Quality Of Healthcare Services Research Articles

Factors Affecting Quality of Health Care Services in Government Facilities in Kakindo Health Centre IV in Kakumiro District

This study aimed to examine the factors that affect quality of health services in Kakindo Health Center IV in Kakumiro District. The study used a cross-sectional design using a quantitative approach on the population which was under study. Data was collected using questionnaires, processed in excel, and word using SSP software for correlation purposes. The study found a high significant relationship between health-related factors, health worker related factors and quality of health service delivery. Patient related factors had a low significance. The study concluded that the quality of health services depends on the level to which the management of the facility provides the employees with a conducive work environment. appropriate knowledge and skills, and positive attitude of health workers towards patients was emphasized. health workers were argued to carry out daily patient education in order to change their traditional beliefs. Grading the facility to a level of Hospital this would help to build more infrastructure for both patients and staffs, for security of both patients and staff, the facility needs tapped water so that staff can access clean water inwards, especially the paediatric ward, theatre, general ward, outpatient department, A R T Clinic Cold chain unit and a few staff quarters. A proper fence must be put constructed at the facility. Keywords: Health service, Health workers, Patients, Delivery, Staff.

Lung Cancer Diagnoses and Outcomes During the Syrian War, 2011-2018

Protracted wars, which disproportionately affect low-resource countries, exacerbate the challenges faced by cancer care systems, with lung cancer being the most affected as the most fatal oncological condition. To characterize the presentation and survival of patients with lung cancer during the decade-long Syrian war. This cohort study included patients at a large oncology center in Syria during the first 8 years of the Syrian armed conflict (2011-2018). All patients with a new diagnosis of lung cancer were included. Variables investigated included histological subtypes, TNM classification (tumor, lymph nodes, and metastasis), and staging at diagnosis as well as the yearly follow-ups up to 5 years after presentation. The Syrian war divided the country into temporary regions with different political influences and heterogeneously impacted health care accessibility among these regions. Change in prevalence of advanced lung cancer cases at presentation; change in overall survival odds. The study included 5160 patients from all Syrian governorates (mean [SD] age, 59.6 [10.8] years; 4399 men [85.3%]). New diagnoses sharply declined during the first 3 years of the war, with partial recovery afterward. Regardless of their tempo-geographical regions, 60% to 80% of the yearly diagnoses presented with metastases. The 1-year and 5-year survival rates were 13.1% (423 of 3238 patients with follow-up results) and 0.1% (2 of 1853 patients), respectively. Patients who presented from regions more involved in the armed conflicts showed poorer survival rates with odds ranging between 0.51 (95% CI, 0.44-0.59) and 0.61 (95% CI, 0.49-0.74) across follow-ups for up to 2 years in comparison with patients presenting from safer regions. War-related health care inaccessibility explained a greater percentage of the variability in survival (Nagelkerke R2 = 7.5%; P < .001) than both patients' age and the stage of the disease combined (Nagelkerke R2 = 3.9%; P < .001). The Syrian war has been associated with a marked decline in the management of patients with lung cancer, with limited access to specialized care, delayed diagnoses, and substantial decrease in survival rates correlating with the intensity of armed conflict in the respective regions. The profound repercussions of the prolonged armed conflict on patients with lung cancer in Syria necessitates urgent comprehensive strategies to improve the accessibility and quality of health care services, especially in conflict-ridden zones.

Laboratory Specimen Rejection in Affecting Quality of Patient Care in Healthcare Services : a Retrospective Cohort Study in Hospital Bentong

Background: Pre-Analytical errors during blood specimen taking &amp; specimen handling may cause specimen rejection at laboratory. A specimen that is judged by the pathology department as not fit for Laboratory analysis should be rejected &amp; resampling should be taken. Rejection of specimen may affect the overall quality of healthcare services as the rejection will delay patient treatment, increase in cost &amp; increase workload of healthcare workers of both laboratory &amp; non laboratory personnel. Aim &amp; Objectives: This study was conducted to analyze the various factors contributing to sample rejection &amp; the impact in patient care in Hospital Bentong. Materials &amp; Methods: The data &amp; cause of the rejected samples from January – December 2022 were extracted from Laboratory Information System (LIS, Chemolims) which is integrated to Hospital Information System (HIS, Sistem Pengurusan Pesakit). Conclusion: Rate of laboratory rejection sample was increasing in trend in year 2022. Rejection due to clots &amp; hemolysis were the major causes identified where 44.81 % &amp; 36.24 % respectively among the total rejected sample in Hospital Bentong.

Validation and invariance of an Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ-P) in Peruvian Nurses

Background: Performance evaluation is essential to ensure quality healthcare services, especially in the field of nursing. Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze the factorial structure, reliability, and invariance by sex and age of the work performance scale in Peruvian nurses. Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to evaluate the internal structure of the scale, and psychometric properties including reliability and convergent validity were determined. Additionally, factorial invariance was evaluated according to participants' sex and age. Results: The CFA supported the structure of three factors (Task Performance, Counterproductive Behaviors, Contextual Performance) and showed adequate and stable psychometric properties for a 12-item version (: χ2 = 231.09, df = 78; CFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.06 (90% CI: 0.05-0.06), and SRMR = 0.03). Strict factorial invariance was demonstrated for both sex and age, and adequate internal consistency was found for each dimension, as well as convergent validity. Conclusions: The work performance scale, in its 12-item version (IWPQ-P), is a valid and reliable measure for evaluating work performance in Peruvian nurses. Its factorial invariance by sex and age makes it a useful tool for future research and practical applications in nursing performance evaluation.

Patients’ satisfaction with the quality healthcare services

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The quality of health services has become a priority in the modern health system, defined as a service that meets professional and patient needs by efficiently using resources and minimizing risks. The quality of health care implies the best possible outcomes, timely service, rational use of resources and application of appropriate procedures. Quality measurement includes dimensions such as availability, safety, continuity, effectiveness and interpersonal relationships, key to patient trust and satisfaction.&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;This literature review analyzes instruments for measuring the quality of health services and their importance for improving the system.&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;Satisfaction is not a sufficient indicator of quality, because patients are often unaware of their real needs and may demand inadequate treatments. Quality also includes economy and compliance with legal, ethical and contractual obligations of the healthcare institution. Major satisfaction factors include healthcare, communication, waiting time and patient education. Patient satisfaction should be measured regularly and used for continuous improvement of services.&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;The quality of health care is a continuous process that requires constant monitoring, evaluation and improvement to ensure the best possible outcome for patients.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;

Sustainable Young Nursing Business Manager Leadership Competency: The Philippines Experience

The global shortage of qualified nurse managers, particularly evident in the Philippines, is rooted in the absence of training programs for transitioning nurses into management roles. Recent studies highlight this gap, leading to the promotion of inexperienced nurses to leadership positions and resulting in ineffective management practices and compromised care quality. Recognizing the importance of sustainable leadership competency for the long-term viability of healthcare services, a study in Metro Manila seeks to address these issues. The research focuses on gathering insights from nursing business experts regarding essential skills for sustainable leadership among young nursing business managers. The study aims to not only explore these perspectives but also assess the competency levels of young nurse managers using a newly developed survey tool. The objectives encompass determining expert views on necessary skills, profiling participants based on demographic factors, assessing competency levels, and drawing recommendations from the mixed-methods study results. Employing a mixed-method approach, the study initially conducted interviews with nursing business leaders in Manila. The themes derived from these interviews were then utilized in formulating the questionnaire. The findings revealed demographic variations among participants, influencing their responses. Five major themes emerged, reflecting participant perspectives on the competency of young nurse business managers: professional conduct, educational competency, individual assessment, trans-cultural competency, and informatics tech competency. In conclusion, the study emphasizes the diverse skills and competencies required by young nurse business leaders for effective functioning in occupational and professional settings. These competencies, spanning professional conduct, individual assessment, cultural competence, and technological proficiency, are deemed critical components in assessing and evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of young nursing leaders, as emphasized in the existing literature. The study underscores the imperative for comprehensive training programs to enhance the competency of young nursing leaders, contributing to the overall quality and sustainability of healthcare services. Keywords: Nursing, leadership, Management, Concepts Investigated: professional conduct, individual assessment, culturally-inclined competency, informatics tech competency, educational competencies, Exploratory sequential Mixed-method , purposive sampling , The Philippines, South East Asia

The effect of trans-provincial immediate reimbursement for healthcare expenses on inequity in the utilization of healthcare services for migrants

BackgroundImproving the accessibility of public services for migrants is an important endeavor to promote equity in economic and social development. As a response to the large-scale movement of migrants and the fragmentation of China’s health insurance system, the Chinese Government has launched a policy of trans-provincial immediate reimbursement for healthcare expenses. The present study hopes to examine the effect of immediate reimbursement policy on the utilization of healthcare services for migrants in China.MethodsThis study used two waves of data from the China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS) collected in 2013 and 2017, with the sample comprising 13,540 individuals. We constructed a difference-in-differences (DID) model to investigate the impact of the policy on the utilization of healthcare services for migrants. Meanwhile, we also analyzed the heterogeneity of the policy effect by grouping the samples by industry, gender, income, and education level.ResultsThe results found that the trans-provincial immediate reimbursement significantly promoted the probability of migrants’ utilization of quality healthcare services (average treatment effect on the treated = 0.072, p < 0.05). Heterogeneity analyses revealed that the policy effect was more pronounced among higher-income and better-educated migrants. In addition, the policy effect was more significant for female migrants, and the benefits were more marked for migrants in high-risk industries.ConclusionsThe trans-provincial immediate reimbursement policy has improved the inequity of healthcare services utilization among migrants as a whole; however, within the migrants, inequity still exists. More attention should also be paid to low-income or low-education groups in future policy design.

The Effect of Accreditation in Health Care Services: Case Study at HMO- Health Maintenance Organization in Israel

The healthcare sector is a critical component of a well-functioning society that formed any society, we can depend on it and is responsible for maintaining the health of the people, and to offer them the services they need. The nature of healthcare is such that it is a service on which the health of human beings depends and helps them to live a healthy life without suffering. Quality is something that is universally desired by individuals in every kind of product or service. However, there is no aspect of society in which quality is as essential as in healthcare because if the person has a good health he will do his best to serve his society and he will be a benefit citizen to his society and country. Poor quality of services in healthcare can be the cause of physical harm or even death for a patient. As such, the ramifications of quality are nowhere as serious as in the particular domain of medicine and healthcare.

Effect of work stress on service delivery of health workers in University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City Nigeria

The study examined work stress and service delivery among health workers in University of Benin Teaching Hospital Benin City. The study adopted descriptive research method. Data were collected through questionnaire, focus group discussion guide, in depth interview and secondary sources. The study revealed that work overload has nexus with service delivery of the health workers of University of Benin Teaching Hospital. The study recommended among other things that University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) should deploy more student doctors in their residency programmes who would be closely supervised by their superiors in order to reduce the workload on existing doctors in their provision of health services. The work schedule for medical and health workers at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), should be made more flexible to accommodate the peculiarities in female medical personnel, especially married women, nursing mothers and those that are pregnant. The government should do better in the disbursement and payment of hazard allowances to medical and health workers in order to encourage their selfless services to God and humanity through the provision of quality healthcare services.

Efektivitas Penggunaan Rekam Medis Elektronik Terhadap Peningkatan Kualitas Pelayanan Pasien di Rumah Sakit

This research aims to explore the benefits and challenges of EMR implementation and its implications for medical practices and healthcare services in Indonesia. The research design utilizes a Literature Review. Sources used in searching for literature in this research include Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, DOAJ, and Scopus. Furthermore, in conducting literature selection, the researcher uses the PRISMA method. This study identifies the benefits of EMR in accelerating patient information access, enhancing coordination among medical teams, and reducing the risk of errors in medical data recording. However, challenges such as data security and staff training are also faced in EMR implementation. In conclusion, the implementation of EMR in Indonesian hospitals promises significant benefits in improving the efficiency, accuracy, and quality of healthcare services, although it still faces some obstacles that need to be addressed.

Health equity in Somalia? An evaluation of the progress made from 2006 to 2019 in reducing inequities in maternal and newborn health

BackgroundEvery human being has the right to affordable, high-quality health services. However, mothers and children in wealthier households worldwide have better access to healthcare and lower mortality rates than those in lower-income ones. Despite Somalia’s fragile health system and the under-5 mortality rate being among the highest worldwide, it has made progress in increasing reproductive, maternal, and child health care coverage. However, evidence suggests that not all groups have benefited equally. We analysed secondary 2006 and 2018–19 data to monitor disparities in reproductive, maternal, and child health care in Somalia.MethodsThe study’s variables of interest are the percentage of contraceptive prevalence through modern methods, adolescent fertility rate, prenatal care, the rate of births attended by midwives, the rate of births in a health care facility, the rate of early initiation of breastfeeding, stunting and wasting prevalence and care-seeking for children under-five. As the outcome variable, we analysed the under-five mortality rate. Using reliable data from secondary sources, we calculated the difference and ratio of the best and worst-performing groups for 2006 and 2018–19 in Somalia and measured the changes between the two.ResultsBetween 2006 and 2018–19, An increase in the difference between women with high and low incomes was noticed in terms of attended labours. Little change was noted regarding socioeconomic inequities in breastfeeding. The difference in the stunting prevalence between the highest and lowest income children decreased by 20.5 points, and the difference in the wasting prevalence of the highest and the lowest income children decreased by 9% points. Care-seeking increased by 31.1% points. Finally, although under-five mortality rates have decreased in the study period, a marked income slope remains.ConclusionsThe study's findings indicate that Somalia achieved significant progress in reducing malnutrition inequalities in children, a positive development that may have also contributed to the decrease in under-five mortality rate inequities also reported in this study. However, an increase in inequalities related to access to contraception and healthcare for mothers is shown, as well as for care-seeking for sick children under the age of five. To ensure that all mothers and children have equal access to healthcare, it is crucial to enhance efforts in providing essential quality healthcare services and distributing them fairly and equitably across Somalia.

Professional difficulties of a nursing worker in the department of obstetrics and gynecology

With the continuous improvement of living standards, most patients have increasingly high demands on the quality of health care services. As for nursing, the high-quality nursing care model has gradually replaced the traditional nursing model and has been recognized by many patients. Throughout the entire period of the formation of medicine, all kinds of measures have been taken to improve the provision of therapeutic and preventive care to pregnant women, women in labor, women in childbirth, newborns and gynecological patients, since this type of care has certain specifics, differing from general medical practice. One of the possible tools to improve the quality of work of nursing professionals is to study the problems of the work process and timely elimination of difficulties faced by midwives and nurses in the course of their professional activities.

UHI based Healthcare Management System through Digital Transformation

The Unified Health Interface (UHI) represents a pivotal initiative within the Indian healthcare landscape, offering an open and interoperable IT ecosystem tailored for modern and innovative health service delivery. In response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, UHI emerges as a strategic solution aimed at ensuring enhanced accessibility and quality of healthcare services. Through its seamless interface, UHI facilitates various functionalities including online search, lab test bookings, virtual medical consultations via video, voice, or chat, digital transfer of health records, and secure digital payments. This paper explores the transformative potential of UHI in addressing the evolving needs of healthcare delivery in India. By fostering ease of application and improving access to quality healthcare services, UHI stands as a cornerstone in the nation's healthcare infrastructure. The emergence of enterprise- and national-level healthcare systems underscores the growing demand for comprehensive and cost-effective public healthcare solutions. Leveraging classic telecommunications and internet services such as presence, voice, video, and messaging, along with service composition solutions and enterprise networks, UHI lays the groundwork for unified health applications. This research delves into the implications of UHI in driving healthcare accessibility, affordability, and efficiency, while also examining its role in shaping the future trajectory of healthcare delivery in India. By elucidating the integration of UHI within existing healthcare frameworks, this paper provides valuable insights into the transformative potential of digital technologies in revolutionizing public health services.

The Greek economic crisis and its impact on the national health system

Abstract The Greek economic crisis produced severe economic and social outcomes. A massive rescue package was conditional on implementing a Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies agreed upon between the Greek government and the EU, European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. The extremely austere fiscal consolidation and the structural reforms accompanying the Greek Economic Adjustment Programmes reduced the country’s GDP. Implementing the austerity policies on the Greek National Health System, which was already facing structural problems, reduced the quality and availability of public health care services. This paper investigates the impact of the GDP change on public healthcare expenditures (HCE) from 2000 to 2018. The empirical analysis reveals a statistically significant positive correlation between the GDP per capita and public healthcare expenditure (HCE) from 2000 to 2014 while the effect of GDP on HCE after the 2015 remains unchanged. This paper contributes to the field’s literature since it determines the impact of GDP on public HCE, specifically matched with empirical results to derive conclusive answers.

Enrichment of microscopic photographs by utilizing CNN regarding soil-transmitted helminths identification

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infection remains a significant global health challenge, affecting millions of people, particularly in developing countries. A convolutional neural network (CNN) approach to optimize the detection of STH infections in microscopic images. The study aims to assess the effectiveness of the CNN model in identifying and classifying STH worm eggs accurately. The research employs MATLAB as the primary tool for conducting experiments and validation tests. By implementing image preprocessing techniques to enhance image quality and applying precise segmentation methods, the CNN model is trained on a dataset of microscopic images to learn and classify STH infections effectively. The validation test results demonstrate that the CNN model achieved a high accuracy rate of 92.31% in classifying STH infections. This accuracy surpasses traditional methods, which are time-consuming and susceptible to human errors. This study underscores the importance of integrating artificial intelligence, particularly CNN, into the healthcare domain to support detecting and diagnosing diseases requiring specialized expertise, such as STH infections. The findings of this research can serve as a valuable reference for researchers, medical practitioners, and data scientists in leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance the quality of healthcare services, leading to positive impacts on society worldwide.

How Norwegian homecare managers tackled COVID‐19 and displayed resilience‐in‐action: Multiple perspectives of frontline‐staff

AbstractA resilient healthcare system is key to responding to sudden crises, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. Homecare services have been an important platform of healthcare delivery during the pandemic, and healthcare staff on the frontlines of homecare have been confronted with major challenges requiring adaptation to sustain high quality healthcare services. Managers' capacities to adapt to disruptions and challenges are important for an adequate response to challenges on the frontlines. To explore healthcare staff's perspectives on managers at different managerial levels (meso‐level) handling of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Norwegian homecare services. A qualitative multiple case study was designed including four cases. A case was defined as a homecare service within a Norwegian municipality (public organization). Data were collected through 16 interviews with healthcare staff. Interviews were conducted by using a semi‐structured interview guide. Healthcare staff reported their managers as proactive, prepared and responded quickly. Present and supportive managers that provided effective and targeted information, and involved staff in decision‐making were key to handling the pandemic in Norwegian homecare services. Our results underscore the interaction between healthcare staff and managers at different managerial levels as essential for quickly react, adapt, and resiliently respond to disruptions like the COVID‐19 pandemic. Organizations need to have the flexibility to interact across levels and encourage managers to apply strategies for collaboration and staff involvement, especially during a crisis.

Maintaining altruism among nursing professionals

The demanding hospital work environment has increased the need for organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB). It’s essential to maintain the altruistic behaviour of nursing professionals towards each other to enhance the patient experience and provide quality healthcare service to patients efficiently. This quantitative study explored the relationships between OCB constructs based on social identity theory (SIT) and system justification theory (SJT). This study is empirical and cross-sectional in nature; structural equation modeling is performed on two hundred twenty-two nursing professional responses, using IBM AMOS V.22 to test the hypothesized model. Conscientiousness has a mediating effect on the relationship between civic virtue and altruism (Indirect effect=0.19, Boot SE=.057, lower-level confidence interval (LLCI)=.0940, upper-level confidence interval (ULCI)=.3144). Moreover, sportsmanship had a mediating effect on the relationship between civic virtue and altruism with an Indirect effect=-0.06, Boot SE=.023, LLCI=-0.1159, ULCI=-0.0222). The results supported the hypothesis that civic virtue and altruism are directly related and found that conscientiousness and sportsmanship mediate the relationship between civic virtue and altruism. The findings suggest that employees with higher sportsmanship tend to reduce their altruistic behavior in the long run.

Telehealth Consultation for Malaysian Citizens' Willingness to Pay Assessed by the Double-Bounded Dichotomous Choice Method.

Re-envisioning healthcare in technology tools includes robust utilisation of telehealth, improvement in access, quality, care efficiencies and cost-effectiveness of healthcare services. In reality, the technology's potential to transform healthcare may be limited by the ability to pay for it. This study aims to estimate Malaysian citizens' willingness to pay (WTP) for telehealth consultations and determine the factors contributing to it. This is vital to inform decision-making about expansion, preferences and deployment of a pricing strategy for telehealth services. A random sample of 220 adult Malaysians was surveyed using social network services (SNS). Three different WTP bid arrays were identified and each respondent received a randomly drawn bid price. The WTP fee for using the telehealth consultation for 30 min was measured and estimated using a Double-Bounded Dichotomous Choice (DBDC) and the Random Utility Logit Model. The median WTP was estimated to be RM58 (JPY2,198), RM78 (JPY2,956) for 132 respondents' willingness to use telehealth consultation and RM26 (JPY985) for 51 respondents who were unwilling. Further analysis found that WTP is correlated with the perception and willingness of the respondents to use it. Despite most respondents being willing to pay for telehealth consultations, sociodemographic characteristics and affordability influenced the process of making decisions about WTP for telehealth consultation. This finding suggests that the private sector can play a crucial role in the deployment of telehealth. However, there may be a need to consider affordability and how to increase access and use of telehealth services.

Utilization of repeat services in the outpatient department of Dewi Sartika general hospital, Kendari City, 2023

The reutilization of services in outpatient clinics of hospitals plays a crucial role in enhancing the quality and effectiveness of healthcare services. This study aims to analyze the factors associated with service reutilization in hospital outpatient clinics using a cross-sectional design and quantitative approach. Data were collected through questionnaires from 100 respondents at Dewi Sartika General Hospital in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, during October-November 2023, using accidental sampling techniques. The analysis results indicate that factors such as service quality, family encouragement, facilities, location, and patient attitudes are significantly associated with service reutilization in outpatient clinics. Univariate analysis was used to describe sample and variable characteristics, while bivariate analysis involved correlation testing to evaluate the relationships among variables. The conclusion of this study highlights the importance of enhancing communication, education, and family support in influencing patient decisions to reuse the same services at the hospital. The development of family support programs, patient empowerment, family-friendly policies, and periodic program evaluations are crucial steps in improving patient experiences and healthcare outcomes. Recommendations include critical steps such as enhancing communication, education, and family support, as well as developing structured family support programs, empowering patients, implementing family-friendly policies, and conducting regular program evaluations. It is expected that the implementation of these recommendations will improve patient experience, enhance adherence to treatment, and overall improve healthcare outcomes.

Healthcare managerial challenges in rural and underserved areas: A Review

This paper reviews the managerial challenges and strategies for improving healthcare in rural and underserved areas. It explores healthcare managers' unique obstacles, including resource allocation, staffing, infrastructure development, technology integration, policy compliance, and community engagement. Through a comprehensive literature review, the paper identifies effective strategies such as innovative human resource management, financial sustainability models, operational efficiencies, technological advancements, policy reforms, and community-based approaches. The analysis emphasizes the importance of adaptability, local context consideration, and stakeholder involvement in implementing these strategies. The paper concludes with a call to action for continued research, policy reform, and collaborative efforts to address the systemic challenges in rural healthcare management, aiming to enhance access, quality, and equity in healthcare services for rural and underserved populations.