scholarly journals Framing the Shades of Sustainability in Health Care: Pitfalls and Perspectives from Western EU Countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elio Borgonovi ◽  
Paola Adinolfi ◽  
Rocco Palumbo ◽  
Gabriella Piscopo
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Financial Economic ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Health Care Environment ◽  
Health Gains ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
The One ◽  
The Individual

Sustainability is momentous for the appropriate functioning of health care systems. In fact, health and sustainability are two strictly related values, which could not be separately sought. While studies discussing the contextualization of this issue with respect to the distinguishing attributes of health care systems are rapidly blooming, there is still little agreement about what is ultimately meant by sustainability in the health care arena. On the one hand, attention is primarily focused on the proper use of available financial resources; on the other hand, people engagement and empowerment are gradually arising as a crucial step to enhance the viability of the health care system. This paper tries to identify, from a conceptual point of view inspired by the European integrative movement, the different shades of sustainability in health care and proposes a recipe to strengthen the long-term viability of health care organizations. The balanced mix of financial, economic, political, and social sustainability is compelling to increase the ability of health care organizations to create meaningful value for the population served. However, the focus on a single dimension of sustainability is thought to engender several side effects, which compromise the capability of health care organizations to guarantee health gains at the individual and collective levels. From this standpoint, further conceptual and practical developments are envisioned, paving the way for a full-fledged understanding of sustainability in the health care environment.

scholarly journals The state-individual relationship during COVID-19 pandemic – from the human rights point of view

2020 ◽  
pp. 33-48
Author(s):  
Iwona Florek
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
The State ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Relationship

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic in November 2019 in Wuhan (China) countries experience negative impact of the coronavirus actions on their health care systems. Therefore different administrative regulations are imposed to flatten the disease curve, to ensure fluent and undisturbed work of health units. The goal of the article is to get a closer look at practical aspects of legal and administrative regulations that are imposed in different countries to prevent the spread of coronavirus and analyse them in the context of human rights restrictions. It is difficult, if not impossible, the give a simple answer whether or which restraints are needed. Therefore, the author aims at drawing attention on the slight borderline where the restrictions are necessary for the sake of health and where are they exaggeration of public authority’s power over individuals. The novum of the article is a look at the state-individual relationship according to the concept of W. Osiatyński in the situation of the Covid-19 epidemic. The research method used by the author is the analysis of the relationship between the state and the individual in terms of human rights, taking into account the provisions of law. The practical assessment of the implementation of the protection of individual rights was illustrated by the most recent press reports, both Polish and international.

scholarly journals The future of health economics: The potential of behavioral and experimental economics

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fredrik Hansen ◽  
Anders Anell ◽  
Ulf-G Gerdtham ◽  
Carl Hampus Lyttkens
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Economics ◽  
Experimental Economics ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Income Levels ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Changing Demographics ◽  
Demand For Health ◽  
Economics Research

Health care systems around the globe are facing great challenges. The demand for health care is increasing due to the continuous development of new medical technologies, changing demographics, increasing income levels, and greater expectations from patients. The possibilities and willingness to expand health care resources, however, are limited. Consequently, health care organizations are increasingly required to take economic restrictions into account, and there is an urgent need for improved efficiency. It is reasonable to ask whether the health economics field of today is prepared and equipped to help us meet these challenges. Our aim with this article is twofold: to introduce the fields of behavioral and experimental economics and to then identify and characterize health economics areas where these two fields have a promising potential. We also discuss the advantages of a pluralistic view in health economics research, and we anticipate a dynamic future for health economics.Published: Online May 2015. In print December 2015.

Organizing a diabetes service

2011 ◽  
pp. 2005-2011
Author(s):  
Stephen C. L. Gough
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Health Care Need ◽  
Delivery Of Care ◽  
Strategic Approach ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk

The increasing worldwide incidence and prevalence of diabetes is placing substantial pressures on health care systems and economies. As a consequence individuals involved in the care of people with diabetes are looking at services currently being provided and examining ways in which care can be organized in the most cost-effective manner. Whilst the degree to which diabetes care is delivered differs from country to country, similar fundamental questions are being asked by those involved in the delivery of care, including: What are we currently providing? What do we need to provide? What are we able to provide? Although the answers to these questions are quite different not just between countries but often within specific localities within a country, the ultimate aim is the same: to provide the best possible care to as many people with diabetes as possible. The global diversity of diabetes health care need is enormous and while the solutions will be equally diverse, the approach to the development of a diabetes service will, for many organizations, be similar. The main focus of this chapter is based upon the model or the strategic approach developed in the UK, but many of the individual component parts are present in most health care settings.

The Corporatization of Health Care: An Evaluation and An Alternative

1996 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Jacobs ◽  
V. Nilakant
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Work Organization ◽  
Corporate Form ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Medical Task

The corporatization of health care organizations has become a significant international trend. This paper examines that trend, comparing the development of corporate health care in the USA with the impact of the New Zealand health reforms. The paper traces the evolution of the organizations of health care systems and explains the emergence of the corporate form. We argue that the corporate model of work organization is unsuited to the complex and ambiguous nature of the medical task as it ignores inherent interdependencies. An alternative is needed which addresses work practices rather than just participation in decision making and is based on a concept of mutual interdependence and support in the execution of work.

How health care regionalisation in Italy is widening the North–South gap

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Toth
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
The South ◽  
Hospital System ◽  
The North ◽  
Level Of Satisfaction ◽  
Italian National Health Service ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
System 2 ◽  
The Individual

AbstractThe Italian National Health Service began experimenting with a significant regionalisation process during the 1990s. The purpose of this article is to assess the effects that this regionalisation process is having on the rift between the north and the south of the country. Has the gap between the health care systems of the northern and southern regions been increasing or decreasing during the 1999–2009 decade? Three indicators will be utilised to answer this question: (1) the level of satisfaction expressed by the citizens towards the regional hospital system; (2) the mobility of the patients among regions; (3) the health care deficit accumulated by the individual regions. On the basis of these three indicators, there is evidence to conclude that, during the decade under study, the gap between the North and the South, already significant, has increased further.

Personal responsibility for health: the impact of digitalisation

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-258
Author(s):  
Andrea Martani ◽  
Georg Starke
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Personal Responsibility ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Gerald Dworkin ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Fostering the personal responsibility of patients is often considered a potential remedy for the problem of resource allocation in health care systems. In political and ethical debates, systems of rewards and punishments based on personal responsibility have proved very divisive. However, regardless of the controversies it has sparked, the implementation of personal responsibility in concrete policies has always encountered the problem of practical enforceability, i.e.how causally relevant behaviour can be tracked, allowing policies of this kind to be applied in a fine-grained, economically viable and accurate fashion. In this paper, we show how this hurdle can be seemingly overcome with the advent of digitalisation in health and delineate the potential impact of digitalisation on personal responsibility for health. We discuss how digitalisation – by datafying health and making patients transparent – promises to close the loophole of practical enforceability by allowing to trace health-related lifestyle choices of individuals as well as their exposure to avoidable risk factors. Digitalisation in health care thereby reinforces what Gerald Dworkin has called the causal aspect of personal responsibility and strengthens the implicit syllogism that – since exposure to risk factors happens at the individual level – responsibility for health should be ascribed to the individual. We conclude by addressing the limitations of this approach and suggest that there are other ways in which the potential of digitalisation can help with the allocation of resources in health care.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms: Implications for Involuntary Admission

1985 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-13
Author(s):  
Elaine Newman
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Government Intervention ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Involuntary Admission ◽  
Canadian Charter ◽  
Present Practice ◽  
Effective Administration ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Legal Professions ◽  
The Individual

The paper poses a challenge to the medical and legal professions. Our Charter of Rights and Freedoms defines the standard for government intervention in the lives of the citizens of Canada. It has an immediate and significant impact upon involuntary admissions to psychiatric facilities, in as much as those admissions constitute a deprivation of liberty to the individual. The challenge to our professions is one of reviewing present practice in the field, and of reconciling the need for effective administration of health care systems with the protective standards set by the Charter.

scholarly journals Comprehensive Treatment of Women with Postpartum Psychosis across Health Care Systems from Swedish Psychiatrists' Perspectives

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inger Engqvist ◽  
Arne Åhlin ◽  
Ginette Ferszt ◽  
Kerstin Nilsson
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Psychiatric Hospitals ◽  
Postpartum Psychosis ◽  
Comprehensive Treatment ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Peer Supervision ◽  
Care Systems

Studies concerning the psychiatrist's experiences of treating women with postpartum psychosis (PPP) or how they react to these women are limited in the literature. In this study a qualitative design is used. Data collection includes semi-structured interviews with nine Swedish psychiatrists working in psychiatric hospitals. The audio-taped interviews are transcribed verbatim and analyzed using content analysis. The findings consist of the categories: Protection, Treatment, Care, and Reactions. The psychiatrists describe emotions such as compassion, empathy and distress. A conclusion is that the psychiatrists focus on protecting the women from suicide and/or infanticide. Given the degree of stress the psychiatrists can experience caring for high risk challenging patients, health care organizations need to provide support and/or opportunities for peer supervision.

Waiting for Health Care Services

2017 ◽  
pp. 276-301
Author(s):  
Stefan Janzek-Hawlat ◽  
Hilda Tellioğlu
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Waiting Times ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Effective System ◽  
Care Systems

Waiting for health care services have impact on people from several perspectives. First of all, seen from patients' point of view, due to psychologically and physically burden short waiting times are an indication of quality. Second, seen from health care systems' point of view, short waiting times can be a competitive advantage for health care providers. Finally, short-waiting times can contribute to a more effective system applied in health care. In this chapter, the impact of waiting times of patients are analyzed on all three levels based on quantitative and qualitative study carried out by the authors as well as on the foregoing literature review. The situation of patients and their requirements are shown, strategies to reduce waiting times are presented by also considering the role of information and communication technologies, and several relevant questions raised are answered.

Examining the Influence of Information Technology on Modern Health Care

2016 ◽  
pp. 110-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward T. Chen
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Bundled Payments ◽  
Modern Health Care ◽  
Designed Environment ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Care Costs

Health care costs continue to rise at a level that far exceeds the rate of inflation. IT will be necessary in the computation and organization of complex algorithms presented in bundled payments and other initiatives. Currently in health care, a patient's medical history is not easily accessible by physicians and other medical personnel. IT can play the pivotal role in rectifying this problem in tracking the record in a universally designed environment. Advanced databases are needed to integrate facilities within health care systems. This chapter is to explore the current framework of Information Technology in the U.S. health care industry and to examine the topic covering the following areas: (a) IT's influence on the Affordable Care Act, (b) the emergence of the Electronic Health Record (EHR), also known as the Electronic Medical Record (EMR), and (c) the integration of databases across health care organizations through advanced systems like Epic.

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