scholarly journals Prioritizing the healthcare access concerns of Canadians with MS

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 205521732110296
Author(s):  
Julie Pétrin ◽  
Mary Ann McColl ◽  
Catherine Donnelly ◽  
Simon French ◽  
Marcia Finlayson

Background Canadians with MS are high users of healthcare services, yet they report multiple unmet needs, high disease burden, and low satisfaction with care. Engaging patients in healthcare planning can lead to improvements in access and care. There is currently limited evidence that has harnessed the perspectives of Canadians with MS. Objective To identify and prioritize the healthcare access concerns of Canadians with MS. Methods A cross-sectional online survey informed by the Concerns Report Methodology was used to address the objective. Participants were recruited through multiple methods. Descriptive statistics were used to identify the main barriers to healthcare providers, and concerns report methods were used to calculate needs indexes to prioritize concerns of participants. Results 324 Canadians with MS participated in the study between November 18, 2019 and March 27, 2020. The most pressing healthcare access concerns of Canadians with MS were related to availability of healthcare providers with MS knowledge and affordability of services that aim to improve wellness. Conclusion These findings provide healthcare planners with prioritized access concerns of Canadians with MS, which can be used to guide strategic planning to improve the quality of life of these individuals.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bandar Noory ◽  
Sara Hassanein ◽  
Jeffrey Edwards ◽  
Benedikte Victoria Lindskog

Abstract Background: Decentralization of healthcare services have been widely utilized, especially in developing countries, to improve the performance of healthcare systems by increasing the access and efficiency of service delivery. Experiences have been variable secondary to disparities in financial and human resources, system capacity and community engagement. Sudan is no exception and understanding the perceived effect of decentralization on access, affordability, and quality of care among stakeholders is crucial.Methods: This was a mixed method, cross-sectional, explorative study that involved 418 household members among catchment areas and 40 healthcare providers of Ibrahim Malik Hospital (IBMH) and Khartoum Teaching Hospital (KTH). Data were collected through a structured survey and in-depth interviews from July-December 2015.Results: Access, affordability and quality of healthcare services were all perceived as worse, compared to before decentralization was implemented. Reported affordability was found to be 53% and 55% before decentralization compared to 24% to 16% after decentralization, within KTH and IBMH catchment areas respectively, (p= 0.01). The quality of healthcare services were reported to have declined from 47% and 38% before decentralization to 38% and 28% after, in KTH and IBMH respectively (p=0.02). Accessibility was found to be more limited, with services being accessible before decentralization approximately 59% and 52% of the time, compared to 41% and 30% after, in KTH and IBMH catchment areas respectively, (p=0.01).Accessibility to healthcare was reported to have decreased secondary to facility closures, reverse transference of services, and low capacity of devolved facilities. Lastly, privatized services were reported as strengthened in response to this decentralization of healthcare. Conclusions: The deterioration of access, affordability and quality of health services was experienced as the predominant perception among stakeholders after decentralization implementation. Our study results suggest there is an urgent need for a review of the current healthcare policies, structure and management within Sudan in order to provide evidence and insights regarding the impact of decentralization.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Munirah Al Omar ◽  
Mahmoud Salam ◽  
Khaled Al-Surimi

Abstract Background Workplace bullying (WPB) is a physical or emotional harm that may negatively affect healthcare services. The aim of this study was to determine to what extent healthcare practitioners in Saudi Arabia worry about WPB and whether it affects the quality of care and patient safety from their perception. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018. An online survey was distributed among all practitioners at a multi-regional healthcare facility. A previously validated tool was sourced from an integrative literature review by Houck and Colbert. Responses to 15 themes were rated on a 5-point Likert scale, converted to percentage mean scores (PMS) and compared across participants’ characteristics using bivariate and regression analyses. Results A total of 1074/1350 (79.5%) completed the questionnaire. The overall median [interquartile range] score of worrying about WPB was 81.7 [35.0]. Participants were mainly worried about the effect of WPB on their stress, work performance, and communication between staff members. A significant negative relationship developed between the quality of care and worrying about WPB, P < 0.001. More educated practitioners were 1.7 times more likely to be worried about WPB compared with their counter group, adj.P = 0.034. Junior practitioners were 1.6 times more likely to be worried about WPB, adj.P = 0.017. The group who has not been trained in handling WPB (1.7 times), and those who had been exposed to WPB (2.2 times) were both more likely to be worried about WPB compared with their counter groups, adj.P = 0.026 and adj.P < 0.001 respectively. Conclusions Most healthcare practitioners worry about WPB, especially its negative impact on the quality of care and patient safety. A greater proportion of practitioners with higher levels of education and their less experienced counterparts were more worried about WPB. Previous exposure to a WPB incident amplifies the practitioners’ worry, but being trained on how to counteract bullying incidents makes them less likely to be worried.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 40
Author(s):  
Haeyoung Lee ◽  
Seung-Hye Choi

The objective of this study was to investigate the factors affecting the quality of dying and death among terminally ill patients in an intensive care unit in Korea using a cross-sectional, online survey. A total of 300 nurses in the intensive care unit who had cared for a terminally ill patient for at least 48 h prior to death in the past six months were chosen to participate. The person-centered critical care nursing (PCCN) score and quality of dying and death (QODD) had a positive correlation. The QODD score increased when the consultation was conducted between the terminally ill patients and their doctors when CPR was not performed within 48 h of death, and when the PCCN score increased. The quality of death of patients is affected by whether they have sufficiently consulted with healthcare providers regarding their death and how much respect they receive. It is important for nurses to practice and improve patient-centered nursing care in order to ensure a good quality of death for terminally ill patients.


Author(s):  
Mohsen Kamali ◽  
Seyed Kazem Mousavi

Observance of patients' rights is a significant indicator in evaluating the quality of healthcare services. The COVID-19 pandemic has become a global crisis and affected the interactions between healthcare providers and patients. This study examined the COVID-19 patients’ viewpoint about the observance of their rights by physicians and nurses. This study is a descriptive cross-sectional work of research conducted on the COVID-19 patients in Zanjan Province, Iran, in September 2020. The subjects were selected through convenience sampling, and data was collected using a two-section questionnaire consisting of a demographic characteristics survey and a Likert-type scale for evaluating patients' rights observance. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were found to be acceptable, and the collected data was analyzed in SPSS v.26 using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, and ANOVA test. The mean score of observance of patients' rights was 69.60±7.36, representing a moderate level. The highest and lowest scores for the observance of patients' rights were related to the dimensions of courteous communication and responsibility, respectively. A significant relationship was found between the observance of patients’ rights and their marital status, health insurance, and education level (P<0.05). This study showed that the observance of the COVID-19 patients' rights has not been affected by the social agitation caused by this disease.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 38-50
Author(s):  
Agoritsa Koulouri

Introduction: Quality in healthcare services means doing the right things, making continuous improvements in order to get the best results, being interested in satisfying both healthcare providers and recipients. Aim: To investigate the views of health professionals on the quality of the provided health and social care services. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was carried out on healthcare professionals working in public and private healthcare organizations in December 2017 and January 2018. In total, the study involved 155 healthcare professionals who answered 25 questions on the dimensions of quality and the way they perceive the quality of the provided healthcare to its recipients. Data were collected using a structured anonymous self-report questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed with the SPSS 24.0 statistical package. Results: The majority of the sample was female (75%) with higher education (44.5%) holding a master’s or doctorate degree (45.2%). Participants (86%) consider integral to providing quality healthcare services a combination of appropriate patient care that was linked to a framework of continuous evaluation, control and improvement even after treatment ended. Furthermore, as healthcare quality characteristics are considered the healthcare professional’s satisfaction of their relationship with the user of the services regarding the amount of information provided to the later and the provision of personalized services (>80%). In addition, empathy of health professionals (82%), compliance with the standards and quality of procedures (68%) are qualitative parameters. Conclusions: The way healthcare professionals perceive the quality of customer/user interaction with healthcare services, empathy, personalized care and long-term utility are among the most important quality parameters of health services.


Author(s):  
Omar A. Almohammed ◽  
Sary Alsanea

<b><i>Background:</i></b> The Saudi healthcare system is undergoing a major transformation, and pharmacists will assume more responsibilities in providing healthcare services. The current study aims to determine the current perception and attitude of the public toward pharmacists, as well as the public satisfaction with pharmacists’ practices and services in the community pharmacy setting. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A cross-sectional, online questionnaire-based study was conducted between February and April 2019 and included adult participants (≥18 years) who could read and complete an Arabic online survey. χ<sup>2</sup> and correlation tests were used to investigate differences in perception and attitude toward community pharmacists based on study population demographics and characteristics and assess the association between public perception and attitude. Statistical analysis was conducted using SAS software, version 9.4. <b><i>Results:</i></b> A total of 387 participants completed the survey. The overall Saudi public’s perception and attitude toward community pharmacists were positive in the study population, scoring 81.4% for perception and 69.8% for attitude, with female participants having a more favorable perception of community pharmacists than male participants (89.3 vs. 77.7%, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.01). A strong and positive correlation between public perception and attitude was recognized in the study (<i>r</i> = 0.71, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.01). The participants were found to be mostly satisfied with pharmacists’ commitment and communication skills, but not, however, with the level of pharmaceutical care services provided. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The current positive perception and attitude toward community pharmacists among the Saudi public create an opportunity for pharmacists to assume expanded roles as healthcare providers. However, their pharmaceutical care skills should be improved in order to gain their patients’ trust and provide them with valuable services.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bandar Noory ◽  
Sara Hassanain ◽  
Jeffrey Edwards ◽  
Benedikte V. Lindskog

Abstract Background Decentralization of healthcare services has been widely utilized, especially in developing countries, to improve the performance of healthcare systems by increasing the access and efficiency of service delivery. Experiences have been variable secondary to disparities in financial and human resources, system capacity and community engagement. Sudan is no exception and understanding the perceived effect of decentralization on access, affordability, and quality of care among stakeholders is crucial. Methods This was a mixed method, cross-sectional, explorative study that involved 418 household members among catchment areas and 40 healthcare providers of Ibrahim Malik Hospital (IBMH) and Khartoum Teaching Hospital (KTH). Data was collected through a structured survey and in-depth interviews from July–December 2015. Results Access, affordability and quality of healthcare services were all perceived as worse, compared to before decentralization was implemented. Reported affordability was found to be 53 and 55% before decentralization compared to 24 to 16% after decentralization, within KTH and IBMH catchment areas respectively, (p = 0.01). The quality of healthcare services was reported to have declined from 47 and 38% before decentralization to 38 and 28% after, in KTH and IBMH respectively (p = 0.02). Accessibility was found to be more limited, with services being accessible before decentralization approximately 59 and 52% of the time, compared to 41 and 30% after, in KTH and IBMH catchment areas respectively, (p = 0.01). Accessibility to healthcare was reported to have decreased secondary to facility closures, reverse transference of services, and low capacity of devolved facilities. Lastly, privatized services were reported as strengthened in response to this decentralization of healthcare. Conclusions The deterioration of access, affordability and quality of health services was experienced as the predominant perception among stakeholders after decentralization implementation. Our study results suggest there is an urgent need for a review of the current healthcare policies, structure and management within Sudan in order to provide evidence and insights regarding the impact of decentralization.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2648
Author(s):  
Shila Minari Hargreaves ◽  
Eduardo Yoshio Nakano ◽  
Heesup Han ◽  
António Raposo ◽  
Antonio Ariza-Montes ◽  
...  

This study aimed to evaluate the general quality of life (QoL) of Brazilian vegetarians. A cross-sectional study was conducted with Brazilian vegetarian adults (18 years old and above). Individuals were recruited to participate in a nationwide online survey that comprised the WHOQOL-BREF as well as sociodemographic and characterization questions related to vegetarianism. The WHOQOL-BREF is composed of 24 items which are divided into four domains (domain 1: physical health; domain 2: psychological well-being; domain 3: social relationships; and domain 4: environment), plus two general items which were analyzed separately, totaling 26 items. The answers from the questionnaire were converted into scores with a 0–100 scale range, with separate analyses for each domain. Results were compared among groups based on the different characteristics of the vegetarian population. A total of 4375 individuals completed the survey. General average score results were 74.67 (domain 1), 66.71 (domain 2), 63.66 (domain 3) and 65.76 (domain 4). Vegans showed better scores when compared to the other vegetarians, except in domain four, where the statistical difference was observed only for semi-vegetarians (lower score). Individuals adopting a vegetarian diet for longer (>1 year) showed better results for domains one and two, with no difference for the other domains. Having close people also adopting a vegetarian diet positively influenced the results for all domains. On the other hand, it was not possible to distinguish any clear influence of the motivation for adopting a vegetarian diet on the scores’ results. Adopting a vegetarian diet does not have detrimental effects on one’s QoL. In fact, the more plant-based the diet, and the longer it was adopted, the better the results were.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 237796082110290
Author(s):  
Jing Xu ◽  
Kristen Hicks-Roof ◽  
Chloe E. Bailey ◽  
Hanadi Y. Hamadi

Introduction Delivery of healthcare services makes up a complex system and it requires providers to be competent and to be able to integrate each of the institute of medicine’s (IOM) 5 core competencies into practice. However, healthcare providers are challenged with the task to be able to understand and apply the IOM core competencies into practice. Objective The purpose of the study was to examine the factors that influence health professional’s likelihood of accomplishing the IOM core competencies. Methods A cross-sectional study design was used to administer a validated online survey to health providers. This survey was distributed to physicians, nursing professionals, specialists, and allied healthcare professionals. The final sample included 3,940 participants who completed the survey. Results The study findings show that younger health professionals more consistently practice daily competencies than their older counterparts, especially in the use of evidence-based practice, informatics, and working in interdisciplinary teams. Less experienced health professionals more consistently applied quality improvement methods but less consistently used evidence-based practice compared to their more experienced counterparts. Conclusion There is a need to understand how health professionals’ age and experience impact their engagement with IOM’s core competencies. This study highlights the need for educational resources on the competencies to be tailored to health providers’ age and experience.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. e001268
Author(s):  
Angela Koipuram ◽  
Sandra Carroll ◽  
Zubin Punthakee ◽  
Diana Sherifali

IntroductionPersons of South Asian descent have a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The management of T2DM in the South Asian community has required the support of adult children, potentially impacting the quality of life, diabetes-related knowledge, and risk perception among these caregivers.Research design and methodsTo investigate diabetes-related knowledge, quality of life, risk perception, and actual risk of developing diabetes among South Asian young adults whose parents are living with T2DM. A cross-sectional study was conducted (n=150). An online survey was administered. Data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics.ResultsThere was a statistically significant difference in diabetes-related knowledge between males and females (p<0.001). Males (in comparison to females) had a lower risk perception of developing diabetes (p=0.06). Further, risk perception and diabetes-related knowledge were positively associated with caregiver’s physical health (p=0.002).ConclusionFindings highlight the importance of providing gender-specific and culturally tailored diabetes educational interventions.


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