Responding to Traveling Patients' Seasonal Demand for Health Care Services

Abstract Background Barriers on the demand side of the health care system are as important as supply side factors in deterring patients from obtaining effective treatment during COVID-19. Developing countries, including Togo, have focused on reducing the risk of health care use during this period by ensuring basic health care services, as an important policy to improve health outcomes and meet international obligations to make health services accessible. Methods The data used come from a national household survey conducted from 8 to 17 July 2020 covering all 44 districts of Togo's 6 health regions. In each district capital, a minimum of 30 households were included by a systematic random draw at two levels (district then household). On the basis of these data, the multinomial regression model is used to identify the risk factors for the demand for health care services during COVID-19. Results A total of 1946 (with a response rate of 98.3%) participants were included in the study. The conclusion on households over 60 years of age indicates that the relative risk ratio (RRR = 23.97; 95% CI = 0.93; 615.38) allows households to practice self-medication instead of modern care structures. The multinomial model revealed that the relative risk ratio of activities before COVID-19 (RRR = 4.879; 95% CI = 1.018; 23.38) allows households to maintain their choice of self-medication and (RRR = 3.139; 95% CI = 0.91; 0.829) to prefer public health centre. As an educated head of household (RRR = 0.192; 95% CI = 0.017, 2.113) he prefers the choice of private health centre during COVID-19. Conclusions This study found that the majority (30.49%) of patients sought health care. The analysis shows that the loss of employment, pre-COVID-19 activities in households and regions not infected by the pandemic allow households to remain in the choice of health care demand (self-medication and public hospitals) despite the impacts of COVID-19. On the other hand, the level of higher education and age determine an alternative choice of health care provision by households. Therefore, policy makers need to put a particular emphasis on social policies to address household health shocks.

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Uptake of Health Care Services by Refugees: Modelling a Country Response to a Western Balkan Refugee Crisis

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare8040560 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 560

Author(s):

Milena Santric-Milicevic ◽

Milena Vasic ◽

Vladimir Vasic ◽

Mirjana Zivkovic-Sulovic ◽

Dragana Cirovic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Services ◽

Refugee Crisis ◽

The European Union ◽

Western Balkans ◽

Care Services ◽

Transit Country ◽

The Right ◽

Demand For Health ◽

Political Decision Making

Planning and adjusting health capacities to meet the needs of refugees is a constant issue for transit and destination countries following the 2015/2016 Western Balkans refugee crisis. Understanding this crisis is important for taking the right steps in the future. The study informs about the prediction of the refugees’ health needs and demands for services in correspondence to political decision-making during 2015/2016 Western Balkan Refugee Crisis. Time series analysis, linear regression, and correlation analyses modelled the weekly flux of arrivals of more than half a million refugees to Serbia and the European Union, changes in the utilization of health care services, and disease diagnoses. With strategic planning, in the event of a recurrence of the refugee crises, the demand for health care services in the transit country could increase by 63 (95% CI: 21–105) for every additional 1000 refugees.

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Are Price, Income, and Education Expenditure Important in the Iranian households' Demand of Healthcare Services: 2011 to 2017?

Evidence Based Health Policy Management and Economics ◽

10.18502/jebhpme.v4i2.3437 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Bahman Ahadinezhad ◽

Omid Khosravizadeh ◽

Najmeh Baghian ◽

Bahareh Mohtashamzadeh ◽

Saeed Shahsavari

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Services ◽

Demand Function ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Investment Model ◽

P Value ◽

Education Expenditure ◽

Health Investment ◽

Care Services ◽

Demand For Health

Background: In health economics, policymakers need to be aware of the individuals' sensitivity and reaction to change effective factors on the healthcare services demand. This study aimed to estimate the healthcare demand function and extract the price, income, and educational elasticity in Iran. Methods: A panel of macro data was used to estimate the demand function. The data included provincial average of the nominal values of Iranian household healthcare and education expenditure, provincial average of their nominal income, and Consumer Price Index values of the healthcare services from 31 provinces during 7 years (2011 to 2017). This information was obtained from the annual Household Budget Survey Reports and no sampling was performed in this research. The dependent variable was the actual amount of demand for health care services. Robust pre-estimation tests and a robust standard error panel regression were run to estimate the demand function in Stata 15. Results: All variables were stationary at the first-order differential (P-value < 0.01). All four variables were co-integrated (P-value < 0.01). The cross-sectional and fixed effects existed for each province (P-value < 0.01). Income and educational expenditure had a positive association with healthcare demand. Price elasticity of demand was -0.897 (P-value < 0.01), income elasticity was 0.491 (P-value < 0.1), and elasticity of education expenditure was 0.486 (P-value < 0.01). Noteworthy, 1 % increase was observed in the household incomes and their educational expenditure increased the demand for health care services by about 0.49 % and 0.48 %, respectively. Conclusion: Healthcare services have been low elastic to price and education expenditure and have also been the essential commodity in the household budget in Iranian households. Later, the price and income coefficients were consistent with the health investment model, but coefficient of the education expenditure was not matched with predictions of the health investment model.

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Modified Palliation in Cancer Patients during COVID-19 Pandemic

Nepalese Journal of Cancer ◽

10.3126/njc.v4i1.31706 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 8-10

Author(s):

Bhawna Wagle ◽

Eliza Koirala

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Palliative Care ◽

Health Care Services ◽

Psychosocial Support ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Vulnerable Groups ◽

Early Palliative Care ◽

Health Delivery ◽

Care Services ◽

Demand For Health

Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID 19) has put huge challenge to the health delivery system all across the globe. The risk of mortality due to COVID 19 is highest on critically ill patients and those with preexisting disease. Palliative and end of life care are no exceptions to the surge in increased demand for health care services. It is now an essential part of global health care. The benefits of early palliative care are already well established. In the pandemic like this, we must not pull back the services, particularly in these vulnerable groups. It is important to determine how best to deliver palliative care during this crisis. It may include preparedness to shift the focus of resources to community level and the innovative use of telemedicine. Use of telemedicine is to ease patients and minimize caregiver distress, and to prevent hospitalizations. The fear of contracting COVID-19 and the emotional burden during diagnosis requires the need of continuous psychosocial support. These challenges should be handled by specialized and skilled interdisciplinary palliative care team.

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Demand for Health Care Services and Child Health Status in Nigeria- A Control Function Approach

African Research Review ◽

10.4314/afrrev.v8i1.18 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 273

Author(s):

AI Adeoti ◽

OA Awoniyi

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Status ◽

Child Health ◽

Health Care Services ◽

Control Function ◽

Care Services ◽

Control Function Approach ◽

Child Health Status ◽

Demand For Health ◽

And Child Health

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Lessons Learned From Hurricane Maria: Pharmacists’ Perspective

Annals of Pharmacotherapy ◽

10.1177/1060028017751691 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 52 (5) ◽

pp. 493-494 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Kyle Melin ◽

Wanda T. Maldonado ◽

Angel López-Candales

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Puerto Rico ◽

Patient Care ◽

Natural Disaster ◽

Chronic Conditions ◽

Health Care Services ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Community Pharmacies ◽

Care Services ◽

Demand For Health

The destruction in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria brought an increased demand for health care services while severely limiting the health care system’s ability to provide patient care. Immediately following the hurricane, countless patients found themselves in a situation without their medications for both acute and chronic conditions. Many of these patients turned first to community pharmacies for access to their medications. In this letter, we describe the response of pharmacists to the needs of their communities following the natural disaster, Hurricane Maria, and summarize some lessons learned from the experience that may be useful in future disaster planning.

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