Public Health Care Providers Research Articles

Provider cost of treating oral potentially malignant disorders and oral cancer in Malaysian public hospitals.

Oral cancer has been recognized as a significant challenge to healthcare. In Malaysia, numerous patients frequently present with later stages of cancers to the highly subsidized public healthcare facilities. Such a trend contributes to a substantial social and economic burden. This study aims to determine the cost of treating oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) and oral cancer from a public healthcare provider's perspective. Medical records from two tertiary public hospitals were systematically abstracted to identify events and resources consumed retrospectively from August 2019 to January 2020. The cost accrued was used to estimate annual initial and maintenance costs via two different methods- inverse probability weighting (IPW) and unweighted average. A total of 86 OPMD and 148 oral cancer cases were included. The initial phase mean unadjusted cost was USD 2,861 (SD = 2,548) in OPMD and USD 38,762 (SD = 12,770) for the treatment of cancer. Further annual estimate of initial phase cost based on IPW method for OPMD, early and late-stage cancer was USD 3,561 (SD = 4,154), USD 32,530 (SD = 12,658) and USD 44,304 (SD = 16,240) respectively. Overall cost of late-stage cancer was significantly higher than early-stage by USD 11,740; 95% CI [6,853 to 16,695]; p< 0.001. Higher surgical care and personnel cost predominantly contributed to the larger expenditure. In contrast, no significant difference was identified between both cancer stages in the maintenance phase, USD 700; 95% CI [-1,142 to 2,541]; p = 0.457. A crude comparison of IPW estimate with unweighted average displayed a significant difference in the initial phase, with the latter being continuously higher across all groups. IPW method was shown to be able to use data more efficiently by adjusting cost according to survival and follow-up. While cost is not a primary consideration in treatment recommendations, our analysis demonstrates the potential economic benefit of investing in preventive medicine and early detection.

Impact of COVID-19 on routine immunisation in South-East Asia and Western Pacific: Disruptions and solutions

BackgroundData on COVID-19-induced disruption to routine vaccinations in the South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions (SEAR/WPR) have been sparse. This study aimed to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on routine vaccinations by country, antigen, and sector (public or private), up to 1 June 2020, and to identify the reasons for disruption and possible solutions. MethodsSanofi Pasteur teams from 19 countries in SEAR/WPR completed a structured questionnaire reporting on COVID-19 disruptions for 13–19 routinely delivered antigens per country, based on sales data, government reports, and regular physician interactions. Data were analysed descriptively, disruption causes ranked, and solutions evaluated using a modified public health best practices framework. Findings95% (18/19) of countries reported vaccination disruption. When stratified by country, a median of 91% (interquartile range 77–94) of antigens were impacted. Infancy and school-entry age vaccinations were most impacted. Both public and private sector healthcare providers experienced disruptions. Vaccination rates had not recovered for 39% of impacted antigens by 1 June 2020. Fear of infection, movement/travel restrictions, and limited healthcare access were the highest-ranked reasons for disruption. Highest-scoring solutions were separating vaccination groups from unwell patients, non-traditional vaccination venues, virtual engagement, and social media campaigns. Many of these solutions were under-utilised. InterpretationCOVID-19-induced disruption of routine vaccination was more widespread than previously reported. Adaptable solutions were identified which could be implemented in SEAR/WPR and elsewhere. Governments and private providers need to act urgently to improve coverage rates and plan for future waves of the pandemic, to avoid a resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases. FundingSanofi Pasteur.

Household preferences and willingness to pay for health insurance in Kampala City: a discrete choice experiment

IntroductionUganda is in discussions to introduce a national health insurance scheme. However, there is a paucity of information on household preferences and willingness to pay for health insurance attributes that may guide the design of an acceptable health insurance scheme. Our study sought to assess household preferences and willingness to pay for health insurance in Kampala city using a discrete choice experiment.MethodsThis study was conducted from 16th February 2020 to 10th April 2020 on 240 households in the Kawempe division of Kampala city stratified into slum and non-slum communities in order to get a representative sample of the area. We purposively selected the communities that represented slum and non-slum communities and thereafter applied systematic sampling in the selection of the households that participated in the study from each of the communities. Four household and policy-relevant attributes were used in the experimental design of the study. Each respondent attended to 9 binary choice sets of health insurance plans that included one fixed choice set. Data were analyzed using mixed logit models.ResultsHouseholds in both the non-slum and slum communities had a high preference for health insurance plans that included both private and public health care providers as compared to plans that included public health care providers only (non-slum coefficient β = 0.81, P < 0.05; slum β = 0.87, p < 0.05) and; health insurance plans that covered extended family members as compared to plans that had limitations on the number of family members allowed (non-slum β = 0.44, P < 0.05; slum β = 0.36, p < 0.05). Households in non-slum communities, in particular, had a high preference for health insurance plans that covered chronic illnesses and major surgeries to other plans (0.97 β, P < 0.05). Our findings suggest that location of the household influences willingness to pay with households from non-slum communities willing to pay more for the preferred attributes.ConclusionPotential health insurance schemes should consider including both private and public health care providers and allow more household members to be enrolled in both slum and non-slum communities. However, the inclusion of more HH members should be weighed against the possible depletion of resources and other attributes. Potential health insurance schemes should also prioritize coverage for chronic illnesses and major surgeries in non-slum communities, in particular, to make the scheme attractive and acceptable for these communities.

The impact of interprofessional practice models on health service inequity: an integrative systematic review

PurposeThe purpose of this review was to explore the literature for evidence of the impact of interprofessional practice models on health service inequity, particularly within community care settings for diverse ageing populations.Design/methodology/approachAn integrative systematic literature review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework combined with the EndNote reference management system. Following the collection and comprehensive screening process completion, a thematic analysis of the included articles occurred utilising within NVivo 12 software.FindingsThe review found that there was a paucity of evidence related to the relationship between interprofessional practice models (IPM) and health service equity for ageing populations. There is a need to improve collaborative practices between social care, public health care and health service providers to more clearly define team member roles. Key aspirations included the need for future innovations in health service delivery to place health service equity as a goal for interprofessional practice. There is a need to find ways to measure and articulate the impact for vulnerable populations and communities.Research limitations/implicationsThe review offers insight into the need for health care delivery models to place health service equity at the centre of the model design. In practice settings, this includes setting interprofessional team goals around achieving equitable care outcomes for, and with, vulnerable populations. Implications for practice relate to improving how interprofessional teams work with communities to achieve health care equity.Originality/valueThere is a consensus across the literature that there continues to be health service inequity, yet IPE and interprofessional collaborative practice (IPC) have been growing in momentum for some time. Despite many statements that there is a link between interprofessional practice and improved health service equity and health outcomes, evidence for this is yet to be fully realised. This review highlights the urgent need to review the link between education and practice, and innovative health models of care that enable heath care professionals and social care providers to work together towards achieving health equity for ageing populations. It is clear that more evidence is required to establish evidence for best practice in interprofessional care that has the mitigation of health care inequity as a central objective.

Health consumers' social media adoption behaviours in Australia.

This research identifies the underlying drivers impacting on health consumers' social media usage and acceptance behaviours using technology acceptance model (TAM) as the theoretical lens. A cross-sectional survey of 265 health consumers was conducted through a mall intercept technique. Participants in the survey were over the age of 18 and had access to a public or private healthcare service provider. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The major findings show that perceived ease of use, privacy threat, information quality, social influence and self-efficacy influence health consumers' social media adoption behaviours. Perceived usefulness was not found to affect health consumers' social media adoption behaviours. The moderation analysis showed that influences of privacy threats are non-significant for mature age respondents and non-frequent users of social media. This study's findings have important implications for designing social media strategies for the healthcare industry. The drivers that positively impact on health consumers' social media usages can be integrated into meaningful strategies to capture the attention of potential consumers. They need to be educated, informed and engaged as health consumers so that they employ social media effectively to their advantage.

Mental Health Status of the General Public, Frontline, and Non-frontline Healthcare Providers in the Early Stage of COVID-19

Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 occurred in 2020 which resulted in high levels of psychological stress in both the general public and healthcare providers.Purpose: The study aimed to address the mental health status of people in China in the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak, and to identify differences among the general public, frontline, and non-frontline healthcare providers.Method: A cross-sectional study was used to identify the mental health status of the general public and healthcare providers between Jan 29 and Feb 11, 2020. Data were collected using an online survey from a convenience sample. The instruments used included: Patient Health Questionnaire, Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, Insomnia Severity Index, and Impact of Event Scale-Revised. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the data. Kruskal-Wallis H tests were performed to assess differences in measurements among the three groups; P < 0.05 (two-sided) was considered to be statistically significant.Results: Results showed that a majority of participants experienced post-traumatic stress (68.8%), depression (46.1%), anxiety (39.8%), and insomnia (31.4%). Significant changes in the mental health status of frontline providers was found as compared to those of the other groups (P < 0.001). Interestingly, the scores of the general public were significantly higher than those of the non-frontline healthcare providers (P < 0.001).Conclusion: These findings provide information to evaluate outbreak associated psychological stress for the general public and healthcare providers, and assist in providing professional support and actionable guidance to ease psychological stress and improve mental health.

Health Seeking Behavior Among Adults and Elderly With Chronic Health Condition(s) in Albania.

Aim: Assess the use of different health care service providers by adults (aged 18–59) and elderly (aged > =60) who suffer from non-communicable disease (NCD) and explore relationships between sociodemographic variables and care-seeking behaviors.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the districts of Diber and Fier in December 2018, using random cluster sampling. Descriptive statistics were used to compare the care-seeking behaviors of adults and elderly people. We employed binary and multinomial logistic regression to assess factors associated with the type of health service provider used. Analyses were adjusted for clustering within districts of residence.Results: Out of 3,799 respondents, 1,116 (29.4%) suffered from an NCD. Of these, 95% sought to obtain care for their chronic condition through public healthcare providers. The elderly were more likely to use primary healthcare services (PHC) to initiate care when facing health problems (56%), compared to those aged 18–59 years (49%, p < 0,001). Over the last 8 weeks, 82% (914/1,116) of participants sought care. Binary and multinomial logistic regression analyses, adjusted for socio-demographic variables, showed that the elderly were more likely to choose PHC services (OR 1.56; 95% CI: 1.04; 2.35). Moreover, individuals who suffered from hypertension used PHC services more frequently than hospitals (OR 1.94; 95% CI: 1.32; 2.85). A positive association was found between living in an urban area and seeking care for NCDs at polyclinics (OR 10.1; 95% CI: 2.1; 50.1). There was no significant gender difference observed with regard to the type of provider consulted.Conclusion: Public facilities were reported as the main providers for initiating care and the main providers used in the 8 weeks prior to the interview. While a majority of elderly people visited a PHC to initiate treatment (and follow up) on their chronic conditions, a substantial proportion of adults (aged 18–59) initiated and sought regular NCD care at a hospital. Educating patients and caregivers on active participation in NCD prevention, management, and control through the PHC level should be a long-term effort, along with the establishment of well-structured referral mechanisms and integrated care systems.

EGFR mutation-guided use of afatinib, erlotinib and gefitinib for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer in Hong Kong - A cost-effectiveness analysis.

IntroductionTyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) therapy targets at epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We aimed to compare the EGFR mutation-guided target therapy versus empirical chemotherapy for first-line treatment of advanced NSCLC in the public healthcare setting of Hong Kong.MethodsA Markov model was designed to simulate outcomes of a hypothetical cohort of advanced (stage IIIB/IV) NSCLC adult patients with un-tested EGFR-sensitizing mutation status. Four treatment strategies were evaluated: Empirical first-line chemotherapy with cisplatin-pemetrexed (empirical chemotherapy group), and EGFR mutation-guided use of a TKI (afatinib, erlotinib, and gefitinib). Model outcome measures were direct medical cost, progression-free survival, overall survival, and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Incremental cost per QALY gained (ICER) was estimated. Sensitivity analyses were performed to examine robustness of model results.ResultsEmpirical chemotherapy and EGFR mutation-guided gefitinib gained lower QALYs at higher costs than the erlotinib group. Comparing with EGFR mutation-guided erlotinib, the afatinib strategy gained additional QALYs with ICER (540,633 USD/QALY). In 10,000 Monte Carlo simulations for probabilistic sensitivity analysis, EGFR mutation-guided afatinib, erlotinib, gefitinib and empirical chemotherapy were preferred strategy in 0%, 98%, 0% and 2% of time at willingness-to-pay (WTP) 47,812 USD/QALY (1x gross domestic product (GDP) per capita), and in 30%, 68%, 2% and 0% of time at WTP 143,436 USD/QALY (3x GDP per capita), respectively.ConclusionsEGFR mutation-guided erlotinib appears to be the cost-effective strategy from the perspective of Hong Kong public healthcare provider over a broad range of WTP.

Chronic disease self-management competency and care satisfaction between users of public and private primary care in Singapore

Primary healthcare providers play a crucial role in educating their patients on chronic disease self-management (CDSM). This study aims to evaluate CDSM competency and satisfaction in patients receiving their healthcare from public or private healthcare providers. A cross-sectional household study was conducted in a public housing estate using a standardised questionnaire to interview Singaporeans and permanent residents aged 40 years and above, who were diagnosed with at least 1 of these chronic diseases: hyperlipidaemia, hypertension or diabetes mellitus. CDSM competency was evaluated with the Partners In Health (PIH) scale and a knowledge based questionnaire. Satisfaction was evaluated using a satisfaction scale. In general, the 420 respondents demonstrated good CDSM competency, with 314 followed up at polyclinics and 106 by general practitioners (GPs). There was no significant difference between patients of polyclinics and GPs in CDSM competency scores (mean PIH score 72.9 vs 75.1, P=0.563), hypertension knowledge scores (90.9 vs 85.4, P=0.16) and diabetes knowledge scores (84.3 vs 79.5, P=0.417), except for hyperlipidaemia knowledge scores (78.6 vs 84.7, P=0.043). However, respondents followed up by GPs had higher satisfaction rates than did those followed up at polyclinics (odds ratio 3.6, confidence interval 2.28-5.78). Favourable personality of the doctors and ideal consultation duration led to higher satisfaction in the GP setting. A longer waiting time led to lower satisfaction in the polyclinic group. Polyclinics and GPs provide quality primary care as evidenced by high and comparable levels of CDSM competency. Redistribution of patients from public to private clinics may result in improvements in healthcare service quality.

Perceived Barriers to COVID-19 Testing.

(1) Background: Prior studies have documented that access to testing has not been equitable across all communities in the US, with less testing availability and lower testing rates documented in rural counties and lower income communities. However, there is limited understanding of the perceived barriers to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing. The purpose of this study was to document the perceived barriers to COVID-19 testing. (2) Methods: Arkansas residents were recruited using a volunteer research participant registry. Participants were asked an open-ended question regarding their perceived barriers to testing. A qualitative descriptive analytical approach was used. (3) Results: Overall, 1221 people responded to the open-ended question. The primary barriers to testing described by participants were confusion and uncertainty regarding testing guidelines and where to go for testing, lack of accessible testing locations, perceptions that the nasal swab method was too painful, and long wait times for testing results. (4) Conclusions: This study documents participant reported barriers to COVID-19 testing. Through the use of a qualitative descriptive method, participants were able to discuss their concerns in their own words. This work provides important insights that can help public health leaders and healthcare providers with understanding and mitigating barriers to COVID-19 testing.

A comparative study of quality of health care services of public and private hospitals in Ghana

The standard of health care service is very important to the development of every nation as indicated in the Millennium Sustainable Development Goals. There are already a growing number of reports in developing countries on the quality of health care. Nevertheless, there is scant literature in Ghana regarding the quality of health care provided by private and public health care providers. This study sought to assess and compare the quality of health care services rendered by public and private hospitals in the metropolitan cities of Ghana. The study target population was patients using the selected health care facilities involved in this study. This study followed quantitative methods using a social survey designed questionnaire to obtain data from 255 hospital participants receiving care. The findings revealed that in contrast with the public hospitals, private hospitals offered patients a higher quality of health care services. There was no difference in meaning in terms of consistency; however, the biggest explanation was that private hospitals aimed at increasing profits and tried to attract customers to retain them as compared to public hospitals that offered basic social services to an enormous number of patients. The study concluded that better health care services are provided by private hospitals. It was recommended that public health care providers should improve upon their quality health care services as more people visit the public health care centres due to their low health care cost.

Medical, transportation and spiritual out-of-pocket health expenditure on outpatient and inpatient visits in Bhutan.

Understanding the determinants of out-of-pocket health expenditure (OOP) is important for achieving and sustaining universal health coverage, as well as ensuring that no one is left behind. Focusing on major types of spending, including healthcare-related transportation and spiritual expenses, this study analyses OOP on outpatient and inpatient visits in Bhutan, using a two-part model and data from the nationally representative 2017 Bhutan Living Standards Survey. While OOP based on standard estimates is relatively low in Bhutan, the survey data show that expenses for healthcare-related transportation and spiritual ceremonies are substantive and by far exceed other components of OOP. Demographic, socio-economic, geographic and morbidity-related factors are found to affect the probability of incurring medical, transportation and spiritual OOP, as well as amounts spent. Disaggregating healthcare-related spending into its key components further reveals that living in rural areas increases the probability of incurring expenses for transportation and spiritual ceremonies, but decreases the odds of experiencing positive medical expenditure. Monthly equivalised household expenditure, functional disability, frequency of visits and length of stay are positively associated with total OOP, especially for transportation and spiritual expenses. Going to a public primary healthcare provider for the first outpatient visit, on the other hand, significantly decreases likelihood and amount of medical, transportation and spiritual OOP. These key results highlight the importance of understanding context-specific drivers of healthcare-related spending. In Bhutan, the financial burden particularly impacts respondents in rural areas and those with higher needs for healthcare services. A clear implication of the findings is that primary care and gatekeeping mechanisms need to be strengthened, especially considering that cost pressures have been growing which could lead to higher OOP in the future. Moreover, closer examination of the role of spiritual practices in the provision of health services is needed.

Risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease among adult Nevadans.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the number one cause of death in the US and Nevada is ranked 11th highest for CVD mortality. The study sought to examine the association between self-reported risk factors and CVD presence among adult Nevadans, between years 2011 and 2017. This is a cross-sectional, population-based study that utilized the 2011 and 2017 Nevada Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. Data were analyzed between 2019 and 2020. A total of 5,493 and 3,764 subjects in 2011 and 2017, respectively were included. BMI (overweight/obesity) remained the most prevalent CVD risk factor. The second most common CVD risk factor was high cholesterol, followed by hypertension. Compared to females, males were 1.64 times more likely to have reported CVD in 2011, which increased to 1.92 in 2017. Compared to non-smokers, everyday smokers were 1.96 times more likely in 2011 and 3.62 times more likely in 2017. Individuals with high cholesterol status were 2.67 times more likely to have reported CVD compared to those with normal levels in 2011. In 2011, individuals with hypertension were 3.74 times more likely to have reported CVD compared to those who did not have hypertension. This relationship increased its magnitude of risk to 6.18 times more likely in 2017. In 2011, individuals with diabetes were 2.90 times more likely to have reported CVD compared to those without the condition. Public health and healthcare providers need to target preventable cardiovascular risk factors and develop recommendations and strategies locally, nationally, and globally.

Exploring collective consumer innovation in health care: Cases and formal modeling

Research on consumer innovation in health care has shown that patients are important sources of new or improved treatments, care services and diagnostic tools. This paper points to another hitherto overlooked class of consumer innovation in health care, which we call collective consumer innovation. These self-organized service innovations emerge under regulatory constraints, occur on the system level, are collaborative, and tend to cause institutional change. We use historic and contemporary cases from the field of health care in order to document the importance of collective consumer innovation and devise a model to analyze their economic role.Collective consumer innovation is more likely under stricter regulation and when the production cost disadvantage of consumers vis-à-vis the formal sector is smaller. The role of market size and the scale of technological change is more complex. If either is large, innovation will be undertaken by the formal sector, while no innovation at all takes place if either is small. The model demonstrates that consumer innovations can enhance social welfare by improving the tradeoff between safety and experimental leeway, though they under certain conditions can lower welfare. Empirically, there are numerous cases where collective consumer innovations in the form of novel health services, policies and governance systems were adapted by public or corporate health care providers.

Impact of COVID-19 on Routine Immunisation in South-East Asia and Western Pacific: Disruptions and Solutions

Background: Data on COVID-19-induced disruption to routine vaccinations in the South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions (SEAR/WPR) have been sparse. This study aimed to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on routine vaccinations by country, antigen, and sector (public or private), up to 1 June 2020, and to identify the reasons for disruption and possible solutions. Methods: Sanofi Pasteur teams from 19 countries in SEAR/WPR completed a structured questionnaire reporting on COVID-19 disruptions for 13–19 routinely delivered antigens per country, based on sales data, government reports, and regular physician interactions. Data were analysed descriptively, disruption causes ranked, and solutions evaluated using a modified public health best practices framework. Findings: 95% (18/19) of countries reported vaccination disruption. When stratified by country, a median of 91% (interquartile range 77–94) of antigens were impacted. Infancy and school-entry age vaccinations were most impacted. Both public and private sector healthcare providers experienced disruptions. Vaccination rates had not recovered for 39% of impacted antigens by 1 June 2020. Fear of infection, movement/travel restrictions, and limited healthcare access were the highest-ranked reasons for disruption. Highest-scoring solutions were separating vaccination groups from unwell patients, non-traditional vaccination venues, virtual engagement, and social media campaigns. Many of these solutions are under-utilised. Interpretation: COVID-19-induced disruption of routine vaccination was more widespread than previously reported. Adaptable solutions were identified which could be implemented in SEAR/WPR and elsewhere. Governments and private providers need to act urgently to improve coverage rates and plan for future waves of the pandemic, to avoid a resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases. Funding: Sanofi Pasteur.Declaration of Interests: At the time of the preparation of this work, Rebecca C Harris, Yutao Chen, Pierre Côte, Antoine Ardillon, Maria Carmen Nievera, Kiruthika Velan Kandasamy, Kuharaj Mahenthiran, Ta-Wen Yu, Changshu Huang, Clotilde El Guerche-Séblain, Juan C Vargas-Zambrano, Ayman Chit, and Gopinath Nageshwaran were employees of Sanofi Pasteur and might be shareholders of Sanofi. Anna Ong-Lim and Somasundaram Aiyamperumal have no disclosures. Poh Chong Chan reports speaker fees and other fees for involvement in clinical trial from Sanofi Pasteur.Ethics Approval Statement: As the study did not gather patient or individual level data orinvolve any interventions, formal ethical approval was not sought. Data were mostly open source or company data, and informed consent was sought from those filling in the survey

How does telehealth shape new ways of co-creating value?

Purpose The rise of telehealth is evident worldwide, especially now with the COVID-19 pandemic situation, and is providing extensive opportunities for health-care organisations to create added value for different stakeholders. However, even in this extreme situation, the progress of telehealth is quite slow and insufficient. In this context, it is necessary to consider how the application of telehealth services allows co-creating additional value for different stakeholders. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to explore telehealth services and the added value that they co-create for various stakeholders across publicly and privately oriented health-care ecosystems. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopted a qualitative research design based on an explorative and comparative approach to study the perceived added value that is co-created during telehealth encounters. The authors deployed a semi-structured interview research design. Interviews were carried out in two settings that have different health-care systems: Lithuania (publicly oriented health care) and the California Bay Area, USA, (privately oriented health care). The research covers telehealth services from the point of view of different stakeholders in the health-care ecosystem. Findings The paper emphasises that value-in-use is essential in the case of telehealth; however, value-in-exchange is relevant to describe the relationships between public and private insurers and health-care providers. The findings point out that despite the type of health-care system, telehealth added value-in-use was perceived quite similar in both research settings, and differences could be distinguished mainly at the sub-dimensional level. The added value-in-use for patients comprises economic, functional and emotional value; physicians potentially get functional added value-in-use. The authors also highlight that patients and physicians get relational functional and social value-in-use. The added value-in-use for health-care providers consists of economic (in both research settings) and functional value (in Lithuania). The research findings show that there is still an evident lack of health insurance companies ready to recognise telehealth as a valuable service and to reimburse similarly to in cases of in-person visits. Thus, the added value-in-exchange is hardly created and this impedes co-creation of the added value-in-use. Originality/value This paper contributes to the field mainly by transferring the business research applied concept of value co-creation into the social-purpose driven health-care industry. The findings are beneficial for the health-care management stream of the literature, which considers health care as a value-based industry. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to structure the perceived telehealth added value from the perspectives of different stakeholders and two different health-care ecosystems. This paper also gives a clearer understanding of the role of the value-in-exchange in such complex ecosystems as health care and gives reasons when it could be created in synergy with co-creation of the value-in-use. In this sense, the findings are beneficial from both marketing and innovation theoretical perspectives, as they give a special attention to value creation and co-creation phenomena analysis.

Cross-cultural adaptation and exploratory factor analysis of the Person-centred Practice Inventory - Staff (PCPI-S) questionnaire among Malaysian primary healthcare providers

BackgroundThe Person-centred Practice Inventory-Staff (PCPI-S) instrument was developed to measure healthcare providers’ perception towards their person-centred practice. The study aimed to explore the influence of culture, context, language and local practice towards the PCPI-S instrument adaptation process for use among public primary care healthcare providers in Malaysia.MethodsThe original PCPI-S was reviewed and adapted for cultural suitability by an expert committee to ensure conceptual and item equivalence. The instrument was subsequently translated into the local Malay language using the forward-backward translation by two independent native speakers, and modified following pre-tests involving cognitive debriefing interviews. The psychometric properties of the corresponding instrument were determined by assessing the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and correlation of the instrument, while the underlying structure was analysed using exploratory factor analysis.ResultsReview by expert committee found items applicable to local context. Pre-tests on the translated instrument found multiple domains and questions were misinterpreted. Many translations were heavily influenced by culture, context, and language discrepancies. Results of the subsequent pilot study found mean scores for all items ranged from 2.92 to 4.39. Notable ceiling effects were found. Internal consistency was high (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.9). Exploratory factor analysis found formation of 11 components as opposed to the original 17 constructs.ConclusionThe results of this study provide evidence regarding the reliability and underlying structure of the PCPI-S instrument with regard to primary care practice. Culture, context, language and local practice heavily influenced the adaptation as well as interpretation of the underlying structure and should be given emphasis when translating person-centred into practice.

Evaluating efficiency of counties in providing diabetes preventive care using data envelopment analysis.

For patients with diabetes, annual preventive care is essential to reduce the risk of complications. Local healthcare resources affect the utilization of diabetes preventive care. Our objectives were to evaluate the relative efficiency of counties in providing diabetes preventive care and explore potential to improve efficiencies. The study setting is public and private healthcare providers in US counties with available data. County-level demographics were extracted from the Area Health Resources File using data from 2010 to 2013, and individual-level information of diabetes preventive service use was obtained from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. 1112 US counties were analyzed. Cluster analysis was used to place counties into three similar groups in terms of economic wellbeing and population characteristics. Group 1 consisted of metropolitan counties with prosperous or comfortable economic levels. Group 2 mostly consisted of non-metropolitan areas between distress and mid-tier levels, while Group 3 were mostly prosperous or comfortable counties in metropolitan areas. We used data enveopement analysis to assess efficiencies within each group. The majority of counties had modest efficiency in providing diabetes preventive care; 36 counties (57.1%), 345 counties (61.1%), and 263 counties (54.3%) were inefficient (efficiency scores < 1) in Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3, respectively. For inefficient counties, foot and eye exams were often identified as sources of inefficiency. Available health professionals in some counties were not fully utilized to provide diabetes preventive care. Identifying benchmarking targets from counties with similar resources can help counties and policy makers develop actionable strategies to improve performance.

Health care strategies in long-term care facilities in Bahia State, Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To describe health care strategies for older people living in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in Bahia state, Brazil. METHODS: This is an ecological study involving LTCFs identified in Bahia state, which were invited to participate in a survey conducted between April and June 2021. The variables of interest were LTCF characteristics, health care strategies, visits received from national public health system (SUS, in Portuguese) teams, and health care actions taken by SUS. A comparative analysis was performed between LTCFs located in the East macro-region and other parts of the state, in general and also stratified by funding type (private and non-private). RESULTS: The sample consisted of 177 LTCFs, more than half of them were located in the East macro-region, seat of the state capital. Most facilities declared themselves as non-private (68%). Less than one-third of the LTCFs had their own health teams. Although 67% of LTCFs reported some health care provided by SUS, only 49% reported clinical consultations, with even lower percentages for other SUS actions, except for vaccination (91%). The East macro-region had a lower percentage of LTCFs accompanied by a SUS team, and the highest percentage of LTCFs with supplementary health insurance. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the limited access of LTCF residents to essential health services, due to a general neglect of this population by public health care providers. The inadequacy of public policies to support LTCFs has important consequences for the quality of care offered to residents.

Patients’ Shift from Public to Private Primary Health Care Providers in Lithuania: Analysis of the Main Reasons

AimsLithuania is one of the countries where public and private primary health care (PHC) providers compete for patients. Patients continuously shift from public to PHC providers, but an analysis of the main reasons was never performed. This study aimed to analyze the reasons why patients shift from public to private PHC providers and identify the associations between the reasons and demographic characteristics of the patients.MethodsA cross-sectional study based on a phone questionnaire was conducted among patients who shifted from public to private primary health care (PHC) providers. A total of 810 phone calls were made, and 572 telephone surveys were completed. The response rate was 70.49%. The difference between the proportions was assessed using the Z-test. The association between categorical variables was assessed using the chi-square test.ResultsThe study identified the following main reasons: long queues to obtain family physician appointments (23.6%), inconvenient location of public’s institution department (20.1%), patients relocating (19.2%), enrolment at a former family physician who transitioned from a public to private PHC institution (10.5%), and long waiting time at the family physician’s office for the appointment (9.4%). Some statistically significant correlations were found between the specific reasons for shifting from public to private PHC organizations and patients' demographic characteristics.ConclusionsPersonal reasons are the most common reasons for shifting from public to private PHC providers (43.36% of the respondents), following the reasons related exclusively to the family physician (25.17%) and related PHC institutions only (24.9%).