The Impact of Telemedicine on Quality of Life in Rural Areas: The Extremadura Model of Specialized Care Delivery

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Ferrer-Roca ◽  
A. Garcia-Nogales ◽  
C. Pelaez
Author(s):  
Carlos Mena Canata ◽  
Rebeca Noemí Ruiz Vallejos

The objective of this study is to determine the impact of adenotonsillectomy on the quality of life of postoperative patients.The study is observational, cross-sectional, and retrospective. The files of all postoperative adenotonsillectomy patients in Otorhinolaryngology Service, Hospital de Clínicas, San Lorenzo Paraguay. The Obstructive sleep apnea – 18 questionnaire (OSA 18) was applied, asking patients about symptoms before and after surgery. An effective sample of 143 postoperative patients was obtained. The average age was 6.05 ± 2.08 years, 55.10% (81) were male and 44.89% (66) were female, 65.30% (96) were from urban areas and 34.69% (51) from the rural areas. The t test was performed for means of two paired samples, comparing the results of the Obstructive sleep apnea – 18 questionnaire surveys before and after surgery which presented a significant difference (p <0.05) with a tendency to improve the quality of life after surgery. It has been shown that there is a significant difference, a considerable improvement in the quality of life of patients after adenotonsillectomy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark J. Siedner

Objective: The number of people living with HIV (PLWH) over 50 years old in sub-Saharan Africa is predicted to triple in the coming decades, to 6-10 million. Yet, there is a paucity of data on the determinants of health and quality of life for older PLWH in the region. Methods: A review was undertaken to describe the impact of HIV infection on aging for PLWH in sub-Saharan Africa. Results: We (a) summarize the pathophysiology and epidemiology of aging with HIV in resource-rich settings, and (b) describe how these relationships might differ in sub-Saharan Africa, (c) propose a conceptual framework to describe determinants of quality of life for older PLWH, and (d) suggest priority research areas needed to ensure long-term gains in quality of life for PLWH in the region. Conclusions: Differences in traditional, lifestyle, and envirnomental risk factors, as well as unique features of HIV epidemiology and care delivery appear to substantially alter the contribution of HIV to aging in sub-Saharan Africa. Meanwhile, unique preferences and conceptualizations of quality of life will require novel measurement and intervention tools. An expanded research and public health infrastructure is needed to ensure that gains made in HIV prevention and treamtent are translated into long-term benefits in this region.


2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 86-94
Author(s):  
Milena Despotović ◽  
Dragana Ristić-Ignjatović ◽  
Gorica Sbutega-Milošević ◽  
Mile Despotović ◽  
Ljiljana Antić

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 369
Author(s):  
Md. Rakibul Hoque ◽  
Ramiz Uddin ◽  
Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman Khan ◽  
Farzana Rahman Shumi ◽  
Fahmida Sarwar

People living in the rural areas in developing countries are deprived of the basic needs including health. In Bangladesh, the rural poor people are facing difficulties to be facilitated from the enhanced medical services, mostly because of the increased medical expenses, and the time required to complete the whole process. Henceforth, it is necessary for the government to enhance the medical facilities to its rural citizens for proper development. It has been argued that the health card service system in Bangladesh can enhance the medical services. However, no studies have been conducted to investigate the impact of health card on the quality of life of rural people in Bangladesh. This study attempts to investigate this issue from actual beneficiary perspective. The main objective of this study is to provide a synopsis of the roles of health card on rural citizen of Bangladesh. The data were collected through telephone and face to face interview from a purposive sample in rural community, Bangladesh. The findings show that by using health card service system, rural poor people can get the facilities to visit the doctor directly whereas previously they had to buy ticket and wait for a long time in front of the doctors’ room. The result of this study suggests that, by using health card the quality of medical service can be enhanced as well as the time, cost and number of visit can be minimized. The findings of this research will be very useful for policy maker in Bangladesh.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Papaioannou ◽  
Constantine J. Oulis ◽  
Demetra Latsou ◽  
John Yfantopoulos

Purpose. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of oral health status on the quality of life of adults in different regions of Greece, using the Oral Health Impact Profile-short form (OHIP-14).Methods. A random sample consisting of a total of 504 Greek adults between the ages of 35–44 years (mean 39.1 ± 3.5) was selected from different urban and rural areas, and face-to-face interviews were conducted using the validated Greek language OHIP-14. Associations of the total OHIP-14 score and its 7 sub-scales along with the self-perceived quality of life were evaluated with Spearman's correlations.Results. The subjects had an overall weighted OHIP-14 score of 1.1 (sd 1.9). No significant differences were found for either rural or non-metropolitan areas when compared to urban or metropolitan regions. High scores of above 2 were determined for functional limitation, physical pain, handicap, and the psychological discomfort scales. The education level of the subjects had a significant positive impact on the quality of life of the subjects.Conclusions. Dental and oral health conditions are factors that do impact on the quality of life of individuals.


Author(s):  
Anjan Sreeranga ◽  
P. Pavithra ◽  
Anand D. Meundi

Background: With the availability of highly effective antiretroviral treatment, HIV is transforming into a chronic condition, whose management is now experiencing problems of other chronic diseases, where quality of life (QOL) has become an important component of overall assessment of health care and management. This study was conducted with the objective of assessing the QOL and factors influencing it in HIV infected people on antiretroviral therapy (ART).Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at district ART center, Hassan. Purposive sampling was used to identify 148 HIV infected people on antiretroviral therapy, who were interviewed using a pretested questionnaire, assessing QOL with the World Health Organization (WHOQOL) HIV‑BREF.Results: The average age of the study population was 37.69 years. Majority of them were males 54.7% compared to 45.3% of females. Most of them resided in rural areas (87.8%). The educational status of the subjects was poor with 33.8% of them being illiterates. The mean score was highest for spirituality and social relationships domain and least for psychological domain. Age, education and socioeconomic status did not have any influence on the QOL. There was significant difference between QOL scores and clinical stages. Individuals in stage I and II had better scores compared to stage 3 and 4. QOL scores decreased with decreasing CD4 count.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that patient-reported measures of health status and related concepts may help provide a feasible, reliable and valid method to assess the impact of HIV/AIDS improve patient outcomes. 


Author(s):  
Govindamal Thangiah ◽  
Mas Ayu Said ◽  
Hazreen Abdul Majid ◽  
Daniel Reidpath ◽  
Tin Tin Su

Quality of life (QOL) is a proxy of health and social well-being. Hence, it is vital to assess QOL as it informs the strategies of policymakers to enhance the living conditions in communities. Rural areas in emerging economies are underserved in terms of modern facilities and technologies, which impact QOL. To address this, this study investigated whether income played a role in the QOL of rural residents within emerging economies using a large survey of Malaysian adults above 18 years old. The study extracted data from a sample of 18,607 respondents of a health and demographic surveillance system survey. A generalized linear model was used to estimate the impact of three income groups, the bottom 40%, middle 40% and top 20%, on perceived QOL, controlling for sociodemographic, chronic disease co-morbidities and mental health status. Results of the study showed a statistically significant association between income and the physical, psychological, social and environmental QOL domains. Using the bottom 40% as a reference category, the middle 40% and top 20% income groups showed a significant and positive association across the four domains of QOL. Hence, intervention programs are necessary to escalate the income levels of rural communities, especially the bottom 40%, to uplift perceived QOL among rural residents.


2020 ◽  
Vol 174 ◽  
pp. 04009
Author(s):  
Piotr Kosinskiy ◽  
Aleksey Kharitonov ◽  
Eduard Wolfson ◽  
Rimma Takhtayeva

The article is devoted to the study of the problems of mining industry development and its impact on the development of rural areas in the region. It is revealed that the intensive development of the mining industry is accompanied by negative environmental consequences associated with the impact on socio – economic development and the formation of a comfortable living environment and, as a result, the quality of life of the population of rural areas. The Kemerovo region characterized by a pronounced intensive development of the coal industry accompanied by air pollution, rejection of land with high fertile potential, and degradation of renewable natural resources. The activities of mining companies accompanied by the release of highly toxic and carcinogenic substances into the air. As a result, there is an increased morbidity and mortality of able-bodied residents of the region, a low life expectancy, and a decrease in the total rural population, which is faster than the urban population. To solve the identified problems, the author’s model of creating a comfortable living environment in the mining region proposed. The model makes it possible to assess the attractiveness of the territory when deciding on the future place of residence, and, also allows you to make informed management decisions aimed at improving the quality of life of people.


Author(s):  
ROHIT GARG ◽  
ABHISHEK GUPTA ◽  
DEEPAM KUNDAL ◽  
SAVIJOT SINGH

Objectives: Spouses of patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD) suffer from burden, stigma, and low quality of life (QoL). The present study assessed the impact of stigma and burden on QoL among wives of patients with AUD and OUD. Methods: 90 wives of in-patients with severe AUD (n=54) and OUD (n=36) as per DSM-5 were assessed using socio-demographic pro forma, WHO QoL Bref Hindi, Hindi family stigma scale and Family Burden Interview Schedule. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Inc., Chicago, IL, version 25.0 for Windows was used for analysis. Appropriate statistical tests including Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests of normality, Mann–Whitney test, and Kruskal–Wallis test were used. To see the relationship between two variables Pearson Correlation coefficient was calculated. All statistical tests were two-sided and performed at a significance level of α=.05. Results: Majority of the wives were more than 30 years old, literate and belonged to rural areas. Higher financial burden reduced overall QoL (p=0.001**), satisfaction with physical health (0.006**), psychological health (p=0.032*), and environment (p=0.001**). There was a negative correlation of satisfaction with environment with disruption of family interaction (p=0.003**), burden on mental health (p=0.001**), overall burden (p=0.000**), and discrimination (p=0.032*). Conclusion: QoL of spouses of patients with AUD and OUD reduces significantly due to stigma and burden. Enhancing QoL of spouses should be a part of management of AUD and OUD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (26) ◽  
pp. 253-261
Author(s):  
Nurul Suliana Yusoff ◽  
Muhamad Fadhli Rashid ◽  
Norhazliza Abd Halim

The imbalance of wealth distribution, age structure, and quality of life between urban and rural areas all over the world are needed to be addressed in ensuring socio-economic well-being. Rural areas and its community cannot be disregarded as they should have special attention in achieving socioeconomic status and well-being. The impact of socioeconomic well-being is significant where both economic and social dimension is related to the sustainability of rural areas. Sustainable development is connected to human well-being and quality of life where there is a growing interest in socioeconomic well-being measures to move towards sustainability. Therefore, this paper aims to provide an overview in developing the selection of socioeconomic well-being indicators of rural communities. Besides that, this paper also provides an overview of studies on indicators of socioeconomic well-being according to two-dimension namely economy and social as a fundamental framework for the analysis of the socioeconomic well-being of the rural community.


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