Use of health services in people with multiple sclerosis with and without fatigue

2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Johansson ◽  
C Ytterberg ◽  
K Gottberg ◽  
L Widén Holmqvist ◽  
L von Koch
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Disease Severity ◽  
Informal Care ◽  
Outpatient Care ◽  
Transportation Service ◽  
Persistent Fatigue ◽  
Use Of Health Services

Objective To explore and compare the use of health services in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) with and without fatigue. Methods Over a period of 30 months, the use of health services in 48 MS outpatients with persistent fatigue and 36 without fatigue was studied. Data were collected from a computerized register and by interviews, and analyzed with regard to disease severity categorized as mild or moderate/severe MS. Results Fatigued people with mild MS used more hospital outpatient care and primary care including rehabilitation, and a higher proportion had transportation service, compared with non-fatigued people with mild MS. In moderate/severe MS, the differences were that non-fatigued people used more occupational therapy in primary care and a higher proportion had salaried service. Regardless of MS severity, informal care was more common among fatigued people. Conclusions Overall, fatigued people with mild MS have more contacts with outpatient health care compared with non-fatigued people. There are few such differences in people with moderate/severe MS. The reasons for the differences in use between fatigued and non-fatigued people are not understood and need further exploration. Fatigued people more often receive informal care, thus support to caregivers are of particular importance if fatigue is present.

A comprehensive assessment of the cost of multiple sclerosis in the United States

1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 419-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Whetten-Goldstein ◽  
Frank A Sloan ◽  
Larry B Goldstein ◽  
Elizabeth D Kulas
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Informal Care ◽  
Annual Cost ◽  
Lifetime Cost ◽  
The United States ◽  
Personal Health ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
The Cost

Comprehensive data on the costs of multiple sclerosis is sparse. We conducted a survey of 606 persons with MS who were members of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to obtain data on their cost of personal health services, other services, equipment, and earnings. Compensation of such cost in the form of health insurance, income support, and other subsidies was measured. Survey data and data from several secondary sources was used to measure costs incurred by comparable persons without MS. Based on the 1994 data, the annual cost of MS was estimated at over $34 000 per person, translating into a conservative estimate of national annual cost of $6.8 billion, and a total lifetime cost per case of $2.2 million. Major components of cost were earnings loss and informal care. Virtually all persons with MS had health insurance, mostly Medicare/Medicaid. Health insurance covered 51 per cent of costs for services, excluding informal care. On average, compensation for earnings loss was 27 per cent. MS is very costly to the individual, health care system, and society. Much of the cost (57 per cent) is in the form of burdens other than personal health care, including earnings loss, equipment and alternations, and formal and informal care. These costs often are not calculated.

Factors Influencing Access to Primary Health Care via School Health Services

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 585-591
Author(s):  
Philip R. Nader ◽  
Susan Gilman ◽  
David E. Bee
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Health Services ◽  
School Health ◽  
Preventive Health Care ◽  
School Health Services ◽  
Family Status ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Poor Access

The school health and community primary health care contacts were studied for a group of elementary school children who have sociodemographic characteristics often associated with poor access to primary health services. The school system is engaged in a demonstration project that attempts to link the home with community and school services. Visits to the school health room accounted for 85% of all contacts. A visit rate of 1.13 visits/child/year occurred at primary care sites. Ethnicity is the single most important predictor of use of school health services, followed by family status and number of visits for primary health care in the community. In contrast, use of community primary care facilities is best predicted by socioeconomic status (SES), family status, and sex. The patterns of care received by the population were characterized. Children whose care was initiated, referred, or facilitated by the school were designated as receiving "interactive" care, which occurred mostly among minority and lower SES children. The data suggest that the school provides access to preventive health care for all children and facilitates care for segments of the population that usually have difficulty achieving access to the health care system.

Introducing Shared Mental Health Care in Northwestern Ontario: An Analysis of Changing Referral Patterns of Primary Care Providers

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Gaylord ◽  
S. Kathleen Bailey ◽  
John M. Haggarty
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Community Mental Health Services ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Referral Patterns

This study describes a shared mental health care (SMHC) model introduced in Northern Ontario and examines how its introduction affected primary care provider (PCP) mental health referral patterns. A chart review examined referrals (N = 4,600) from 5 PCP sites to 5 outpatient community mental health services from January 2001 to December 2005. PCPs with access to SMHC made significantly more mental health referrals (p < 0.001). Two demographically similar PCPs were then compared, one co-located with SMHC. Referrals for depression to non-SMHC mental health services were 1.69 times more likely to be from the PCP not co-located with SMHC (p < 0.001). Findings suggest SMHC increases access to care and decreases demand on existing mental health services.

Access to health care for people with multiple sclerosis

2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 547-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.L. Minden ◽  
D. Frankel ◽  
L. Hadden ◽  
D.C. Hoaglin
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Prescription Medication ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Usual Source ◽  
Access To Health

The Sonya Slifka Longitudinal Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Study follows a population-based cohort of approximately 2000 people with MS to study demographic and clinical characteristics, use and cost of health services, provider and treatment characteristics, neurological, economic, and psychosocial outcomes. We examined key indicators of access to health care and found that the majority of participants had health insurance, a usual source of care, and access to specialty care. Nevertheless, 3.8% did not have health insurance which, with application of sampling weights, corresponds to approximately 7000 people with MS in the US population. Even with insurance, population-based estimates indicated that substantial numbers of people with MS have plans that pay nothing toward prescription medication, limit their access to specialists, and restrict their choice of hospitals and providers. Some 9% of the sample, corresponding to 15 800 people with MS, did not have a usual source of MS care; 11.8% or 17 300 people did not have a usual source of general health care; and 31% or 57 400 people did not see the specialists that they or their physicians wanted them to see. Further, 10.5% or 19 400 people reported difficulty obtaining prescription medication, 4.1% or 7600 people encountered obstacles accessing medical care, and 2.4% or 4500 people could not obtain the mental health services they needed. Finally, out-of-pocket health care expenditures were twice those found for the general population. Two-thirds of study participants (representing almost 70 000 people) chose their MS care providers because they were neurologists or MS specialists, creating a demand that almost certainly exceeds current supply. Multiple Sclerosis 2007; 13: 547-558. http://msj.sagepub.com

scholarly journals Workshop: Health workforce meets HSR: Tackling regional inequalities in health service provision

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Hospital Care ◽  
Health Service Provision ◽  
Care Practices ◽  
Do So

Abstract Background Many countries across Europe are facing considerable challenges in providing accessible and high quality care regardless of where people live. A major element is the difficulty that countries face to attract and retain health care professionals to work in remote and rural areas. This applies to primary care services as well as to hospital care, and to the care provided by physicians and other health professionals, including nurses. A widely shared question is therefore how to safeguard access to health care in rural areas and to solve recruitment and retention problems in such regions, both of medical and nursing staff. The workshop will build on last year’s joint workshop of the Sections on HSR and HWR that ended with questions related to how to organize accessible and equitable health services including the workforces required to do so. Objectives This workshop will provide a snapshot of studies from across the European region, with a particular focus on differences between rural and urban health care practices and the types of solutions being used to reduce regional disparities in provision of care. This often refers to retention and recruitment strategies, but the session will also address other types of solutions in the organization of care that can help ensure accessible care, including in vulnerable regions and settings. Tackling this challenge will therefore require a joint approach, tapping into experience from health workforce research as well as wider health services research, bringing together research into the organization and management of healthcare and into the health human resources providing this care, operated from different angles and being informed by different research traditions and data sources. Based on statements, we will discuss the topic of how to organize accessible and equitable health services including the workforces required to do so after the presentations. Key messages Workforce policies should focus on retaining primary care workforce in rural areas and integrated policies should attract new primary care practices. Both in primary care and hospital care new solutions are being sought which should help resolve regional differences in access to care and attractiveness for the health workforce.

The Consequences of Universalizing Health Services: Children's Use of Health Services in Catalonia

1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 777-791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Rajmil ◽  
Barbara Starfield ◽  
Antoni Plasència ◽  
Andreu Segura
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Multiple Regression ◽  
Universal Access ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
Access To Health Services ◽  
Socioeconomic Characteristics ◽  
Number Of Visits ◽  
Use Of Health Services

The purpose of this study was to assess the role of needs and social factors in the use of health services among children under age 15 in Catalonia, Spain, where health care reform was explicitly designed to facilitate universal access to primary care according to health needs. Data from the Catalan Health Interview Survey of 1994, a multistage probability sample (2,433 children under 15 years old), were analyzed. Multiple regression examined the relationship between health needs and number of visits in the last year, controlling for the effect of sociodemographic characteristics. Two logistic regression equations were selected to predict heavy (more than seven visits per year) and light (less than two visits) utilization of services. The multiple regression model explained 14.3 percent of the variance in number of visits, with health status perception, disability, reported chronic condition, restriction of activities, and having had a recent accident by far the most important determinants. No familial socioeconomic characteristics, including social class, education, or family size, influenced the extent of use. In contrast to health systems not designed to achieve either universal access according to need or strong primary care, universal access to health services in Catalonia appears to enhance the use of services among children with health needs, regardless of socioeconomic characteristics.

scholarly journals Readiness to Deliver Person-Focused Care in A Fragile Situation: The Case of Mental Health Services in Lebanon

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aya Noubani ◽  
Karin Diaconu ◽  
Giulia Loffreda ◽  
Shadi Saleh
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health System ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Health Seeking

Abstract Background: Evidence suggests wide variability in the provision of mental healthcare across countries. Countries experiencing fragility related risks suffer from a high burden of mental-ill health and additionally have limited capacity to scale up mental health services given financial and human resource shortages. Integration of mental health services into routine primary care is one potential strategy for enhancing service availability, however little is known about the experiences of currently active health care providers involved in mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) service provision at primary care level. This study aims to determine how healthcare providers offering MHPSS services at primary care levels in Lebanon perceive mental health and the health system’s ability to address the rising mental ill-health burden with a view to identify opportunities for strengthening MHPSS service implementation geared towards integrated person focused care model.Methods: A qualitative study design was adopted including 15 semi-structured interviews and 2 participatory group model-building workshops with health care providers (HCPs) involved in mental healthcare delivery at primary care level. Participants were recruited from two contrasting fragility contexts (Beirut and Beqaa). During workshops, causal loop diagrams depicting shared understandings of factors leading to stress and mental ill health, associated health seeking behaviors, and challenges and barriers within the health system were elicited. This research is part of a larger study focused on understanding the dynamics shaping mental health perceptions and health seeking behaviours among community members residing in Lebanon. Results: Findings are organized around a causal loop diagram depicting three central dynamics as described by workshop participants. First, participants linked financial constraints at household levels and the inability to secure one’s livelihood with contextual socio-political stressors, principally referring to integration challenges between host communities and Syrian refugees. In a second dynamic, participants linked exposure to war, conflict and displacement to the occurrence of traumatic events and high levels of distress as well as tense family and community relations. Finally, participants described a third dynamic linking cultural norms and patriarchal systems to exposure to violence and intergenerational trauma among Lebanon’s populations. When describing help-seeking pathways, participants noted the strong influence of social stigma within both the community and among health professionals; the latter was noted to negatively affect patient-provider relationships. Participants additionally spoke of difficulties in the delivery of mental health services and linked this to the design of the health system itself, noting the current system being geared towards patient centered care, which focuses on the patient’s experiences with a disease only, rather than person focused care where providers and patients acknowledge broader structural and social influences on health and work together to reach appropriate decisions for tackling health and other social needs. Barriers to delivery of person focused care include the lack of coherent mental health information systems, limited human capacity to deliver MHPSS services among primary health care staff and inadequate service integration and coordination among the many providers of mental health services in our study contexts. Critically however, provider accounts demonstrate readiness and willingness of health professionals to engage with integrated person focused care models of care.Conclusion: Mental ill health is a major public health problem with implications for individual health and wellbeing; in a fragile context such as Lebanon, the burden of mental ill health is expected to rise and this presents substantive challenges for the existing health system. Concrete multi-sectoral efforts and investments are required to 1) reduce stigma and improve public perceptions surrounding mental ill health and associated needs for care seeking and 2) promote the implementation of integrated person focused care for addressing mental health.

scholarly journals The Role of Primary Health Care Toward Healthy Aging

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1SP) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Dhanasari Vidiawati ◽  
Yuda Turana ◽  
Tonny Sundjaya
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Preventive Health ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Primary Health

Background: According to the World Health Organization, healthy aging is the process of developing and maintaining functional abilities that make the elderly happy. The increase in the elderly population requires more attention. In particular, health services at the primary health care level face problems related to the limited capacity of overall health services, especially in terms of health promotion and preventive health issues. It is necessary to improve the quality of health care services for the elderly to prevent greater health problems among the elderly population.Objectives: Understand the need to provide holistic health services for healthy aging and use their capabilities, and strengthen cooperation among health professionals in achieving healthy aging.Discusion: Primary health care is pointed out that primary health care should provide comprehensive services in a holistic manner to support a healthy aging process. Therefore, a well-structured, integrated, and cross-industry collaborative primary care system is needed. The system should include changes in professional behavior, coordination of care, and participation of patients' families and communities in comprehensive health care. This can be achieved through inter-professional education, continuous training and education of primary health care professionals, as well as primary health care services and cross-level health care technology innovation.Conclusions: Healthy aging is not just the absence of disease. Everyone in health and social care at all levels can play a role to help improve healthy aging. To make the elderly healthy, starting from the prevention of young health problems, it requires collaboration between health workers, primary health care and other health service levels, and health care that cooperates with patients, families, and communities.Keywords: healthy aging, primary care, preventive, health worker

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