scholarly journals Artificial intelligence (AI) and global health: how can AI contribute to health in resource-poor settings?

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. e000798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Wahl ◽  
Aline Cossy-Gantner ◽  
Stefan Germann ◽  
Nina R Schwalbe
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Patient Safety ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health System ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Resource Poor ◽  
Improve Health

The field of artificial intelligence (AI) has evolved considerably in the last 60 years. While there are now many AI applications that have been deployed in high-income country contexts, use in resource-poor settings remains relatively nascent. With a few notable exceptions, there are limited examples of AI being used in such settings. However, there are signs that this is changing. Several high-profile meetings have been convened in recent years to discuss the development and deployment of AI applications to reduce poverty and deliver a broad range of critical public services. We provide a general overview of AI and how it can be used to improve health outcomes in resource-poor settings. We also describe some of the current ethical debates around patient safety and privacy. Despite current challenges, AI holds tremendous promise for transforming the provision of healthcare services in resource-poor settings. Many health system hurdles in such settings could be overcome with the use of AI and other complementary emerging technologies. Further research and investments in the development of AI tools tailored to resource-poor settings will accelerate realising of the full potential of AI for improving global health.

Artificial Intelligence Based System

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-90
Author(s):  
Anupam Sharma ◽  
Jasleen Kaur
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Patient Safety ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health System ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Resource Poor

The field of artificial intelligence (AI) has evolved considerably in the last 60 years. While there are now many AI applications that have been deployed in high-income country contexts, use of AI in resource-poor settings remains relatively nascent. With a few notable exceptions, there are limited examples of AI being used in such settings. However, there are signs that this is changing. Several high-profile meetings have been convened in recent years to discuss the development and deployment of AI applications to reduce poverty and deliver a broad range of critical public services. The authors provide a general overview of AI and how it can be used to improve global health outcomes in resource-poor settings. They also describe some of the current ethical debates around patient safety and privacy. The research paper specifically highlights the challenges related to women menstrual hygiene and suggests AI technology for improving the menstrual hygiene and healthcare services in resource-poor settings for women. Many health system hurdles in such settings could be overcome with the use of AI and other complementary emerging technologies. Further research and investments in the development of AI tools tailored to resource-poor settings will accelerate the realization of the full potential of AI for improving global health in resource-poor contexts.

scholarly journals Contesting Representations of Refugee‑Background Women (and Men) as ‘Needy’ and  ‘Problematic’ in Healthcare Literature in Aotearoa New Zealand: Advancing the Case for a  Capability‑Driven Model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Kristine Mary Ford
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Biomedical Model ◽  
Maternal Healthcare ◽  
Starting Position ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
Improve Health

<p>This research analyses how power operates discursively within the western biomedical model as it pertains to the representations and treatment of refugee‑background women (and men) in Aotearoa New Zealand. It carefully investigates the tendency of current biomedical discourse to typecast women (and men) with refugee backgrounds as having considerable health needs, which predicates the (over‑) representation of them as exclusively ‘problematic’ and ‘needy’ throughout refugee and healthcare related literature. It also considers other ways in which the western biomedical model may be inappropriate and inadequate for refugee‑background communities. This thesis takes its starting position from some of the concerns regarding health outcomes raised in a meeting with three representatives of various refugee‑background communities in Wellington in 2011, and by the recent ChangeMakers Refugee Forum (CRF) (2011) report, “barriers to achieving good health outcomes in refugee‑background communities”. In light of these concerns (and subsequent recommendations), this research aims to introduce alternative narratives in the effort to improve health outcomes, as well as constitute a more fair and just discourse. The mentation of the thesis is heavily inspired by postdevelopment theory and its potential for more enabling and effective ways of ‘doing’ development. I draw on this theoretical frame to explore how an asset‑based approach to maternal healthcare services in Aotearoa New Zealand for refugee‑background women may be a vehicle to help us negotiate the politics of representation and generate better health outcomes for refugee‑background communitiescomes for refugee‑background communities.</p>

Connecting patient experience, leadership, and the importance of involvement, information, and empathy in the care process

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 252-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Archer ◽  
Lynn Stevenson ◽  
Angela Coulter ◽  
Adrienne Mercer Breen
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health System ◽  
Patient Experience ◽  
Competency Framework ◽  
Care Process ◽  
Healing Environment ◽  
Care Information ◽  
Improve Health

To improve health outcomes, restore trust, and create a safe and healing environment for patients, the health system needs to shift from being disease, system, and provider focused to being patient centred. Drawing from a patient story, this article focuses on three aspects of the care process that have a significant impact on patient experience: involvement in care, information about treatment and care, and empathy and respect. It will also provide recommendations for leaders in how to become more patient centred and aligned to the LEADS competency framework.

Intelligent health data analytics: A convergence of artificial intelligence and big data

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 178-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Sibte Raza Abidi ◽  
Samina Raza Abidi
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Big Data ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health System ◽  
Data Analytics ◽  
Heterogeneous Data ◽  
Health Data ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
System Management ◽  
Health Data Analytics

Healthcare is a living system that generates a significant volume of heterogeneous data. As healthcare systems are pivoting to value-based systems, intelligent and interactive analysis of health data is gaining significance for health system management, especially for resource optimization whilst improving care quality and health outcomes. Health data analytics is being influenced by new concepts and intelligent methods emanating from artificial intelligence and big data. In this article, we contextualize health data and health data analytics in terms of the emerging trends of artificial intelligence and big data. We examine the nature of health data using the big data criterion to understand “how big” is health data. Next, we explain the working of artificial intelligence–based data analytics methods and discuss “what insights” can be derived from a broad spectrum of health data analytics methods to improve health system management, health outcomes, knowledge discovery, and healthcare innovation.

scholarly journals Understanding fragility: implications for global health research and practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Diaconu ◽  
Jennifer Falconer ◽  
Nicole Vidal ◽  
Fiona O’May ◽  
Esther Azasi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health System ◽  
Population Health ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Global Health Research ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Conflict Affected States

Abstract Advances in population health outcomes risk being slowed—and potentially reversed—by a range of threats increasingly presented as ‘fragility’. Widely used and critiqued within the development arena, the concept is increasingly used in the field of global health, where its relationship to population health, health service delivery, access and utilization is poorly specified. We present the first scoping review seeking to clarify the meaning, definitions and applications of the term in the global health literature. Adopting the theoretical framework of concept analysis, 10 bibliographic and grey literature sources, and five key journals, were searched to retrieve documents relating to fragility and health. Reviewers screened titles and abstracts and retained documents applying the term fragility in relation to health systems, services, health outcomes and population or community health. Data were extracted according to the protocol; all documents underwent bibliometric analysis. Narrative synthesis was then used to identify defining attributes of the concept in the field of global health. A total of 377 documents met inclusion criteria. There has been an exponential increase in applications of the concept in published literature over the last 10 years. Formal definitions of the term continue to be focused on the characteristics of ‘fragile and conflict-affected states’. However, synthesis indicates diverse use of the concept with respect to: level of application (e.g. from state to local community); emphasis on particular antecedent stressors (including factors beyond conflict and weak governance); and focus on health system or community resources (with an increasing tendency to focus on the interface between two). Amongst several themes identified, trust is noted as a key locus of fragility at this interface, with critical implications for health seeking, service utilization and health system and community resilience.

System change in the spirit of reconciliation in action: The All Nations Health Partnership

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-64
Author(s):  
Ray J. Racette
Keyword(s):  
Health Disparities ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
System Change ◽  
Health District ◽  
System Reform ◽  
Health Partnership ◽  
Working Together ◽  
Improve Health

The urgency for reforming our health systems to improve health outcomes and service pathways is pressing and must be championed by leaders. Coalitions of the willing must be created to lead this movement. The All Nations Health Partners in Kenora, Ontario, have formed to lead health system reform in the Kenora Health District and are doing so in the spirit of Reconciliation in Action. All nations and organizations working together to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes for all people.

scholarly journals The Brazilian health system at crossroads: progress, crisis and resilience

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. e000829 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriano Massuda ◽  
Thomas Hone ◽  
Fernando Antonio Gomes Leles ◽  
Marcia C de Castro ◽  
Rifat Atun
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health System ◽  
Health Resources ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Health Financing ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Structural Problems ◽  
Political Crises ◽  
Brazilian Health System

The Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS)) has enabled substantial progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Brazil. However, structural weakness, economic and political crises and austerity policies that have capped public expenditure growth are threatening its sustainability and outcomes. This paper analyses the Brazilian health system progress since 2000 and the current and potential effects of the coalescing economic and political crises and the subsequent austerity policies. We use literature review, policy analysis and secondary data from governmental sources in 2000–2017 to examine changes in political and economic context, health financing, health resources and healthcare service coverage in SUS. We find that, despite a favourable context, which enabled expansion of UHC from 2003 to 2014, structural problems persist in SUS, including gaps in organisation and governance, low public funding and suboptimal resource allocation. Consequently, large regional disparities exist in access to healthcare services and health outcomes, with poorer regions and lower socioeconomic population groups disadvantaged the most. These structural problems and disparities will likely worsen with the austerity measures introduced by the current government, and risk reversing the achievements of SUS in improving population health outcomes. The speed at which adverse effects of the current and political crises are manifested in the Brazilian health system underscores the importance of enhancing health system resilience to counteract external shocks (such as economic and political crises) and internal shocks (such as sector-specific austerity policies and rapid ageing leading to rise in disease burden) to protect hard-achieved progress towards UHC.

scholarly journals Can Results-Based Financing improve health outcomes in resource poor settings? Evidence from Zimbabwe.

2021 ◽  
pp. 113959
Author(s):  
Eleonora Fichera ◽  
Laura Anselmi ◽  
Gwati Gwati ◽  
Garrett Brown ◽  
Roxanne Kovacs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Resource Poor ◽  
Improve Health ◽  
Results Based Financing

scholarly journals Responding to health inequities: Indigenous health system innovations

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. G. Lavoie ◽  
D. Kornelsen ◽  
L. Wylie ◽  
J. Mignone ◽  
J. Dwyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Health Inequities ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
International Perspective ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Culturally Informed ◽  
The Usa

Over the past decades, Indigenous communities around the world have become more vocal and mobilized to address the health inequities they experience. Many Indigenous communities we work with in Canada, Australia, Latin America, the USA, New Zealand and to a lesser extent Scandinavia have developed their own culturally-informed services, focusing on the needs of their own community members. This paper discusses Indigenous healthcare innovations from an international perspective, and showcases Indigenous health system innovations that emerged in Canada (the First Nation Health Authority) and Colombia (Anas Wayúu). These case studies serve as examples of Indigenous-led innovations that might serve as models to other communities. The analysis we present suggests that when opportunities arise, Indigenous communities can and will mobilize to develop Indigenous-led primary healthcare services that are well managed and effective at addressing health inequities. Sustainable funding and supportive policy frameworks that are harmonized across international, national and local levels are required for these organizations to achieve their full potential. In conclusion, this paper demonstrates the value of supporting Indigenous health system innovations.

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