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Background: The recent crises of bushfires, floods, and the COVID-19 pandemic on the southeast coast of Australia were unprecedented in their extent and intensity. Few studies have investigated responses to cumulative disasters in First Nations communities, despite acknowledgement that these crises disproportionately impact First Nations people. This study was conducted by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal researchers in partnership with Waminda, South Coast Women's Health and Wellbeing Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO). It investigated the collective experiences of people affected by cumulative disasters to identify the practices that support healing, and recovery for Aboriginal communities. The study addresses a knowledge gap of how Waminda, designs, manages and delivers responses to address complex health and social issues in the context of cumulative disasters. Methods: Underpinned by practice theory this study employed Indigenous-informed, narrative inquiry. Culturally-appropriate, multiple interpretive methods were used to collect data including: observations; yarns with Aboriginal community members, yarns with Waminda practitioners, management and board members; interviews-to-the-double, visual images and documentation. The data were collated and analysed using the phases of reflexive thematic analysis. Results: The paper articulates a suite of culturally safe and place-based practices that enhance social, emotional and spiritual well-being following cumulative disasters. These practice bundles include: adopting a Country-centred conception of local communities; being community-led; viewing care as a collective, relational, sociomaterial accomplishment and having fluid boundaries. These practice bundles 'hang together' through organising practices including the Waminda Model of Care, staff wellbeing framework and emergency management plan which orient action and manage risks. The paper demonstrates the need for disaster responses to be community-led and culturally situated. ACCHOs are shown to play a crucial role, and their local responses to immediate community needs are grounded in contextual knowledge and use existing resources rather than relying on mainstream system-wide interventions. Conclusions: The paper suggests crafting responses that focus on assisting communities (re)gain their sense of belonging, hope for the future, control over their lives and their capacities to care for and to be cared for by Country, are key to both enhancing healing, health and well-being and harnessing the strengths of communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: E-health systems have the potential to improve healthcare delivery and access to medical services in resource-constrained settings. Despite its impact, the system exhibits a low level of consumer acceptance and intention to use it. This research paper aims to analyze the intention of health service employees to use e-health systems in southwest Ethiopia using the UTAUT-2 model. Method: Institutional-based cross-sectional studies were conducted at four referral hospitals (two private and two public) to examine the acceptance of e-health among consumers. Employees who had previous experience with diagnostic information systems and the health logistic information system were given structured questionnaires based on the UTAUT-2 model. The data were analyzed using the PLS-SEM method to identify the key factors that influence the intention to use e-health systems. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 and SmartPLS 3 software. Result: Out of the 400 surveyed employees, 225 (56.25%) valid questionnaires were collected. The findings indicate that three factors—effort expectancy (β = 0.276, t = 3.015, p = 0.001), habit (β = 0.309, t = 3.754, p = 0), and performance expectancy (β = 0.179, t = 1.905, p = 0.028)—had a significant positive impact on employees' intention to use e-health systems. On the other hand, factors such as social influence, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation, and price values did not appear as significant predictors of intention to use e-health. The study model was able to predict 63% of employees' intentions to use e-health systems. Conclusion: Effort expectancy, habit, and performance expectancy were significant predictors of employees' intention to use e-health systems among health service employees in southwest Ethiopia. The study supports the ideas that ease of use, experience with information systems, and the role of the systems in improving job performance contribute to employees' intention to use e-health. Policymakers and healthcare organizations in the region can use these findings to develop strategies for successful implementation and adoption of e-health systems, ultimately improving healthcare services and outcomes for the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Upper gastrointestinal cancers (UGICs) are increasingly prevalent. With a poor prognosis and significant longer-term effects, UGICs present significant adjustment challenges for individuals with cancer and their informal caregivers. However, the supportive care needs of these informal caregivers are largely unknown. This systematic review of qualitative studies synthesises and critically evaluates the current evidence base on the experience of informal caregivers of individuals with UGIC. Methods: A Joanna Briggs Institute systematic review was conducted. Searches were performed in four databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, CINAHL) from database inception to February 2021. Included studies explored experiences of informal caregivers of individuals diagnosed with primary cancer of the oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, bile duct, gallbladder, or liver. Studies were independently screened for eligibility and included studies were appraised for quality by two reviewers. Data were extracted and synthesised using meta-aggregation. Results: 19 papers were included in this review, and 328 findings were extracted. These were aggregated into 16 categories across three findings: (1) UGIC caregiver burden; UGIC caregivers undertake extensive responsibilities, especially around patient diet as digestion is severely impacted by UGICs. (2) Mediators of caregiver burden; The nature of UGICs, characterised by disruptive life changes for caregivers, was identified as a mediator for caregiver burden. (3) Consequences of caregiver burden: UGIC caregivers' experiences were shaped by unmet needs, a lack of information and a general decline in social interaction. Conclusions: The findings of this review suggest the need for a cultural shift within health services. Caregiving for UGIC patients is suggested to adversely affect caregivers' quality of life, similarly to other cancer caregiving populations and therefore they should be better incorporated as co-clients in care-planning and execution by including them in discussions about the patient's diagnosis, treatment options, and potential side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Governments worldwide are facing growing pressure to increase transparency, as citizens demand greater insight into decision-making processes and public spending. An example is the release of open healthcare data to researchers, as healthcare is one of the top economic sectors. Significant information systems development and computational experimentation are required to extract meaning and value from these datasets. We use a large open health dataset provided by the New York State Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) containing 2.3 million de-identified patient records. One of the fields in these records is a patient's length of stay (LoS) in a hospital, which is crucial in estimating healthcare costs and planning hospital capacity for future needs. Hence it would be very beneficial for hospitals to be able to predict the LoS early. The area of machine learning offers a potential solution, which is the focus of the current paper. Methods: We investigated multiple machine learning techniques including feature engineering, regression, and classification trees to predict the length of stay (LoS) of all the hospital procedures currently available in the dataset. Whereas many researchers focus on LoS prediction for a specific disease, a unique feature of our model is its ability to simultaneously handle 285 diagnosis codes from the Clinical Classification System (CCS). We focused on the interpretability and explainability of input features and the resulting models. We developed separate models for newborns and non-newborns. Results: The study yields promising results, demonstrating the effectiveness of machine learning in predicting LoS. The best R2 scores achieved are noteworthy: 0.82 for newborns using linear regression and 0.43 for non-newborns using catboost regression. Focusing on cardiovascular disease refines the predictive capability, achieving an improved R2 score of 0.62. The models not only demonstrate high performance but also provide understandable insights. For instance, birth-weight is employed for predicting LoS in newborns, while diagnostic-related group classification proves valuable for non-newborns. Conclusion: Our study showcases the practical utility of machine learning models in predicting LoS during patient admittance. The emphasis on interpretability ensures that the models can be easily comprehended and replicated by other researchers. Healthcare stakeholders, including providers, administrators, and patients, stand to benefit significantly. The findings offer valuable insights for cost estimation and capacity planning, contributing to the overall enhancement of healthcare management and delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Existing evidence suggests that clinician and organisation engagement in research can improve healthcare performance. With the increase in allied health professional (AHP) research activity, it is imperative for healthcare organisations, clinicians, managers, and leaders to understand research engagement specifically within allied health fields. This systematic review aims to examine the value of research engagement by allied health professionals and organisations on healthcare performance. Methods: This systematic review had a two-stage search strategy. Firstly, the papers from a previous systematic review examining the effect of research engagement in healthcare were screened to identify papers published pre-2012. Secondly, a multi-database search was used to conduct a re-focused update of the previous review, focusing specifically on allied health to identify publications from 2012–2021. Studies which examined the value of allied health research engagement on healthcare performance were included. All stages of the review were conducted by two reviewers independently. Each study was assessed using the appropriate Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool. A narrative synthesis was completed to analyse the similarities and differences between and within the different study types. Results: Twenty-two studies were included, comprising of mixed research designs, of which six were ranked as high importance. The findings indicated that AHP research engagement appears related to positive findings in improvements to processes of care. The review also identified the most common mechanisms which may link research engagement with these improvements. Discussion: This landmark systematic review and narrative synthesis suggests value in AHP research engagement in terms of both processes of care and more tentatively, of healthcare outcomes. While caution is required because of the lack of robust research studies, overall the findings support the agenda for growing AHP research. Recommendations are made to improve transparent reporting of AHP research engagement and to contribute essential evidence of the value of AHP research engagement. Trial registration: This systematic review protocol was registered with the international prospective register of systematic reviews, PROSPERO (registration number CRD42021253461). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the past 40 years, China has experienced tremendous economic development, but the current situation of hematologists has rarely been reported. A landscape survey of human resources is essential for healthcare development and policy formulation in the future. Methods: The Chinese Society of Hematology initiated a survey of Chinese hematologists in mainland China for evaluating demographic and practice characteristics. Respondents were anonymous, and there were no limitations regarding their age, sex, etc. Results: Totally 2032 hematologists responded, with a median age bracket of 36–45 years. Respondents were well engaged into subspecialties, and 28.1% acquired doctorates of philosophy. Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) centers have been established all over China. Higher-GDP regions reported more advantages, including bigger scale of transplant centers (P < 0.001), younger age structure (P = 0.039), better education qualifications (P = 0.001) and less turnover intentions (P = 0.004), despite of increased risk of medical disputes (P = 0.028). Although females accounted for 65.5% of hematologists, males were older (P < 0.001), and had more senior professional titles (P < 0.001), academic positions (P < 0.001), opportunities for continuing education (P < 0.001), and paper publishing in the recent two years (P = 0.001). For turnover intention, the higher GDP regions led to an independently reduced risk (HR = 0.673, 95%CI [0.482–0.940], P = 0.020), whereas medical disputes resulted in an increased the risk (HR = 2.037, 95%CI [1.513–2.743], P < 0.001). Considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, majority of respondents believed that the decline in patient visits and delay in treatment was within 30%. 67.9% of respondents reported a decrease of the use of bone marrow as grafts but 18.8% reported an increase of cord blood units. 35.0% of the respondents switched their daily work to support the anti-epidemic medical activities. Conclusions: We concluded the discipline of hematology in China has flourished in recent years with a young workforce, while regional economic and gender disparities warrant further continuous optimization. Joint efforts against the impact of COVID-19 are needed in the post-pandemic era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the panel data of 31 provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions) in China from 2012 to 2019, this paper constructs the evaluation index system of basic medical and health services in China from seven dimensions: medical and health facilities, health expenditure, medical services, traditional Chinese medicine hospital services, maternal and child health care, people's health and medical security, disease control and public health. The entropy method was used to measure the level of basic medical and health services in China, and its spatial differences and convergence characteristics were further investigated. In this study, we employ the entropy weight method, σ convergence, and β convergence as our primary methodologies. The entropy weight method is used to evaluate the variability of each indicator, determine the weights of indicators, and quantify the information content of the data. σ convergence illustrates the process by which the variance of a sample decreases over time. β convergence refers to the gradual approach of variables within an economic system towards their long-term equilibrium level over time. The results show that: (1) The scores of basic medical and health services in China's four major regions (including Northeast, East, Central and West) remain in a relatively stable state, with small fluctuations and great room for improvement; (2) There are significant regional differences in the level of basic medical and health services in China, and the intra-regional differences are much greater than the inter-regional differences; (3) There is no significant σ convergence observed in China and its four major regions; however, there is a notable presence of β convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is increasing awareness that regardless of the proven value of clinical interventions, the use of effective strategies to implement such interventions into clinical practice is necessary to ensure that patients receive the benefits. However, there is often confusion between what is the clinical intervention and what is the implementation intervention. This may be caused by a lack of conceptual clarity between 'intervention' and 'implementation', yet at other times by ambiguity in application. We suggest that both the scientific and the clinical communities would benefit from greater clarity; therefore, in this paper, we address the concepts of intervention and implementation, primarily as in clinical interventions and implementation interventions, and explore the grey area in between.Discussion: To begin, we consider the similarities, differences and potential greyness between clinical interventions and implementation interventions through an overview of concepts. This is illustrated with reference to two examples of clinical interventions and implementation intervention studies, including the potential ambiguity in between. We then discuss strategies to explore the hybridity of clinical-implementation intervention studies, including the role of theories, frameworks, models, and reporting guidelines that can be applied to help clarify the clinical and implementation intervention, respectively.Conclusion: Semantics provide opportunities for improved precision in depicting what is 'intervention' and what is 'implementation' in health care research. Further, attention to study design, the use of theory, and adoption of reporting guidelines can assist in distinguishing between the clinical intervention and the implementation intervention. However, certain aspects may remain unclear in analyses of hybrid studies of clinical and implementation interventions. Recognizing this potential greyness can inform further discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Existing evidence suggests that clinician and organisation engagement in research can improve healthcare performance. With the increase in allied health professional (AHP) research activity, it is imperative for healthcare organisations, clinicians, managers, and leaders to understand research engagement specifically within allied health fields. This systematic review aims to examine the value of research engagement by allied health professionals and organisations on healthcare performance. Methods: This systematic review had a two-stage search strategy. Firstly, the papers from a previous systematic review examining the effect of research engagement in healthcare were screened to identify papers published pre-2012. Secondly, a multi-database search was used to conduct a re-focused update of the previous review, focusing specifically on allied health to identify publications from 2012–2021. Studies which examined the value of allied health research engagement on healthcare performance were included. All stages of the review were conducted by two reviewers independently. Each study was assessed using the appropriate Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool. A narrative synthesis was completed to analyse the similarities and differences between and within the different study types. Results: Twenty-two studies were included, comprising of mixed research designs, of which six were ranked as high importance. The findings indicated that AHP research engagement appears related to positive findings in improvements to processes of care. The review also identified the most common mechanisms which may link research engagement with these improvements. Discussion: This landmark systematic review and narrative synthesis suggests value in AHP research engagement in terms of both processes of care and more tentatively, of healthcare outcomes. While caution is required because of the lack of robust research studies, overall the findings support the agenda for growing AHP research. Recommendations are made to improve transparent reporting of AHP research engagement and to contribute essential evidence of the value of AHP research engagement. Trial registration: This systematic review protocol was registered with the international prospective register of systematic reviews, PROSPERO (registration number CRD42021253461). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Existing evidence suggests that clinician and organisation engagement in research can improve healthcare performance. With the increase in allied health professional (AHP) research activity, it is imperative for healthcare organisations, clinicians, managers, and leaders to understand research engagement specifically within allied health fields. This systematic review aims to examine the value of research engagement by allied health professionals and organisations on healthcare performance. Methods: This systematic review had a two-stage search strategy. Firstly, the papers from a previous systematic review examining the effect of research engagement in healthcare were screened to identify papers published pre-2012. Secondly, a multi-database search was used to conduct a re-focused update of the previous review, focusing specifically on allied health to identify publications from 2012–2021. Studies which examined the value of allied health research engagement on healthcare performance were included. All stages of the review were conducted by two reviewers independently. Each study was assessed using the appropriate Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool. A narrative synthesis was completed to analyse the similarities and differences between and within the different study types. Results: Twenty-two studies were included, comprising of mixed research designs, of which six were ranked as high importance. The findings indicated that AHP research engagement appears related to positive findings in improvements to processes of care. The review also identified the most common mechanisms which may link research engagement with these improvements. Discussion: This landmark systematic review and narrative synthesis suggests value in AHP research engagement in terms of both processes of care and more tentatively, of healthcare outcomes. While caution is required because of the lack of robust research studies, overall the findings support the agenda for growing AHP research. Recommendations are made to improve transparent reporting of AHP research engagement and to contribute essential evidence of the value of AHP research engagement. Trial registration: This systematic review protocol was registered with the international prospective register of systematic reviews, PROSPERO (registration number CRD42021253461). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hospital chief financial officer (CFO) plays a vital role in supporting the effective management of organization. Understanding their competencies is essential to improve hospital development and health care services in China. This paper aims to explore competencies necessary for hospital CFOs to fulfil their management responsibilities and develop a competency framework for hospital CFOs in China. Methods: A qualitative study was applied by conducting in-depth interviews with 151 participants from 15 Chinese provinces, comprising 89 individuals from 67 hospitals, and 62 individuals from 39 medical universities. Interviews were anonymised, recorded and transcribed. Qualitative thematic analysis was applied through a multi-stage review process and modified via the Delphi process using a national panel of 36 experts. Results: Using content analysis, we identified 17 competencies organized into three themes (personal attitudes, leadership competencies and managerial competencies) to conduct a competency framework for hospital CFO to fulfil their management practices. Those competencies emphasized the integration of different competencies required by the hospital CFO. Conclusions: This paper identified the detailed expertise, abilities and personal traits required by hospital CFOs in China, expanding the insights and perspectives of hospital CFOs currently working in China to literature. The proposed framework will help hospitals establish selection criteria, coaching tools, and development plans for CFOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This scoping review aims to systematically and critically describe the numerous legal challenges brought about by the utilization of digital oral health in the delivery of oral healthcare. Methods: A systematic search was conducted. The following electronic databases were reviewed from inception up to March 2023: MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and LILACS. The search included any scientific document and paper in English, Spanish, or Portuguese on legal issues raised using digital health in oral healthcare delivery. Two reviewers conducted the selection process and data extraction. Legal issues raised concerning the adoption of digital health technology were analysed using the modified Mars' framework. Results: Seventeen studies were included. Most of the documents identified and covered generic aspects of delivering digital oral healthcare (n = 11) without explicitly referring to any dental specialty. The most mentioned legal issues were data security (n = 15); liability and malpractice (n = 14); consent (n = 12); and confidentiality (n = 12). To a lower extent, patient-practitioner relationship (n = 11); and license and jurisdiction (n = 11) were also covered. These were followed by privacy of information (n = 10); adequacy of records (n = 9); and e-referrals (n = 8). On the other hand, fewer studies commented on social media use (n = 3), authentication (n = 2); or e-prescriptions (n = 2). Before implementing any digital health solution, practitioners need to be aware of the many legal issues that the introduction of these technologies involves, be clear where the responsibility lies, and apply extreme caution in following national guidelines. Current literature concentrates on a few well-known legal issues. Issues around authentication, use of social media, and e-prescriptions received less attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Implementation science and health services outcomes research each focus on many constructs that are likely interrelated. Both fields would be informed by increased understanding of these relationships. However, there has been little to no investigation of the relationships between implementation outcomes and service outcomes, despite general acknowledgement that both types of outcomes are important in the pathway to individual and population health outcomes. Given the lack of objective data about the links between implementation and service outcomes, an initial step in elucidating these relationships is to assess perceptions of these relationships among researchers and practitioners in relevant fields. The purpose of this paper is to assess perceived relationships between Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework outcomes and service outcomes, testing five a priori hypotheses about which perceived relationships may be strongest. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was administered to a convenience sample of implementation scientists, health services researchers, and public health and medical practitioners from a variety of settings. Respondents provided information on their discipline, training, practice and research settings, and levels of experience in health service outcomes research, implementation science, and the RE-AIM framework. Next, they rated perceived relationships between RE-AIM and service outcomes. Repeated measures analysis of variance were used to test a priori hypotheses. Exploratory analyses assessed potential differences in mean ratings across groups of respondents categorized by discipline, setting, and levels of implementation science, health services, and RE-AIM experience. Results: Surveys were completed by 259 respondents, most of whom were employed in academic and medical settings. The majority were doctoral-level researchers and educators or physicians. Reported levels of experience with implementation research, health services research, and the RE-AIM framework varied. The strongest perceived relationships overall were between Implementation/Fidelity and Effectiveness (as a service outcome); Maintenance and Efficiency; Reach and Equity; Adoption and Equity; Implementation/Adaptation and Patient-Centeredness; Adoption and Patient-Centeredness; and Implementation/Fidelity and Safety. All but one of the a priori hypotheses were supported. No significant differences in ratings of perceived relationships were observed among subgroups of respondents. Conclusions: This study is an initial step in developing conceptual understanding of the links between implementation outcomes, health services outcomes, and health outcomes. Our findings on perceived relationships between RE-AIM and services outcomes suggest some areas of focus and identify several areas for future research to advance both implementation science and health services research toward common goals of improving health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The restrictions introduced to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus have also had a direct impact on people with chronic diseases and especially on diseases to which lifestyles are relevant in their control and management, such as diabetes, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), etc. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a longitudinal analysis of new comorbidities, mortality, medication use, and the use of health resources in patients with chronic diseases who did not contract COVID-19, comparing the six months before the strict lockdown to the 12 months following the end of the strict lockdown. Method: An observational real world data pre-post study of 668,974 people was undertaken. The patients studied were over 16 years of age, had been receiving care from the Aragon Health Service (Northeastern Spain), were diagnosed with one or more chronic diseases, and had not contracted COVID-19. Sociodemographic, comorbidity, pharmacological and health resource use variables were collected during the six months before the onset of the lockdown and during the six and 12 months following the end of the lockdown. The comparisons by sex were carried out using a Student T-test or chi-squared test to analyse differences. Results: Dyslipidaemia (42.1%) followed by hypertension (35.1%) and anxiety and depression (34.6%) were the most prevalent chronic diseases among the study population. 78.% of patients had between one and four chronic illnesses. There was a decrease in new diagnoses of other chronic comorbidities in this population and a decrease in medications prescribed and the use of health services. Although women received more diagnoses of chronic diseases, the number of medications dispensed was lower, but the use of health services was higher. These figures were maintained throughout the pandemic. Conclusion: Our results suggest an underdiagnosis of new chronic comorbidities and a decrease in mortality rates from causes unrelated to COVID-19 due to the closure of health centres in Aragón (Spain) during the lockdown. This trend was exacerbated in women. The underdiagnosis of new chronic comorbidities during confinement can cause the disease to worsen, with the consequent increase in symptoms and the worsening of chronic pathologies in patients with a severe evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: During the COVID-19 pandemic new collaborative-care initiatives were developed for treating and monitoring COVID-19 patients with oxygen at home. Aim was to provide a structured overview focused on differences and similarities of initiatives of acute home-based management in the Netherlands. Methods: Initiatives were eligible for evaluation if (i) COVID-19 patients received oxygen treatment at home; (ii) patients received structured remote monitoring; (iii) it was not an 'early hospital discharge' program; (iv) at least one patient was included. Protocols were screened, and additional information was obtained from involved physicians. Design choices were categorised into: eligible patient group, organization medical care, remote monitoring, nursing care, and devices used. Results: Nine initiatives were screened for eligibility; five were included. Three initiatives included low-risk patients and two were designed specifically for frail patients. Emergency department (ED) visit for an initial diagnostic work-up and evaluation was mandatory in three initiatives before starting home management. Medical responsibility was either assigned to the general practitioner or hospital specialist, most often pulmonologist or internist. Pulse-oximetry was used in all initiatives, with additional monitoring of heart rate and respiratory rate in three initiatives. Remote monitoring staff's qualification and authority varied, and organization and logistics were covered by persons with various backgrounds. All initiatives offered remote monitoring via an application, two also offered a paper diary option. Conclusions: We observed differences in the organization of interprofessional collaboration for acute home management of hypoxemic COVID-19 patients. All initiatives used pulse-oximetry and an app for remote monitoring. Our overview may be of help to healthcare providers and organizations to set up and implement similar acute home management initiatives for critical episodes of COVID-19 (or other acute disorders) that would otherwise require hospital care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This document describes two qualitative programmatic case studies documenting experiences implementing digital financial services (DFS) for health with a focus on expanding access to universal health coverage (UHC). The CBHI 3MS system in Rwanda and the i-PUSH and Medical Credit Fund programs in Kenya were selected because they represent innovative use of digital financing technologies to support UHC programs at scale. Methods: These studies were conducted from April-August 2021 as part of a broader digital financial services landscape assessment that used a mixed methods process evaluation to answer three questions: 1) what was the experience implementing the program, 2) how was it perceived to influence health systems performance, and 3) what was the client/beneficiary experience? Qualitative interviews involved a range of engaged stakeholders, including implementers, developers, and clients/users from the examined programs in both countries. Secondary data were used to describe key program trends. Results: Respondents agreed that DFS contributed to health system performance by making systems more responsive, enabling programs to implement changes to digital services based on new laws or client-proposed features, and improving access to quality data for better management and improved quality of services. Key informants and secondary data confirmed that both implementations likely contributed to increasing health insurance coverage; however, other changes in market dynamics were also likely to influence these changes. Program managers and some beneficiaries praised the utility of digital functions, compared to paper-based systems, and noted their effect on individual savings behavior to contribute to household resilience. Discussion/Conclusions: Several implementation considerations emerged as facilitators or barriers to successful implementation of DFS for health, including the importance of multisectoral investments in general ICT infrastructure, the value of leveraging existing community resources (CHWs and mobile money agents) to boost enrollment and help overcome the digital divide, and the significance of developing trust across government and private sector organizations. The studies led to the development of five main recommendations for the design and implementation of health programs incorporating DFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Historically, efforts to improved healthcare provisions have focussed on learning from and understanding what went wrong during adverse events. More recently, however, there has been a growing interest in seeking to improve healthcare quality through promoting and strengthening resilience in healthcare, in light of the range of changes and challenges to which healthcare providers are subjected. So far, several approaches for strengthening resilience performance have been suggested, such as reflection and simulation. However, there is a lack of studies that appraise the range of existing learning tools, the purposes for which they are designed, and the types of learning activities they comprise. The aim of this rapid scoping review is to identify the characteristics of currently available learning tools designed to translate organizational resilience into healthcare practice. Methods: A rapid scoping review approach was used to identify, collect, and synthesise information describing the characteristics of currently available learning tools designed to translate organizational resilience into healthcare practice. EMBASE and Medline Ovid were searched in May 2022 for articles published between 2012 and 2022. Results: The review identified six different learning tools such as serious games and checklists to guide reflection, targeting different stakeholders, in various healthcare settings. The tools, typically, promoted self-reflection either individually or collaboratively in groups. Evaluations of these tools found them to be useful and supportive of resilience; however, what constitutes resilience was often difficult to discern, particularly the organizational aspect. It became evident from these studies that careful planning and support were needed for their successful implementation. Conclusions: The tools that are available for review are based on guidelines, checklists, or serious games, all of which offer to prompt either self-reflection or group reflections related to different forms of adaptations that are being performed. In this paper, we propose that more guided reflections mirroring the complexity of resilience in healthcare, along with an interprofessional collaborative and guided approach, are needed for these tools to be enacted effectively to realise change in practice. Future studies also need to explore how tools are perceived, used, and understood in multi-site, multi-level studies with a range of different participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Until now, scholarship on innovation processes in healthcare systems lack an in-depth appreciation of tensions. Tensions often revolve around barriers and result from individual assessments and prioritizations that guide actions to eventually overcome these barriers. In order to develop a more differentiated understanding of tensions' role in healthcare innovation processes, this paper aims to shed light on the multifaceted ways in which tensions emerge, are being dealt with, and how they hinder or, at times, facilitate innovation processes.Methods: A systematic review of published and grey literature was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guideline. The review involved searching three databases for original research articles and manually searching citations. Twenty-nine original full texts were identified, evaluated, and coded. These include papers on innovation in healthcare systems that investigated innovation-related organizational tensions. The findings were synthesized into different types of tensions in healthcare system innovation and the descriptions of the conflicting elements. We also analyzed the investigated innovations by type, process stages, and across different countries and healthcare systems.Results: A total of forty-two tensions were identified and grouped into nine categories. Organizing tensions were predominant, followed by learning/belonging, performing, and performing/organizing tensions. Tensions most frequently occurred in the implementation phase and in the form of a dilemma. Included studies were conducted mainly in government-funded healthcare systems.Conclusion: Our data suggest that innovation processes in healthcare systems are impaired by conflicts between contradictory elements, working cultures, and convictions and the organizational and regulatory context. Since the majority of the tensions we collected in our study can be addressed, future policy-making and research should take advantage of this fact and develop strategies that significantly influence the successful management of tensions and thus improve the implementation of innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This scoping review focuses on infant sleep-related factors and themes that are relevant when health practitioners provide preventive health services to expectant and new parents.Methods: A systematic literature search in CINAHL, PubMed, and PsycINFO, published in 2010 or later, identified 1661 records. The search was further narrowed to focus on sleep in healthy term-born infants until the second half of the first year of life. A blinded review by both authors covered 136 papers, of which 43 papers were reviewed in the full text. Finally, 38 articles were included in the data extraction.Results: The analysis process showed that the selected studies formed three main information categories: 11 studies thematised safe infant sleep issues, 10 studies described design and findings from sleep-related intervention studies, and 17 studies focused on different parent-child interactive aspects that may influence the quality and duration of infant sleep in the first six months of life. The main finding is that knowledge about early infant sleep is very complex, and includes both child, parent, and environmental factors. Several studies have shown that the concepts and factors related to safe infant sleep also influence the development of healthy infant sleep patterns. Thus, these aspects are interwoven with each other and should be addressed together in communication with parents.Conclusions: Health practitioners with different professional backgrounds need to search for an agreement on when and how different aspects of sleep-related knowledge should be communicated to new and expectant parents to enable the design of national follow-up programs. Parents want coherent and personalized services regarding infant sleep issues that may allow them to choose sleeping arrangements, routines, and behaviors that fit in with their sociocultural attitudes and traditions. Many different sources and formats may be used to empower parents regarding infant sleep issues. Studies have described the use of group or individual meetings, videos, and written materials. The key issue is the importance of consistent and seamless knowledge-based services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research studies as well as anecdotal evidence suggest that there are challenges regarding the NHI plan implementation. These include problems such as an increase in illnesses and a shortage of personnel to drive the project in South African public hospitals. This is exacerbated by the existing situation of most government-funded healthcare institutions, which are characterized by bad administration, insufficient budget, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient drug supply, as highlighted in several studies. The hospital under investigation is one such facility, with a history of patients sleeping on the floor and people being turned away owing to a shortage of experts and an overburdened staff. This situation is concerning, given that the government claims to be providing appropriate funds to the institution. The hospital under research is highly regarded by the surrounding community. However, a visit by the Health MEC in 2014 revealed that the facility had insufficient sanitary standards and a high complaint rate. Based on the foregoing, as well as the difficulties that both employees and patients are confronted with at the  selected hospital, the question that emerges is whether the hospital is fit for the implementation of the NHI.Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the preparation for the launch of the national health insurance scheme at a Johannesburg hospital.Setting: The study was conducted at a hospital situated in eastern suburbs of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.Method: The study employed a qualitative method with an explorative, descriptive, qualitative study design. The population consisted of selected hospital employees, such as doctors, dispensary officers, hospital managers, human resources workers, facility managers, and administration record officials who were employed at the selected hospital. Purposive sampling was used to select participants.Sample Size: Category saturation was used to determine the sample size. The participants for the study were chosen using purposeful sampling, with the researcher aiming for those who were familiar with the NHI scheme at the institution. Semi structured interviews and a focus group discussion were used to gather data. The data from the focus group discussion and semi-structured interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.Results: The investigation found that the hospital was preparing to for the NHI implementation, but that was riddled with lack of resources, poor infrastructure, lack of training, delays in development and poor technological advances.Recommendations: The paper suggests that human resources be increased, infrastructure be upgraded, medicines and equipment be increased, and enough training on NHI implementation be provided.Contribution: The paper adds to the body of knowledge regarding the NHI in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a consensus among healthcare providers, academics, and policy-makers that spiraling demand and diminishing resources are threatening the sustainability of the current healthcare system. Different telemedicine services are seen as potential solutions to the current challenges in healthcare. This paper aims to identify how distance monitoring services rendered for patients with chronic conditions can affect the escalating demand for healthcare. First, we identify how distance monitoring service changes the care delivery process using the lens of service cocreation. Next, we analyze how these changes can impact healthcare demand using the literature on demand and capacity management.Method: In this qualitative study, we explore a distance monitoring service in a primary healthcare setting in Norway. We collected primary data from nurses and general physicians using the semi-structured interview technique. We used secondary patient data collected from a study conducted to evaluate the distance monitoring project. The deductive content analysis method was used to analyze the data.Result: This study shows that the application of distance monitoring services changes the care delivery process by creating new activities, new channels for interaction, and new roles for patients, general physicians, and nurses. We define patients' roles as proactive providers of health information, general physicians' roles as patient selectors, and nurses' roles as technical coordinators, data workers, and empathetic listeners. Thus, the co-creation aspect of the service becomes more prominent demonstrating potential for better management of healthcare demand. However, these changes also render the management of demand and resources more complex. To reduce the complexities, we propose three mechanisms: foreseeing and managing new roles, developing capabilities, and adopting a system-wide perspective.Conclusion: The main contribution of the paper is that it demonstrates that, although distance monitoring services have the potential to have a positive impact on healthcare demand management, in the absence of adequate managerial mechanisms, they can also adversely affect healthcare demand management. This study provides a means for practitioners to reflect upon and refine the decisions that they make regarding telemedicine deployment and resource planning for delivering care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID-19 caused disruption to healthcare services globally, resulting in high numbers of hospital admissions and with those discharged often requiring ongoing support. Within the UK, post-discharge services typically developed organically and were shaped over time by local need, funding, and government guidance. Drawing on the Moments of Resilience framework, we explore the development of follow-up services for hospitalised patients by considering the links between resilience at different system levels over time. This study contributes to the resilient healthcare literature by providing empirical evidence of how diverse stakeholders developed and adapted services for patients following hospitalisation with COVID-19 and how action taken at one system level influenced another. Methods: Qualitative research comprising comparative case studies based on interviews. Across three purposively selected case studies (two in England, one in Wales) a total of 33 semi-structured interviews were conducted with clinical staff, managers and commissioners who had been involved in developing and/or implementing post-hospitalisation follow-up services. The interviews were audio-recorded and professionally transcribed. Analysis was conducted with the aid of NVivo 12. Results: Case studies demonstrated three distinct examples of how healthcare organisations developed and adapted their post-discharge care provision for patients, post-hospitalisation with COVID-19. Initially, the moral distress of witnessing the impact of COVID-19 on patients who were being discharged coupled with local demand gave clinical staff the impetus to take action. Clinical staff and managers worked closely to plan and deliver organisations' responses. Funding availability and other contextual factors influenced situated and immediate responses and structural adaptations to the post-hospitalisation services. As the pandemic evolved, NHS England and the Welsh government provided funding and guidance for systemic adaptations to post-COVID assessment clinics. Over time, adaptations made at the situated, structural, and systemic levels influenced the resilience and sustainability of services. Conclusions: This paper addresses understudied, yet inherently important, aspects of resilience in healthcare by exploring when and where resilience occurs across the healthcare system and how action taken at one system level influenced another. Comparison across the case studies showed that organisations responded in similar and different ways and on varying timescales to a disruption and national level strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Discordance between patient and clinician perceived urgency may drive "inappropriate" presentations to after-hours medical services. This paper investigates the level of agreement between patient and clinicians' perceptions of urgency and safety to wait for an assessment at after-hours primary care services in the ACT. Methods: Cross-sectional survey voluntarily completed by patients and then clinicians at after-hours medical services in May/June, 2019. Agreement between patients and clinicians is measured by Fleiss kappa. Agreement is presented overall, within specific categories of urgency and safety to wait, and by after-hours service type. Results: 888 matched records were available from the dataset. Overall inter-observer agreement between patients and clinicians on the urgency of presentations was slight (Fleiss kappa = 0.166; 95% CI 0.117–0.215, p < 0.001). Agreement within specific ratings of urgency ranged from very poor to fair. Overall inter-rater agreement on how long it would be safe to wait for assessment was fair (Fleiss kappa = 0.209; 95% CI 0.165–0.253, p < 0.001). Agreement within specific ratings ranged from poor to fair. By site type, agreement between patients and clinicians on urgency ranged from not significant to fair and agreement for safety to wait ranged from very poor to slight. Agreement on urgency of issue was more often reported among patients attending their usual health service or seeing their usual clinician compared to patients attending an unfamiliar health service or clinician (χ2(1) = 7.283, p = 0.007 and χ2(1) = 16.268, p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions: Low levels of agreement between patients and clinicians on perceived urgency and safety to wait for issues to be assessed indicate potential inefficiency in primary care use after-hours. Agreement on urgency of issues was more common among patients attending a familiar health service or familiar clinician. Improving health literacy, particularly health system literacy, and supporting continuity of care may help to support patients to engage with the most appropriate level of care at the most appropriate time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Planning discharges from subacute care facilities is becoming increasingly complex due to an ageing population and a high demand on services. The use of non-standardised assessments to determine a patient's readiness for discharge places a heavy reliance on a clinician's judgement which can be influenced by system pressures, past experiences and team dynamics. The current literature focusses heavily on discharge-readiness from clinicians' perspectives and in the acute care setting. This paper aimed to explore the perceptions of discharge-readiness from the perspectives of key stakeholders in subacute care: inpatients, family members, clinicians and managers. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted, exploring the views of inpatients (n = 16), family members (n = 16), clinicians (n = 17) and managers (n = 12). Participants with cognitive deficits and those who did not speak English were excluded from this study. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted and audio-recorded. Following transcription, inductive thematic analysis was completed. Results: Participants identified that there are both patient-related and environmental factors that influence discharge-readiness. Patient-related factors discussed included continence, functional mobility, cognition, pain and medication management skills. Environmental factors centred around the discharge (home) environment, and were suggested to include a safe physical environment alongside a robust social environment which was suggested to assist to fill any gaps in functional capabilities (i.e. patient-related factors). Conclusions: These findings make a unique contribution to the literature by providing a thorough exploration of determining discharge-readiness as a combined narrative from the perspectives from key stakeholders. Findings from this qualitative study identified key personal and environmental factors influencing patients' discharge-readiness, which may allow health services to streamline the determination of discharge-readiness from subacute care. Understanding how these factors might be assessed within a discharge pathway warrants further attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Disruptions in essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic have been reported in several countries. Yet, patterns in health service disruption according to country responses remain unclear. In this paper, we investigate associations between the stringency of COVID-19 containment policies and disruptions in 31 health services in 10 low- middle- and high-income countries in 2020. Methods: Using routine health information systems and administrative data from 10 countries (Chile, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mexico, Nepal, South Africa, South Korea, and Thailand) we estimated health service disruptions for the period of April to December 2020 by dividing monthly service provision at national levels by the average service provision in the 15 months pre-COVID (January 2019-March 2020). We used the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT) index and multi-level linear regression analyses to assess associations between the stringency of restrictions and health service disruptions over nine months. We extended the analysis by examining associations between 11 individual containment or closure policies and health service disruptions. Models were adjusted for COVID caseload, health service category and country GDP and included robust standard errors. Findings: Chronic disease care was among the most affected services. Regression analyses revealed that a 10% increase in the mean stringency index was associated with a 3.3 percentage-point (95% CI -3.9, -2.7) reduction in relative service volumes. Among individual policies, curfews, and the presence of a state of emergency, had the largest coefficients and were associated with 14.1 (95% CI -19.6, 8.7) and 10.7 (95% CI -12.7, -8.7) percentage-point lower relative service volumes, respectively. In contrast, number of COVID-19 cases in 2020 was not associated with health service disruptions in any model. Conclusions: Although containment policies were crucial in reducing COVID-19 mortality in many contexts, it is important to consider the indirect effects of these restrictions. Strategies to improve the resilience of health systems should be designed to ensure that populations can continue accessing essential health care despite the presence of containment policies during future infectious disease outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the English NHS, integrated care is seen as an opportunity to deliver joined-up care for children and families. This paper examines the lessons learnt by professional stakeholders in the process of developing different examples of integrated models of care/frameworks for children's services. Methods: Initial desk research was undertaken to identify different examples of integrated care models and systems/frameworks for children's services. This identified forty-three examples in England. Of these, twelve examples were shortlisted after consultation with the senior managers within the Health and Care Partnership that had commissioned the research, and a more detailed online search for published documents was undertaken. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were then conducted with sixteen professional stakeholders in eight of these examples, ranging from one to four interviewees per example. Interviews focused on the lessons learnt from integrating and transforming services. Data were analysed using framework analysis. Results: The eight examples vary in their design but have several broad commonalities. A number of common themes and learning have emerged, of which two were identified within all eight examples: the first is about focusing on children and young people; the second is about focusing on partner engagement and collaboration and the importance of building trust and relationships between partners. A number of other important themes also emerged together with several challenges. Conclusions: A number of common factors were identified that are essential to success in integrating health and care systems. Common across all localities were being child-centric and focusing on child outcomes plus the importance of building trust, engagement and relationships with partners. The findings can help health and care system leaders transform services to ensure efficiency, improvement in services and integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine whether exempting people (with high health needs and living in areas of high deprivation) from a $5 prescription charge reduces hospital use. Design: Two-group parallel prospective randomised controlled trial. Setting: People living in the community in various regions of New Zealand. Participants: One thousand sixty one people who lived in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation, and either took medicines for diabetes, took antipsychotic medicines, or had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Of the 1053 who completed the study, just under half (49%) were Māori. Interventions: Participants were individually randomized (1–1 ratio) to either be exempted from the standard $5 charge per prescription item for one year (2020-2021) (n = 591) or usual care (n = 469). Those in the intervention group did not pay the standard NZ$5 charge, and pharmacies billed the study for these. Participants continued to pay any other costs for prescription medicines. Those in the control group continued to pay all prescription charges for the year although they may have received one-off assistance from other agencies. Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was length of stay (hospital bed-days). Secondary outcomes presented in this paper included: all-cause hospitalisations, hospitalisations for diabetes/mental health problems/COPD, deaths, and emergency department visits. Results: The trial was under-powered because the recruitment target was not met. There was no statistically significant reduction in the primary outcome, hospital bed-days (IRR = 0.68, CI: 0.54 to 1.05). Participants in the intervention group were significantly less likely to be hospitalised during the study year than those in the control group (OR = 0.70, CI: 0.54 to 0.90). There were statistically significant reductions in the number of hospital admissions for mental health problems (IRR = 0.39, CI: 0.17 to 0.92), the number of admissions for COPD (IRR = 0.37, CI: 0.16 to 0.85), and length of stay for COPD (IRR 0.20, CI: 0.07 to 0.60). Apart from all-cause mortality and diabetes length of stay, all measures were better for the intervention group than the control group. Conclusions: Eliminating a small co-payment appears to have had a substantial effect on patients' risk of being hospitalised. Given the small amount of revenue gathered from the charges, and the comparative large costs of hospitalisations, the results suggest that these charges are likely to increase the overall cost of healthcare, as well as exacerbate ethnic inequalities. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12618001486213 registered on 04/09/2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine whether exempting people (with high health needs and living in areas of high deprivation) from a $5 prescription charge reduces hospital use. Design: Two-group parallel prospective randomised controlled trial. Setting: People living in the community in various regions of New Zealand. Participants: One thousand sixty one people who lived in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation, and either took medicines for diabetes, took antipsychotic medicines, or had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Of the 1053 who completed the study, just under half (49%) were Māori. Interventions: Participants were individually randomized (1–1 ratio) to either be exempted from the standard $5 charge per prescription item for one year (2020-2021) (n = 591) or usual care (n = 469). Those in the intervention group did not pay the standard NZ$5 charge, and pharmacies billed the study for these. Participants continued to pay any other costs for prescription medicines. Those in the control group continued to pay all prescription charges for the year although they may have received one-off assistance from other agencies. Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was length of stay (hospital bed-days). Secondary outcomes presented in this paper included: all-cause hospitalisations, hospitalisations for diabetes/mental health problems/COPD, deaths, and emergency department visits. Results: The trial was under-powered because the recruitment target was not met. There was no statistically significant reduction in the primary outcome, hospital bed-days (IRR = 0.68, CI: 0.54 to 1.05). Participants in the intervention group were significantly less likely to be hospitalised during the study year than those in the control group (OR = 0.70, CI: 0.54 to 0.90). There were statistically significant reductions in the number of hospital admissions for mental health problems (IRR = 0.39, CI: 0.17 to 0.92), the number of admissions for COPD (IRR = 0.37, CI: 0.16 to 0.85), and length of stay for COPD (IRR 0.20, CI: 0.07 to 0.60). Apart from all-cause mortality and diabetes length of stay, all measures were better for the intervention group than the control group. Conclusions: Eliminating a small co-payment appears to have had a substantial effect on patients' risk of being hospitalised. Given the small amount of revenue gathered from the charges, and the comparative large costs of hospitalisations, the results suggest that these charges are likely to increase the overall cost of healthcare, as well as exacerbate ethnic inequalities. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12618001486213 registered on 04/09/2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent research, which explored the use of Quality Improvement (QI) methods in the Covid-19 pandemic response, found that Quality Improvement principles were utilised during the crisis management period, albeit without direct intention. Following on from this work, the aim of this paper extends that study by investigating the sustainability and resilience of not only the changes implemented by healthcare staff during Covid-19 in Ireland, but the resilience of the wellbeing of healthcare staff themselves through the various waves of Covid-19. Methods: To explore healthcare staffs experience of Quality Improvement and the sustainability and resilience of both Quality Improvement initiatives and healthcare staff, a qualitative design was implemented. Semi-structured interviews took place online over Zoom with 11 healthcare staff members from the Irish healthcare service in the Spring of 2022. An analysis of the narratives was conducted using thematic analysis supported by NVivo12. Results: Four key themes were evident from the data: (i) From fear to exhaustion; (ii) maintaining person-centred approaches to care; (iii) Covid-19 as a medium for change, and; (iv) staff resilience and appetite for Quality Improvement. Discussion: The results of this work identified three key learnings; (i) integrating learning into policies and practice: (ii) the role of collective leadership and devolving/sharing power; and (iii) key drivers/factors that promote sustainability of QI interventions. Despite the challenges in recruitment of research participants experienced during the pandemic, a narrative approach supported the collation of rich and nuanced insights into the experiences of healthcare staff during this time. Conclusion: A growing body of literature currently exists on how healthcare staff felt during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, as the waves of Covid-19 have declined, it is vital to examine how the feelings of burnout and disillusionment will affect engagement with Quality Improvement in the future. It is also worth noting and examining the feeling of purpose and pride participants expressed from working through the Covid-19 pandemic. This study has helped to address this gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Avoidance of health services, in particular hospital and community services, is problematic for people with diabetes. Evidence has demonstrated that such missed attendances are associated with worse health, faster declines in functioning, and higher rates of mortality long-term. This paper investigated the impact of the pandemic on healthcare access across community and hospital care, including Virtual Care (VC) using several large datasets of General Practice (GP) and hospital services in western Sydney. Methods: A retrospective cohort study using a time-series database of 173,805 HbA1c tests done at Blacktown and Mt Druitt hospitals and 1.8 million recorded consultations at GP clinics in the region was undertaken. Results: The average rate of diabetes in Emergency Department fell from 17.8% pre-pandemic to 11% after January 2020 (p < 0.001). This rate varied substantially over time, and correlated well with large outbreaks of COVID-19 in the state. Conversely, attendances of people with diabetes to GP clinics, especially using VC services, increased substantially over the pandemic period. Discussion/Conclusion: During the pandemic there was a substantial avoidance of hospital care by patients with diabetes. However, this may have been replaced by VC offered in the community for those with less severe diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine whether exempting people (with high health needs and living in areas of high deprivation) from a $5 prescription charge reduces hospital use. Design: Two-group parallel prospective randomised controlled trial. Setting: People living in the community in various regions of New Zealand. Participants: One thousand sixty one people who lived in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation, and either took medicines for diabetes, took antipsychotic medicines, or had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Of the 1053 who completed the study, just under half (49%) were Māori. Interventions: Participants were individually randomized (1–1 ratio) to either be exempted from the standard $5 charge per prescription item for one year (2019–2020) (n = 591) or usual care (n = 469). Those in the intervention group did not pay the standard NZ$5 charge, and pharmacies billed the study for these. Participants continued to pay any other costs for prescription medicines. Those in the control group continued to pay all prescription charges for the year although they may have received one-off assistance from other agencies. Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was length of stay (hospital bed-days). Secondary outcomes presented in this paper included: all-cause hospitalisations, hospitalisations for diabetes/mental health problems/COPD, deaths, and emergency department visits. Results: The trial was under-powered because the recruitment target was not met. There was no statistically significant reduction in the primary outcome, hospital bed-days (IRR = 0.68, CI: 0.54 to 1.05). Participants in the intervention group were significantly less likely to be hospitalised during the study year than those in the control group (OR = 0.70, CI: 0.54 to 0.90). There were statistically significant reductions in the number of hospital admissions for mental health problems (IRR = 0.39, CI: 0.17 to 0.92), the number of admissions for COPD (IRR = 0.37, CI: 0.16 to 0.85), and length of stay for COPD (IRR 0.20, CI: 0.07 to 0.60). Apart from all-cause mortality and diabetes length of stay, all measures were better for the intervention group than the control group. Conclusions: Eliminating a small co-payment appears to have had a substantial effect on patients' risk of being hospitalised. Given the small amount of revenue gathered from the charges, and the comparative large costs of hospitalisations, the results suggest that these charges are likely to increase the overall cost of healthcare, as well as exacerbate ethnic inequalities. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12618001486213 registered on 04/09/2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Healthcare outcomes in child, adolescent and maternal in Tanzania are poor, and mostly characterised by fragmentary service provision. In order to address this weakness, digital technologies are sought to be integrated in the milieu of health as they present vast opportunities especially in the ability to improve health information management and coordination. Prior to the design and implementation of the Afya-Tek digital intervention, formative research was carried out to ensure that the solution meets the needs of the users. The formative research aimed to examine: the burden of disease and related health seeking behaviour; workflow procedures and challenges experiencing healthcare actors; adolescent health and health seeking behaviour; and lastly examine technological literacy and perceptions on the use of digital technologies in healthcare delivery. This paper therefore, presents findings from the formative research.Methods: The study employed exploratory design grounded in a qualitative approach. In-depth interview, focus group discussion, participant observation and documentary review methods were used for collecting data at different levels. The analysis was done thematically, whereby meaning was deduced behind the words which the participants used.Results: Findings suggest that the perceived burden of diseases and health seeking behaviour differ across age and social group. Multiple work-related challenges, such as lack of proper mechanism to track referrals and patient's information were noted across healthcare actors. There was a keen interest in the use of technologies shown by all study participants to improve care coordination and health outcomes among health system actors. Participants shared their views on how they envision the digital system working.Conclusion: The formative research provided insightful background information with regard to the study objectives. The findings are used for informing the subsequent phases of the co-development and implementation of the Afya-Tek digital health intervention; with a view to making it relevant to the needs of those who will use it in the future. As such, the findings have to a large extent met the purpose of the current study by envisaging the best ways to design digital intervention tailored to meet the needs of those who will be using it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 'Cost of Health Services in India (CHSI)' is the first large scale multi-site facility costing study to incorporate evidence from a national sample of both private and public sectors at different levels of the health system in India. This paper provides an overview of the extent of heterogeneity in costs caused by various supply-side factors.A total of 38 public (11 tertiary care and 27 secondary care) and 16 private hospitals were sampled from 11 states of India. From the sampled facilities, a total of 327 specialties were included, with 48, 79 and 200 specialties covered in tertiary, private and district hospitals respectively. A mixed methodology consisting of both bottom-up and top-down costing was used for data collection. Unit costs per service output were calculated at the cost centre level (outpatient, inpatient, operating theatre, and ICU) and compared across provider type and geographical location.The unadjusted cost per admission was highest for tertiary facilities (₹ 5690, 75 USD) followed by private facilities (₹ 4839, 64 USD) and district hospitals (₹ 3447, 45 USD). Differences in unit costs were found across types of providers, resulting from both variations in capacity utilisation, length of stay and the scale of activity. In addition, significant differences in costs were found associated with geographical location (city classification).The reliance on cost information from single sites or small samples ignores the issue of heterogeneity driven by both demand and supply-side factors. The CHSI cost data set provides a unique insight into cost variability across different types of providers in India. The present analysis shows that both geographical location and the scale of activity are important determinants for deriving the cost of a health service and should be accounted for in healthcare decision making from budgeting to economic evaluation and price-setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Providing access to pediatric healthcare services in British Columbia, Canada, presents unique challenges given low population densities spread across large geographic distances combined with a lack of availability of specialist providers in remote areas, leading to quality of care shortcomings and inequalities in care delivery. The study objective was to develop a framework that provides a common language and methodology for defining and planning child and youth healthcare services across the province.Methods: The framework was developed in two phases. In Phase 1, a literature and jurisdictional review was completed using the following inclusion criteria: (i) description of a framework focusing on organizing service delivery systems (ii) that supports health service planning, (iii) includes specialty or subspecialty services and (iv) has been published since 2008. In Phase 2, a series of meetings with key provincial stakeholders were held to receive feedback on the developed Tiers of Service framework versions that were based on the literature and jurisdictional review and adjusted to the British Columbian health care context. The final version was endorsed by the Child Health BC Steering Committee.Results: Ten medical articles and thirteen jurisdictional papers met the established selection criteria and were included in this study. Most frameworks were developed by the Australian national or state jurisdictions and published in jurisdictional papers (n = 8). Frameworks identified in the medical literature were mainly developed in Canada (n = 3) and the US (n = 3) and focused on maternity, neonatal, critical care and oncology services. Based on feedback received from the expert group, the framework was expanded to include community-based services, prevention and health determinants. The final version of the Tiers of Service framework describes the specific services to be delivered at each tier, which are categorized as Tier 1 (community services) through Tier 6 (sub-specialized services). Two consecutive steps were identified to effectively use the framework for operational and system planning: (i) development of a 'module' outlining the responsibilities and requirements to be delivered at each tier; and (ii) assessment of services provided at the health care facility against those described in the module, alignment to a specific tier, identification of gaps at the local, regional and provincial level, and implementation of quality improvement initiatives to effectively address the gaps.Conclusions: The benefits of the Tiers of Service framework and accompanying modules for health service planning are being increasingly recognized. Planning and coordinating pediatric health services across the province will help to optimize flow and improve access to high-quality services for children living in British Columbia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maternity services have limited formalised guidance on planning new services such as midwifery group practice for vulnerable women, for example women with a history of substance abuse (alcohol, tobacco and other drugs), mental health challenges, complex social issues or other vulnerability. Continuity of care through midwifery group practice is mostly restricted to women with low-risk pregnancies and is not universally available to vulnerable women, despite evidence supporting benefits of this model of care for all women. The perception that midwifery group practice for vulnerable women is a high-risk model of care lacking in evidence may have in the past, thwarted implementation planning studies that seek to improve care for these women. We therefore aimed to identify the barriers and enablers that might impact the implementation of a midwifery group practice for vulnerable women.Methods: A qualitative context analysis using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was conducted at a single-site tertiary health facility in Queensland, Australia. An interdisciplinary group of stakeholders from a purposeful sample of 31 people participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using manual and then Leximancer computer assisted methods. Themes were compared and mapped to the Framework.Results: Themes identified were the woman's experience, midwifery workforce capabilities, identifying "gold standard care", the interdisciplinary team and costs. Potential enablers of implementation included perceptions that the model facilitates a relationship of trust with vulnerable women, that clinical benefit outweighs cost and universal stakeholder acceptance. Potential barriers were: potential isolation of the interdisciplinary team, costs and the potential for vicarious trauma for midwives.Conclusion: There was recognition that the proposed model of care is supported by research and a view that clinical benefits will outweigh costs, however supervision and support is required for midwives to manage and limit vicarious trauma. An interdisciplinary team structure is also an essential component of the service design. Attention to these key themes, barriers and enablers will assist with identification of strategies to aid successful implementation. Australian maternity services can use our results to compare how the perceptions of local stakeholders might be similar or different to the results presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The health system in South Sudan faces extreme domestic resource constraints, low capacity, and protracted humanitarian crises. Supportive supervision is believed to improve the quality of health care and service delivery by compensating for flaws in health workforce management. This study aimed to explore the current supervision practices in South Sudan and identify areas for quality improvement.Methods: The study employed qualitative approaches to collect and analyse data from six purposefully selected counties. Data were collected from 194 participants using semi-structured interviews (43 health managers) and focus group discussions (151 health workers). Thematic content analysis was used to yield an in-depth understanding of the supervision practices in the health sector.Results: The study found that integrated supportive supervision and monitoring visits were the main approaches used for health services supervision in South Sudan. Supportive supervision focused more on health system administration and less on clinical matters. Although fragmented, supportive supervision was carried out quarterly, while monitoring visits were either conducted monthly or ad hoc. Prioritization for supportive supervision was mainly data driven. Paper-based checklists were the most commonly used supervision tools. Many supervisors had no formal training on supportive supervision and only learned on the job. The health workers received on-site verbal feedback and, most times, on-the-job training sessions through coaching and mentorship. Action plans developed during supervision were inadequately followed up due to insufficient funding. Insecurity, poor road networks, lack of competent health managers, poor coordination, and lack of adequate means of transport were some of the challenges experienced during supervision. The presumed outcomes of supportive supervision were improvements in human resource management, drug management, health data reporting, teamwork, and staff respect for one another.Conclusion: Supportive supervision remains a daunting task in the South Sudan health sector due to a combination of external and health system factors. Our study findings suggest that strengthening the processes and providing inputs for supervision should be prioritized if quality improvement is to be attained. This necessitates stronger stewardship from the Ministry of Health, integration of different supervision practices, investment in the capacity of the health workforce, and health infrastructure development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The implementation of strategic health system change is often complicated by informal 'politics' in healthcare organisations. Leadership development programmes increasingly call for the development and use of 'political skill' as a means for understanding and managing the politics of healthcare organisations. The primary purpose of this review is to determine how political skill contributes to the implementation of health services change, within and across organisations. The secondary purpose is to demonstrate the conceptual variations within the literature.Methods: The article is based upon a narrative synthesis that included quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research papers, review articles and professional commentaries that deployed the concept of political skill (or associated terms) to describe and analyse the implementation of change in healthcare services.Results: Sixty-two papers were included for review drawn from over four decades of empirically and conceptually diverse research. The literature is comprised of four distinct literatures with a lack of conceptual coherence. Within and across these domains, political skill is described as influencing health services change through five dimensions of leadership: personal performance; contextual awareness; inter-personal influence; stakeholder engagement, networks and alliances; and influence on policy processes.Conclusion: There is a growing body of evidence showing how political skill can contribute to the implementation of health services change, but the evidence on explanatory processes is weak. Moreover, the conceptualisation of political skill is variable making comparative analysis difficult, with research often favouring individual-level psychological and behavioural properties over more social or group processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Implementation of Professional Pharmacy Services (PPSs) requires a demonstration of the service's impact (efficacy) and its effectiveness. Several systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials (RCT) have shown the efficacy of PPSs in patient's outcomes in community pharmacy. There is, however, a need to determine the level of evidence on the effectiveness of PPSs in daily practice by means of pragmatic trials. To identify and analyse pragmatic RCTs that measure the effectiveness of PPSs in clinical, economic and humanistic outcomes in the community pharmacy setting.Methods: A systematic search was undertaken in MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and SCIELO. The search was performed on January 31, 2020. Papers were assessed against the following inclusion criteria (1) The intervention could be defined as a PPS; (2) Undertaken in a community pharmacy setting; (3) Was an original paper; (4) Reported quantitative measures of at least one health outcome indicator (ECHO model); (5) The design was considered as a pragmatic RCT, that is, it fulfilled 3 predefined attributes. External validity was analyzed with PRECIS- 2 tool.Results: The search strategy retrieved 1,587 papers. A total of 12 pragmatic RCTs assessing 5 different types of PPSs were included. Nine out of the 12 papers showed positive statistically significant differences in one or more of the primary outcomes (clinical, economic or humanistic) that could be associated with the following PPS: Smoking cessation, Dispensing/Adherence service, Independent prescribing and MTM. No paper reported on cost-effectiveness outcomes.Conclusions: There is limited available evidence on the effectiveness of community-based PPS. Pragmatic RCTs to evaluate clinical, humanistic and economic outcomes of PPS are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To better understand the distribution and consumption patterns of resources in different ethnic groups and at different levels of economic development, this paper chose to describe the healthcare seeking behavior in Shanghai.Methods: The data are from the Sixth Health Service Survey of Shanghai, which encompasses 23,198 permanent residents. Descriptive analyses were conducted to estimate the number of patients who reported health-related symptoms and healthcare-seeking behaviors per 1,000 residents. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine differences in reporting health-related symptoms and healthcare-seeking behaviors by age, gender and area of residence.Results: This paper have mapped the ecology of healthcare in Shanghai in 2018. Of 1000 individuals considered during a 1-month period, 444 reported sickness, 433 received treatment, 288 went to medical institutions, 195 went to primary medical institutions, 86 took a self-healing approach, 26 received TCM services, 7 were hospitalized, and 3 underwent surgery.Conclusions: Age is a risk factor leading to disease, medical treatment, self-medication, medical institution visits, TCM service, hospitalization and surgery. But age is a protective factor in the use of primary health care services. By gender, the number of people receiving medical services was similar, but women were statistically more likely to have surgery. As the income level increased, the number of patients and people receiving medical services showed a decreasing trend. Compared with the local population, the probability of non-local people visiting medical institutions was lower and statistically significant. Compared with the people who had health insurance, fewer uninsured people reported sickness and utilized healthcare services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Community-based multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) are the most common means to encourage health and social care service integration in England yet are rarely studied or directly observed. This paper reports on two rounds of non-participant observations of community-based multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meetings in two localities, as part of an evaluation of the Integrated Care and Support Pioneers Programme. We sought to understand how MDT meetings coordinate care and identify their 'added value' over bilateral discussions.Methods: Two rounds of structured non-participant observations of 11 MDTs (28 meetings) in an inner city and mixed urban-rural area in England (June 2019-February 2020), using a group analysis approach.Results: Despite diverse settings, attendance and caseloads, MDTs adopted similar processes of case management: presentation; information seeking/sharing; narrative construction; solution seeking; decision-making and task allocation. Patient-centredness was evident but scope to strengthen 'patient-voice' exists. MDTs were hampered by information governance rules and lack of interoperability between patient databases. Meetings were characterised by mutual respect and collegiality with little challenge. Decision-making appeared non-hierarchical, often involving dyads or triads of professionals. 'Added value' lay in: rapid patient information sharing; better understanding of contributing agencies' services; planning strategies for patients that providers had struggled to find the right way to engage satisfactorily; and managing risk and providing mutual support in stressful cases.Conclusions: More attention needs to be given to removing barriers to information sharing, creating scope for constructive challenge between staff and deciding when to remove cases from the caseload. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Utilisation of continuum of maternal health care services is crucial for a healthy pregnancy and childbirth and plays an important role in attaining Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to maternal and child health. This paper aims to assess the percentage of dropouts across various stages of utilization of continuum of maternal health services (CMHS) in India and also investigates the factors hindering the utilization of these services. Methods: We used recent data from National Family Health Survey(NFHS) encompassing a total sample of 1,70,937 pregnant women for the period 2015–16. The percentage of women dropping out while seeking maternal health care is measured using descriptive statistics. While, the factors impeding the utilization of maternal health services is estimated using a Multinomial Logistic Regression Model, where dependent variable (CMHS) is defined as complete care, incomplete care and no care. Results: Only17% of pregnant women availed the utilisation of complete care and 83% either did not seek any care or dropped after seeking one or two services. For instance, it is found that 79% of women who registered for antenatal care services (ANC) did not avail the same adequately. An empirical investigation of determinants of inadequate utilization of CMHS revealed that factors like individual characteristics, for instance- access to media (RRR: 2.06) and mother's education play (RRR: 3.61) a vital role in the uptake of CMHS. It is also found that the interaction between wealth index and place of residence plays a pivotal role in seeking complete care. Lastly, the results revealed that male participation (RRR: 2.69) and contacting multi-purpose worker (MPW) (RRR: 2.33) are also at play. Conclusion: The study suggests that the major determinants of utilisation of CMHS are access to media, mother's education, affordability barriers and male participation. Hence, policy recommendations should be oriented towards strengthening these dimensions and the utilisation of adequate ANC has to be considered as the need of the hour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health service managers are integral to supporting the effective and efficient delivery of services. Understanding their competencies is essential to support reform and improvement of healthcare provision in China. This paper examines the characteristics and educational background of senior managers working in the community health and hospital sectors in China. We also examine their levels of commitment to continued professional development and continuous education.Methods: A self-administered paper-based questionnaire was administered to 477 level I, II and III managers in community health services and public hospitals in China. The response rate was over 80%.Results: Findings demonstrate significant differences in terms of educational background and commitment to ongoing professional development between the managers in China across levels of management, and between the community and hospital sectors. Hospital managers tend to be older; hospital managers at higher management levels are predominantly male but predominantly female in the community health services. A greater proportion of hospital managers have postgraduate qualifications. In addition, the participants identified specific management tasks that they considered important.Conclusions: This is the first large scale study examining the educational background and commitment to professional development of senior health service managers in China. This study determined that there are differences between the demographics of managers in China across levels of management, but more importantly between the CHC and the hospital sectors. The identification of important managerial tasks will facilitate the development of appropriate education and training for Chinese healthcare managers. All sectors and levels reported the need for informal education focussed on the core roles of developing organisation image and public relations, improving quality and safety of service provision and provision of leadership. Further research to explore the underlying reasons for the above differences is needed to design appropriate professional development for China's health services managers. In addition, the importance of managerial tasks across sectors and management levels requires further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the first cause of death globally, with huge costs worldwide. Most cases of CVD could be prevented by addressing behavioural risk factors. Among these factors, there is physical and amateur sports activity (PASA), which has a linear negative correlation with the risk of CVD. Nevertheless, attempts to encourage PASA, as exercise prescription programmes, achieved little impact at the community-wide level. A new frontier to promote PASA is represented by mobile health tools, such as exergaming, mobile device apps, health wearables, GPS/GIS and virtual reality. Nevertheless, there has not yet been any evident turnabout in patient active involvement towards CVD prevention, and inactivity rates are even increasing. This study aims at framing the state of the art of the literature about the use of m-health in supporting PASA, as a user-centric innovation strategy, to promote co-production health policies aiming at CVD prevention.Methods: A mixed-method systematic literature review was conducted in the fields of health and healthcare management to highlight the intersections between PASA promotion and m-health tools in fostering co-produced services focused on CVD prevention. The literature has been extracted by the PRISMA logic application. The resulting sample has been first statistically described by a bibliometric approach and then further investigated with a conceptual analysis of the most relevant contributions, which have been qualitatively analysed.Results: We identified 2,295 studies, on which we ran the bibliometric analysis. After narrowing the research around the co-production field, we found 10 papers relevant for the concept analysis of contents. The interest about the theme has increased in the last two decades, with a high prevalence of contributions from higher income countries and those with higher CVD incidence. The field of research is highly multi-disciplinary; most of documents belong to the medical field, with only a few interconnections with the technology and health policy spheres. Although the involvement of patients is recognized as fundamental for CVD prevention through PASA, co-design schemes are still lacking at the public management level.Conclusions: While the link between the subjects of motor activity, medicine and technology is clear, the involvement of citizens in the service delivery process is still underinvestigated, especially the issue concerning how "value co-creation" could effectively be applied by public agencies. In synthesis, the analysis of the role of co-production as a system coordination method, which is so important in designing and implementing preventive care, is still lacking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Implementation frameworks and theories acknowledge the role of power as a factor in the adoption (or not) of interventions in health services. Despite this recognition, there is a paucity of evidence on how interventions at the front line of health systems confront or shape existing power relations. This paper reports on a study of actor power in the implementation of an intervention to improve maternal, neonatal and child health care quality and outcomes in a rural district of South Africa.Methods: A retrospective qualitative case study based on interviews with 34 actors in three 'implementation units' - a district hospital and surrounding primary health care services - of the district, selected as purposefully representing full, moderate and low implementation of the intervention, some three years after it was first introduced. Data are analysed using Veneklasen and Miller's typology of the forms of power - namely 'power over', 'power to', 'power within' and 'power with'.Results: Multiple expressions of actor power were evident during implementation and played a plausible role in shaping variable implementation, while the intervention itself acted to change power relations. As expected, a degree of buy-in of managers (with power over) in implementation units was necessary for the intervention to proceed. Beyond this, the ability to mobilise collective action (power with), combined with support from champions with agency (power within) were key to successful implementation. However, local empowerment may pose a threat to hierarchical power (power over) at higher levels (district and provincial) of the system, potentially affecting sustainability.Conclusions: A systematic approach to the analysis of power in implementation research may provide insights into the fate of interventions. Intervention designs need to consider how they shape power relations, especially where interventions seek to widen participation and responsiveness in local health systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The shortage and high turnover of physicians is a recurrent problem in health care systems; this is especially harmful to the expansion and full operation of primary health care (PHC). The aim of this paper is to analyze incidence and associated factors with physician turnover in primary health care services in the East Zone of São Paulo City.Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of 1378 physicians over a 15 years' time period based on physicians' administrative records from two distinct secondary databases. Physicians' individual characteristics were analyzed including graduation and specialization. Survival analysis techniques such Kaplan-Meier and Cox Regression were used to analyze the termination of contract.Results: One thousand three hundred seventy-eight physicians were included in the study of which 130 [9.4%(CI95 8.0-11.1%)] remained in the PHC services. The mean and median time until the occurrence of the physician leaving the service was 2.14 years (CI95% 1.98-2.29 years) and 1.17 years [(CI95% 1.05-1.28 years)]. The probability of contract interruption was 45% in the first year and 68% in the second year. Independent factors associated with TEC were identified: workload of 40 h/week HR = 1.71 [(CI95% 1.4-2.09), p < 0.001]; initial salary ≤1052 BGI HR = 1.87 [(CI95 1.64-2.15), p < 0.001]; time since graduation ≤2 years HR =1.36 [(CI95 1.18-1.56), p < 0.001]; and the conclusion of residency in up to 3 years after leaving the service HR = 1.69 [(CI95 1.40-2.04), p < 0.001].Conclusions: The time of employment of the physician in PHC was relatively short, with a high probability of TEC in the first year. Modifiable factors such as working hours, starting salary, time since graduation from medical school and need to enter in a residency program were associated with TEC. In pointing out that modifiable factors are responsible for long term employment or the end of contract of physicians in PHC services of the Unified Health System in the periphery of a metropolitan area, the study provides support for the planning, implementation and management of policies and strategies aimed at attracting and retaining physicians in suburban, priority or underserved regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mental health disorders are a global health concern. In Australia, numerous national reports have found that the current mental healthcare system does not adequately meet the needs of Australians with mental illness. Consequently, a greater understanding of how people with a mental health disorder are using the broader healthcare system is needed. The aim of this paper is to explore conventional and complementary health care use and expenditure among Australian adults reporting a mental health disorder diagnosis.Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of 2,019 Australian adults examined socio-demographic characteristics, complementary and conventional health care use and the health status of participants.Results: 32 % (n = 641) of the total sample (N = 2019) reported a mental health disorder in the previous 3 years. Of these, 96 % reported consulting a general practitioner, 90.6 % reported using prescription medicines, 42.4 % consulted a complementary medicine practitioner, 56.9 % used a complementary medicine product and 23 % used a complementary medicine practice. The estimated 12-month out-of-pocket health care expenditure among Australians with a mental health disorder was AUD$ 4,568,267,421 (US$ 3,398,293,672) for conventional health care practitioners and medicines, and AUD$ 1,183,752,486 (US$ 880,729,891) for complementary medicine practitioners, products and practices. Older people (50-59 and 60 and over) were less likely to consult a CM practitioner (OR = 0.538, 95% CI [0.373, 0.775]; OR = 0.398, 95% CI [0.273, 0.581] respectively) or a psychologist/counsellor (OR = 0.394, 95% CI [0.243, 0.639]; OR = 0.267, 95% CI [0.160, 0.447] respectively). People either looking for work or not in the workforce were less likely to visit a CM practitioner (OR = 0.298, 95% CI [0.194, 0.458]; OR = 0.476, 95% CI [0.353, 0.642], respectively).Conclusions: A substantial proportion of Australian adults living with a mental health disorder pay for both complementary and conventional health care directly out-of-pocket. This finding suggests improved coordination of healthcare services is needed for individuals living with a mental health disorder. Research examining the redesign of primary health care provision should also consider whether complementary medicine practitioners and/or integrative health care service delivery models could play a role in addressing risks associated with complementary medicine use and the unmet needs of people living with a mental health disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Continuity of care is associated with many benefits for patients and health care systems. Therefore measuring care coordination - the deliberate organization of patient care activities between two or more participants - is especially needed to identify entries for improvement. The aim of this study was the translation and cultural adaptation of the Medical Home Care Coordination Survey (MHCCS) into German, and the examination of the psychometric properties of the resulting German versions of the MHCCS-P (patient version) and MHCCS-H (healthcare team version).Methods: We conducted a paper-based, cross-sectional survey in primary care practices in three German federal states (Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Baden-Württemberg) with patients and health care team members from May 2018 to April 2019. Descriptive item analysis, factor analysis, internal consistency and convergent, discriminant and predictive validity of the German instrument versions were calculated by using SPSS 25.0 (Inc., IBM).Results: Response rates were 43% (n = 350) for patients and 34% (n = 141) for healthcare team members. In total, 300 patient questionnaires and 140 team member questionnaires could be included into further analysis. Exploratory factor analyses resulted in three domains in the MHCCS-D-P and seven domains in the MHCCS-D-H: "link to community resources", "communication", "care transitions", and additionally "self-management", "accountability", "information technology for quality assurance", and "information technology supporting patient care" for the MHCCS-D-H. The domains showed acceptable and good internal consistency (α = 0.838 to α = 0.936 for the MHCCS-D-P and α = 0.680 to α = 0.819 for the MHCCS-D-H). As 77% of patients (n = 232) and 63% of health care team members denied to have or make written care plans, items regarding the "plan of care" of the original MHCCS have been removed from the MHCCS-D.Conclusions: The German versions of the Medical Home Care Coordination Survey for patients and healthcare team members are reliable instruments in measuring the care coordination in German primary care practices. Practicability is high since the total number of items is low (9 for patients and 27 for team members). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The challenge of including citizen-patient voices in healthcare planning is exacerbated in rural communities by regional variation in priorities and a historical lack of attention to rural healthcare needs. This paper aims to address this deficit by presenting findings from a mixed methods study to understand rural patient and community priorities for healthcare.Methods: We conducted a provincial survey of rural citizens-patients across British Columbia, Canada to understand their most pressing healthcare needs, supplemented by semi-structured interviews. Survey and interview participants were asked to articulate, in their own words, their communities' most pressing healthcare needs, to explain the importance of these priorities to their communities, and to offer possible solutions to address these challenges. Open-text survey responses and interview data were analyzed thematically to elicit priorities of the data and their significance to answer the research questions.Results: We received 1,287 survey responses from rural citizens-patients across BC, 1,158 of which were considered complete. We conducted nine telephone interviews with rural citizens-patients. Participants stressed the importance of local access to care, including emergency services, maternity care, seniors care, specialist services and mental health and substance use care. A lack of access to primary care services was the most pronounced gap. Inadequate local health services presented geographic, financial and social barriers to accessing care, led to feelings of vulnerability among rural patients, resulted in treatment avoidance, and deterred community growth.Conclusions: Two essential prongs of an integration framework for the inclusion of citizen-patient voices in healthcare planning include merging patient priorities with population needs and system-embedded accountability for the inclusion of patient and community priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Reablement is a municipal service given to patients at home. The purpose of the service is to assist recovery after hospital discharges or other sudden changes in a patient's functional level. The service is often provided by a team of nurses, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists. The purpose of this paper is to compare users of this service to users who receive traditional home care services. Outcomes to be measured are risk of long-term care and mortality.Methods: All users of health and care services in a Norwegian municipality were eligible for inclusion. Data was extracted from the local user administrative database. Users were divided in two groups: those who received reablement and those home care users who did not receive reablement service. Propensity score matching was used to match users based on age, sex, and level of functioning in activities of daily living (ADL). Survival analysis was deployed to test if the reablement users had different risk of becoming long-term care users, and whether the mortality rate differed for this group.Results: 153 reablement users were included in the study. These were matched to 153 non-reablement home care users. The groups had similar distributions of age, sex, and level of functioning when starting their service trajectories. Regressions showed that reablement users had lower risk of using long-term care services in the study period (time at risk up to 4 years), and lower mortality. However, none of these estimates were statistically significant.Conclusions: The study indicates that the reablement users in one municipality had lower use of long -term care and lower mortality when properly estimated, but numbers were too small for statistical significance to be found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: It is well acknowledged that India's community health workers known as Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) are the bedrock of its health system. Many ASHAs are currently working in fragile and conflict-affected settings. No efforts have yet been made to understand the challenges and vulnerabilities of these female workers. This paper seeks to address this gap by bringing attention to the situation of ASHAs working in the fragile and conflict settings and how conflict impacts them and their work.Methods: Qualitative fieldwork was undertaken in four conflict-affected villages in two conflict-affected districts -Kokrajhar and Karbi Anglong of Assam state situated in the North-East region of India. Detailed account of four ASHAs serving roughly 4000 people is presented. Data transliterated into English were analysed by authors by developing a codebook using grounded theory and thematic organisation of codes.Results: ASHAs reported facing challenges in ensuring access to health services during and immediately after outbreaks of conflict. They experienced difficulty in arranging transport and breakdown of services at remote health facilities. Their physical safety and security were at risk during episodes of conflict. ASHAs reported hostile attitudes of the communities they served due to the breakdown of social relations, trauma due to displacement, and loss of family members, particularly their husbands.Conclusions: Conflict must be recognised as an important context within which community health workers operate, with greater policy focus and research devoted to understanding and addressing the barriers they face as workers and as persons affected by conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]