scholarly journals Identifying and Ranking Areas of Relative Need for New Public Dental Clinics Using a State-of-the-Art Data Simulation Approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-16
Author(s):  
Yevgeni Dudko ◽  
Dennis E Robey ◽  
Estie Kruger ◽  
Marc Tennant

Background: Lower socioeconomic groups and country residents are more likely to experience dental disease. Previous research has found that it is generally more cost effective to provide subsidised dental care through publically employed dentists when compared to subcontracting the work out to the private sector. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to identify and rank areas of relative need for new public dental care facilities across Australia. The secondary objective was to gauge how many of these areas arelocated in the vicinity of an existing public hospital (medical) with a view to utilise existing infrastructure for future service rollout. Methods: Usual resident population, employment status and socioeconomic distribution data was downloaded from the Australian Bureau of Statistics website at Statistical Area 1 level. A mathematical weighing formula was applied to those variables, which subsequently allowed for ranking of the results based on magnitude of the product values. The findings were considered in terms of proximity to existing public health infrastructure. Results: A total of 49 SA1 areas were identified and preselected as potential sites for new public dental clinics across Australia. Eighty per cent of the identified areas of relative need were located outside metropolitanareas. Fifty per cent of those were found to be in close proximity to an existing public hospital (medical). Conclusion: Offering subsidised dental care through existing public hospitals may be an option. Such an approach has a potential to improve access to subsidised dental care in regional centres while minimising capitalexpenditure on infrastructure. Abbreviations: ABS – Australian Bureau of Statistics; ASGS – Australian Statistical Geography Standard; SEIFA – Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 352-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jixia Mei ◽  
Ian Kirkpatrick

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how far plans to “modernize” hospital management in China are converging toward a global model of new public management (NPM) or represent a distinctive pathway. Design/methodology/approach This paper draws on a systematic review of available secondary sources published in English and Chinese to describe both the nature and trajectory of hospital management reforms in China. Findings In China, while public hospital reforms bear many of the hallmarks of the NPM, they are distinctive in two key respects. First, the thrust of current reforms is to partially reverse, not extend, the trend toward marketization in order to strengthen the public orientation of public hospitals. Second is a marked gap between the rhetoric and reality of empowering managers and freeing them from political control. Practical implications This paper develops a framework for understanding the drivers and obstacles to hospital management reforms in China that is useful for managers, clinicians and policy makers. Originality/value In China, few authors have considered NPM reform in relation to healthcare. This paper contributes in better understanding current reforms taking place in China’s expanding healthcare sector and locates these within broader theoretical and policy debates.


1998 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-24

This article addresses Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health problems and critically investigates current government policies which are attempting to raise the health standards of these Indigenous people. Particular emphasis will be placed on the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, which, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics census in 1986, stood at just over 61,000 or 2.4 per cent of the State's population.


Author(s):  
Maximiliane Amelie Schlenz ◽  
Alexander Schmidt ◽  
Bernd Wöstmann ◽  
Andreas May ◽  
Hans-Peter Howaldt ◽  
...  

Dental care has been affected by SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) worldwide. In contrast to other dental clinics, the Justus-Liebig-University Giessen (Germany) decided not to limit dental treatment to emergencies alone, but to continue dental care for all patients, with increased safety measures. As such, health care professionals may be exposed to additional physical and mental stress. The aim of this study was to assess the perspectives of all persons involved in dental care (dentists, dental assistants, students, and patients) regarding the aspects of safety measures, anxiety about self-infection and infecting others, and other prospects in the period March to December 2020 using a questionnaire. Data collection was performed between 14 December 2020 and 23 January 2021. A total of 35 dentists (response rate of 79.5%), 23 dental assistants (65.7%), 84 students (80%), and 51 patients (21.8%) completed the survey. The patients did not notice any changes in the care received. Dentists and dental assistants reported a higher workload due to additional safety measures. The majority of dentists, students, and patients agreed that normal patient care was maintained. One-third of dental assistants would have preferred emergency treatment alone and expressed significantly higher anxiety about COVID-19 infection than all other groups (p < 0.05). In conclusion, all groups showed a predominantly positive perspective on dental care, and anxiety about self-infection and infecting others was especially low. However, additional measures are time-consuming and compound daily patient care. This concept, based on well-established infection control, might be a viable proposal for current and future pandemics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (46) ◽  
pp. 15-22
Author(s):  
Ana de Lourdes Sá de Lira ◽  
Francisca Janiele de Sousa

This study aimed to review, qualify and summarize the existing evidence on associations and risk factors for Covid-19 during dental treatment and dentists’ knowledge about these risks. After being registered with PROSPERO, the systematic review was carried out in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines, with searches in electronic databases, in specific journals, manual searches and Google Scholar, without language restrictions, from December 2019 to August 2020. Two questions were asked to be investigated: did patients seek dental care in the emergency room and do dentists know the symptoms and the mode of transmission of Covid-19, feeling qualified to attend them? Only 6 articles were included because they met all defined inclusion criteria. It was concluded that endodontic urgencies and emergencies with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis are the most common, consisting of a much higher proportion of dental emergencies during Covid-19 epidemic compared with dental trauma and no-urgent care. Although dentists are aware of the symptoms, mode of transmission, infection controls, and measures in dental clinics, they do not feel confident about the correct measures to be taken to prevent Covid-19 for their staff and patients.


Author(s):  
Shanshan Liu ◽  
Jiaoling Huang ◽  
Yanting Li ◽  
Jincheng Fan ◽  
Hong Liang ◽  
...  

The public hospital reform has lasted 5 years in China; however, the operation development status and trends of public hospitals have not been systematically evaluated in Pudong New District. We first applied the technology of longitudinal index to assess the development of public hospitals there. The quantitative data were mainly gathered by taking health statistics database from 2009 to 2014. The results showed that overall operating index presented a down-up trend, with the highest point in 2014 and the lowest point in 2012. Overall operating index, development foundation index, and management condition index were found to be statistically different ( P = .010, P = .016, P = .031) in different years, whereas the service operation index and financial risk index were not so ( P = .543, P = .228). Moreover, the results demonstrated that no obvious difference was observed in the overall operating index between the general and specialized hospitals ( P = .327), which was the same in the 4 first-class indexes. However, there were statistical differences in the overall operating index and development foundation index among these 5 years ( P = .018, P = .036), but none in the service operation index, management condition index, and financial risk index ( P = .503, P = .062, P = .177). No interaction effects were discovered between year and hospital categories in the current study ( P = .673, P = .375, P = .885, P = .152, P = .288).


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chien-Hung Chien ◽  
Alan Hepburn Welsh ◽  
John D Moore

Enhancing microdata access is one of the strategic priorities for the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in its transformation program. However, balancing the trade-off between enhancing data access and protecting confidentiality is a delicate act. The ABS could use synthetic data to make its business microdata more accessible for researchers to inform decision making while maintaining confidentiality. This study explores the synthetic data approach for the release and analysis of business data. Australian businesses in some industries are characterised by oligopoly or duopoly. This means the existing microdata protection techniques such as information reduction or perturbation may not be as effective as for household microdata. The research focuses on addressing the following questions: Can a synthetic data approach enhance microdata access for the longitudinal business data? What is the utility and protection trade-off using the synthetic data approach? The study compares confidentialised input and output approaches for protecting confidentiality and analysing Australian microdata from business survey or administrative data sources.


Author(s):  
Jo (Chau) Vu ◽  
James Doughney

Superannuation is becoming an increasingly important source of retirement income. However, women in Australia face a significant barrier in accumulating superannuation entitlements because of their positions in the paid and unpaid workforce. When in paid work, women occupy lower positions, have more career breaks due to care responsibilities and have more part-time and casual employment. Many women, of course, do not work outside the home, and a smaller proportion of women engage in paid employment than do men. Consequently women have lower incomes, less wealth and less generous retirement benefits. Our analysis of the Survey of Employment Arrangements and Superannuation and other Australian Bureau of Statistics data, together with data published by the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority, reveals that dramatic policy initiatives will be needed to improve women’s access to retirement resources. Such policies do not apply only to superannuation but must address women’s positions in the paid workforce and their care responsibilities.


Author(s):  
Ahmed Alatawi ◽  
Sayem Ahmed ◽  
Louis Niessen ◽  
Jahangir Khan

Abstract Background The assessment of hospital efficiency is attracting interest worldwide, particularly in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The objective of this study was to review the literature on public hospital efficiency and synthesise the findings in GCC countries and comparable settings. Methods We systematically searched six scientific databases, references and grey literature for studies that measured the efficiency of public hospitals in appropriate countries, and followed PRISMA guidelines to present the results. We summarised the included studies in terms of samples, methods/technologies and findings, then assessed their quality. We meta-analysed the efficiency estimates using Spearman’s rank correlations and logistic regression, to examine the internal validity of the findings. Results We identified and meta-analysed 22 of 1128 studies. Four studies were conducted in GCC nations, 18 came from Iran and Turkey. The pooled technical-efficiency (TE) was 0.792 (SE ± 0.03). There were considerable variations in model specification, analysis orientation and variables used in the studies, which influenced efficiency estimates. The studies lacked some elements required in quality appraisal, achieving an average of 73%. Meta-analysis showed negative correlations between sample size and efficiency scores; the odd ratio was 0.081 (CI 0.005: 1.300; P value = 0.07) at 10% risk level. The choice of model orientation was significantly influenced (82%) by the studied countries’ income categories, which was compatible with the strategic plans of these countries. Conclusions The studies showed methodological and qualitative deficiencies that limited their credibility. Our review suggested that methodology and assumption choices have a substantial impact on efficiency measurements. Given the GCC countries’ strategic plans and resource allocations, these nations need further efficiency research using high-quality data, different orientations and developed models. This will establish an evidence-based knowledge base appropriate for use in public hospital assessments, policy- and decision-making and the assurance of value for money.


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