scholarly journals New and Emerging Mobile Technologies for Healthcare (mHealth): A Horizon Scanning Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Azar Kazemi ◽  
Hosna Salmani ◽  
Alireza Shakibafard ◽  
Farhad Fatehi
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Preventive Health Services ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Innovative Technologies ◽  
Horizon Scanning ◽  
The Impact

Introduction: The popularity of mobile phone applications (Apps) and wearable devices for medical and health purposes is on the rise, but not all the mobile health (mHealth) innovative solutions that hit the news every day will sustain and have an impact on the health of people. The aim of this news-based horizon scanning study was to explore and identify new and emerging mobile technologies that are likely to impact the future of health and medical care.Methods: We conducted a systematic search on top ranking technology websites, according to Alexa Ranking, to identify health-related mobile-based technologies. We followed the EuroScan guide for horizon scanning, which recommends four steps: identification, filtering, prioritization, evaluation and conclusion. Technologies of interest were mHealth technologies regardless of their maturity level. The impact of technologies was assessed and scored in four areas: user, technology, safety, and cost.Results: Five hundred news articles were identified through the electronic search. After screening, 106 mHealth innovative technologies were included in this study. We categorized the included technologies into three groups: mobile apps (n=37), smart-connected devices (n=19), and wearables (n=50). mHealth technologies were most frequently developed for preventive health services, mental health services and rehabilitation services. There was no remarkable difference between the technology groups in terms of safety and adverse effects, but the groups were significantly different in terms of the target population, technology, and cost.Conclusion: An increasing number of solutions based on mobile technology is being developed by both public and private sectors but a low proportion of them undergo proper scientific evaluations. Despite the commercial availability of many innovative mobile apps, wearables, and smart connected devices, few of them have been actually used in clinics, hospitals, and health centers. There is a clear need for changes in healthcare service models to unlock the full potential of these innovative technologies.

scholarly journals Contracting Out of Health Services for Province-level Integration of Healthcare System: Effect on Equity

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Theo Prudencio Juhani Z. Capeding ◽  
Ma-Ann M. Zarsuelo ◽  
Hilton Y. Lam ◽  
Ma. Esmeralda C. Silva ◽  
Michael Antonio F. Mendoza
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Inclusive Development ◽  
System Effect ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Contracting Out ◽  
Patient Groups ◽  
The Impact

Background. The recently enacted Universal Health Care (UHC) Act prioritizes the provision of a comprehensive set of quality and accessible services. However, the devolution of health services has led to inequitable investments in healthcare resulting to disparities in health outcomes between areas. One of the strategies considered that could minimize these differences is the contracting out of health services to the private sector. This review focuses on mapping equity-related issues and concerns with regard to contracting out health services. Methods. A modified systematic search of literature using published journal articles through PubMed and Google Scholar and other pertinent reports and manuals was conducted on issues of equity and health service contracting. Results and Discussion. There is currently a dearth of literature on the effect of contracting services on health equity outcomes, particularly on the impact of contracting out on equity. Limited studies showed that contracting out can potentially improve equity by increasing service utilization. Mechanisms on how contracting out could potentially affect equity were also found. Results mainly suggest that concrete steps should be taken to ensure equitable access and improvement in health outcomes among population subgroups. To provide a framework in applying possible insights from the review, discussion of the literature review was framed in the context of establishing performance-based contracting. It was emphasized that including representatives from the underserved populations and patient groups during stakeholder consultations were crucial to provide localized context for the inclusive development of contracting arrangements. Other strategies that were highlighted included: establishing monitoring systems that disaggregate data between groups, selecting contractors that have the capacity to reach and provide services to the underserved, and making sure that these contractors are also open to data sharing for economic evaluation of services. Conclusion and Recommendations. Despite the paucity of data on the impact of contracting out services on equity, mechanisms explaining the effect of contracting on equity were put forward and illustrated. These findings can be considered by policy makers and program developers in the operationalization of service agreements between the public and private sectors.

scholarly journals Job satisfaction from leadership perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 363-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fazal Haleem ◽  
Muhammad Jehangir ◽  
Muhammad Khalil-Ur-Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Transformational Leaders ◽  
Intellectual Stimulation ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sectors ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Goals And Objectives

Abstract Transformational leaders encourage their subordinates to achieve organizational goals and objectives and to reach their full potential by providing the needed resources. This increasing influence of transformational leaders on employees instigated us to find out the impact of transformational leadership on employees’ job satisfaction. The study was conducted in the public sectors universities of KPK, Pakistan. A sample size of 130 employees was selected using convenient sampling techniques. The data was collected from grade 16 and upper level of employees in the universities. Initially, 130 questionnaires were sent out to the target population for their participation in the survey; out of which 100 filled questionnaires were received forming percentage of 76.92%. These 100 properly filled questionnaires were used for statistical analysis. Both descriptive and advance multivariate statistical, correlation and regression analysis, were conducted to get a feel for the data and to test the postulated hypothesis respectively. Findings of the study revealed that there was non-significant influence of transformational leadership in terms of idealized influence, individualized consideration, and inspirational motivation on employees’ job satisfaction in the public sectors universities of KPK, Pakistan. However, the intellectual stimulation type of leadership had positive and significant impact on employees’ job satisfaction. The paper contributes to the literature review in context of non-forprofit organizations in a developing country and provides implications for universities’ executives to pay more attention to intellectual stimulation type of leadership to increase employees’ satisfaction and thus help achieve the universities goals and objectives.

scholarly journals Health system governance following devolution: comparing experiences of decentralisation in Kenya and Indonesia

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. e000939 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosalind McCollum ◽  
Ralalicia Limato ◽  
Lilian Otiso ◽  
Sally Theobald ◽  
Miriam Taegtmeyer
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Health System ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Preventive Health Services ◽  
Power Relationships ◽  
Framework Analysis ◽  
Country Analysis ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionDevolution reforms in Indonesia and Kenya have brought extensive changes to governance structures and mechanisms for financing and delivering healthcare. Community health approaches can contribute towards attaining many of devolution’s objectives, including community participation, responsiveness, accountability and improved equity. We set out to examine governance in two countries at different stages in the devolution journey: Indonesia at 15 years postdevolution and Kenya at 3 years.MethodsWe collected qualitative data across multiple levels of the health system in one district in Indonesia and ten counties in Kenya, through 80 interviews and six focus group discussions (FGD) in Indonesia and 269 interviews and 14 FGDs in Kenya. Qualitative data were digitally recorded, transcribed and coded before thematic framework analysis. Common themes between contexts were identified inductively and deductively, and similarities and differences critically analysed during an inter-country analysis workshop.ResultsFollowing devolution both Indonesia and Kenya experienced similar challenges ensuring good governance for health. Devolution reforms transformed power relationships, increasing responsibilities at subnational levels and introducing opportunities for citizen participation. In both contexts, the impact of these mechanisms has been undermined by insufficiently clear guidance; failure to address pre-existing negative contextual norms and practices varied decision-maker values, limited priority-setting capacity and limited genuine community accountability. As a consequence, priorities in both contexts are too often placed on curative rather than preventive health services.ConclusionWe recommend consideration of increased intersectoral actions that address social determinants of health, challenge negative norms and practices and place emphasis on community-based primary health services.

LOOKING BACK ON 5 YEARS OF HORIZON SCANNING IN ONCOLOGY

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 54-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Nachtnebel ◽  
Johanna Breuer ◽  
Wolfgang Willenbacher ◽  
Anna Bucsics ◽  
Peter Krippl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Analysis ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Expert Panel ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Dissemination Strategy ◽  
Horizon Scanning ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Collaborative Efforts

Objectives: The regularly structured adaptation of health technology assessment (HTA) programs is of utmost importance to sustain the relevance of the products for stakeholders and to justify investment of scarce financial resources. This study describes internal adjustments and external measures taken to ensure the Horizon Scanning Programme in Oncology (HSO) is current.Methods: Formal evaluation methods comprising a survey, a download, an environmental analysis, and a Web site questionnaire were used to evaluate user satisfaction.Results: The evaluation showed that users were satisfied with HSO outputs in terms of timeliness, topics selected, and depth of information provided. Discussion of these findings with an expert panel led to changes such as an improved dissemination strategy and the introduction of an additional output, that is, the publication of a league table of emerging oncology drugs. The rather high level of international usage and the environmental analysis highlighted a considerable overlap in topics assessed and, thus, the potential for international collaboration. As a consequence, thirteen reports were jointly published based on eleven “calls for collaboration.” To further facilitate collaboration and the usability of reports for other agencies, HSO reports will be adjusted according to tools developed at a European level.Conclusions: Evaluation of the impact of HTA programs allows the tailoring of outputs to fit the needs of the target population. However, within a fast developing HTA community, estimates of impact will increasingly be determined by international collaborative efforts. Refined methods and a broader definition of impact are needed to ultimately capture the efficiency of national HTA programs.

scholarly journals Study of impact of JSSK scheme on institutional deliveries and maternal mortality rate: Visakhapatnam district Andhra Pradesh

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 160
Author(s):  
Subhashini Revu ◽  
Venkata Ramana Kodali ◽  
Hemalata Devi Dongabanti
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Andhra Pradesh ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Educational Status ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Institutional Deliveries ◽  
Depth Study ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Visakhapatnam District

Background: To study the impact of JSSK scheme on institutional deliveries in Visakhapatnam district, A.P. To assess the awareness among the target population (i.e.,) delivered women regarding this programme. To evaluate the trends of MMR in Visakhapatnam district after the start of JSSK programme in 2011.Methods: This is an observational study, in the first phase all the data was collected on total number of deliveries occurred in Visakhapatnam district, A.P from year 2013-14 to 2017-October. This includes all institutional and home deliveries from Visakhapatnam district. Data of MMR and IMR, also collected for the same period. A point survey was done at VGH over a period of a month in October 2017. Total 464 delivered women during this period were given a structured questioner which includes age, parity, SC status, educational status, booked status and awareness about JSSK programme, its source of information and feedback was taken regarding satisfaction towards health services in VGH. Finally, a comparative analysis was done with MMR and IMR status of Visakhapatnam district and AP state with that of India.Results: In this study 87.8% of delivered women at VGH during the study period are unaware of JSSK programme. Level of socio economic status, education and parity played a big role in bringing out the awareness. Most of the awareness comes through anganwadi workers, ANMs and advertisements in media. 98.9% expressed their satisfaction with the health services at VGH.Conclusions: Pregnant women die in India due to a combination of important factors like, poverty, ineffective or unaffordable health services, Visakhapatnam district tops the lists of MMR and IMR in the state of Andhra Pradesh and most important factor effecting the JSSK success is lack of awareness in target population. There is a need to understand more about the individual- and area-level characteristics that contribute to variations in programme achievements. A greater in depth study should be undertaken at community level to analyse each maternal death individually. To achieve target MDG of MMR 100/2020 and IMR 28/2019 state needs to reach the unreached and motivate all needy women specially with low S.E. status towards institutional deliveries by proper campaigning to enlighten them that all maternal and child services including transport are absolutely free.

scholarly journals Health services utilization and out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures in public and private facilities in Pakistan: An empirical analysis of 2013-14 OOP Health Expenditure Survey

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faraz Khalid ◽  
Wajeeha Raza ◽  
David R. Hotchkiss ◽  
Rieza H. Soelaeman
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Health Services Utilization ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Services Utilization ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Outpatient Visits ◽  
Expenditure Survey ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background As low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) progress towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), there is an increasing focus on measuring both out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure and health services utilization within countries. While there have been several reforms to improve health services coverage and financial protection in Pakistan, there is limited empirical research comparing OOP expenditure and health services utilization between public and private facilities and exploring their determinants. In this paper, we have addressed this gap by using the 2013-2014 OOP Expenditure Survey Methods Our study is based on data from nationally representative household survey that includes 7,969 encounters from 4,293 households. In our analysis, we examined factors associated with two outcome variables; the sector where care was sought (public or private) and OOP expenditures. To investigate factors associated with the sector where care was sought, we fitted multivariate models stratified by type of care (i.e., inpatient and outpatient). Next, we fitted multivariate linear regression models to identify determinants of OOP expenditures stratified by type of care.Results  Our bivariate analysis shows that most encounters (82.5%) were in the private sector, and 85% of encounters were for outpatient visits. Expenditures on medicines and vaccines account for the largest proportion of OOP expenditures, followed by diagnostic tests and transportation. We found that the probability of seeking outpatient care in the private sector was higher for men, richer individuals, residents of Punjab and Sindh provinces, and households of smaller sizes. For inpatient care, we found that rural households and females with reproductive health concerns were more likely to seek private sector care. Importantly, our study found no significant difference in OOP expenditures between public and private facilities for both inpatient and outpatient visits. However, there were differences in OOP expenditures by sociodemographic factors. Conclusions This is the first study that has comprehensively investigated how healthcare utilization and OOP expenditures vary by sector, type of care, and socio-economic characteristics in Pakistan. Its findings will be useful for federal and provincial health ministries in planning and monitoring the impact of the next phase of their social health protection programs and supply side reforms.

Hospital resilience in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 424-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlie Labarda ◽  
Meredith Del Pilar Labarda ◽  
Exaltacion Ellevera Lamberte
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Disaster Resilience ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health Services Delivery ◽  
Services Delivery ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Resilient health facilities, particularly hospitals, are critical for a responsive local health system in post-disaster settings. The purpose of this paper is to look at the experiences of two hospitals (public and private) in Tacloban City, Philippines in the aftermath of a super typhoon and their respective delivery of health services in such setting. Design/methodology/approach It described the impact of Typhoon Haiyan on health services delivery capacity and the factors instrumental in the resilience of the case hospitals. Lessons learned from the hospitals’ experiences, both at the level of the hospital staff and the institution, were also drawn. Disaster preparedness of case hospitals were assessed along several domains of resilience. Key informant interviews among stakeholders were conducted with key themes on disaster resilience extracted. Findings Disaster preparedness scores for case hospitals were different from each other and were reflected in their experiences of health services delivery in the aftermath of the disaster. Research limitations/implications This study on hospital resilience of two case hospitals, in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, is exploratory in nature. The retrospective design of the study made it prone to recall bias. Further, the use of self-report measures for hospital resilience needs to be validated by more objective measures. The lack of baseline pre-disaster resilience indicators and the unpredictability of disasters could perhaps be addressed by a longitudinal study on hospital resilience in disasters in the future. Originality/value This study revealed several key findings. Some of the themes that emerged were: public health in disaster is the responsibility of both public and private hospitals; need for flexibility in disaster preparedness and planning, disaster resilience is an emergent process not a static construct, chaos results from zeal without coordination, and the need for integration of disaster preparedness in daily processes and structures of hospital facilities.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID- 19 on continuity of essential health services in various health care institutions in district Amritsar, Punjab, India

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 124-127
Author(s):  
Priyanka Devgun ◽  
Shivesh Devgan ◽  
Harjot Singh ◽  
Sukhpal Singh ◽  
Amanbir Singh
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Services ◽  
World Health ◽  
Private Health Care ◽  
Human Race ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Care Institutions ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

From a point in time where the human race declared itself the master of the universe to this point in time where it is facing an existential threat from the contagion- Covid 19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of the human race to a wipeout. The disruption of physical, mental, social, emotional and financial health and health systems is unprecedented. Study the impact of Covid 19 on continuity of essential health services in various health care institutions in district Amritsar, Punjab.: Online survey was conducted through google forms using questionnaire adapted from the World Health Organization-Pulse Survey on Continuity of Essential Health Services during Covid 19 pandemic. Respondents were personnel working at public and Ayushman Bharat empaneled private health care institutions. Response rate was 60% (55 out of 92 health care institutions personnel responded) A highly significant difference was observed between the public and the private health care sector in provision of antenatal care (Mann Whitney U statistic= 78.00, p=.004) and imaging and radio diagnosing services (Mann Whitney U statistic= 48.00, p=.000) while a significant difference was observed in provision of service of institutional delivery (Mann Whitney U statistic= 112.00, p=.046). All the other essential health services were similarly affected in the public and private health sector institutes. Financial difficulties faced during the lockdown was the single most common reason stated for disruption of essential health services. There was a significant difference in level of satisfaction experienced by health care personnel from public and private sector (Mann Whitney U statistic= 94.00, p=.02). Thematic analysis of the data on improving preparedness to minimize disruption in essential health services yielded the themes pertaining to creating a robust public health care infrastructure including use of e-health technology in the district and recruitment of adequate health care man power according to set norms.

scholarly journals Obesity and Lifestyle Indicators Impact on Obstetric Complications and Fetal Outcome in North Lebanon Population

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 9-17
Author(s):  
Mayssa A. Traboulsi ◽  
Abdellatif Boussaid ◽  
Zainab. El Alaoui Talibi
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Cesarean Section ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Fetal Outcome ◽  
Fetal Outcomes ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Health Complications ◽  
The Impact

Worldwide, obesity has been shown to negatively affect women especially during pregnancy. In this work, a retrospective cohort study for 1308 women, who gave birth between 2014 and 2016 in public and private hospitals, was conducted to evaluate the impact of weight, demographic and lifestyle indicators on many pregnancy and fetal outcomes in Northern Lebanon. The frequent health complications related to pregnancy were cesarean-section (31.1%) followed by post-hemorrhage (25.1%), induced labor (23.5%) and macrosomia (11.4%). Multivariate analysis showed that the main complications were highly correlated to obesity, macrosomia, weight gain, multiparity and mother’s age. High values from adjusted odds ratios were mainly associated to obesity, multiparity and weight gain. Obese pregnant women had a significant increased risk of having cesarean-section (p<0.001), preeclampsia (p<0.0001), labor induction (p<0.0001) and postpartum hemorrhage (p<0.0001). Adverse fetal outcomes such as macrosomia were also correlated with high BMI (p<0.0001). The risk was even greater for multiparous, older women that carried excessive weight gain. There is therefore a need to increase awareness among the target population and encourage prevention of the dangers related to obesity and weight gain.

scholarly journals Use of Technology for Dietary Assessment in Immigrant Populations

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-121
Author(s):  
Hannah Holmes ◽  
Vanessa Araujo Almeida ◽  
Carol Boushey ◽  
Jinan Banna
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Dietary Assessment ◽  
Target Population ◽  
The United States ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Assessment And Evaluation ◽  
Nutrition Educators ◽  
The Impact

To determine the impact of educational programs on immigrant groups in the United States, nutrition educators must have assessment and evaluation tools that use the language and vocabulary of the target population. Filipino Americans exhibit health disparities with regard to several conditions and are an important target for nutrition education. Currently, there are no existing rigorously tested tools in the Tagalog language which also have a low user burden and are designed to measure diet for assessment and evaluation of nutrition education programs. As these programs are generally evaluated using time-intensive dietary assessment tools not tailored specifically to Filipinos, they may not effectively characterize the diet of this population. Given the high adoption rates of mobile phones by populations outside of the United States, mobile apps may represent a best choice for developing tools to assist individuals recently migrating to the United States or speaking English as an additional language. Several tools of this nature have been developed for immigrant groups and hold promise in terms of acceptability. Examples of dietary assessment tools using technology developed for Spanish speakers in the United States are provided. These methods may also be appropriate for addressing the needs of immigrant groups such as Filipinos.

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