Resource Allocation, Equality of Access, and Health

1973 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar Gish
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Population Distribution ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Rural Populations ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Poor Countries ◽  
Disease Patterns ◽  
The Many

Based upon the experience of Tanzania, this paper relates resource allocation in the health sector to the output of health, by contrasting access to and utilization of available health services by urban and rural populations. The writer argues that increased health expenditures alone cannot yield an efficient health care return unless the additional expenditure is spread “thinly,” in keeping with the realities of population distribution, transport possibilities, and disease patterns in most poor countries. Detailed data are presented for recurrent and capital expenditures for health facilities at different levels, and the output of those institutions is considered in terms of the volume of services offered. Those services are then measured according to their utilization by urban and rural populations. Because referral systems are found to function only marginally, it is argued that further building of large hospitals is not justified in the present situation of most poor countries. Specifically, the writer describes the ways in which Tanzania is changing its inefficient and unjust health care system. The paper concludes that the major obstacles to change are not shortages of resources or technologic ignorance but social systems that do not place high value upon the health care needs of rural peasants. It is in this way that the professional and elitist interests of the few are often destructive of the needs of the many.

Social media and peer-to-peer support for individuals with health care needs and their caregivers: a scoping review (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Kelly ◽  
Shelley Doucet ◽  
Alison Luke ◽  
Rima Azar ◽  
William Montelpare
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Health Care Needs ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
The Many

BACKGROUND Individuals with health care needs and their caregivers require substantial informational and emotional support. Providing this support is a major challenge for care providers, who are often not able to adequately address barriers and may not be aware of available services and programs. Online P2P support offers an accessible and inexpensive source of support; however, the breadth of these supports on social media has not been previously documented. OBJECTIVE This study was a scoping review of research examining the use of peer-to-peer support on social media by individuals with health care needs and their caregivers. METHODS This review used the PRISMA-SR method to search for articles from 1997 to 2019. RESULTS A total of 94 articles were included. Patients and caregivers use many social media websites for P2P interaction, including: Facebook (n = 19), Twitter (n = 7), and YouTube (n = 6). Providing and receiving informational and emotional support were important uses of social media for P2P support; however, the specific needs and experiences of patients and caregivers appeared to change as knowledge regarding the condition(s) improved. Despite the many benefits associated with participating in online P2P groups, concerns related to ethics, privacy, and the potential to spread misinformation are outlined as risks associated with its use. CONCLUSIONS This study revealed that patients and caregivers engage in P2P support on social media to receive informational and emotional support from peers, despite known risks and limitations. Social networking websites were revealed to be particularly suited for P2P support communication.

Equity and Access

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Equity And Access ◽  
Development Trajectory ◽  
State And Market ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Individual

Equity and Access attempts to unravel the complex narrative of why inequities in the health sector are growing and access to basic health care is worsening, and the underlying forces that contribute to this situation. It draws attention to the way globalization has influenced India’s development trajectory as health care issues have assumed significant socio-economic and political significance in contemporary India. The volume explains how state and market forces have progressively heightened the iniquitous health care system and the process through which substantial burden of meeting health care needs has fallen on the individual households. Twenty-eight scholars comprising social scientists, medical experts, public health experts, policy makers, health activists, legal experts, and gender specialists have delved into the politics of access for different classes, castes, gender, and other categories to contribute to a new field of ‘health care studies’ in this volume. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach within a broader political-economy framework, the volume is useful for understanding power relations within social groups and complex organizational systems.

On Measures of Deprivation and the Spatial Allocation of Resources for Primary Health Care

1994 ◽  
Vol 26 (12) ◽  
pp. 1911-1929 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Martin ◽  
M L Senior ◽  
H C W L Williams
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Allocation Of Resources ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Spatial Allocation ◽  
Primary Health

In this paper some of the conceptual and empirical issues in the specification and aggregation of deprivation measures used as a basis for resource allocation in the primary health sector are explored. The problems of deriving deprivation payments to general practitioners (GPs) from data pertaining to individuals are examined, and two empirical studies which draw out methodological issues are described. In the first study, a Bristol database is used to explore the spatial aggregation issue in ranking GP practices on a selected measure of deprivation. In the second, a database relating to English wards is used to investigate the sensitivity of deprivation payments to the statistical transformation and standardisation in the specification of the deprivation index. It is argued that the aggregation and specification issues should be confronted directly in the conceptual and practical developments of current approaches.

Many Shades of Green: Assessing Awareness of Differences in Mental Health Care Needs Among Subpopulations of Military Veterans

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (10) ◽  
pp. 3168-3184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eileen M. Ahlin ◽  
Anne S. Douds
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Military Veterans ◽  
Rural Populations ◽  
Health Care Needs ◽  
Access To Services ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Racial Ethnic

The current study sought to examine access to services by various veteran subgroups: racial/ethnic minorities, females, rural populations, and LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer). Generally, the Veteran Service Officers (VSOs) interviewed for this study did not feel that these subgroups were well served by the program and treatment options presently available, and that other groups such as males and urban veterans received better access to necessary psychosocial and medical care. This research extends studies that explore overall connection to services by further demonstrating barriers to receipt of services by specific subgroups of veterans, particularly those at risk for involvement in the criminal justice system.

scholarly journals Factors for potential turnover of doctors

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-67
Author(s):  
Olga A. Kolennikova
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Health Care Needs ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Stable Employment ◽  
Intentions To Change

Background. The need to attract doctors in scarce specialties and preserve the core of experienced specialists makes the study of the potential of voluntary labor mobility urgent. A search for ways to improve the quality of medical personnel in health care needs an extension in understanding main motives for the turnover of doctors in order to ensure their social safety. Purpose. The aim of the paper is to identify the scale of the potential turnover of medical personnel and the reasons influencing doctors' intentions to change their jobs. Materials and methods. The concept of decent work adapted to the health sector was used as a theoretical basis for the study. Methods of qualitative and quantitative analysis of sociological data became the methodological basis. The empirical basis of the analysis was the materials of a sample questionnaire survey of medical personnel in Moscow health care. Results. A comprehensive analysis of the potential turnover of doctors was carried out in four areas of their social safety, specifically, guarantees of stable employment; normal working conditions and working hours; decent and regular wages and availability of professional development opportunities. Discussion. The key features of medical personnel, influencing the propensity to change jobs, have been analyzed. The characteristics of the workplace, which contribute to the plans for finding a more suitable place of work, have been identified. Their importance in the decision to change jobs has been ranked. Conclusion. Scientific prerequisites for normalizing the problems of the turnover of doctors and improving quality medical staff were formulated.

scholarly journals 41 Fostering Hope: The Comprehensive Accessible care for Infants with Neonatal abstinence (CAIN) Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. e17-e17
Author(s):  
Denise Clarke ◽  
Matt Hicks ◽  
Karen Foss ◽  
Natasha Lifeso
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Extended Care ◽  
Health Community ◽  
Centered Care

Abstract Introduction/Background Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) occurs in newborns exposed to drugs in-utero. In Canada, maternal opiate use in pregnancy has been steadily rising resulting in as many as 1850 babies born with NAS per year. Management of babies born with NAS requires supportive, interdisciplinary care. Depending on the severity of NAS, babies may be cared for with non-pharmacological interventions or some may need to be admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for extended hospital stays to receive medication and management of ongoing complex health care needs. Hospital and community health care providers have expressed concerns around the continuity of care for these babies in their stay in hospital and their transition to home. Objectives This study examined the experiences of hospital and community-based health care providers and families regarding the management of babies with NAS. The driving force behind our inquiry related to our interest in streamlining care for these babies in highly complex health and social systems. Design/Methods In total, 47 interdisciplinary participants were interviewed over a four-month period with individuals from Women’s and Child Health, Community, and family members. Interviewed transcripts were reviewed over several months and were completed in December 2019 using an inductive thematic analysis which culminated in the identification of an overarching theme linked with primary themes. ​ Results The study identified existing gaps in the management of these patients, determined how to improve communication between hospital and community networks, and provided a better understanding of the attitudes, perceptions and experiences of hospital and community personnel. The overarching theme identified was hope, with the primary themes being: system, mental health, mother/baby, judgement, and knowledge (see Figure 1). Several gaps identified in the system included fear, stigma, and language. Certain solutions proposed for improvement included focused care in a rooming in model for the mother and baby dyad, supporting mothers’ well-being, involving mothers and families, and supporting care providers in a family centered care model. In Figure 1, green lines indicate themes that are linked with and support hope, and red lines indicate themes that are barriers to hope. Conclusion This research demonstrates that programs and interventions implemented when working with mothers and babies with NAS must foster hope in mothers, families, and in the extended care provider team.

Quality of rural primary health care: Including the consumer

2008 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Hoodless ◽  
Lisa Bourke ◽  
Frank Evans
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Consumer Satisfaction ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
The Many ◽  
To Receive

In rural Australia, models of primary health care are as diverse as the communities themselves. Differing facilities, health disciplines, individual providers, local contexts, funding models and reporting make measuring quality of care very difficult. This paper proposes that quality can be measured in three ways - through industry driven benchmarks, through consumer satisfaction, and through consumer and community decision-making. Further, this paper argues that quality of care needs to include a consumer domain. If consumers are able to influence how they receive support, care and/or treatment, they are more likely to receive appropriate services and interventions and have positive outcomes. A case study is presented to discuss how the three levels of quality are applied within a rural organisation, highlighting the challenges and effort required to sustain genuine community participation. The paper concludes with a discussion of these issues and the many challenges embedded in consumer-driven approaches to quality of care.

scholarly journals Sailing without radar: An excursion in resource allocation

1998 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathy Alexander ◽  
Neville Hicks
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Free Market ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Human Needs ◽  
Service Policy ◽  
Individual Choices ◽  
Priorities In Health Care

This paper deals with the knowledge base employed in resource allocation. Itdeliberately distinguishes between ?thick-textured? and ?thin-textured? knowledge. Athick-textured view of change in the health sector accounts for the history, civic goodsand variety of human needs and passions which rationalist economics defines out asa thin-textured matter of individual choices in a free market.1 The narrative materialbegins with a discussion of health service policy-making in South Australia andelsewhere in the 1980s and 1990s, then proceeds to a discussion of priority-settingliterature, which we regard as thin-textured. We offer two accounts of approaches tosetting priorities in health care which we think have overcome some of the deficienciesof the thin-textured approach.

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