scholarly journals Collection and use of EQ-5D for follow-up, decision-making, and quality improvement in health care - the case of the Swedish National Quality Registries

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Ernstsson ◽  
Mathieu F. Janssen ◽  
Emelie Heintz

Abstract Background The Swedish National Quality Registries (NQRs) contain individual-level health care data for specific patient populations, or patients receiving specific interventions. Approximately 90% of the 105 Swedish NQRs include any patient-reported outcome measure, with EQ-5D being the most common. As there has been no general overview of EQ-5D data within the NQRs, this study fills a knowledge gap by reporting how the data are collected, presented, and used at different levels of the Swedish health care system. Methods All 46 NQRs with a license for the use of EQ-5D were included. Information was retrieved from the registries’ annual reports or from websites, using a template that was subsequently sent to each registry for completion and confirmation. If considered necessary, the contact was followed-up with an interview, either in-person or over the telephone. The uses of EQ-5D were categorised as denoting usage for follow-up, decision-making, or quality improvement in Swedish health care. Results In total, 41 of the 46 licensed registries reported collection of EQ-5D data. EQ-5D is most commonly collected within registries related to the musculoskeletal system, but it has a wide application also in other disease areas. Thirty-six registries provide EQ-5D results to patients, clinicians, or other decision-makers. Twenty-two of the registries reported that EQ-5D data are being used for follow-up, decision-making or quality improvement. The registries most commonly reported use of data for assessing interventions, and in quality indicators to follow-up the quality of care at a national level. Conclusion Collection and use of EQ-5D data vary across the Swedish NQRs, which may partly be accounted for by the different purposes of the registries. The provided examples of use illustrate how EQ-5D data can inform decisions at different levels of the health care system. However, there is potential for improving the use of EQ-5D data.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris Wallenburg ◽  
Jan-Kees Helderman ◽  
Patrick Jeurissen ◽  
Roland Bal

Abstract The Covid-19 pandemic has put policy systems to the test. In this paper, we unmask the institutionalized resilience of the Dutch health care system to pandemic crisis. Building on logics of crisis decision-making and on the notion of ‘tact’, we reveal how the Dutch government initially succeeded in orchestrating collective action through aligning public health purposes and installing socio-economic policies to soften societal impact. However, when the crisis evolved into a more enduring one, a more contested policy arena emerged in which decision-makers had a hard time composing and defending a united decision-making strategy. Measures have become increasingly debated on all policy levels as well as among experts, and conflicts are widely covered in the Dutch media. With the 2021 elections ahead, this means an additional test of the resilience of the Dutch socio-political and health care systems.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (28_suppl) ◽  
pp. 115-115
Author(s):  
Nicole E. Caston ◽  
Courtney Williams ◽  
Kathleen D. Gallagher ◽  
Rebekah Angove ◽  
Eric Anderson ◽  
...  

115 Background: Patients with cancer who perceive discrimination and unfair treatment from the health care system are at risk for lower health-related quality of life. This study seeks to better understand the characteristics of under-resourced patients who report unfair treatment from the health care system and providers. Methods: This cross-sectional analysis used data from a nationwide survey distributed in December 2020 by Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF), a US non-profit organization providing case management and financial aid to individuals with chronic illness. The survey was fielded via email to those who received PAF services from July 2019-April 2020. Inclusion criteria included a valid e-mail address, aged ≥ 19, and either current or previous cancer treatment. Respondents reported unfair treatment in connection to their health care. Age, sex, race/ethnicity, and annual household income were abstracted from the PAF database. The validated Group-Based Medical Mistrust Scale was used to assess respondents’ level of mistrust in medical providers as it relates to their ethnic group. Scores range from 12-60 and were categorized based on tertiles as high mistrust (scores ≥ 29), neutral (21-28), and low mistrust (≤ 20). Frequencies and percentages were calculated for categorical variables. Results: There were a total of 429 survey respondents with cancer. Most respondents were female (73%) and aged 56-75 (57%); 31% were Black, Indigenous, or Persons of Color (BIPOC). The most common cancer types were hematologic (33%) and breast (33%). Overall, 20% (n = 86) of respondents reported having received unfair treatment. Of those reporting unfair treatment, 56% reported receipt from their doctor, nurse, or health care provider, 51% insurance company, 38% the health care system, and 14% pharmacist. When asked why they felt unfairly treated, the most common responses were related to insurance status (51%), disease or condition (45%), and income (35%). Notably, unfair treatment due to race/ethnicity (6%), sex (9%), and sexual orientation/gender expression (3%) were uncommon. When compared to those who reported objective treatment, respondents reporting unfair treatment were more often unemployed/other (28% vs 11%), privately insured (38% vs 27%), having income < $23,000 (40% vs 25%), having 3+ comorbidities (40% vs 23%) and reporting more mistrust in medical providers (53% vs 27%). There did not appear to be a difference in reporting of unfair treatment by race/ethnicity. Of BIPOC respondents, 51% reported high mistrust in medical providers. Conclusions: This under-resourced population of respondents with cancer reported unfair treatment related to their finances, insurance, and disease status. Our data suggest health care-associated discrimination may occur based on socioeconomic resources. This work identifies a novel equity consideration warranting further evaluation.


Author(s):  
Constantin Etco ◽  

One of the priorities of the health care system in Moldova is the medical services’ quality improvement. Th is article presents various defi nitions for health care quality and the principles connected with quality improvement. An important part in this article is allocated to the structure and main principles of total quality management in the health care system. Th is part reveals the problems of the commissions that are studying the quality of medical services in healthcare establishments.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 185-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Agom ◽  
Stuart Allen ◽  
Sarah Neill ◽  
Judith Sixsmith ◽  
Helen Poole ◽  
...  

Background: There is a dearth of research focusing on identifying the social complexities impacting on oncology and palliative care (PC), and no study has explored how the health-care system in Nigeria or other African contexts may be influencing utilization of these services. Aim: This study explored how social complexities and the organization of health-care influenced the decision-making process for the utilization of oncology and PC in a Nigerian hospital. Methods: This qualitative study used an interpretive descriptive design. Data were collected using semistructured interview guides with 40 participants, comprising health-care professionals, patients, and their families. Thematic analysis was conducted to generate and analyze patterns within the data. Findings: Three themes were identified: dysfunctional structural organization of the health-care delivery system, service-users’ economic status, and the influence of social networks. The interrelationship between the themes result in patients and their family members decisions either to present late to the hospital, miss their clinical appointments, or not to seek oncological health care and PC. Conclusion: This article offers insights into the role of the health-care system, as organized currently in Nigeria, as “autoinhibitory” and not adequately prepared to address the increasing burden of cancer. We therefore argue that there is a need to restructure the Nigerian health-care system to better meet the needs of patients with cancer and their families as failure to do so will strengthen the existing inequalities, discourage usage, and increase mortality.


2019 ◽  
Vol 124 (8) ◽  
pp. 1165-1170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasan Rehman ◽  
Sarah T. Ahmed ◽  
Julia Akeroyd ◽  
Dhruv Mahtta ◽  
Xiaoming Jia ◽  
...  

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