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Abstract Background This study aims to propose a semi-automatic method for monitoring the waiting times of follow-up examinations within the National Health System (NHS) in Italy, which is currently not possible to due the absence of the necessary structured information in the official databases. Methods A Natural Language Processing (NLP) based pipeline has been developed to extract the waiting time information from the text of referrals for follow-up examinations in the Lombardy Region. A manually annotated dataset of 10 000 referrals has been used to develop the pipeline and another manually annotated dataset of 10 000 referrals has been used to test its performance. Subsequently, the pipeline has been used to analyze all 12 million referrals prescribed in 2021 and performed by May 2022 in the Lombardy Region. Results The NLP-based pipeline exhibited high precision (0.999) and recall (0.973) in identifying waiting time information from referrals’ texts, with high accuracy in normalization (0.948-0.998). The overall reporting of timing indications in referrals’ texts for follow-up examinations was low (2%), showing notable variations across medical disciplines and types of prescribing physicians. Among the referrals reporting waiting times, 16% experienced delays (average delay = 19 days, standard deviation = 34 days), with significant differences observed across medical disciplines and geographical areas. Conclusions The use of NLP proved to be a valuable tool for assessing waiting times in follow-up examinations, which are particularly critical for the NHS due to the significant impact of chronic diseases, where follow-up exams are pivotal. Health authorities can exploit this tool to monitor the quality of NHS services and optimize resource allocation.

Background: This study aims to propose a semi-automatic method for monitoring the waiting times of follow-up examinations within the National Health System (NHS) in Italy, which is currently not possible to due the absence of the necessary structured information in the official databases. Methods: A Natural Language Processing (NLP) based pipeline has been developed to extract the waiting time information from the text of referrals for follow-up examinations in the Lombardy Region. A manually annotated dataset of 10 000 referrals has been used to develop the pipeline and another manually annotated dataset of 10 000 referrals has been used to test its performance. Subsequently, the pipeline has been used to analyze all 12 million referrals prescribed in 2021 and performed by May 2022 in the Lombardy Region. Results: The NLP-based pipeline exhibited high precision (0.999) and recall (0.973) in identifying waiting time information from referrals' texts, with high accuracy in normalization (0.948-0.998). The overall reporting of timing indications in referrals' texts for follow-up examinations was low (2%), showing notable variations across medical disciplines and types of prescribing physicians. Among the referrals reporting waiting times, 16% experienced delays (average delay = 19 days, standard deviation = 34 days), with significant differences observed across medical disciplines and geographical areas. Conclusions: The use of NLP proved to be a valuable tool for assessing waiting times in follow-up examinations, which are particularly critical for the NHS due to the significant impact of chronic diseases, where follow-up exams are pivotal. Health authorities can exploit this tool to monitor the quality of NHS services and optimize resource allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of MB University International Review - MBUIR Journal of Theory & Practice is the property of University MB / Univerzitet MB and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

While much is known about governance models for research informatics programs in academic medical centers and similarly situated cancer centers, community and public health systems have been less well-characterized. As part of implementing an enterprise research governance framework, leaders in the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services established a research informatics program, including research data warehousing. The strategy is focused on high-priority, patient-centered research that leverages the investment in health IT and an efficient, sustained contribution from 2 affiliated Clinical Translational Sciences Institutes. This case study describes the foundational governance framework and policies that were developed. We share the results of several years of planning, implementation, and operations of an academically funded research informatics service core embedded in a large, multicenter county health system. We include herein a Supplementary Appendix of governance documents that may serve as pragmatic models for similar initiatives.

ABSTRACT Healthcare financing is attracting widespread interest due to the coronavirus pandemic. This study aims to assess federal public healthcare financing in Brazil in the light of a legal framework for minimum spending on health and the effects of economic cycles and crises. A literature review showed that public healthcare funding should increase during crises, which is contrary to what fiscal austerity policies postulate. Different formats of fiscal rules for minimum spending on health are analyzed based on the historical evolution of healthcare financing in Brazil. A simulation shows that linking this spending rule to GDP (and especially to current revenue) gives a pro-cyclical character to healthcare financing, which can make it difficult to guarantee health rights in times of crisis. Thus, a debate arises about the need to revise the rule set by the Constitutional Amendment 95/2016 (EC no. 95/2016) and to establish a parameter for growth in public healthcare expenditure that eliminates its pro-cyclical characteristic and enables the needs of the country to be met after the pandemic.

Pakistan is a developing country under severe pressure to provide efficient and effective healthcare to its population owing to inadequate financial and human resources and limited management capabilities. This study explores the role and practice of human resource management (HRM) in three Pakistani public teaching tertiary hospitals. We interviewed leaders and managers in these hospitals to gain a better understanding of the context, challenges and opportunities for HRM. Our thematic analysis revealed that a lack of specialised human resource (HR) departments staffed by HR professionals in these hospitals negatively impacted HRM functions and practices and created confusion and complexity. This was exacerbated by centralised decision‐making at the provincial level and limited managerial autonomy over key HR issues. However, despite the enormous challenges facing the Pakistani public healthcare sector the informants believed that HR could play a significant role in influencing employees' attitudes and behaviours to provide quality healthcare to more patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common type of cancer among women in Brazil. Evidence shows that delayed treatment onset is associated with increased mortality. This study aimed to evaluate median days between diagnosis and treatment and factors associated with delayed start of treatment (> 60 days after diagnosis): stage, treatment received, subtype, epidemiological characteristics, and type of healthcare coverage. Methods: This analysis included 1709 stage I–III BC patients from AMAZONA III, a prospective, observational study, diagnosed from January 2016 to March 2018 in 22 centers in Brazil. Results: The median number of days from diagnosis to beginning of first oncologic treatment was 46 days (IQR 28–75) overall, 43 days (IQR 25–75) for stage I disease, 49 days (IQR 28–81) for stage II, and 44 days (IQR 30–68) for stage III, (p = 0.1180). According to first treatment received, diagnosis-to-treatment interval was 43 days (IQR 29–65) for neoadjuvant chemotherapy and 48 days (IQR 26–81) for surgery. Diagnosis-to-treatment interval was higher in women treated in the public system versus the private system (56 vs. 34 days, p < 0.0001). Patients in the public system had an increased odds of delayed treatment initiation (OR 4.74 95% CI 3.09–7.26, p <.0001). The longer interval from diagnosis to treatment in the public system was independent of clinical stage, type of treatment (systemic vs surgery first), subtype and region of the country. Conclusion: By characterizing the delays in care delivery, our study will aid stakeholders to better design interventions and allocate resource to improve timely treatment for breast cancer in Brazil. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02663973, registered on January, 26th, 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complex epidemiological profile of Brazil, the aging population and the proportion of individuals with disabilities have led to a substantial increase in the demand for rehabilitation. The spatiotemporal distribution of the offer of physiotherapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy in the Brazilian public healthcare system from 2007 to 2019 was analyzed for the five macro-regions of the country. Data from the National Register of Health Establishments and census estimates from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics were used. Indicators of the offer of professionals in these fields services and relative changes in the offer were calculated. The spatial distribution of the relative change in the offer was also determined. A regression model with inflection points was adopted for the analysis of the temporal trend. A growing temporal trend was found in the offer of the three professionals in Brazil as a whole and in all regions of the country, but with a slowdown in growth. Differences were observed in the offer among the regions of the country, revealing healthcare inequality that needs to be overcome. The present findings can assist in planning to expand access to rehabilitation services in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, and most patients are diagnosed of advanced disease. Molecular-targeted therapy and immunotherapy increase survival among these patients. In this study, we compared the cost of the best treatments available with the amount reimbursed by the Brazilian public healthcare system (Sistema Único de Saúde [SUS]) to treat advanced lung cancer. The authors divided lung cancer into 10 subtypes according to histology and molecular profile. A panel of experts defined the best treatment sequencing for each subtype. The authors considered only drug costs retrieved from the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency official data. The progression-free survival of each regimen was considered as treatment duration. The cost estimate included all postprogression therapies weighted by each subtype proportional frequency. The amount reimbursed by SUS was the sum of the monthly budget accumulated during the estimated treatment duration and then for the proportional frequency of each subtype. The budget reimbursed by SUS for treating each advanced lung cancer case in Brazil is R$8000.00 in average whereas the cost estimate for the best treatment available is R$729 454.00 per case, which represents a difference of 9118%. The budget impact to ensure the reimbursement needed to acquire the best treatments available was estimated in near R$13 billion annually. The cost estimate of the best treatment available for advanced lung cancer in Brazil is much higher than the amount reimbursed by SUS. This budgetary gap leads to a major access barrier that may compromise the survival outcomes of SUS users. • Important advances have been made in the treatment of advanced lung cancer, which has led to unprecedented survival rates. • Public health systems, especially in developing countries, have budgetary limitations. • For the first time, the difference between the cost of the best treatment for advanced lung cancer available in Brazil and the amount reimbursed by the Brazilian public health system was calculated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Economia Contemporânea is the property of Revista de Economia Contemporanea and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) barriers are well-understood in high-resource settings. However, they are under-studied in low-resource settings, where access is even poorer and the context is significantly different, including two-tiered healthcare systems and greater socioeconomic challenges. OBJECTIVE: To investigate differences in characteristics of patients attending publicly versus privately funded CR and their barriers to adherence. DESIGN AND SETTING: Observational, cross-sectional study in public and private CR programs offered in Brazil. METHODS: Patients who had been attending CR for ≥ 3 months were recruited from one publicly and one privately funded CR program. They completed assessments regarding sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and the CR Barriers Scale. RESULTS: From the public program, 74 patients were recruited, and from the private, 100. Participants in the public program had significantly lower educational attainment (P < 0.001) and lower socioeconomic status (P < 0.001). Participants in the private program had more cognitive impairment (P = 0.015), and in the public program more anxiety (P = 0.001) and depressive symptoms (P = 0.008) than their counterparts. Total barriers among public CR participants were significantly higher than those among private CR participants (1.34 ± 0.26 versus 1.23 ± 0.15/5]; P = 0.003), as were scores on 3 out of 5 subscales, namely: comorbidities/functional status (P = 0.027), perceived need (P < 0.001) and access (P = 0.012). CONCLUSION: Publicly funded programs need to be tailored to meet their patients’ requirements, through consideration of educational and psychosocial matters, and be amenable to mitigation of patient barriers relating to presence of comorbidities and poorer health status.

Abstract Background There is substantial interest in leveraging digital health technology to support hypertension management in low- and middle-income countries such as India. The potential for healthcare infrastructure and broader context to support such initiatives in India has not been examined. We evaluated existing healthcare infrastructure to support digital health interventions and examined epidemiologic, socioeconomic, and geographical contextual correlates of healthcare infrastructure in 544 districts covering 29 states and union territories across India. Methods The study was a cross-sectional analysis of India’s Fourth District Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS-4; 2012–2014), the most up-to-date nationally representative district-level healthcare infrastructure data. Facilities were the unit of analysis, and analyses accounted for clustering within states. The main outcome was healthcare system infrastructural context to implement hypertension management programs. Domains included diagnostics (functional BP instrument), medications (anti-hypertensive medication in stock), essential clinical staff (e.g., staff nurse, medical officer, pharmacist), and IT specific infrastructure (regular power supply, internet connection, computer availability). Descriptive analysis was conducted for infrastructure indicators based on the Indian Public Health Standards, and logistic regression was conducted to estimate the association between epidemiologic and geographical context (exposures) and the composite measure of healthcare system. Results Data from 32,215 government facilities were analyzed. Among lowest-tier subcenters, 30% had some IT infrastructure, while at the highest-tier district hospitals, 92% possessed IT infrastructure. At mid-tier primary health centres and community health centres, IT infrastructure availability was 28 and 51%, respectively. For all but sub-centres, the availability of essential staff was lower than the availability of IT infrastructure. For all but district hospitals, higher levels of blood pressure, body mass index, and urban residents were correlated with more favorable infrastructure. By region, districts in Western India tended towards having the best prepared health facilities. Conclusions IT infrastructure to support digital health interventions is more frequently lacking at lower and mid-tier healthcare facilities compared with apex facilities in India. Gaps were generally larger for staffing than physical infrastructure, suggesting that beyond IT infrastructure, shortages in essential staff impose significant constraints to the adoption of digital health interventions. These data provide early benchmarks for state- and district-level planning.

Availability and accessibility of safe and effective antivenoms are key elements for the successful treatment of snakebite envenoming (SBE). This study provides a preliminary analysis on the way antivenoms are managed by the public health system in Costa Rica and on the role played by pharmacists in the overall management of antivenoms. This was an observational, cross-sectional study based on an online survey sent to pharmacists working at Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (Costa Rican Social Security System; CCSS) in different locations in Costa Rica. Characteristics and location of health facilities, as well as antivenom availability and management details, were analyzed. Responses from a total of 96 pharmacists, corresponding to 55 different healthcare facilities, were included in this study. Most respondents worked at pharmacies located in urban communities (69.0%) and in the secondary level of care, which includes clinics, and regional and peripheral hospitals (55.2%). Overall, participants reported antivenom availability at all levels of care and in centers having various operating schedules, although they were not available in some facilities in regions where SBE is uncommon or do not attend SBE cases because of the proximity of more complex health centers. On average, the stocks of anticoral and polyvalent antivenoms per health facility were compatible with the dose of antivenom required for treating a SBE case. More than half of participants reported knowing the availability of protocols for the management of SBE and the correct use of antivenom at their healthcare facilities. Of the total respondents, 49% agreed on possessing all the resources needed for the correct management of these medicines at their facilities, and 65.6% indicated that they know the procedures for antivenom storage and management. Our findings provide a first description of the availability of antivenoms in the public health system of Costa Rica, including the primary care level. Results also underscore the perceived role of participating pharmacists in the management of these life-saving drugs and the need to improve their knowledge on this topic.

Objectives: To present a comprehensive real-world micro-costing analysis of bariatric surgery. Methods: Patients were included if they underwent primary bariatric surgery (gastric banding [GB], gastric bypass [GBP] and sleeve gastrectomy [SG]) between 2013 and 2019. Costs were disaggregated into cost items and average-per-patient costs from the Australian healthcare systems perspective were expressed in constant 2019 Australian dollars for the entire cohort and subgroup analysis. Annual population-based costs were calculated to capture longitudinal trends. A generalized linear model (GLM) predicted the overall bariatric-related costs. Results: N = 240 publicly funded patients were included, with the waitlist times of ≤ 10.7 years. The mean direct costs were $11,269. The operating theatre constituted the largest component of bariatric-related costs, followed by medical supplies, salaries, critical care use, and labour on-costs. Average cost for SG ($12,632) and GBP ($15,041) was higher than that for GB ($10,049). Operating theatre accounted for the largest component for SG/GBP costs, whilst medical supplies were the largest for GB. We observed an increase in SG and a decrease in GB procedures over time. Correspondingly, the main cost driver changed from medical supplies in 2014–2015 for GB procedures to operating theatre for SG thereafter. GLM model estimates of bariatric average cost ranged from $7,580 to $36,633. Conclusions: We presented the first detailed characterization of the scale, disaggregated profile and determinants of bariatric-related costs, and examined the evolution of resource utilization patterns and costs, reflecting the shift in the Australian bariatric landscape over time. Understanding these patterns and forecasting of future changes are critical for efficient resource allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The Israeli National Health Insurance Law provides permanent residents with a basket of healthcare services through non-profit public health insurance plans, independently of the individual’s ability to pay. Since 2015, several reforms and programs have been initiated that were aimed at reinforcing public healthcare and redressing negative aspects of the health system, and specifically the constant rise in private health expenditure. These include the “From Reimbursement-to-Networks Arrangement”, the “Cooling-off Period” program and the program to shorten waiting times. The objectives of this study were to identify, describe, and analyze changes in private hospitals in 1) the volume of publicly and privately funded elective surgical procedures; and 2) private health expenditure on surgical procedures. Methods Data on the volume and funding of surgical procedures during 2013–2018 were obtained from Assuta Medical Center, Hertzelia Medical Center, the Israeli Ministry of Health and the Central Bureau of Statistics. The changes in the volume and financing sources of surgical activities in private hospitals, in the wake of the reforms were analyzed using aggregate descriptive statistics. Results Between 2013 and 2018 the volume of surgical activities in private for-profit hospitals increased by 7%. Between 2013 and 2017, the distribution of financing sources of surgical procedures in private hospitals remained stable, with most surgical procedures (75–77%) financed by the voluntary health insurance programs of the health plans (HP-VHI). In 2018, following the regulatory reforms, a significant change in the distribution of financing sources was observed: there was a sharp decline in the volume of HP-VHI-funded surgical procedures to 26%. Concurrently, the share of publicly-funded surgical procedures performed in private hospitals increased to 56% in 2018.,. During the study period, private spending on elective surgical procedures in private hospitals declined by 53% while public funding for them increased by 51%. Conclusions and policy implications In the wake of the reforms, there was a substantial shift from private to public financing of elective surgical activity in private hospitals. Private for-profit hospitals have become important providers of publicly-funded procedures. It is likely that the reforms affected the public-private mix in the financing of elective surgical procedures in those hospitals, but due to the absence of a control group, causality cannot be proven. It is also unclear whether waiting times were shortened. Health reforms must be accompanied by a clear and comprehensive set of indicators for measuring their success.

Background: Depression is common among hospitalized patients and poses a significant threat to their quality of life. Patient engagement (PE) in healthcare has been shown to be associated with positive health outcomes. However, the relationship between PE and depression among hospitalized patients, with and without chronic conditions, has not yet been explored. This study aimed to investigate the association between patients' satisfaction with PE and self-reported depression in Chinese public hospitals. Method: A multi-centered, cross-sectional survey was conducted in seven tertiary-level public hospitals in Guangdong province, China. Twelve items from a patient-centered care questionnaire and the Patient Health Questionnaire 2-item version were used were used to assess patients' satisfaction with PE and self-reported depression, respectively. Propensity score matching (PSM) approach was used to reduce selection bias and potential baseline differences between patients with and without chronic conditions. The relationship between satisfaction with PE and depression was assessed, using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, respectively. Results: A total of 1,974 hospitalized patients participated in the survey. After the PSM procedure, 604 patients were assigned to the chronic condition group, and another 604 patients were successfully matched in the comparison group with no differences in sex, age, educational level, and PE-related characteristics. Univariate logistic regression analysis indicated that high satisfaction with PE-related approaches significantly decreased the probability of developing depressive status. Multivariate logistic regression analysis further indicated that, after adjusting all PE-related approaches, "patient education" and "involvement in discharge planning" could significantly decrease the probability of patients developing depression. Conclusions: Our results indicate that encouraging PE and improving patients' satisfaction with PE interventions in clinical practice led to improved mental health outcomes among hospitalized patients in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the French diagnosis‐related group (DRG)‐based payment system, both private and public hospitals are financed by a public single payer. Public hospitals are overcrowded and have no direct financial incentives to choose one procedure over another. If a patient has a strong preference, they can switch to a private hospital. In private hospitals, the preference does come into play, but the patient has to pay for the additional cost, for which they are reimbursed if they have supplementary private health insurance. Do financial incentives from the fees received by physicians for different procedures drive their behavior? Using French exhaustive data on delivery, we find that private hospitals perform significantly more cesarean deliveries than public hospitals. However, for patients without private health insurance, the two sectors differ much less in terms of cesareans rate. We determine the impact of the financial incentive for patients who can afford the additional cost. Affordability is mainly ensured by the reimbursement of costs by private health insurance. These findings can be interpreted as evidence that, in healthcare systems where a public single payer offers universal coverage, the presence of supplementary private insurance can contribute to creating incentives on the supply side and lead to practices and an allocation of resources that are not optimal from a social welfare perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focused on some of the most important aspects of ethics in the healthcare industry and examined the relevance of the system created to evaluate ethical healthcare practices in the public sector. The research included developing a conceptual model representing variables that influence ethics in public healthcare services in Portugal, using fuzzy cognitive mapping to facilitate the identification of the most significant variables. This method is a well‐established decision problem‐structuring tool that allows experts to define cause‐and‐effect relationships between variables and make decisions. The insights obtained were generated in face‐to‐face group meetings with experts in the public healthcare sector, showing that professional profiles, management, team relationships, external factors, equity principles, and respect are among the most relevant determinants of ethical healthcare. That is, these criteria are the most commonly applied standards in analyses of ethical practices in public healthcare services. The resulting assessment framework and its applicability were validated by both the panel of experts and the chairperson of the board of directors of S. Francisco Xavier Hospital in Lisbon, Portugal. The advantages and limitations of the analysis developed in this study are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundDepression is common among hospitalized patients and poses a significant threat to their quality of life. Patient engagement (PE) in healthcare has been shown to be associated with positive health outcomes. However, the relationship between PE and depression among hospitalized patients, with and without chronic conditions, has not yet been explored. This study aimed to investigate the association between patients' satisfaction with PE and self-reported depression in Chinese public hospitals.MethodA multi-centered, cross-sectional survey was conducted in seven tertiary-level public hospitals in Guangdong province, China. Twelve items from a patient-centered care questionnaire and the Patient Health Questionnaire 2-item version were used were used to assess patients' satisfaction with PE and self-reported depression, respectively. Propensity score matching (PSM) approach was used to reduce selection bias and potential baseline differences between patients with and without chronic conditions. The relationship between satisfaction with PE and depression was assessed, using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, respectively.ResultsA total of 1,974 hospitalized patients participated in the survey. After the PSM procedure, 604 patients were assigned to the chronic condition group, and another 604 patients were successfully matched in the comparison group with no differences in sex, age, educational level, and PE-related characteristics. Univariate logistic regression analysis indicated that high satisfaction with PE-related approaches significantly decreased the probability of developing depressive status. Multivariate logistic regression analysis further indicated that, after adjusting all PE-related approaches, “patient education” and “involvement in discharge planning” could significantly decrease the probability of patients developing depression.ConclusionsOur results indicate that encouraging PE and improving patients' satisfaction with PE interventions in clinical practice led to improved mental health outcomes among hospitalized patients in China.

Background: There is substantial interest in leveraging digital health technology to support hypertension management in low- and middle-income countries such as India. The potential for healthcare infrastructure and broader context to support such initiatives in India has not been examined. We evaluated existing healthcare infrastructure to support digital health interventions and examined epidemiologic, socioeconomic, and geographical contextual correlates of healthcare infrastructure in 544 districts covering 29 states and union territories across India.Methods: The study was a cross-sectional analysis of India's Fourth District Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS-4; 2012-2014), the most up-to-date nationally representative district-level healthcare infrastructure data. Facilities were the unit of analysis, and analyses accounted for clustering within states. The main outcome was healthcare system infrastructural context to implement hypertension management programs. Domains included diagnostics (functional BP instrument), medications (anti-hypertensive medication in stock), essential clinical staff (e.g., staff nurse, medical officer, pharmacist), and IT specific infrastructure (regular power supply, internet connection, computer availability). Descriptive analysis was conducted for infrastructure indicators based on the Indian Public Health Standards, and logistic regression was conducted to estimate the association between epidemiologic and geographical context (exposures) and the composite measure of healthcare system.Results: Data from 32,215 government facilities were analyzed. Among lowest-tier subcenters, 30% had some IT infrastructure, while at the highest-tier district hospitals, 92% possessed IT infrastructure. At mid-tier primary health centres and community health centres, IT infrastructure availability was 28 and 51%, respectively. For all but sub-centres, the availability of essential staff was lower than the availability of IT infrastructure. For all but district hospitals, higher levels of blood pressure, body mass index, and urban residents were correlated with more favorable infrastructure. By region, districts in Western India tended towards having the best prepared health facilities.Conclusions: IT infrastructure to support digital health interventions is more frequently lacking at lower and mid-tier healthcare facilities compared with apex facilities in India. Gaps were generally larger for staffing than physical infrastructure, suggesting that beyond IT infrastructure, shortages in essential staff impose significant constraints to the adoption of digital health interventions. These data provide early benchmarks for state- and district-level planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Introduction Prostate cancer is the leading cancer type in black South African men. The South African public healthcare sector serves more than 84% of the population, which includes many of these men. Previous evidence suggests that patients’ information needs are influenced by culture. No studies could be found that explored the information needs of black men diagnosed with prostate cancer in a developing country from the patients’ perspectives. Therefore, this study set out to investigate the information needs of black men diagnosed with prostate cancer in a South African public healthcare setting. Methods Nine participants who had completed a radical course of external beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer were interviewed. These participants had gained experience from their cancer journey in this setting and could therefore provide information-rich perspectives about their information needs from the time of diagnosis to end of treatment. Interviews were conducted in the participants’ preferred language, with three interviews conducted in Zulu with an English translator. Results Important themes that emerged included patients' desire to receive more information regarding what was happening in the diagnosis stage, the implications of having prostate cancer and the origin of their symptoms. The participants expressed a need to understand the potential side effects of radiation therapy, the reason for bladder filling and on-treatment set-up imaging verification. Participants also wanted to know how they should care for themselves and adjust their lifestyles, and required more information about follow-up tests and appointments. Conclusion In South Africa, black men with prostate cancer expressed the need for more information about the implications of a prostate cancer diagnosis, the reasons for these treatments and what they were expected to do. They also require information about where to go and what will happen in the different parts of the healthcare system with regard to the diagnosis and treatment of the prostate cancer. Communities should also be educated about cancer to avoid misconceptions. In South Africa, healthcare workers should consider the life-worlds of black men in the public healthcare system when attending to their information needs.

Acceptance and commitment group therapy for teenagers with difficulties in emotional-regulation: A pilot study. Contextual literature points to the fact that, on the basis of the difficulties of emotional regulation, there is a deficit to understand and react properly to the internal experience. There are few proposals for the application of contextual therapies in adolescent population with these difficulties. An ACT brief psychotherapy group protocol is proposed for teenagers with emotional-regulation difficulties. The protocol tries to achieve improvements in observation, interpretation and action choice against unpleasant internal experiences. The intervention protocol was developed in a Public Mental Healthcare System of Spain to eight participants. The assessment consisted of the application of the Emotional Regulation Difficulty Scale (DERS-E) and the Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire II (AAQ-II) pre and post-intervention, as well as the record of the Clinically Relevant Behaviors (RCCs) of the participants during the group therapy. Exercises applied during the six protocol sessions are described, specifying the clinical target of every exercise and some of the interventions of therapists and participants are detailed. There is a significant improvement in scores related to behavioral components (impulsivity, interference to goals, strategies of emotional regulation) than in variables related to emotional awareness and changes in RCCs are observed. Results point out the need of reinforcing emotional awareness exercises in the protocol. It is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention in a larger sample of adolescents.

We explore the discontinuity in the allocation of the main federal grant to Brazilian municipalities to identify the local effects of health spending and the spillovers into the bordering jurisdictions. Fiscal reactions are asymmetric: small neighbors reduce health spending, while we do not find a significant budgetary response in the largest neighbor. Our results suggest a reduction in the spread of infectious diseases in the neighbors, with fewer residents hospitalized with gastrointestinal infections. In addition, the elderly demand less hospitalization in the largest bordering jurisdictions due to respiratory infectious diseases. Finally, we find a direct and significant reduction in infant mortality, consistent with the observed pediatricians' increase, while the spillover effects on neighbors' mortality rates are not conclusive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parents with physical disabilities face challenges in their relationships with perinatal and early childhood services. This paper aims to better understand the experiences and needs of parents with physical disabilities regarding perinatal and early childhood services in the public healthcare system in Quebec, Canada. We also describe how adequately current services meet the needs of these individuals. Thirteen interviews were conducted with ten mothers and three fathers with physical disabilities. Results indicate challenges in various phases of the parental experience: the decision to have a child and conception; pregnancy follow-up; delivery; postnatal care and parental practices. The main issues reported by participants involved access to information and professionals' attitudes. Participants also emphasized the importance of keeping control over the parenting process. As there is a growing interest in the questions surrounding parents with disabilities in Quebec, this study can provide useful insights for community organizations and political stakeholders. Parents with physical disabilities report needs at various stages in their parental experience: the decision to have a child and conception, pregnancy follow-up, delivery, postnatal care and parental practices. Parents ask to be provided with appropriate information and to be part of the decision-making process during the delivery and with regards to child care. Professional services may fail to address parents' needs. Inclusive services would provide support for parents with physical disabilities surrounding both the medical, and the social aspects of their parenthood. Services of this nature could lead to positive outcomes in their parental practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Israeli National Health Insurance Law provides permanent residents with a basket of healthcare services through non-profit public health insurance plans, independently of the individual's ability to pay. Since 2015, several reforms and programs have been initiated that were aimed at reinforcing public healthcare and redressing negative aspects of the health system, and specifically the constant rise in private health expenditure. These include the "From Reimbursement-to-Networks Arrangement", the "Cooling-off Period" program and the program to shorten waiting times. The objectives of this study were to identify, describe, and analyze changes in private hospitals in 1) the volume of publicly and privately funded elective surgical procedures; and 2) private health expenditure on surgical procedures. Methods: Data on the volume and funding of surgical procedures during 2013–2018 were obtained from Assuta Medical Center, Hertzelia Medical Center, the Israeli Ministry of Health and the Central Bureau of Statistics. The changes in the volume and financing sources of surgical activities in private hospitals, in the wake of the reforms were analyzed using aggregate descriptive statistics. Results: Between 2013 and 2018 the volume of surgical activities in private for-profit hospitals increased by 7%. Between 2013 and 2017, the distribution of financing sources of surgical procedures in private hospitals remained stable, with most surgical procedures (75–77%) financed by the voluntary health insurance programs of the health plans (HP-VHI). In 2018, following the regulatory reforms, a significant change in the distribution of financing sources was observed: there was a sharp decline in the volume of HP-VHI-funded surgical procedures to 26%. Concurrently, the share of publicly-funded surgical procedures performed in private hospitals increased to 56% in 2018.,. During the study period, private spending on elective surgical procedures in private hospitals declined by 53% while public funding for them increased by 51%. Conclusions and policy implications: In the wake of the reforms, there was a substantial shift from private to public financing of elective surgical activity in private hospitals. Private for-profit hospitals have become important providers of publicly-funded procedures. It is likely that the reforms affected the public-private mix in the financing of elective surgical procedures in those hospitals, but due to the absence of a control group, causality cannot be proven. It is also unclear whether waiting times were shortened. Health reforms must be accompanied by a clear and comprehensive set of indicators for measuring their success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Prostate cancer is the leading cancer type in black South African men. The South African public healthcare sector serves more than 84% of the population, which includes many of these men. Previous evidence suggests that patients' information needs are influenced by culture. No studies could be found that explored the information needs of black men diagnosed with prostate cancer in a developing country from the patients' perspectives. Therefore, this study set out to investigate the information needs of black men diagnosed with prostate cancer in a South African public healthcare setting. Methods: Nine participants who had completed a radical course of external beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer were interviewed. These participants had gained experience from their cancer journey in this setting and could therefore provide information-rich perspectives about their information needs from the time of diagnosis to end of treatment. Interviews were conducted in the participants' preferred language, with three interviews conducted in Zulu with an English translator. Results: Important themes that emerged included patients' desire to receive more information regarding what was happening in the diagnosis stage, the implications of having prostate cancer and the origin of their symptoms. The participants expressed a need to understand the potential side effects of radiation therapy, the reason for bladder filling and on-treatment set-up imaging verification. Participants also wanted to know how they should care for themselves and adjust their lifestyles, and required more information about follow-up tests and appointments. Conclusion: In South Africa, black men with prostate cancer expressed the need for more information about the implications of a prostate cancer diagnosis, the reasons for these treatments and what they were expected to do. They also require information about where to go and what will happen in the different parts of the healthcare system with regard to the diagnosis and treatment of the prostate cancer. Communities should also be educated about cancer to avoid misconceptions. In South Africa, healthcare workers should consider the life-worlds of black men in the public healthcare system when attending to their information needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has been declared a public health emergency of international concern. Singapore was one of the first countries to identify imported cases and also experience a second wave of outbreaks. A slew of measures enacted by the government to 'flatten the curve' has directly impacted upon the way we practice. Study design/Methods: This article describes steps enacted by our department to ensure sustainability of our ophthalmic practice. Results: We share considerations at various time points and policies implemented in a stepwise approach in response to the worsening community situation. We further discuss our phased approach towards reinstating our services safely and effectively for patients and staff in a markedly different practice climate. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has markedly upended the way we practice medicine. Reflecting on the ideal measures required for such occurrences in the future will empower practices with the ability to respond effectively to future outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the use of public and private healthcare systems separately and interactively to find solutions to various problems the healthcare sector has faced including waiting time, cost, and quality of service. Patients, private and public healthcare providers, funders, and governments that make rules about healthcare were defined as components of healthcare systems in this study. Mathematical optimization models were developed by deriving scenarios to balance the components of healthcare systems. In addition to derivation of scenarios related to types of healthcare systems and decision variables, including copayment, treatment cost, reimbursement, and premium, numerical studies for the healthcare components were performed to determine which healthcare systems were useful. The minimum fee payable by patients for the easy access to healthcare schemes was calculated. While there was no remarkable change in the waiting time of the patients in the private healthcare system, the waiting time were reduced by 48.70% in the public healthcare system among the findings. The amount of reimbursement decreased significantly as a result of the interaction of healthcare systems. By reducing the amount of co-payment to the amount charged by the public healthcare system, it has been ensured that private healthcare providers treat more patients. Based on computational analyses, because of the agreements provided between the components, we have advocated that public and private healthcare systems must be unified to provide greater benefits for all the components of healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inappropriate antimicrobial use favours the spread of resistance, and multidrug-resistant microorganisms (MDR) are currently of major concern. Antimicrobial stewardship programmes (ASPs) are essential for improving antibiotic use in hospitals. However, their impact on entire healthcare systems has not been thoroughly assessed. Our objective was to provide the results of an institutionally supported ASP involving 31 public hospitals in Andalusia, Spain. We designed an ecologic time-series study from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2017. Quarterly, data on indicators were collected prospectively, and feedback reports were provided. PIRASOA is an ongoing clinically based quality-improvement programme whose key intervention is the educational interview, regular peer-to-peer interventions between advisors and prescribers to reinforce the appropriate use of antibiotics. Seventy-two indicators were monitored to measure prescribing quality (inappropriate treatments), antimicrobial consumption (defined daily doses per 1000 occupied bed-days), incidence density of MDR per 1000 occupied bed-days and crude mortality rate associated with bloodstream infections. We used Joinpoint regression software to analyse the trends. The quality of antimicrobial prescribing improved markedly, and the inappropriate treatment rate was significantly lower, with quarterly percentage change (QPC) = −3.0%, p < 0.001. Total antimicrobial consumption decreased (QPC = −0.9%, p < 0.001), specifically carbapenems, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, quinolones and antifungal agents, whereas antipseudomonal cephalosporin use increased. While the incidence of MDR showed a sustained decreasing trend (QPC = −1.8%; p 0.002), the mortality of patients with bloodstream infections remained stable (QPC = −0.2%, p 0.605). To date, the PIRASOA programme has succeeded in optimizing the use of antimicrobial agents and has had a positive ecologic result on bacterial resistance at level of an entire healthcare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a number of countries, unemployment rates for people with psychiatric disabilities are much higher than in the general population. On the one hand, the expenses for mental health reach 3.5% of the total public health and social services budget in Québec. On the other hand, social firms (SFs) receive government subsidies. The objective was to compare public healthcare expenses for people with psychiatric disabilities who work in SFs with those associated with people with a similar condition who are looking for a job in the competitive labour market. This study followed a retrospective comparative design and considered two groups, namely: 122 employees working in SFs and 64 individuals participating in a supported employment program as job‐seekers. Two complementary datasets were used: a self‐report questionnaire and public healthcare databases. The cost analysis was performed from the perspective of the public healthcare system and included outpatient visit fees to physicians, outpatient visits to health professionals other than physicians in public healthcare centres, inpatient expenses due to hospitalisations, emergency room visits and amounts reimbursed to patients for medication. Regression analyses using generalised linear models with a gamma distribution and log link were used. Our results revealed that when controlling for sociodemographic variables (gender, age, marital status, education, physical disability), global health (EuroQol EQ‐5D‐5L), the severity of psychiatric symptoms (18‐item Brief Symptom Inventory) and self‐declared primary mental health diagnosis, annual healthcare costs paid by the public insurance system were between $1,924 and $3,912 lower for people working in SFs than for the comparison group. An explanatory hypothesis is that working in SFs could act as a substitute for medical treatments such as outpatient visits and medication use. There might be a form of compensation between supporting SFs and financing the public healthcare system, which provides valuable insights for public decision‐making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Romanian healthcare confronts with several issues remained still unsolved. One of the mainissues is bureaucracy. In our country bureaucracy finds a place in almost every public sector,especially in healthcare. Doctors have to complete daily papers over papers, to hand them to theNational Insurance House and then, in the rest of the time, to practice their job. Unfortunately, thetime for medicine is limited because of the several situations that must be completed monthly. Our paper tries to analyze the main problem, along with its root causes, in order to proposeviable solutions that could be adopted so our healthcare system could be among the otherEuropean healthcare systems.

Background: This study examines the phenomenon of arrangements limiting terms of office for directors of nursing (DONs) as a policy change in the Israeli public healthcare system since nursing is a major component of the healthcare system's personnel, and DONs have a crucial influence on achieving the organization's goals in a changing and developing environment with limited resources. Aim of Article: To understand how senior role-holders in the Israeli public healthcare system view arrangements limiting terms of office for directors of nursing as a policy change in the Israeli nursing system. Methods: Qualitative design comprising face-to-face interviews with sixteen purposefully sampled senior managers at three medical centers in central Israel. Data were analyzed thematically. Findings: Five themes emerged: ambivalence concerning the need for arrangements limiting terms of office, arrangements limiting terms of office as an organizational change, arrangements limiting terms of office as a method of career management, arrangements limiting terms of office - where they are headed, and length of the term of office. Conclusions: This study shows that the answer to the question whether to perpetuate the past or shape the future is not unequivocal; it is evident from ambivalent attitudes towards the option of instituting arrangements limiting terms of office. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming to analyze the efficiency of the public sector, this paper enriches the literature by providing insights of the healthcare system for an emergent country -- Romania. The empirical findings reached by applying the input orientated-variable return to scale (VRS) model of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Tobit regression method are determined on two key levels of the study. The Data Envelopment Analysis technique quantifies the efficiency within 20 representative hospitals located in the four administrative macro-regions, highlighting the ways of increasing efficiency, while the Tobit regression identifies the factors that influence the efficiency level. The results of the investigation allow for comparisons with other emerging countries, as efficiency has become an increasingly significant factor for public sector evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This is a secondary database study using the Brazilian public healthcare system database., Aim: To describe intestinal complications (ICs) of patients in the Brazilian public healthcare system with Crohn's disease (CD) who initiated and either only received conventional therapy (CVT) or also initiated anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy between 2011 and 2020., Methods: This study included patients with CD [international classification of diseases - 10 th revision (ICD-10): K50.0, K50.1, or K50.8] (age: ≥ 18 years) with at least one claim of CVT (sulfasalazine, azathioprine, mesalazine, or methotrexate). IC was defined as a CD-related hospitalization, pre-defined procedure codes (from rectum or intestinal surgery groups), and/or associated disease (pre-defined ICD-10 codes), and overall (one or more type of ICs)., Results: In the 16809 patients with CD that met the inclusion criteria, the mean follow-up duration was 4.44 (2.37) years. In total, 14697 claims of ICs were found from 4633 patients. Over the 1- and 5-year of follow-up, 8.3% and 8.2% of the patients with CD, respectively, presented at least one IC, of which fistula (31%) and fistulotomy (48%) were the most commonly reported. The overall incidence rate (95%CI) of ICs was 6.8 (6.5-7.04) per 100 patient years for patients using only-CVT, and 9.2 (8.8-9.6) for patients with evidence of anti-TNF therapy., Conclusion: The outcomes highlighted an important and constant rate of ICs over time in all the CD populations assessed, especially in patients exposed to anti-TNF therapy. This outcome revealed insights into the real-world treatment and complications relevant to patients with CD and highlights that this disease remains a concern that may require additional treatment strategies in the Brazilian public healthcare system., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: Dr. Yang-Santos reports grants from Takeda Pharmaceuticals Brazil, during the conduct of the study; Sassaki LY is a speaker for Janssen and Takeda and participates in the advisory boards of Takeda and AbbVie; Martins AL served on the advisory boards of Takeda, AbbVie, Janssen, Pfizer, and Amgen and is a speaker for Amgen and Janssen; Galhardi-Gasparini R is a speaker for Janssen, Takeda, and AbbVie; Saad-Hossne R is a speaker for Novartis and is on the advisory boards for AbbVie, Takeda, Janssen, Pfizer, Fresenius, and Amgen; Ritter AMV and Balula B are employees of IQVIA, Brazil; Marcolino T, Barreto TB, and Yang-Santos C are employees of Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Brazil., (©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: Healthcare authorities constantly search for new approaches of assessing the performance of the health sector. Comparative studies help for improvements in healthcare by learning from each-other. Our aim was to assess the performance of the public healthcare system in the Republic of Macedonia, through the analysis of preparedness of institutions to fulfill the population’s healthcare needs and expectations. Methods: This study had a regional character. The national research team interviewed 175 randomly selected participants from Macedonia. The research was performed in the period March 2012 – March 2013. For the research purposes there were used especially designed questionnaires for cancer, stroke, myocardial infarction, diabetes mellitus and injuries. For assessment of the performances, the appropriate techniques were developed. Results: Macedonians consider public healthcare system as being medium-good in all aspects: accessibility, availability, quality of health care services and population’s confidence. The knowledgeable observers (N=125) believe that state-of-the-art treatment exist all over the country (“yes”: 33.6% and “rather yes”: 44.8%). They believe that the services are accessible to everybody, free of major charges (“yes”: 31.2% and “rather yes”: 45.6%). The individual witnesses (N=50) argued toward lack of pharmacies and proper medicines in rural areas, with a gap between the availability and quality of services in rural vs. urban areas. Conclusion: The future goals for Macedonia include better public healthcare financing, cost definition of health packages, improved disease prevention and effective human resources.