scholarly journals Proposing an Ecosystem of Digital Health Solutions for Teens With Chronic Conditions Transitioning to Self-Management and Independence: Exploratory Qualitative Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emre Sezgin ◽  
Monica Weiler ◽  
Anthony Weiler ◽  
Simon Lin
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Chronically Ill ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Component Solution ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
Transition To Independence

BACKGROUND Chronic disease management is critical to quality of life for both teen patients with chronic conditions and their caregivers. However, current literature is largely limited to a specific digital health tool, method, or approach to manage a specific disease. Guiding principles on how to use digital tools to support the transition to independence are rare. Considering the physiological, psychological, and environmental changes that teens experience, the issues surrounding the transition to independence are worth investigating to develop a deeper understanding to inform future strategies for digital interventions. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to inform the design of digital health solutions by systematically identifying common challenges among teens and caregivers living with chronic diseases. METHODS Chronically ill teens (n=13) and their caregivers (n=13) were interviewed individually and together as a team. Verbal and projective techniques were used to examine teens’ and caregivers’ concerns in-depth. The recorded and transcribed responses were thematically analyzed to identify and organize the identified patterns. RESULTS Teens and their caregivers identified 10 challenges and suggested technological solutions. Recognized needs for social support, access to medical education, symptom monitoring, access to health care providers, and medical supply management were the predominant issues. The envisioned ideal transition included a 5-component solution ecosystem in the transition to independence for teens. CONCLUSIONS This novel study systematically summarizes the challenges, barriers, and technological solutions for teens with chronic conditions and their caregivers as teens transition to independence. A new solution ecosystem based on the 10 identified challenges would guide the design of future implementations to test and validate the effectiveness of the proposed 5-component ecosystem.

Using Technology to Improve Access to Health Care for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations

2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 71-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pauline A. Mashima
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Department Of Health ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
Improve Access

Important initiatives in health care include (a) improving access to services for disadvantaged populations, (b) providing equal access for individuals with limited or non-English proficiency, and (c) ensuring cultural competence of health-care providers to facilitate effective services for individuals from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health, 2001). This article provides a brief overview of the use of technology by speech-language pathologists and audiologists to extend their services to underserved populations who live in remote geographic areas, or when cultural and linguistic differences impact service delivery.

scholarly journals A Study Protocol for Increasing Access to Smoking Cessation Treatments for Low-Income Minority Smokers

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia K. Matthews ◽  
Karriem S. Watson ◽  
Cherdsak Duang ◽  
Alana Steffen ◽  
Robert Winn
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Social Determinant ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Patient Portal ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Access To Health

Background: Smoking rates among low-income patients are double those of the general population. Access to health care is an essential social determinant of health. Federally qualified health care centers (FQHC) are government-supported and community-based centers to increase access to health care for non-insured and underinsured patients. However, barriers to implementation impact adherence and sustainability of evidence-based smoking cessation within FQHC settings. To address this implementation barrier, our multi-disciplinary team proposes Mi QUIT CARE (Mile Square QUITCommunity-Access-Referral-Expansion) to establish the acceptability, feasibility, and capacity of an FQHC system to deliver an evidence-based and multi-level intervention to increase patient engagement with a state tobacco quitline.Methods: A mixed-method approach, rooted in an implementation science framework of RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance), will be used in this hybrid effectiveness-implementation design. We aim to evaluate the efficacy of a novel delivery system (patient portal) for increasing access to smoking cessation treatment. In preparation for a future randomized clinical trial of Mi QUIT CARE, we will conduct the following developmental research: (1) Examine the burden of tobacco among patient populations served by our partner FQHC, (2) Evaluate among FQHC patients and health care providers, knowledge, attitudes, barriers, and facilitators related to smoking cessation and our intervention components, (3) Evaluate the use of tailored communication strategies and patient navigation to increase patient portal uptake among patients, and (4) To test the acceptability, feasibility, and capacity of the partner FQHC to deliver Mi QUIT CARE.Discussion: This study provides a model for developing and implementing smoking and other health promotion interventions for low-income patients delivered via patient health portals. If successful, the intervention has important implications for addressing a critical social determinant of cancer and other tobacco-related morbidities.Trial Registration: U.S. National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials, NCT04827420, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04827420.

Insurance Type and Access to Health Care Providers and Appointments Under the Affordable Care Act

Medical Care ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Héctor E. Alcalá ◽  
Dylan H. Roby ◽  
David T. Grande ◽  
Ryan M. McKenna ◽  
Alexander N. Ortega
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Affordable Care Act ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Insurance Type ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
The Affordable Care Act

scholarly journals “I was trying to speak to their human side” coping responses of Belgium’s undocumented migrants to barriers in health-care access

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-267
Author(s):  
Dirk Lafaut ◽  
Gily Coene
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Care Access ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Undocumented Migrants ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Coping Responses ◽  
Care Access ◽  
Access To Health

Purpose Undocumented migrants experience major legal constraints in their health-care access. Little is known on how undocumented migrants cope with these limitations in health-care access as individuals. The purpose of this study is to explore the coping responses of undocumented migrants when they experience limited health-care access in face-to-face encounters with health-care providers. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted multi-site ethnographic observations and 25 semi-structured in-depth interviews with undocumented migrants in Belgium. They combined the “candidacy model” of health-care access with models from coping literature on racism as a framework. The candidacy model allowed them to understand access to health care as a dynamic and interactive negotiation process between health-care workers and undocumented migrants. Findings Responses to impaired health-care access can be divided into four main strategies: (1) individuals can react with a self-protective response withdrawing from seeking further care; (2) they can get around the obstacle; (3) they can influence the health-care worker involved by deploying discursive or performative skills; or (4) they can seek to confront the source of the obstacle. Research limitations/implications These findings point to the importance of care relations and social networks, as well as discursive and performative skills of undocumented migrants when negotiating barriers in access to health care. Originality/value This study refines the candidacy model by highlighting how individuals respond on a micro-level to shifts towards exclusionary health policies and, by doing so dynamically, change provision of health-care services.

Evaluation of a Distance Consulting Service Based on Interactive Video and Integrated Computerized Technology

1995 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
P A Jennett ◽  
W G Hall ◽  
J E Morin ◽  
M Watanabe
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Rural Site ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Telemedicine System ◽  
Medical Specialties ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
The Impact

Telemedicine equipment was installed at a rural site in Drumheller and at Calgary, 85 miles (136 km) away. It allowed consultation between health-care providers at Drumheller and specialists and subspecialists at the Faculty of Medicine in Calgary. The efficacy of the system in providing more equitable access to health care for persons living in geographically remote sites was evaluated during a 12-month pilot project. Seventy-five encounters were attempted during the study. A total of 55 encounters (42 clinical and 13 non-clinical) were completed. The completed clinical encounters were distributed across a wide spectrum of medical specialties. Users of the system reported favourably on the impact of the telemedicine system on access to health services for rural patients, on diagnostic, investigative and management decisions, on patient and physician travel times, on feelings of professional isolation and educational opportunities and on overall patient health status. The study provides new knowledge and demonstrates the success of the technology in this project. As expected, other problems were raised and addressed in a preliminary manner including: the potential for health-provider education; acquisition and retention of rural physicians; ethical, legal and patient confidentiality issues; minimum acceptable technology; and network management issues.

scholarly journals Health Disparities: Challenges, Opportunities, and What You Can Do About It

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hani K. Atrash
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
The United States ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
Race Ethnicity

Racial disparities in health outcomes, access to health care, insurance coverage, and quality of care in the United States have existed for many years. The Development and implementation of effective strategies to reduce or eliminate health disparities are hindered by our inability to accurately assess the extent and types of health disparities due to the limited availability of race/ethnicity-specific information, the limited reliability of existing data and information, and the increasing diversity of the American population. Variations in racial and ethnic classification used to collect data hinders the ability to obtain reliable and accurate health-indicator rates and in some instances cause bias in estimating the race/ethnicity-specific health measures. In 1978, The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued "Directive 15" titled "Race and Ethnic Standards for Federal Statistics and Administrative Reporting" and provided a set of clear guidelines for classifying people by race and ethnicity. Access to health care, behavioral and psychosocial factors as well as cultural differences contribute to the racial and ethnic variations that exist in a person’s health. To help eliminate health disparities, we must ensure equal access to health care services as well as quality of care. Health care providers must become culturally competent and understand the differences that exist among the people they serve in order to eliminate disparities. Enhancement of data collection systems is essential for developing and implementing interventions targeted to deal with population-specific problems. Developing comprehensive and multi-level programs to eliminate healthcare disparities requires coordination and collaboration between the public (Local, state and federal health departments), private (Health Insurance companies, private health care providers), and professional (Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, laboratories, etc) sectors.  

scholarly journals Social networks and their impact on access to health care: insights from older widows living alone in Kottayam, South India

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Mathew Sunil George ◽  
Rakhal Gaitonde ◽  
Rachel Davey ◽  
Vyas Sukumaran ◽  
Itismita Mohanty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Indian States ◽  
South Indian ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
Service Staff

Abstract The feminisation of ageing observed across the world is a significant challenge in many societies. Women's greater longevity is associated with the increased likelihood of age-related disability and morbidity. Furthermore, gendered disadvantage and poverty can make access to health care increasingly problematic in later years. Among the Indian states, Kerala has the highest number of residents above the age of 60 and many are older widows. Given this context, this paper explores what promotes access to health care for older widows living alone in the south Indian state of Kerala. Thirty-two in-depth interviews, eight focus group discussions and eight units of participant observation were carried out among widows, health-care providers and key informants. Applying a reflexive inductive approach to our analysis, the main barriers to access that emerged were altered family structures and loneliness, whilst enablers included good social networks and access to neighbourhood clinics. Our participants’ social networks were drawn from three levels: family, neighbourhood and the wider community. The ability to form a personal community from their social networks and the quality of relationships within this community strongly predicted the capacity to access health care. Efforts to improve access to health care for older widows requires a response that is rooted in the socio-cultural context of the community. Comprehensive social protection policies that promote initiatives to engender social capital among the older population, decentralised primary health-care services, and the training and sensitisation of health service staff would be key to promote equitable access for older widows.

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