers to simple "downsizing" or "rightsizing," to improve their perceived competitive positions in terms of costs, revenues and market share. In some cases, management is poorly prepared to work within this new competitive paradigm and turns to consultants who promise that following their methodologies can result in competitive advantage. One favored methodology is reengineering. Frequently, cost cutting attention is focused on the materials management budget because it is relatively large and is viewed as being comprised mostly of controllable expenses. Also, materials management is seldom considered a core competency for the health care system and the organization performing these activities does not occupy a strongly defensible position. This paper focuses on the application of a reengineering methodology to healthcare materials management. PMID:9785300
Researching Accounting in Health Care
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Chapman, Christopher
As academics we naturally seek to address interesting and important questions. Our concerns for rigour drive us to work from generally accessible preoccupations towards more narrowly and precisely defined questions however. Such specialisation is properly understood as a source of strength in our...... a discussion of the academic literature around costing in health care....
The Chinese Health Care System
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Hougaard, Jens Leth; Østerdal, Lars Peter; Yu, Yi
In the present paper we describe the structure of the Chinese health care system and sketch its future development. We analyse issues of provider incentives and the actual burden sharing between government, enterprises and people. We further aim to identify a number of current problems and link...
Intercultural Health Care and Welfare
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Nielsen, Ben
Artiklen har fokus på undervisning, planlægning, udvikling og evaluering af et internationalt tværfagligt valgfag Intercultural Health Care and Welfare, der udbydes på Det Sundhedsfaglige og Teknologiske Fakultet på Professionshøjskolen Metropol. Ifølge den tysk-amerikanske professor Iris Varner og...
Mediating Tragedy: Facebook, Aboriginal Peoples and Suicide
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Bronwyn Lee Carlson
Full Text Available Some Australian Aboriginal communities experience suicide rates that are among the highest in the world. They are also, however, avid social media users—approximately 20% higher than the national average. This article presents some preliminary findings from a current national study, funded by the Australian Research Council, titled Aboriginal identity and community online: a sociological exploration of Aboriginal peoples' use of online social media. The purpose of the study is to gain insights into how Aboriginal peoples utilise and interact on social media, and how these technologies can assist with suicide prevention strategies. It found that Aboriginal people are engaging with Facebook to both seek and offer help for issues relating to suicide and self-harm. An existing continuum of suicide prevention strategies was evident—from light emotional support to direct suicide intervention involving health services. These strategies can be leveraged to implement effective and appropriate suicide prevention programs.
Health Care Challenges in Iran
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M Davari
Full Text Available All health systems across the world have faced new challenges, which is primarily referable to increasing the cost of health care services as well as growing demands for new and expensive health technologies. The aim of this study is to analyse the main challenges facing the Iranian health system. A review of available governmental and relevant publications about Iranian health care system was undertaken to assess the direction of future healthcare policy. Electronic news agencies, newspapers, and parliament's electronic news also reviewed to realise policy-makers points of view about the health system. Healthcare services in Iran have had a great success in primary healthcare services in last 25 years, which is mainly attributable to National Health Networks policy. Between 1979 and 2003, average life expectancy at birth increased from 57 to 70 and infant mortality rate fell from 104 to 26 per thousand live births. Active vaccination system, very good distribution and coverage, free end point services, family planning, maternal teaching, and primary referral system are of strong advantages of health networks in Iran. However, the healthcare system is now subject to a range of new pressures that must be addressed. Many of these pressures are common to all health services (rising consumer demands and expectations for expensive new technologies, changing disease patterns, and resources shortage, but some are largely specific to Iran. Financial fairness contribution of the population to health system, responsiveness of health system, overusing new technologies, inadequate integration of health services, and inequitable distribution of the resources are of the main challenges of health system in Iran. In addition, considering demographic changes of the Iranian population in recent decades, which made Iranian population young, potential pressures due to an aging population will reveal in coming years. Many of these pressures relate to policies and
Chiropractic care and public health
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Johnson, Claire; Rubinstein, Sidney M; Côté, Pierre;
The purpose of this collaborative summary is to document current chiropractic involvement in the public health movement, reflect on social ecological levels of influence as a profession, and summarize the relationship of chiropractic to the current public health topics of: safety, health issues t...... prevention and public health? What role do citizen-doctors of chiropractic have in organizing community action on health-related matters? How can our future chiropractic graduates become socially responsible agents of change?......The purpose of this collaborative summary is to document current chiropractic involvement in the public health movement, reflect on social ecological levels of influence as a profession, and summarize the relationship of chiropractic to the current public health topics of: safety, health issues...... through the lifespan, and effective participation in community health issues. The questions that are addressed include: Is spinal manipulative therapy for neck and low-back pain a public health problem? What is the role of chiropractic care in prevention or reduction of musculoskeletal injuries in...
"Too much moving...there's always a reason": Understanding urban Aboriginal peoples' experiences of mobility and its impact on holistic health.
Snyder, Marcie; Wilson, Kathi
Urban Indigenous peoples face a disproportionate burden of ill health compared to non-Indigenous populations, and experience more frequent geographic mobility. However, most of what is known about Indigenous health is limited to rural, northern, or in the case of Canada, reserve-based populations. Little is known about the complexities of urban Indigenous health, and the differential impacts of residential mobility and urban migration remain poorly understood. Drawing upon interviews with Aboriginal movers and service providers in Winnipeg, Canada, we apply a critical population health lens, informed by holistic health, to examine these impacts. The results demonstrate mobility is an intergenerational phenomenon, influenced by colonial practices. While migration can contribute to positive health experiences, residential mobility, which is largely involuntary, and linked to stressors such as neighborhood safety, results in negative health effects. PMID:26057895
Toward justice in health care.
Bayer, R; Callahan, D; Caplan, A L; Jennings, B
The demands of equity and efficiency require a program of universal health insurance in the United States through which all workers will be provided by their employers with health insurance for themselves and their dependents, unemployment will no longer result in the loss of health insurance protection, and federal standards for Medicaid eligibility will be instituted. Issues raised by the assessment of insurance coverage and establishment of uniform standards are discussed within the context of the ethical foundations of medical necessity, schemes for sharing the burden of cost, and the conflict between technological advances and the limitation of resources. Cost containment measures now most prominently on the public agenda represent an unfortunate trend toward exacerbating inequalities by making the patient the main cost container. Moral priority must be given to remedying the patterns of inequality that characterize the American health care system. PMID:3281480
Awareness and utilization of preventive care services among the elderly under National Health Insurance.
Chen, Chun-Chih; Lin, Yen-Ju; Lin, Ying-Tzu
This empirical study investigates the factors affecting the awareness and the utilization of preventive care among the elderly in Taiwan. We use data obtained from the 2005 National Health Interview Survey. A recursive bivariate probit model is adopted to analyze the factors affecting the awareness and the utilization of preventive care. The probability of awareness of free preventive care under the National Health Insurance is higher for those who are younger, Mainlanders, have received more education, have a spouse, exercise regularly, have better self-rated health status, and have chronic diseases; the probability of awareness is lower for those who are aborigines and who live in the south and the east. Awareness of preventive care services, having a spouse, living alone, having better health status, and the existence of chronic diseases increase the probability of preventive care utilization; working reduces the probability of preventive care utilization. Our result supports the views in Arrow (Am Econ Rev 53(5):941-973, 1963) that health information is an important factor determining the demand for medical care. Policymakers may enhance such preventive care service utilization by increasing the awareness of such services among the elderly. PMID:23754318
Technology in health care logistics
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Jørgensen, Pelle; Wallin, Michael
In most of the developed countries hospitals are facing a major challenge – they have to provide more health care using the same resources. Due to the demographic trend and the increasing share of the population being in a more health-demanding age, the hospitals will have to deal with more...... scientific articles, and the main contributions and conclusions from the articles are presented in the thesis. The articles present the development of the results throughout the study, and how the results have been adjusted and adapted, as the model was tested and validated. The articles consist of three...
Medicaid Adult Health Care Quality Measures
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Affordable Care Act (Section 1139B) requires the Secretary of HHS to identify and publish a core set of health care quality measures for adult Medicaid...
Passion in today's health care leaders.
Piper, Llewellyn E
Passion in today's health care leaders is essential as health care organizations face increasing demands for survival. Leaders in health care have been educated, selected, promoted, and retained based on their analytical and creativity skills. Today's health care leaders must also have emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is primal for passion. Emotional intelligence, which leads to passion, is crucial to the survivability of today's health care organizations. In order for health care organizations to go from good to great, the leader must inspire followers through passion. This article encourages health care leaders to gain awareness of emotional intelligence and to use emotional intelligence as part of their leadership to inspire passion. Through passion, leaders and followers become more motivated to accomplish the health care mission of serving others. PMID:15825818
8 ways to cut health care costs
... Trust for America's Health. A Healthy America 2013: Strategies to Move From Sick Care to Health Care ... and director of didactic curriculum, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, ...
Oncology in primary health care
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
The book Oncology in the primary health care, constitutes an important contribution to the prevention and treatment of cancer, from a very comprehensive assessment. It's a disease that is the second leading cause of death in our country, to much pain and suffering is for the patient and their family. The book has a very useful for basic health equipment approach, since it emphasizes that cancer can be prevented if achieved in the population changes in lifestyle. The book is valued not correct food as responsible for one third of all cancers. Currently important research being developed in relation to psiconeuroinmuno-Endocrinology, who is studying the association between psychological factors and the development of cancer valuing that kept stress and depression reduces the antitumor activity of the immune system; that made programs with encouraging results where the treatment of cancer has joined elements of psychotherapy, immunotherapy and the use of the biotherapy. The focus of the book fills an important place in the primary health care and is an indispensable guide for professionals at this level of care (author)
The Structure of Aboriginal Child Welfare in Canada
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Vandna Sinha
Full Text Available Aboriginal children are currently overrepresented in out-of-home care in Canada; this extends a historical pattern of child removal that began with the residential school system. The overrepresentation of Aboriginal children persists despite legislative and structural changes intended to reduce the number of Aboriginal children in care. Several recent developments suggest potential for improvement in services for Aboriginal children and families in the near future. However, greater information about the structure of Aboriginal child welfare in Canada is needed to support program and policy development. We present a broad overview of the variation in Aboriginal child welfare legislation and standards, service delivery models, and funding formulas across Canadian provinces and territories. We draw on this review to suggest specific priorities for future research.
Mental health-related stigma in health care and mental health-care settings.
Henderson, Claire; Noblett, Jo; Parke, Hannah; Clement, Sarah; Caffrey, Alison; Gale-Grant, Oliver; Schulze, Beate; Druss, Benjamin; Thornicroft, Graham
This Review considers the evidence for mental-health-related stigma in health-care and mental-health-care settings. Do mental-health-care and other health-care professionals stigmatise people using their services? If so, what are the effects on quality of mental and physical health care? How can stigma and discrimination in the context of health care be reduced? We show that the contact mental-health-care professionals have with people with mental illness is associated with positive attitudes about civil rights, but does not reduce stigma as does social contact such as with friends or family members with mental illness. Some evidence suggests educational interventions are effective in decreasing stigma especially for general health-care professionals with little or no formal mental health training. Intervention studies are needed to underpin policy; for instance, to decrease disparity in mortality associated with poor access to physical health care for people with mental illness compared with people without mental illness. PMID:26361202
Oral health in a First Nations and a non-Aboriginal population in Manitoba
Blanchard, Andrea Katryn; Wang, Xikui; El-Gabalawy, Hani; Tan, Qier; Orr, Pam; Elias, Brenda; Rawsthorne, Patricia; Hart, Donna; Chubey, Shirley; Charles N Bernstein
Objectives: To analyze the prevalence of poor oral health and selected determinants in First Nations (FN) and Caucasian samples in Manitoba, Canada. Study design: Cross-sectional survey, nested in a cohort study. Methods: FN and Caucasian participants completed a questionnaire on socio-demographic variables, oral health symptoms, and oral health-related behaviours as part of a broader cohort study comparing these ethnic groups for different chronic immune mediated diseases. Results: Caucasian...
Attending unintended transformations of health care infrastructure
Wentzer, Helle; Bygholm, Ann
Introduction: Western health care is under pressure from growing demands on quality and efficiency. The development and implementation of information technology, IT is a key mean of health care authorities to improve on health care infrastructure. Theory and methods: Against a background of theories on human-computer interaction and IT-mediated communication, different empirical studies of IT implementation in health care are analyzed. The outcome is an analytical discernment between differe...
History, law, and policy as a foundation for health care delivery for Australian indigenous children.
Brown, Ngiare
This article identifies significant historical and contemporary issues, programs, and progress to better understand the current policy in Australia relating to Aboriginal child health and well-being. A legislative perspective gives context to contemporary issues based on legally sanctioned historical practices specifically designed to make Aboriginal peoples disappear, particularly through the control and assimilation of Indigenous children. PMID:19962036
Women's health care: from whom and why?
Brink-Muinen, A. van den
Differences are investigated between female practice populations of female general practitioners providing women's health care and of women and men general practitioners providing regular health care. Women's health care in the Netherlands is provided in the general practice "Aletta" and is based o
Reforms of health care system in Romania
Bara, AC; van den Heuvel, WJA; Maarse, JAM; Bara, Ana Claudia; Maarse, Johannes A.M.
Aim. To describe health care reforms and analyze the transition of the health care system in Romania in the 1989-2001 period. Method. We analyzed policy documents, political intentions and objectives of health care reform, described new legislation, and presented changes in financial resources of th
Report a Complaint (about a Health Care Organization)
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Oral health in a First Nations and a non-Aboriginal population in Manitoba
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Shirley Chubey
Full Text Available Objectives: To analyze the prevalence of poor oral health and selected determinants in First Nations (FN and Caucasian samples in Manitoba, Canada. Study design: Cross-sectional survey, nested in a cohort study. Methods: FN and Caucasian participants completed a questionnaire on socio-demographic variables, oral health symptoms, and oral health-related behaviours as part of a broader cohort study comparing these ethnic groups for different chronic immune mediated diseases. Results: Caucasians reported higher levels of employment, education, and urban dwelling than FNs (p<0.001. FNs reported smoking more, and having poorer oral health-related behaviours than Caucasians (p<0.001. After adjustment for age and sex, FN reported having more oral health symptoms than Caucasians (odds ratio (OR: 2.71; 95% confidence interval (CI: 1.73, 4.52, but the association was reduced and not statistically significant after adjustment for other socio-demographic variables (OR=1.34; 95% CI: 0.58, 3.10. Oral health symptoms were associated with current smoking among FN (adjusted OR=2.67, 95% CI: 1.05, 6.78. Oral hygiene behaviours were significantly related to smoking status, rural living and education for both groups. Conclusions: Oral health-related behaviours and smoking were found to be significant factors explaining poor oral health, which were lower for the FNs cohort than the Caucasian sample. However oral health and related behaviours were less related to their ethnicity than to socio-demographic factors, suggesting that policies to change behaviour will not result in lasting reductions in oral health differences between these groups in Manitoba.
Aborigines and uranium: consolidated report to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs on the social impact of uranium mining on the aborigines of the Northern Territory
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
This consolidated report for the period October 1978 to June 1984 examines the aboriginal social environment, the impact and consequences for aborigines of uranium mining. The report looks at the question of monitoring social impact and examines in detail the findings and recommendations of the Ranger Uranium Environmental Inquiry. The social impact of mining is discussed, including the complexity of law and administration, economic consequences, health and aboriginal civic culture
Does Health Insurance Impede Trade in Health Care Services?
MATTOO, Aaditya; Rathindran, Randeep
There is limited trade in health services despite big differences in the price of health care across countries. Whether patients travel abroad for health care depends on the coverage of treatments by their health insurance plan. Under existing health insurance contracts, the gains from trade are not fully internalized by the consumer. The result is a strong "local-market bias" in the consumption of health care. A simple modification of existing insurance products can create sufficient incenti...
"I know it's bad for me and yet I do it": exploring the factors that perpetuate smoking in Aboriginal Health Workers - a qualitative study
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Dawson Anna P
Full Text Available Abstract Background Aboriginal Health Workers (AHWs have a mandate to deliver smoking cessation support to Aboriginal people. However, a high proportion of AHWs are smokers and this undermines their delivery of smoking cessation programs. Smoking tobacco is the leading contributor to the burden of disease in Aboriginal Australians and must be prevented. Little is known about how to enable AHWs to quit smoking. An understanding of the factors that perpetuate smoking in AHWs is needed to inform the development of culturally relevant programs that enable AHWs to quit smoking. A reduction of smoking in AHWs is important to promote their health and also optimise the delivery of smoking cessation support to Aboriginal clients. Methods We conducted a fundamental qualitative description study that was nested within a larger mixed method participatory research project. The individual and contextual factors that directly or indirectly promote (i.e. perpetuate smoking behaviours in AHWs were explored in 34 interviews and 3 focus groups. AHWs, other health service staff and tobacco control personnel shared their perspectives. Data analysis was performed using a qualitative content analysis approach with collective member checking by AHW representatives. Results AHWs were highly stressed, burdened by their responsibilities, felt powerless and undervalued, and used smoking to cope with and support a sense of social connectedness in their lives. Factors directly and indirectly associated with smoking were reported at six levels of behavioural influence: personal factors (e.g. stress, nicotine addiction, family (e.g. breakdown of family dynamics, grief and loss, interpersonal processes (e.g. socialisation and connection, domestic disputes, the health service (e.g. job insecurity and financial insecurity, demanding work, the community (e.g. racism, social disadvantage and policy (e.g. short term and insecure funding. Conclusions An extensive array of factors
Wholistic Health Care: Evolutionary Conceptual Analysis.
Ziebarth, Deborah Jean
While performing a data search to define "wholistic health care", it was evident that a definite gap existed in published literature. In addition, there are different definitions and several similar terms (whole person care, wholistic health, whole person health, wholism, etc.), which may cause confusion. The purpose of this paper was to present the analysis of "wholistic health care" using Rodgers' Evolutionary Method. The method allows for the historical and social nature of "wholistic health care" and how it changes over time. Attributes, antecedents, and consequences of wholistic health care were reduced using a descriptive matrix. In addition, attributes that consistently occurred in wholistic health care were presented as essential attributes. Definitions of Wholistic Health Care Provider(s), Wholistic Health, Wholistic Illness, Wholistic Healing, and Patient were created from the analysis of the literature review of attributes, antecedents, and consequences of wholistic health care. Wholistic Health Care is defined as the assessment, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of wholistic illness in human beings to maintain wholistic health or enhance wholistic healing. Identified wholistic health needs are addressed simultaneously by one or a team of allied health professionals in the provision of primary care, secondary care, and tertiary care. Wholistic health care is patient centered and considers the totality of the person (e.g., human development at a given age, genetic endowments, disease processes, environment, culture, experiences, relationships, communication, assets, attitudes, beliefs, and lifestyle behaviors). Patient centered refers to the patient as active participant in deciding the course of care. Essential attributes of wholistic health care are faith (spiritual) integrating, health promoting, disease managing, coordinating, empowering, and accessing health care. Wholistic health care may occur in collaboration with a faith-based organization to
"If you don't believe it, it won't help you": use of bush medicine in treating cancer among Aboriginal people in Western Australia
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Bessarab Dawn
Full Text Available Abstract Background Little is known about the use of bush medicine and traditional healing among Aboriginal Australians for their treatment of cancer and the meanings attached to it. A qualitative study that explored Aboriginal Australians' perspectives and experiences of cancer and cancer services in Western Australia provided an opportunity to analyse the contemporary meanings attached and use of bush medicine by Aboriginal people with cancer in Western Australia Methods Data collection occurred in Perth, both rural and remote areas and included individual in-depth interviews, observations and field notes. Of the thirty-seven interviews with Aboriginal cancer patients, family members of people who died from cancer and some Aboriginal health care providers, 11 participants whose responses included substantial mention on the issue of bush medicine and traditional healing were selected for the analysis for this paper. Results The study findings have shown that as part of their healing some Aboriginal Australians use traditional medicine for treating their cancer. Such healing processes and medicines were preferred by some because it helped reconnect them with their heritage, land, culture and the spirits of their ancestors, bringing peace of mind during their illness. Spiritual beliefs and holistic health approaches and practices play an important role in the treatment choices for some patients. Conclusions Service providers need to acknowledge and understand the existence of Aboriginal knowledge (epistemology and accept that traditional healing can be an important addition to an Aboriginal person's healing complementing Western medical treatment regimes. Allowing and supporting traditional approaches to treatment reflects a commitment by modern medical services to adopting an Aboriginal-friendly approach that is not only culturally appropriate but assists with the cultural security of the service.
Competition in the Dutch Health Care Sector
F.T. Schut (Erik)
textabstractFor more than two decades, Dutch health policy has been marked by a search for a suitable market order in health care. Suitable in the sense of maintaining universal access, containing the growth of health care expenditure and improving the technical and allocative efficiency of health c
Culture, history, and health in an Australian aboriginal community: the case of utopia.
Anderson, Heather; Kowal, Emma
The poor health of Indigenous Australians is well established. However, the health of residents of one remote community in the Northern Territory of Australia called Utopia has been found recently to be much better than expected. In this article, we draw on historical anthropological research to explain this finding. We trace how cultural and social structures were maintained through changing eras of government policy from the 1930s, and show how these structures strengthened psychosocial determinants of health. We argue that the mainstream psychosocial determinants of social cohesion and self-efficacy are usefully reconceptualized in an Indigenous context as connectedness to culture and land, and collective efficacy, respectively. Continuity of cultural and social structures into the 1940s was facilitated by a combination of factors including the relatively late colonial occupation, the intercultural practices typical of the pastoral industry, the absence of a mission or government settlement, and the individual personalities and histories of those connected to Utopia. PMID:22881383
Prevalence of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations: A systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological studies
Ospina, Maria B; Voaklander, Donald C; Stickland, Michael K; King, Malcolm; Senthilselvan, Ambikaipakan; Rowe, Brian H
BACKGROUND: Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have considerable potential for inequities in diagnosis and treatment, thereby affecting vulnerable groups. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate differences in asthma and COPD prevalence between adult Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, specialized databases and the grey literature up to October 2011 were searched to identify epidemiological studies comparing asthma and COPD prevalence between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal adult populations. Prevalence ORs (PORs) and 95% CIs were calculated in a random-effects meta-analysis. RESULTS: Of 132 studies, eight contained relevant data. Aboriginal populations included Native Americans, Canadian Aboriginals, Australian Aboriginals and New Zealand Maori. Overall, Aboriginals were more likely to report having asthma than non-Aboriginals (POR 1.41 [95% CI 1.23 to 1.60]), particularly among Canadian Aboriginals (POR 1.80 [95% CI 1.68 to 1.93]), Native Americans (POR 1.41 [95% CI 1.13 to 1.76]) and Maori (POR 1.64 [95% CI 1.40 to 1.91]). Australian Aboriginals were less likely to report asthma (POR 0.49 [95% CI 0.28 to 0.86]). Sex differences in asthma prevalence between Aboriginals and their non-Aboriginal counterparts were not identified. One study compared COPD prevalence between Native and non-Native Americans, with similar rates in both groups (POR 1.08 [95% CI 0.81 to 1.44]). CONCLUSIONS: Differences in asthma prevalence between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations exist in a variety of countries. Studies comparing COPD prevalence between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations are scarce. Further investigation is needed to identify and account for factors associated with respiratory health inequalities among Aboriginal peoples. PMID:23248798
Attending Unintended Transformations of Health Care Infrastructure
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Wentzer, Helle; Bygholm, Ann
Introduction: Western health care is under pressure from growing demands on quality and efficiency. The development and implementation of information technology, IT is a key mean of health care authorities to improve on health care infrastructure. Theory and methods: Against a background...... of theories on human-computer interaction and IT-mediated communication, different empirical studies of IT implementation in health care are analyzed. The outcome is an analytical discernment between different relations of communication and levels of interaction with IT in health care infrastructure....... These relations and levels are synthesized into a framework for identifying tensions and potential problems in the mediation of health care with the IT system. These problems are also known as unexpected adverse consequences, UACs, from IT implementation into clinical health care practices. Results: This paper...
What is Good Quality of Health Care?
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Magne Nylenna
Full Text Available A diversity of definitions of quality exists, that frequently contain aspects of complexity, relativity and subjectivity. This paper provides an overview of key components in the quality debate within health care, including different perspectives and dimensions of the quality of care. Definitions of the quality of health care reflect the characteristics of health services, and are useful for measurements and quality improvement. Over time the patient perspective of quality has gotten increasing weight, and in quality improvement there has been a shift from individual responsibility for doctors and health care personnel to systems thinking. We argue that the quality approach in health care should be more standardized and that health care-specific definitions of quality should be used when the relationship between physician professionalism and quality is investigated.Keywords: quality, health care, systems thinking, patient perspective, outcome, indicator, measurement, improvement.
Prenatal Care for Adolescents and attributes of Primary Health Care
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Maria Cristina Barbaro
Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: evaluate prenatal care for adolescents in health units, in accordance with the attributes of Primary Health Care (PHC guidelines. METHOD: quantitative study conducted with health professionals, using the Primary Care Assessment Tool-Brazil to assess the presence and extent of PHC attributes. RESULTS: for all the participating units, the attribute Access scored =6.6; the attributes Longitudinality, Coordination (integration of care, Coordination (information systems and Integrality scored =6.6, and the Essential Score =6.6. Comparing basic units with family health units, the attribute scores were equally distributed; Accessibility scored =6.6, the others attributes scored =6.6; however, in the basic units, the Essential Score was =6.6 and, in the family health units, =6.6. CONCLUSION: expanding the coverage of family health units and the training of professionals can be considered strategies to qualify health care.
Ellen Marie Nedde
High and rapidly rising health care costs in the United States and growing ranks of uninsured persons have brought health care reform to the top of the U.S. Administration's policy agenda. This paper describes the health care financing system in the United States, highlights what are viewed as its most serious shortcomings, and explores possible reasons for high and rising medical care costs. After brief descriptions of alternative reform proposals, the paper discusses universal coverage unde...
The changing face of health care consumers.
Caring for a diverse pool of patients is an ongoing challenge for health care practitioners and marketers. Communication difficulties and cultural misunderstandings still stand in the way and keep members of some minority populations from getting the health care they need. To better serve these groups, it's crucial to learn more about patients' values, needs, and expectations. Fortunately, opportunities abound for health care marketers to learn about and effectively target these still largely underserved populations. PMID:11763652
Integrated occupational health care at sea
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Jensen, Olaf Chresten
Workplace Health Promotion is the combined efforts of employers, employees and society to improve the health and well-being of people at work. Integrated maritime health care can be defined as the total maritime health care function that includes the prevention of health risks from harmful...... exposures during life at sea and work place health promotion. SEAHEALTH and some of the shipping companies have already added workplace health promotion to occupational health care programs. The purpose of this article is to reinforce this trend by adding some international perspectives and by providing...
Hospitals and health care establishments
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
These guidelines have been drown up to assist all those involved in the management and maintenance of hospitals and health care establishments. Compliance with this guidance should minimise the risk of pollution occurring. The guidelines are jointly produced by the Environment Agency for England and Wales, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Environment and Heritage Service for Northern Ireland, referred to as the Agency or Agencies. It includes guidelines on site drainage, sewage and waste water disposal, treatment of surface water drainage and waste management
Access To Medical Health Care And its Current Health Care Policy: Malaysia
Chong, Chyi Ming
The indications of Malaysia government to remove its subsidize policy in its health care system and privatizing certain hospitals and health care services has inflicted numerous heated debates and discussions among individuals and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO). The author wishes to contribute some insightful information to the public through her research about Malaysia citizen's access to medical health care inline with its current health care system and policy. Health care systems of ...
Children with special health care needs: Impact of health care expenditures on family financial burden
Lindley, Lisa C.; Mark, Barbara A.
We investigated the relationship between health care expenditures for Special Health Care Needs (SHCN) children and family perception of financial burden. Using 2005/2006 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs data, a multivariate logistic regression model was used to estimate the relationship between the SHCN child's health care expenditure and perceived financial burden, while controlling for family and child characteristics. Our analysis suggests that health care expend...
Controversies in faith and health care.
Tomkins, Andrew; Duff, Jean; Fitzgibbon, Atallah; Karam, Azza; Mills, Edward J; Munnings, Keith; Smith, Sally; Seshadri, Shreelata Rao; Steinberg, Avraham; Vitillo, Robert; Yugi, Philemon
Differences in religious faith-based viewpoints (controversies) on the sanctity of human life, acceptable behaviour, health-care technologies and health-care services contribute to the widespread variations in health care worldwide. Faith-linked controversies include family planning, child protection (especially child marriage, female genital mutilation, and immunisation), stigma and harm reduction, violence against women, sexual and reproductive health and HIV, gender, end-of-life issues, and faith activities including prayer. Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and traditional beliefs have similarities and differences in their viewpoints. Improved understanding by health-care providers of the heterogeneity of viewpoints, both within and between faiths, and their effect on health care is important for clinical medicine, public-health programmes, and health-care policy. Increased appreciation in faith leaders of the effect of their teachings on health care is also crucial. This Series paper outlines some faith-related controversies, describes how they influence health-care provision and uptake, and identifies opportunities for research and increased interaction between faith leaders and health-care providers to improve health care. PMID:26159392
Marginal Tax Rates and Health Care Reform
Sheiner, Louise
Points out some of the important considerations and compares how two competing health reform initiatives, the Clinton administration's "Health Security Act" and Representative Cooper's "Managed Competition Act," deal with health care reform.
Health Care Information System (HCIS) Data File
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The data was derived from the Health Care Information System (HCIS), which contains Medicare Part A (Inpatient, Skilled Nursing Facility, Home Health Agency (Part A...
[Motivational interviewing in health care].
Lev-Ran, Shaul; Nitzan, Uri
Harmful behaviors and low adherence to medical treatment significantly contribute to an increased rate of hospitalizations, mortality and morbidity. Leading health organizations worldwide are making great efforts to find and develop efficient strategies in order to recruit patients to adhere to medical treatment and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Motivational interviewing is an evidence-based approach that the physician can apply in numerous health care situations in order to increase patients' adherence to treatment. It is a patient-centered approach, based on principles of collaboration, autonomy and evocation. Research indicates that the patient's verbal commitment towards change is directly correlated to future behavioral change. Therefore, the approach includes learnable techniques which assist in allowing the patient to speak about the advantages of behavioral change and treatment. Thus, motivational interviewing helps patients adopt a healthier lifestyle while contributing to the professionalism of physicians and their sense of satisfaction from work. PMID:22026060
Are hygiene and public health interventions likely to improve outcomes for Australian Aboriginal children living in remote communities? A systematic review of the literature
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Brewster David
Full Text Available Abstract Background Australian Aboriginal children living in remote communities still experience a high burden of common infectious diseases which are generally attributed to poor hygiene and unsanitary living conditions. The objective of this systematic literature review was to examine the epidemiological evidence for a relationship between various hygiene and public health intervention strategies, separately or in combination, and the occurrence of common preventable childhood infectious diseases. The purpose was to determine what intervention/s might most effectively reduce the incidence of skin, diarrhoeal and infectious diseases experienced by children living in remote Indigenous communities. Methods Studies were identified through systematically searching electronic databases and hand searching. Study types were restricted to those included in Cochrane Collaboration Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Review Group (EPOC guidelines and reviewers assessed the quality of studies and extracted data using the same guidelines. The types of participants eligible were Indigenous populations and populations of developing countries. The types of intervention eligible for inclusion were restricted to those likely to prevent conditions caused by poor personal hygiene and poor living environments. Results The evidence showed that there is clear and strong evidence of effect of education and handwashing with soap in preventing diarrhoeal disease among children (consistent effect in four studies. In the largest well-designed study, children living in households that received plain soap and encouragement to wash their hands had a 53% lower incidence of diarrhoea (95% CI, 0.35, 0.59. There is some evidence of an effect of education and other hygiene behaviour change interventions (six studies, as well as the provision of water supply, sanitation and hygiene education (two studies on reducing rates of diarrhoeal disease. The size of these effects is
Medicine and health care: implications for health sciences library practice.
Hafner, A W; Schwarz, M R
The American health care system is experiencing a period of unprecedented change. This paper identifies and discusses the major changes in patient care, research, control of the health care system, and medical education, and their implications for health sciences librarians. These changes have resulted in new demands for effective information delivery and a broader health sciences library clientele. There are both challenges and opportunities for health sciences librarians as they respond to ...
Integrating mental health into primary health care in Iraq
Sadik, Sabah; Abdulrahman, Saad; Bradley, Marie; Jenkins, Rachel
The Ministry of Health in Iraq is undertaking a systematic programme to integrate mental health into primary care in order to increase population access to mental health care. This paper reports the evaluation of the delivery of a ten day interactive training programme to 20% of primary care centres across Iraq. The multistage evaluation included a pre- and post-test questionnaire to assess knowledge, attitudes and practice in health workers drawn from 143 health centres, a course evaluation ...
Reforming health care : a case for stay well health insurance
Bogetic, Zeljko; Heffley, Dennis
All countries - whether industrial, developing, or in transition to a market economy - are interested in health care reform. A central focus of reform everywhere is to make patients more responsive to health care costs without diluting the protection offered by public or private insurance. Conventional insurance offers customers little incentive to monitor their own use of health care services or to adopt and maintain better health habits. The authors describe an alternative health insurance ...
Achieving better health care outcomes for children in foster care.
Mekonnen, Robin; Noonan, Kathleen; Rubin, David
This article reviews the challenges health care systems face as they attempt to improve health care outcomes for children in foster care. It discusses several of the promising health care strategies occurring outside the perimeter of child welfare and identifies some of the key impasses in working alongside efforts in child welfare reform. The authors posit that the greatest impasse in establishing a reasonable quality of health care for these children is placement instability, in which children move frequently among multiple homes and in and out of the child welfare system. The authors propose potential strategies in which efforts to improve placement stability can serve as a vehicle for multidisciplinary reform across the health care system. PMID:19358924
Health-Care Technology Assessment in Radiology
Arash Deljou
Health-care service provision and procurement is increasingly subject to policy decisions, managed more than ever before. Becoming more international, collaboration is increasing as the health professions, research and industry all work across borders. Differing health-care systems across the countries result from national and regional policy developments and priorities."nIn health-care, all interventions and procedures are basically technologies-including radiology and sur-gery, and tec...
Beware the Managed Health-Care Companies.
Ashbaugh, John; Smith, Gary
This article discusses implications of the movement toward managed health care models for long-term health care services for people with disabilities, especially people with developmental disabilities. It notes possible advantages of managed care but raises issues concerning consumer choice, management and financial capacity of managed care…
Strengthening of primary health care: Key to deliver inclusive health care
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Rajiv Yeravdekar
Full Text Available Inequity and poverty are the root causes of ill health. Access to quality health services on an affordable and equitable basis in many parts of the country remains an unfulfilled aspiration. Disparity in health care is interpreted as compromise in ′Right to Life.′ It is imperative to define ′essential health care,′ which should be made available to all citizens to facilitate inclusivity in health care. The suggested methods for this include optimal utilization of public resources and increasing public spending on health care. Capacity building through training, especially training of paramedical personnel, is proposed as an essential ingredient, to reduce cost, especially in tertiary care. Another aspect which is considered very important is improvement in delivery system of health care. Increasing the role of ′family physician′ in health care delivery system will improve preventive care and reduce cost of tertiary care. These observations underlie the relevance and role of Primary health care as a key to deliver inclusive health care. The advantages of a primary health care model for health service delivery are greater access to needed services; better quality of care; a greater focus on prevention; early management of health problems; and cumulative improvements in health and lower morbidity as a result of primary health care delivery.
Strategies in Aboriginal Adult Education
Duncan, Alan T.
Traditional Aboriginal practices render traditional adult education programs futile. Aboriginal adult education must be concerned with the growth and development of the total personality. Adopted strategies must motivate Aborigines as individuals and as members of the community. (AG)
Financial Health of Child Care Facilities Affects Quality of Care.
Brower, Mary R.; Sull, Theresa M.
Contends that child care facility owners, boards of directors, staff, and parents need to focus on financial management, as poor financial health compromises the quality of care for children. Specifically addresses the issues of: (1) concern for providing high quality child care; (2) the connection between quality and money; and (3) strengthening…
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public health: online and integrated into core Master of Public Health subjects
Lynnell Angus; Shaun Ewen; Leanne Coombe
The Master of Public Health (MPH) is an internationally recognised post-graduate qualification for building the public health workforce. In Australia, MPH graduate attributes include six Indigenous public health (IPH) competencies. The University of Melbourne MPH program includes five core subjects and ten specialisation streams, of which one is Indigenous health. Unless students complete this specialisation or electives in Indigenous health, it is possible for students to graduate without at...
Disparities in healthcare utilisation rates for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Albertan residents, 1997-2006: a population database study.
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Helen Chung
Full Text Available BACKGROUND: It is widely recognised that significant discrepancies exist between the health of indigenous and non-indigenous populations. Whilst the reasons are incompletely defined, one potential cause is that indigenous communities do not access healthcare to the same extent. We investigated healthcare utilisation rates in the Canadian Aboriginal population to elucidate the contribution of this fundamental social determinant for health to such disparities. METHODS: Healthcare utilisation data over a nine-year period were analysed for a cohort of nearly two million individuals to determine the rates at which Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations utilised two specialties (Cardiology and Ophthalmology in Alberta, Canada. Unadjusted and adjusted healthcare utilisation rates obtained by mixed linear and Poisson regressions, respectively, were compared amongst three population groups - federally registered Aboriginals, individuals receiving welfare, and other Albertans. RESULTS: Healthcare utilisation rates for Aboriginals were substantially lower than those of non-Aboriginals and welfare recipients at each time point and subspecialty studied [e.g. During 2005/06, unadjusted Cardiology utilisation rates were 0.28% (Aboriginal, n = 97,080, 0.93% (non-Aboriginal, n = 1,720,041 and 1.37% (Welfare, n = 52,514, p = <0.001]. The age distribution of the Aboriginal population was markedly different [2.7%≥65 years of age, non-Aboriginal 10.7%], and comparable utilisation rates were obtained after adjustment for fiscal year and estimated life expectancy [Cardiology: Incidence Rate Ratio 0.66, Ophthalmology: IRR 0.85]. DISCUSSION: The analysis revealed that Aboriginal people utilised subspecialty healthcare at a consistently lower rate than either comparatively economically disadvantaged groups or the general population. Notably, the differences were relatively invariant between the major provincial centres and over a nine year period
Oral Health Care in Home Care Service – Personnels' Perspective
Lundqvist, Pontus; Mathson, Anton
Elderly nowadays stay longer in their own home. This raises the standards on home care service to contribute to the maintenance of elderly's general and oral health. Our objective is therefore to explore attitudes about how home care workers view oral health care and the importance of good oral health for elderly clients. 8 subjects (22 to 61 years of age) were selected for the study working in home care service, which all gave their informed consent. Semi-structured interviews were performed...
Incentives of Health Care Expenditure
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Eero Siljander
Full Text Available The incentives of health care expenditure (HCE have been a topic of discussion in the USA (Obama reforms and in Europe (adjustment to debt crisis. There are competing views of institutional versus GDP (unit income elasticity and productivity related factors of growth of expenditure. However ageing of populations, technology change and economic incentives related to institutions are also key drivers of growth according to the OECD and EU's AWG committee. Simulation models have been developed to forecast the growth of social expenditure (including HCEs to 2050. In this article we take a historical perspective to look at the institutional structures and their relationship to HCE growth. When controlling for age structure, price developments, doctor density and in-patient and public shares of expenditures, we find that fee-for-service in primary care, is according to the results, in at least 20 percent more costly than capitation or salary remuneration. Capitation and salary (or wage remuneration are at same cost levels in primary care. However we did not find the cost lowering effect for gatekeeping which could have been expected based on previous literature. Global budgeting 30 (partly DRG based percent less costly in specialized care than other reimbursement schemes like open contracting or volume based reimbursement. However the public integration of purchaser and provider cost seems to result to about 20 higher than public reimbursement or public contracting. Increasing the number of doctors or public financing share results in increased HCEs. Therefore expanding public reimbursement share of health services seems to lead to higher HCE. On the contrary, the in-patient share reduced expenditures. Compared to the previous literature, the finding on institutional dummies is in line with similar modeling papers. However the results for public expansion of services is a contrary one to previous works on the subject. The median lag length of
Prospects for Flourishing in Contemporary Health Care.
Pattison, Stephen; Edgar, Andrew
This special issue of Health Care Analysis originated in an conference, held in Birmingham in 2014, and organised by the group Think about Health. We introduce the issue by briefly reviewing the understandings of the concept of 'flourishing', and introducing the contributory papers, before offering some reflections on the remaining issues that reflection on flourishing poses for health care provision. PMID:26857468
A Framework for Purchasing Health Care Labor
Zurn, Pascal; Adams, Orvill
Health care labor is central to managing and delivering health services. Because recruitment and retention policies are key issues for purchasers, gaining insights into labor-purchasing mechanisms may permit them to be addressed more effectively. This paper is intended to provide a brief introduction to health care labor purchasing and the mechanisms through which it can have an impact on ...
Health Care Access among Deaf People
Kuenburg, Alexa; Fellinger, Paul; Fellinger, Johannes
Access to health care without barriers is a clearly defined right of people with disabilities as stated by the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. The present study reviews literature from 2000 to 2015 on access to health care for deaf people and reveals significant challenges in communication with health providers and gaps in…
Preparing Health Care Processes for IT Integration
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Walley, Paul; Laursen, Martin Lindgård
Many health care supply chains are now attempting to achieve greater IT integration, between primary and secondary care, as well as internal integration within hospital systems. Conventional theory suggests that these types of initiative should coincide with extensive process reengineering...
Health care law versus constitutional law.
Hall, Mark A
National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, the Supreme Court's ruling on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, is a landmark decision - both for constitutional law and for health care law and policy. Others will study its implications for constitutional limits on a range of federal powers beyond health care. This article considers to what extent the decision is also about health care law, properly conceived. Under one view, health care law is the subdiscipline that inquires how courts and government actors take account of the special features of medicine that make legal or policy issues especially problematic - rather than regarding health care delivery and finance more generically, like most any other economic or social enterprise. Viewed this way, the opinions from the Court's conservative justices are mainly about general constitutional law principles. In contrast, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's dissenting opinion for the four more liberal justices is just as much about health care law as it is about constitutional law. Her opinion gives detailed attention to the unique features of health care finance and delivery in order to inform her analysis of constitutional precedents and principles. Thus, the Court's multiple opinions give a vivid depiction of the compelling contrasts between communal versus individualistic conceptions of caring for those in need, and between health care and health insurance as ordinary commodities versus ones that merit special economic, social, and legal status. PMID:23262771
Health Care Quality and Economic Inequality
Jappelli, Tullio; Pistaferri, Luigi; Weber, Guglielmo
We argue that health care quality has an important impact on economic inequality and on saving behaviour. We exploit district-wide variability in health care quality provided by the Italian universal public health system to identify the effect of quality on income inequality, health inequality and precautionary saving. We find that in lower quality districts there is greater income and health dispersion and higher precautionary saving. The analysis carries important insights for the ongoing d...
Health care and equity in India
Balarajan, Yarlini; Selvaraj, S; Subramanian, S.V.
India's health system faces the ongoing challenge of responding to the needs of the most disadvantaged members of Indian society. Despite progress in improving access to health care, inequalities by socioeconomic status, geography and gender continue to persist. This is compounded by high out-of-pocket expenditures, with the rising financial burden of health care falling overwhelming on private households, which account for more than three-quarter of health spending in India. Health expenditu...
Telemedicine in diabetes foot care delivery: health care professionals' experience
Kolltveit, Beate-Christin Hope; Gjengedal, Eva; Graue, Marit; Iversen, Marjolein. M.; Thorne, Sally; Kirkevold, Marit
Background Introducing new technology in health care is inevitably a challenge. More knowledge is needed to better plan future telemedicine interventions. Our aim was therefore to explore health care professionals' experience in the initial phase of introducing telemedicine technology in caring for people with diabetic foot ulcers. Methods Our methodological strategy was Interpretive Description. Data were collected between 2014 and 2015 using focus groups (n = 10). Participants from home-bas...
Subjective experienced health as a driver of health care behavior
Bloem, S.; Stalpers, J.
This paper describes the key role of the subjective experience of health as the driver of health related behavior. Individuals vary greatly in terms of behaviors related to health. Insights into these interindividual differences are of great importance for all parties involved in health care, including patients and consumers themselves. Such insights allow for better tuning of health care offerings to patient and consumer needs. Subjective experienced health is identified as the key driver of...
How can Health Care Social networks increase user innovation in Health Care?
Lochny, Jonas
The health care industry has experienced a significant advancement in the usage of modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) that has allowed the different health care stakeholders an increasing access to health information and enables them to take health care decisions on their own behalf. In this thesis we evaluate this increasing usage of modern communication means and networking opportunities in health care online communities and which effects it can have on user innovation....
Medical and health care sector
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
The medical and health care sector in general supplies products and provides services that can be categorized as diagnostic radiology, therapeutic application and nuclear medicine (both, diagnostic and/ or therapeutic). The institutions offer different categories of services. Some provide only one category of service, for example, diagnostic radiology. Others may provide more than one categories, for example, diagnostic nuclear medicine and therapeutic nuclear medicine services. A total of 90 entities comprising 65 public agencies and 34 private companies were selected in this study for this sector. The majority of the entities, 75.6 %, operate in Peninsular Malaysia. The remainders operate in Sabah and Sarawak. The findings of the study on both public agencies and private companies are presented in subsequent sections of this chapter. (author)
Spirulina in health care management.
Kulshreshtha, Archana; Zacharia, Anish J; Jarouliya, Urmila; Bhadauriya, Pratiksha; Prasad, G B K S; Bisen, P S
Spirulina is a photosynthetic, filamentous, spiral-shaped and multicellular edible microbe. It is the nature's richest and most complete source of nutrition. Spirulina has a unique blend of nutrients that no single source can offer. The alga contains a wide spectrum of prophylactic and therapeutic nutrients that include B-complex vitamins, minerals, proteins, gamma-linolenic acid and the super anti-oxidants such as beta-carotene, vitamin E, trace elements and a number of unexplored bioactive compounds. Because of its apparent ability to stimulate whole human physiology, Spirulina exhibits therapeutic functions such as antioxidant, anti-bacterial, antiviral, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and anti-diabetic and plethora of beneficial functions. Spirulina consumption appears to promote the growth of intestinal micro flora as well. The review discusses the potential of Spirulina in health care management. PMID:18855693
Health Care Reform and the Primary Care Workforce Bottleneck
Schwartz, Mark D
To establish and sustain the high-performing health care system envisioned in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), current provisions in the law to strengthen the primary care workforce must be funded, implemented, and tested. However, the United States is heading towards a severe primary care workforce bottleneck due to ballooning demand and vanishing supply. Demand will be fueled by the "silver tsunami" of 80 million Americans retiring over the next 20 years and the expanded insurance coverage fo...
... Names Well-baby visit or exam Baby care Pediatric care Newborn care Medical or Scientific ... Life"? NICHD Begins Study in Brazil of Zika Virus Infection during Pregnancy Ebola Outbreak Highlights Needs ...
Health, lifestyle and health care utilization among health professionals
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Lilleth V. Glen
Full Text Available Health care workers are responsible for the execution of the health policy of a nation, yet little if any empirical evidence is there on health, lifestyle, health choices, and health conditions of health care workers in the rural parish of Hanover, Jamaica. The current study examines health, lifestyle and health behaviour among health professional in Hanover. The current study has a sample of 212 respondents. A 26- item questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data from the questionnaires were coded and entered into a micro-computer and analysis done using SPSS for Widows Version 15.0 soft- ware. The Chi-square test was used to test association between non-metric variables. A p-value < 0.05 (two-tailed was selected to indicate statistical significance. It was found that 16.0% of respondents had diabetes mellitus (2.8% of males compared to 19.8% females; 22.6% had hypertension (25.5% of female and 12.8% of males; 0.5% breast cancer; 0.5% stomach cancer; 1.9% enlarged heart; and 0.5% ischemic heart disease. Forty-three percentage points of the sample was overweight, 33.5% obese and 24.1% had a normal weight. Over 15% of nurses and doctors were obese compared to 38% of ancillary staffers. Twenty percentage points of respondents consume alcohol on a regular basis; 15.6% do no regular physical exercise, 42.4% add sweetening to their hot beverages, and 4.7% were smokers. There is a need for public health practitioners to formulate a health intervention programme that will target people in Hanover, but also specific groups such as doctors, nurses, administrative, ancillary staffers and technical staffers.
Robotics Technology in Mental Health Care
Riek, Laurel D.
This chapter discusses the existing and future use of robotics and intelligent sensing technology in mental health care. While the use of this technology is nascent in mental health care, it represents a potentially useful tool in the practitioner's toolbox. The goal of this chapter is to provide a brief overview of the field, discuss the recent use of robotics technology in mental health care practice, explore some of the design issues and ethical issues of using robots in this space, and fi...
Preventive health care and payment systems
Martínez Giralt, Xavier; Barros, Pedro Pita
Prevention has been a main issue of recent policy orientations in health care. This renews the interest on how different organizational designs and the definition of payment schemes to providers may affect the incentives to provide preventive health care. We focus on the externality resulting from referral decisions from primary to acute care providers. This makes our analysis complementary to most works in the literature allowing to address in a more direct way the issue of preventive health...
Anatomy of health care reform proposals.
Soffel, D; Luft, H S
The current proliferation of proposals for health care reform makes it difficult to sort out the differences among plans and the likely outcome of different approaches to reform. The current health care system has two basic features. The first, enrollment and eligibility functions, includes how people get into the system and gain coverage for health care services. We describe 4 models, ranging from an individual, voluntary approach to a universal, tax-based model. The second, the provision of...
Quality systems in Dutch health care institutions.
Casparie, Anton; Sluijs, Emmy; Wagner, Cordula; de Bakker, Dinny
The implementation of quality systems in Dutch health care was supervised by a national committee during 1990-1995. To monitor the progress of implementation a large survey was conducted in the beginning of 1995. The survey enclosed all subsectors in health care. A postal questionnaire-derived from the European Quality Award-was sent to 1594 health care institutions; the response was 74%. The results showed that in 13% of the institutions a coherent quality system had been implemented. These ...
Infection control and changing health-care delivery systems.
Jarvis, W. R.
In the past, health care was delivered mainly in acute-care facilities. Today, health care is delivered in hospital, outpatient, transitional care, long-term care, rehabilitative care, home, and private office settings. Measures to reduce health-care costs include decreasing the number of hospitals and the length of patient stays, increasing outpatient and home care, and increasing long-term care for the elderly. The home-care industry and managed care have become major providers of health ca...
Delivery of maternal health care in Indigenous primary care services: baseline data for an ongoing quality improvement initiative
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Kwedza Ru K
Full Text Available Abstract Background Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous populations have disproportionately high rates of adverse perinatal outcomes relative to other Australians. Poorer access to good quality maternal health care is a key driver of this disparity. The aim of this study was to describe patterns of delivery of maternity care and service gaps in primary care services in Australian Indigenous communities. Methods We undertook a cross-sectional baseline audit for a quality improvement intervention. Medical records of 535 women from 34 Indigenous community health centres in five regions (Top End of Northern Territory 13, Central Australia 2, Far West New South Wales 6, Western Australia 9, and North Queensland 4 were audited. The main outcome measures included: adherence to recommended protocols and procedures in the antenatal and postnatal periods including: clinical, laboratory and ultrasound investigations; screening for gestational diabetes and Group B Streptococcus; brief intervention/advice on health-related behaviours and risks; and follow up of identified health problems. Results The proportion of women presenting for their first antenatal visit in the first trimester ranged from 34% to 49% between regions; consequently, documentation of care early in pregnancy was poor. Overall, documentation of routine antenatal investigations and brief interventions/advice regarding health behaviours varied, and generally indicated that these services were underutilised. For example, 46% of known smokers received smoking cessation advice/counselling; 52% of all women received antenatal education and 51% had investigation for gestational diabetes. Overall, there was relatively good documentation of follow up of identified problems related to hypertension or diabetes, with over 70% of identified women being referred to a GP/Obstetrician. Conclusion Participating services had both strengths and weaknesses in the delivery of maternal
Inequality and access to health care.
Davis, K
Health services research has laid the groundwork for ongoing policy debates over the shortcomings of the American health care system and the need for the expansion of health insurance protection. In the early 1970s, studies of inequality in access to medical care provided the basis for proposals for national health insurance. The examination of the impact of Medicare and Medicaid demonstrated the critical role of these governmental efforts in reducing inequalities in access to care. By the 1980s the focus of investigation turned to the impact of policies designed to contain the cost of health care on access to medical services by vulnerable populations. Documentation of the negative health outcomes that followed from restrictions on access to care has set the stage for a renewed debate over universal health insurance. PMID:1791790
Tale of Two Courthouses: A Critique of the Underlying Assumptions in Chronic Disease Self-Management for Aboriginal People
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Isabelle Ellis
Full Text Available This article reviews the assumptions that underpin thecommonly implemented Chronic Disease Self-Managementmodels. Namely that there are a clear set of instructions forpatients to comply with, that all health care providers agreewith; and that the health care provider and the patient agreewith the chronic disease self-management plan that wasdeveloped as part of a consultation. These assumptions areevaluated for their validity in the remote health care context,particularly for Aboriginal people. These assumptions havebeen found to lack validity in this context, therefore analternative model to enhance chronic disease care isproposed.
Patient involvement in Danish health care
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Vrangbæk, Karsten
of patient involvement in health care. This framework is used to analyse key governance features of patient involvement in Denmark based on previous research papers and reports describing patient involvement in Danish health care. Findings – Patient involvement is important in Denmark at the...... research results may lack generalisability. Practical implications – The paper includes implications for the development of patient involvement in health care. Originality/value – This paper fulfils a need to study different types of patient involvement and to develop a theoretical framework for...... characterizing and analysing such involvement strategies. Keywords: patient involvement, health care...
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public health: online and integrated into core Master of Public Health subjects
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Lynnell Angus
Full Text Available The Master of Public Health (MPH is an internationally recognised post-graduate qualification for building the public health workforce. In Australia, MPH graduate attributes include six Indigenous public health (IPH competencies. The University of Melbourne MPH program includes five core subjects and ten specialisation streams, of which one is Indigenous health. Unless students complete this specialisation or electives in Indigenous health, it is possible for students to graduate without attaining the IPH competencies. To address this issue in a crowded and competitive curriculum an innovative approach to integrating the IPH competencies in core MPH subjects was developed. Five online modules that corresponded with the learning outcomes of the core public health subjects were developed, implemented and evaluated in 2015. This brief report outlines the conceptualisation, development, and description of the curriculum content; it also provides preliminary student evaluation and staff feedback on the integration project.
Health Care Indicators for the United States
Donham, Carolyn S.; Maple, Brenda T.; Levit, Katharine R.
Contained in this regular feature of the journal is a section on each of the following four topics community hospital statistics; employment, hours, and earnings in the private health sector; health care prices; and national economic indicators.
Hazardous Waste Compliance In Health Care Settings
Marcoux, Rita M.; VOGENBERG, F. RANDY
Pharmaceutical waste has become an urgent public health and environmental protection issue in recent years, leading to a variety of sometimes-conflicting federal and state legislation and regulations that health care entities must take seriously.
Health and Health Care Utilization among the Unemployed
Åhs, Annika
The number of persons who are not employed has increased in Sweden since the early 1990s. Unemployment has been found to influence health, especially when unemployment rates are low. The extent to which unemployment affects health when unemployment is high is less clear, and this needs to be further studied. To improve health in the population, the health care system should offer equal access to health care according to need. It is important to study whether the employment status hinders the ...
Health Literacy and Communication Quality in Health Care Organizations
Wynia, Matthew K; Osborn, Chandra Y.
The relationship between limited health literacy and poor health may be due to poor communication quality within health care delivery organizations. We explored the relationship between health literacy status and receiving patient-centered communication in clinics and hospitals serving communication-vulnerable patient populations. Thirteen health care organizations nationwide distributed a survey to 5,929 patients. All patients completed seven items assessing patient-centered communication. O...
Can Managed Health Care Help Manage Health Care-Associated Infections?
Platt, Richard; Caldwell, Blake
Managed-care organizations have a unique opportunity, still largely unrealized, to collaborate with health-care providers and epidemiologists to prevent health care-associated infections. Several attributes make these organizations logical collaborators for infection control programs: they have responsibility for defined populations of enrollees and for their overall health, including preventive care; they possess unique data resources about their members and their care; and they are able to ...
Coordinating Care for Children with Special Health Care Needs
Stephanie Peterson; Shanna Shulman; Henry Ireys
This brief, the fourth in a series on critical issues involved in caring for children with special health care needs, notes that nearly three-quarters of parents who need professional care coordination services for their child say they do not get enough help—if they get any at all. Moreover, one-third of those who do get help are not fully satisfied with the quality of services they receive. Although many health plans coordinate care for their adult members with chronic conditions and disab...
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Public Health: Online and Integrated into Core Master of Public Health Subjects
Angus, Lynnell; Ewen, Shaun; Coombe, Leanne
The Master of Public Health (MPH) is an internationally recognised post-graduate qualification for building the public health workforce. In Australia, MPH graduate attributes include six Indigenous public health (IPH) competencies. The University of Melbourne MPH program includes five core subjects and ten specialisation streams, of which one is Indigenous health. Unless students complete this specialisation or electives in Indigenous health, it is possible for students to graduate without attaining the IPH competencies. To address this issue in a crowded and competitive curriculum an innovative approach to integrating the IPH competencies in core MPH subjects was developed. Five online modules that corresponded with the learning outcomes of the core public health subjects were developed, implemented and evaluated in 2015. This brief report outlines the conceptualisation, development, and description of the curriculum content; it also provides preliminary student evaluation and staff feedback on the integration project. Significance for public health This approach to a comprehensive, online, integrated Indigenous public health (IPH) curriculum is significant, as it ensures that all University of Melbourne Master of Public Health (MPH) graduates will have the competencies to positively contribute to Indigenous health status. A workforce that is attuned not only to the challenges of IPH, but also to the principles of self-determination, Indigenous agency and collaboration is better equipped to be comprised of ethical and judgment-safe practitioners. Additionally, the outlined approach of utilizing IPH content and examples into core MPH subjects ensures both the Australian relevance for an Australian-based health professional course and international appeal through the modules inclusion of International Indigenous case-studies and content. Furthermore, approaches learned in a challenging Indigenous Australian context are transferable and applicable to other IPH
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Public Health: Online and Integrated into Core Master of Public Health Subjects.
Angus, Lynnell; Ewen, Shaun; Coombe, Leanne
The Master of Public Health (MPH) is an internationally recognised post-graduate qualification for building the public health workforce. In Australia, MPH graduate attributes include six Indigenous public health (IPH) competencies. The University of Melbourne MPH program includes five core subjects and ten specialisation streams, of which one is Indigenous health. Unless students complete this specialisation or electives in Indigenous health, it is possible for students to graduate without attaining the IPH competencies. To address this issue in a crowded and competitive curriculum an innovative approach to integrating the IPH competencies in core MPH subjects was developed. Five online modules that corresponded with the learning outcomes of the core public health subjects were developed, implemented and evaluated in 2015. This brief report outlines the conceptualisation, development, and description of the curriculum content; it also provides preliminary student evaluation and staff feedback on the integration project. Significance for public healthThis approach to a comprehensive, online, integrated Indigenous public health (IPH) curriculum is significant, as it ensures that all University of Melbourne Master of Public Health (MPH) graduates will have the competencies to positively contribute to Indigenous health status. A workforce that is attuned not only to the challenges of IPH, but also to the principles of self-determination, Indigenous agency and collaboration is better equipped to be comprised of ethical and judgment-safe practitioners. Additionally, the outlined approach of utilizing IPH content and examples into core MPH subjects ensures both the Australian relevance for an Australian-based health professional course and international appeal through the modules inclusion of International Indigenous case-studies and content. Furthermore, approaches learned in a challenging Indigenous Australian context are transferable and applicable to other IPH
Equity in health care utilization in Chile
Núñez, Alicia; Chi, Chunhuei
One of the most extensive Chilean health care reforms occurred in July 2005, when the Regime of Explicit Health Guarantees (AUGE) became effective. This reform guarantees coverage for a specific set of health conditions. Thus, the purpose of this study is to provide timely evidence for policy makers to understand the current distribution and equity of health care utilization in Chile. The authors analyzed secondary data from the National Socioeconomic Survey (CASEN) for the years 1992–2009 an...
Challenges for the German Health Care System.
Dietrich, C F; Riemer-Hommel, P
The German Health Care System (GHCS) faces many challenges among which an aging population and economic problems are just a few. The GHCS traditionally emphasised equity, universal coverage, ready access, free choice, high numbers of providers and technological equipment; however, real competition among health-care providers and insurance companies is lacking. Mainly in response to demographic changes and economic challenges, health-care reforms have focused on cost containment and to a lesser degree also quality issues. In contrast, generational accounting, priorisation and rationing issues have thus far been completely neglected. The paper discusses three important areas of health care in Germany, namely the funding process, hospital management and ambulatory care, with a focus on cost control mechanisms and quality improving measures as the variables of interest. Health Information Technology (HIT) has been identified as an important quality improvement tool. Health Indicators have been introduced as possible instruments for the priorisation debate. PMID:22660990
Toward a 21st-century health care system: Recommendations for health care reform
K. Arrow (Kenneth); A. Auerbach (Alan); J. Bertko (John); L.P. Casalino (Lawrence Peter); F.J. Crosson (Francis); A. Enthoven (Alain); E. Falcone; R.C. Feldman; V.R. Fuchs (Victor); A.M. Garber (Alan); M.R. Gold (Marthe Rachel); D.A. Goldman; G.K. Hadfield (Gillian); M.A. Hall (Mark Ann); R.I. Horwitz (Ralph); M. Hooven; P.D. Jacobson (Peter); T.S. Jost (Timothy Stoltzfus); L.J. Kotlikoff; J. Levin (Jonathan); S. Levine (Sharon); R. Levy; K. Linscott; H.S. Luft; R. Mashal; D. McFadden (Daniel); D. Mechanic (David); D. Meltzer (David); J.P. Newhouse (Joseph); R.G. Noll (Roger); J.B. Pietzsch (Jan Benjamin); P. Pizzo (Philip); R.D. Reischauer (Robert); S. Rosenbaum (Sara); W. Sage (William); L.D. Schaeffer (Leonard Daniel); E. Sheen; B.N. Silber (Bernie Michael); J. Skinner (Jonathan Robert); S.M. Shortell (Stephen); S.O. Thier (Samuel); S. Tunis (Sean); L. Wulsin Jr.; P. Yock (Paul); G.B. Nun; S. Bryan (Stirling); O. Luxenburg (Osnat); W.P.M.M. van de Ven (Wynand); J. Cooper (Jim)
textabstractThe coverage, cost, and quality problems of the U.S. health care system are evident. Sustainable health care reform must go beyond financing expanded access to care to substantially changing the organization and delivery of care. The FRESH-Thinking Project (www.fresh-thinking.org) held a
Toward a 21st-century health care system: Recommendations for health care reform
Arrow, Kenneth; Auerbach, Alan; Bertko, John; Casalino, Lawrence Peter; Crosson, Francis; Enthoven, Alain; Falcone, E.; Feldman, R.C.; Fuchs, Victor; Garber, Alan; Gold, Marthe Rachel; Goldman, D A; Hadfield, Gillian; Hall, Mark Ann; Horwitz, Ralph
textabstractThe coverage, cost, and quality problems of the U.S. health care system are evident. Sustainable health care reform must go beyond financing expanded access to care to substantially changing the organization and delivery of care. The FRESH-Thinking Project (www.fresh-thinking.org) held a series of workshops during which physicians, health policy experts, health insurance executives, business leaders, hospital administrators, economists, and others who represent diverse perspective...
Chinese Health Care Products Industry's Future Strategic Positioning: Elderly Biotechnological Health Care Products Based on TCM
Yong Liu; Suzhen Zhang; Dazheng Wang
In order to study future strategic positioning of elderly biotechnological health care products from biological extraction technology in Chinese health care products industries, we analyze that the development of high-quality elderly health care products is needed and still remains a challenge due to the rapid growth in biological extraction technology. In this study, with the improvement of people's living standards, health care products has become a major consumer products for elderly, Trad...
Chinese Health Care Products Industry's Future Strategic Positioning: Elderly Biotechnological Health Care Products Based on TCM
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Yong Liu
Full Text Available In order to study future strategic positioning of elderly biotechnological health care products from biological extraction technology in Chinese health care products industries, we analyze that the development of high-quality elderly health care products is needed and still remains a challenge due to the rapid growth in biological extraction technology. In this study, with the improvement of people's living standards, health care products has become a major consumer products for elderly, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM as a traditional medicine health and health culture, is health care products developed an important theoretical basis and effective material source, development with biological extraction technology can promote future strategic positioning of elderly biotechnological health care products in Chinese health care products industry.
Health-Care Technology Assessment in Radiology
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Arash Deljou
Full Text Available Health-care service provision and procurement is increasingly subject to policy decisions, managed more than ever before. Becoming more international, collaboration is increasing as the health professions, research and industry all work across borders. Differing health-care systems across the countries result from national and regional policy developments and priorities."nIn health-care, all interventions and procedures are basically technologies-including radiology and sur-gery, and technology assessment is mandatory to meet the national and professional goals in this sec-tor. "nHealth-care technology assessment (HTA is a systematic, broad-ranging evaluation of the implications of using technologies within a particular health-care system. Structured and evidence-based input are its aim for policymaking in order to inform the formulation of safe and effective health policies that are patient-focused and seek to achieve the best value in all health-care sectors, more specifically in the radiology department. The following headlines are the topics in our study:"n•Decisions Related to Health Technologies"n•Appraisal Entities and Corresponding As-sessment Units"n•Assessment, Appraisal and Decision-Making Institutions"n•HTA Agencies and Units in Radiology"n•Model of a Policy Process in Radiology"n•Factors that Influence Radiology Policy-Making"n•HTA Process"n•Different Levels of Health-Care Technolo-gies/Intervention
Gender and communication style in general practice: differences between women's health care and regular health care.
Brink-Muinen, A. van den; Bensing, J.M.; Kerssens, J.J.
Objectives: differences were investigated between general practitioners providing women's health care (4 women) and general practitioners providing regular health care (8 women and 8 men). Expectations were formulated on the basis of the principles of women's health care and literature about gender
Viewing health care as a war theater.
Kessler, D M
Strategies for success in the health-care marketplace are similar to those used on the battlefield. The following article applies the teachings of Niccolo Machiavelli, Karl von Clausewitz, Napolean Bonaparte and other classic military strategists to power management, marketing and competition in health-care organizational management. PMID:10302345
Health Care Provider Physical Activity Prescription Intervention
Josyula, Lakshmi; Lyle, Roseann
Purpose: To examine the feasibility and impact of a health care provider's (HCP) physical activity (PA) prescription on the PA of patients on preventive care visits. Methods: Consenting adult patients completed health and PA questionnaires and were sequentially assigned to intervention groups. HCPs prescribed PA using a written prescription only…
Online Health Care Communication in Denmark
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Andersen, Kim Normann; Agger Nielsen, Jeppe; Kim, Soonhee
This paper brings forward five propositions on the use of online communication in health care, its potential impacts on efficiency and effectiveness in health care, and which role government should play in moving forward the use of online communication. In the paper, each of the five propositions...
Financial management in leading health care systems.
Smith, D G; Wheeler, J R; Rivenson, H L; Reiter, K L
To understand better the financial management practices and strategies of modern health care organizations, we conducted interviews with chief financial officers (CFOs) of several leading health care systems. In this introduction, we present an overview of the project and summary responses on corporate financial structures and strategic challenges facing CFOs. PMID:10845383
[Female migrants in the health care system. Health care utilisation, access barriers and health promotion strategies].
Wimmer-Puchinger, B; Wolf, H; Engleder, A
Due to the evident interaction between social factors and health, migrants are exposed to specific risk factors and access barriers to health services. Some examples are the lower education level, the low social position and/or the insufficient language skills. This concept is further elaborated in the multi-factorial impacts of health literacy. Female migrants often experience additional discrimination because of their gender. Despite the lack of representative data, consistent studies show that female migrants do not regularly take advantage of health care prevention and present themselves with higher degrees of stress. The current "inadequate health care" manifests itself in a lack of care in the areas of prevention and health education and an abundance in the context of medication and diagnostic procedures. To meet these demands and to further reduce barriers, in particular language barriers, specific strategies for this target group involving both politics and the health care system have to be developed. Besides the employment of interpreters with a native cultural background and the distribution of information booklets, it is an important strategy to reduce structural obstacles such as cultural diversity. To contact these women in their living environment should help to increase their self-determined health promotion. Selected models of good practice in Austria with regard to the themes of FGM (female genital mutilation), violence, heart disease and breast cancer are presented to highlight the specific health situation and risk factors of female migrants as well as successful strategies to confront them. PMID:16927035
Wholistic Health Care: Challenge to Health Providers.
McKay, Susan
Due to the increasing influence of the holistic health movement, health providers will increasingly be challenged to reexamine their roles in patient relationships, increase the extent of interdisciplinary teamwork, emphasize health education and positive health behaviors, examine the usefulness of various alternative therapies, and consider the…
Integrating Behavioral Health into Primary Care
Bauer, Amy M.; Collins, Laura; Dugdale, David C.
Abstract Depression is one of the more common diagnoses encountered in primary care, and primary care in turn provides the majority of care for patients with depression. Many approaches have been tried in efforts to improve the outcomes of depression management. This article outlines the partnership between the University of Washington (UW) Neighborhood Clinics and the UW Department of Psychiatry in implementing a collaborative care approach to integrating the management of anxiety and depression in the ambulatory primary care setting. This program was built on the chronic care model, which utilizes a team approach to caring for the patient. In addition to the patient and the primary care provider (PCP), the team included a medical social worker (MSW) as care manager and a psychiatrist as team consultant. The MSW would manage a registry of patients with depression at a clinic with several PCPs, contacting the patients on a regular basis to assess their status, and consulting with the psychiatrist on a weekly basis to discuss patients who were not achieving the goals of care. Any recommendation (eg, a change in medication dose or class) made by the psychiatrist was communicated to the PCP, who in turn would work with the patient on the new recommendation. This collaborative care approach resulted in a significant improvement in the number of patients who achieved care plan goals. The authors believe this is an effective method for health systems to integrate mental health services into primary care. (Population Health Management 2016;19:81–87) PMID:26348355
Integrating Behavioral Health into Primary Care.
McGough, Peter M; Bauer, Amy M; Collins, Laura; Dugdale, David C
Depression is one of the more common diagnoses encountered in primary care, and primary care in turn provides the majority of care for patients with depression. Many approaches have been tried in efforts to improve the outcomes of depression management. This article outlines the partnership between the University of Washington (UW) Neighborhood Clinics and the UW Department of Psychiatry in implementing a collaborative care approach to integrating the management of anxiety and depression in the ambulatory primary care setting. This program was built on the chronic care model, which utilizes a team approach to caring for the patient. In addition to the patient and the primary care provider (PCP), the team included a medical social worker (MSW) as care manager and a psychiatrist as team consultant. The MSW would manage a registry of patients with depression at a clinic with several PCPs, contacting the patients on a regular basis to assess their status, and consulting with the psychiatrist on a weekly basis to discuss patients who were not achieving the goals of care. Any recommendation (eg, a change in medication dose or class) made by the psychiatrist was communicated to the PCP, who in turn would work with the patient on the new recommendation. This collaborative care approach resulted in a significant improvement in the number of patients who achieved care plan goals. The authors believe this is an effective method for health systems to integrate mental health services into primary care. (Population Health Management 2016;19:81-87). PMID:26348355
Bullying in an Aboriginal Context
Coffin, Juli; Larson, Ann; Cross, Donna
Aboriginal children appear to be more likely to be involved in bullying than non-Aboriginal children. This paper describes part of the "Solid Kids Solid Schools" research process and discusses some of the results from this three year study involving over 260 Aboriginal children, youth, elders, teachers and Aboriginal Indigenous Education Officers…
Health care enters the real world.
Schroeder, N J
The U.S. health care system is undergoing restructuring as a result of a complex interplay of social, political, and economic forces. Where once the medical profession had a monopoly position in the health care system, its position has been challenged by the Federal Trade Commission under the Sherman Antitrust Act. More and more, the health care field is characterized by entrepreneurialism, a concept that is at odds with the traditional tenets of the medical profession. The restructuring of health care in the U.S. has the potential to allow the entrepreneur to function to the benefit of patients, despite the fact that this is a change resisted by those providing health care services. PMID:10312135
Future developments in health care performance management
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Crema M
Full Text Available Maria Crema, Chiara Verbano Department of Management and Engineering, University of Padova, Vicenza, Italy Abstract: This paper highlights the challenges of performance management in health care, wherein multiple different objectives have to be pursued. The literature suggests starting with quality performance, following the sand cone theory, but considering a multidimensional concept of health care quality. Moreover, new managerial approaches coming from an industrial context and adapted to health care, such as lean management and risk management, can contribute to improving quality performance. Therefore, the opportunity to analyze them arises from studying their overlaps and links in order to identify possible synergies and to investigate the opportunity to develop an integrated methodology enabling improved performance. Keywords: health care, lean management, clinical risk management, quality, health care processes
The promise of Lean in health care.
Toussaint, John S; Berry, Leonard L
An urgent need in American health care is improving quality and efficiency while controlling costs. One promising management approach implemented by some leading health care institutions is Lean, a quality improvement philosophy and set of principles originated by the Toyota Motor Company. Health care cases reveal that Lean is as applicable in complex knowledge work as it is in assembly-line manufacturing. When well executed, Lean transforms how an organization works and creates an insatiable quest for improvement. In this article, we define Lean and present 6 principles that constitute the essential dynamic of Lean management: attitude of continuous improvement, value creation, unity of purpose, respect for front-line workers, visual tracking, and flexible regimentation. Health care case studies illustrate each principle. The goal of this article is to provide a template for health care leaders to use in considering the implementation of the Lean management system or in assessing the current state of implementation in their organizations. PMID:23274021
Medical imaging and alternative health care organizations
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Imaging is not easy to measure in economic terms for France to day. The impact of innovation process is no more clear and especially the substitutions expected between different techniques. Nevertheless, these new techniques could provoque big changes in medical practices and health care organizations. They should probably increase the proportion of ambulatory patients in total examinations and encourage the development of extra-hospital health care. But, in France, alternative health care organizations (day hospital, home care, etc...) are under developed because of many non technical factors (behavioural managerial and institutional). Perhaps major potential change shall come from imaging networks. But can imaging development contribute to moderate health expanses growth rate. Economic evaluations of each new technique are difficult and ambiguous but necessary to maximize health care system efficiency
Health care retail clinics: current perspectives
Kaissi, Amer
Amer Kaissi Department of Health Care Administration, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX, USA Abstract: Retail clinics represent a major innovation with a radical value proposition in American health care: convenient locations and hours, walk-in care, short waiting times, and transparent pricing. Many organizations, groups, associations, and individual providers affect and are affected by retail clinics. The main winners from the retail clinic trend are insurance companies and third-party p...
Internationalization of health care services : Networking aspects
Hreinsson, Julius; Woldearegay, Yonathan
Principles of business management are increasingly being used to analyze health care systems. Conceptualizing health care as business networks offers the possibility to apply the ARA model of Actors, Resources and Activities to understand the functioning of the system. We have used this model to study the phenomenon of networking in cross-border care using Uppsala University Hospital as a research case. The aim of the study was to understand actor's perceptions of networking activities and ho...
Traditional Urban Aboriginal Religion
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Kristina Everett
Full Text Available This paper represents a group of Aboriginal people who claim traditional Aboriginal ownership of a large Australian metropol is. They have struggled for at least the last 25 to 30 years to articulate and represent the ir contemporary group identity to the wider Australian society that very often does not take th eir expressions seriously. This is largely because dominant discourses claim that 'authentic' Aboriginal culture only exists in remote, pristine areas far away from western societ y and that urban Aboriginal traditions, especially urban religious traditions are, today, d efunct. This paper is an account of one occasion on which such traditional Aboriginal relig ious practice was performed before the eyes of a group of tourists.
Scleroderma in Australian aborigines.
Zurauskas, J; Beroukas, D; Walker, J G; Smith, M D; Ahern, M J; Roberts-Thomson, P J
Scleroderma (systemic sclerosis) has not been reported before in Australian Aborigines. We describe in detail a community middle-aged Aboriginal woman whose diffuse scleroderma terminated fatally with a renal crisis. Moreover, we have identified a further five Aboriginal patients on the South Australian Scleroderma Register (two with diffuse, two with limited and one with overlap scleroderma), a number consistent with that expected from the 2001 census data for our state. However, an analysis of all antinuclear antibody (ANA) requests from the Top End of Australia over a 6-year period revealed only two Aborigines with low titre anticentromere antibody (despite frequent occurrence of ANA with other specificities). Neither of these Aborigines had features of scleroderma. In conclusion, scleroderma does occur in indigenous Australians but further studies are needed to confirm the apparent infrequency of centromere-associated limited scleroderma (which is the commonest form of scleroderma in our Caucasian population). PMID:15667472
Prison Health Care: Is Contracting Out Healthy?
Bedard, Kelly; Frech, Ted E
U.S Prison health care has recently been in the news and in the courts. A particular issue is whether prisons should contract out for health care. Contracting out has been growing over the past few decades. The stated motivation for this change ranges from a desire to improve the prison health care system, sometimes in response to a court mandate, to a desire to reduce costs. This study is a first attempt to quantify the impact of this change on inmate health. As morbidity measures are n...
Organizational Learning in Health Care Organizations
Savithiri Ratnapalan; Elizabeth Uleryk
The process of collective education in an organization that has the capacity to impact an organization's operations, performance and outcomes is called organizational learning. In health care organizations, patient care is provided through one or more visible and invisible teams. These teams are composed of experts and novices from diverse backgrounds working together to provide coordinated care. The number of teams involved in providing care and the possibility of breakdowns in communication...
Oregon's experiment in health care delivery and payment reform: coordinated care organizations replacing managed care.
Howard, Steven W; Bernell, Stephanie L; Yoon, Jangho; Luck, Jeff; Ranit, Claire M
To control Medicaid costs, improve quality, and drive community engagement, the Oregon Health Authority introduced a new system of coordinated care organizations (CCOs). While CCOs resemble traditional Medicaid managed care, they have differences that have been deliberately designed to improve care coordination, increase accountability, and incorporate greater community governance. Reforms include global budgets integrating medical, behavioral, and oral health care and public health functions; risk-adjusted payments rewarding outcomes and evidence-based practice; increased transparency; and greater community engagement. The CCO model faces several implementation challenges. If successful, it will provide improved health care delivery, better health outcomes, and overall savings. PMID:25480844
Primary mental health care: Indications and obstacles
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Y.G. Pillay
Full Text Available This paper considers indications and obstacles for the development of primary mental health care practice in both developed and under-developed countries. Both are considered as this represents the South African reality. While a significant body of literature has documented the need for primary mental health care, the obstacles (especially in terms of the commodification of health to its fruition are seldom addressed.
Zemanová, Iva
This thesis is concerned with US health care. It is focused especially on the health insurance market. It introduces basic characteristics of the US insurance system and discusses its main problems. The goal of this thesis is to determine whether voluntary private insurance is the main source of problems that the US health care system currently experiences. In order to do that, greatest deficiencies of US insurance policies, especially private ones, are identified based on the efficiency crit...
Primary health care of the newborn baby.
Bhakoo, O N; Kumar, R
More than 50% of infant deaths in India occur during the neonatal period. High priority therefore needs to be given to improving the survival of newborns. A large number of neonatal deaths have their origin in the perinatal period and are mainly determined by the health and nutritional status of the mother, the quality of care during pregnancy and delivery, and the immediate care of the newborn at birth. Main causes of neonatal mortality are birth asphyxia, respiratory problems, and infections, especially tetanus. Most such deaths occur among low birthweight babies. Hypothermia, undernutrition, and mismanaged breast feeding may also indirectly contribute to neonatal mortality. Community-based studies have, however, demonstrated that most neonatal mortality can be affordably prevented through primary health care. Efforts are underway to expand the health care infrastructure, but the outreach of maternal and child health care remains unsatisfactory especially in rural areas. PMID:12319228
Increased health care utilisation in international adoptees
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Graff, Heidi Jeannet; Siersma, Volkert Dirk; Kragstrup, Jakob;
Introduction: Several studies have documented thatinternational adoptees have an increased occurrence ofhealth problems and contacts to the health-care systemafter arriving to their new country of residence. This maybe explained by pre-adoption adversities, especially for theperiod immediately...... after adoption. Our study aimed to theassess health-care utilisation of international adoptees inprimary and secondary care for somatic and psychiatricdiagnoses in a late post-adoption period. Is there an increaseduse of the health-care system in this period, evenwhen increased morbidity in the group...... of internationaladoptees is taken into consideration? Methods: This was a Danish register-based cohort studyexamining health-care utilisation in a multivariable two-partmodel. The prevalence of selected outcomes and the quantityof use were assessed in a late (year three, four and five)post-adoption period. The cohort...
Danish cancer patients' perspective on health care
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Sandager, Mette; Sperling, Cecilie; Jensen, Henry;
Patient's experiences and patient surveys are increasingly being used for the evaluation of the quality of health care. Patient information is valuable input when we aim to improve healthcare services. The aim of this study was to assess Danish cancer patients' experiences and assessment of the...... health care they have received, in regard to access to diagnostics, coordination and continuity of care, information and communication and involvement of patients and relatives. Questions and the opportunity to comment in free text were distributed to 6,720 newly diagnosed cancer patients in the summer...... better involvement of patient and relatives. The study indicates that women, younger and higher educated patients tend to be less satisfied with the health care they received. This study shows that even though the majority of patients are satisfied with the quality of health care, there is room for...
Organizational Learning in Health Care Organizations
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Savithiri Ratnapalan
Full Text Available The process of collective education in an organization that has the capacity to impact an organization's operations, performance and outcomes is called organizational learning. In health care organizations, patient care is provided through one or more visible and invisible teams. These teams are composed of experts and novices from diverse backgrounds working together to provide coordinated care. The number of teams involved in providing care and the possibility of breakdowns in communication and coordinated care increases in direct proportion to sophisticated technology and treatment strategies of complex disease processes. Safe patient care is facilitated by individual professional learning; inter-professional team learning and system based organizational learning, which encompass modified context specific learning by multiple teams and team members in a health care organization. Organizational learning in health care systems is central to managing the learning requirements in complex interconnected dynamic systems where all have to know common background knowledge along with shared meta-knowledge of roles and responsibilities to execute their assigned functions, communicate and transfer the flow of pertinent information and collectively provide safe patient care. Organizational learning in health care is not a onetime intervention, but a continuing organizational phenomenon that occurs through formal and informal learning which has reciprocal association with organizational change. As such, organizational changes elicit organizational learning and organizational learning implements new knowledge and practices to create organizational changes.
Shared decision-making and health for First Nations, Métis and Inuit women: a study protocol
Jull Janet; Stacey Dawn; Giles Audrey; Boyer Yvonne
Abstract Background Little is known about shared decision-making (SDM) with Métis, First Nations and Inuit women ("Aboriginal women"). SDM is a collaborative process that engages health care professional(s) and the client in making health decisions and is fundamental for informed consent and patient-centred care. The objective of this study is to explore Aboriginal women's health and social decision-making needs and to engage Aboriginal women in culturally adapting an SDM approach. Methods Us...
The foundation for future health care.
Marcarelli, J L
In the March-April issue of Physician Executive, Thomas Ainsworth, MD, provided his view of the current status of health promotion within the health care delivery system. The potential, he wrote, is far greater than the realization to date, and physicians can have a significant role in the development of health promotion programs. In this article, the theory is posited that the prime factor in the failure of health promotion to achieve a more significant position in the health care field is inertia. The forces for the status quo have simply been too great to be overcome. However, consumers, providers, and payers are almost certain to be involved in a health promotion strategy that will revolutionize the health care industry. PMID:10312136
Corporate moral responsibility in health care.
Wilmot, S
The question of corporate moral responsibility--of whether it makes sense to hold an organisation corporately morally responsible for its actions, rather than holding responsible the individuals who contributed to that action--has been debated over a number of years in the business ethics literature. However, it has had little attention in the world of health care ethics. Health care in the United Kingdom (UK) is becoming an increasingly corporate responsibility, so the issue is increasingly relevant in the health care context, and it is worth considering whether the specific nature of health care raises special questions around corporate moral responsibility. For instance, corporate responsibility has usually been considered in the context of private corporations, and the organisations of health care in the UK are mainly state bodies. However, there is enough similarity in relevant respects between state organisations and private corporations, for the question of corporate responsibility to be equally applicable. Also, health care is characterised by professions with their own systems of ethical regulation. However, this feature does not seriously diminish the importance of the corporate responsibility issue, and the importance of the latter is enhanced by recent developments. But there is one major area of difference. Health care, as an activity with an intrinsically moral goal, differs importantly from commercial activities that are essentially amoral, in that it narrows the range of opportunities for corporate wrongdoing, and also makes such organisations more difficult to punish. PMID:11079341
Promoting coordination in Norwegian health care
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Tor I. Romøren
Full Text Available Introduction: The Norwegian health care system is well organized within its two main sectors - primary health and long term care on the one hand, and hospitals and specialist services on the other. However, the relation between them lacks mediating structures.Policy practice: Enhancing coordination between primary and secondary health care has been central in Norwegian health care policy the last decade. In 2003 a committee was appointed to identify coordination problems and proposed a lot of practical and organisational recommendations. It relied on an approach challenging primary and secondary health care in shared geographical regions to take action. However, these proposals were not implemented. In 2008 a new Minister of Health and Care worked out plans under the key term "Coordination Reform". These reform plans superseded and expanded the previous policy initiatives concerning cooperation, but represented also a shift in focus to a regulative and centralised strategy, including new health legislation, structural reforms and use of economic incentives that are now about to be implemented.Discussion: The article analyses the perspectives and proposals of the previous and the recent reform initiatives in Norway and discusses them in relation to integrated care measures implemented in Denmark and Sweden.
Promoting coordination in Norwegian health care
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Tor I. Romøren
Full Text Available Introduction: The Norwegian health care system is well organized within its two main sectors - primary health and long term care on the one hand, and hospitals and specialist services on the other. However, the relation between them lacks mediating structures. Policy practice: Enhancing coordination between primary and secondary health care has been central in Norwegian health care policy the last decade. In 2003 a committee was appointed to identify coordination problems and proposed a lot of practical and organisational recommendations. It relied on an approach challenging primary and secondary health care in shared geographical regions to take action. However, these proposals were not implemented. In 2008 a new Minister of Health and Care worked out plans under the key term "Coordination Reform". These reform plans superseded and expanded the previous policy initiatives concerning cooperation, but represented also a shift in focus to a regulative and centralised strategy, including new health legislation, structural reforms and use of economic incentives that are now about to be implemented. Discussion: The article analyses the perspectives and proposals of the previous and the recent reform initiatives in Norway and discusses them in relation to integrated care measures implemented in Denmark and Sweden.
Ethical thinking and discrimination in health care
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Aleksander Mlinšek
Full Text Available RQ: Personal excellence of nursing focusing on self-transcendence and achievements is crucial for achieving excellence in health care. The question is whether there is unequal treatment of patients despite high ethical standards placed in health care.Purpose: Professional nurses code is a guide in assessing their ethical performance. People are different amongst each other, but have the same rights in the health system, which should be provided by health care services. The need to overcome inequalities has become a cornerstone of excellence in health care.Method: A small quantitative survey of nurses was conducted in one of the departments in a Slovenian hospital. To analyse the results, we used frequency statistics, Spearman's rank correlation test and chi-square test. Results: Providers of health care services are aware of the importance of ethics in its formation. Professional Code is relatively well known; 8.4 % of the respondents were not sure if they clearly define the principles of respect for equality. Discrimination, caused by providers of health care, is of a less extent. Ethical awareness among health care providers does not affect identification with the profession. The education level ofnursing personnel and the perception of discrimination based on religious affiliation influenced one another. Education has no influence on the perception of discrimination based on other circumstances.Organization: Health care organizations should integrate hygieneethical thinking among its strategic goals. Quality is not only quantifying the data. Personal excellence of health care providers, which is difficult to measure, is the basic building block of organizational excellence and patient satisfaction.Originality: There are not many research studies on perceptionsof discrimination in health care. The article raises the sensitive issue that we should talk more about.Limitations: The survey was conducted on a small sample size. Further research
Traveling technologies and transformations in health care
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Nielsen, Annegrete Juul
Plenty of policies, politics and programs preoccupied with the health of the worker, the patient, the children, the old or society at large are being launched. The success of these programs is related to their geographical spread. If a health care program does not leave the desk where it first saw...... light, its chances of influencing those it would like bear down on is bound to be minimal. For a health care program to have an effect it must be able to travel or move between practices. Some health care programs successfully accomplish this task. They come to be widely adopted, apparently having...... global relevance, as for example the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, which has been adopted by countries as diverse as Japan, Australia and Denmark. But how does this happen and which effects does traveling have on a health care program and its place of arrival? This question is the starting...
A Message to Health Care Professionals
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts
This podcast features teens who urge US health care professionals to talk to teen patients about pregnancy and contraception. Created: 10/11/2011 by National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), Division of Reproductive Health (DRH). Date Released: 10/11/2011.
The Employer-Led Health Care Revolution.
McDonald, Patricia A; Mecklenburg, Robert S; Martin, Lindsay A
To tame its soaring health care costs, intel tried many popular approaches: "consumer-driven health care" offerings such as high-deductible/low-premium plans, on-site clinics and employee wellness programs. But by 2009 intel realized that those programs alone would not enable the company to solve the problem, because they didn't affect its root cause: the steadily rising cost of the care employees and their families were receiving. Intel projected that its health care expenditures would hit a whopping $1 billion by 2012. So the company decided to try a novel approach. As a large purchaser of health services and with expertise in quality improvement and supplier management, intel was uniquely positioned to drive transformation in its local health care market. The company decided that it would manage the quality and cost of its health care suppliers with the same rigor it applied to its equipment suppliers by monitoring quality and cost. It spearheaded a collaborative effort in Portland, Oregon, that included two health systems, a plan administrator, and a major government employer. So far the Portland collaborative has reduced treatment costs for certain medical conditions by 24% to 49%, improved patient satisfaction, and eliminated over 10,000 hours worth of waste in the two health systems' business processes. PMID:26540959
[Informatics in the Croatian health care system].
Kern, Josipa; Strnad, Marija
Informatization process of the Croatian health care system started relatively early. Computer processing of data of persons not covered by health insurance started in 1968 in Zagreb. Remetinec Health Center served as a model of computer data processing (CDP) in primary health care and Sveti Duh General Hospital in inpatient CDP, whereas hospital administration and health service were first introduced to Zagreb University Hospital Center and Sestre Milosrdnice University Hospital. At Varazdin Medical Center CDP for health care services started in 1970. Several registries of chronic diseases have been established: cancer, psychosis, alcoholism, and hospital registries as well as pilot registries of lung tuberculosis patients and diabetics. Health statistics reports on healthcare services, work accidents and sick-leaves as well as on hospital mortality started to be produced by CDP in 1977. Besides alphanumeric data, the modern information technology (IT) can give digital images and signals. Communication in health care system demands a standardized format of all information, especially for telemedicine. In 2000, Technical Committee for Standardization in Medical Informatics was founded in Croatia, in order to monitor the activities of the International Standardization Organization (ISO) and Comite Européen de Normalisation (CEN), and to implement their international standards in the Croatian standardization procedure. The HL7 Croatia has also been founded to monitor developments in the communication standard HL7. So far, the Republic of Croatia has a number of acts regulating informatization in general and consequently the informatization of the health care system (Act on Personal Data Confidentiality, Act on Digital Signature, Act of Standardization) enacted. The ethical aspect of data security and data protection has been covered by the Code of Ethics for medical informaticians. It has been established by the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA
[External and internal financing in health care].
Henke, Klaus-Dirk
The objective of this contribution is to characterize the functional and institutional features of the German health-care system. This takes place after a short introduction and examination of the ongoing debate on health care in Germany. External funding describes the form of revenue generation. Regarding external funding of the German health care system, one of the favored alternatives in the current debate is the possibility of introducing per capita payments. After a short introduction to the capitation option, focus is on the so-called health fund that is currently debated on and being made ready for implementation in Germany, actually a mixed system of capitation and contributions based on income. On the other hand, internal funding is the method of how different health-care services are purchased or reimbursed. This becomes a rather hot topic in light of new trends for integrated and networked care to patients and different types of budgeting. Another dominating question in the German health-care system is the liberalization of the contractual law, with its "joint and uniform" regulations that have to be loosened for competition gains. After a discussion of the consequences of diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) in Germany, the article is concluded by a note on the political rationality of the current health-care reform for increased competition within the Statutory Health Insurance and its players as exemplified by the health fund. To sum up, it has to be said that the complexity and specific features of how the German system is financed seem to require ongoing reform considerations even after realization of the currently debated health-care reform law which, unfortunately, is dominated by political rationalities rather than objective thoughts. PMID:17497087
Future developments in health care performance management.
Crema, Maria; Verbano, Chiara
This paper highlights the challenges of performance management in health care, wherein multiple different objectives have to be pursued. The literature suggests starting with quality performance, following the sand cone theory, but considering a multidimensional concept of health care quality. Moreover, new managerial approaches coming from an industrial context and adapted to health care, such as lean management and risk management, can contribute to improving quality performance. Therefore, the opportunity to analyze them arises from studying their overlaps and links in order to identify possible synergies and to investigate the opportunity to develop an integrated methodology enabling improved performance. PMID:24255600
Challenges in mental health care in the Family Health Strategy
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Consuelo Helena Aires de Freitas
Full Text Available Objective: To discuss the practice of mental health care performed by healthcare professionals from the Family Health Strategy in Fortaleza-CE, Brazil. Methods: This is a critical and reflective study conducted in six Basic Health Units in Fortaleza-Ce. The study subjects were 12 health workers of the following professions: doctor, nurse, community health agents and technical and/or nursing assistant. Semi-structured interviews, systematic observationand questionnaire were used for data collection. The empirical analysis was based on an understanding of the discourses through critical hermeneutics. Results: It was evident that the mental health services are developed by some health workers in the ESF, such as, matrix support, relational technologies, home visits and community group therapy. However, there is still deficiency in training/coaching by most professionals in primary care, due to anenduring model of pathological or curative health care. Conclusion: Mental health care is still occasionally held by some workers in primary care. However, some progresses are already present as matrix support, relational technologies in health care, home visits andcommunity therapy.
Health care governance in the UK National Health Service.
Wilson, Jo H
The NHS Plan sets out a challenging agenda for modernising the UK National Health Service (NHS), governing the organisation's performance and improving and extending service provision. Good health care governance is an essential prerequisite for all modernisation effort. This article will explore the responsibilities and implications for health care boards, managers and clinical staff in providing assurances for health care governance. Health care organisation directors, executive and non-executive, all share responsibility for the direction and control of the organisation. They are required to act in the best interest of the patients, staff and the general public and have statutory obligations to provide safe systems of work under the Health and Safety Regulations. Each director has a role in ensuring openness, being honest and acting with integrity, taking responsibility for their own personal learning and development, constructively challenge and develop strategy and ensuring the probity of the organisation's activities. PMID:15566273
... Find a Pediatrician Newsletters Symptom Checker Apps E-Magazine Our Mission Our Mission Our Mission AAP in ... used to measure a young person's intellect and psychological health. All of the mental health counselors listed ...
mHealth in Cardiovascular Health Care.
Chow, Clara K; Ariyarathna, Nilshan; Islam, Sheikh Mohammed Shariful; Thiagalingam, Aravinda; Redfern, Julie
Mobile health (mHealth) has been defined as medical and public health practice supported by mobile devices, such as mobile phones, patient monitoring devices and personal digital assistants. Cardiovascular mHealth is, arguably, leading the mHealth space, through innovation, research and implementation, and especially in the areas of prevention, cardiac rehabilitation and education. mHealth includes simple strategies, such as the use of short message service (SMS) or text messages in successful short-term smoking-cessation, weight loss and diabetes management programs. The recent Australian Tobacco, Exercise and Diet Messages (TEXT ME) randomised clinical trial addressed multiple cardiovascular risk factors. mHealth can also involve more complex strategies, such as smart phone applications (apps), global positioning systems (GPS) and Bluetooth technologies. Although many apps could be considered suitable for primary prevention, they are largely unregulated and most are not evidence-based. Some have been well-developed, such as the Food Switch app and an iPhone electrocardiogram (ECG) system. The "explosion" of apps has driven initiatives such as the Mobile Applications Rating Scale (MARS). More recently, the use of sensors to monitor and provide feedback to patients and healthcare providers is being explored. With almost two billion people currently owning a Smartphone, and 50% of adults (globally) predicted to own one by 2018, mHealth provides the prospect of delivering efficient, affordable healthcare services to widespread populations both locally and globally. In particular, it has the potential to reduce socioeconomic disparity and alleviate the burden of cardiovascular disease. There is now a need to rethink traditional health service structures and bioengineering capacity, to ensure mHealth systems are also safe, secure and robust. PMID:27262389
Aboriginal Consumption of Estuarine Food Resources and Potential Implications for Health through Trace Metal Exposure; A Study in Gumbaynggirr Country, Australia.
Russell, Shaina; Sullivan, Caroline A; Reichelt-Brushett, Amanda J
Fishing and resource use continues to be an essential aspect of life for many Aboriginal communities throughout Australia. It is important for dietary sustenance, and also retains deep social, cultural and economic significance, playing a fundamental role in maintaining group cohesion, transferring cultural knowledge and affirming Indigenous identities. We surveyed approximately 20% of the Gumbaynggirr Aboriginal community of Nambucca Heads, New South Wales, Australia. This paper explores Gumbaynggirr Connection to Country and engagement in cultural practice. It quantifies fishing efforts and consumption of seafood within the community. We found 95% of the sample group fish, with the highest rate of fishing being 2-3 times a week (27%). Furthermore, 98% of participants eat seafood weekly or more frequently, up to more than once a day (24%). Survey results revealed that Myxus elongatus (Sand mullet) and naturally recruited Saccostrea glomerata (Sydney rock oysters) continue to be important wild resources to the Gumbaynggirr community. Trace metals were measured in M. elongatus and S. glomerata samples collected by community participants in this study. Maximum levels prescribed in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code were not exceeded in the edible tissue for either species, however both species exceeded the generally expected levels for zinc and copper and S. glomerata samples exceeded the generally expected level for selenium. Furthermore the average dietary exposure to trace metals from consuming seafood was calculated for the surveyed population. Trace metal intake was then compared to the provisional tolerable weekly intake prescribed by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives. This process revealed that copper and selenium intake were both within the provisional tolerable weekly intake, while there is no guideline for zinc. Furthermore, participants relying heavily on wild resources from the Nambucca River estuary may exceed the provisional
And Transformations in Health Care
Nielsen, Annegrete Juul
The 'health society' is a mainstream reality Kickbusch (2007) argues: "Health, as we understand it and live it today, is not only an outcome of other social and economic developments but a significant defining factor" (ibid: 144). Indeed, it seems difficult to disagree on the general relevance of health to the constitutive dynamics of contemporary societies and organizations. Plenty of policies, politics and programs preoccupied with the health of the worker, the patient, th...
[Managed care. Its impact on health care in the USA, especially on anesthesia and intensive care].
Bauer, M; Bach, A
Managed care, i.e., the integration of health insurance and delivery of care under the direction of one organization, is gaining importance in the USA health market. The initial effects consisted of a decrease in insurance premiums, a very attractive feature for employers. Managed care promises to contain expenditures for health care. Given the shrinking public resources in Germany, managed care seems attractive for the German health system, too. In this review the development of managed care, the principal elements, forms of organisation and practical tools are outlined. The regulation of the delivery of care by means of controlling and financial incentives threatens the autonomy of physicians: the physician must act as a "double agent", caring for the interest for the individual patient and being restricted by the contract with the managed care organisation. Cost containment by managed care was achieved by reducing the fees for physicians and hospitals (and partly by restricting care for patients). Only a fraction of this cost reduction was handed over to the enrollee or employer, and most of the money was returned with profit to the shareholders of the managed care organisations. The preeminent role of primary care physicians as gatekeepers of the health network led to a reduced demand for specialist services in general and for university hospitals and anesthesiologists in particular. The paradigm of managed care, i.e., to guide the patient and the care giver through the health care system in order to achieve cost-effective and high quality care, seems very attractive. The stress on cost minimization by any means in the daily practice of managed care makes it doubtful if managed care should be an option for the German health system, in particular because there are a number of restrictions on it in German law. PMID:9676303
[Supply and demand in home health care].
Braga, Patrícia Pinto; de Sena, Roseni Rosângela; Seixas, Clarissa Terenzi; de Castro, Edna Aparecida Barbosa; Andrade, Angélica Mônica; Silva, Yara Cardoso
The changes in the demographic and epidemiologic profiles of the Brazilian population and the need to rethink the health care model have led many countries like Brazil to consider Home Care (HC) as a care strategy. However, there is a gap between the supply of HC services, the demand for care and the health needs manifested by the population. Thus, this article analyzes scientific output regarding the status of the relation between supply, demand and the needs related to home health care. This work is based on an integrative review of the literature in the following databases: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Latin America and the Caribbean Literature on Health and Science (Lilacs), Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline) and Web of Science. Despite the fact that few articles refer to the issue in question, there is evidence indicating that health demands and needs are seldom taken into account either in a quantitative or qualitative approach when developing the organization of HC services. The analysis would indicate that there is a national and international deficit in the supply of HC services considering the demand for health care and needs currently prevailing. PMID:26960102
Be More Involved in Your Health Care: Tips for Patients
... Task Force Improving Primary Care Practice Health IT Integration Health Care/System Redesign Clinical-Community Linkages Care Coordination Capacity Building Behavioral and Mental Health Self-Management Support Resources Clinical Community Relationships ...
Schouten, Pieter
By identifying and applying advanced revenue cycle analytics, healthcare providers can: Free up cash. Find new revenues without harming core services. Improve productivity, profitability, and patient care. PMID:23413667
The construction of a governable health care
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Peyton, Margit Malmmose
Many studies have been conducted on the issue of New Public Management (NPM) and health care, not always quoting directly the philosophies of NPM, but using methods deriving from it. This study seeks to explore the development of studies on NPM in health care since the 1970s. The following research...... questions will be addressed: What types of studies are conducted on NPM in health care and how do these studies relate to the construction of the governable person? What are the changes in these relations and is the acceptance of this nationally dependent? Using Miller and O'Leary's (1987), "The...... construction of the governable person" as a theoretical framework, all academic articles from AA journals on the issues of NPM, health care and/or hospitals are analyzed....
Primary health care nurse practitioners in Canada.
DiCenso, Alba; Auffrey, Lucille; Bryant-Lukosius, Denise; Donald, Faith; Martin-Misener, Ruth; Matthews, Sue; Opsteen, Joanne
Canada, like many countries, is in the midst of primary health care reform. A key priority is to improve access to primary health care, especially in remote communities and areas with physician shortages. As a result, there is an increased emphasis on the integration of primary health care nurse practitioners. As of March 2006, legislation exists in all provinces and two territories in Canada that allows nurse practitioners (NPs) to implement their expanded nursing role. In this paper, we will briefly review the historical development of the NP role in Canada and situate it in the international context; describe the NP role, supply of NPs in the country, and the settings in which they work; propose an NP practice model framework; summarize facilitators and barriers to NP role implementation in primary health care delivery; and outline strategies to address the barriers. PMID:18041990
How Do Health Care Providers Diagnose Endometriosis?
... and Publications How do health care providers diagnose endometriosis? Skip sharing on social media links Share this: ... way to be sure of the diagnosis of endometriosis. The most common surgery is called laparoscopy (pronounced ...
Illuminating collaboration in emergency health care situations
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Sonnenwald, Diane H.; Söderholm, Hanna Maurin; Welch, Gregory F.;
reported the technology would require additional training, changes to existing financial models used in emergency health care, and increased access to physicians. Conclusions. Teaching collaboration skills and strategies to physicians and paramedics could benefit their collaboration today, and increase...
Cohort effects on the need for health care and implications for health care planning in Canada.
Whittaker, William; Birch, Stephen; MacKenzie, Adrian; Murphy, Gail Tomblin
The sustainability of publicly funded health care systems is an issue for governments around the world. The economic climate limits governments' fiscal capacity to continue to devote an increasing share of public funds to health care. Meanwhile the demands for health care within populations continue to increase. Planning the future requirements for health care is typically based on applying current levels of health service use by age to demographic projections of the population. But changes in age-specific levels of health over time would undermine this 'constant use by age' assumption. We use representative Canadian survey data (Canadian Community Health Survey) covering the period 2001-2012, to identify the separate trends in demography (population ageing) and epidemiology (population health) on self-reported health. We propose an approach to estimating future health care requirements that incorporates cohort trends in health. Overall health care requirements for the population increase as the size and mean age of the population increase, but these effects are mitigated by cohort trends in health-we find the estimated need for health care is lower when models account for cohort effects in addition to age effects. PMID:26586614
Increasing User Involvement in Health Care and Health Research Simultaneously
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Kaltoft, Mette Kjer; Nielsen, Jesper Bo; Salkeld, Glenn;
and democracy. OBJECTIVE: Our Web-based project aims to increase involvement in health care and health research and is presented in the form of an umbrella protocol for a set of project-specific protocols. We conceptualize the person as a researcher engaged in a continual, living, informal "n-of-1"-type study...... of the effects of different actions and interventions on their health, including those implying contact with health care services. We see their research as primarily carried out in order to make better decisions for themselves, but they can offer to contribute the results to the wider population. We see...... health conditions, as well as a generic one that supports all health and health care decisions through its focus on key aspects of decision quality. We present a high-level protocol for the condition-specific studies that will implement our approach, organized within the Populations, Interventions...
Understanding, beliefs and perspectives of Aboriginal people in Western Australia about cancer and its impact on access to cancer services
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Bessarab Dawn
Full Text Available Abstract Background Despite a lower overall incidence, Aboriginal Australians experience poorer outcomes from cancer compared with the non-Aboriginal population as manifested by higher mortality and lower 5-year survival rates. Lower participation in screening, later diagnosis of cancer, poor continuity of care, and poorer compliance with treatment are known factors contributing to this poor outcome. Nevertheless, many deficits remain in understanding the underlying reasons, with the recommendation of further exploration of Aboriginal beliefs and perceptions of cancer to help understand their care-seeking behavior. This could assist with planning and delivery of more effective interventions and better services for the Aboriginal population. This research explored Western Australian (WA Aboriginal peoples' perceptions, beliefs and understanding of cancer. Methods A total of 37 Aboriginal people from various geographical areas within WA with a direct or indirect experience of cancer were interviewed between March 2006 and September 2007. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and coded independently by two researchers. NVivo7 software was used to assist data management and analysis. A social constructionist framework provided a theoretical basis for analysis. Interpretation occurred within the research team with member checking and the involvement of an Aboriginal Reference Group assisting with ensuring validity and reliability. Results Outcomes indicated that misunderstanding, fear of death, fatalism, shame, preference for traditional healing, beliefs such as cancer is contagious and other spiritual issues affected their decisions around accessing services. These findings provide important information for health providers who are involved in cancer-related service delivery. Conclusion These underlying beliefs must be specifically addressed to develop appropriate educational, screening and treatment approaches including models of
Telemedicine—Health Care Business Process Reengineering
KaiKai, John
This paper provides a framework for implementing Telemedicine using Business Process Reengineering (BPR) methodology and tools. The practice of medicine using electronic communication is Telemedicine. Telemedicine enhances the national health care initiatives such as global research, development, and deployment of sophisticated communication, management and imaging network systems. Telemedicine will become an integral part of patient care activities.
Evidence-based health care in pediatrics.
Robertson-Malt, Suzanne
This article examines current trends in the type and quality of systematic reviews underpinning the evidence base for pediatric health care. A case study is used to highlight the quality standards for the conduct and publication of systematic reviews and the processes being used to transition the evidence produced from systematic reviews into the everyday systems and processes of care. PMID:25458134
The Health Care Dilemma. Second Edition.
McTaggart, Aubrey C.; McTaggart, Lorna, M.
The purpose of this book is to provide useful information about the components of quality health care and to suggest ways for the consumer to find and avail himself of the best care possible. The following subjects are covered, including brief histories of sociological background and suggestions on how to judge competency: (1) physicians,…
Primary health care and general practice--a comparison between Australia and Malaysia.
Ee-Ming Khoo; Kidd, Michael Richard
The Australian and Malaysian systems of general practice were examined and compared. The issues of similarity and difference identified are discussed in this paper. Quality clinical practice and the importance of compulsory vocational training prior to entry into general practice and continuing professional development is one important area. A move towards preventive health care and chronic disease management was observed in both countries. Practice incentive programmes to support such initiatives as improved rates of immunisation and cervical smear testing and the implementation of information technology and information management systems need careful implementation. The Medicare system used in Australia may not be appropriate for general practitioners in Malaysia and, if used, a pharmaceutical benefit scheme would also need to be established. In both countries the corporatisation of medical practice is causing concern for the medical profession. Rural and aboriginal health issues remain important in both countries. Graduate medical student entry is an attractive option but workforce requirements mean that medical education will need individual tailoring for each country. Incorporating nurses into primary health care may provide benefits such as cost savings. The integration model of community centres in Malaysia involving doctors, nurses and allied health professionals, such as physiotherapists, in a single location deserves further examination. PMID:12862408
Health Care Incentives under Disability Insurance
Frederic P. Slade
This paper examines one of the possible factors which has contributed to the significant recent growth in the Social Security Administration's Disability Insurance program: that of health care incentives under the program. The examination of health care incentives involves a 2-period, 2-state insurance model under uncertainty which incorporates two general types of insurance. One form of insurance is disability insurance, and the other is the individual; "own" insurance or own risk bearing --...
Health-Care Reform for Childbirth
Budin, Wendy C.
In this column, the editor of The Journal of Perinatal Education discusses the current health-care crisis and the need for health-care reform to promote, support, and protect natural, safe, and healthy childbirth. The editor also describes the contents of this issue, which offer a broad range of resources, research, and inspiration for childbirth educators in their efforts to promote normal birth.
LIFT: 21st century health care centres
Holmes, John; Capper, Graham; Hudson, Gordon
Purpose To examine the processes used to procure and develop new primary health care premises in the United Kingdom and in particular the use of the private finance initiative and related methods. Design/methodology/approach An in-depth study of two local improvement finance trust schemes to procure new primary health care premises. These are contrasted against the ad-hoc arrangements for the traditional procurement of general practice doctor's surgery premises. Interviews were und...
Distributed Knowledge Management in Health Care Administration
Holm Larsen, Michael; Kühn Pedersen, Mogens
The paper addresses the electronic commerce application field of Health Care Administration. Models for knowledge distribution is a rare commodity in the Health Care Administration. Distributed Knowledge Management (DKM) is a concept that originated as an abstraction of a business model prepared for the mechanical and agricultural industry but holds promises for a more general use. The contribution of this paper is to suggest a new business model based on DKM and show ...
The English and Swedish health care reforms.
Glennerster, H; Matsaganis, M
England and Sweden have two of the most advanced systems of universal access to health care in the world. Both have begun major reforms based on similar principles. Universal access and finance from taxation are retained, but a measure of competition between providers of health care is introduced. The reforms therefore show a movement toward the kind of approach advocated by some in the United States. This article traces the origins and early results of the two countries' reform efforts. PMID:8034391
Organization theory. Analyzing health care organizations.
Cors, W K
Organization theory (OT) is a tool that can be applied to analyze and understand health care organizations. Transaction cost theory is used to explain, in a unifying fashion, the myriad changes being undertaken by different groups of constituencies in health care. Agency theory is applied to aligning economic incentives needed to ensure Integrated Delivery System (IDS) success. By using tools such as OT, a clearer understanding of organizational changes is possible. PMID:10164970
Generalized anxiety disorder and health care utilization
Kujanpää, T.
Abstract Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a mental health problem, which is characterized by excessive anxiety and worry, problems that are difficult to control. In the general population, the 12-month prevalence of GAD is 2-3%, with the lifetime prevalence being about 5%. However, GAD is more prevalent among primary care utilizers i.e. approximately 5-8% of them suffer from this disorder. Earlier studies have revealed GAD to be associated with a high utilization of health care resou...
Multidisciplinary teamwork in US primary health care.
Solheim, Karen; McElmurry, Beverly J; Kim, Mi Ja
Primary health care (PHC) is a systems perspective for examining the provision of essential health care for all. A multidisciplinary collaborative approach to health care delivery is associated with effective delivery and care providers' enrichment. Yet data regarding multidisciplinary practice within PHC are limited. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative descriptive study was to better understand team-based PHC practice in the US. Aims included (a) describing nursing faculty involvement in PHC, (b) analyzing ways that multidisciplinary work was enacted, and (c) recommending strategies for multidisciplinary PHC practice. After institutional review board (IRB) protocol approval, data collection occurred by: (a) surveying faculty/staff in a Midwestern nursing college (N=94) about their PHC practice, and (b) interviewing a purposive sample of nursing faculty/staff identified with PHC (n=10) and their health professional collaborators (n=10). Survey results (28% return rate) were summarized, interview notes were transcribed, and a systematic process of content analysis applied. Study findings show team practice is valued because health issues are complex, requiring different types of expertise; and because teams foster comprehensive care and improved resource use. Mission, membership attributes, and leadership influence teamwork. Though PHC is not a common term, nurses and their collaborators readily associated their practice with a PHC ethos. PHC practice requires understanding community complexity and engaging with community, family, and individual viewpoints. Though supports exist for PHC in the US, participants identified discord between their view of population needs and the health care system. The following interpretations arise from this study: PHC does not explicitly frame health care activity in the US, though some practitioners are committed to its ethics; and, teamwork within PHC is associated with better health care and rewarding professional
Language and health care: Food for thought
Enrique Alcaraz Varó
This paper upholds the view that the language of health care is "food for thought" for the linguist. As easily understood, 'thought' in this case implies observation, reflection, analysis, examination, in short, research. The following lecture consists of three large sections: a) introductory remarks; b) the concept of language through the theory of linguistic paradigms; and c) the contributions of these paradigms for a better understanding of the language of health care. The introductory rem...
Emerging trends in health care finance.
Sterns, J B
Access to capital will become more difficult. Capital access is dependent on ability to repay debt, which, in turn, is dependent on internally generated cash flows. Under any health care reform proposal, revenue inflows will be slowed. The use of corporate finance techniques to limit financial risk and lower cost will be a permanent response to fundamental changes to the health care system. These changes will result in greater balance sheet management, centralized capital allocation, and alternative sources of capital. PMID:7614219
Virtual health care center in Georgia
Kldiashvili Ekaterina; Schrader Thomas
Abstract Application of telemedicine systems to cover distant geographical areas has increased recently. However, the potential usefulness of similar systems for creation of national networks does not seem to be widely appreciated. The article describes the "Virtual Health Care Knowledge Center in Georgia" project. Its aim was the set up of an online integrated web-based platform to provide remote medical consultations and eLearning cycles. The project "Virtual Health Care Knowledge Center in...
Home Health Care: What It Is and What to Expect
... of care + Share widget - Select to show What's home health care & what should I expect? What's home health care? Home health care is a wide ... or skilled nursing facility (SNF). Examples of skilled home health services include: Wound care for pressure sores ...
The burnout syndrome on health care professionals
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Maria Polikandrioti
Full Text Available Burnout syndrome is referred to the experience of exhaustion and diminished interest, that is manifested by the professionals usually in the work context. Health care proffesionals are often at high risk of burnout syndrome and job dissatisfaction. Burn-out syndrome consists a serious multidimensional phenomenon, because it can lead the professionals of health to psychosomatic problems, work-associated withdrawal behaviour and a lower quality of care. The aim of this review was to study the burn out syndrome of health care professionals. The method of this study included bibliography research from both the review and the research international literature, as well as to Greece and was referred to the "burn out syndrome". Results: Most studies focus on the role of work environment of health care professionals, as the main factor for the development of burn out syndrome, in combination with other factors such as personality, critically ill patients, and organizational structure and staff relationships. Furthermore, the results of this study showed the need for referral to an expert, who deals with emotional problems triggered by the daily contacts with patients and the staff nurse, in order to control the professional stress. Conclusively: Early recognition of burnout phenomenon contributes to better professional behaviour and better health care quality for patients. Health care professionals need knowledge and education about how to beat burnout syndrome.
The link between health care spending and health outcomes for the new English Primary Care Trusts
Stephen Martin; Nigel Rice; Peter C Smith
English programme budgeting data have yielded major new insights into the link between health care spending and health outcomes. This paper updates two recent studies that have used programme budgeting data for 295 Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in England to examine the link between spending and outcomes for several programmes of care. We use the same economic model employed in the two previous studies. It focuses on a decision maker who must allocate a fixed budget across programmes of care so ...
Health care data in the United States.
Rice, D P
This article serves as an introduction to the following article, An Inventory of U.S. Health Care Data Bases. As an introduction, this article-reviews the characteristics of U.lS. Health Care Data. These characteristics include a lack of common definition and uniformity of reporting of observations, systems that are sometimes duplicative, and a resistance to data sharing on the part of collecting agencies, arising from the pluralistic American health care economy. Yet federal, state, and local governments as well as private organizations need health data to operate and evaluate their programs. Moreover, recent shifts to block grants and cutbacks in federal funding without accountability requirements will adversely affect our ability to adequately monitor the impact of these programs on the nation's health. The article discusses these data issues, but also emphasizes the need for coordination between the government and private sectors. PMID:10261971
Health Care Reform, Care Coordination, and Transformational Leadership.
Steaban, Robin Lea
This article is meant to spur debate on the role of the professional nurse in care coordination as well as the role of nursing leaders for defining and leading to a future state. This work highlights the opportunity and benefits associated with transformation of professional nursing practice in response to the mandates of the Affordable Care Act of 2010. An understanding of core concepts and the work of care coordination are used to propose a model of care coordination based on the population health pyramid. This maximizes the roles of nurses across the continuum as transformational leaders in the patient/family and nursing relationship. The author explores the role of the nurse in a transactional versus transformational relationship with patients, leading to actualization of the nurse in care coordination. Focusing on the role of the nurse leader, the challenges and necessary actions for optimization of the professional nurse role are explored, using principles of transformational leadership. PMID:26938188
Seamless health care for chronic diseases in a dual health care system: managed care and the role of family physicians.
Lee, A
Neither private nor state run health care systems are perfect. Although there is increasing evidence that Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) provide comparable care at lower cost, HMOs tend to select healthy patients. The dual health care system in Hong Kong spends about 3.9 per cent of GDP, with health indices among the best in the world. Hong Kong still faces the problem of escalating health care expenditure. One should take advantage of the dual health care system to evolve a new paradigm for a primary-led seamless health care service. The Diabetes Centre of a university teaching hospital together with the University of Community and Family Medicine has started a structured shared care programme in diabetes mellitus, involving general practitioners in both the private and public sectors integrating the primary and secondary care, and the private and public sectors. This programme starts to develop an infrastructure for providing quality care at an affordable cost for a large pool of patients with chronic disease. Unlike other "managed care schemes", this one is not run by profit-oriented companies, but by health professionals with an interest in providing best possible care at an affordable cost. The "disease management" approach needs a care delivery system without traditional boundaries; and a continuous improvement process which develops and refines the knowledge base, guidelines and delivery system. PMID:10351265
The Dutch health care performance report: seven years of health care performance assessment in the Netherlands
van den Berg, Michael J.; Kringos, Dionne S; Marks, Lisanne K; Klazinga, Niek S
In 2006, the first edition of a monitoring tool for the performance of the Dutch health care system was released: the Dutch Health Care Performance Report (DHCPR). The Netherlands was among the first countries in the world developing such a comprehensive tool for reporting performance on quality, access, and affordability of health care. The tool contains 125 performance indicators; the choice for specific indicators resulted from a dialogue between researchers and policy makers. In the 'poli...
Public health capacity in the provision of health care services.
Valdmanis, Vivian; DeNicola, Arianna; Bernet, Patrick
In this paper, we assess the capacity of Florida's public health departments. We achieve this by using bootstrapped data envelopment analysis (DEA) applied to Johansen's definition of capacity utilization. Our purpose in this paper is to measure if there is, theoretically, enough excess capacity available to handle a possible surge in the demand for primary care services especially after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act that includes provisions for expanded public health services. We measure subunit service availability using a comprehensive data source available for all 67 county health departments in the provision of diagnostic care and primary health care. In this research we aim to address two related research questions. First, we structure our analysis so as to fix budgets. This is based on the assumption that State spending on social and health services could be limited, but patient needs are not. Our second research question is that, given the dearth of primary care providers in Florida if budgets are allowed to vary is there enough medical labor to provide care to clients. Using a non-parametric approach, we also apply bootstrapping to the concept of plant capacity which adds to the productivity research. To preview our findings, we report that there exists excess plant capacity for patient treatment and care, but question whether resources may be better suited for more traditional types of public health services. PMID:24687803
[Economics of health care in Mali].
Coulibaly, S O; Keita, M
From the results obtained regarding the financing of health care in Mali, we emphasize two important points. First, there is a lack of criteria for the distribution of finding in the health care sector, resulting in a waste of resources. Secondly, there is an absence of adequate pharmaceutical policies. The field studies led in 1987 provided the following observations. The rate of occupation of the beds is very low. Also, the numerous new investments are not yet put into service because of the lack of necessary equipment of qualified personnel. In addition, this does not consider the excessive investments occurring in certain localities where neither the rate of frequentation nor the economic conditions will ever allow the use of the capacity created. Among the possible solutions for the crisis of health care funding in Mali, the following should be priority: first, to fight against the complete lack of organization of the activities at the health care centers; secondly, to fight against the waste and misappropriation of money resulting from the behavior of the medical and paramedical personnel: and thirdly, to clarify the management of the resources coming from the charges for each service. The pharmaceutical policies adopted and implemented in recent years Largely contributed to, first, the creation of competition between essential generic medications and nongeneric medications that can be replaced, and then, the destruction of the public network of drug distribution. These conditions considerably limited the distribution of essential medications; yet, this is the only manner of reducing the pharmaceutical expenses and accordingly, allowing more funding for other medical services. As the distribution network is disorganized, the only alternative for the population to obtain the medications at the lowest price was to create centers of purchasing and distribution and to multiply the number of retailers of essential medications. Extensive work has been conducted in
Understanding Business Models in Health Care.
Sharan, Alok D; Schroeder, Gregory D; West, Michael E; Vaccaro, Alexander R
The increasing focus on the costs of care is forcing health care organizations to critically look at their basic set of processes and activities, to determine what type of value they can deliver. A business model describes the resources, processes, and cost assumptions that an organization makes that will lead to the delivery of a unique value proposition to a customer. As health care organizations are beginning to transform their structure in preparation for a value-based delivery system, understanding business model theory can help in the redesign process. PMID:27018909
[Transition in health care, from pediatrics to adult care].
De Cunto, Carmen L
The number of adolescent patients with chronic diseases and special heath needs are increasing, and they are reaching adulthood. Sometimes the passage to the adult health care is abrupt, depending upon the chronological age reached or because of an acute health problem that requires hospitalization. In order to facilitate the transition process, preparation of the child, the family and the health professionals involved is needed, as well as the coordination between the pediatric group and the adult team that will be incharge of the patient. This review shows the obstacles to this process and the recommended implementation steps required to a successful transition. It also describes the main aspects of a program that we implemented at the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires in conjunction with some departments of adult health care high lighting the main steps to follow before and during program´s implementation. PMID:22859330
Health Care Performance Indicators for Health Information Systems.
Hyppönen, Hannele; Ronchi, Elettra; Adler-Milstein, Julia
Health Information Systems (HISs) are expected to have a positive impact on quality and efficiency of health care. Rapid investment in and diffusion of HISs has increased the importance of monitoring the adoption and impacts of them in order to learn from the initiatives, and to provide decision makers evidence on the role of HISs in improving health care. However, reliable and comparable data across initiatives in various countries are rarely available. A four-phase approach is used to compare different HIS indicator methodologies in order to move ahead in defining HIS indicators for monitoring effects of HIS on health care performance. Assessed approaches are strong on different aspects, which provide some opportunities for learning across them but also some challenges. As yet, all of the approaches do not define goals for monitoring formally. Most focus on health care structural and process indicators (HIS availability and intensity of use). However, many approaches are generic in description of HIS functionalities and context as well as their impact mechanisms on health care for HIS benchmarking. The conclusion is that, though structural and process indicators of HIS interventions are prerequisites for monitoring HIS impacts on health care outputs and outcomes, more explicit definition is needed of HIS contexts, goals, functionalities and their impact mechanisms in order to move towards common process and outcome indicators. A bottom-up-approach (participation of users) could improve development and use of context-sensitive HIS indicators. PMID:27198102
DRGs: the counterrevolution in financing health care.
Dolenc, D A; Dougherty, C J
The authors predict that the Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) system for prospective reimbursement of hospitals under Medicare, also used by several state Medicaid programs, will almost certainly be adopted in some version by private health insurers. Their thesis is that such a drastic alteration in health care economics will reduce access to care, compromise its quality, impede the development of new medical technologies, and accelerate the takeover of American medicine by large, for-profit corporations. Dolenc and Dougherty argue for an alternative system based on the assumption that health care is a right, not a commodity. In the interim they propose modifications in the DRG scheme to protect access to care by vulnerable groups and to subsidize non-profit hospitals by taxing for-profit ones. PMID:3926717
The Health Care Institution, Population Health and Black Lives.
King, Christopher J; Redwood, Yanique
The ongoing existence of institutionalized racism and discriminatory practices in various systems (education, criminal justice, housing, employment) serve as root causes of poor health in Blacks Lives. Furthermore, these unjust social structures and their complex interplay result in inefficient utilization of health services and reactive or futile interactions with medical providers. Collectively, these factors contribute to racial disparities in health and treatment represents a significant portion of the nation's health care expenditures. In order for health care systems to optimize population health goals, racism must be recognized as a determinant of health. As anchor institutions in their respective communities, we offer hospitals and health systems a conceptual framework to address the issue within internal and external constructs. PMID:27372475
Child Poverty and the Health Care System.
Racine, Andrew D
The persistence of child poverty in the United States and the pervasive health consequences it engenders present unique challenges to the health care system. Human capital theory and empirical observation suggest that the increased disease burden experienced by poor children originates from social conditions that provide suboptimal educational, nutritional, environmental, and parental inputs to good health. Faced with the resultant excess rates of pediatric morbidity, the US health care system has developed a variety of compensatory strategies. In the first instance, Medicaid, the federal-state governmental finance system designed to assure health insurance coverage for poor children, has increased its eligibility thresholds and expanded its benefits to allow greater access to health services for this vulnerable population. A second arm of response involves a gradual reengineering of health care delivery at the practice level, including the dissemination of patient-centered medical homes, the use of team-based approaches to care, and the expansion of care management beyond the practice to reach deep into the community. Third is a series of recent experiments involving the federal government and state Medicaid programs that includes payment reforms of various kinds, enhanced reporting, concentration on high-risk populations, and intensive case management. Fourth, pediatric practices have begun to make use of specific tools that permit the identification and referral of children facing social stresses arising from poverty. Finally, constituencies within the health care system participate in enhanced advocacy efforts to raise awareness of poverty as a distinct threat to child health and to press for public policy responses such as minimum wage increases, expansion of tax credits, paid family leave, universal preschool education, and other priorities focused on child poverty. PMID:27044708
Aboriginal Community Economic Development: Overcoming Barriers to Aboriginal Entrepreneurship
McBride, John Edward
Aboriginal entrepreneurs are key to building a healthy economy on-reserve, providing jobs, and slowing the outflow of money and young people who are leaving to look for economic opportunities. This study explores the question: how can Aboriginal communities foster a supportive climate for Aboriginal entrepreneurs and business startup? The literature review finds a high degree of compatibility between the characteristics and strategies of community economic development and Aboriginal economic ...
Who pays for health care in Ghana?
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
McIntyre Diane
Full Text Available Abstract Background Financial protection against the cost of unforeseen ill health has become a global concern as expressed in the 2005 World Health Assembly resolution (WHA58.33, which urges its member states to "plan the transition to universal coverage of their citizens". An important element of financial risk protection is to distribute health care financing fairly in relation to ability to pay. The distribution of health care financing burden across socio-economic groups has been estimated for European countries, the USA and Asia. Until recently there was no such analysis in Africa and this paper seeks to contribute to filling this gap. It presents the first comprehensive analysis of the distribution of health care financing in relation to ability to pay in Ghana. Methods Secondary data from the Ghana Living Standard Survey (GLSS 2005/2006 were used. This was triangulated with data from the Ministry of Finance and other relevant sources, and further complemented with primary household data collected in six districts. We implored standard methodologies (including Kakwani index and test for dominance for assessing progressivity in health care financing in this paper. Results Ghana's health care financing system is generally progressive. The progressivity of health financing is driven largely by the overall progressivity of taxes, which account for close to 50% of health care funding. The national health insurance (NHI levy (part of VAT is mildly progressive and formal sector NHI payroll deductions are also progressive. However, informal sector NHI contributions were found to be regressive. Out-of-pocket payments, which account for 45% of funding, are regressive form of health payment to households. Conclusion For Ghana to attain adequate financial risk protection and ultimately achieve universal coverage, it needs to extend pre-payment cover to all in the informal sector, possibly through funding their contributions entirely from tax, and
Expanding Horizons of Health Cares
... to affect a person's health. Examples are meditation, hypnosis, and yoga. Whole medical systems are built upon ... CAM are to treat back, neck, and joint pain, arthritis, and anxiety. Read More "Complementary and Alternative ...
Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — For more than 20 years, the Dartmouth Atlas Project has documented glaring variations in how medical resources are distributed and used in the United States. The...
Narratives and communication in health care practice
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Sørensen, Mariann B.
The article concerns the issue: How to deal with the increasing challenges of communication in the health care sector? On the one hand, it focuses on how to include the patient's and relatives´ perspectives. On the other hand, it focuses on the existential/spiritual perspective which is now...... included in various official visions papers and recommendations. The main question is pedagogical: How do practitioners in the health sector i.e. in nursing deal with these perspectives? The materials are the Danish Health Board´s program of rehabilitation and palliative care, data from a focus group study...
The global distribution of health care resources.
Attfield, R
The international disparities in health and health-care provision comprise the gravest problem of medical ethics. The implications are explored of three theories of justice: an expanded version of Rawlsian contractarianism, Nozick's historical account, and a consequentialism which prioritizes the satisfaction of basic needs. The second too little satisfies medical needs to be cogent. The third is found to incorporate the strengths of the others, and to uphold fair rules and practices. Like the first, it also involves obligations transcending those to an agent's relations and fellow-citizens. These conclusions are applied to international health-care provision, which they would transform. PMID:2231643
Virtual health care center in Georgia.
Schrader, Thomas; Kldiashvili, Ekaterina
Application of telemedicine systems to cover distant geographical areas has increased recently. However, the potential usefulness of similar systems for creation of national networks does not seem to be widely appreciated. The article describes the "Virtual Health Care Knowledge Center in Georgia" project. Its aim was the set up of an online integrated web-based platform to provide remote medical consultations and eLearning cycles. The project "Virtual Health Care Knowledge Center in Georgia" was the NATO Networking Infrastructure Grant dedicated for development of telemedicine in non-NATO countries. The project implemented a pilot to organize the creation of national eHealth network in Georgia and to promote the use of innovative telemedicine and eLearning services in the Georgian healthcare system. In June 2007 it was continued under the NATO Networking Infrastructure Grant "ePathology--Virtual Pathology Center in Georgia as the Continuation of Virtual Health Care Center". PMID:18673518
Strengthening of primary health care: Key to deliver inclusive health care
Rajiv Yeravdekar; Vidya Rajiv Yeravdekar; M A Tutakne; Neeta P Bhatia; Murlidhar Tambe
Inequity and poverty are the root causes of ill health. Access to quality health services on an affordable and equitable basis in many parts of the country remains an unfulfilled aspiration. Disparity in health care is interpreted as compromise in ′Right to Life.′ It is imperative to define ′essential health care,′ which should be made available to all citizens to facilitate inclusivity in health care. The suggested methods for this include optimal utilization of public resources and increasi...
Cutler, David M.
There are four rationales for health care reform: increasing the efficiency of health delivery; reforming the market for health insurance; providing universal coverage; and reducing the federal deficit. These goals are reflected in most reform proposals. Achieving these goals involves several problems, however. Paying for universal coverage may lead to labor supply or demand reductions. In addition, reform involves large federal risks that must be dealt with through deficit financing, reduced...
Effective access to health care in Mexico
Gutiérrez, Juan Pablo; García-Saisó, Sebastián; Dolci, Germán Fajardo; Ávila, Mauricio Hernández
Background Effective access measures are intended to reflect progress toward universal health coverage. This study proposes an operative approach to measuring effective access: in addition to the lack of financial protection, the willingness to make out-of-pocket payments for health care signifies a lack of effective access to pre-paid services. Methods Using data from a nationally representative health survey in Mexico, effective access at the individual level was determined by combining fin...
Recognising Health Care Assistants' Prior Learning through a Caring Ideology
Sandberg, Fredrik
This article critically appraises a process of recognising prior learning (RPL) using analytical tools from Habermas' theory of communicative action. The RPL process is part of an in-service training program for health care assistants where the goal is to become a licensed practical nurse. Data about the RPL process were collected using interviews…
Spina Bifida: Guidelines of Care for Children with Special Health Care Needs.
Minnesota State Dept. of Health, Minneapolis. Services for Children with Handicaps.
These guidelines were written to help families coordinate the health care that may be needed by a child with spina bifida. The booklet begins with general information about spina bifida. It then discusses the goals of health care, the health care team, the importance of periodic health care, and record keeping procedures. The child's health care…
Building the national health information infrastructure for personal health, health care services, public health, and research
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Detmer Don E
Full Text Available Abstract Background Improving health in our nation requires strengthening four major domains of the health care system: personal health management, health care delivery, public health, and health-related research. Many avoidable shortcomings in the health sector that result in poor quality are due to inaccessible data, information, and knowledge. A national health information infrastructure (NHII offers the connectivity and knowledge management essential to correct these shortcomings. Better health and a better health system are within our reach. Discussion A national health information infrastructure for the United States should address the needs of personal health management, health care delivery, public health, and research. It should also address relevant global dimensions (e.g., standards for sharing data and knowledge across national boundaries. The public and private sectors will need to collaborate to build a robust national health information infrastructure, essentially a 'paperless' health care system, for the United States. The federal government should assume leadership for assuring a national health information infrastructure as recommended by the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics and the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee. Progress is needed in the areas of funding, incentives, standards, and continued refinement of a privacy (i.e., confidentiality and security framework to facilitate personal identification for health purposes. Particular attention should be paid to NHII leadership and change management challenges. Summary A national health information infrastructure is a necessary step for improved health in the U.S. It will require a concerted, collaborative effort by both public and private sectors. If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it. Lord Kelvin
Child Health Booklet: experiences of professionals in primary health care
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Gisele Nepomuceno de Andrade
Full Text Available Objective: Understanding the experiences of health professionals in primary care with the Child Health Booklet in child health care. Method: A qualitative study with a phenomenological approach, in which participated nurses and doctors from six teams of the Family Health Strategy (FHS in Belo Horizonte, MG. In total, were carried out 12 non-directive interviews, using two guiding questions. Results: A comprehensive analysis of the speeches enabled the construction of three categories that signal the experiences of the professionals with the booklet. The experiments revealed difficulties arising from the limitations of knowledge about the instrument; incomplete filling out of the booklet by many professionals that care for children; the daily confrontations of the process and the organization of work teams; disinterest of families with the instrument. Conclusion: The research points possible and necessary ways to improve the use of booklets as an instrument of full child health surveillance.
Pediatric palliative care online: the views of health care professionals.
Ens, Carla D L; Chochinov, Harvey M; Bérard, Josette L M; Harlos, Mike S; Stenekes, Simone J; Wowchuk, Suzanne M
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the role of an online resource for dying children, their family members, and health care providers from the perspective of pediatric palliative care experts. Semistructured interviews with 12 leaders in pediatric palliative care in North America were conducted, exploring their perceptions and attitudes towards various aspects of Web-based resources for dying children and their care providers. Informants felt that an online resource may allow for a different form of expression, a connection between people undergoing a rare event, and an increase in education and support. Major challenges, such as accessibility, monitoring, and remaining current, would be ongoing. Other key themes included access, information, and anonymity. The data suggest that developing Web-based resources for dying young patients and their families may have merit. Should this take place, a feasibility study will be necessary to further determine the value of such a Web site for these vulnerable populations. PMID:18459596
HEALTH WATCH: health promotion and disease prevention in primary care.
Schmidt, R M
HEALTH WATCH, a longitudinal prospective study of healthy aging, was designed to characterize a healthy population of 2,200 men and women, ages 20-80 years in 1970. Biochemical, hematological, and physiological tests are performed annually over three weekly visits, combined with a self-administered HEALTH WATCH questionnaire to measure health status and behaviors in seven areas (with over 1,330 variables). In 1988, the HEALTH WATCH study was modified to assess characteristics of an oldest old "productive aging" cohort in Kauai, Hawaii. Nutrition, physical activity, extended family, and spirituality were found to be major health determinants. During 1989 to 1991 a controlled intervention study (ten local primary care physicians and their patients, aged 65-89 years) was completed in the Sun Cities, Arizona. These studies provide evidence that primary care physicians can promote positive health outcomes in patients of any chronological age and baseline health status through active healthy aging interventions. PMID:8341160
Small area variations in health care delivery.
Wennberg, J; Gittelsohn
Health information about total populations is a prerequisite for sound decision-making and planning in the health care field. Experience with a population-based health data system in Vermont reveals that there are wide variations in resource input, utilization of services, and expenditures among neighboring communities. Results show prima facie inequalities in the input of resources that are associated with income transfer from areas of lower expenditure to areas of higher expenditure. Variations in utilization indicate that there is considerable uncertainty about the effectiveness of different levels of aggregate, as well as specific kinds of, health services. Informed choices in the public regulation of the health care sector require knowledge of the relation between medical care systems and the population groups being served, and they should take into account the effect of regulation on equality and effectiveness. When population-based data on small areas are available, decisions to expand hospitals, currently based on institutional pressures, can take into account a community's regional ranking in regard to bed input and utilization rates. Proposals by hospitals for unit price increases and the regulation of the actuarial rate of insurance programs can be evaluated in terms of per capita expenditures and income transfer between geographically defined populations. The PSRO's can evaluate the wide variations in level of services among residents of different communities. Coordinated exercise of the authority vested in these regulatory programs may lead to explicit strategies to deal directly with inequality and uncertainty concerning the effectiveness of health care delivery. Population-based health information systems, because they can provide information on the performance of health care systems and regulatory agencies, are an important step in the development of rational public policy for health. PMID:4750608
Research in Primary Health Care
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Armando Henrique Norman
ferramenta metodológica prática para o desenvolvimento de pesquisa usando a CIAP e formulários de papel e o artigo Assessment of pre-test probability in Primary Health Care using International Classification of Primary Care 2 (ICPC -2 refere-se à aplicação dessa metodologia em um serviço da APS brasileira. Convém ressaltar que a maioria das pesquisas realizadas na APS foram produzidas em uma era em que a coleta de dados era feita em papel, mesmo assim, pioneiros como William Pickles – em sua descrição das doenças infecciosas – são exemplos de como a pesquisa em APS auxiliou a modificar a face da medicina8. Desse modo, esses artigos visam possibilitar, mesmo em serviços de APS sem o uso de prontuários eletrônicos, o desenvolvimento de pesquisas que possam contribuir para o entendimento da realidade local de saúde. Como afirmou Bentsen9, [...] na prática médica, um diagnóstico é um rótulo que anexamos às pessoas enfermas. Usamos esses rótulos como a base prática para o tratamento e, se possível, para o diagnóstico. Se as terminologias diagnósticas estão relacionadas com a necessidade de pesquisa, então elas adquirem uma outra dimensão. Elas passam a ser ferramentas necessárias para a análise dos problemas, ou seja, para a pesquisa em epidemiologia, na clínica, nos processos operacionais ou na medicina social. De acordo com Starfield1, no intervalo de um ano, 75% a 85% da população necessitam apenas de cuidados primários de saúde, sendo que, do remanescente, 10% a 12% precisam de cuidados secundários e 5% a 10% requerem cuidados terciários, ou seja, a grande maioria dos pacientes recebe atendimento médico em ambulatório ou clínicas da atenção primária à saúde. Entretanto, a maior parte das pesquisas ocorre fora desses cenários de prática, criando uma distorção que dificulta a boa prática em medicina de modo geral e na medicina de família em particular4. Por fim, espera-se que a leitura do conteúdo da presente edi
The Evolution of Today's Health Care Economy
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Eldo E. Frezza
Full Text Available The health care economy has fluctuated in the last 30 years. One of the contributing factors has been the reimbursement schemes used by hospitals and physicians, which has had a considerable impact on the behavior and performance of the health care market. Unlike health care markets in other countries, the U.S. has a multi-payer system. These third-party payers include the federal, state, and local governments, commercial health insurance companies (HMO's and self-pay patients. In the 1980's, because of the confusion, some hospitals established internal agencies to regulate their cash flow and to review capital expenditure requests. State agencies were established to promote and embrace the facilities'changes as they evolved into more business-like organizations. There are four stages in the health care revolution: The first stage was characterized by having power in the hands of the provider with the greatest number of assets. The second stage saw the birth of "competing" for market share. In the third stage, everyone was reconstructing. The final stage questions the quality of care and if the patient is receiving good value for their dollar and has evolved into hospital consolidation into corporate chains, which was a major revolution and made it difficult for administrators, who lost their autonomy.
The Design of Health Care Management Program for Chinese Health Care Professionals
Qiu, Xiao Ling
Business education has been booming in China due to the increasing demand of business graduates since China's economic reform. Chinese health care professionals are eager for business education to improve their competencies. The purpose of the study was to investigate the determinants of a successful health care management program for Chinese…
Aboriginal Report - Charting Our Path
Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development, 2008
This report outlines Aboriginal learner participation and achievement in British Columbia's public post-secondary institutions for the period 2003-04 to 2006-07. In developing the report, the Ministry worked with its Aboriginal Post-Secondary Education and Training Partners, which includes Aboriginal and First Nations leadership, public…
Leadership models in health care - a case for servant leadership.
Trastek, Victor F; Hamilton, Neil W; Niles, Emily E
Our current health care system is broken and unsustainable. Patients desire the highest quality care, and it needs to cost less. To regain public trust, the health care system must change and adapt to the current needs of patients. The diverse group of stakeholders in the health care system creates challenges for improving the value of care. Health care providers are in the best position to determine effective ways of improving the value of care. To create change, health care providers must learn how to effectively lead patients, those within health care organizations, and other stakeholders. This article presents servant leadership as the best model for health care organizations because it focuses on the strength of the team, developing trust and serving the needs of patients. As servant leaders, health care providers may be best equipped to make changes in the organization and in the provider-patient relationship to improve the value of care for patients. PMID:24486078
Pediatric Mental Health Emergencies and Special Health Care Needs
Chun, Thomas H.; Katz, Emily R.; Duffy, Susan J.
Children with mental health problems are increasingly being evaluated and treated by both pediatric primary care and pediatric emergency physicians. This article focuses on the epidemiology, evaluation, and management of the two most common pediatric mental health emergencies, suicidal and homicidal/aggressive patients, as well as the equally challenging population of children with autism or other developmental disabilities.
Increasing psychology's role in health research and health care.
Johnson, Suzanne Bennett
The reductionistic, exclusionary, and dualistic tenets of the biomedical model have profoundly affected U.S. health care and health research as well as psychology practice, psychological science, and graduate education in psychology. Although the biomedical model was a success story in many ways, by the end of the 20th century its limitations had become increasingly apparent. These limitations included the biomedical model's failure to adequately address the changing nature of disease facing the U.S. health care system, escalating health care costs, the role of behavior in health and illness, and patients' mental health concerns. Medicine's recent paradigm shift from the biomedical to the biopsychosocial model is occurring in U.S. health care, professional medical education, and health research, with significant implications for psychology. This paradigm shift provides psychology with both opportunities and challenges. Psychology must proactively and deliberately embrace the biopsychosocial model if it is to take full advantage of the opportunities this paradigm shift presents. The American Psychological Association can play an important leadership role in this effort. PMID:23895594
Tuberculosis in Aboriginal Canadians
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Vernon H Hoeppner
Full Text Available Endemic tuberculosis (TB was almost certainly present in Canadian aboriginal people (aboriginal Canadians denotes status Indians, Inuit, nonstatus Indians and metis as reported by Statistics Canada before the Old World traders arrived. However, the social changes that resulted from contact with these traders created the conditions that converted endemic TB into epidemic TB. The incidence of TB varied inversely with the time interval from this cultural collision, which began on the east coast in the 16th century and ended in the Northern Territories in the 20th century. This relatively recent epidemic explains why the disease is more frequent in aboriginal children than in Canadian-born nonaboriginal people. Treatment plans must account for the socioeconomic conditions and cultural characteristics of the aboriginal people, especially healing models and language. Prevention includes bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccination and chemoprophylaxis, and must account for community conditions, such as rates of suicide, which have exceeded the rate of TB. The control of TB requires a centralized program with specifically directed funding. It must include a program that works in partnership with aboriginal communities.
Foreseeable trends in health care delivery.
Blanton, W B
"These trends represent the obvious call from society for health change: enlarged access to the system; reduction in the rate of rise in cost; equity in care; and increased quality in care. All of these elements except the cost objective requires not lessened but additional and redistributed resources. If this is pleasing, exert influence to reinforce the trends toward it. If not, speak now to modify the otherwise inevitable." PMID:706646
Beliefs and practices in health care
The objective is to review the concepts of beliefs and practices of health care as cultural expressions in order to highlight to caregivers the necessary aspects for them to provide a culturally consistent care, a more human and effective one. From the conception of culture as a human creation which influences and shapes people's beliefs and practices, some definitions of the concepts as of social psicology, anthropology, sociology and transcultural nursing aspects are revised. We found that ...
Problem behaviour in primary health care
Lamberts, H
Primary health care can be regarded as the boundary between society as a whole and the medical system. Many of the problems patients bring to doctors in primary care are concerned with their personalities and life situation, and can be considered together as problems of human behaviour. On being questioned in a waiting room, 15 per cent of patients considered their problem "psychosocial only", and an additional 13 to 14 per cent "both somatic and psychosocial".
Open Access to essential health care information
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Pandey Manoj
Full Text Available Abstract Open Access publishing is a valuable resource for the synthesis and distribution of essential health care information. This article discusses the potential benefits of Open Access, specifically in terms of Low and Middle Income (LAMI countries in which there is currently a lack of informed health care providers – mainly a consequence of poor availability to information. We propose that without copyright restrictions, Open Access facilitates distribution of the most relevant research and health care information. Furthermore, we suggest that the technology and infrastructure that has been put in place for Open Access could be used to publish download-able manuals, guides or basic handbooks created by healthcare providers in LAMI countries.
Communication security in open health care networks.
Blobel, B; Pharow, P; Engel, K; Spiegel, V; Krohn, R
Fulfilling the shared care paradigm, health care networks providing open systems' interoperability in health care are needed. Such communicating and co-operating health information systems, dealing with sensitive personal medical information across organisational, regional, national or even international boundaries, require appropriate security solutions. Based on the generic security model, within the European MEDSEC project an open approach for secure EDI like HL7, EDIFACT, XDT or XML has been developed. The consideration includes both securing the message in an unsecure network and the transport of the unprotected information via secure channels (SSL, TLS etc.). Regarding EDI, an open and widely usable security solution has been specified and practically implemented for the examples of secure mailing and secure file transfer (FTP) via wrapping the sensitive information expressed by the corresponding protocols. The results are currently prepared for standardisation. PMID:10724890
Why Health Care Needs Design Research
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Knutz, Eva; Ammentorp, Jette; Kofoed, Poul-Erik
Today's pediatric health care lacks methods to tap into the emotional state of hospitalized pediatric patients (age 4-6 years). The most frequently used approaches were developed for adults and fail to acknowledge the importance of imaginary experiences and the notion of play that may appeal...... of the preliminary tests show that games could serve as a system in which children are willing to express their emotions through play. The results are based on two comparative analyses of the CPgame through which it is possible to identify three different types of players among the patients playing the game....... Furthermore, the data reveal that pediatric patients display a radically different play pattern than children who are not in hospital. The inquiry takes an interdisciplinary approach; it has obvious health care-related objectives and seeks to meet the urgent need for new methods within health care to optimize...
Patient involvement in Danish health care
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Vrangbaek, Karsten
for analysis of patient involvement in health care. This framework is used to analyze key governance features of patient involvement in Denmark based on previous research papers and reports describing patient involvement in Danish health care. FINDINGS: Patient involvement is important in Denmark...... be identified when pursuing the strategies at the same time. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Because of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalizability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed framework further. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The paper includes...... implications for the development of patient involvement in health care. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This paper fulfills a need to study different types of patient involvement and to develop a theoretical framework for characterizing and analyzing such involvement strategies....
Abnormal cervical cytology and health care use
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Frederiksen, Maria Eiholm; Baillet, Miguel Vázquez-Prada; Dugué, Pierre-Antoine;
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the long-term use of health care services in women with abnormal cytology results compared to women with normal cytology results. METHODS: We did a nationwide population-based study, using women aged 23 to 59years participating in the national organized......" the cytology result and for the 5-year period "after" the result. RESULTS: During the "before" period exposed women had more contacts to GPs, more contacts to psychologists/psychiatrist, and more hospital admissions than non-exposed women. In both exposed and non-exposed women, health care use increased from...... the "before" to the "after" period. This increase was significantly higher for exposed than non-exposed women regarding contacts to GP, admissions to hospitals, and drug use. CONCLUSION: Women with abnormal cytology results constitute a selected group with a higher health care use than other women even before...
Use of "serious health games" in health care: a review.
Adams, Samantha A
This inter-disciplinary literature review examines current and potential uses of so-called "Serious Games" in health care. Based on a core body of 51 articles about Serious Games (12 pertaining specifically to health care), it briefly examines examples of use for training professionals, but focuses mostly on how games are used for patient treatment or education and how they can be used for disease prevention and health promotion. This article highlights considerations that must be made when designing and implementing Serious Games for these purposes. PMID:20543383
Competition, gatekeeping, and health care access.
Godager, Geir; Iversen, Tor; Ma, Ching-to Albert
We study gatekeeping physicians' referrals of patients to specialty care. We derive theoretical results when competition in the physician market intensifies. First, due to competitive pressure, physicians refer patients to specialty care more often. Second, physicians earn more by treating patients themselves, so refer patients to specialty care less often. We assess empirically the overall effect of competition with data from a 2008-2009 Norwegian survey, National Health Insurance Administration, and Statistics Norway. From the data we construct three measures of competition: the number of open primary physician practices with and without population adjustment, and the Herfindahl-Hirschman index. The empirical results suggest that competition has negligible or small positive effects on referrals overall. Our results do not support the policy claim that increasing the number of primary care physicians reduces secondary care. PMID:25544400
Monks' Health: Holistic Health Care Model by Community Participation
Decha Buates; Songkoon Chantachon; Kosit Paengsoi; Anongrit Kangrang
Problem statement: Monks health tended to be a continuous increased problem. They were groups who had limitations to access health services due to their monastic disciplines and their most importance for Buddhist institution. Without urgent solution, their normal way of life would have been affected. Approach: This research aimed to study current conditions and to develop monks holistic health care models by community participation in central region of Thailand. The study ...
Health Informatics, Sustainable Health Care Development and Malnutrition in India
RS Balgir
Health informatics aims at studying the principal computer applications related to technology in developing human health care and solving the existing problems to facilitate efficient management. It helps in decision making process, hospital administration and system management and in catering the needs of clients/patients and doctors. However, the inadequacy of skilled manpower, resources and economy are the major hurdles to exploit the full potential of the technology and medical health fac...
Solid health care waste management status at health care centers in the West Bank - Palestinian Territory
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Health care waste is considered a major public health hazard. The objective of this study was to assess health care waste management (HCWM) practices currently employed at health care centers (HCCs) in the West Bank - Palestinian Territory. Survey data on solid health care waste (SHCW) were analyzed for generated quantities, collection, separation, treatment, transportation, and final disposal. Estimated 4720.7 m3 (288.1 tons) of SHCW are generated monthly by the HCCs in the West Bank. This study concluded that: (i) current HCWM practices do not meet HCWM standards recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) or adapted by developed countries, and (ii) immediate attention should be directed towards improvement of HCWM facilities and development of effective legislation. To improve the HCWM in the West Bank, a national policy should be implemented, comprising a comprehensive plan of action and providing environmentally sound and reliable technological measures.
Social networking: applications for health care recruitment.
Russell, Judith
In today's competitive landscape for health care talent, nursing executives and human resource professionals need to assess and evaluate new avenues for recruitment. The strategy of filling positions by means of print advertising is becoming outmoded quickly. As an industry, health care typically lags behind other industries when it relates to technology. This is especially true in implementing any interactive strategies to target hard-to-fill positions. Social networking sites have appeared on the Internet landscape quickly and continue to flourish. Nurse leaders need to capitalize on this phenomenon. PMID:18080628
The political economy of health care finance
MORENO-TERNERO, Juan; Roemer, John
We present a model of political competition, in a multi-dimensional policy space and with policy-oriented candidates, to analyze the problem of health care finance. In our model, health care is either financed publicly (by means of general taxation) or privately (by means of a copayment). The extent of these two components (as well as the overall tax schedule) is the outcome of the process of political competition. Our results highlight, from a political-economy perspective, the key role of t...
Job redesign and the health care manager.
Layman, Elizabeth J
Health care supervisors and managers are often asked to redesign jobs in their departments. Frequently, little information accompanies the directive. This article lists sources of change in work and defines key terms. Also reviewed are factors that supervisors and managers can weigh in their redesigns. The article suggests actions aligned to common problems in the work environment. Finally, guidelines for a practical, step-by-step approach are provided. For health care supervisors and managers, the key to a successful job redesign is to achieve the unique balance of factors that matches the situation. PMID:17464222
Gender and Health Care Utilisation in Pakistan
Syed Mubashir Ali
This study is undertaken to test whether or not there exists gender bias in health care utilisation of sick children in Pakistan. Overall, the results are encouraging, as medical consultation has been sought for by a very high proportion (79 percent) of sick children. Moreover, there do not appear to be significant differences by gender in health care utilisation, be it curative or preventive. This is so in spite of the fact that many studies on various gender-related issues in Pakistan have ...
European Higher Health Care Education Curriculum
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Koskinen, Liisa; Kelly, Hélène; Bergknut, Eva;
This article concerns the European Curriculum in Cultural Care Project (2005-2009), which aimed at developing a curriculum framework for the enhancement of cultural competence in European health care education. The project was initiated and supported by the Consortium of Institutes in Higher...... Education in Health and Rehabilitation, whose goal is to nurture educational development and networking among member institutions. The framework is the result of a collaborative endeavor by nine nurse educators from five different European countries. The production of the framework will be described...
Partners HealthCare Center for Connected Health.
Ternullo, Joseph; Jethwani, Kamal; Lane, Susan; Myint-U, Khinlei; Havasy, Robert; Carter, Michael; Kvedar, Joseph
This article reviews the history, current status, and future plans of the Partners HealthCare Center for Connected Health (the Center). Established in 1995 by Harvard Medical School teaching hospitals, the Center develops strategies to move healthcare from the hospital and doctor's office into the day-to-day lives of patients. It leverages information technology to help manage chronic conditions, maintain health and wellness, and improve adherence to prescribed regimen, patient engagement, and clinical outcomes. Since inception, it has served over 30,000 patients. The Center's core functions include videoconference-based real-time virtual visits, home vital sign monitoring, store-and-forward online consultations, social media, mobile technology, and other novel methods of providing care and enabling health and wellness remotely and independently of traditional time and geographic constraints. It offers a wide range of services, programs, and research activities. The Center comprises over 40 professionals with various technical and professional skills. Internally within Partners HealthCare, the role of the Center is to collaborate, guide, advise, and support the experimentation with and the deployment and growth of connected health technologies, programs, and services. Annually, the Center engages in a deliberative planning process to guide its annual research and operational agenda. The Center enjoys a diversified revenue stream. Funding sources include institutional operating budget/research funds from Partners HealthCare, public and private competitive grants and contracts, philanthropic contributions, ad hoc funding arrangements, and longer-term contractual arrangements with third parties. PMID:23330595
Relationships between discrimination in health care and health care outcomes among four race/ethnic groups.
Benjamins, Maureen R; Whitman, Steven
Discrimination has been found to be detrimental to health, but less is known about the influence of discrimination in health care. To address this, the current study (1) compared levels of racial/ethnic discrimination in health care among four race/ethnic groups; (2) determined associations between this type of discrimination and health care outcomes; and (3) assessed potential mediators and moderators as suggested by previous studies. Multivariate logistic regression models were used within a population-based sample of 1,699 White, African American, Mexican, and Puerto Rican respondents. Overall, 23% of the sample reported discrimination in health care, with levels varying substantially by race/ethnicity. In adjusted models, this type of discrimination was associated with an increased likelihood of having unmet health care needs (OR = 2.48, CI = 1.57-3.90) and lower odds of perceiving excellent quality of care (OR = 0.43, CI = 0.28-0.66), but not with the use of a physician when not sick or use of alternative medicine. The mediating role of mental health factors was inconsistently observed and the relationships were not moderated by race/ethnicity. These findings expand the literature and provide preliminary evidence that can eventually inform the development of interventions and the training of health care providers. PMID:23456249
Across the health-social care divide: elderly people as active users of health care and social care.
Roberts, K
Several ways in which elderly people may assume an active role when using welfare services are discussed here. Selected findings are presented from a study that explored the experience and behaviour of elderly people on discharge from inpatient care with regard to criteria indicating user influence or control (namely participation, representation, access, choice, information and redress). Data were collected via semistructured interviews with service users (n = 30) soon after their return home from hospital. A number of differences were revealed between health care and social care in relation to users being provided with opportunities to assume an active role and in being willing and able to assume an active role. These differences were manifest in elderly service users accessing services, seeking information, exercising choice and acting independently of service providers. It appeared paradoxical that contact points were more easily defined with regard to health care yet users were more likely to exercise choice and act independently in securing social care. It is suggested that social care needs and appropriate service delivery are more easily recognised than making the link between perceived health care needs and appropriate services. In addition, it appeared that informal and private providers are more widely available and accessible for social care. If comprehensive continuing care is to be provided, incorporating both health and social care elements, greater uniformity appears to be required across the welfare sector. Lessons for social care provision from the delivery of health care suggest the clear definition of contact points to facilitate service use. Making health care more accessible, however, does not appear to be easily attainable due to the monopoly provision of health care and the lack of direct purchasing power by potential users. PMID:11560726
Out of Place: Mediating Health and Social Care in Ontario's Long-Term Care Sector
Daly, Tamara
The paper discusses two reforms in Ontario's long-term care. The first is the commercialization of home care as a result of the implementation of a "managed competition" delivery model. The second is the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's privileging of "health care" over "social care" through changes to which types of home care and home…
Health Literacy in Primary Care Practice.
Hersh, Lauren; Salzman, Brooke; Snyderman, Danielle
Health literacy includes a set of skills needed to make appropriate health decisions and successfully navigate the health care system. These skills include reading, writing, numeracy, communication, and, increasingly, the use of electronic technology. National data indicate that more than one-third of U.S. adults have limited health literacy, which contributes to poor health outcomes and affects patient safety, and health care access and quality. Although there are a number of tools that screen for limited health literacy, they are primarily used for research. Routinely screening patients for health literacy has not been shown to improve outcomes and is not recommended. Instead, multiple professional organizations recommend using universal health literacy precautions to provide understandable and accessible information to all patients, regardless of their literacy or education levels. This includes avoiding medical jargon, breaking down information or instructions into small concrete steps, limiting the focus of a visit to three key points or tasks, and assessing for comprehension. Additionally, printed information should be written at or below a fifth- to sixth-grade reading level. Visual aids, graphs, or pictures can enhance patient understanding, as can more concrete presentation of numerical information. PMID:26176370
Aurorae in Australian Aboriginal Traditions
Hamacher, Duane W
Transient celestial phenomena feature prominently in the astronomical knowledge and traditions of Aboriginal Australians. In this paper, I collect accounts of the Aurora Australis from the literature regarding Aboriginal culture. Using previous studies of meteors, eclipses, and comets in Aboriginal traditions, I anticipate that the physical properties of aurora, such as their generally red colour as seen from southern Australia, will be associated with fire, death, blood, and evil spirits. The survey reveals this to be the case and also explores historical auroral events in Aboriginal cultures, aurorae in rock art, and briefly compares Aboriginal auroral traditions with other global indigenous groups, including the Maori of New Zealand.
Aurorae in Australian Aboriginal Traditions
Hamacher, Duane W.
Transient celestial phenomena feature prominently in the astronomical knowledge and traditions of Aboriginal Australians. In this paper, I collect accounts of the Aurora Australis from the literature regarding Aboriginal culture. Using previous studies of meteors, eclipses, and comets in Aboriginal traditions, I anticipate that the physical properties of aurora, such as their generally red colour as seen from southern Australia, will be associated with fire, death, blood, and evil spirits. The survey reveals this to be the case and also explores historical auroral events in Aboriginal cultures, aurorae in rock art, and briefly compares Aboriginal auroral traditions with other global indigenous groups, including the Maori of New Zealand.
Organizational economics and health care markets.
Robinson, J C
As health policy emphasizes the use of private sector mechanisms to pursue public sector goals, health services research needs to develop stronger conceptual frameworks for the interpretation of empirical studies of health care markets and organizations. Organizational relationships should not be interpreted exclusively in terms of competition among providers of similar services but also in terms of relationships among providers of substitute and complementary services and in terms of upstream suppliers and downstream distributors. This article illustrates the potential applicability of transactions cost economics, agency theory, and organizational economics more broadly to horizontal and vertical markets in health care. Examples are derived from organizational integration between physicians and hospitals and organizational conversions from nonprofit to for-profit ownership. PMID:11327173
Congenital Heart Disease: Guidelines of Care for Children with Special Health Care Needs.
Minnesota State Dept. of Health, Minneapolis. Services for Children with Handicaps.
These guidelines were written to help families coordinate the health care that may be needed by a child with congenital heart disease. The booklet begins with general information about congenital heart disease. It then discusses the goals of health care, the health care team, the importance of periodic health care, and record keeping procedures.…
Health Care Policies for Children in Out-of-Home Care.
Risley-Curtiss, Christina; Kronenfeld, Jennie Jacobs
Examined health care policies and services for children under 46 state welfare agencies. Found that most states had written policies regarding health care for foster children, but half had no management system to record health care data. Most states did not meet standards set by the Child Welfare League of America for health care of these…
Marriage, Cohabitation, and Men's Use of Preventive Health Care Services
... Order from the National Technical Information Service NCHS Marriage, Cohabitation, and Men's Use of Preventive Health Care ... health care visit in the past 12 months. Marriage was associated with greater likelihood of a health ...
Insurance and Innovation in Health Care Markets
Darius Lakdawalla; Neeraj Sood
Innovation policy often involves an uncomfortable trade-off between rewarding innovators sufficiently and providing the innovation at the lowest possible price. However, in health care markets with insurance for innovative goods, society may be able to ensure efficient rewards for inventors and the efficient dissemination of inventions. Health insurance resembles a two-part pricing contract in which a group of consumers pay an up-front fee ex ante in exchange for a fixed unit price ex post. T...
Systems modelling for improving health care
Pitt, Martin; Monks, Thomas; Allen, Michael
The growing complexity of health care coupled with the ever-increasing pressures to ensure efficient and effective use of limited resources have encouraged policy makers to turn to system modelling solutions. Such techniques have been available for decades, but despite ample research which demonstrates potential, their application in health services to date is limited. This presentation surveys the breadth of approaches available to support delivery and design across many areas and levels of ...
Hierarchical storage management strategy in health care
Oblak, Miha
High availability of data in healthcare is essential, since the introduction of e-Health project patient key information should be available to all health institutions. These data are condition to fast and efficient patient care in any healthcare institution. Awareness of the importance of high data availability and reliability is fast developing in Slovenia. With aging population and increasing number of treatments with modern technologies, amount of each patient data is rapidly increasing. ...
Health Care Professionals Devise Ways to Get Around Using Electronic Health Record Systems
... Task Force Improving Primary Care Practice Health IT Integration Health Care/System Redesign Clinical-Community Linkages Care Coordination Capacity Building Behavioral and Mental Health Self-Management Support Resources Clinical Community Relationships ...
Health care financing in Malaysia: A way forward
Ashutosh Kumar Verma; Mohamed Azmi Hassali; Fahad Saleem
Malaysia has a two-tier health care system consisting of the public and private sectors. The Ministry of Health is the main provider of health care services in the country. The private health care sector provides services on a nonsubsidized, fee-for-service basis, and mainly serves for those who can afford to pay. For financing health care two types of health insurances are available currently: Private and employee based (aka SOCSO). SOCSO and Employee Provident Fund provide some coverage to ...
Humanized care in the family health strategy
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Alana Tamar Oliveira de Sousa
Full Text Available The Health Community Agent (HCA has contributed in a meaningful way to enhance the bond professional-user/family, providing, thus, the humanized care for the users who receive attention from the Family Health Strategy (FHS. This research had the aim to investigate the strategies adopted by the health community agents in order to supply the humanized care for the FHS user. It is an exploratory research of qualitative nature which was accomplished in the Basic Health Units – BHU, placed in the Distrito Sanitário III, in João Pessoa – PB. Thirtyhealth community agents, from the Family Health Strategy, took part in the research. The data were collected by means of a questionnaire related to the objective proposed by the investigation and, afterwards, they were analyzed qualitatively through the Collective Subject Discourse (CSD technique. In this way, it was possible to foresee three main ideas: promoting care based on respect for the user's singularity as well as the valuing of empathic relationship; home visit, guidance, surveillance, pointing out solutions for the user'sneeds; enhancement of the bond between community and the team responsible for action planning. The Collective Subject Discourse of the participants involved in the research, as regards the humanized care practice, had as core the respect for the patient's dignity, prioritizing his or her real needs and emphasizing the multidisciplinary task. This investigation enables the reflection about the valuable contribution of the health community agents concerning the promotion of the humanized care having as reference the mentioned strategies.
Health care reform: motivation for discrimination?
Navin, J C; Pettit, M A
One of the major issues in the health care reform debate is the requirement that employers pay a portion of their employees' health insurance premiums. This paper examines the method for calculating the employer share of the health care premiums, as specified in the President's health care reform proposal. The calculation of the firm's cost of providing employee health care benefits is a function of marital status as well as the incidence of two-income earner households. This paper demonstrates that this method provides for lower than average premiums for married employees with no dependents in communities in which there is at least one married couple where both individuals participate in the labor market. This raises the non-wage labor costs of employing single individuals relative to individuals which are identical in every respect except their marital status. This paper explores the economic implications for hiring, as well as profits, for firms located in a perfectly-competitive industry. The results of the theoretical model presented here are clear. Under this proposed version of health care reform, ceteris paribus, firms have a clear preference for two-earner households. This paper also demonstrates that the incentive to discriminate is related to the size of the firm and to the size of the average wage of full-time employees for firms which employ fewer than fifty individuals. While this paper examines the specifics of President Clinton's original proposal, the conclusions reached here would apply to any form of employer-mandated coverage in which the premiums are a function of family status and the incidence of two-earner households. PMID:7613598
A telemedicine health care delivery system
Sanders, Jay H.
The Interactive Telemedicine Systems (ITS) system was specifically developed to address the ever widening gap between our medical care expertise and our medical care delivery system. The frustrating reality is that as our knowledge of how to diagnose and treat medical conditions has continued to advance, the system to deliver that care has remained in an embryonic stage. This has resulted in millions of people being denied their most basic health care needs. Telemedicine utilizes an interactive video system integrated with biomedical telemetry that allows a physician at a base station specialty medical complex or teaching hospital to examine and treat a patient at multiple satellite locations, such as rural hospitals, ambulatory health centers, correctional institutions, facilities caring for the elderly, community hospital emergency departments, or international health facilities. Based on the interactive nature of the system design, the consulting physician at the base station can do a complete history and physical examination, as if the patient at the satellite site was sitting in the physician's office. This system is described.
Transformation of health care in China.
Hsiao, W C
The evolving Chinese cooperative medical system is examined in an effort to gain some valuable knowledge for both the 3rd world and developed countries. The changes occurring in the Chinese health system are the unintended consequences of economic reforms that have exerted direct and indirect effects on the organization, financing, and delivery of health care. As China does not publish complete or current information on its health care system, the discussion draws on limited published information. China, an agrarian nation, has a population of 1 billion with 80% of the people living in rural areas. A gross national product of US$300/person in 1981 places China in the bottom 1/3 of the developing countries. In 1981 China had 2 hospital beds/1000 people. There are 516,000 senior doctors trained in Western medicine and 290,000 senior doctors trained in traditional Chinese medicine, yielding a ratio of 0.8 senior doctors/1000 people. China also has 436,000 assistant doctors in Western medicine, but most of the primary health care is provided by "barefoot doctors." Hospital beds and health personnel are unevenly distributed between the urban and rural areas. Health personnel, health stations, and hospitals are organized on a 3-tier system. In 1980 China inaugurated major economic reforms in agricultural production and public financing. Alterations in the rural economic structure brought about major changes in the Chinese cooperative medical system. The most influential reform provided financial incentives to peasants, who now receive direct rewards for individual output. Because of economic reform, collective financing and public support for the cooperative medical system diminished. The proportion of the rural population protected by the system has been reduced by 50%. The rapid, continuing decline in the cooperative medical system has affected several important elements of health care: the number of barefoot doctors per capita has diminished; most barefoot doctors
Axioms for health care resource allocation
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Østerdal, Lars Peter
This paper examines principles of health care resource allocation based on axioms for individual preferences and distributive justice. We establish axioms for representing individual preferences by quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), as well as axioms for existence of a social welfare function...
Comparability of Health Care Responsiveness in Europe
Sirven, Nicolas; Santos-Eggimann, Brigitte; Spagnoli, Jacques
The aim of this paper is to measure and to correct for the potential incomparability of responses to the SHARE survey on health care responsiveness. A parametric approach based on the use of anchoring vignettes is applied to cross-sectional data (2006-2007) in eleven European countries. More than 7,000 respondents aged 50 years old and over were…
Making Health Care Safer PSA (:60)
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts
This 60 second public service announcement is based on the March 2013 CDC Vital Signs report, which discusses lethal infections from carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, germs and ways health care providers can help stop CRE infections. Created: 3/5/2013 by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Date Released: 3/5/2013.
Porter, Michael E; Kaplan, Robert S
The United States stands at a crossroads in how to pay for health care. Fee for service, the dominant payment model in the U.S. and many other countries, is now widely recognized as perhaps the single biggest obstacle to improving health care delivery. A battle is currently raging, outside of the public eye, between the advocates of two radically different payment approaches: capitation and bundled payments. The stakes are high, and the outcome will define the shape of the health care system for many years to come, for better or for worse. In this article, the authors argue that although capitation may deliver modest savings in the short run, it brings significant risks and will fail to fundamentally change the trajectory of a broken system. The bundled payment model, in contrast, triggers competition between providers to create value where it matters--at the individual patient level--and puts health care on the right path. The authors provide robust proof-of-concept examples of bundled payment initiatives in the U.S. and abroad, address the challenges of transitioning to bundled payments, and respond to critics' concerns about obstacles to implementation. PMID:27526565
Predictors of Cooperation in Health Care Teams.
Stahelski, Anthony J.; Tsukuda, Ruth Ann
Investigated assumption that positive group process results from cooperation among group members by analyzing specific components of cooperation involved in teamwork and relating them to group input variables in interdisciplinary health care team members (N=72). Found cooperation was significantly related to size of team and whether an individual…
How Stigma Interferes with Mental Health Care
Corrigan, Patrick
Many people who would benefit from mental health services opt not to pursue them or fail to fully participate once they have begun. One of the reasons for this disconnect is stigma; namely, to avoid the label of mental illness and the harm it brings, people decide not to seek or fully participate in care. Stigma yields 2 kinds of harm that may…
ICT-powered Health Care Processes
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Carbone, Marco; Christensen, Anders Skovbo; Nielson, Flemming;
The efficient use of health care ressources requires the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). During a treatment process, patients have often been tested and partially treated with different diagnoses in mind before the precise diagnosis is identified. To use resources well...
Game Maturity Model for Health Care.
de Boer, Jan C; Adriani, Paul; van Houwelingen, Jan Willem; Geerts, A
This article introduces the Game Maturity Model for the healthcare industry as an extension to the general Game Maturity Model and describes the usage by two case studies of applied health games. The Game Maturity Model for healthcare provides a practical and value-adding method to assess existing games and to determine strategic considerations for application of applied health games. Our forecast is that within 5 years the use and development of applied games will have a role in our daily lives and the way we organize health care that will be similar to the role social media has today. PMID:26859720
Growth of HMOs challenges traditional health care.
Atkinson, S
Health maintenance organizations (HMOs)--a method of prepaid health care delivery guaranteeing all medical care for a fixed monthly payment--are growing rapidly and presenting traditional medical institutions with increased competition. Hospital must respond with their own HMOs or insurance plans or risk a loss of profits. The basic types of HMOs are structured in three ways: the staff model, in which the HMO owns or leases its facilities and directly employs health care professionals; the independent practice association in which the HMO retains private physicians who maintain their private practices and care for subscribers at their own offices; and the prepaid group health organization, in which the HMO contracts with the physicians to provide services to its subscribers. Although it may be difficult for a hospital to form an HMO because of the capital and expertise required, national hospital alliances can provide developmental assistance in terms of marketing sales, and management experience. For consumers, the major advantage of HMOs is a more reasonable cost, but some have expressed dissatisfaction with access to care and are reluctant to give up their own physician. Physicians benefit from HMOs because they are relieved of some administrative tasks and have better access to ancillary personnel and services. On the other hand, physicians' income may be limited, and HMO participation may adversely affect their relationships with patients and their practice patterns. Financers of HMOs benefit from lower administrative and health insurance costs and the opening of new markets, but this may pose new problems such as a need for expertise in a new area and loss of the insured person's confidence if the venture does not work. PMID:10282278
Electrical safety in health care area
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
An electrical safety in health care area is necessary to protect patients and staff from potential electrical hazards.Functional, accurate and safe clinical equipment is an essential requirement in the provision of health services. Well-maintained equipment will give clinicians greater confidence in the reliability of its performance and contribute to a high standard of client care. Clinical equipment, like all health services, requires annual or periodic servicing of medical equipment. In addition to planned servicing and preventative maintenance, there may be the unexpected failure of medical (and other) equipment, necessitating repair. In general, clinical equipment that has an electrical power source and has direct contact with the client must be serviced as a first priority. In this presentation, a review of the main concepts related to the electrical safety in health area,theinternational standard, the distribution of electric power in hospital and protection against shockwill be introduced. Protection system in hospital will be presented in its two ways: inpower distribution in hospitaland inbiomedical equipment design,finally the optimum maintenance technology and safety tests in health care areawill presented also.
Engaging doctors in the health care revolution.
Lee, Thomas H; Cosgrove, Toby
A health care revolution is under way, and doctors must be part of it. But many are deeply anxious and angry about the transformation, fearing loss of autonomy, respect, and income. Given their resistance, how can health system Leaders engage them in redesigning care? In this article, Dr. Thomas H. Lee, Press Ganey's chief medical officer, and Dr. Toby Cosgrove, the CEO of the Cleveland Clinic, describe a framework they've developed for encouraging buy-in. Adapting Max Weber's "typology of motives," and applying behavioral economics and other motivational principles, they describe four tactics leadership must apply in concert: engaging doctors in a noble shared purpose; addressing their economic self-interest; leveraging their desire for respect; and appealing to their sense of tradition. Drawing from experiences at the Mayo Clinic, Geisinger Health System, Partners HealthCare, the Cleveland Clinic, Ascension Health, and others, the authors show how the four motivational levers work together to bring this critical group of stakeholders on board. PMID:25051859
Filipino Child Health in the United States: Do Health and Health Care Disparities Exist?
Javier, Joyce R.; Huffman, Lynne C; Mendoza, Fernando S
Introduction Filipinos are the second largest Asian subgroup in the United States, but few studies have examined health and health care disparities in Filipino children. The objectives of this review are 1) to appraise current knowledge of Filipino children's health and health care and 2) to present the implications of these findings for research, clinical care, and policy. Methods We identified articles for review primarily via a Medline search emphasizing the terms Filipino and United State...
[President Obama's health care reform: lessons to and from the Israeli health care system].
Balicer, Ran D; Shadmi, Efrat
In March 2010 the United States enacted the most significant health care reform in several decades. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, amongst other provisions, addresses two of the main current shortcomings of the U.S. health system: the large portion of the population that are uninsured and the high percentage of hsealth expenditures (mostly private] which amounts to about 16% of the GDP. Changes to the current structure and financing of the U.S. health system will have implications for other health systems, for science (e.g., through enhanced federal funding for comparative effectiveness research), and for technological advance (e.g., through accelerated development and use of electronic health records). There are several lessons from the reform, and the factors leading to its implementation, for the Israeli health system. Firstly, the basic principles of the Israeli health system are a source of pride, and undermining its main values can have deleterious effects. Overreliance on private, out-of-pocket, spending and lack of support for public practice of medicine (in community and hospital settings) will weaken the public sector, strengthen the private sector, and could result in a tiered lower quality and less accessible public system with greater widening of gaps in health and health care utilization. This paper reviews the main provisions of the U.S. health care reform and the potential implications for the IsraeLi health system. PMID:21939111
A review of certain recent advances in primary health care
Baldacchino, Marilyn; Bezzina, Glorianne; Scerri, Anne Marie; Sammut, Mario R.
A strong primary health care system is the keystone of health care and helps patients manage their health conditions in the community, whilst also providing disease prevention services. Primary care is a continuously evolving specialty, with recent exciting innovations, aiming to improve all aspects of care and to meet people's needs and expectations. A search for articles focusing on the specific aspects of recent advances in primary health care was done using interne...
The Business Value of Health Care Information Technology
Frisse, Mark C.
The American health care system is one of the world's largest and most complex industries. The Health Care Financing Administration reports that 1997 expenditures for health care exceeded one trillion dollars, or 13.5 percent of the gross domestic product. Despite these expenditures, over 16 percent of the U.S. population remains uninsured, and a large percentage of patients express dissatisfaction with the health care system. Managed care, effective in its ability to attenuate the rate...
Health care for people with disability
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Francisco Javier Leturia Arrazola
Full Text Available Although the majority of disabled people aren't or don't feel ill, and despite that they should be taken care of by the general medical services as many other citizens, most of them need a more intense and frequent health care. This is explained by a higher prevalence of some medical conditions as well as a higher risk of comorbidity among the people with disabilities (in comparison to the general population. At the moment there are many problems concerning accessibility, underdiagnose and overtreatment. National health systems should be able to offer all their services adapted to disabled people in order to obtain results for this group that are similar to those of the rest of the population. To achieve this objective it is necessary to improve professional competencies and skills and develop some specific health programmes.
Aboriginal Family Education Centres
Grey, A.
The Department of Adult Education of the University of Sydney (Australia) has been conducting an action-research project in family education for the Aborigines. The staff is to be available on request to visit communities, listen to expressed needs, and find ways of translating professional knowledge into media that can be understood. Gradually,…
Decentralization and Primary Health Care Innovations in Indonesia
Miharti, Suwatin; Holzhacker, Ronald; Wittek, Rafael; Holzhacker, Ronald; Wittek, Rafael; Woltjer, Johan
A well-functioning primary health care system (PHCS) is a fundamental precondition for a nation's overall health performance. PHCSs are designed to improve universal access to health care, which in turn leads to healthier communities, higher quality of care, and a more effective and efficient health
Electronic Health Record for Continuous Shared Health Care
Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database
Hanzlíček, Petr; Zvárová, Jana
Roč. 9, - (2005), s. 275-280. ISSN 1335-2393. [YBERC 2005. Young Biomedical Engineers and Researchers Conference. Stará Lesná, 13.07.2005-15.07.2005] R&D Projects: GA AV ČR 1ET200300413 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : information society * telemedicine * electronic health record * digital signature * personal data protection * biomedical informatics Subject RIV: FQ - Public Health Care, Social Medicine
Electronic Health Record in Continuous Shared Health Care
Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database
Hanzlíček, Petr; Zvárová, Jana; Zvára, K.; Bureš, V.; Špidlen, Josef
Roč. 11, - (2005), s. 1-6. ISSN 1727-1983. [EMBEC'05. European Medical and Biomedical Conference /3./. Prague, 20.11.2005-25.11.2005] R&D Projects: GA AV ČR 1ET200300413 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : electronic health record * shared health care * information technology Subject RIV: BD - Theory of Information
How not to cut health care costs.
Kaplan, Robert S; Haas, Derek A
Health care providers in much of the world are trying to respond to the tremendous pressure to reduce costs--but evidence suggests that many of their attempts are counterproductive, raising costs and sometimes decreasing the quality of care. Kaplan and Haas reached this conclusion after conducting field research with more than 50 health care provider organizations. Administrators looking for cuts typically work from the line-item expense categories on their P&Ls, they found. This may appear to generate immediate results, but it usually does not reflect the optimal mix of resources needed to efficiently deliver excellent care. The authors describe five common mistakes: (1) Reducing support staff. This often lowers the productivity of clinicians, whose time is far more expensive. (2) Underinvesting in space and equipment. The costs of these are consistently an order of magnitude smaller than personnel costs, so cuts here are short-sighted if they lower people's productivity. (3) Focusing narrowly on procurement prices and neglecting to examine how individual clinicians actually consume supplies. (4) Maximizing patient throughput. Physicians achieve greater overall productivity by spending more time with fewer patients. (5) Failing to benchmark and standardize. Administrators, in collaboration with clinicians, should examine all the costs of treating patients' conditions. This will uncover multiple opportunities to improve processes in ways that lower total costs and deliver better care. PMID:25509507
Patient and health care professional views and experiences of computer agent-supported health care
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ron Neville
Conclusions Patients and HCPs welcomed the introduction of agent technology to the delivery of health care. Widespread use will depend more on the trust patients place in their own GP than on technological issues.
Aggregate health care expenditures and national income. Is health care a luxury good?
Parkin, D; McGuire, A; Yule, B
It is well known that a strong relationship exists between national expenditures on health care and national income. This has been used to suggest that health care is a luxury good, and that factors such as the type of health care delivery system in a country are of little importance in determining expenditure levels. This paper argues that these implications rely upon the application of microeconomic analysis to macroeconomic data, and that this is not appropriate. As well as raising questions about the inferences drawn from previous studies, new empirical evidence is presented which casts some doubts on previous findings. International comparisons are based on Purchasing Power Parity rather than exchange rate conversions, underlining the importance of prices as well as quantities in the relationship, and leading to the conclusion that the aggregate data show health care to be, if anything, a necessity rather than a luxury good. PMID:10312163
Self-care as a health resource of elders
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Høy, Bente; Hall, E.O.C.; Wagner, L.
AIM: To review the literature related to self-care and health promotion for elders and to develop an understanding of self-care as a health resource. BACKGROUND: Self-care may improve health and prevent illness and disabilities in elders. Although studies of self-care are numerous, the significance...... this integrative review from 2006, we selected theoretical and empirical articles published between 1990 and 2006, where self-care was related to elders' health promotion. Data were extracted from primary sources and included definitions of self-care, critical attributes, antecedents, goals and...... outcomes. We interactively compared data and display matrices to describe self-care as a health resource. RESULTS: Fifty-seven articles addressed health self-care and were integrated into a framework of self-care as a health resource of elders. Self-care was identified as a two-dimensional construct...
Health-care quality promotion through infection prevention: beyond 2000.
Gerberding, J. L.
Health-care value purchasing, complex health-care systems, and information technology are the three most important change drivers influencing the interrelated themes of the 4th decennial conference: accountability, quality promotion through infection prevention across the health-care delivery system, and medical informatics. Among the change drivers influencing themes of future conferences may be a societal mandate for health promotion and health-care access for all.
The risks of innovation in health care.
Enzmann, Dieter R
Innovation in health care creates risks that are unevenly distributed. An evolutionary analogy using species to represent business models helps categorize innovation experiments and their risks. This classification reveals two qualitative categories: early and late diversification experiments. Early diversification has prolific innovations with high risk because they encounter a "decimation" stage, during which most experiments disappear. Participants face high risk. The few decimation survivors can be sustaining or disruptive according to Christensen's criteria. Survivors enter late diversification, during which they again expand, but within a design range limited to variations of the previous surviving designs. Late diversifications carry lower risk. The exception is when disruptive survivors "diversify," which amplifies their disruption. Health care and radiology will experience both early and late diversifications, often simultaneously. Although oversimplifying Christensen's concepts, early diversifications are likely to deliver disruptive innovation, whereas late diversifications tend to produce sustaining innovations. Current health care consolidation is a manifestation of late diversification. Early diversifications will appear outside traditional care models and physical health care sites, as well as with new science such as molecular diagnostics. They warrant attention because decimation survivors will present both disruptive and sustaining opportunities to radiology. Radiology must participate in late diversification by incorporating sustaining innovations to its value chain. Given the likelihood of disruptive survivors, radiology should seriously consider disrupting itself rather than waiting for others to do so. Disruption entails significant modifications of its value chain, hence, its business model, for which lessons may become available from the pharmaceutical industry's current simultaneous experience with early and late diversifications. PMID
[The scientific entertainer in primary health care].
Ortega-Calvo, Manuel; Santos, José Manuel; Lapetra, José
The scientific method is capable of being applied in primary care. In this article we defend the role of the "scientific entertainer "as strategic and necessary in achieving this goal. The task has to include playful and light-hearted content. We explore some words in English that may help us to understand the concept of "scientific entertainer" from a semantic point of view (showman, master of ceremonies, entrepreneur, go-between) also in Spanish language (counsellor, mediator, methodologist) and finally in Latin and Greek (tripalium, negotium, chronos, kairos). We define the clinical, manager or research health-worker who is skilled in primary care as a "primarylogist". PMID:22018794
Early chronic kidney disease in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australian children: remoteness, socioeconomic disadvantage or race?
Haysom, L; Williams, R; Hodson, E; Roy, L P; Lyle, D; Craig, J C
Indigenous people suffer substantially more end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), especially Australian Aboriginals. Previous work suggests causal pathways beginning early in life. No studies have shown the prevalence of early markers of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous children or the association with environmental health determinants--geographic remoteness and socioeconomic disadvantage. Height, weight, blood pressure, and urinary abnormalities were measured in age- and gender-matched Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children from elementary schools across diverse areas of New South Wales, Australia. Hematuria was defined as>or=25 red blood cells/microl (>or=1+), proteinuria>or=0.30 g/l (>or=1+), and albuminuria (by albumin:creatinine)>or=3.4 mg/mmol. Remoteness and socioeconomic status were assigned using the Accessibility and Remoteness Index of Australia and Socio-Economic Indexes For Areas. From 2002 to 2004, 2266 children (55% Aboriginal, mean age 8.9 years) were enrolled from 37 elementary schools. Overall prevalence of hematuria was 5.5%, proteinuria 7.3%, and albuminuria 7.3%. Only baseline hematuria was more common in Aboriginal children (7.1 versus 3.6%; P=0.002). At 2-year follow-up, 1.2% of Aboriginal children had persistent hematuria that was no different from non-Aboriginal children (P=0.60). Socioeconomic disadvantage and geographical isolation were neither significant nor consistent risk factors for any marker of CKD. Aboriginal children have no increase in albuminuria, proteinuria, or persistent hematuria, which are more important markers for CKD. This suggests ESKD in Aboriginal people may be preventable during early adult life. PMID:17311073
Occupational health care of radiation exposed workers
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
The medical problems encountered by the earlier pioneer workers in radiation at the turn of the century are well known. In the 1928, the ICRP (International Committee for Radiological Protection) was instituted and the ALARA principle of radiation protection was evolved. Occupational health care is about maintaining the health and safety of workers in their workplaces. This involves using medical, nursing and engineering practices to achieve its objectives. In certain occupations, including those where workers are exposed to ionising radiation, some of these principles are enshrined in the legislation and would require statutory compliance. Occupational health care of radiation workers seek to prevent ill health arising from exposure to radiation by consolidating the benefits of exposures control and dosimetry. This is via health surveillance for spillages, contamination and exposures to unsealed sources of radiation. It is unlikely that can plan and hope to cater for a Chernobyl type of disaster. However, for the multitude of workers in industry exposed to radiation, control models are available. These are from the more in industrialize countries with a nuclear based energy industry, and where radioactive gadgetry are used in places ranging from factories and farms to construction sites. These models involve statutory requirements on the standard of work practices, assessment of fitness to work and the monitoring of both the worker and the workplace. A similar framework of activity is present in Malaysia. This will be further enhanced with the development of her general health and safety at work legislation. (author)
Mobile technologies as a health care tool
Arslan, Pelin
This book presents a state-of-the-art overview of the available and emerging mobile technologies and explores how these technologies can serve as support tools in enhancing user participation in health care and promoting well-being in the daily lives of individuals, thereby reducing the burden of chronic disease on the health care system. The analysis is supported by presentation of a variety of case studies on the ways in which mobile technologies can be used to increase connectivity with health care providers and relevant others in order to promote healthy lifestyles and improve service provision. Detailed information is also provided on a sample project in which a set of tools has been used by teens at risk of obesity to record their sociopsychological environment and everyday health routines. Specifically, it is evaluated whether video diaries, created using a mobile platform and shared in real time via a social network, assist subjects in confronting obesity as a chronic disease. The book will be of inte...
Hand hygiene among health care workers
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mani Ameet
Full Text Available Healthcare-associated infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality among hospitalized patients worldwide. Transmission of health care associated pathogens generally occurs via the contaminated hands of health care workers. Hand hygiene has long been considered one of the most important infection control measures to prevent health care-associated infections. For generations, hand washing with soap and water has been considered a measure of personal hygiene. As early as 1822, a French pharmacist demonstrated that solutions containing chlorides of lime or soda could eradicate the foul odor associated with human corpses and that such solutions could be used as disinfectants and antiseptics. This paper provides a comprehensive review of data regarding hand washing and hand antisepsis in healthcare settings. In addition, it provides specific recommendations to uphold improved hand-hygiene practices and reduce transmission of pathogenic microorganisms to patients and personnel in healthcare settings. This article also makes recommendations and suggests the significance of hand health hygiene in infection control.
Quality of care of nurse-led and allied health personnel-led primary care clinics
Chin, WY; Lam, CLK; Lo, SV
Objectives To review the literature regarding quality of care of nurse-led and allied health personnel-led primary care clinics with specific attention to the quality indicators for fall prevention, continence care, pulmonary rehabilitation, mental health, pharmaceutical care, and wound care services. Data sources Literature search from 1990 to 2010 including Ovid Medline, Cochrane Database, RAND (Research and Development) Corporation Health Database, the ACOVE (Assessing the Care of Vulnerab...
Effective health care for older people living and dying in care homes: a realist review
Goodman, Claire; Dening, Tom; Gordon, Adam L.; Davies, Susan L.; Meyer, Julienne; Martin, Finbarr C; Gladman, John R F; Bowman, Clive; Victor, Christina; Handley, Melanie; Gage, Heather; Iliffe, Steve; ZUBAIR, MARIA
Background Care home residents in England have variable access to health care services. There is currently no coherent policy or consensus about the best arrangements to meet these needs. The purpose of this review was to explore the evidence for how different service delivery models for care home residents support and/or improve wellbeing and health-related outcomes in older people living and dying in care homes. Methods We conceptualised models of health care provision to care homes as comp...
Oral health investigations of indigenous participants in remote settings: a methods paper describing the dental component of wave III of an Australian Aboriginal birth cohort study
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sayers Susan M
Full Text Available Abstract Background A prospective Aboriginal Birth Cohort (ABC study has been underway in Australia's Northern Territory since 1987. Inclusion of oral epidemiological information in a follow-up study required flexible and novel approaches with unconventional techniques. Documenting these procedures may be of value to researchers interested in including oral health components in remotely-located studies. The objectives are to compare and describe dental data collection methods in wave III of the ABC study with a more conventional oral health investigation. Methods The Australian National Survey of Adult Oral Health (NSAOH was considered the 'conventional' study. Differences between this investigation and the dental component of the ABC study were assessed in terms of ethics, location, recruitment, consent, privacy, equipment, examination, clinical data collection and replication. In the ABC study, recording of clinical data by different voice recording techniques were described and assessed for ease-of-use portability, reliability, time-efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Results Conventional investigation recruitment was by post and telephone. Participants self presented. Examinations took place in dental clinics, using customised dental chairs with standard dental lights attached. For all examinations, a dental assistant recorded dental data directly onto a laptop computer. By contrast, follow-up of ABC study participants involved a multi-phase protocol with reliance on locally-employed Indigenous advocates bringing participants to the examination point. Dental examinations occurred in settings ranging from health centre clinic rooms to improvised spaces outdoors. The dental chair was a lightweight, portable reclining camp chair and the dental light a fire-fighter's head torch with rechargeable batteries. The digital voice recorder was considered the most suitable instrument for clinical dental data collection in the ABC study in comparison with
Aboriginal Perspectives on Social-Emotional Competence in Early Childhood
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Melissa Tremblay
Full Text Available Gaining an understanding of how best to support the development of Aboriginal children is important in promoting positive social, emotional, educational, and health outcomes. The purpose of the current study was to identify the most important elements of healthy development for Aboriginal children, with a particular focus on social-emotional development. Focus groups were conducted with 37 Aboriginal Canadians, including parents, service providers, adolescents, and young adults. Five inter-connected themes emerged: cultural wellness, emotional wellness, mental wellness, social wellness, and strong identity, with strong identity described as central and foundational to the other themes. This study strengthens the assertion that Aboriginal children require an additional set of social-emotional skills to successfully navigate different cultural contexts during development. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Aboriginal secondary education: Non completion and returns
Donders, Lindsay
I use 2001 Canadian Public Use Microdata Files (PUMF) Census data to assess two dimensions of Aboriginal educational attainment: (1) what proportion of Aboriginals fail to complete high school; and (2) what is the return to different levels of education for Aboriginals. I find that Aboriginals, for certain age groups, are two times more likely than non Aboriginals to leave high school before completion. Further, I find that in terms of high school completion within the Aboriginal population, ...
Health care social media: engagement and health care in the digital era.
Aase, Lee; Timimi, Farris K
Health care as an industry continues in reluctant participation with consumers through social networks. Factors behind health care's laggard position range from providers' concerns about patient privacy and lack of personal psychic bandwidth to organizational anxiety about employee time management and liability for online behavior. Despite these concerns, our patients are spending increasing amounts of their time online, often looking for information regarding their diagnosis, treatment, care providers, and hospitals, with much of that time spent in social networks. Our real opportunity for meaningful engagement in the future may depend on our capacity to meet our patients where they are, online, utilizing the tools that they use, that is, social media. PMID:23787711
Will disruptive innovations cure health care?
Christensen, C M; Bohmer, R; Kenagy, J
It's no secret that health care delivery is convoluted, expensive, and often deeply dissatisfying to consumers. But what is less obvious is that a way out of this crisis exists. Simpler alternatives to expensive care are already here--everything from $5 eyeglasses that people can use to correct their own vision to angioplasty instead of open-heart surgery. Just as the PC replaced the mainframe and the telephone replaced the telegraph operator, disruptive innovations are changing the landscape of health care. Nurse practitioners, general practitioners, and even patients can do things in less-expensive, decentralized settings that could once be performed only by expensive specialists in centralized, inconvenient locations. But established institutions--teaching hospitals, medical schools, insurance companies, and managed care facilities--are fighting these innovations tooth and nail. Instead of embracing change, they're turning the thumbscrews on their old processes--laying off workers, delaying payments, merging, and adding layers of overhead workers. Not only is this at the root of consumer dissatisfaction with the present system, it sows the seeds of its own destruction. The history of disruptive innovations tells us that incumbent institutions will be replaced with ones whose business models are appropriate to the new technologies and markets. Instead of working to preserve the existing systems, regulators, physicians, and pharmaceutical companies need to ask how they can enable more disruptive innovations to emerge. If the natural process of disruption is allowed to proceed, the result will be higher quality, lower cost, more convenient health care for everyone. PMID:11143147
Does health insurance impede trade inhealth care services?
MATTOO, Aaditya; Rathindran, Randeep
There is limited trade in health services despite big differences in the price of health care across countries. Whether patients travel abroad for health care depends on the coverage of treatments by their health insurance plan. Under existing health insurance contracts, the gains from trade are not fully internalized by the consumer. The result is a strong"local-market bias"in the consumption of health care. A simple modification of existing insurance products can create sufficient incentive...
Equity in health care financing: The case of Malaysia
Sach Tracey H; Whynes David K; Yu Chai
Abstract Background Equitable financing is a key objective of health care systems. Its importance is evidenced in policy documents, policy statements, the work of health economists and policy analysts. The conventional categorisations of finance sources for health care are taxation, social health insurance, private health insurance and out-of-pocket payments. There are nonetheless increasing variations in the finance sources used to fund health care. An understanding of the equity implication...
Redistributive effects of Swedish health care finance.
Gerdtham, U G; Sundberg, G
This paper investigates the redistributive effects of the Swedish health care financing system in 1980 and 1990 for four different financial sources: county council taxes, payroll taxes, direct payments and state grants. The redistributive effects are decomposed into vertical, horizontal and 'reranking' segments for each of the four financial sources. The data used are based on probability samples of the Swedish population, from the Level of Living Survey (LNU) from 1981 and 1991. The paper concludes that the Swedish health care financing system is weakly progressive, although direct payments are regressive. There is some horizontal inequity and 'reranking', which mainly comes from the county council taxes, since those tax rates vary for each county council. The implication is that, to some extent, people with equal incomes are treated unequally. PMID:10346051
Medicine, morality and health care social media.
Timimi, Farris K
Social media includes many different forms of technology including online forums, blogs, microblogs (i.e. Twitter), wikipedias, video blogs, social networks and podcasting. The use of social media has grown exponentially and time spent on social media sites now represents one in five minutes spent online. Concomitant with this online growth, there has been an inverse trajectory in direct face-to-face patient-provider moments, which continue to become scarcer across the spectrum of health care. In contrast to standard forms of engagement and education, social media has advantages to include profound reach, immediate availability, an archived presence and broad accessibility. Our opportunity as health care providers to partner with our patients has never been greater, yet all too often we allow risk averse fears to limit our ability to truly leverage our good content effectively to the online community. This risk averse behavior truly limits our capacity to effectively engage our patients where they are--online. PMID:22856531
[Control of health care by the economist?].
Henke, K D
Although the health care system has to deal with huge financial problems one cannot neglect that this labour-intensive service branch creates the most jobs with social security obligations. Corrective strategies will have to increase the orientation of health care to patients' needs which requires better information and more decision-making autonomy for the insured people as well as a maximising of efficiency. Competition needs to be strengthened in order to improve quality and reduce costs. This requires more contractual freedom for insurance funds and a dismantling of the current monopolistic structures. Finally, adequate remuneration schedules and patients' individual responsibility play a major role to meet the future challenges in the European internal market. PMID:11190916
Participative management in health care services
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
M. Muller
Full Text Available The need and demand for the highest-quality management of all health care delivery activities requires a participative management approach. The purpose with this article is to explore the process of participative management, to generate and describe a model for such management, focusing mainly on the process of participative management, and to formulate guidelines for operationalisation of the procedure. An exploratory, descriptive and theory-generating research design is pursued. After a brief literature review, inductive reasoning is mainly employed to identify and define central concepts, followed by the formulation of a few applicable statements and guidelines. Participative management is viewed as a process of that constitutes the elements of dynamic interactive decision-making and problem-solving, shared governance, empowerment, organisational transformation, and dynamic communication within the health care organisation. The scientific method of assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation is utilised throughout the process of participative management.
Characteristics of effective health care managers.
Johnson, Sherryl W
This article provides an overview of traditional and contemporary management theories. Concerns, characteristics, and skills of effective managers are also presented. Further, a self-assessment (survey) of 7 highly effective health care managers in a South Georgia community was conducted to determine their ratings on 6 management indices. The assessment or Scale of Transformational Leadership uses a Likert-type scale to allow for the evaluation of managers. The scale contains 6 management elements for assessment: attention, meaning, trust, self, vision, and feeling. Individual ratings and group summary skills rating are presented. Findings revealed the order of managerial importance of the elements as follows (from highest to lowest): Management of Trust, Management of Attention, Management of Self, Management of Feeling, Management of Meaning, and Management of Risk. As a second tier, the final ratings are corroborated by health care management interns. PMID:15923923
Marketing service guarantees for health care.
Levy, J S
The author introduces the concept of service guarantees for application in health care and differentiates between explicit, implicit, and conditional vs. unconditional types of guarantees. An example of an unconditional guarantee of satisfaction is provided by the hospitality industry. Firms conveying an implicit guarantee are those with outstanding reputations for products such as luxury automobiles, or ultimate customer service, like Nordstrom. Federal Express and Domino's Pizza offer explicit guarantees of on-time delivery. Taking this concept into efforts to improve health care delivery involves a number of caveats. Customers invited to use exceptional service cards may use these to record either satisfaction or dissatisfaction. The cards need to provide enough specific information about issues so that "immediate action could be taken to improve processes." Front-line employees should be empowered to respond to complaints in a meaningful way to resolve the problem before the client leaves the premises. PMID:10711165
Infrastructuring and Ordering Devices in Health Care
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Bossen, Claus; Markussen, Randi
-based and digital versions, and the distribution of functionalities between medication plans and clinicians. We see the case as an opportunity to analyse infrastructuring in health care, the process by which medical practices and artefacts become parts of social and technological networks with longer reaches......) that is part of an electronic health record (EHR), carried out at an endocrinology department. The upgrade led to a temporary breakdown of the EMM, and a return to paper-based medication plans. The breakdown made visible and noticeable the taken-for-granted capabilities of medication plans in their paper...
Social Media in Public Health Care
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Andersen, Kim Normann; Medaglia, Rony; Zinner Henriksen, Helle
This paper investigates the impacts of social media use in Danish public health care with respect to capabilities, interactions, orientations, and value distribution. Taking an exploratory approach, the paper draws on an array of quantitative and qualitative data, and puts forward four propositions......: social media transform the access to health-related information for patients and general practitioners, the uptake of social media can be a cost driver rather than a cost saver, social media provide empowerment to patients, and the uptake of social media is hindered by legal and privacy concerns....
Sexual and Reproductive Health Care for Women with Intellectual Disabilities: A Primary Care Perspective
Greenwood, Nechama W.; Joanne Wilkinson
Adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) face multiple health disparities and challenges to accessing health care. Little is known about sexual health care of this population and about how to optimize women's reproductive health care for women with intellectual disabilities. Women with ID face important barriers to care, including lack of provider training and experience, hesitancy to broach the topic of sexual health, a lack of sexual knowledge and limited opportunities for sex education, ...
Sexual Health Care in Family Medicine
Cohen, Gerald; Cohen, May
Although patients frequently present with sexual concerns, family doctors generally do not handle them well. Sexual issues may present in many ways: as specific concerns; as a component of non-sexual complaints or as a factor in relationship or marital problems. The family doctor must include sexual enquiry and counselling as part of overall health care, and in the management of illnesses. In order to be effective counsellors, physicians must examine their own attitudes, and become knowledgea...
Managing the myths of health care.
Mintzberg, Henry
Myths impede the effective management of health care, for example that the system is failing (indeed, that is a system), and can be fixed by detached social engineering and heroic leadership, or treating it more like a business. This field needs to reframe its management, as distributed beyond the "top"; its strategy as venturing, not planning; its organizing as collaboration beyond control, and especially itself, as a system beyond its parts. PMID:23342753