Quality Of Healthcare Services Research Articles

Design of a Booking Management System, with Responsive Design Web Appointments, to Reduce Time and Improve the Quality of Health Care Services

Technology is playing an important role, especially in the current need for technological solutions focused on the health sector. There is currently much room for improvement, for example: reducing the long waiting time for patients to book an appointment according to availability in the specialty and doctor. However, there are still health centers that lack technological solutions focused on this, because most of the population does not yet have the knowledge of technology. Given this, and taking into account the needs of users with low knowledge of ICT and contribute to the health sector, will be launched the design and development of a specialized responsive website for the management of medical appointments that will solve in part the order and time of attention of each appointment requested, whose purpose is to improve the quality of care of public health services.

The Role of the ICE Model in Doctor-Patient Shared Decision Making

The ICE model plays a crucial role in shared decision-making between patients and healthcare providers. Adequate information helps patients better understand their health conditions and make informed choices; effective communication facilitates building mutual trust and reaching consensus between providers and patients; and the demonstration of empathy can alleviate patients' anxiety and enhance their confidence in participating in decision-making. In recent years, the application of the ICE model in clinical practice has gained increasing attention. This article mainly explores and analyzes the application of the ICE model in medical practice and its impact on the quality of patient-provider interactions. The research aims to evaluate how the ICE model promotes effective bidirectional communication between patients and providers, and how providers' empathy can enhance psychological support for patients and treatment adherence. Through this study, the goal is to comprehensively understand the role of the ICE model in improving the quality of healthcare services, strengthening patient-provider relationships, and assisting providers in delivering more personalized, patient-centered care. Finally, current challenges are discussed, and future development directions are proposed.

Pharmaceutical sector: Packaging requirement in serialization

Access to healthcare is a fundamental right for every individual, and it is the responsibility of governments to ensure the provision of quality healthcare services and infrastructure to their citizens. Over the past few decades, both governments and the healthcare industry have been grappling with the challenge of minimizing the adverse effects on public health caused by counterfeit medicines. According to the World Health Organization, approximately four out of ten medicines in developing and impoverished countries are either fake or potentially adulterated, leading to significant economic losses and reducing funds allocated for research and development (R&D) by organizations. Preventing counterfeit medicines from entering the supply chain poses a significant challenge for governments and regulatory authorities. Consequently, there is a concerted effort to establish stringent guidelines aimed at thwarting criminals and counterfeiters from infiltrating markets with fake medications. The healthcare industry recognizes the necessity for strict regulations and secure technologies to ensure the provision of safe and authentic drugs to patients. In the United States, the FDA has outlined a ten-year roadmap to implement drug traceability measures. Additionally, the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) has mandated the inclusion of multiple barcodes and human-readable data in product packaging hierarchy. Furthermore, the FDA is actively engaged in a pilot project with leading pharmaceutical manufacturers and wholesalers to explore the utilization of blockchain technology within an interoperable digital network for securing the transfer of digital traceability data among authorized trading partners.

Enablers and barriers to primary health care access for Indigenous adolescents: a systematic review and meta-aggregation of studies across Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and USA

BackgroundIndigenous adolescents access primary health care services at lower rates, despite their greater health needs and experience of disadvantage. This systematic review identifies the enablers and barriers to primary health care access for Indigenous adolescents to inform service and policy improvements.MethodsWe systematically searched databases for publications reporting enablers or barriers to primary health care access for Indigenous adolescents from the perspective of adolescents, their parents and health care providers, and included studies focused on Indigenous adolescents aged 10–24 years from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and United States of America. Results were analyzed against the WHO Global standards for quality health-care services for adolescents. An additional ninth standard was added which focused on cultural safety.ResultsA total of 41 studies were included. More barriers were identified than enablers, and against the WHO Global standards most enablers and barriers related to supply factors – providers’ competencies, appropriate package of services, and cultural safety. Providers who built trust, respect, and relationships; appropriate package of service; and culturally safe environments and care were enablers to care reported by adolescents, and health care providers and parents. Embarrassment, shame, or fear; a lack of culturally appropriate services; and privacy and confidentiality were common barriers identified by both adolescent and health care providers and parents. Cultural safety was identified as a key issue among Indigenous adolescents. Enablers and barriers related to cultural safety included culturally appropriate services, culturally safe environment and care, traditional and cultural practices, cultural protocols, Indigenous health care providers, cultural training for health care providers, and colonization, intergenerational trauma, and racism. Nine recommendations were identified which aim to address the enablers and barriers associated with primary health care access for Indigenous adolescents.ConclusionThis review provides important evidence to inform how services, organizations and governments can create accessible primary health care services that specifically meet the needs of Indigenous adolescents. We identify nine recommendations for improving the accessibility of primary health care services for Indigenous adolescents.

Service quality attributes on customers’ perceived value and behavioral intention of district health centres: a moderating effect of health-care subsidy

PurposeThis study aims to explore the influence of health-care service quality on customers’ perceived value, satisfaction, effectiveness and behavioural intention concerning district health centres (DHCs) in Hong Kong. This research also intends to assess customers’ perception of the subsidy scheme and its influence on the relationships amongst the aforementioned constructs.Design/methodology/approachThe convenience and snowball sampling approaches were adopted, and the self-administered questionnaire was sent to 309 customers of DHCs.FindingsService quality attributes in terms of staffing and procedures positively increased customers’ perceived value and staffing, procedures and operations. Physical facilities positively promoted customers’ satisfaction, consequently improving DHCs’ effectiveness and behavioural intention. However, core treatments and services of DHCs did not impact customers’ perceived value and satisfaction. Furthermore, customers receiving subsidies exhibited a more positive perception than those without subsidies.Practical implicationsHealth-care organisations are advised to strategically allocate resources (staffing, facilities and procedures and operations management) to optimise overall performance outcomes. DHC operators could reinforce the core services of DHCs and health-care voucher subsidies to local citizens so as to enhance the effectiveness of DHCs and behavioural intention of customers.Originality/valueThis study integrates the input–process–output approach in measuring the effectiveness of and customers’ behavioural intention towards newly established DHCs.

The Impact of Strategic Decisions of Employee Training and Development on Organisational Goals and the Quality of Healthcare Services in Saudi Arabia

The Impact of Strategic Decisions of Employee Training and Development on Organisational Goals and the Quality of Healthcare Services in Saudi Arabia

INTEGRATING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND JOB SATISFACTION TO IMPROVE HEALTHCARE SERVICE DELIVERY: A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY IN TRADITIONAL HEALTHCARE SETTINGS

Job satisfaction is widely acknowledged as a crucial component that affects the delivery of healthcare services. However, the impact of emotional intelligence (EI) on job satisfaction in traditional healthcare settings has not been thoroughly investigated. This study aims to examine the relationship between healthcare professionals' emotional intelligence, and job satisfaction, and their impact on the quality of healthcare services, patient outcomes, and workplace harmony.

Accessibility and availability of maternal and reproductive health care services: ensuring health equity among rural women in Southern India

IntroductionThe health of women is of particular concern because they often have greater health needs than men and many women still lack access to quality healthcare services, preventing their ability to attain the best possible level of health. Hence, this study aimed to assess the accessibility and availability of health services among rural women.MethodsA household survey was conducted by using a multi-stage sample with 407 married women aged 18–45 years, having at least one child and living in Tiruchirappalli District, Tamil Nadu were recruited for this study. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data about the demographic status, and accessibility and availability of health services.ResultsOf the 407 respondents, 70% were aged between 26 and 40 years, 73% were working as farmers and labourers and 77% were living in nuclear families. 71% of them had enjoyed hospital facilities near their residence and 83% of the hospitals were run by the government. In village health nurse service (VHN), 34% of the respondents had received all services from VHN and 86% did not face any kind of gender inequality and almost all of them were satisfied with the service provided by the VHN. Almost all the respondents (98%) were satisfied with the availability of health services and 92% of them benefited from the government scheme related to childbirth.ConclusionThis study showed that overall, the women were satisfied with the availability of healthcare services and reproductive health services. Moreover, almost all of them benefited from the government scheme related to childbirth.

Forensic Aspects and Dilemmas in Gynecological Laparoscopy

Gynecological laparoscopy has to be analyzed also in the context of complications that occur during the surgical procedures. Complications occur daily. For this reason, emphasis should be placed on lifelong continuous education and training. Given the risks and complications we face, we must be trained to deal with them. This improves the safety of laparoscopic operations. Without such certainty, gynecological laparoscopy would not be the method of choice in a minimally invasive approach. This requires significant commitment, effort, and responsibility. In this way, we provide our patients with the best and highest quality healthcare service. Likewise, with such an approach, the frequency of complications is reduced to a minimum. New perspectives and possibilities are associated with the application of robotic surgery.

Spherical Fuzzy Multicriteria Decision Making for Evaluating Healthcare Service Quality of Hospitals During the Global Pandemic

AbstractThis study identifies hospitals in Iran that have demonstrated exceptional performance in service quality during the COVID-19 pandemic based on the proposed integrated multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) process. Although the coronavirus has been eradicated in most countries, occasional outbreaks of COVID-19 variants have occurred, affecting many individuals, particularly in Iran. The pandemic caused an influx of hospital visits, with people seeking treatment for various illnesses. However, the abrupt onset of the pandemic and its global impact challenged hospitals’ ability to provide timely care, leading to a noticeable decline in service quality. Identifying the top-performing hospitals is crucial for benchmarking and enhancing healthcare quality. To assess hospital service quality, the study employed a customized SERVQUAL model, which helped identify key factors that served as criteria and subcriteria for the evaluation process. The priority weights of these factors were then obtained using the spherical fuzzy analytic hierarchy process. For each SERVQUAL criterion, the hospitals were evaluated using the spherical fuzzy weighted aggregated sum product assessment method, resulting in respective rankings of the hospitals. Finally, an integrated Borda−Copeland method was utilized to generate the aggregate evaluation ranking, a feature that serves as an important departure from the literature. The contribution of this work lies in developing an integrated approach that intends to serve as a benchmark not only for hospitals in different countries but also for those confronting similar challenges and offers guidance for seeking insights from top-performing hospitals in comparable situations.

Mapping the Landscape of Electronic Health Records and Health Information Exchange Through Bibliometric Analysis and Visualization.

The adoption of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and the establishment of Health Information Exchange (HIE) systems have significantly transformed healthcare delivery and management. This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis and visualization of the landscape surrounding EHRs and HIE to provide insights into the current state and emerging trends in this field. Leveraging advanced bibliometric methodologies, including co-citation analysis, keyword co-occurrence analysis, and network visualization techniques, we systematically map the scholarly literature spanning several decades. Our analysis reveals key thematic clusters, influential publications, prolific authors, and collaborative networks within the domain of EHRs and HIE. Furthermore, we identify significant research gaps and areas for future exploration, including interoperability challenges, privacy concerns, and the integration of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain. The findings of this study offer valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and healthcare practitioners seeking to navigate and contribute to the ongoing evolution of EHRs and HIE systems, ultimately enhancing the quality, efficiency, and accessibility of healthcare services.

Subjective items to be considered in lipoabdominoplasty procedures under epidural anesthesia to increase their satisfaction

Background: Patient satisfaction is increasingly recognized as a vital indicator of healthcare service quality. It aids in identifying healthcare system shortcomings and improving patient trust. Factors influencing patient satisfaction during anesthesia services have been studied globally, but there is a lack of research in the context of lipoabdominoplasty under combined lumbar spinal-epidural anesthesia (CLSEA). Objective: To evaluates patient satisfaction with lipoabdominoplasty under CLSEA, focusing on various intraoperative factors that may affect satisfaction. Patients and Methods: This prospective observational cross-sectional study included adult patients undergoing lipoabdominoplasty under CLSEA without complications. Patients completed a structured questionnaire assessing satisfaction with intraoperative care. The questionnaire addressed factors related to the information provided, decision-making involvement, physical comfort, emotional support, and respect for patient values. Results: The questionnaire encompassed three types of questions: anesthesia quality, factors causing intraoperative annoyance, and patient-team interaction. The majority of patients found epidural anesthesia favorable. Factors causing moderate annoyance included surgery duration, stress, fixed position, feeling cold, and shivering. Patients reported low annoyance with factors like team discussions, anxiety, surgical light, dizziness, thirst, itching, nausea, vomiting, noise, pain, and dyspnea. Patients generally had a high rate of good reactions toward the surgical team, but less than 50% requested more respect and thorough medication information. Conclusion: This study offers insights into patient satisfaction with lipoabdominoplasty under CLSEA, shedding light on factors affecting their experiences. The findings underline the importance of addressing patient concerns and expectations to enhance overall satisfaction and quality of care.

THE CURRENT STATUS AND FUTURE VISION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE APPLICATIONS IN HEALTHCARE

This study examines the impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the healthcare sector, particularly in the areas of medical imaging, diagnosis, treatment planning, and patient monitoring. AI's ability to analyze medical images more accurately and quickly, diagnose diseases at an early stage, create personalized treatment plans, and continuously monitor patient conditions has significantly enhanced the quality and accessibility of healthcare services. However, the ethical, privacy, and security issues associated with AI underscore the need for these technologies to be responsibly integrated into the healthcare sector. Moving forward, the role of AI in healthcare services is expected to expand, and realizing this potential in an ethical and secure manner will require ongoing effort.

Patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical services at primary healthcare centers under the Palestinian Ministry of Health

BackgroundThe measurement of patient satisfaction is a vital metric that enhances stakeholders to take proactive steps in improving the quality of healthcare services within medical care systems. This study assessed patient satisfaction receiving pharmaceutical services from primary health care centers in the Palestinian Ministry of Health (PMoH) governorate directorates in the West Bank.MethodsA total of 938 patients, all aged 18 years or older, completed a self-administered questionnaire. The assessment of general satisfaction was based on selected questions. Analyses were conducted to explore demographic characteristics. Mean and standard deviation (S.D.) were reported. Likert method was used to average scale satisfaction. To examine statistically significant differences, Chi-square analysis and binary logistic analysis were employed.Results56.8% of the survey respondents were women, 57.2% were 40 years or older, and 63.2% had graduated from high school. The general satisfaction score averaged 4.10 ± 0.77 indicating good satisfaction. Patients were satisfied with interpersonal relationships, with a mean score of 4.19 ± 0.70. However, satisfaction with therapy management was lower, with a mean score of 3.99 ± 0.77 indicating moderate satisfaction. A significant factor can affect patient’s satisfaction such as the location of the pharmacy (OR = 1.720, P = 0.012), the waiting area (OR = 1.671, P = 0.002) and the cleanness of pharmacy (OR = 2.307, P = 0.001).ConclusionThis study underlines the main components of patient satisfaction who receive pharmaceutical services in PMoH. It is highly recommended that PMoH must address patient dissatisfaction points in a total quality management plan.

Allocation of Resources Efficiently in Tactile Ethernet PON’s - Healthcare

Efficient resource allocation plays a critical role in enhancing network performance within healthcare environments. This study focuses on resource allocation within Tactile Ethernet Passive Optical Networks (PONs) specifically designed for healthcare applications. Our investigation delves into the unique challenges and requirements posed by healthcare Local Area Networks (LANs), which encompass the imperative for secure and dependable data transmission, as well as the seamless integration of medical devices and tactile communication capabilities. Drawing upon a thorough review of existing literature and empirical analysis, this paper proposes novel strategies for the efficient distribution of resources within Tactile Ethernet PONs to address the diverse needs of healthcare networks. We explore innovative approaches to integrate tactile feedback seamlessly into network infrastructure, aiming to enhance user experience and streamline interaction with medical devices. Moreover, we examine the broader implications of efficient resource allocation in terms of its potential to elevate patient care standards, improve operational efficiency, and fortify data security and privacy protocols within healthcare settings. The insights gleaned from this research contribute to the ongoing endeavors aimed at optimizing network performance and enhancing usability across healthcare LANs, ultimately striving to elevate the quality of healthcare services delivered. Keywords- Tactile Ethernet, Passive Optical Network, Network Optimization.

THE EVALUATION OF INDONESIA'S BASIC EMERGENCY OBSTETRIC CARE PROGRAM

THE EVALUATION OF INDONESIA'S BASIC EMERGENCY OBSTETRIC CARE PROGRAM

A novel approach to optimize an integrated network design and pricing of a healthcare supply chain

Adopting various pricing policies has been highly regarded in recent years for setting prices and increasing firms' profits. One of the most common steps in pricing is to identify costs. Since a significant part of costs is related to the corresponding supply chain, many researchers in different fields have used decision-making for simultaneous pricing and network design. However, there is no such approach in the field of healthcare. This paper tries to fill this gap by formulating a mixed-integer nonlinear bi-level programming model examining the interaction of hospitals and their medicines suppliers. At the upper level, there is a competitive market where a new firm (entrant) intends to enter the market and faces the challenge of pricing medicines and making network design decisions. At the lower level, there is a private hospital competing with a public hospital, and it also struggles with healthcare services pricing and supplier selection. A comprehensive utility function that considers healthcare services prices, quality, waiting time, health insurance, readmission rate, and referral rate is extended at this level. Three novel meta-heuristic algorithms are recommended, including bi-level, improved fruit fly, jellyfish optimization, and forensic-based investigation optimization algorithms to solve the presented complex mathematical problem.

Patients' subjective well-being: Determinants and its usage as a metric of healthcare service quality.

It is commonly suggested that patients' subjective well-being (SWB) can be affected by pre-treatment conditions and treatment experiences, and hence SWB can be used to measure and improve healthcare quality. With data collected in a hospital in the UK (N = 446), we investigated the determinants of patients' SWB and evaluated its use in healthcare research. Our findings showed strong relationships between pre-treatment conditions and patients' SWB: anxiety and depression negatively predicted SWB across all three domains, mobility positively predicted the life satisfaction and happiness domains, while the ability to self care and pain and discomfort also predicted SWB in some domains. In contrast, patients' satisfaction with the treatment only played minor roles in determining SWB, much less so the characteristics of their nurses. The general lack of associations between treatment experiences and patient's SWB highlighted the challenges of using SWB to measure healthcare quality and inform policy making.

Predictive Factors of Cancer Patients' Satisfaction with Quality of Healthcare Services Received at the Middle Euphrates Cancer Center, Al-Najaf Al Ashraf, Iraq

Predictive Factors of Cancer Patients' Satisfaction with Quality of Healthcare Services Received at the Middle Euphrates Cancer Center, Al-Najaf Al Ashraf, Iraq

A bibliometric analysis of the Quality Management Journal: 10 years of publications and the pathway forward

The purpose of this paper is to examine the trends in research published by the Quality Management Journal (QMJ) based on Scopus Indexed publications for a period ranging from 2013 to 2023. The paper intends to offer a bibliometric analysis of the journal by highlighting the contributions made by the journal through document citations, prominent authors, most frequent keywords, and publication trends for the last decade. The analysis provides insight into how the QMJ has contributed to the development of the field of quality management. The journal has remained unwavering in its commitment to uphold both quality and comprehensiveness, thereby leading to widespread acclaim and robust indexing As analyzed from the author keyword analysis the contributions made to the journal can be categorized into seven themes, i.e., Leadership Essentials for Quality Management, Six Sigma & Quality, Quality Management in Services, Stakeholder Involvement for Quality Management, TQM & Continuous Improvement in Manufacturing, and Service Quality and Quality Management in Healthcare. A key theme to emerge from this study is that future research and applications must be robustly framed in relevant theory, to recognize, understand, and articulate implications for practice. Experiential quality will move further along the spectrum of socio-technical or socio-materiality.