scholarly journals ‘The world is not only for hearing people – It’s for all people’: The experiences of women who are deaf or hard of hearing in accessing healthcare services in Johannesburg, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khetsiwe P. Masuku ◽  
Nomfundo Moroe ◽  
Danielle Van der Merwe
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Hard Of Hearing ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Communication Barriers ◽  
African Women ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Experiences Of Women

Background: Despite legal and adopted frameworks purporting access to healthcare and rehabilitation services, which are both a human right and key to developmental issues, women who are deaf and/or hard of hearing (HoH) are still excluded and experience barriers when accessing healthcare services. Largely, this is attributed to communication barriers between healthcare professionals and women who are deaf and/or HoH. There have been limited research studies carried out on women with invisible disabilities, such as deafness, especially amongst African women.Objectives: This study sought to gain insights into the communication experiences of women who are deaf or HoH when accessing public healthcare services in hospitals in Johannesburg.Methods: A qualitative research study employing semi-structured interviews with 10 African women who are deaf and/or HoH residing in Johannesburg, South Africa and attending government healthcare facilities was conducted. Participants were purposively selected. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.Results: Data revealed the following themes: communication barriers resulting in compromised quality of care and infringement on participants’ right to confidentiality; accommodation that is not accommodative and negative attitudes of healthcare professionals.Conclusion: The findings of this study confirm the alienating, exclusion, marginalisation, discrimination, invisibility, lack of independence and autonomy of women who are deaf and/or HoH when accessing healthcare services. Therefore, this study argues for a need for the conscientisation of healthcare professionals on communication needs of persons who are deaf and/or HoH. This has implications for the implementation of training programmes that will address communication, reasonable accommodation and attitudes of healthcare professionals.

scholarly journals A Dynamic Analysis of the Demand for Health Care in Post-Apartheid South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 484-494
Author(s):  
David Mhlanga
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Logit Model ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Probability Models ◽  
Delivery Of Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
The Government ◽  
Public Clinics ◽  
Demand For Health

The study aimed to investigate the drivers of demand for healthcare in South Africa 26 years after democracy. The pattern healthcare demand by households in South Africa is that most households use public healthcare services particularly public clinics compared to private and traditional healthcare facilities. Using conditional probability models, the logit model to be more specific, the results revealed that households head who is unemployed, households who do not have a business, households who were not receiving pension money, had a greater probability of demand for public healthcare institutions. On the other hand, being male, being White, Indian and Coloured, being a property owner and being not a grant beneficiary, reduces the probability of demand for public healthcare facilities in South Africa. As a result, the study recommends more investment in public healthcare but more in public clinics in South Africa due to the high percentage of households using these services. Also, the government must consider investing more in the maintenance and improvement of the welfare of nurses in the country considering the huge role they play in the delivery of healthcare to the citizens.

scholarly journals ASSESSING THE LEVEL OF PATIENT SATISFACTION ON PUBLIC HEALTHCARE FACILITIES IN SOUTH AFRICAN

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 172-181
Author(s):  
Ephrem Habtemichael Redda ◽  
Jhalukpreya Surujlal
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
South African ◽  
Healthcare Service ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Provision ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Ethnic Grouping

Purpose of study: The purpose of this study was to assess patient satisfaction levels within South African public healthcare facilities. The influence of gender and ethnic grouping (race) perceptions of satisfaction of healthcare services was investigated. Methodology: The study followed a cross-sectional research design and a quantitative research method. The data was collected as part of the General Household Survey in 2018 by Statistics South Africa (the national statistics service of South Africa). Descriptive statistics and cross-tabulation were performed to address the research objectives of the study. Main findings: The results show that the majority of the patients who participated in the survey are satisfied with the public healthcare service they received. The leading provinces that achieved very satisfied patients are Limpopo, the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, and Gauteng. Applications of the study: The study is important in many ways as it highlights the discrepancies of healthcare provision to the public health decision-makers. For example, the results show that generally, the male patients were slightly more satisfied with the healthcare services than their female counterparts. In terms of ethnic grouping, it appears that white patients are generally more satisfied with the public healthcare services they receive than other race groups. Novelty/originality of study: A study of this nature has not been conducted in South Africa apart from the anecdotal reports of the department of health and Statistics South Africa. The study delved to analyze the public healthcare service in all provinces of the republic and also provided insight into gender and racial perception of healthcare services in the country.

scholarly journals ICT Framework to Support a Patient-Centric approach in Public Healthcare

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 45-76
Author(s):  
Richard Pankomera ◽  
Darelle Van Greunen
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Poor Countries ◽  
Patient Centric

Although Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the healthcare sector are extensively deployed globally, they are not used effectively in developing countries. Many resource poor countries face numerous challenges in implementing the ICT interventions. For instance, many health applications that have been deployed are not user-centric. As a result, such ICT interventions do not benefit many health consumers. The lack of an ICT framework to support patient-centric healthcare services in Malawi renders the e-health and mhealth interventions less sustainable and less cost effective. The aim of the study was therefore to develop an ICT Framework that could support patient-centric healthcare services in the public health sector in Malawi. The comprehensive literature review and semi-structured interviews highlighted many challenges underlying ICT development in Malawi. An ICT framework for patient-centric healthcare services is therefore proposed to ensure that eHealth and mobile health interventions are more sustainable and cost effective. The framework was validated by five experts selected from different areas of expertise including mhealth application developers, ICT policy makers and public health practitioners. Results show that the framework is relevant, useful and applicable within the setting of Malawi. The framework can also be implemented in various countries with similar settings.

scholarly journals A comparison of the levels of satisfaction with the medical services provided by primary healthcare centers in selected communes in Lubelskie Voivodeship

2016 ◽  
Vol 126 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-12
Author(s):  
Daria Przybylska ◽  
Piotr Przybylski ◽  
Bartłomiej Drop ◽  
Krzysztof Czarnocki ◽  
Wojciech Przybylski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Family Medicine ◽  
Primary Healthcare ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Primary Type ◽  
Primary Healthcare Centers

Abstract Introduction. Family medicine remains the primary type of medical services in Poland and it is supposed to treat both individual patients and the society as a whole. Due to the growing commercialization of the health service, most primary healthcare centers have transformed into non-public healthcare facilities. The public ones (called SPZOZ in Polish) account only for a small fraction of the whole number of primary healthcare facilities. The quality of medical services provided by such facilities, as patients see it, remains one of the key elements determining the development of family medicine centers. Aim. The aim of this paper was to assess patient satisfaction levels regarding the healthcare services they received in two primary healthcare institutions, both of the NZOZ and SPZOZ type, in a small town located close to Lublin. Material and methods. An anonymous survey was filled out by 30 patients of both a public and non-public healthcare center located in Niemce (Niemce Commune, Lublin District). The quality of services was assessed using an original questionnaire in the form of a poll. Results. The results obtained indicate a clear relationship between one’s trust to the physician, diagnosis accuracy and visiting the particular center again, in order to continue the treatment. For older subjects, it was nurses’ kindness and politeness that was the most important. The elderly appreciated the kindness and politeness of the nurses in particular. No significant differences were found between the institutions in respect of the overall perception of satisfaction with services. In terms of infrastructure assessment, the majority of positive feedback was provided for NZOZ. Conclusions. The findings above suggest that it is essential to conduct surveys on a regular basis, in order to check patients’ assessment of the service quality in various institutons.

Business Ethics and the Greek Healthcare System

2018 ◽  
pp. 100-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaitsa Giannouli
Keyword(s):  
Business Ethics ◽  
Healthcare System ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Maslach Burnout Inventory ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Ethical Values ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Emotional Aspects ◽  
Job Affect

This chapter provides a review not only of classic literature on healthcare business and ethics, but also an introduction to the legal changes in the Greek healthcare system with ethical values on focus. A study examining in both a quantitative and qualitative way what the Greek healthcare experts think and feel about ethics and healthcare services presents the factors that shape attitudes towards ethical values from the viewpoint of the healthcare professionals. For this reason, 34 semi-structured interviews, accompanied by the administration of perceived cohesion scale, generalized immediacy scale, job affect scale, state anxiety inventory, Maslach burnout inventory, and the attitude towards business ethics questionnaire revealed that healthcare professionals do have knowledge of ethical values and moral responsibility, but no clear connections with specific emotional aspects were found. The chapter concludes with future directions on how business ethics can be further examined and applied.

Assessment of Healthcare Service Quality

2020 ◽  
pp. 271-291
Author(s):  
Segufta Dilshad ◽  
Afsana Akhtar ◽  
S. S. M. Sadrul Huda ◽  
Nandeeta Samad
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Quality Measurement ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Level Of Satisfaction ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Private And Public

The service quality measurement of healthcare services is always a big concern for the hospitals, patient rights activists, regulators, and general patients. This study deals with quality assessment of healthcare facilities concerning the private and public health facilities of Dhaka, Bangladesh. This study follows the survey research approach. Using the purposive sampling method, the individuals have been selected from households who have received healthcare services from public or private hospitals of Dhaka city in last year. The study collected data among 410 respondents. Standard statistical software (i.e., SPSS and STATA) have been used to analyze the data. This study confirms existing evidence that Bangladeshi patients have a growing concern with lower level of satisfaction in public healthcare services. The respondents faced multi-dimensional problems, characterized by a low level of overall service quality, interpersonal service quality, and technical or treatment-related quality at public hospitals. Further research is recommended to analyze the issues further.

scholarly journals Sexuality post gynaecological cancer treatment: a qualitative study with South African women

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. e038421
Author(s):  
Sorrel Pitcher ◽  
Nazia Fakie ◽  
Tracey Adams ◽  
Lynette Denny ◽  
Jennifer Moodley
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Cancer Treatment ◽  
Sexual Functioning ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Sexual Relationships ◽  
Post Treatment ◽  
Gynaecological Cancer ◽  
African Women ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Design Data

ObjectivesThis study investigated women’s experiences of their sexuality post gynaecological cancer treatment. Using a holistic sexuality framework, the study explored how women felt their sexual functioning, sexual relationships and sexual identity had been affected by treatment.DesignThe study was qualitative in nature and made use of an interpretive descriptive design. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.SettingData collection took place at a follow-up clinic within the gynaeoncology unit at a public-sector tertiary hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.ParticipantsPurposive sampling was used to recruit participants, and the final sample consisted of 34 women aged 29–70 (x´=52). All women had received a gynaecological cancer diagnosis and had been treated with either surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or a combination of these. On average, the participants were between 12 and 30 months post treatment.ResultsWomen expressed how their sexual functioning post treatment was both nuanced and complex, how heteronormative gender expectations influenced their intimate relationships, and how they experienced a re-embodiment of their sexual subjectivity post treatment. Participants felt that more sexual functioning information from healthcare providers, as well as peer support groups, would assist them in navigating the sexuality changes they experienced.ConclusionsThe findings of this study broaden conceptualisations of sexuality post treatment by detailing the ways that it is complex, nuanced, relational and ever shifting. More research is needed about how to incorporate holistic psychosexual support post treatment into the public healthcare system in South Africa.

scholarly journals User-centric work environments in modular healthcare facilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1047-1062
Author(s):  
Leena Aalto ◽  
Pia Sirola ◽  
Tiina Kalliomäki-Levanto ◽  
Marjaana Lahtinen ◽  
Virpi Ruohomäki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Work Environment ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
User Centric ◽  
Traditional Construction

Purpose The challenges arising from the reform of the social and healthcare sector call for efficient, effective and novel processes in both public and private health and medical care. Facilities need to be designed to suit the new processes and to offer usable workspaces at different levels of healthcare services. Along with traditional construction, modular facility innovations could be one solution to these pressures. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This case study analyzed the different usability characteristics of the work environment in modular and non-modular healthcare facilities (HCFs). The qualitative research method was based on semi-structured interviews of employees and observations of the case buildings. Findings According to the results, the usability characteristics were divided into four main categories: functionality, healthiness, safety/security and comfort. The main differences between the modular and non-modular facilities appeared to be room size, soundproofing, safety issues and the utilization of colors and artwork, which were all perceived as better realized in the non-modular facilities. The staff highlighted functionality as the most important characteristic in their work environment. They even considered functionality as a feature of a comfortable work environment. Originality/value This paper presents new knowledge and a detailed description of the opinions and experiences of healthcare professionals concerning a user-centric, usable environment in the context of modular and non-modular HCFs.

Management of public healthcare facilities in the Philippines: issues and concerns

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramiro Z Dela Cruz ◽  
Ruth A Ortega-Dela Cruz
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Descriptive Research ◽  
Primary Means ◽  
Insufficient Knowledge

Background/Aims Public hospitals are the primary means of healthcare delivery in developing countries. Given the pressing need for efficient health services, it is imperative to know the extent to which a country's public healthcare institutions meet an ever increasing public demand. This study aimed to assess the state of hospital facilities among public health care institutions in a developing country. Methods Descriptive research methods were used, including needs analysis along with management and client satisfaction surveys, in order to analyse information on issues that related to the management of hospital facilities in the Philippines. Various members of the hospital community were selected to assess different aspects of hospital management. Results The results of this study show that most concerns stemmed from the lack of financial resources, materials, equipment and technological innovations; insufficient knowledge, skills and human resources; and problems that related to processes and methodologies. Conclusions Public hospitals are in dire need of facility upkeep to maintain their operations. This has become a more pressing concern because of the very limited resources at the disposal of public hospitals. This study also highlighted the crucial role played by the national government in finding effective and efficient ways to address these issues and concerns to ensure successful delivery of healthcare services in the country.

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