Health for all? Patterns and predictors of allied health service use in Australia

2013 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Foster ◽  
Martin O'Flaherty ◽  
Michele Haynes ◽  
Geoffrey Mitchell ◽  
Terrence P. Haines
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Allied Health ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Unmet Need ◽  
Health Service Use ◽  
Australian Population ◽  
The Impact

Objective To examine patterns and predictors of allied health service use among the Australian population. Methods Data from the 2007–08 longitudinal National Health Survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in Australia were used to examine differences in use of allied health services among the population. The survey is based on 15 779 adult respondents. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to model the probability of visiting an allied health service contingent on multiple factors of interest. Results Men, less educated people and people from non-English speaking backgrounds were low users compared with other groups. Interestingly, people with type 2 diabetes were substantially higher users compared with people with other chronic diseases, or no reported chronic disease, and ancillary health insurance had a strong positive effect on use. Discussion Further investigation of the social and economic circumstances surrounding allied health service use is required to determine areas of under use or unmet need. High use among people with diabetes might indicate the impact of policy incentives to enhance use. Yet, whether all those in need are able to access services is unknown. Further investigation of use among groups with different health needs and by type of financing will enhance policy. What is known about the topic? Inequities and variations in access to allied health services are commonplace. Effective policy initiatives to improve access, particularly among patients with chronic disease, will depend on improving the knowledge base about patterns of use of allied health services, and what determines use. What does this paper add? This paper reveals the high and low users of allied health services among the Australian population, those population groups who might be missing out and what might explain these patterns. This information will enable policy makers to target areas of potential unmet need. What are the implications for practitioners? Multidisciplinary team care is advocated in the management of chronic disease. Practitioners have a vital role in framing the benefits of allied health services to patients and in developing the evidence base about best practice in the management of chronic disease for diverse patient groups.

scholarly journals Understanding the use and impact of allied health services for people with chronic health conditions in Central and Eastern Sydney, Australia: a five-year longitudinal analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margo Linn Barr ◽  
Heidi Welberry ◽  
Elizabeth J. Comino ◽  
Ben F. Harris-Roxas ◽  
Elizabeth Harris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Allied Health ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Chronic Health Conditions ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Health Service Use ◽  
Complex Care ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Complex Care Needs

AbstractAim:To describe the characteristics of people in Central and Eastern Sydney (CES), NSW, who had a General Practice Management Plan (GPMP) and claimed for at least one private allied health service item; and to examine if allied health service use results in less hospitalisations over a five-year period.Background:The number of people living with chronic health conditions is increasing in Australia. The Chronic Disease Management programme was introduced to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) to provide a more structured approach to managing patients with chronic conditions and complex care needs. The programme supports general practitioners claiming up to one GPMP and one Team Care Arrangement every year, and the patient additionally claiming for up to five private allied health services visits.Methods:A prospective longitudinal study was conducted. The sample consisted of 5771 participants in CES who had a GPMP within a two-year health service utilisation baseline period (2007–2009). The analysis used the 45 and Up Study questionnaire data linked to the MBS, hospitalisation, death and emergency department data for the period 2006–2014.Findings:Of the eligible participants, 43% (2460) had at least one allied health service item claim in the subsequent 12 months. Allied health services were reported as physiotherapy, podiatry and other allied health services. The highest rates of allied health service use were among participants aged 85 years and over (49%). After controlling for confounding factors, a significant difference was found between having claimed for five or more physiotherapy services and emergency admissions (HR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.72–0.95) and potentially preventable hospitalisations (HR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.64–0.96) in the subsequent five years. Use of allied health service items was well targeted towards those with chronic and complex care needs, and use of physiotherapy services was associated with less avoidable hospitalisations.

scholarly journals Disruptions in maternal health service use during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020: experiences from 37 health facilities in low-income and middle-income countries

2022 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. e007247
Author(s):  
Zeus Aranda ◽  
Thierry Binde ◽  
Katherine Tashman ◽  
Ananya Tadikonda ◽  
Bill Mawindo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Health ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Maternal Health Services ◽  
Health Facilities ◽  
Maternal Health Service ◽  
Health Service Use ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has heterogeneously affected use of basic health services worldwide, with disruptions in some countries beginning in the early stages of the emergency in March 2020. These disruptions have occurred on both the supply and demand sides of healthcare, and have often been related to resource shortages to provide care and lower patient turnout associated with mobility restrictions and fear of contracting COVID-19 at facilities. In this paper, we assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of maternal health services using a time series modelling approach developed to monitor health service use during the pandemic using routinely collected health information systems data. We focus on data from 37 non-governmental organisation-supported health facilities in Haiti, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mexico and Sierra Leone. Overall, our analyses indicate significant declines in first antenatal care visits in Haiti (18% drop) and Sierra Leone (32% drop) and facility-based deliveries in all countries except Malawi from March to December 2020. Different strategies were adopted to maintain continuity of maternal health services, including communication campaigns, continuity of community health worker services, human resource capacity building to ensure compliance with international and national guidelines for front-line health workers, adapting spaces for safe distancing and ensuring the availability of personal protective equipment. We employ a local lens, providing prepandemic context and reporting results and strategies by country, to highlight the importance of developing context-specific interventions to design effective mitigation strategies.

scholarly journals Higher Rates of Untreated Distress in Older Versus Younger Adults With Indolent Lymphoma

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 466-466
Author(s):  
Kelly Trevino ◽  
Peter Martin ◽  
John Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Mental Health Service Use ◽  
Health Service Use ◽  
Younger Adults

Abstract Indolent lymphomas are incurable but slow-growing cancers, resulting in a large number of older adults living with these diseases. Patients typically live with their illness for years with the knowledge that disease progression is likely. Yet, little is known about psychological distress in this population. This study examined rates of and the relationship between distress and mental health service use in older and younger adults with indolent lymphomas. Adult patients diagnosed with an indolent lymphoma (e.g., follicular lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma) within the past six months completed self-report surveys of distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HADS) and mental health service use since the cancer diagnosis (yes/no). Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and chi-square analyses were used to examine study questions. The sample (n=84) included 35 patients 65 years or older. Across the entire sample, 21.4% screened positive for distress on the HADS; 58.8% of these patients did not receive mental health services. Older adults reported lower distress levels than younger adults (17.1% v. 24.5%; p=.038). Among younger adults, 50% of distressed patients received mental health services; only 20% of distressed older adults received mental health services. Distress was associated with mental health service use in younger adults (p=.004) but not in older adults (p=.17). Older adults with indolent lymphomas have higher levels of untreated distress than younger adults. Research on the mechanisms underlying these age differences (e.g., stigma toward mental health services, ageism) would inform interventions to increase rates of mental health service use and reduce care disparities due to age.

scholarly journals Risky Alcohol Use: The Impact on Health Service Use

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 234-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laia Miquel ◽  
Jakob Manthey ◽  
Jürgen Rehm ◽  
Emili Vela ◽  
Montserrat Bustins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Health Service Use ◽  
Risky Alcohol ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Mental Health Services in Childhood: The Role of Family Adversity

2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (2) ◽  
pp. 180-188
Author(s):  
Héctor E. Alcalá ◽  
Rajesh Balkrishnan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Childhood Adversity ◽  
Mental Health Service Use ◽  
Health Service Use ◽  
Continuous Measure

Objective: Much of the research on the effects of childhood adversity on mental health has focused on adults. The objective of our study was to examine the individual and cumulative effect of childhood adversity on mental health service use among children. Methods: We used data from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children’s Health (n = 79 834) to determine the use of mental health services in the past 12 months among children aged 2-17. The independent variables of interest were experiencing any 1 of 9 adverse family experiences (AFEs). We used logistic regression models to determine if each AFE was associated with mental health service use. We also examined AFEs as a continuous measure, representing the number of AFEs (ranging from 0 to 9) that summed them individually, and we examined age-by-AFE and age-by-need interaction terms. We adjusted all models for confounders. Results: Compared with not experiencing an AFE, experiencing all AFEs was associated with higher odds of mental health service use. Neighborhood violence was associated with the greatest increase in odds of mental health service use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.00-2.77). When measured as a continuous scale, each additional AFE was associated with higher odds of mental health service use (aOR = 1.33; 95% CI, 1.28-1.37). The effect of AFEs on mental health service use decreased with age. Conclusions: The observed association between AFEs and use of mental health services may be attributable to more severe or poorly managed mental illness among these children. Efforts are needed to increase access to and quality of mental health care among children affected by AFEs.

scholarly journals Timing of Health Service Use Among Truck Drivers After a Work-Related Injury or Illness

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting Xia ◽  
Alex Collie ◽  
Sharon Newnam ◽  
Dan I. Lubman ◽  
Ross Iles
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Truck Drivers ◽  
Health Service Use ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Work Related Injury ◽  
Service Type ◽  
Compensation Claims

AbstractPurposes Timely delivery of treatment and rehabilitation is generally acknowledged to support injury recovery. This study aimed to describe the timing of health service use by injured truck drivers with work-related injury and to explore the association between demographic and injury factors and the duration of health service use. Methods Retrospective cohort study of injured truck drivers with accepted workers’ compensation claims in the state of Victoria, Australia. Descriptive analyses examined the percentage of injured truck drivers using health services by service type. Logistic regression model examined predictors of any service use versus no service use, and predictors of extended service use (≥ 52 weeks) versus short-term use. Results The timing of health service use by injured truck drivers with accepted workers’ compensation claims varies substantially by service type. General practitioner, specialist physician, and physical therapy service use peaks within the 14 weeks after compensation claim lodgement, whilst the majority of mental health services were accessed in the persistent phase beyond 14 weeks after claim lodgement. Older age, being employed by small companies, and claiming compensation for mental health conditions were associated with greater duration of health service use. Conclusions Injured truck drivers access a wide range of health services during the recovery and return to work process. Delivery of mental health services is delayed, including for those making mental health compensation claims. Health service planning should take into account worker and employer characteristics in addition to injury type.

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