Hospital Outpatient Services Research Articles

Socioeconomic inequity in the utilization of healthcare among people with eating disorders in Australia.

Little is known about socioeconomic equity in access to healthcare among people with eating disorders in Australia. This study aims to measure the extent of inequity in eating disorder-related healthcare utilization, analyze trends, and explore the sources of inequalities using New South Wales (NSW) administrative linked health data for 2005 to 2020. Socioeconomic inequities were measured using concentration index approach, and decomposition analysis was conducted to explain the factors accounting for inequality. Healthcare utilization included: public inpatient admissions, private inpatient admissions, visits to public mental health outpatient clinics and emergency department visits, with three different measures (probability of visit, total and conditional number of visits) for each outcome. Private hospital admissions due to eating disorders were concentrated among individuals from higher socioeconomic status (SES) from 2005 to 2020. There was no significant inequity in the probability of public hospital admissions for the same period. Public outpatient visits were utilized more by people from lower SES from 2008 to 2020. Emergency department visits were equitable, but more utilized by those from lower SES in 2020. Public hospital and emergency department services were equitably used by people with eating disorders in NSW, but individuals from high SES were more likely to be admitted to private hospitals for eating disorder care. Use of public hospital outpatient services was higher for those from lower SES. These findings can assist policymakers in understanding the equity of the healthcare system and developing programs to improve fairness in eating disorder-related healthcare in NSW.

Which factors influence the decision of hospitals to provide procedures on an outpatient basis? –Mixed-methods evidence from Germany

Shifting care from the resource-intensive inpatient setting to the more economically efficient outpatient sector is being promoted internationally by policymakers. Financial incentives are a major focus of such efforts because low levels of hospital outpatient care are attributed to differences in payment for inpatient and outpatient services. In Germany, however, there is significant variation in the extent to which hospitals provide outpatient care despite a uniform payment system. Therefore, other factors must be influencing German hospitals’ strategic decisions whether to offer outpatient care. While most research has focused on specific procedures or lacks empirical support, our study provides a comprehensive analysis of the factors beyond financial incentives that influence the provision of hospital outpatient services in Germany. We employed a mixed-methods approach, first contacting health care experts with in-depth knowledge of the hospital outpatient landscape to identify possible influencing factors and then conducting a comprehensive quantitative analysis of all German hospitals. Our findings suggest that policymakers seeking to promote hospital outpatient care should consider a broad range of factors. We found that a hospital's service mix, size, procedure volume, and emergency care infrastructure significantly affected the proportion of outpatient services it offered. Strategic hospital planning emphasizing specialization and adherence to minimum volume standards might therefore be a valuable policy tool. Our analysis also highlights the importance of demographic and socioeconomic factors, such as the regional share of single-person households, suggesting that a comprehensive policy framework should account for broader population characteristics and not just elements directly related to hospital care.

Pelayanan Pendaftaran Pasien Rawat Jalan di Rumah Sakit Elisabeth Medan

Abstract Hospital outpatient registration services are a phenomenon that refers to the actions or activities of a system within a hospital or health service facility which aims to maintain and improve health, prevent and cure disease and restore health. Outpatient care is a medical service provided to patients not in the form of inpatient care. This study aims to see an overview of outpatient registration services at Santa Elisabeth Hospital, Medan. This research uses a descriptive design with a quantitative approach. The sample in this study consisted of 30 patients. In this research, researchers collected data using a questionnaire. This research was conducted in June 2024. The data was analyzed univariably. The research results showed that there were 15 patients who received good and good service (50%), 10 patients received adequate service (33.33%) and 5 patients received poor service (16.66%). In this case, Santa Elisabeth Hospital Medan must continue to maintain good and friendly services and improve poor services.

Genomic Medicine: Perspective of the Challenges for the Implementation of Preventive, Predictive, and Personalized Medicine in Latin America

: Genomic information plays an essential role in personalized medicine, with the main objective of determining risk and predisposition to disease, as well as guiding diagnosis, selection, and prioritization of therapeutic options, and even predicting prognosis. Research in the second half of the 20th century allowed genomics to move from the laboratory to clinical practice. The Human Genome Project showed the structure of the genome, the genes, and several of their regulatory pathways, which allowed obtaining exact knowledge about the molecular origin of a growing number of diseases and the development of next-generation sequencing technologies. In the second decade of the 21st century, the decrease in testing costs has allowed genomic medicine to begin to be applied in hospital institutions and outpatient services with a positive impact on public health. However, it has been evidenced that these potential benefits have not been experienced equitably throughout the world. This commentary explores the main challenges and obstacles to the implementation of genomic medicine services in order to expand their use as part of clinical practice in the Latin American context. Finally, six main barriers have been identified: i) high costs and poor access, ii) lack of trained personnel in the genomic field, iii) negative personal and social beliefs, iv) lack of representation of Latin American populations in genomic databases, v) scarce evidence of impact on clinical practice, and vi) lack of understanding of genomic test results by patients and clinicians.

Optimizing hospital outpatient services: A comparative study of backward induction and Q-learning techniques

Optimizing hospital outpatient services: A comparative study of backward induction and Q-learning techniques

On-road driving remediation following acquired brain injury: a randomized controlled trial

ABSTRACT Objective To investigate the relationship between on-road driving remediation and achieving fitness to drive following acquired brain injury. Design Randomized controlled trial. Setting Tertiary hospital outpatient driver assessment and rehabilitation service, Australia. Participants Thirty-five participants (54.3% male), aged 18–65 years, 41 days-20 years post-acquired brain injury (including stroke, aneurysm, traumatic brain injury) recommended for on-road driving remediation following occupational therapy driver assessment were randomly assigned to intervention (n = 18) and waitlist control (n = 17) groups. Intervention Intervention group received on-road driving remediation delivered by a qualified driving instructor in a dual-control vehicle. The waitlist control group completed a 6 week period of no driving-related remediation. Main measure Fitness to drive rated following the conduct of an on-road occupational therapy driver assessment with a qualified driving instructor where outcome assessors were blinded to group allocation. Results The intervention group were significantly more likely to achieve a fit to drive recommendation than no driving specific intervention (p = 0.003). Conclusion Following comprehensive assessment, individualized on-road driving remediation programs devised by an occupational therapist with advanced training in driver assessment and rehabilitation and delivered by a qualified driving instructor are significantly associated with achieving fitness to drive after acquired brain injury.

Socioeconomic deprivation, health and healthcare utilisation among millennials

This study estimates and decomposes components of different measures of inequality in health and healthcare use among millennial adolescents, a sizeable cohort of individuals at a critical stage of life. Administrative data from the UK Hospital Episode Statistics are linked to Next Steps, a survey collecting information about millennials born between 1989 and 1990, providing a uniquely comprehensive source of health and socioeconomic variables. Socioeconomic inequalities in psychological distress, long-term illness and the use of emergency and outpatient hospital care are measured using a corrected concentration index. Shapley-Shorrocks decomposition techniques are employed to measure the relative contributions of childhood socioeconomic circumstances to adolescents’ health and healthcare inequality of opportunity. Results show that income-related deprivation contributes to significant inequalities in mental and physical health among adolescents aged between 15 and 17 years old. There are also pro-rich inequalities in the use of specific outpatient hospital services (e.g., orthodontic and mental healthcare), while pro-poor disparities are found in the use of emergency care services. Regional and parental circumstances are leading factors in influencing inequality of opportunity in the use of hospital care among adolescents. These findings shed light on the main drivers of health inequalities during an important stage of human development and have potentially important implications on human capital formation across the life-cycle.

Clinical Service Incorporating Mobile Technology on Weight Loss in Patients With Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease: A Translation From Research Trial.

The prevalence and healthcare cost of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has increased alongside the epidemic surge in obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Weight loss through lifestyle modification remains the primary effective therapy for MASLD. Incorporation of mobile technology in lifestyle interventions has been previously found to be efficacious and cost-effective in facilitating weight loss. However, there is a paucity of studies that have successfully translated lifestyle research into clinical service for weight loss to alleviate disease burden. Our study aimed to describe the process of translating a mobile technology-enabled trial into a tertiary hospital outpatient dietetics service for patients with MASLD. The Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice to Improve Quality Care was used as a framework for this paper to guide implementation at the organizational level. Regular engagement of key operational staff and the hospital management team facilitated open discussions of the challenges faced and enabled rapid implementation of strategies that contributed to the smooth piloting of the service. A service adoption rate of 81% was achieved. Preliminary outcome evaluation found that the percentage of patients achieving ≥ 5% weight loss from baseline at 6 months was comparable at 54% and 52% for the service and trial groups, respectively. Evaluation of the implementation process found that a hybrid model of care (in-person consultation supplemented with app coaching) preserved interpersonal connections while maximizing the convenience and scalability of mobile app-enabled service. Although high digital acceptance and adoption rates propelled by COVID-19-supported telehealth, it is prudent to assess patient's access to technology and digital literacy and offer resources to help them benefit from telehealth services.

The development and evaluation of a virtual, asynchronous, trauma-focused treatment program for adult survivors of childhood interpersonal trauma

Background The long-term mental and physical health implications of childhood interpersonal trauma on adult survivors is immense, however, there is a lack of available trauma-focused treatment services that are widely accessible. This study, utilizing a user-centered design process, sought feedback on the initial design and development of a novel, self-paced psychoeducation and skills-based treatment intervention for this population. Aims To explore the views and perspectives of adult survivors of childhood interpersonal trauma on the first two modules of an asynchronous trauma-focused treatment program. Methods Fourteen participants from our outpatient hospital service who completed the modules consented to provide feedback on their user experience. A thematic analysis of the three focus groups was conducted. Results Four major themes emerged from the focus groups: (1) technology utilization, (2) module content, (3) asynchronous delivery, and (4) opportunity for interactivity. Participants noted the convenience of the platform and the use of multimedia content to increase engagement and did not find the modules to be emotionally overwhelming. Conclusions Our research findings suggest that an asynchronous virtual intervention for childhood interpersonal trauma survivors may be a safe and acceptable way to provide a stabilization-focused intervention on a wider scale.

Phase-Specific Healthcare Costs Associated With Giant Cell Arteritis in Ontario, Canada.

To estimate the additional healthcare system costs associated with giant cell arteritis (GCA) in the 1-year prediagnosis and postdiagnosis periods and over long-term follow-up compared to individuals with similar demographics and comorbidities without GCA. We performed a population-based study using health administrative data. Newly diagnosed cases of GCA (between 2002 and 2017 and aged ≥ 66 years) were identified using a validated algorithm and matched 1:6 to comparators using propensity scores. Follow-up data were accrued until death, outmigration, or March 31, 2020. The costs associated with care were determined across 3 phases: the year before the diagnosis of GCA, the year after, and ongoing costs thereafter in 2021 Canadian dollars (CAD). The cohort consisted of 6730 cases of GCA and 40,380 matched non-GCA comparators. The average age was 77 (IQR 72-82) years and 68.2% were female. A diagnosis of GCA was associated with an increased cost of CAD $6619.4 (95% CI 5964.9-7274.0) per patient during the 1-year prediagnostic period, $12,150.3 (95% CI 11,233.1-13,067.6) per patient in the 1-year postdiagnostic phase, and $20,886.2 (95% CI 17,195.2-24,577.2) per patient during ongoing care for year 3 onward. Increased costs were driven by inpatient hospitalizations, physician services, hospital outpatient clinic services, and emergency department visits. A diagnosis of GCA was associated with increased healthcare costs during all 3 phases of care. Given the substantial economic burden, strategies to reduce the healthcare utilization and costs associated with GCA are warranted.

Abstract P246: Geographical Mapping and Cluster Analysis of Ischemic Stroke in Kentucky

Background: Stroke death is the third leading cause of death in the United States, the sixth leading cause of death in Kentucky (KY), and ischemic stroke (IS) is the most prevalent type in adults (~85%). Small area estimates of stroke incidence can help identify local interventions to lower the burden of vascular risk factors and risk of recurrent IS in these areas. Therefore, the goals of this study are to calculate small area IS incidence rates, examine clusters, and understand the distribution of IS in KY. Methods: Data was obtained from the Kentucky Hospital Inpatient Discharge and Outpatient Services Databases (HIDOSD) from 2012 to 2021; and the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. HIDOSD represents KY emergency department discharges, inpatient data, and ambulatory facility services. We linked 5-digit Zip codes to (n=759) zip code tabulation areas (ZCTA) available from the US Census Bureau. The annualized IS rate per 100,000 was calculated by dividing the mean number of IS hospitalizations from 2012 to 2021 by the ZCTA 2020 population. We categorized IS rates by quartiles and calculated box plots in descriptive analyses. We tested for significant spatial clusters using the Local Moran’s I with Empirical Bayes rate smoothing in GeoDa. Results: From 2012-2021, 90,840 IS hospitalizations were reported in KY. The median IS rate was 226.5 per 100,000. The median rate in the highest quartile was 290.8 (IQR 171.7 - 290.8) vs 171.7 (IQR 171.7 - 290.8) in the lowest quartile. An area of high IS rate clusters (n=20) was identified in southeastern KY with lower clusters dispersed throughout the state. Figure. Conclusions: This 10-year analysis of IS hospitalizations across KY identified areas of potential intervention. Future efforts are needed to identify the social and medical contributors driving burden of IS in these areas and to design interventions targeted to improve health outcomes.

Comparing the rate of inpatient admissions of prison residents with COVID-19 to the general population in England in 2020/2021 using Hospital Episode Statistics data

ObjectiveTo compare the rate of inpatient admissions of prison residents with COVID-19 to the general population and to consider differences in the use of inpatient and outpatient services by prison...

Diversity of kidney care referral pathways in national child health systems of 48 European countries.

Primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare services in Europe create complex networks covering pediatric subspecialties, sociology, economics and politics. Two surveys of the European Society for Paediatric Nephrology (ESPN) in 1998 and 2017 revealed substantial disparities of kidney care among European countries. The purpose of the third ESPN survey is to further identify national differences in the conceptualization and organization of European pediatric kidney health care pathways during and outside normal working hours. In 2020, a questionnaire was sent to one leading pediatric nephrologist from 48 of 53 European countries as defined by the World Health Organization. In order to exemplify care pathways in pediatric primary care nephrology, urinary tract infection (UTI) was chosen. Steroid sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS) was chosen for pediatric rare disease nephrology and acute kidney injury (AKI) was analyzed for pediatric emergency nephrology. The care pathways for European children and young people with urinary tract infections were variable and differed during standard working hours and also during night-time and weekends. During daytime, UTI care pathways included six different types of care givers. There was a shift from primary care services outside standard working hours to general outpatient polyclinic and hospital services. Children with SNSS were followed up by pediatric nephrologists in hospitals in 69% of countries. Patients presenting with community acquired AKI were admitted during regular working hours to secondary or tertiary care hospitals. During nights and weekends, an immediate shift to University Children's Hospitals was observed where treatment was started by intensive care pediatricians and pediatric nephrologists. Gaps and fragmentation of pediatric health services may lead to the risk of delayed or inadequate referral of European children with kidney disease to pediatric nephrologists. The diversity of patient pathways outside of normal working hours was identified as one of the major weaknesses in the service chain.

A mini-review of robotic applications for lower-limb rehabilitation in Malaysia

In recent years, advancements in robotic technology have found diverse applications in providing healthcare support to individuals, spanning inpatient care, hospital outpatient services and community settings. The rapid progress in the development of gait-training robots, including exoskeletons and other lower-limb robotic devices, holds significant promise for patients dealing with motor and gait dysfunction resulting from conditions such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and cerebral palsy. This mini-review offers a short summary and assessment of the latest information on current applications of robotics in lower-limb rehabilitation in Malaysia. The review not only summarises recent developments but also identifies gaps in existing studies, shedding light on areas that require further exploration. In addition, the review provides valuable suggestions for future research efforts. By addressing these knowledge gaps, the field of robotic-assisted lower-limb rehabilitation in Malaysia can evolve, offering patients more efficient, advanced and readily accessible rehabilitation options. Collaborative efforts between researchers and professionals, focussing on both technological innovations and clinical aspects, have the potential to significantly improve the quality of life of the affected community in Malaysia and worldwide.

An enhanced grey wolf optimizer boosted machine learning prediction model for patient-flow prediction

Large and medium-sized general hospitals have adopted artificial intelligence big data systems to optimize the management of medical resources to improve the quality of hospital outpatient services and decrease patient wait times in recent years as a result of the development of medical information technology and the rise of big medical data. However, owing to the impact of several elements, including the physical environment, patient, and physician behaviours, the real optimum treatment effect does not meet expectations. In order to promote orderly patient access, this work provides a patient-flow prediction model that takes into account shifting dynamics and objective rules of patient-flow to handle this issue and forecast patients' medical requirements. First, we propose a high-performance optimization method (SRXGWO) and integrate the Sobol sequence, Cauchy random replacement strategy, and directional mutation mechanism into the grey wolf optimization (GWO) algorithm. The patient-flow prediction model (SRXGWO-SVR) is then proposed using SRXGWO to optimize the parameters of support vector regression (SVR). Twelve high-performance algorithms are examined in the benchmark function experiments' ablation and peer algorithm comparison tests, which are intended to validate SRXGWO's optimization performance. In order to forecast independently in the patient-flow prediction trials, the data set is split into training and test sets. The findings demonstrated that SRXGWO-SVR outperformed the other seven peer models in terms of prediction accuracy and error. As a result, SRXGWO-SVR is anticipated to be a reliable and efficient patient-flow forecast system that may help hospitals manage medical resources as effectively as possible.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Appalachian Kentucky: An Investigation of Outcomes and Health Care Utilization.

Rural residence has been associated with a lower incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) but higher health care utilization and worse outcomes. Socioeconomic status is intrinsically tied to both IBD incidence and outcomes. Inflammatory bowel disease outcomes have not been investigated in Appalachia: a rural, economically distressed region rife with risk factors for both increased incidence and unfavorable outcomes. Hospital inpatient discharge and outpatient services databases were utilized to assess outcomes in patients diagnosed with either Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) in Kentucky. Encounters were classified by patient residence in Appalachian or non-Appalachian counties. Data were reported as crude and age-adjusted rates of visits per 100,000 population per year collected in 2016 to 2019. National inpatient discharge data from 2019, stratified by rural and urban classification codes, were utilized to compare Kentucky to national trends. Crude and age-adjusted rates of inpatient, emergency department and outpatient encounters were higher in the Appalachian cohort for all 4 years observed. Appalachian inpatient encounters are more frequently associated with a surgical procedure (Appalachian, 676, 24.7% vs non-Appalachian, 1408, 22.2%; P = .0091). In 2019, the Kentucky Appalachian cohort had significantly higher crude and age-adjusted rates of inpatient discharges for all IBD diagnoses compared with national rural and nonrural populations (crude 55.2; 95% CI, 50.9-59.5; age-adjusted 56.7; 95% CI, 52.1-61.3). There is disproportionately higher IBD health care utilization in Appalachian Kentucky compared with all cohorts, including the national rural population. There is a need for aggressive investigation into root causes of these disparate outcomes and identification of barriers to appropriate IBD care.

Assessing the quality of hospital outpatient services in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundQuality healthcare services are considered one of the most effective vehicles for healthcare managers to achieve organizational goals. Therefore, this study aimed to combine the findings of comparable studies to identify consistencies and contradictions in the quality of outpatient services in Iran.MethodsThe current systematic review and meta-analysis study was conducted in 2022 according to PRISMA guideline. All relevant English and Persian studies were searched in databases, including Web of Sciences, PubMed, Scopus, Scientific Information Database, and Magiran. No year restriction was applied. The quality of the studies was assessed by the 22-item Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology checklist. The meta-analysis was conducted by using Open Meta Analyst, and between-study heterogeneity was investigated with I-squared statistic.ResultsOf the 106 retrieved articles, seven studies with a total sample size of 2600 were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled estimate of mean for overall perception was 3.95 (95% CI: 3.34- 4.55, P< 0.001, I2= 99.97), while the pooled estimate of the mean for the overall expectation was 4.43 (95% CI: 4.11- 4.75, P< 0.001, I2= 99.93). The highest and lowest perception mean scores were related to tangibility (3.52, Gap= -0.86) and responsiveness (3.30, Gap= -1.04) dimensions.ConclusionResponsiveness was identified as the weakest dimension. Therefore, managers are recommended to design suitable workforce-development programs which focus on the provision of timely and prompt services, polite and courteous interactions with patients, and prioritization of patients’ needs. Moreover, training public sector practitioners along with incentives can fill up the existing gaps.

Multimorbidity and determinants for initiating outpatient trajectories: A population-based study

IntroductionIndividuals with multimorbidity often receive high numbers of hospital outpatient services in concurrent trajectories. Nevertheless, little is known about factors associated with initiating new hospital outpatient trajectories; identified as the continued use of outpatient contacts for the same medical condition.PurposeTo investigate whether the number of chronic conditions and sociodemographic characteristics in adults with multimorbidity is associated with entering a hospital outpatient trajectory in this population.MethodsThis population-based register study included all adults in Denmark with multimorbidity on January 1, 2018. The exposures were number of chronic conditions and sociodemographic characteristics, and the outcome was the rate of starting a new outpatient trajectory during 2018. Analyses were stratified by the number of existing outpatient trajectories. We used Poisson regression analysis, and results were expressed as incidence rates and incidence rate ratios with 95% confidence intervals. We followed the individuals during the entire year of 2018, accounting for person-time by hospitalization, emigration, and death.ResultsIncidence rates for new outpatient trajectories were highest for individuals with low household income and ≥3 existing trajectories and for individuals with ≥3 chronic conditions and in no already established outpatient trajectory. A high number of chronic conditions and male gender were found to be determinants for initiating a new outpatient trajectory, regardless of the number of existing trajectories. Low educational level was a determinant when combined with 1, 2, and ≥3 existing trajectories, and increasing age, western ethnicity, and unemployment when combined with 0, 1, and 2 existing trajectories.ConclusionA high number of chronic conditions, male gender, high age, low educational level and unemployment were determinants for initiation of an outpatient trajectory. The rate was modified by the existing number of outpatient trajectories. The results may help identify those with multimorbidity at greatest risk of having a new hospital outpatient trajectory initiated.

Health care policy that relies on poor measurement is ineffective: Lessons from the hospital readmissions reduction program.

Health care policy that relies on poor measurement is ineffective: Lessons from the hospital readmissions reduction program.

Comparing Medicare Advantage and Traditional Medicare Prices for Hospital Outpatient Services With Hospital Price Transparency Data.

As Medicare Advantage (MA) plans enroll an increasingly large share of Medicare beneficiaries, how much providers charge MA plans relative to Traditional Medicare (TM) has important policy implications. We used new price transparency data from hospitals-which contain the most up-to-date negotiated prices-to evaluate whether and how MA prices differed from TM for hospital outpatient services. We found that among the 1,135 hospitals in our sample, MA prices were close to TM at about half of them, but the other half reported MA prices that deviated considerably from TM, predominantly in the direction of higher rather than lower, and rural hospitals were more likely than urban ones to charge high MA markups. Our findings also suggest that hospital price transparency data hold promise for promoting price shopping among MA beneficiaries. But greater hospital compliance and more standardized reporting are necessary for the data to be a more useful tool.