scholarly journals Transformation of Saudi Arabia’s Health System and Its Impact on Population Health: What Can the USA Learn?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Yuchi Young ◽  
Amani Alharthy ◽  
Akiko S. Hosler
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health System ◽  
Healthcare Spending ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Rapid Improvement ◽  
Live Births ◽  
Life Expectancy At Birth ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Impact

<b><i>Objective:</i></b> The objective of this study was to describe the historic transformation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) health system and analyze the impact of transformation on selected health outcomes in KSA. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Secondary data from the following standard repositories were compiled for analysis: WHO, UN, UNICEF, and the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Health. The 6-part WHO health system framework was used to structure the analysis. The USA was chosen as a comparator country because KSA and the USA are both high-income OECD countries with predominantly Western-trained physicians and similar health outcomes, yet the 2 nations diverge in 2 important ways: the KSA is a single payer, and its percent GDP healthcare spending is one-half that of the USA. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Life expectancy at birth increased nearly 30 years (from 45.6 years in 1960 to 74.9 years in 2019) among KSA citizens, narrowing the gap with the USA, which gained 8.7 years, from 69.8 to 78.5, during the same period. KSA had identical infant mortality to the USA (2/1,000 live births in both countries) and lower maternal mortality rates (17 vs. 23/100,000 live births) than the USA. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The rapid improvement of selected health outcomes in KSA may be attributable to improved access to care provided by the universal healthcare system. Healthcare spending in the USA is 18% GDP, nearly twice that of KSA (9.2% GDP), yet important health outcomes are largely indistinguishable. Future research should evaluate which elements of the KSA system might inform improvements to decentralized systems in the USA.

scholarly journals The impact of economic sanctions on health and health systems in low- and middle-income countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Suhrcke ◽  
M Pinna Pintor ◽  
C Hamelmann
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Economic Sanctions ◽  
Political Crisis ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Financial Flows ◽  
Adverse Health ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Economic sanctions, understood as measures taken by one state or a group of states to coerce another into a desired conduct (eg by restricting trade and financial flows) do not primarily seek to adversely affect the health or health system of the target country's population. Yet, there may be indirect or unintended health and health system consequences that ought to be borne in mind when assessing the full set of effects of sanctions. We take stock of the evidence to date in terms of whether - and if so, how - economic sanctions impact health and health systems in LMICs. Methods We undertook a structured literature review (using MEDLINE and Google Scholar), covering the peer-reviewed and grey literature published from 1970-2019, with a specific focus on quantitative assessments. Results Most studies (23/27) that met our inclusion criteria focus on the relationship between sanctions and health outcomes, ranging from infant or child mortality as the most frequent case over viral hepatitis to diabetes and HIV, among others. Fewer studies (9/27) examined health system related indicators, either as a sole focus or jointly with health outcomes. A minority of studies explicitly addressed some of the methodological challenges, incl. control for relevant confounders and the endogeneity of sanctions. Taking the results at face value, the evidence is almost unanimous in highlighting the adverse health and health system effects of economic sanctions. Conclusions Quantitatively assessing the impact of economic sanctions on health or health systems is a challenging task, not least as it is persistently difficult to disentangle the effect of sanctions from many other, potentially major factors at work that matter for health (as, for instance, war). In addition, in times of severe economic and political crisis (which often coincide with sanctions), the collection of accurate and comprehensive data that could allow appropriate measurement is typically not a priority. Key messages The existing evidence is almost unanimous in highlighting the adverse health and health system effects of economic sanctions. There is preciously little good quality evidence on the health (system) impact of economic sanctions.

Sexting among singles in the USA: prevalence of sending, receiving, and sharing sexual messages and images

Sexual Health ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin R. Garcia ◽  
Amanda N. Gesselman ◽  
Shadia A. Siliman ◽  
Brea L. Perry ◽  
Kathryn Coe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Text Messages ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Single Adults ◽  
Social Lives ◽  
Psychosocial Wellbeing ◽  
Sexually Explicit ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Sexual Messages ◽  
The Impact

Background: The transmission of sexual images and messages via mobile phone or other electronic media (sexting) has been associated with a variety of mostly negative social and behavioural consequences. Research on sexting has focussed on youth, with limited data across demographics and with little known about the sharing of private sexual images and messages with third parties. Methods: The present study examines sexting attitudes and behaviours, including sending, receiving, and sharing of sexual messages and images, across gender, age, and sexual orientation. A total of 5805 single adults were included in the study (2830 women; 2975 men), ranging in age from 21 to 75+ years. Results: Overall, 21% of participants reported sending and 28% reported receiving sexually explicit text messages; both sending and receiving ‘sexts’ was most common among younger respondents. Although 73.2% of participants reported discomfort with unauthorised sharing of sexts beyond the intended recipient, of those who had received sext images, 22.9% reported sharing them with others (on average with 3.17 friends). Participants also reported concern about the potential consequences of sexting on their social lives, careers, and psychosocial wellbeing. Conclusion: Views on the impact of sexting on reputation suggest a contemporary struggle to reconcile digital eroticism with real-world consequences. These findings suggest a need for future research into negotiations of sexting motivations, risks, and rewards.

Impact and paybacks of biomedical research findings in Malaysia 2005–2015

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pei Kuan Lai ◽  
S Nalliah ◽  
CL Teng ◽  
NLP Chen
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Health System ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Biomedical Research ◽  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Relevant Research ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health System Policy

Background: Impact in research encompasses health, economic, and cultural benefits beyond adding to the knowledge base. Funders are under immense pressure to be accountable for the paybacks from funded research.Aims and objectives: The aim of this study was to look into the impact of funded biomedical research between the years 2005 and 2015 in Malaysia from the aspects of knowledge production, research targeting and capacity building, as well as health system policy and decision making.Methods: This study employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods research design. Biomedical projects related to breast cancer, coronary heart disease, and dengue, funded by the Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), and Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) between the years 2005 and 2015, were included.Findings: From the questionnaire responses (n=58), on average each funded project managed to produce two outputs and one higher degree student. More than half (61.4%) of the funded projects led to subsequent future research. However, low citations in systematic reviews (10.3%), health policies (6.9%), and clinical practice guidelines (5.2%) were reported. In-depth interviews with the key opinion leaders also saw that most of the local research findings were found to be irrelevant to be adopted into policies by the policymakers.Discussion and conclusions: Paybacks on knowledge production as well as research targeting and capacity building had been achieved, but impact on health system policy and decision making had not been well attained, due to the lack of relevant research findings needed by the policymakers.<br />Key messages<br /><ul><li>Payback on knowledge production was achieved, as there had been a lot of new knowledge generated as captured in academic publications, conference proceedings, policy briefs, technical reports, and research highlights, which is important to advance the frontiers of knowledge.</li><br /><li>Payback on research targeting was achieved, with the current research leading to future study with identification of the knowledge gap and generation of new ideas for new research.</li><br /><li>Payback on capacity building was achieved with the training of researchers, building up research capacity and competencies, production of MSc and PhD graduates, promotion of lecturers, and development of new partnerships and networks.</li><br /><li>Impact on health system policy and decision making was not well attained. There had been a lack of relevant research data and findings being incorporated into policymaking, due to the basic and fundamental nature of most of the funded biomedical research in Malaysia.</li></ul>

scholarly journals Effect of a Health System–Sponsored Mobile App on Perinatal Health Behaviors: Retrospective Cohort Study (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Cawley ◽  
Hannelore Buckenmeyer ◽  
Trina Jellison ◽  
Joseph B Rinaldi ◽  
Keri B Vartanian
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health System ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Infant Care ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Healthy Behaviors ◽  
Behavior Outcomes ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Pregnancy mobile apps are becoming increasingly popular, with parents-to-be seeking information related to their pregnancy and their baby through mobile technology. This increase raises the need for prenatal apps with evidence-based content that is personalized and reliable. Previous studies have looked at whether prenatal apps impact health and behavior outcomes among pregnant and postpartum individuals; however, research has been limited. OBJECTIVE The primary objective of this study is to assess whether the use of a health system–sponsored mobile app—Circle by Providence—aimed at providing personalized and reliable health information on pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and infant care is associated with improved health outcomes and increased healthy behaviors and knowledge among users. METHODS This observational study compared app users and app nonusers using a self-reported survey and electronic medical records. The study took place over 18 months and was conducted at Providence St. Joseph Health in Portland, Oregon. The sample included patients who received prenatal care at one of seven Providence clinics and had a live birth at a Providence hospital. Recruitment occurred on a rolling basis and only those who completed the survey were included. Survey respondents were separated into app users and app nonusers, and survey responses and clinical outcomes were compared across groups using univariate and adjusted multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS A total of 567 participants were enrolled in the study—167 in the app user group and 400 in the nonuser group. We found statistically significant differences between the two groups for certain behavior outcomes: subjects who used the app had 75% greater odds of breastfeeding beyond 6 months postpartum (<i>P</i>=.012), were less likely to miss prenatal appointments (<i>P</i>=.046), and were 50% more likely to exercise 3 or more times a week during pregnancy (<i>P</i>=.04). There were no differences in nutritional measures, including whether they took prenatal vitamins, ate 5 fruits or vegetables a day, or drank caffeine. We found no differences in many of the infant care outcomes; however, there was an increase in awareness of “purple crying.” Finally, there were no significant differences in measured clinical health outcomes, including cesarean births, length of hospital stays (in minutes), low birth weight infants, preterm births, small-for-gestational-age births, large-for-gestational-age births, and neonatal intensive care unit stays. CONCLUSIONS The use of the Circle app, which provides access to personalized and evidence-based health information, was associated with an increase in certain healthy behaviors and health knowledge, although there was no impact on clinical health outcomes. More research is needed to determine the impact of mobile prenatal apps on healthy pregnancies, clinical health outcomes, and infant care.

An Overview of the Worldwide Rise and Expansion of Home Education Homeschooling

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Brian D. Ray
Keyword(s):  
Current Situation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Home Education ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
World Today ◽  
Emotional Outcomes ◽  
The World ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Impact

This chapter outlines the current situation about homeschooling across the world today. It highlights its enormous growth over the last 40 or 50 years, since its reintroduction in the USA and the impact that has had on the world homeschooling movement. It describes the contested outcomes of home education, including the evidence that students' academic, social, and emotional outcomes are higher while also providing a solid basis for ‘graduates' of home education to experience success in adulthood. Theorizing the roots of this success, the chapter looks at the measures of success and the theoretical bases of the success of the mainstream schooled and explores how the features that make a successful graduate of mainstream schools are naturally and almost exclusively present in the home education setting, Finally, it considers how the current turn against home education and suggests how future research might be useful to counter these negative discourses about the practice while understanding this growing cohort of children across the world today.

Exemplary followership. Part 1: refining an instrument

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim O. Peterson ◽  
Claudette M. Peterson ◽  
Brian W. Rook
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Organizational Citizenship ◽  
Organizational Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Organizational Citizenship Behaviors ◽  
Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Citizenship Behaviors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The overall purpose of this paper is to determine to what extent organizational citizenship behaviors predict followership behaviors within medical organizations in the USA. This is the first part of a two-part article. Part 1 will refine an existing followership instrument. Part 2 will explore the relationship between followership and organizational citizenship. Design/methodology/approach Part 1 of this survey-based empirical study used confirmatory factor analysis on an existing instrument followed by exploratory factor analysis on the revised instrument. Part 2 used regression analysis to explore to what extent organizational citizenship behaviors predict followership behaviors. Findings The findings of this two-part paper show that organizational citizenship has a significant impact on followership behaviors. Part 1 found that making changes to the followership instrument provides an improved instrument. Research limitations/implications Participants in this study work exclusively in the health-care industry; future research should expand to other large organizations that have many followers with few managerial leaders. Practical implications As organizational citizenship can be developed, if there is a relationship between organizational citizenship and followership, organizations can provide professional development opportunities for individual followers. Managers and other leaders can learn how to develop organizational citizenship behaviors and thus followership in several ways: onboarding, coaching, mentoring and career development. Originality/value In Part 1, the paper contributes an improved measurement for followership. Part 2 demonstrates the impact that organizational citizenship behavior can play in developing high performing followers.

scholarly journals Impact of a health system strengthening intervention on maternal and child health outputs and outcomes in rural Rwanda 2005–2010

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. e000674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana R Thomson ◽  
Cheryl Amoroso ◽  
Sidney Atwood ◽  
Matthew H Bonds ◽  
Felix Cyamatare Rwabukwisi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health System ◽  
Population Health ◽  
Maternal And Child Health ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Health System Strengthening ◽  
Live Births ◽  
Intervention Area ◽  
And Child Health

IntroductionAlthough Rwanda’s health system underwent major reforms and improvements after the 1994 Genocide, the health system and population health in the southeast lagged behind other areas. In 2005, Partners In Health and the Rwandan Ministry of Health began a health system strengthening intervention in this region. We evaluate potential impacts of the intervention on maternal and child health indicators.MethodsCombining results from the 2005 and 2010 Demographic and Health Surveys with those from a supplemental 2010 survey, we compared changes in health system output indicators and population health outcomes between 2005 and 2010 as reported by women living in the intervention area with those reported by the pooled population of women from all other rural areas of the country, controlling for potential confounding by economic and demographic variables.ResultsOverall health system coverage improved similarly in the comparison groups between 2005 and 2010, with an indicator of composite coverage of child health interventions increasing from 57.9% to 75.0% in the intervention area and from 58.7% to 73.8% in the other rural areas. Under-five mortality declined by an annual rate of 12.8% in the intervention area, from 229.8 to 83.2 deaths per 1000 live births, and by 8.9% in other rural areas, from 157.7 to 75.8 deaths per 1000 live births. Improvements were most marked among the poorest households.ConclusionWe observed dramatic improvements in population health outcomes including under-five mortality between 2005 and 2010 in rural Rwanda generally and in the intervention area specifically.

Medical Malpractice Litigation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Hyman ◽  
Charles Silver
Keyword(s):  
Medical Malpractice ◽  
Healthcare Spending ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Real Problem ◽  
Damage Costs ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Basic Facts ◽  
Civil Justice System ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Noneconomic Damages

Medical malpractice is the best studied aspect of the civil justice system. But the subject is complicated, and there are heated disputes about basic facts. For example, are premium spikes driven by factors that are internal (i.e., number of claims, payout per claim, and damage costs) or external to the system? How large (or small) is the impact of a damages cap? Do caps have a bigger impact on the number of cases that are brought or the payment in the cases that remain? Do blockbuster verdicts cause defendants to settle cases for more than they are worth? Do caps attract physicians? Do caps reduce healthcare spending—and by how much? How much does it cost to resolve the high percentage of cases in which no damages are recovered? What is the comparative impact of a cap on noneconomic damages versus a cap on total damages? Other disputes involve normative questions. Is there too much med mal litigation or not enough? Are damage caps fair? Is the real problem bad doctors or predatory lawyers—or some combination of both? This article summarizes the empirical research on the performance of the med mal system, and highlights some areas for future research.

scholarly journals The Impact of Primary Care: A Focused Review

Scientifica ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leiyu Shi
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
The United States ◽  
Emergency Department Visits ◽  
Care Practice ◽  
Quality Healthcare ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Impact

Primary care serves as the cornerstone in a strong healthcare system. However, it has long been overlooked in the United States (USA), and an imbalance between specialty and primary care exists. The objective of this focused review paper is to identify research evidence on the value of primary care both in the USA and internationally, focusing on the importance of effective primary care services in delivering quality healthcare, improving health outcomes, and reducing disparities. Literature searches were performed in PubMed as well as “snowballing” based on the bibliographies of the retrieved articles. The areas reviewed included primary care definitions, primary care measurement, primary care practice, primary care and health, primary care and quality, primary care and cost, primary care and equity, primary care and health centers, and primary care and healthcare reform. In both developed and developing countries, primary care has been demonstrated to be associated with enhanced access to healthcare services, better health outcomes, and a decrease in hospitalization and use of emergency department visits. Primary care can also help counteract the negative impact of poor economic conditions on health.

International trade of organic food: Evidence of US imports

2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lydia Oberholtzer ◽  
Carolyn Dimitri ◽  
Edward C. Jaenicke
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Organic Food ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Short Supply ◽  
Heckman Model ◽  
Organic Products ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Certified Organic ◽  
Food Sales ◽  
The Impact

AbstractOver the past decade, organic food sales and farmland have grown rapidly worldwide. As the US market for organic food has expanded, anecdotal evidence indicates that imports of organic food have increased. US organic handlers may be importing to meet consumer demand for out-of-season products, as well as products not grown domestically. Handlers may also be importing organic products that are in short supply or to reduce input costs. This paper provides the first examination of imports of organic products into the USA. Data from a national survey of certified organic handlers in 2007 are used to examine the extent, types and origins of imported organic commodities. A Heckman model is employed to investigate the factors that influence an organic handler's decision to import organic products, and the level at which organic handlers import a product. Summary results show that while many of the products being imported into the USA are those that cannot be produced domestically, such as coffee and tropical fruits, some oft-imported commodities are those that can be produced in the USA, such as soybeans, wheat, barley and berries. The summary results also show that organic handlers are procuring almost a half of their imported products from a few countries, including Canada, China, Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia. In the econometric analysis, we found those handlers prioritizing local suppliers negatively affected the facility's decision to import products. The use of a social label, such as Fair Trade, positively affected a handler's decision to import. The size of organic sales was important to both the decision to import and the share imported, with larger firms more likely to import and smaller firms less likely to import. However, once a smaller firm had decided to import, they imported a larger share. Finally, our analysis found that experiencing limited supplies or prioritizing price with suppliers did not influence a handler's decision to import products. Based on the findings, we suggest future research avenues, including studies that address consumer preferences and the impact of increased imports on domestic organic farms.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document