scholarly journals Engaging the private sector to improve antimicrobial use in the community

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 79
Author(s):  
Luh Putu Lila Wulandari ◽  
Virginia Wiseman
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Antimicrobial Use ◽  
Medical Procedures ◽  
Duration Of Illness ◽  
Cost Of Health Care ◽  
Hospital Stays ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the world’s most pressing public health threats. It increases the cost of health care through longer duration of illness and hospital stays, additional tests, and the need for more expensive drugs.AMR refers to the ability of a microorganism to stop an antimicrobial (such as an antibiotic, antiviral or antimalarial) from working against it. As a consequence of AMR, standard treatments become ineffective, and infections persist and may spread to others. The impact of AMR is far-reaching and equates to the situation before the discovery of antibiotics, when even small infections were difficult, or very often impossible to treat, and medical procedures too risky to perform due to the potential of untreatable infection.

Telemedicine and Electronic Health

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Kijpokin Kasemsap
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Electronic Communications ◽  
Cost Of Health Care ◽  
Share Data ◽  
Strategic Goals ◽  
Hospital Stays ◽  
Electronic Health ◽  
The Cost

This chapter reveals the overview of telemedicine; telemedicine in developing countries; Electronic Health Record (EHR); and mobile health technologies. Telemedicine and Electronic Health (e-health) are modern technologies toward improving quality of care and increasing patient safety in developing countries. Telemedicine and e-health are the utilization of medical information exchanged from one site to another site via electronic communications. Telemedicine and e-health help health care organizations share data contained in the largely proprietary EHR systems in developing countries. Telemedicine and e-health help reduce the cost of health care and increases the efficiency through better management of chronic diseases, shared health professional staffing, reduced travel times, and shorter hospital stays. The chapter argues that utilizing telemedicine and e-health has the potential to enhance health care performance and reach strategic goals in developing countries.

scholarly journals Physicians' Perspective on Prescribing Patterns and Knowledge on Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Penang, Malaysia: A Qualitative Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Akhtar ◽  
Amer Hayat Khan ◽  
Hadzliana Zainal ◽  
Mohamed Azmi Ahmad Hassali ◽  
Irfhan Ali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Prescribing Patterns ◽  
Antimicrobial Use ◽  
Prescribing Practices ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Care System

Background: Unnecessary antimicrobial use is an emerging problem throughout the world. To design future interventions to ensure rational antimicrobial use and decrease the risk of antimicrobial resistance, physician's knowledge and prescribing practices of antimicrobials should be assessed. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to investigate the physician's knowledge along with their prescribing patterns of antimicrobials in their health care system.Methods: The present qualitative study was conducted in a tertiary care public hospital located at Penang island, situated in Northwest of Malaysia. A total of 12 semi-structured, face to face interviews were conducted with purposive sampling technique. Physicians recruited had different specialties. All interviews were audio recorded, then transcribed into English language and analyze by thematic content analysis.Results: Four major themes were identified: (1) prescribing patterns of physicians regarding antimicrobials; (2) physician's knowledge about antimicrobials; (3) antimicrobial resistance; (4) satisfaction with management of infections. Physicians believed in regular educational activities and updates about the latest antimicrobial guidelines may change the prescribing behavior of physicians to optimize the use of antimicrobials. This may lead to decrease in burden of antimicrobial resistance in their health care system. Physicians emphasized that stricter rules and regular monitoring of antimicrobial use should be implemented to overcome the main challenges of antimicrobial resistance.Conclusion: Different factors were identified to assist optimized use of antimicrobials and decrease the risk of antimicrobial resistance. The present study helps to design targeted future interventions to ensure rational antimicrobial use and decrease the impact of antimicrobial resistance in Malaysia.

Telemedicine and Electronic Health

2017 ◽  
pp. 149-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kijpokin Kasemsap
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Electronic Communications ◽  
Cost Of Health Care ◽  
Share Data ◽  
Strategic Goals ◽  
Hospital Stays ◽  
Electronic Health ◽  
The Cost

This chapter reveals the overview of telemedicine; telemedicine in developing countries; Electronic Health Record (EHR); and mobile health technologies. Telemedicine and Electronic Health (e-health) are modern technologies toward improving quality of care and increasing patient safety in developing countries. Telemedicine and e-health are the utilization of medical information exchanged from one site to another site via electronic communications. Telemedicine and e-health help health care organizations share data contained in the largely proprietary EHR systems in developing countries. Telemedicine and e-health help reduce the cost of health care and increases the efficiency through better management of chronic diseases, shared health professional staffing, reduced travel times, and shorter hospital stays. The chapter argues that utilizing telemedicine and e-health has the potential to enhance health care performance and reach strategic goals in developing countries.

scholarly journals Is It Legitimate for Society to Intervene in the Way Citizens Live Their Lives When the Cost of Health Care Has to Be Borne by the General Public?—General Considerations and Special Implications During the Covid-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Edlinger ◽  
Dominic Klein ◽  
Michael Lichtenauer
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Personal Freedom ◽  
External Threats ◽  
Cost Of Health Care ◽  
Unhealthy Diet ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Over the last few decades, the perception of disease has changed significantly. In the concept of the sick person's role it should be the aim of every person to keep health at a good level for as long as possible. Several examples can be found where, however, a disease can be caused or worsened by a person. Examples include unhealthy diet, alcohol consumption leading to atherosclerosis and diabetes, or smoking, leading to lung cancer and COPD. There are also other appropriate examples where there is a potential for conflict between the autonomy of the individual and health. Improving public health should be the main objective of any health system. However, the more the impact is on personal freedom (and there is no extraneous danger), the more an attempt should be made to achieve this through the motivation of each individual to support the desire for a healthy lifestyle, rather than through legal prohibitions or penalties. The situation is even more complex in the case of the Covid-19 pandemic. In this context too, personal freedom is restricted in many areas and some people feel, for example, that compulsory masks or the prohibition of large crowds are serious encroachment on their autonomy. However, even in this case, the risk of possible external threats from the spread of the virus outweighs the right to personal choice and freedom. To sum up, it is necessary to balance the two principles - autonomy and interference in them in the interests of public health.

The Cost of Health Care — Highlights from a Discussion about Economics and Reform

2009 ◽  
Vol 361 (15) ◽  
pp. 1421-1423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atul A. Gawande ◽  
Elliott S. Fisher ◽  
Jonathan Gruber ◽  
Meredith B. Rosenthal
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Cost Of Health Care ◽  
The Cost

scholarly journals Consequences of COVID-19 crisis for persons with HIV: the impact of social determinants of health

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristie C. Waterfield ◽  
Gulzar H. Shah ◽  
Gina D. Etheredge ◽  
Osaremhen Ikhile
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Hiv Infections ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Persons Who Inject Drugs ◽  
Persons Living With Hiv ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background With the indiscriminate spread of COVID-19 globally, many populations are experiencing negative consequences such as job loss, food insecurity, and inability to manage existing medical conditions and maintain preventive measures such as social distancing and personal preventative equipment. Some of the most disadvantaged in the COVID-19 era are people living with HIV/AIDS and other autoimmune diseases. Discussion As the number of new HIV infections decrease globally, many subpopulations remain at high risk of infection due to lack of or limited access to prevention services, as well as clinical care and treatment. For persons living with HIV or at higher risk of contracting HIV, including persons who inject drugs or men that have sex with men, the risk of COVID-19 infection increases if they have certain comorbidities, are older than 60 years of age, and are homeless, orphaned, or vulnerable children. The risk of COVID-19 is also more significant for those that live in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, rural, and/or poverty-stricken areas. An additional concern for those living the HIV is the double stigma that may arise if they also test positive for COVID-19. As public health and health care workers try to tackle the needs of the populations that they serve, they are beginning to realize the need for a change in the infrastructure that will include more efficient partnerships between public health, health care, and HIV programs. Conclusion Persons living with HIV that also have other underlying comorbidities are a great disadvantage from the negative consequences of COVID-19. For those that may test positive for both HIV and COVID-19, the increased psychosocial burdens stemming from stress and isolation, as well as, experiencing additional barriers that inhibit access to care, may cause them to become more disenfranchised. Thus, it becomes very important during the current pandemic for these challenges and barriers to be addressed so that these persons living with HIV can maintain continuity of care, as well as, their social and mental support systems.

scholarly journals Can the Health-Care System Meet the Challenge of Pandemic Flu? Planning, Ethical, and Workforce Considerations

2007 ◽  
Vol 122 (5) ◽  
pp. 573-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Levin ◽  
Eric N. Gebbie ◽  
Kristine Qureshi
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Care Delivery Systems ◽  
The Impact

The federal pandemic influenza plan predicts that 30% of the population could be infected. The impact of this pandemic would quickly overwhelm the public health and health-care delivery systems in the U.S. and throughout the world. Surge capacity for staffing, availability of drugs and supplies, and alternate means to provide care must be included in detailed plans that are tested and drilled ahead of time. Accurate information on the disease must be made available to health-care staff and the public to reduce fear. Spokespersons must provide clear, consistent messages about the disease, including actions to be taken to contain its spread and treat the afflicted. Home care will be especially important, as hospitals will be quickly overwhelmed. Staff must be prepared ahead of time to assure their ability and willingness to report to work, and public health must plan ahead to adequately confront ethical issues that will arise concerning the availability of treatment resources. The entire community must work together to meet the challenges posed by an epidemic. Identification and resolution of these challenges and issues are essential to achieve adequate public health preparedness.

scholarly journals Evolution of antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella enteritidis (1972–2005)

2014 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jermaine Khumalo ◽  
Bamusi Saidi ◽  
Joshua Mbanga
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Salmonella Enteritidis ◽  
Genetic Changes ◽  
Plasmid Profiles ◽  
Resistance Patterns ◽  
The Common ◽  
Veterinary Laboratory ◽  
Epidemiological Information

With the extensive use of antibiotics in livestock production, surveillance revealed an increase in Salmonella resistance to the commonly used antimicrobials in veterinary and public health. This serious threat to health care is further exacerbated by the limited epidemiological information about the common zoonotic agent, Salmonella enteritidis, required to determine antibiotic therapy. The aim was to characterise the antimicrobial resistance patterns of S. enteritidis isolates across different timelines (1972–2005) with accompanying genetic changes being investigated. Thirty-seven stored S. enteritidis isolates were collected from the Central Veterinary Laboratory, Harare, with antimicrobial susceptibility determined against eight antibiotics. Plasmids were isolated to analyse any genetic variation. An overall significant increase in resistance (p < 0.05) to nalidixic acid (0% – 10%), ampicillin (14.3% – 50%), tetracycline (14.3% – 30%) and erythromycin (71.4% – 100%) was observed across the timeline. However, the highest rates of susceptibility were maintained for gentamicin, sulphamethoxazole-trimethoprim, kanamycin and chloramphenicol. We report an increase in multidrug resistance (MDR) of 14.2% – 50% with an increase in resistotypes and plasmid profiles across the timeline. Eleven plasmid profiles were obtained in the 37 isolates studied with a minority of isolates (21.6%, 8/37) harbouring a 54 kb plasmid, commonly serovar-specific. A concerning increase in antimicrobial resistance to commonly administered drugs was observed across the timeline. The surge in MDR is of great concern and implies the need for consistent antimicrobial stewardship. No correlation was observed between the plasmid and antibiotic profiles.

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