scholarly journals Assessment and patients perception of the impact of accreditation on the quality of public healthcare delivery in primary and secondary healthcare settings

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 112-116
Author(s):  
Sherry P Mathew ◽  
Vishnu Sunil

Accreditation is a crucial component that stresses patient safety and service quality. The goal of this study was to fill in the gaps by evaluating the impact of accreditation in primary and secondary public health care settings. A survey questionnaire was used to perform this cross-sectional study from July 2017 to July 2018. The study used a positivist paradigm, examining quantitative indicators before and after the certification procedure to determine the influence of accreditation.Due to the fact that the data were not normally distributed, the variables were measured on an ordinal scale, the observations from both groups were independent of one another, and the distribution of the variable was similar in each group, the Kruskal– Wallis test was used to determine statistical significance. The mean score for components spanning structural, procedural, and outcome domains has been calculated for certified and non-accredited hospitals. Certified hospitals have higher median values for all structures in primary health-care facilities than non-accredited hospitals. Most of the constructs have a lower or equal median value in accredited secondary care facilities than in non-accredited facilities. Accreditation has the potential to have a positive impact on the entire facility. Nonetheless, authorities must see accreditation as a way of holistic and continual reform if they are to ensure the intended outcome from this lengthy and costly procedure.

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 1227-1236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qamar Niaz ◽  
Brian Godman ◽  
Stephen Campbell ◽  
Dan Kibuule

Abstract Background The World Health Organization estimates that over 50% medicines are prescribed inappropriately and the main driver of antimicrobial resistance globally. There have only been a limited number of studies evaluating prescribing patterns against national standard treatment guidelines (STGs) in sub-Saharan African countries including Namibia. This is important given the high prevalence of both infectious and non-infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa alongside limited resources. Objective Our aim was to assess prescribing practices and drivers of compliance to National guidelines among public health care facilities in Namibia to provide future guidance. Setting Three levels of public healthcare in Namibia. Method A mixed method approach including patient exit and prescriber interviews at three levels of health care in Namibia, i.e. hospital, health centre and clinic. Main outcome measures Medicine prescribing indicators, compliance to and attitudes towards National guidelines. Results Of the 1243 prescriptions analysed, 73% complied with the STGs and 69% had an antibiotic. Of the 3759 medicines (i.e. mean of 3.0 ± 1.1) prescribed, 64% were prescribed generically. The vast majority of prescribers were aware of, and had access to, the Namibian STGs (94.6%), with the majority reporting that the guidelines are easy to use and they regularly refer to them. The main drivers of compliance to guidelines were programmatic, that is access to up-to date objective guidelines, support systems for continued education on their use, and ease of referencing. Lack of systems to regulate noncompliance impacted on their use. Conclusion Whilst the findings were encouraging, ongoing concerns included limited prescribing of generic medicines and high use of antibiotics. A prescribing performance management system should be introduced to improve and monitor compliance to prescribing guidelines in public healthcare.


Author(s):  
Behrad Pourmohammadi ◽  
Ahad Heydari ◽  
Farin Fatemi ◽  
Ali Modarresi

Abstract Objectives: Iran is exposed to a wide range of natural and man-made hazards. Health-care facilities can play a significant role in providing life-saving measures in the minutes and hours immediately following the impact or exposure. The aim of this study was to determine the preparedness of health-care facilities in disasters and emergencies. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Damghan, Semnan Province, in 2019. The samples consisted of all the 11 health-care facilities located in Damghan County. A developed checklist was used to collect the data, including 272 questions in 4 sections: understanding threatening hazards, functional, structural, and nonstructural vulnerability of health-care facilities. The data were analyzed using SPSS 21. Results: The results revealed that the health-care facilities were exposed to 22 different natural and man-made hazards throughout the county. The total level of preparedness of the health-care centers under assessment was 45.8%. The average functional, structural, and nonstructural vulnerability was assessed at 49.3%, 31.6%, and 56.4%, respectively. Conclusions: Conducting mitigation measures is necessary for promoting the functional and structural preparedness. Disaster educational programs and exercises are recommended among the health staff in health-care facilities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 387-399
Author(s):  
Anand Kumar ◽  
◽  
Dhiraj Kumar Sharma ◽  
Satya Prakash ◽  
Ram Sakal Yadava ◽  
...  

At this critical juncture of time when the whole world is facing a health care emergency due to the occurrence of (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. It becomes necessary to critically evaluate public health care facilities and their availability to common people to tackle the ongoing crisis rationally. In this regard, this paper tries to study the spatial distribution of public health care facilities and their availability in rural areas of Nalanda district. Location quotient, Lorenz curve and Gini's coefficient have been worked out to find unequal concentration, availability and distribution of public health care facilities across the study area. To show the concentration and distribution of health care facilities over space maps have been drawn on ArcGIS. MS Excel and Word have been used for showing the availability of health care facilities through graphical representation and for tabulation purposes. This paper concludes that community development blocks surrounding district headquarter have a higher concentration and larger availability of rural public health care facilities in comparison to peripheral community development blocks of the study area.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ngoako Solomon Marutha ◽  
Olefhile Mosweu

Purpose This study sought to investigate a framework for ensuring the confidentiality and security of information at the public health-care facilities to curb HIV/AIDS trauma among patients in Africa. In most instances, trauma to HIV/AIDS patients accelerate because of their personal information relating to the state of illness leaks to public people. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study used literature to study confidentiality and security of information at the public health-care facilities to curb HIV/AIDS trauma among patients in Africa. Findings The study revealed that confidentiality and security of information has been neglected, in most instances, at the health-care facilities, and this has, to some extent, affected HIV/AIDS patients negatively, leading to trauma, stigma and skipping of treatment by patients resulting in accelerated mortality among chronic patients. The study recommends that patients’ information be always strictly controlled and kept confidential and secured at all the times, especially that of HIV/AIDS patients. Practical implications The proposed framework can be used by health-care facilities to guide the management and promotion of the confidentiality and security of information in the public health-care facilities to curb additional trauma to HIV/AIDS patients in the context of Africa, and even beyond. Originality/value The study provides a framework to ensure the confidentiality and security of information at the public health-care facilities to curb additional trauma to HIV/AIDS patients.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
pp. s1-s2
Author(s):  
C. Bambaren

IntroductionOn February 27, 2010, a 8,8 MW earthquake struck the central and southern coast of Chile, that was followed by a tsunami that destroyed some cities such as Constitution, Ilaco, Talcahuando and Dichato. The national authorities reported 512 dead and 81,444 homes were affected. It was the one of the five most powerful earthquakes in the human modern history. The most affected regions were Maule (VII) and Bio (VIII).ResultsThe impact of the quake in the health sector was enormous especially on the health care infrastructure. The preliminary evaluations showed that 18 hospitals were out of service due severe structural and no-structural damages, interruption of the provision of water or because they were at risk to landslides. Another 31 hospitals had moderate damage. The Ministry of Health lost 4249 beds including 297 (7%) in critical care units. Twenty-two percent of the total number of beds and thirty-nine surgical facilities available in the affected regions were lost in a few minutes due to quake. At least eight hospitals should be reconstructed and other hospitals will need complex repair.ConclusionThe effect of the earthquake was significant on hospital services. It included damages to the infrastructure and the loss of furniture and biomedical equipment. The interruption of the cold chain caused loss of vaccines. National and foreign field hospitals, temporary facilities and the strengthening of the primary health care facilities had been important to assure the continuation of health care services. *Based on information from PAHO – Chile.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-257
Author(s):  
Ehsan Mousavi ◽  
Vivek Sharma ◽  
Dhaval Gajjar ◽  
Shervin Shoai Naini

Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the control cubes for dust control in health-care facilities. Research shows that more than 80% of pathogenic agents in hospitals are spread into the air, where they either remain airborne or deposit on the surface. At the same time, renovation and repair activities, including regular maintenance, are a necessity in active health-care facilities and a multitude of studies have documented their impact on indoor air quality. The dust that is generated by construction activities may potentially carry pathogenic agents, varying from coarse particles (≤10 µm, PM10) to fine particles (≤2.5 µm, PM2.5), including airborne bacteria, and fungal spores linked to high patient mortality in immune-compromised patients. Design/methodology/approach This study measures the impact and effectiveness of one such preventative measure, namely, the control cube (CC), on air quality during renovation and repair. CC is a temporary structure, typically made from stainless steel, around the local repair zone to minimize the spread of dust and potential microorganisms. The current paper presents a comparative analysis to identify the effectiveness of a CC equipped with the high-efficiency particulate filtration (HEPA) filter in a hospital setting by simulating construction renovation and repair work. Findings A baseline was established to measure the effectiveness of CCs and the impact of negative pressure on the indoor air quality in a hospital during simulated renovation work. Results showed that CCs are very effective in minimizing the spread of dust due to construction activities in the hospital. However, it is imperative to ensure that the air inside the CC is cleaned via filtration. Originality/value CCs are very effective, and this paper investigates the best approach for facility managers to implement this strategy.


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