scholarly journals Pharmacists and telemedicine: an innovative model fulfilling Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Bukhari ◽  
Maryam Siddique ◽  
Nazia Bilal ◽  
Sobia Javed ◽  
Arzu Moosvi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Access Point ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Models Of Care ◽  
Quality Healthcare ◽  
Innovative Model ◽  
Urban And Rural Areas

AbstractThe lack of access to safe medicines and quality healthcare services in peri-urban and rural areas is a major challenge driving a health system to innovate new models of care. This commentary will discuss the implementation and impact of the “Guddi baji” tele-pharmacy model, a project piloted by doctHERs, one of Pakistan’s leading telemedicine organizations. This innovative model has described the reintegration of women into the workforce by leveraging technology to improve the level of primary health care services and contributes to safe medication practice in a remote area. Our intervention proposed the deployment of technology-enabled, female frontline health workers known as the Guddi baji (meaning The Good Sister) in a rural village. They serve as an “access point to health care” that is linked to a remotely located health care professional; a licensed doctor or a pharmacist within this model.

scholarly journals Assessing Service Quality in the Ghanaian Private Healthcare Sector: The Case of Comboni Hospital.

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (02) ◽  
pp. 616-627
Author(s):  
Fortune Afi Agbi ◽  
Eric Owusu Asamoah ◽  
Gilbert Atteh Joshua Sewu
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Quality Of Services ◽  
Private Hospitals ◽  
Quality Healthcare ◽  
Care Services ◽  
The Government

The healthcare industry has become a paramount concern for most people in Ghana and the quality of services rendered to the patients in the private hospitals cannot be overemphasized. Patients need quality of services most and are willing to seek better services. The government has been the main provider of health care services in Ghana but recently, some Non-Governmental Organization’s (NGO’s), private individuals and stakeholders also provide health care services which has surged the competitiveness in creating more healthcare facilities in Ghana. This study seeks to explore patients' choice of selecting quality healthcare services and the factors that affect patient satisfaction in private hospitals using the Comboni Hospital in Sogakope, Ghana.   The study therefore used the quantitative research method to collect the data and SPSS version 22 was used to analyze the data on high-quality healthcare. Also, the SERVQUAL model was used as the measurement scale. Multiple regression analysis was used to reveal the effect of the independent variables (reliability, responsiveness, empathy, assurance, and tangibility) on the dependent variable (patient satisfaction).  A detailed description in the analysis and the data processing identified the main factors affecting the general perceptions and patient preferences about their healthcare in the private hospital. The study revealed that there exist a positive result and perception for quality healthcare services without a negative expectation of the patient healthcare being compromised. In this case, the study recommends that both the government and the private agencies should consider the important aspects of hospital’s healthcare management and also the policy and decision makers should have an efficient and effective standard that impact the quality of healthcare assessment in Ghana.  

scholarly journals Determinants of Health Care Utilization among Retirees in Rural Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-86
Author(s):  
Dorothy N. Ononokpono ◽  
Moses I. Peters ◽  
Nsidibe Akpan Usoro
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Health Facilities ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Quality Healthcare

The rising population of the elderlyis one of the most important demographic phenomena in recent times globally. In Nigeria, the estimated population of older persons is about 6 million, and this group of people are confronted with various health challenges and a reduction in earnings, which exacerbates their poor health and healthcare utilization. Studies have shown that healthcare is a fundamental requirement for living a socially and economically productive life; however, in many developing countries including Nigeria, healthcare services utilization among older persons and particularly retirees has received less attention. The main objective of this study was to examine the determinants of healthcare services use among retired primary school teachers in Etinan Local Government in Akwa Ibom State. We utilized Andersen’s healthcare model to explain the factors associated with retirees’ healthcare utilization.Data were collected throughnon-participant observation and semi-structured interviews, conducted with 217 respondents.Data on socio-demographic characteristics of respondents were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative narratives were analyzed thematically and presented verbatim. Findings from the study revealed that the majority of respondents attributed difficulties in the utilization of health care services to inadequate health facilities, lack of trained healthcare personnel, high cost of health services, distance to health facilities, and late payment of pension, among other factors. Study findings suggest the need for the provision of quality healthcare infrastructure for the retired adults and timely payment of pensions as a panacea for poor healthcare accessibility and utilization.

scholarly journals Using the Workload Indicator of Staffing Need (WISN) – Method to model the HR requirements and costs of Health Care Services in Kyrgyzstan

2022 ◽  
Vol 131 ◽  
pp. 02002
Author(s):  
Olav Goetz ◽  
Jean Olivier Schmidt ◽  
Valerie Broch Alvarez ◽  
Sandra Blackaby ◽  
Damira Seksenbaeva
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Health Centre ◽  
Cost Accounting ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Personnel Costs ◽  
Care Systems

Health Care systems are facing several challenges. The lack of resources, such as health workers, costing and financing are open and urgent questions in Health Care Systems. Tools from HRManagement (e.g. the Workload Indicator of Staffing Need (WISN) – method, WHO - HR-Management Tool) and Cost-Accounting can help to improve current financing and further develop healthcare reimbursement systems, such as DRG-Systems. Based on empirical data and interviews with healthcare professionals from multiple healthcare institutions in Kyrgyzstan the WISN method was applied to calculate human resource needs in a new perinatal health centre in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The results of the analysis show that it is possible to calculate the required personal resources using the WISN method. Additionally, WISN can be used to calculate personnel costs. The results also show that in combination with material costs, e.g. from a DRG – Cost – Matrix, such as the G-DRG-Report Browser, it is possible to calculate the total costs of healthcare services and to use this as the basis for the reimbursement system. WISN in combination with additional Cost-Accounting systems is a good way to calculate the total costs for an intervention in a healthcare institution, e.g. a hospital. These tools can help to make financing in healthcare more transparent and efficient.

scholarly journals Utilization of Maternal and Child Health Care Services by Primigravida Females in Urban and Rural Areas of India

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hemant Mahajan ◽  
Bhuwan Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Child Health ◽  
Maternal And Child Health ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Child Health Care ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Urban And Rural Areas ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
And Child Health

Maternal complications and poor perinatal outcome are highly associated with nonutilisation of antenatal and delivery care services and poor socioeconomic conditions of the patient. It is essential that all pregnant women have access to high quality obstetric care throughout their pregnancies. Present longitudinal study was carried out to compare utilization of maternal and child health care services by urban and rural primigravida females. A total of 240 study participants were enrolled in this study. More illiteracy and less mean age at the time of marriage were observed in rural population. Poor knowledge about prelacteal feed, colostrums, tetanus injection and iron-follic acid tablet consumption was noted in both urban and rural areas. Very few study participants from both areas were counselled for HIV testing before pregnancy. More numbers of abortions (19.2%) were noted in urban study participants compared to rural area. Thus utilization of maternal and child health care (MCH) services was poor in both urban and rural areas. A sustained and focussed IEC campaign to improve the awareness amongst community on MCH will help in improving community participation. This may improve the quality, accessibility, and utilization of maternal health care services provided by the government agencies in both rural and urban areas.

scholarly journals A Portable Remote Medical Consultation System for the Use of Distant Rural Communities

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 81-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sisil P. Kumarawadu ◽  
Nuwan D Nanayakkara ◽  
Brinthan Thavaneswaran ◽  
Mukunthan Tharmakulsingam ◽  
Nirosan Paramanathan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Medical Consultation ◽  
Medical Monitoring ◽  
Quality Healthcare ◽  
Consultation System ◽  
Medical Sensors

Remote medical monitoring and consultation has become indispensable in order to enhance the availability of better health-care services to the patients in remote rural areas in the country. This paper proposes an inexpensive, easy to handle Remote Medical Consultation System (RMCS) which supports the healthcare workers to carry out their services through bi-directional video and voice communication between the remote end and doctor’s end as well as automated measuring of medical parameters that can be controlled from both ends. RMCS is consisted of a wearable sensors kit, a centralized hardware platform which connects to the medical sensors and devices and a software platform with database for operating and managing the system. RMCS is capable of remotely measuring patient’s blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, electrocardiogram (ECG), heart sounds and the system’s platform supports to add-on more medical sensors or devices. The key aspect of the system is that it reduces most of the complexity in operation and facilitates the doctors to monitor and diagnose the patients in real-time. RMCS was essentially developed to eliminate the issues of low quality healthcare services in rural areas and to assist in monitoring immobilized patients.

scholarly journals Decomposing the urban–rural inequalities in the utilisation of maternal health care services: evidence from 27 selected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oduse Samuel ◽  
Temesgen Zewotir ◽  
Delia North
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Health ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Maternal Healthcare ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Urban And Rural Areas

Abstract Background There has been a substantial improvement in reducing maternal mortality in the Sub-Saharan African region. The vast rural-urban gap in maternal health outcomes, however, is obscured by this average achievement. This study attempts to measure the contribution of identified risk factors to describe the average rural-urban difference in the use of antenatal care, health facilities for delivery, and health professional assistance at delivery. Method To achieve this objective, we used descriptive analysis and Fairlie non-linear decomposition method to quantify covariates’ contribution in explaining the urban–rural difference in maternal healthcare services utilisation. Result The study’s finding shows much difference between urban and rural areas in the use of maternal healthcare services. Socio-economic factors such as household wealth index, exposure to media, and educational level of women and their husbands/partners contributed the most in explaining the gap between urban and rural areas in healthcare services utilisation. Conclusions Interventions to bridge the gap between urban and rural areas in maternal healthcare services utilisation in Sub-Saharan Africa should be centred towards socio-economic empowerment. Government can enforce targeted awareness campaigns to encourage women in rural communities in Sub-Sharan Africa to take the opportunity and use the available maternal health care services to be at par with their counterparts in urban areas.

scholarly journals Factors Perceived by Caretakers as Barriers to Health Care for Under-Five Children in Mazabuka District, Zambia

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Halwindi ◽  
S. Siziya ◽  
P. Magnussen ◽  
A. Olsen
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Barriers To Health Care ◽  
Under Five ◽  
Under Five Children ◽  
Catchment Areas ◽  
Barriers To Health

In rural areas of Zambia primary health care is provided by rural health centres (RHCs). However, accessibility to these services is limited. In the catchment areas of two RHCs in Mazabuka district (Chivuna and Magoye RHCs) we investigated factors that caretakers perceived as barriers to health care for under five children and how they cope with the barriers. Ten Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with caretakers of children under-five years of age and key informant interviews with six health workers from the two RHCs, and eight community health workers were conducted in May 2006. The major factors perceived as barriers were poor quality of health services, unavailability of medicines, financial constraints, weak outreach programmes, bad scheduling of health programmes, poor communication, long distance to RHCs and low awareness levels of the importance of taking children for child health week among caretakers. Caretakers’ main coping strategy was the use of the folk sector of health care. The findings of this study highlight the challenges that exist in accessing of health care in resource-poor settings and underscore that the provision of health care services of good quality remains a major challenge.

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