scholarly journals Informing the development of a pilot intervention to improve migrants’ healthcare assess in Brno, Czech Republic

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
N K Movsisyan ◽  
E Matuchova

Abstract Background Third-country nationals have the least access to healthcare in the Czech Republic yet representing the largest group of migrants. This study aimed to inform the development of a pilot intervention to improve migrants’ healthcare access in Brno, Czech Republic, within the existing health policy framework. Methods A Metaplan© qualitative technique was applied to ensure the community participation, through separate sessions with social integration professionals and third countries nationals. Each group first identified issues in migrants’ healthcare, then suggested solutions to address these issues and prioritized these solutions. Results The professionals’ group included five representatives of social integration service providers and administrators. The majority of migrants were female, with higher education, ages 35-55 years, arrived in two years mainly from Ukraine, and not employed. The social integration professionals were more knowledgeable of healthcare policy and migrants’ rights and suggested a wider scope of solutions. The migrants underscored the role of reliable information as a critical tool in utilizing healthcare services. Both groups prioritized an open access to the information as a direct benefit to the users. Other suggestions included multilingual mobile applications, visual aids and translation services, bilingual doctors and universal access to public health insurance. The feasibility of these solutions varied and so their value as intervention models. Conclusions The future interventions should focus on health literacy in the migrant community. This would include the dissemination of multilingual information on health emergency, children vaccinations, health insurance and healthcare system, among other topics, and interactive trainings for migrants and social counselors, to improve self-efficacy in both groups.

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 1809
Author(s):  
Ali A. Al Jumaili ◽  
Kawther K. Ahmed ◽  
Dave Koch

Objective: To identify barriers to healthcare access, to assess the health literacy levels of the foreign-born Arabic speaking population in Iowa, USA and to measure their prevalence of seeking preventive healthcare services. Methods: A cross-sectional study of native Arabic speaking adults involved a focus group and an anonymous paper-based survey. The focus group and the Andersen Model were used to develop the survey questionnaire. The survey participants were customers at Arabic grocery stores, worshippers at the city mosque and patients at free University Clinic. Chi-square test was used to measure the relationship between the characteristics of survey participants and preventive healthcare services. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the focus group transcript. Results: We received 196 completed surveys. Only half of the participants were considered to have good health literacy. More than one-third of the participants had no health insurance and less than half of them visit clinics regularly for preventive measures. Two participant enabling factors (health insurance and residency years) and one need factor (having chronic disease(s)) were found to significantly influence preventive physician visits. Conclusions: This theory-based study provides a tool that can be used in different Western countries where Arabic minority lives. Both the survey and the focus group agreed that lacking health insurance is the main barrier facing their access to healthcare services. The availability of an interpreter in the hospital is essential to help those with inadequate health literacy, particularly new arriving individuals. More free healthcare settings are needed in the county to take care of the increasing number of uninsured Arabic speaking patients.


Author(s):  
Sebrene Margaret Maher

The purpose of this chapter is to examine government policy framework relating to the development of social enterprise within National Health Service providers. The number of social enterprises delivering public healthcare services is continually growing. This chapter discusses challenges and benefits for the government. Potential barriers to achieving this development are also evaluated. Although the focus is primarily upon the policy agenda in England, the chapter makes a useful contribution to the ongoing international debate on the development of social enterprises in primary and secondary care. This review identifies that National Health Service social enterprises responds to local needs, bring innovative, effective ways of managing heathcare in the community. It is clear from reviewing the literature that healthcare services are changing and being continually shaped by social enterprises providers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrés Cernadas ◽  
Ángela Fernández

Abstract Background In Spain, homeless individuals have lower perceived quality of health than the rest of the population and their life expectancy is 30 years lower than the national average. While the Spanish health system provides universal access and coverage, homeless individuals do not access or use public care enough to maintain their health. The objective of this study is to determine if homeless individuals can access public health services in conditions of equality with the rest of the population, as established in healthcare legislation, and to better understand the causes of observed inequalities or inequities of access. Methods A detailed qualitative study was carried out in the city of Barcelona (Spain) from October 2019 to February 2020. A total of nine open and in-depth interviews were done with homeless individuals along with seven semi-structured interviews with key informants and two focus groups. One group was composed of eight individuals who were living on the street at the time and the other consisted of eight individuals working in healthcare and social assistance. Results The participants indicated that homeless individuals tend to only access healthcare services when they are seriously ill or have suffered some kind of injury. Once there, they tend to encounter significant barriers that might be 1) administrative; 2) personal, based on belief that that will be poorly attended, discriminated against, or unable to afford treatment; or 3) medical-professional, when health professionals, who understand the lifestyle of this population and their low follow-through with treatments, tend towards minimalist interventions that lack the dedication they would apply to other groups of patients. Conclusions The conclusions derived from this study convey the infrequent use of health services by homeless individuals for reasons attributable to the population itself, to healthcare workers and to the entire healthcare system. Accordingly, to reduce inequities of access to these services, recommendations to healthcare service providers include adapting facilities to provide more adequate care for this population; increasing sensitivity/awareness among healthcare workers; developing in situ care systems in places where the homeless population is most concentrated; and establishing healthcare collaboration agreements with entities that work with this population.


Author(s):  
Raziyeh Montazeralfaraj ◽  
Mohsen Pakdaman ◽  
Hossein Fallahzad ◽  
Masoudeh Mojahed ◽  
Mahdi Ghadiri Atabak

Background: We can achieve a clear picture of the demands for services and the ways to respond to them by examining the status of health care services in patients with hepatitis B. In this way, we can minimize the gap between the promotion and improvement of the performance of service providers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the utilization of healthcare services in patients with hepatitis B. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 464 patients with hepatitis B who were selected by simple random sampling using a researcher-made questionnaire containing 20 items, according to the study variables. We entered the data into the Excel software and analyzed them by STATA 13 software using descriptive statistical tests and linear regression. Results: There was a significance association between the utilization of education and counseling services, specialist visits, clinical services, and the place of provision of services. In addition, the utilization of education and counseling services had a significant association with the supplemental insurance and the incidence of hepatitis B in the family. A significance relationship was also observed between the number of visits to the specialist and the type of occupation, educational level, and duration of diagnosis. Utilization of inpatient cares had a significant relationship with the place of residence and the basic insurance status. Conclusion: Generally, the rate of visits to access the healthcare services is low among patients with hepatitis B. Considering the fact that this disease is special, we suggest the authorities to provide health care services in three preventive levels free of charge (by providing a health insurance card for the patients). Furthermore, the government needs to implement the national health insurance (NHI) and therefore does not receive the franchise. Patients should refer to specialist according to the general practitioner's opinion. They also should have access to the services during the evening.   Key words: Utilization of health services, Hepatitis B, Specific Patients


Author(s):  
Okeoghene Odudu

This chapter investigates how, within a number of European Union (EU) Member States, competition law has been used to address problems of market power in the healthcare services sector. It summarizes the relevant EU and national competition laws and considers the experience of applying those laws to providers of healthcare services. The chapter is chiefly concerned with healthcare services in England, although examples are drawn for other EU Member States. Examination of the English experience provides a view of the use of competition law to address market power problems in most elements of the health system matrix. The chapter then considers three challenges that emerge from that experience of using competition law to address problems of market power in healthcare service markets. The first challenges the applicability of competition law to healthcare service providers operating in each or every element of the healthcare system matrix. The second, accepting applicability, questions the appropriateness of the substantive rules to healthcare services. The third, a battle of authority and autonomy, considers whether decisions made by healthcare service providers should be subject to external review and the type of review that competition law offers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Petula Fernandes ◽  
Emmanuel Kolawole Odusina ◽  
Bright Opoku Ahinkorah ◽  
Komlan Kota ◽  
Sanni Yaya

Abstract Background Despite the relationship between health insurance coverage and maternal healthcare services utilization, previous studies in Jordan on the use of maternal healthcare services have mainly focused on patterns and determinants of maternal healthcare services utilization in Jordan. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between health insurance coverage and maternal healthcare services utilization in Jordan. Methods This study used secondary data published in 2017-18 Jordan Demographic and Health Survey on 4656 women of reproductive age (15–49 years). The independent variable was health insurance coverage and the outcome variable was maternal healthcare services utilization, measured through timing of first antenatal visit, four or more antenatal care visits, and skilled birth attendance. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression. Results Out of the total number of women who participated in the study, 38.2% were not covered by health insurance. With maternal healthcare utilization, 12.5%, 23.2%, and 10.1% respectively, failed to make early first antenatal care visit, complete four or more antenatal care visits and have their delivery attended by a skilled worker. After controlling for the socio-demographic factors, health insurance coverage was associated with increased odds of early timing of first antenatal care visits and completion of four or more antenatal care visits (aOR = 1.33, p < 0.05, aOR = 1.25, p < 0.01, respectively). However, women who were covered by health insurance were less likely to use skilled birth attendance during delivery (aOR = 0.72 p < 0.001). Conclusions Jordanian women with health insurance coverage were more likely to have early first antenatal care visits and complete four or more antenatal care visits. However, they were less likely to have their delivery attended by a skilled professional. This study provides evidence that health insurance coverage has contributed to increased maternal healthcare services utilization, only in terms of number and timing of antenatal care visits in Jordan. It is recommended that policy makers in Jordan should strengthen the coverage of health insurance in the country, especially among women of reproductive age in order to enhance the use of maternal healthcare services in the country.


Author(s):  
Fahad M Al-Anezi

Abstract Background Electronic health (e-health) approaches such as telemedicine, mobile health, virtual healthcare and electronic health records are considered to be effective in increasing access to healthcare services, reducing operational costs and improving the quality of healthcare services during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, a pandemic resulting from the spread of a novel coronavirus discovered in December 2019. In this context, the aim of this study was to identify the most important factors influencing decision making on the implementation of e-health in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates), which are in the process of digitizing healthcare services. Methods This study reviewed the literature to identify the important factors influencing decision making on e-health. In addition, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted in order to identify the most important criteria to be considered in decision making on e-health. The survey link was forwarded to 978 healthcare practitioners and 42 experts (purposive sampling), from which a final sample of 892 (864 practitioners and 28 experts) was achieved, reflecting a response rate of 87.45%. Results Of the 44 factors identified under seven themes (strategic, quality, management, technology, function characteristics, economic, sociocultural and demographic factors), 22 factors were identified to be the most important criteria. Conclusions Findings from this study suggest that decision making in relation to e-health is a complex process that requires consideration of various factors. It was also found that attention should be paid to sociocultural and demographic factors, which may need to be considered in increasing healthcare access during the COVID-19 outbreak.


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