Problems in the Health Care of Dying Old Men: Complaints by their Widows

1995 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria M. Talbott

Complaints of older widows regarding their husbands' health care are investigated in this study. Sixty-four older widows were interviewed several years after their husbands' deaths. The deaths occurred in the early 1980s. Forty-six percent reported problems in the health care their husbands had received. Widows whose husbands had not known in advance that they were going to die were more likely to complain about their husbands' medical care than widows whose husbands had known in advance. Complaints were also related to the frequency of several symptoms of grief. The widows' complaints about their husbands' care focus on quality of care, perceived insensitivity on the part of health care professionals, lack of control over the death, and the organization of services.

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 237437352199774
Author(s):  
Thomas Key ◽  
Avadhut Kulkarni ◽  
Vikram Kandhari ◽  
Zayd Jawad ◽  
Angela Hughes ◽  
...  

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has necessitated many rapid changes in the provision and delivery of health care in hospital. This study aimed to explore the patient experience of inpatient care during COVID-19 pandemic. An electronic questionnaire was designed and distributed to inpatients treated at a large University Health Board over a 6-week period. It focused on hospital inpatients’ experience of being cared for by health care professionals wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), explored communication, and patients’ perceptions of the quality of care. A total of 704 patients completed the survey. Results demonstrated that patients believe PPE is important to protect the health of both patients and staff and does not negatively impact on their care. In spite of routine use of PPE, patients were still able to identify and communicate with staff. Although visiting restrictions were enforced to limit disease transmission, patients maintained contact with their relatives by using various electronic forms of communication. Overall, patients rated the quality of care they received at 9/10. This single-center study demonstrates a positive patient experience of care at an unprecedented time.


2021 ◽  
pp. 95-108
Author(s):  
Hartmut Gross ◽  
Jeffrey A. Switzer

Evaluation and treatment of acute stroke is the oldest and most widespread application of telemedicine. Telestroke systems allow provision of the same high quality of care provided at specialized stroke centers to patients at emergency departments without stroke coverage. The early treatment achieved with telestroke leads to better functional outcomes in stroke patients, thereby lowering overall cost of patient care. Telestroke networks facilitate optimal care, decrease hospital and physician liability, educate health care professionals, and keep many patients closer to home. Admissions to, rather than transfers from, rural sites retain hospitalization revenues locally and help keep small, financially struggling hospitals viable.


Author(s):  
Justine Seymour ◽  
Jennifer L. Barnes ◽  
Julie Schumacher ◽  
Rachel L. Vollmer

The purpose of this study was to determine whether weight bias exhibited by health care professionals (HCPs) impacts quality of health care provided to individuals with obesity. HCPs (n = 220; 88% female, 87% nurses) in the Midwest region of the United States were recruited to complete an online survey. In this within-subjects study design, participants completed the Attitudes Towards Obese Persons (ATOP) scale to assess weight bias and responded to 2 (1 person with obesity and 1 person without obesity) hypothetical patient scenarios to evaluate quality of care. A median split was calculated for ATOP scores to divide participants into high or low weight bias groups. Within these groups, thematic analysis was used to uncover themes in quality of care based on participants’ responses to each scenario. The analysis revealed that HCPs in the high weight bias group gave specific diet and exercise recommendations, offered health advice regarding weight loss, and used less teaching discourse when responding to the patient with obesity. In addition, in both weight bias groups, patients with obesity were started on pharmaceutical therapies sooner. The findings of this study suggest a need to educate HCPs on the importance of empathy and compassion when providing treatment to all patients, regardless of weight, to increase quality of care and ultimately improve patient outcomes.


1998 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Hebert

Health care organizations are under increasing pressure to become more efficient while at the same time maintaining or improving the quality of care. Information technology (IT), with its potential to increase efficiency, accuracy and accessibility of information, has been expected to play an important role in supporting these changes. We report the impact of patient care information systems on health care professionals in five community hospitals. The study framework incorporated both quality of care in Donabedian's elements of structure–process–outcome and Grusec's three levels of IT impact: direct substitution, proceduralization and new capabilities. The study results suggest that, for specific tasks, IT increased efficiency and productivity—a single employee was able to complete more tasks. However, this produced other consequences not predicted. Participants noted this change did not ‘free up time’ to spend with patients, but meant there were potentially more opportunities to provide services and more tasks to complete. Other effects included: reduced job satisfaction as more time was spent on the computer; less frequent interactions with patients and for shorter duration; and an increasingly ‘visible’ accountability as performance was easily monitored. There were also changes in roles and responsibilities as the computer enabled tasks to be carried out from a number of locations and by a variety of personnel. When innovations are introduced into organizations there are both expected and unexpected consequences. Increased awareness of the interactive relationship between computer users and the technology helps organizations better understand why results do, or do not, occur. One must look beyond just simply increasing productivity by replacing manual tasks with automated ones, to examining how the changes influence the nature of work and relationships within the organization.


The Lancet ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 398 ◽  
pp. S37
Author(s):  
Marwan Mosleh ◽  
Yousef Al Jeesh ◽  
Koustuv Dalal ◽  
Heidi Carlerby ◽  
Eija Viitasara

Author(s):  
Brittany V. Allard ◽  
Michelle Lee D'Abundo

The field of health care needs to change in order to address challenges such as rising health care costs, aging populations and the need to treat increasing numbers of people with chronic health conditions. All of this must be accomplished while reducing costs and maintaining quality of care. Health care professionals are being tasked with facilitating this change. Like many other health care professions, athletic training has turned to evidence-based practice to assure that athletic trainers are trained to deliver the highest quality of care in the most efficient way to their patients. The transition to integrating evidence-based practice will be challenging and will require a massive diffusion of innovation throughout the field of athletic training.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rube van Poelgeest ◽  
Augustinus Schrijvers ◽  
Albert Boonstra ◽  
Kit Roes

BACKGROUND Numerous publications show that electronic medical records (EMRs) may make an important contribution to increasing the quality of care. There are indications that particularly the medical specialist plays an important role in the use of EMRs in hospitals. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine how, and by which aspects, the relationship between EMR use and the quality of care in hospitals is influenced according to medical specialists. METHODS To answer this question, a qualitative study was conducted in the period of August-October 2018. Semistructured interviews of around 90 min were conducted with 11 medical specialists from 11 different Dutch hospitals. For analysis of the answers, we used a previously published taxonomy of factors that can influence the use of EMRs. RESULTS The professional experience of the participating medical specialists varied between 5 and 27 years. Using the previously published taxonomy, these medical specialists considered technical barriers the most significant for EMR use. The suboptimal change processes surrounding implementation were also perceived as a major barrier. A final major problem is related to the categories “social” (their relationships with the patients and fellow care providers), “psychological” (based on their personal issues, knowledge, and perceptions), and “time” (the time required to select, implement, and learn how to use EMR systems and subsequently enter data into the system). However, the medical specialists also identified potential technical facilitators, particularly in the assured availability of information to all health care professionals involved in the care of a patient. They see promise in using EMRs for medical decision support to improve the quality of care but consider these possibilities currently lacking. CONCLUSIONS The 11 medical specialists shared positive experiences with EMR use when comparing it to formerly used paper records. The fact that involved health care professionals can access patient data at any time they need is considered important. However, in practice, potential quality improvement lags as long as decision support cannot be applied because of the lack of a fully coded patient record.


2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 1234-1236
Author(s):  
Viktor A. Ohniev ◽  
Anna A. Podpriadova ◽  
Kateryna H. Pomohaibo

The aim of the work was to study and evaluate the quality of medical care provided to patients with myocardial infarction. Materials and methods: A sociological survey was conducted in 310 people with myocardial infarction and the copying of data from 318 statistical maps of patients who left the hospital. Results: It was defined that the majority of patients, 57.7 ± 2.8%, were not offered psychological rehabilitation, only 42.3 ± 2.8% were recommended the consultation of a psychologist; most of patients, 89.3±1.78%, were unaware of the possibility of self-monitoring of their health status after myocardial infarction and 10.7 ± 1.8% kept selfcontrol diaries; 88.4±1.9% of patients were under monitoring supervision, while 11.6 ± 1.9% were not under it. Conclusions: Identification of the quality of care makes it possible to optimize the system of providing health care for patients with myocardial infarction.


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