scholarly journals Exploring the Social Networks’ Use in the Health-Care Industry: A Multi-Level Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 7295
Author(s):  
Tommasina Pianese ◽  
Patrizia Belfiore
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Care Industry ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Great Level ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Care Industry ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Video And Audio

The application of social networks in the health domain has become increasingly prevalent. They are web-based technologies which bring together a group of people and health-care providers having in common health-related interests, who share text, image, video and audio contents and interact with each other. This explains the increasing amount of attention paid to this topic by researchers who have investigated a variety of issues dealing with the specific applications in the health-care industry. The aim of this study is to systematize this fragmented body of literature, and provide a comprehensive and multi-level overview of the studies that has been carried out to date on social network uses in healthcare, taking into account the great level of diversity that characterizes this industry. To this end, we conduct a scoping review enabling to identify the major research streams, whose aggregate knowledge are discussed according to three levels of analysis that reflect the viewpoints of the major actors using social networks for health-care purposes, i.e., governments, health-care providers (including health-care organizations and professionals) and social networks’ users (including ill patients and general public). We conclude by proposing directions for future research.

Examining Exclusionary Conduct of HMOs and PPOs: A Case Comment on Northwest Medical Laboratories v. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oregon

1991 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-288
Author(s):  
Debra M. Levitt
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Care Industry ◽  
Medical Laboratory ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Court Of Appeals ◽  
Medical Laboratories ◽  
Care Industry ◽  
Antitrust Analysis ◽  
Blue Shield

As the climate of the health care industry has changed to one of cost-containment and competition through the growth of HMOs and PPOs, health care providers have become the subjects of antitrust litigation. One such case, Northwest Medical Laboratories v. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oregon, involved a medical laboratory and a radiology center who claimed that they were victims of an illegal group boycott after defendant's pre-paid health plan denied them preferred provider status. The Oregon Court of Appeals, using the traditional antitrust analysis applied to other industries for decades, failed to consider the intricacies that exist within the health care industry. This result led to an inaccurate market share computation and an inadequate rule of reason analysis. This Comment examines the shortcomings of the Northwest Medical opinion and argues that, in applying the antitrust laws to the health care industry, courts in future cases must recognize and respect the unique features of the business of providing health care.

Antitrust and Health Care: Provider Controlled Health Plans and the Maricopa Decision

1982 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-249
Author(s):  
Charles D. Weller
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Care Industry ◽  
Market Model ◽  
Medical Society ◽  
Independent Practice ◽  
Health Plans ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Care Industry ◽  
Antitrust Analysis

AbstractThe health care industry is one which traditionally has discouraged its members from engaging in competition. For years, many within the profession have espoused a guild mentality and have viewed professional societies as the proper centers of health care’s economic universe. This guild mentality has recently been challenged by proponents of a market mentality, theoreticians who argue that limited combinations of health care providers called “health plans,” which serve insurance as well as service functions, can make the health care industry more efficient. Proponents of the guild mentality have been dealt a severe blow by the Supreme Court and its decision in Arizona v. Maricopa County Medical Society. There the Court found the price-fixing by two Arizona medical societies to be illegal per se under applicable antitrust law. This Article outlines the background on competition and the guild mentality in the health care industry. After a brief discussion of the standards of antitrust analysis, the Article analyzes the Maricopa case, by first summarizing the Court’s use of strict antitrust criteria, and then by extending the analysis to an application of a more lenient standard. Next, the Article compares the provider controlled independent practice association (“IPA”)—one form of insurance plan proposed by market model advocates—with the Maricopa-type plan. Finally, the Article concludes that, not only is the special form of IPA that qualifies as a “health plan” an excellent way to promote efficiency in the health care industry, but also its procompetitive goals and effect allow it to survive even the strictest, Maricopa-type antitrust scrutiny.

scholarly journals Social Media and Health Care, Part I: Literature Review of Social Media Use by Health Care Providers (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deema Farsi
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Care Industry ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Care Industry ◽  
Digital World ◽  
The World

BACKGROUND As the world continues to advance technologically, social media (SM) is becoming an essential part of billions of people’s lives worldwide and is affecting almost every industry imaginable. As the world is becoming more digitally oriented, the health care industry is increasingly visualizing SM as an important channel for health care promotion, employment, recruiting new patients, marketing for health care providers (HCPs), building a better brand name, etc. HCPs are bound to ethical principles toward their colleagues, patients, and the public in the digital world as much as in the real world. OBJECTIVE This review aims to shed light on SM use worldwide and to discuss how it has been used as an essential tool in the health care industry from the perspective of HCPs. METHODS A literature review was conducted between March and April 2020 using MEDLINE, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science for all English-language medical studies that were published since 2007 and discussed SM use in any form for health care. Studies that were not in English, whose full text was not accessible, or that investigated patients’ perspectives were excluded from this part, as were reviews pertaining to ethical and legal considerations in SM use. RESULTS The initial search yielded 83 studies. More studies were included from article references, and a total of 158 studies were reviewed. SM uses were best categorized as health promotion, career development or practice promotion, recruitment, professional networking or destressing, medical education, telemedicine, scientific research, influencing health behavior, and public health care issues. CONCLUSIONS Multidimensional health care, including the pairing of health care with SM and other forms of communication, has been shown to be very successful. Striking the right balance between digital and traditional health care is important.

scholarly journals Market Receptiveness To Franchise Systems In The Health Care Industry

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Faye S. McIntyre ◽  
Faye W. Gilbert
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Health Care Industry ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Care Industry ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Sample Support

<span>In this study, cluster analysis is used to identify two consumer segments that differ in responsiveness toward franchised health care systems. These receptive and unreceptive clusters are differentiated in terms of the importance of health care constructs as well as in demographic characteristics. Younger, male respondents who live with a larger number of residents in the household may be the most receptive to franchise options, while the majority of all respondents seem open to the idea of franchised services. Further, results from this sample support the importance of competence, accessibility, empathy, and pricing to consumers in selecting health care providers, with less emphasis on local ownership.</span>

Commentary on “Diabetes and people with learning disabilities: issues for policy, practice and education”

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brianne Redquest ◽  
Yona Lunsky
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Diabetes Care ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Family Carers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Policy Practice

Purpose There has been an increase in research exploring the area of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and diabetes. Despite being described as instrumental to diabetes care for people with IDD, the role and experiences of family carers, such as parents and siblings, are often neglected in this research. However, it is clear that family carers do not feel that they have sufficient knowledge about diabetes. The purpose of this commentary is to extend the content from “Diabetes and people with learning disabilities: Issues for policy, practice, and education (Maine et al., 2020)” and discuss how family carers can feel better supported when caring for someone with IDD and diabetes. Design/methodology/approach This commentary discusses specific efforts such as STOP diabetes, DESMOND-ID and OK-diabetes for people with IDD including family carers. Encouragement is given for health care providers to recommend such programmes to people with IDD and their family carers. It is also suggested that health care providers involve family carers in diabetes care planning and implementation for people with IDD. Findings It is hoped that if changes are made to current diabetes practices and more research with family carers is conducted, diabetes prevention and management for people with IDD will be more successful and family carers can feel more confident in providing support to their loved ones. Originality/value Research exploring the role of family carers in diabetes care for people with IDD and diabetes is very limited. This commentary makes recommendations to help family carers feel better supported in their role. It also provides areas for future research.

Workplace Fatigue Within Summer Camp: Perspectives From Camp Health Care Providers and Directors

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-87
Author(s):  
Alexsandra Dubin ◽  
Barry A. Garst ◽  
Tracey Gaslin ◽  
Beth E. Schultz
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Summer Camps ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Frontline Staff ◽  
Analysis Process ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Negative Impacts

Background: Summer camps engage millions of youth in enrichment opportunities during the summertime while employing a substantial young adult workforce to provide high-quality programs and services to camp participants. Workplace fatigue has been implicated in camp-related injury and illness events, yet few studies have targeted fatigue among camp employees. Purpose: This study aimed to better understand how fatigue impacted employee performance as well as strategies for reducing the negative impacts of fatigue within camp settings. Methodology/Approach: Focus groups were conducted with camp health care providers and directors, and their responses were analyzed using directed content analysis. The analysis process was guided by sensitizing concepts from the literature. Findings/Conclusions: Emergent themes suggested that camp-related fatigue is conceptualized as a construct of time, types, and causes; is a distinct experience leading to setting-specific outcomes; is managed using administrative and peer supports; and is sometimes perceived in positive ways. Implications: This exploratory study highlighted the unique challenges associated with working in a camp setting and the potential development of fatigue as a starting point informing future research. It suggests that future research should include a broader study population, including frontline staff, as well as possible quantitative measures.

scholarly journals Interpreting in Sexual and Reproductive Health Consults With Burma Born Refugees Post Settlement: Insights From an Australian Qualitative Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amita Tuteja ◽  
Elisha Riggs ◽  
Lena Sanci ◽  
Lester Mascarenhas ◽  
Di VanVliet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Consultation Room ◽  
Privacy And Confidentiality

Interpreters work with health care professionals to overcome language challenges during sexual and reproductive (SRH) health discussions with people from refugee backgrounds. Disclosures of traumatic refugee journeys and sexual assault combined with refugees’ unfamiliarity with Western health concepts and service provision can increase the interpreting challenges. Published literature provides general guidance on working with interpreters in primary care but few studies focus on interpretation in refugee SRH consults. To address this, we explored the challenges faced by providers of refugee services (PRS) during interpreter mediated SRH consultations with Burma born refugees post settlement in Australia. We used qualitative methodology and interviewed 29 PRS involved with migrants from Burma including general practitioners, nurses, interpreters, bilingual social workers, and administrative staff. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and subjected to thematic analysis following independent coding by the members of the research team. Key themes were formulated after a consensus discussion. The theme of “interpretation related issues” was identified with six sub-themes including 1) privacy and confidentiality 2) influence of interpreter’s identity 3) gender matching of the interpreter 4) family member vs. professional interpreters 5) telephone vs. face-to-face interpreting 6) setting up the consultation room. When faced with these interpretation related challenges in providing SRH services to people from refugee backgrounds, health care providers combine best practice advice, experience-based knowledge and “mundane creativity” to adapt to the needs of the specific patients. The complexity of interpreted SRH consultations in refugee settings needs to be appreciated in making good judgments when choosing the best way to optimize communication. This paper identifies the critical elements which could be incorporated when making such a judgement. Future research should include the experiences of refugee patients to provide a more comprehensive perspective.

Sex Education on TikTok: A Content Analysis of Themes

2021 ◽  
pp. 152483992110315
Author(s):  
Leah R. Fowler ◽  
Lauren Schoen ◽  
Hadley Stevens Smith ◽  
Stephanie R. Morain
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Sex Education ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Sexual Pleasure ◽  
Sexual Practices ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Care Providers

Leading medical and public health societies endorse comprehensive sex education, but only 20 states and Washington, D.C., currently require information about contraception when sex education is taught, and even fewer require the inclusion of topics such as gender diversity or consent. At the same time, social media use, especially the video-sharing app TikTok, is increasing among teens. TikTok, therefore, offers a novel opportunity to make up for shortcomings in sex education and convey sexual health information to adolescents. To describe the availability and content of sexual education on TikTok, we conducted a content analysis of themes for 100 sex education–focused videos. We found that female anatomy was the most frequently addressed topic. Sexual pleasure was the second most common theme, within which discussions of the female orgasm and arousal constituted the most common subtheme. Other common themes include contraception and sexual health. These sought-after topics may be incongruent with those presented in standard school- or home-based sex education or interactions with health care providers, and this disconnect suggests opportunities for health care providers and educators to initiate conversations or offer resources on these themes as part of routine interaction. We conclude with recommendations for future research to consider the factual accuracy of sex education on TikTok and determine how exposure to this content affects adolescents’ understanding of the risks and benefits of intercourse, sexual practices, age- and gender-based sexual norms, and other health behaviors.

scholarly journals Breastfeeding in COVID-19: A Pragmatic Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (13) ◽  
pp. 1377-1384
Author(s):  
Yvonne Peng Mei Ng ◽  
Yi Fen Low ◽  
Xin Lei Goh ◽  
Doris Fok ◽  
Zubair Amin
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Care Team ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Joint Decision ◽  
Skin Contact ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in changes to perinatal and neonatal care, concentrating on minimizing risks of transmission to the newborn and health care staff while ensuring medical care is not compromised for both mother and infant. Current recommendations on infant care and feeding when mother has COVID-19 ranges from mother–infant separation and avoidance of human milk feeding, to initiation of early skin-to-skin contact and direct breastfeeding. Health care providers fearing risks of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) maternal–infant transmission may veer toward restricted breastfeeding practices. We reviewed guidelines and published literature and propose three options for infant feeding depending on various scenarios. Option A involves direct breastfeeding with the infant being cared for by the mother or caregiver. In option B, the infant is cared for by another caregiver and receives mother's expressed milk. In the third option, the infant is not breastfed directly and does not receive mother's expressed milk. We recommend joint decision making by parents and the health care team. This decision is also flexible as situation changes. We also provide a framework for counseling mothers on these options using a visual aid and a corresponding structured training program for health care providers. Future research questions are also proposed. We conclude that evidence and knowledge about COVID-19 and breastfeeding are still evolving. Our options can provide a quick and flexible reference guide that can be adapted to local needs. Key Points

League Tables for Performance Improvement in Health Care

1998 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Nutley ◽  
Peter C. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Performance Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
League Table ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
League Tables ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Objectives: Increasingly health care performance data are being disseminated in the form of ‘league tables' of health care providers, with the implication that such publication helps purchasers select the better providers, and spurs providers into improvements. This paper examines progress to date. Methods: Three stages of the league table process are considered: measurement, analysis and action. Results: A wide range of measurement schemes are now in place, although the emphasis has been on process variables and mortality as a measure of outcome. Several analytical techniques have been deployed to help users make sense of league tables, and to help determine the causes of variations in reported performance. The weakest aspect of current methods relates to the use to which such analysis is put. Conclusions: A haphazard approach to using league table data exists, with few reports on the impact of publication. A variety of directions for future research into the use of performance data are needed.

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