Medical care and health policy

Author(s):  
Shirley A. Hill

Substantial data suggests that African Americans, even those who are insured, simply do not get the same quality of medical care as do White Americans. They not only bring to the medical encounter a legacy of medical mistrust, but are often treated disrespectfully by physicians who are less likely to aggressively pursue diagnoses and treatments for their black patients. Unequal access to quality health care is also a product of the dual health care system, with Blacks more likely to experience inferior and impersonal care in the public sector of that system.

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-42
Author(s):  
Svetlana Jovanović ◽  
Maja Milošević ◽  
Irena Aleksić-Hajduković ◽  
Jelena Mandić

Summary Health care has witnessed considerable progresses toward quality improvement over the past two decades. More precisely, there have been global efforts aimed to improve this aspect of health care along with experts and decision-makers reaching the consensus that quality is one of the most significant dimensions and features of health system. Quality health care implies highly efficient resource use in order to meet patient’s needs in terms of prevention and treatment. Quality health care is provided in a safe way while meeting patients’ expectations and avoiding unnecessary losses. The mission of continuous improvement in quality of care is to achieve safe and reliable health care through mutual efforts of all the key supporters of health system to protect patients’ interests. A systematic approach to measuring the process of care through quality indicators (QIs) poses the greatest challenge to continuous quality improvement in health care. Quality indicators are quantitative indicators used for monitoring and evaluating quality of patient care and treatment, continuous professional development (CPD), maintaining waiting lists, patients and staff satisfaction, and patient safety.


Author(s):  
I. M. Osmanov ◽  
A. K. Mironova ◽  
A. L. Zaplatnikov

This article is devoted to the issue of nursing and further monitoring of children born with very low and extremely low body weight. The article presents the data of international statistics and seven-year experience of the Rehabilitation Center for children born with very low and extremely low body weight, based on a large multidisciplinary children’s hospital. The authors pay particular attention to improvement of medical care of children born with very low and extremely low body weight.


2019 ◽  
Vol 80 (12) ◽  
pp. 696-698
Author(s):  
Sam Marsden ◽  
Liam Dunbar ◽  
Nemandra Sandiford

One of the major modern advances in the organization and delivery of health care has been the introduction of multidisciplinary team management. This approach has reduced mortality levels in patients suffering with cancer and other complex multiorgan pathologies. Many centres of excellence and teaching hospitals have established multidisciplinary teams in order to streamline treatment pathways and optimize patient care. This article presents an overview of multidisciplinary teams, their history, their introduction into mainstream medical care and the issues resulting from their introduction to the treating organizations as well as clinicians.


2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
ZITA LAZZARINI ◽  
STEPHEN ARONS ◽  
ALICE WISNIEWSKI

The article explores the individual patient's right to refuse, withdraw, or insist on medical treatment where there is conflict over these issues involving health care personnel or institutions, family members, legal requirements, or third parties concerned with public policy or religious/ideological/political interests. Issues of physician assistance in dying and medical futility are considered. The basis and the current legal status of these rights is examined, and it is concluded that threats to the autonomy of patients, to the privacy of the doctor/patient relationship, and to the quality of medical care should be taken seriously by individuals, medical practitioners, and others concerned with developing and maintaining reasonable, effective, and ethical health care policy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 192-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svetlana A. Mukhortova ◽  
Tatiana V. Kulichenko ◽  
Leyla S. Namazova-Baranova ◽  
Svetlana G. Piskunova ◽  
Elena A. Besedina ◽  
...  

Improving the quality of medical care is a priority in countries with developed and developing health care system. There are various approaches to improve the quality and safety of patient’s care, as well as various strategies to encourage hospitals to achieve this goal. The purpose of the presented literature review was to analyze existing experience of the implementation of technology of supportive supervision in health care facilities to improve the quality of hospital care delivery. The data sources for publication were obtained from the following medical databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Medscape, e-library, and books on the topic of the review written by experts. The article discusses the results of the research studies demonstrating the successes and failures of supportive supervision technology application. Implementation of supportive supervision in medical facilities based on generalized experience of different countries is a promising direction in improving the quality of medical care delivery. This technology opens up opportunities to improve skills and work quality of the staff at pediatric hospitals in the Russian Federation.


Author(s):  
Sophia Albanese ◽  
Amar Gupta ◽  
Ilina Shah ◽  
Joanna Mitri

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic led to temporary relaxations for telehealth with respect to physician licensure, geographic location, and eligible sites for reimbursement. Earlier policies had impacted the rate of adoption of telehealth and retarded the ability to derive full benefits related to cost, access to care, and quality of care. This aspect is analyzed using 2018 Medicare fee-for-service codes and rates for 10 telemedicine services. Based on the analysis of these data, additional research, and literature review, this report describes how interstate practices can be better leveraged to achieve maximum potential for direct and indirect savings that can accrue through such pragmatic approaches for certain services. The interstate collaborations proposed in this report provide examples of broader telehealth policies that could foster increasing access to quality health care for Medicare beneficiaries and can potentially be used as insight to assist federal and state agencies as they review the continuation, cessation, or modifications of relaxations granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


Author(s):  
Michael A. West ◽  
Lynn Markiewicz

In this chapter we show that team working is vital for high quality health care but that team working is often poor. We draw on research to show that effective team working is associated with fewer errors that harm staff and patients; fewer staff injuries; better staff well-being; higher levels of patient satisfaction; better quality of care; and lower patient mortality. “Pseudo team working” leads to the opposite outcomes. We describe how effective team based working can be developed and identify the importance of team objectives and leadership. The chapter describes the specific challenges for team working in health care, including the complexity of the context and the historical legacy of separate professional development and status hierarchies. We explore how these challenges can be overcome, arguing that ensuring effective team working in health care is critical to ensuring the delivery of high quality, continually improving and compassionate health care.


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