Demand For Health Care Services Research Articles

Co-occurrence of hypertension and type 2 diabetes: prevalence and associated factors among Haramaya University employees in Eastern Ethiopia.

Both hypertension (HTN) and diabetes are public health concerns in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan African countries. The co-occurrence of HTN and diabetes is associated with an increased risk of mortality, morbidity, and reduced productivity in the working force. In Ethiopia, there is limited evidence on the co-occurrence of HTN and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the co-occurrence of HTN and T2DM and their associated factors among Haramaya University employees in Eastern Ethiopia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,200 employees at Haramaya University using a simple random sampling technique from December 2018 to February 2019. Demographic and behavioral factors were collected on a semi-structured questionnaire, followed by measurement of anthropometry and blood pressure. Blood glucose and lipid profile measurements were performed by collecting 6 ml of venous blood samples after 8 h of overnight fasting. Data were entered into EpiData 3.1 version and analyzed using Stata 16 software. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regressions were applied to observe the association between independent variables with co-occurrence of HPN and T2DM using odds ratio, 95% confidence interval (CI), and p-values of ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant. The prevalence of HTN and T2DM was 27.3 and 7.4%, respectively. The co-occurrence of HTN and T2DM was 3.8%. The study found that being older (AOR = 3.97; 95 % CI: 1.80-8.74), khat chewing (AOR = 2.76; 95 % CI: 1.23-6.18), body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2 (AOR = 5.11; 95 % CI: 2.06-12.66), and sedentary behavior ≥8 h per day (AOR = 6.44; 95 % CI: 2.89-14.34) were statistically associated with co-occurrence of HTN and T2DM. On the other hand, consuming fruits and vegetables (AOR = 0.10; 95 % CI: 0.04-0.22) and a higher level of education (AOR = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.17-0.89) were negatively statistically associated with the co-occurrence of HTN and T2DM. The co-occurrence of HTN and T2DM was prevalent among the study participants. This may create a substantial load on the healthcare system as an end result of increased demand for healthcare services. Therefore, rigorous efforts are needed to develop strategies for screening employees to tackle the alarming increase in HTN and T2DM in university employees.

Strategic Mapping of Corporate and Business Strategies in the Healthcare Sector: A Case Study of ABC Hospital in Indonesia

Advancements in medical technology, such as the implementation of electronic medical record systems and the adoption of telemedicine, have revolutionized the provision of healthcare services. This study aimed to formulate a suitable strategy for the company to foster growth and maintain its market position. The research employed a qualitative approach. Based on the findings, a growth strategy is strongly recommended for ABC Hospital. Given the rising demand for healthcare services and the imperative to deliver optimal care to the community, ABC Hospital should prioritize expanding its operations, acquiring established facilities, and investing in resources and capabilities to meet the needs of the growing population. Implementing a growth strategy will enable ABC Hospital to capitalize on market opportunities, strengthen its competitive position, and ensure long-term viability in providing exceptional healthcare.

The application scenarios study on the intervention of cognitive decline in elderly population using metaverse technology

China is facing the peak of an ageing population, and there is an increase in demand for intelligent healthcare services for the elderly. The metaverse, as a new internet social communication space, has shown infinite potential for application. This paper focuses on the application of the metaverse in medicine in the intervention of cognitive decline in the elderly population. The problems in assessment and intervention of cognitive decline in the elderly group were analyzed. The basic data required to construct the metaverse in medicine was introduced. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the elderly users can conduct self-monitoring, experience immersive self-healing and health-care through the metaverse in medicine technology. Furthermore, we proposed that it is feasible that the metaverse in medicine has obvious advantages in prediction and diagnosis, prevention and rehabilitation, as well as assisting patients with cognitive decline. Risks for its application were pointed out as well. The metaverse in medicine technology solves the problem of non-face-to-face social communication for elderly users, which may help to reconstruct the social medical system and service mode for the elderly population.

525-P: Droid Audio Visual Educator–Diabetes Nutrition (DAVE-DN) Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Worldwide, demand for health care services far outpaces the availability of staff. The use of robots in healthcare has advanced in recent years as robots are seen as a viable solution to address the shortage of healthcare staff. We propose the use of a humanoid robot to provide basic nutritional education to patients with diabetes in the waiting room, hence freeing up time for dieticians to address more complex issues. We hypothesize that use of this intervention will be more effective than the current standard of care i.e. A leaflet, in educating and empowering patients with diabetes. Methods: We conducted a single-centre, randomized controlled trial to determine whether a humanoid robot would improve patient’s knowledge of nutrition. The primary outcome of the trial is improvement in patient knowledge score based on 36 items from a validated nutrition questionnaire. Each patient’s prior knowledge of nutrition was assessed by a validated questionnaire prior to the intervention. Patients were randomized to current standard of care i.e. physician-led education plus a leaflet (n=40) or standard of care plus Droid Audio Visual Educator (n=40). Following the trial, both groups had their knowledge of nutrition reassessed using the same validated questionnaire. The performance of patients in each group was compared and effectiveness of the intervention in improving education objectively determined. Results: A total of 90 patients underwent randomization. 10 withdrew before completion. The mean age was 53.7 years. The change in score in the intervention group was 3.2 of 36 points higher than control group on average (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.9 to 5.4; P= 0.006). Conclusions: This trial suggests there is potential for humanoid robots to deliver basic nutritional education Disclosure S.O'connor: None. J.Ong: None. B.Lim: None. S.Coleman: None. H.Worlikar: None. C.Connolly: None. S.E.Mcgarel: None. T.O'brien: None. D.T.O'keeffe: None. Funding Health Services Executive, Intern Network Academic Track

A race to net zero-early lessons from healthcare's decarbonization marathon.

Climate change poses a threat to healthcare systems; at the same time, healthcare systems contribute to a worsening climate. Climate-induced disasters are predicted to increase both the demand for healthcare services while also posing a threat to the integrity of healthcare systems' infrastructures and supply chains. Many healthcare organizations have taken initiatives to prepare for such disasters through implementing carbon emission-reduction practices and infrastructure reinforcement, through globally recognized frameworks and strategies known as Scopes 1, 2, and 3, and decarbonization. We explored the efforts of these early adopters to understand how they are thinking about and addressing climate change's impacts on healthcare. Through a process of reviewing the peer-reviewed literature, publicly available published documents, annual sustainability reports, conference presentations, and participation in a national decarbonization collaborative, we (1) provide a diverse set of examples showcasing the variety of ways healthcare systems are responding; (2) identify a set of emergent key themes to implementing decarbonization practices, such as the role of an organizational culture of iterative improvement and building systems of cross-organizational collaboration; and (3) synthesize the identifiable set of driving factors for long-term sustainability of these decarbonization efforts.

Determinants of Demand for Health Care Services by Rural Households

The study looked into the factors that influence rural families in the Akinyele Local Government's need for health care services. Two hundred (200) questionnaires were employed to collect certain important and pertinent data. Regression analysis, percentages, and frequency distribution statistics are some of the techniques employed. This frequency and the percentage allow us to understand how the respondents feel about the queries posed and answers provided. The regression analysis was utilized to determine the variables' sign and size as well as their significance. The regression analysis shows that price of healthcare service, the cost of drug, educational qualification and the distance to health centres are statistically significant in determining the demand for health care services among the people in Akinyele local government area while income, age and gender are statistically insignificant. As price of healthcare services, cost of drugs and distance to health centres are significant at 5% level of significance, education qualification is significant at 10% level of significance.

Applying a data-driven population segmentation approach in German claims data

BackgroundSegmenting the population into homogenous groups according to their healthcare needs may help to understand the population’s demand for healthcare services and thus support health systems to properly allocate healthcare resources and plan interventions. It may also help to reduce the fragmented provision of healthcare services. The aim of this study was to apply a data-driven utilisation-based cluster analysis to segment a defined population in the south of Germany.MethodsBased on claims data of one big German health insurance a two-stage clustering approach was applied to group the population into segments. A hierarchical method (Ward's linkage) was performed to determine the optimal number of clusters, followed by a k-means cluster analysis using age and healthcare utilisation data in 2019. The resulting segments were described in terms of their morbidity, costs and demographic characteristics.ResultsThe 126,046 patients were divided into six distinct population segments. Healthcare utilisation, morbidity and demographic characteristics differed significantly across the segments. The segment “High overall care use” comprised the smallest share of patients (2.03%) but accounted for 24.04% of total cost. The overall utilisation of services was higher than the population average. In contrast, the segment “Low overall care use” included 42.89% of the study population, accounting for 9.94% of total cost. Utilisation of services by patients in this segment was lower than population average.ConclusionPopulation segmentation offers the opportunity to identify patient groups with similar healthcare utilisation patterns, patient demographics and morbidity. Thereby, healthcare services could be tailored for groups of patients with similar healthcare needs.

Healthcare Service Efficiency: An Empirical Study on Healthcare Capacity in Various Counties and Cities in Taiwan.

As human lifespan increases and the need for elderly care grows, the demand for healthcare services and its associated costs have surged, causing a decline in the operational efficiency of universal healthcare. This has created an imbalance in medical services across different regions, posing a long-standing challenge for the public. To address this issue, strategies to enhance the capacity, efficiency, and quality of healthcare services in various regions must be developed. The appropriate allocation of medical resources is a fundamental requirement for countries to establish a robust healthcare system. This empirical study utilized data envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate the efficiency of medical service capacity and identify potential improvement strategies for counties and cities in Taiwan during the period from 2015 to 2020. The results of this study show that (1) the annual average efficiency of medical service capacity in Taiwan is approximately 90%, indicating that there is still room for a 10% improvement; (2) among the six municipalities, only Taipei City has sufficient healthcare capacity, whereas the efficiency of the remaining municipalities needs improvement; and (3) most counties and cities demonstrated increasing returns to scale, indicating a need to scale up the capacity of medical services as appropriate. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that medical personnel be increased accordingly to balance the workload, a favorable working environment be provided to stabilize the medical workforce, and urban-rural medical disparities be balanced to improve service quality and reduce cross-regional health services. These recommendations are expected to provide a reference for society as a whole to promote and enhance public health policies, leading to a continual improvement of the quality of medical services.

Usability measures used to enhance user experience in using digital health technology among elderly: a systematic review

In 2030, it is expected that 15% of the country's population will be classified as elderly and there is driving up demand for elderly healthcare services. The evolution of digital health technology has emerged as a solution to this issue. However, there has been a recent decline in the elderly adoption of digital health technologies. This issue is worsened by the emergence of interfaces and interaction styles in newly developed technologies. A systematic review was conducted in this article to investigate the usability measures used to improve the user experience of digital health technology among the elderly. This study includes articles selected from the Web of Science and Scopus databases, both of which are well-established. Using thematic analysis, data from 29 articles were analyzed, yielding four main themes: i) effectiveness; i) efficiency; iii) satisfaction; and iv) learnability. The four main themes generated 12 sub-themes. The appearance, functionality, and structure of new digital health technology are the primary barriers to adoption. User interface (UI) design should take into account the limitations of elderly users. Additionally, elderly users require motivation, support, and training to utilize digital health technologies effectively. This study's findings make significant contributions to digital health and gerontechnology fields.

Embracing Challenges for Population Aging in China: Building Scientific Evidence to Inform Long-Term Care Policymaking and Practice

ABSTRACT In China, rapid aging of the population is driving up demand for healthcare and long-term care services for older adults. This special issue of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy features a collection of studies that provided timely analyses and fresh insights into a wide range of policy relevant topics concerning long-term care for older adults in China. In this introductory article, we orient readers to these studies organized under four themes: migration, caregiving, and elder care challenges; long-term care service users, frontline workers, and workforce challenges; unmet needs across the care span in healthcare, long-term care, and end of life care; and long-term care financing. We highlight major findings and contributions of each study and provide perspectives on key issues within China’s evolving healthcare and social policy contexts. Collectively, these studies contribute to building scientific evidence where it is lacking and supporting evidence-based long-term care policymaking and practice to meet the mounting challenges of population aging in China.

Modeling Volatility Clustering in Daily Demand for Emergency Healthcare Services in The University of Cape Coast Hospital, Ghana: A Longitudinal Study

Introduction: Since early 2020, demand for emergency healthcare services in the University of Cape Coast hospital has become increasingly volatile. This phenomenon is a cause for concern because sudden and unexpected shifts in demand for emergency healthcare services can and have created expensive disruptions in operational activities even for very well-run and sophisticated emergency healthcare systems elsewhere. These phenomena of shifts in demand often create shocks in the system called volatility clustering. This is used as a crude measure of the risk of operations in the emergency healthcare industry for strategic planning, readiness, and swift response to demand for emergency healthcare services. Modeling these volatilities is crucial for prudent risk management practices such as proactively curtailing losses or liabilities, negative spillover effects, medicinal supply chain disruptions, and overall costs among key stakeholders. Despite its relevance, the knowledge of volatility density clustering in the demand for emergency healthcare in the hospital is complex and imprecise and the model(s) explaining it remains unknown. Methods: a longitudinal study was conducted by using high-frequency data of daily returns of the demand for emergency healthcare services in the hospital from January 2020 through June 2022. The Generalized Autoregressive Conditionally Heteroscedastic (GARCH) models were deployed to analyze the data. Eviews 10 statistical software package was used to process the data with statistical significance set at 5%. Results: this unbiased research study revealed a current daily average admissions of 35 patients on an 11-bed capacity emergency ward and an overall emergency admission of 13,656 patients over the study period. The results showed that the daily returns of the demand for emergency healthcare in the hospital exhibited high and persistent volatility clustering with the observed R-squared LM-statistic = 20.15; p < .001, for the returns series and suggesting as the optimal model out of six explanatory candidate volatility models. By implication, the associated volatility with the current operational capacity is woefully inadequate. Conclusion: countermeasures and supporting tools need to be designed and developed by management to guarantee readiness for rapid response, monitor and minimize any undesirable outcomes, and ultimately maximize quality patient care and safety.

Visualisation of Information Using Patient Journey Maps for a Mobile Health Application

The demand for healthcare services using mobile devices has surged owing to the ageing population and increasing interest in personal healthcare. In particular, extensive efforts have been made to utilise mobile personal health records (PHRs) to provide personalised healthcare services to users (patients). Users must understand various types of health information that are included in PHRs to ensure successful and continued use of mobile PHRs. In this study, we developed and evaluated a user-friendly method for delivering health information from a PHR using mobile devices with small screens. We first constructed a patient journey map (PJM) for easy verification of disease treatment data from the perspective of the patient. Subsequently, we developed a mobile prototype that organises and visualises personal health information according to the patient-centred PJM and conducted user evaluations with 20 Korean participants. The results demonstrated that information delivery using the proposed prototype was easy to understand, user-friendly, and efficient. This paper highlights the importance of PJMs for patients in the understanding and use of different medical information. The proposed method is expected to promote the development of patient-centred mobile health applications in the future.

Enhancing Sustainable Hospital Supply Chain Management through Collaboration and Information Flow in the Post-Pandemic Era

The importance of sustainability in Hospital Supply Chain Management (HSCM) has been increasingly recognized, particularly in the post-pandemic era. With growing demands for healthcare services, environmental concerns, and the pressing need for cost-effective solutions, hospitals must reconsider their supply chain strategies to ensure sustainability [1]. One critical aspect of achieving sustainable HSCM is fostering collaboration and information flow among stakeholders. Previously the author discussed about the Hospital Infrastructure Development (HID) which is one of the key elements that can contribute to sustainable HSCM [9]. This article will discuss another key element, the significance of "Collaboration & Information Flow" in ensuring Hospital Supply Chain Management Sustainability.

Enhancing Sustainable Hospital Supply Chain Management through Collaboration and Information Flow in the Post-Pandemic Era

The importance of sustainability in Hospital Supply Chain Management (HSCM) has been increasingly recognized, particularly in the post-pandemic era. With growing demands for healthcare services, environmental concerns, and the pressing need for cost-effective solutions, hospitals must reconsider their supply chain strategies to ensure sustainability [1]. One critical aspect of achieving sustainable HSCM is fostering collaboration and information flow among stakeholders. Previously the author discussed about the Hospital Infrastructure Development (HID) which is one of the key elements that can contribute to sustainable HSCM [9]. This article will discuss another key element, the significance of "Collaboration & Information Flow" in ensuring Hospital Supply Chain Management Sustainability.

Intelligent health in the IS area: A literature review and research agenda

As the global demand for healthcare services continues to grow, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the healthcare ecosystem has become a pressing concern. Information systems are transforming the healthcare delivery process, shifting the focus of healthcare services from passive disease treatment to proactive health prevention and the healthcare management model from hospital-centric to patient-centric. This study focuses on reviewing research in IS journals on the topic of e-health and is dedicated to constructing a theoretical model of intelligent health to provide a research basis for future discussions in this field. In addition, as the innovation of intelligent healthcare services has led to changes in its elements (e.g., an increase in the number of stakeholders), there is an urgent need to sort out and analyze the existing research.

Healthcare services gap analysis: a supply capture and demand forecast modelling, Dubai 2018–2030

BackgroundHealth systems aim to provide a range of services to meet the growing demand of Dubai's heathcare system aims to provide a range of services to meet the growing demand of its population health needs and to ensure that standards of easy access, quality, equity and responsiveness are maintained. Dubai Health Authority (DHA) uses health services planning tools to assess the health needs of its population and sets priorities and effective regulatory strategies to achieve equilibrium of supply and demand of healthcare services and ensure adequate healthcare services are available, in terms of both quality and quantity. This study aims to measure the gap between demand and supply in health care services in Dubai at the baseline and to forecast the gap size and type (according to medical specialty, key medical planning units and geographical area) till 2030. The specific consequential aim includes identification of appropriate strategic directions for regulation, licensing, policies, insurance.MethodologyThe supply of healthcare services, professionals and medical equipment is captured through a census of all healthcare facilities licensed for practice in the Emirate of Dubai. The demand is estimated using a need based approach, where demand for episodes of medical care are estimated by age and gender and aligned to the internationally defined diagnosis related groups (IR-DGRs). The estimated episodes are then forecasted into the future, until 2030, using three scenarios of population growth (high, medium and low) for the emirate of Dubai. The captured supply and forecasted demand has been categorized into eight key health-planning units (KPUs) to allow for understanding of the population healthcare service needs by main service categories. Using a software for health services planning, a gap analysis between supply and demand is conducted till year 2030.ResultsThe results revealed a current and expected undersupply and oversupply for some healthcare services by medical specialty and geographical area of the Emirate. By 2030, the largest gaps exists in acute beds, which would require 1,590 additional beds, for acute-same day beds, an additional 1575 beds, for outpatient consultation rooms, an additional 2,160 consultation rooms, for emergency department, an additional 107 emergency bays, and for long-term care and rehabilitation beds, an additional 675 beds. The top specialty needs for these categories include cardiology, orthopedics, rheumatology, psychiatry, pediatric medicine & surgery, gastroenterology, hematology & oncology, renal medicine, primary care, respiratory medicine, endocrinology, rehabilitation and long-term care.ConclusionsThere is an existing and growing requirement to support the healthcare services capacity needs for the top service lines and geographical areas with the largest gaps. Future licensing is required to ensure that new facilities are geographically distributed in a balanced way, and requests for licensing that create or augment oversupply should be avoided.

A Fresh Outlook: Workforce Management with Locum Tenens

With the well-documented shortage of physicians and advanced practitioners coupled with the increased demand for healthcare services, it is not surprising that workforce continuity is the top concern of hospital leadership. Old perceptions regarding the use of locum tenens no longer apply. A big shift is occurring in the market, and the increased use of locum tenens makes the difference for struggling healthcare systems.

Effect of user fees on healthcare accessibility and waiting time in Nigeria

PurposeThis study investigates the effect of user fees on access and waiting time in Nigeria. For access, the effect of user fees on both preventive and curative care; and the effect of user fees on waiting time at public healthcare facilities were examined. User fees are vital for the fiscal sustainability of healthcare provision for most African economies. Its imposition could debar healthcare access by the poor while its removal can reduce quality of care and induce longer waiting time.Design/methodology/approachThe wave 3 of the Nigerian General Household Survey (2015/16) data was used for users of public health facilities. Access to healthcare was modelled using utilization data in a logistic regression model while waiting time was through the Negative Binomial Regression Model (NBRM).FindingsThe analyses showed significant effects of user fees on access to both preventive and curative care and on time spent waiting to make use of healthcare services. Individuals were able to access healthcare services regardless of amounts paid. Also, there was a non-negative effect of user fee imposition on waiting time.Practical implicationsNigeria should improve healthcare facilities to address the enormous demand for healthcare services when designing policy for health sector.Originality/valueThis paper shows that even with the imposition of user fees, healthcare facilities could still not cater for the rising healthcare needs of the populace but cautioned that its abolition may not be a preferred option.

Role of Technology Innovation in Telemedicine: Focus on Sport Nutrition

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant transformation in the field of telehealth and telemedicine, as systems have been improved to meet the increased demand for remote healthcare services. Many ordinary technologies have been equipped to facilitate the normal relationship between patients and specialists. These technologies were put into action in a short period of time, creating a gap between the limits of common technologies and the special needs of telemedicine patients. Furthermore, focusing the lens on the special needs of sports in terms of nutrition, we see that research demonstrates the possibility of improving athletic performance by introducing technological diet support. This review aims to provide an overview of the technologies successfully implemented in telemedicine systems, a look at new modeling approaches, and a study on the roles of new enabling technologies in the process. It aims to highlight the results of the employment of telemedicine in sports dietary support and present open research challenges and recommendations for future research on a new application of technologies in telemedicine, for both the industrial and academic sectors. Literature was identified through intensive research work, reviewing articles related to the topics of new technologies in telemedicine and sports dietary support systems. The review concludes that it is possible to envisage the design of future models in the eHealth sector related to nutrition and sports, confirming the important role of telemedicine in a healthy lifestyle.

The Role of Private Equity in Health Care for Older Adults

With demographic shifts in longevity, healthcare has struggled to adequately meet the needs of older adults who are living longer and with more complex illness than ever. These demographic trends pose a substantial opportunity for emerging business ventures focused on health care for older adults. The operational inefficiencies, inequities in access, and increasing consumer demands for quality care also make health care ripe for innovation and disruption. Thus, it is no surprise that private equity (PE) firms are playing an increasing role in the business of the US health care system. PE investment in health care has grown dramatically over the last decade; estimated annual deal values have gone from $41.5 billion in 2010 to $119.9 billion in 2019, totaling approximately $750 billion (Scheffler et al., 2021). PE firms raise capital from investors or acquire private operating companies, improve their financial condition and business prospects with an expectation to have 20%–30% returns, and sell companies to the public through an initial public offering or to a strategic buyer at a profit within a truncated frame (3–7 years; Gondi & Song, 2019). The PE model puts enormous financial pressure on the delivery of health care to produce short-term profits, which is often achieved through operational and management changes, staffing restructuring, standardization, and cost containment. PE investment in health care is increasing because health care is an essential industry that functions on a reimbursement structure and is largely insulated from recession. The growing demand in health care services for the aging and chronic disease population is also contributing to the increased investment in health care from PE.