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Although patient rights are an important issue, this remains an understudied research area. Patients are unaware of their rights, lacking control of health care treatments they might deserve. This can contribute to sustaining inequality as well as failure in achieving welfare policy goals. Drawing on channel complementarity theory, the current study explored patients’ awareness toward their rights, and the credibility of information sources related to patient rights. In a web-based survey, 994 Israeli participants, suffering from chronic illness and using health services, were recruited. To examine the study’s theoretical framework and relationships among the constructs and test the hypotheses, a path analysis was conducted using Structural Equation Modeling. The research model depicts direct and indirect relationships between constructs, and the relevant coefficients. The results show a direct and positive interaction between information credibility and patient rights awareness (β = 0.10, p = 0.019). Information credibility partially mediates the relationship between public service information sources and patient rights awareness (bootstrap with 95% CI: 0.01–0.07, p = 0.015). The mass media information sources construct is directly and positively related to information credibility (β = 0.36, p = 0.000). Age was found as a moderator, indicating that information credibility is a factor only at lower ages. Therefore, patient rights should be systematically and reliably accessible in order to raise the awareness and trust of chronic patients regarding information about patient rights. Using planned health communication campaigns mainly via public service sources that are perceived as trustworthy can help contribute to approach patients more effectively and provide them with accessible and detailed information about their rights.

Background Coping with end-of-life issues is a major challenge for governments and health systems. Despite progress in legislation, many barriers exist to its full implementation. This study is aimed at identifying these end-of-life barriers in relation to Israel. Methods Qualitative in-depth interviews using professionals and decision makers in the health-care and related systems (n = 37) were carried out, along with two focus groups based on brainstorming techniques consisting of nurses (n = 10) and social workers (n = 10). Data was managed and analyzed using Naralyzer software. Results Qualitative analysis showed identification of six primary barriers: 1) law, procedures, and forms; 2) clinical aspects; 3) human aspects; 4) knowledge and skills of medical teams; 5) communication; and 6) resource allocation. These were further divided into 44 sub area barriers. Conclusions This study highlights the role of the family doctor in end-of-life by training physicians in decision-making workshops and increasing their knowledge in the field of palliative medicine. Effectively channeling resources, knowledge, and support for medical teams, by accounting for the structure and response of the units for home treatment will improve patient’s access to information on and support for end-of-life laws, as well as reduce legislative barriers in other countries that face the same issues.

Background: Patient satisfaction with the quality of health care services is complex with many known factors impacting upon satisfaction, among them the choice of physician. Previous studies examined characteristics of a woman&rsquo, s choice of gynecologist, but information regarding reasons for these choices among women of Ethiopian descent is lacking. The objective of this study was to identify characteristics related preference of an obstetrician-gynecologist based on gender among women of Ethiopian descent. Method: Analysis of anonymous self-reported questionnaire distributed to 500 women of Ethiopian descent who visited an obstetrician-gynecologist at least once in the past three years (Mean age 29.5, SD = 8.2). Trust in physician was examined using the TPS scale, service quality was checked using the SERVQUAL, and the 5Qs model was used to measure patient&rsquo, s satisfaction of health care. Results: Very religious (84.1%) and religious (53.6%) women of Ethiopian descent were more likely to prefer a female obstetrician-gynecologist compared to traditional (39.3%) or secular (34.4%) women (p &lt, 0.001). Participants had higher probability to prefer a male gynecologist if they had more employment hours (OR = 3.57, 95% CI = 1.72&ndash, 7.42, p &lt, 0.001), and the responsiveness of the physician was less important to them (OR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.60&ndash, 0.99, p &lt, 0.05). Age of participants, country of birth, years in Israel, family status, being a mother, education or health status were not associated with choosing a female obstetrician-gynecologist. Religious women would prefer to wait longer for a female gynecologist due to modesty imperatives, even at the cost of compromising their health as a result of waiting longer. Conclusions: The findings of this research highlight the importance of accessibility to female obstetrician-gynecologists for women of Ethiopian descent and demonstrate that determinants in the host population rather than immigrant&rsquo, s past culture, affect the women&rsquo, s decision. This study demonstrates the importance of the health care system in Israel to enable more female obstetrician-gynecologists to treat women of Ethiopian descent.

Are Israelis willing to be seen by a physician assistant (PA) instead of a doctor if they can save time? PAs were introduced into Israel emergency departments 2 years prior to this study and few if any knew about them. A survey containing a series of scenarios involving hypothetical injuries was electronically distributed in 2019; over 7000 Israeli citizens responded. They were asked to choose between seeing a PA within half an hour or waiting for a doctor (MD) in 4 h. Over 90% of the respondents chose the PA and preferences changed slightly as the time gap narrowed to 2 h. A large majority picked the PA in all three scenarios. Parsing the respondents by age, gender, and health conditions revealed little statistical differences. There was a positive correlation between the perceived urgency of the situation and choosing the PA as respondents were more likely to see a PA in more stressful scenarios (e.g., a child’s head laceration). These results suggest that most Israelis would be willing to accept care from a healthcare provider, in this case the PA, who is not a doctor, if they sense value added in the encounter, such as quicker access to care.

Background There are distinctive potential barriers to optimal health care in Judea and Samaria because of access and satisfaction levels, including obstacles such as its isolation and health care capacity. However, there is a lack of research focusing on health care for the Jewish communities in this region, often referred to as the West Bank. Research questions What is the level of health care access and satisfaction for Israelis living in the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria? How do these results compare to parallel results for Israelis in general? How do these results vary by subgroups, in particular by location? Methods Two hundred fourty six residents of Judea and Samaria in six diverse, Jewish communities were surveyed, with a 76% response rate. Descriptive analyses were performed for all variables. Bivariate analyses for access and satisfaction measures were performed by key demographic variables. Comparisons were also made with Israelis in general (the vast majority of whom do not live in Judea or Samaria), by comparing our survey results to the results of 2016 Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute national satisfaction survey. Our survey questions were based on this national survey, tested and used for several cohorts. Results Of those surveyed, 14% decided to forego treatment because of the distance, although only 3% declined treatment because of cost. There was a diversity of results in terms of satisfaction measures, although in no categories were even half of respondents very satisfied; results ranged from 7% very satisfied with health care system overall to 47% very satisfied with their family physician’s attitude. Variations were found by community with local council communities generally, but not always, having the highest satisfaction. Compared to Israelis in general, Israeli residents of Judea and Samaria reported generally lower satisfaction, including 9% fewer being very satisfied with the health plan overall and 10% fewer being very satisfied with referrals. However, 7% more had confidence in getting the best treatment. Conclusions Access to care involves more than just coverage. Health care system problems among Israelis living in Judea and Samaria include not just quantity, but quality of services offered. There is a need for improvement not only in health care resources, but also in the level of access and satisfaction in this region.

Internet usage during leisure time is a growing area of research, especially among adolescents. Our aim was to evaluate the association between Internet usage patterns of religious and secular adolescents, exposure to cyber-bullying, and psychosomatic symptoms in Israel. A cross-sectional study was carried out using questionnaires administered to 7166 students aged 11-17 (4223 secular; 2943 religious). Cyber-bullying was more common among secular students (11.4%) than religious students (8.4%). Multiple logistic regression predicting cyber-bullying showed significant results for boys, primary school age, Internet usage, bad moods, sleeping disorders, and dizziness. A comparison across school levels and between the education sectors did not show major differences in the probability to experience bullying. However, different characteristics played the role in explaining propensity to that experience. These findings can help to plan school-level oriented intervention programs to educate adolescents on prudent use of the Internet to combat the spread of cyber-bullying.

BackgroundUse of online clinical health care information has become part of the skill set required by medical teams. Nurses believe that information quality and availability affect nursing care and methods. However, nurses tend not to exploit professional medical databases for evidence-based medical information for their personal needs. This phenomenon has received little research attention.ObjectiveThis study aimed to address the knowledge gap around nurses' attitudes towards searching online for medical information for their personal needs (ie, for themselves and their families) by (1) evaluating the level of exposure to medical information and the effect on attitudes towards the use of online search options, (2) assessing the effect of the choice of a primary means of searching for medical information on the attitudes towards the use of online search options, and (3) gauging the influence of sociodemographic data and health status on nurses’ attitudes towards searching online for medical information.MethodsNurses employed in general departments in a general hospital (34/210, 16.2%), nursing home (42/200, 21.0%), and geriatric medical center (45/180, 25.0%) in Israel were invited to complete the eHealth Impact Questionnaire (alpha=.95). Questionnaires were distributed by nurses in charge of the general hospitalization wards. The data collection period was February to March 2018. The response rate was 40.3% (121/300).ResultsNurses tended to search for medical information for personal needs on social media (24/121, 19.8%) and TV (eg, health programs, health news; 23/121, 19.0%). Nurses who chose social media as their primary means of receiving general information had a positive attitude about using the online environment as a source for medical information compared to nurses who found information through other means (t119=4.44, PConclusionsNurses in Israel are less likely to use their professional skills and knowledge to search in professional databases for evidence-based medical information for their personal needs. Instead, they prefer medical information that is easy to access and not evidence-based, such as that on social media and TV. However, these search patterns for personal use may affect their clinical role, impair quality of care, and lead to incorrect medical decisions for their patients in the health care system. Therefore, during nursing education, training for searching skills, retrieval skills, and online search techniques for evidence-based medical information is vital for evidence-based practice.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Medical Corps provides medical services-routine and emergency--to all IDF personnel (conscripts, career personnel, and reservists). Despite the fact that there are no differences in prevalence of disease in the IDF compared with the civil sector, health consumer appraisal, in the military, of the medical services they receive during peacetime at IDF medical clinics is not high. The objective of this research was to develop an effective and differential tool for monitoring the quality of medical service at IDF clinics drawn from service quality indexes based on the perspective of the soldier patient. The research tool used was an anonymous questionnaire comprised of five demographic questions and 21 components of quality index measurements that participants were asked to rank in terms of importance during a visit to their IDF medical clinic. Those categories found to influence the client's perception of quality medical service were accessibility and availability of services, information provided by the clinic, and the efficiency of staff. The factors found to be less influential in the clients' perceptions of quality were staffing and infrastructure. Quality control using these significant indexes will allow monitoring programs to focus on components that are important from the soldier's perspective, without overlooking other significant aspects of the soldier's perceptions of the quality of medical service as a client.