Vision for menopause care in the UK.

Menopause is a major life event affecting all women in a variety of ways, both short and long term. All women should have access to accurate information, available in all forms and through all recognised sources. All healthcare professionals should have a basic understanding of the menopause and know where to signpost women for advice, support and treatment whenever appropriate. Every primary care team should have at least one nominated healthcare professional with a special interest and knowledge in menopause. All healthcare professionals with a special interest in menopause should have access to British Menopause Society Menopause Specialists for advice, support, onward referral and leadership of multidisciplinary education. With the introduction of the comprehensive British Menopause Society Principles and Practice of Menopause Care programme, the society is recognised throughout the UK as the leading provider of certificated menopause and post reproductive health education and training for healthcare professionals. Restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic have been a springboard for the British Menopause Society to bring innovations to the services provided for our membership and for healthcare professionals throughout the UK.

Outreach marketing may be a successful strategy for NHS libraries.

This dissertation study investigates the ways that NHS libraries are currently marketing their services within their organisation and was submitted as part of the MA Library and Information Management at the University of Sheffield in 2019. This paper presents the findings from twelve semi-structured interviews carried out with NHS library managers in the East of England to identify the most and least successful methods, and in comparison with that which is currently in the general marketing literature. The study found that outreach marketing was the most effective and that librarians are currently conducting marketing to the best of their ability, but they lack time and funding to be able to make the most of their promotional campaigns. F.J.

How does it affect service delivery under the National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana? Health providers and insurance managers perspective on submission and reimbursement of claims.

INTRODUCTION: In 2003, the Government of Ghana launched the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to enable all Ghanaian residents to have access to health services at the point of care without financial difficulty. However, the system has faced a number of challenges relating to delays in submission and reimbursement of claims. This study assessed views of stakeholders on claims submission, processing and re-imbursement under the NHIS and how that affected health service delivery in Ghana. METHODS: The study employed qualitative methods where in-depth interviews were conducted with stakeholders in three administrative regions in Ghana. Purposive sampling method was used to select health facilities and study participants for the interviews. QSR Nvivo 12 software was used to code the data into themes for thematic analysis. RESULTS: The results point to key barriers such as lack of qualified staff to process claims, unclear vetting procedure and the failure of National Health Insurance Scheme officers to draw the attention of health facility staff to resolve discrepancies on time. Participants perceived that lack of clarity, inaccurate data and the use of non-professional staff for NHIS claims vetting prolonged reimbursement of claims. This affected operations of credentialed health facilities including the provision of health services. It is perceived that unavailability of funds led to re-use of disposable medical supplies in health service delivery in credentialed health facilities. Stakeholders suggested that submission of genuine claims by health providers and regular monitoring of health facilities reduces errors on claims reports and delays in reimbursement of claims. CONCLUSION: Long delays in claims reimbursement, perceived vetting discrepancies affect health service delivery. Thus, effective collaboration of all stakeholders is necessary in order to develop a long-term strategy to address the issue under the NHIS to improve health service delivery.

Treatment gaps and challenges in epilepsy care in the Philippines.

OBJECTIVE: Epilepsy is a neurologic disease that carries a high disease burden and likely, a huge treatment gap especially in low-to-middle income countries (LMIC) such as the Philippines. This review aimed to examine the treatment gaps and challenges that burden Philippine epilepsy care. MATERIALS & METHODS: Pertinent data on epidemiology, research, health financing and health systems, pharmacologic and surgical treatment options, cost of care, and workforce were obtained through a literature search and review of relevant Philippine government websites. RESULTS: The estimated prevalence of epilepsy in the Philippines is 0.9%. Epilepsy research in the Philippines is low in quantity compared with the rest of Southeast Asia (SEA). Inequities in quality and quantity of healthcare services delivered to local government units (LGUs) have arisen because of devolution. Programs for epilepsy care by both government and nongovernment institutions have been implemented. Healthcare expenditure in the Philippines is still largely out-of-pocket, with only partial coverage from the public sector. There is limited access to antiseizure medications (ASMs), mainly due to cost. Epilepsy surgery is an underutilized treatment option. There are only 20 epileptologists in the Philippines, with one epileptologist for every 45,000 patients with epilepsy. In addition, epilepsy care service delivery has been further impeded by the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. CONCLUSION: There is a large treatment gap in epilepsy care in the Philippines in terms of high epilepsy disease burden, socioeconomic limitations and inadequate public support, sparse clinico-epidemiologic research on epilepsy, inaccessibility of health care services and essential pharmacotherapy, underutilization of surgical options, and lack of specialists capable of rendering epilepsy care. Acknowledgment of the existence of these treatment gaps and addressing such are expected to improve the overall survival and quality of life of patients with epilepsy in the Philippines.

1º Relatório de monitoramento e avaliação da estratégia de saúde digital para o Brasil: 2020-2028 [recurso eletrônico] / 1º Brazilian national digital health strategy: 2020-2028 [eletronic resource]

Este documento, apreciado e aprovado na 38ª Reunião Ordinária do CGESD, em 6 de novembro de 2020, apresenta o primeiro relatório de monitoramento e avaliação da Estratégia de Saúde Digital para o Brasil 2020-2028 (ESD28) (BRASIL, 2020a). O relatório tem o objetivo de identificar e propor os recursos organizacionais e operacionais para que este instrumento-chave de Monitoramento e Avaliação de Saúde Digital tenha periodicidade semestral e cumpra os propósitos definidos na ESD28

This document, appraised and approved in the 38th Ordinary Meeting of CGESD, on November 6th, 2020, introduces the first Brazilian National Digital Health Strategy 2020-2028 monitoring and evaluation report (ESD28) (BRASIL, 2020a). The report aims to and propose the organizational and operational resources so this key Digital Health monitoring and evaluation instrument has biannual periodicity and meets the purposes defined in the ESD28

National trends in incidence, mortality, hospitalizations, and expenditures for pemphigus in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Data on trends in epidemiological characteristics and economic burden of pemphigus are scarce. OBJECTIVE: To describe national trends in pemphigus' incidence, mortality, hospitalizations, and expenditures between 2003 and 2015 in Taiwan. METHODS: This nationwide study used the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database to identify pemphigus patients from 2003 to 2015. Annual incidence, prevalence, healthcare utilization, and expenditure trends were calculated and analyzed. RESULTS: Pemphigus' incidence increased significantly from 3.19 to 4.70 per million person-years in 2003-2010 but fluctuated in 2011-2015. Pemphigus patients had higher mortality and care costs. Medical utilization and expenditure declined for pemphigus inpatients and outpatients. Systemic corticosteroid use decreased, but mortality remained stable. CONCLUSION: The health expense reduction for pemphigus was mainly attributed to decreased utilization, length of stay, and inpatient costs. The persistently elevated mortality rate highlights an unmet need in pemphigus therapy.

Direct and indirect costs of cluster headache: a prospective analysis in a tertiary level headache centre.

BACKGROUND: Cluster headache (CH) is the most frequent trigemino-autonomic cephalgia. CH can manifest as episodic (ECH) or chronic cluster headache (CCH) causing significant burden of disease and requiring attack therapy and prophylactic treatment. The few data available on the economic burden of CH come from retrospective studies based on questionnaires, population surveys and medical insurance claims database. Although all these studies showed an important economic burden, they provided different estimates depending on variability of CH awareness and management, healthcare systems, available therapies and use of treatments according to different guidelines. METHODS: This prospective study aimed to quantify the total direct and indirect cost of ECH and CCH over a cluster period, both for the patient and for the National Health System (NHS), using data from subjects who consecutively attended an Italian tertiary headache centre between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018. RESULTS: A total 108 patients (89 ECH, 19 CCH) were included. Mean attack frequency was 2.3 ± 1.4 per day. Mean total cost of a CH bout was €4398 per patient and total cost of CCH was 5.4 times higher than ECH (€13,350 vs. €2487, p <  0.001). Direct costs represented the 72.1% of total cost and were covered for the 94.8% by the NHS. The costs for any item of expense were higher for CCH than for ECH (p <  0.001). Mean indirect costs for a CH bout were €1226 per patient and were higher for CCH compared to ECH (€3.538 vs. €732), but the difference was not significant. Days with reduced productive capacity impacted for the 64.6% of the total indirect costs. The analysis of the impact CH on work showed that 27%% of patients felt that CH had limited their career, 40% had changed their work pattern, 20% had changed their place of employment and 10% had lost a job due to the disease. CONCLUSION: Our results provide a valuable estimate of the direct and indirect costs of ECH and CCH in the specific setting of a tertiary headache centre and confirm the high economic impact of CH on both the NHS and patients.

Awareness of, attitude toward, and willingness to participate in pay for performance programs among family physicians: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The National Health Insurance Administration of Taiwan has introduced several pay-for-performance programs to improve the quality of healthcare. This study aimed to provide government with evidence-based research findings to help primary care physicians to actively engage in pay-for-performance programs. METHODS: We conducted a questionnaire survey among family physicians with age-stratified sampling from September 2016 to December 2017. The structured questionnaire consisted of items including the basic demographics of the surveyee and their awareness of and attitudes toward the strengths and/or weaknesses of the pay-for-performance programs, as well as their subjective norms, and the willingness to participate in the pay-for-performance programs. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to compare the differences between family physicians who participate in the pay-for-performance programs versus those who did not. RESULTS: A total of 543 family physicians completed the questionnaire. Among family physicians who participated in the pay-for-performance programs, more had joined the Family Practice Integrated Care Project [Odds ratio (OR): 2.70; 95% Confidence interval (CI): 1.78 ~ 4.09], had a greater awareness of pay-for-performance programs (OR: 2.37; 95% CI: 1.50 ~ 3.83), and a less negative attitude to pay-for-performance programs (OR: 0.50; 95% CI: 0.31 ~ 0.80) after adjusting for age and gender. The major reasons for family physicians who decided to join the pay-for-performance programs included believing the programs help enhance the quality of healthcare (80.8%) and recognizing the benefit of saving health expenditure (63.4%). The causes of unwillingness to join in a pay-for-performance program among non-participants were increased load of administrative works (79.6%) and inadequate understanding of the contents of the pay-for-performance programs (62.9%). CONCLUSIONS: To better motivate family physicians into P4P participation, hosting effective training programs, developing a more transparent formula for assessing financial risk, providing sufficient budget for healthcare quality improvement, and designing a reasonable profit-sharing plan to promote collaboration between different levels of medical institutions are all imperative.

National Primary Health Care Policy: where are we headed to? / Política Nacional de Atenção Básica: para onde vamos?

This paper analyzes recent policies in the field of Primary Health Care (PHC) and their possible implications for the care model in the Unified Health System (SUS). Initially, some of the concepts that influenced the models of care in the Brazilian public system are revived, and we argue that the Family Health Strategy (ESF) bases for reorienting care practices in primary care are consistent with the principles of the SUS. Below, we analyze the central elements of new federal policies for PHC. We show that changes in the PHC care model threaten the teams' multidisciplinarity, prioritize acute illness care, focus in individual care, weaken the community territorial approach and establish coverage by registration, which evidence redirection of the health policy, harming the principles of universality, integrality, and equity in the SUS.

O artigo analisa políticas recentes no campo da Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS) e suas possíveis implicações para o modelo assistencial no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). Inicialmente resgatam-se algumas das concepções que influenciaram os modelos de atenção no sistema público brasileiro e argumenta-se que a Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF) apresenta as bases para reorientação das práticas assistenciais na atenção básica coerentes com os princípios do SUS. A seguir, analisam-se elementos centrais de políticas federais recentes para a APS. Demonstra-se que as mudanças no modelo assistencial da APS com ameaças à multiprofissionalidade das equipes, prioridade ao pronto atendimento, centralidade no cuidado individual, enfraquecimento do enfoque territorial comunitário e cobertura por cadastramento, evidenciam redirecionamento da política de saúde, ferindo os princípios da universalidade, integralidade e equidade no SUS.

Política Nacional de Atenção Básica: para onde vamos? / National Primary Health Care Policy: where are we headed to?

Resumo O artigo analisa políticas recentes no campo da Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS) e suas possíveis implicações para o modelo assistencial no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). Inicialmente resgatam-se algumas das concepções que influenciaram os modelos de atenção no sistema público brasileiro e argumenta-se que a Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF) apresenta as bases para reorientação das práticas assistenciais na atenção básica coerentes com os princípios do SUS. A seguir, analisam-se elementos centrais de políticas federais recentes para a APS. Demonstra-se que as mudanças no modelo assistencial da APS com ameaças à multiprofissionalidade das equipes, prioridade ao pronto atendimento, centralidade no cuidado individual, enfraquecimento do enfoque territorial comunitário e cobertura por cadastramento, evidenciam redirecionamento da política de saúde, ferindo os princípios da universalidade, integralidade e equidade no SUS.

Abstract This paper analyzes recent policies in the field of Primary Health Care (PHC) and their possible implications for the care model in the Unified Health System (SUS). Initially, some of the concepts that influenced the models of care in the Brazilian public system are revived, and we argue that the Family Health Strategy (ESF) bases for reorienting care practices in primary care are consistent with the principles of the SUS. Below, we analyze the central elements of new federal policies for PHC. We show that changes in the PHC care model threaten the teams' multidisciplinarity, prioritize acute illness care, focus in individual care, weaken the community territorial approach and establish coverage by registration, which evidence redirection of the health policy, harming the principles of universality, integrality, and equity in the SUS.

Democracy and Health: reflections and challenges before the 16th Brazilian National Health Conference.

This text aimed to analyze characteristics and challenges of the 16th Brazilian National Health Conference based on the conference three thematic axes: Health as a right; Consolidation of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) principles; Adequate and enough funding for SUS. Given the initiatives to dismantle the social security model and the setbacks of social protection policies, to delimitate health in an expanded sense is essential to defend the SUS project. We analyzed the proposal of Universal Health Coverage as an alternative to universal systems. We then presented the restrictions of universal coverage and how the restrictions can threaten the SUS principles. We also discussed insufficient SUS funding and possible worsening in the face of fiscal austerity policies. To strengthen social participation and to monitor the proposals approved at the conference are necessary.

Cord Blood Banking and Transplantation in a National Program: Thirteen Years of Experience.

BACKGROUND: The umbilical cord blood bank at the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS-CBB) was established in January 2005. This lead to the development of the UCB transplantation program. Herein, we describe the experience generated during these 13 years. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Donor selection, as well as UCB collection, processing, and banking were performed under good manufacturing practices and standard operating procedures. UCB units were thawed, processed, and released for transplantation based on HLA and nucleated cell content. RESULTS: From January 2005-December 2017, 1,298 UCB units were banked; 164 of them were released for transplantation, and 118 UCB transplants were performed. Ninety-four transplants were performed in pediatric patients and 24 in adults. Sixty percent of them corresponded to patients with leukemia, 19% were patients with marrow failure, and the rest had immunodeficiency, hemoglobinopathy, metabolic disorders, or solid tumors. Engraftment was observed in 67 patients (57% of transplanted patients) and 64% of them were still alive when writing this article. In contrast, only 13 of the 51 (25%) non-engrafting patients were alive. At the time of writing this article, the disease-free survival rate was 37%, and the overall survival rate was 47%, with survival periods of 161-3,721 days. CONCLUSION: The IMSS UCB banking and transplantation program has had a significant impact for many IMSS patients. The hematopoietic transplantation program at our institution has benefited from the use of UCB as a source of transplantable cells.

National TB program shortages as potential factor for poor-quality TB care cascade: Healthcare workers' perspective from Beira, Mozambique.

BACKGROUND: Mozambique is one of the countries with the deadly implementation gaps in the tuberculosis (TB) care and services delivery. In-hospital delays in TB diagnosis and treatment, transmission and mortality still persist, in part, due to poor-quality of TB care cascade. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess, from the healthcare workers' (HCW) perspective, factors associated with poor-quality TB care cascade and explore local sustainable suggestions to improve in-hospital TB management. METHODS: In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with different categories of HCW. Audio-recording and written notes were taken, and content analysis was performed through atlas.ti7. RESULTS: Bottlenecks within hospital TB care cascade, lack of TB staff and task shifting, centralized and limited time of TB laboratory services, and fear of healthcare workers getting infected by TB were mentioned to be the main factors associated with implementation gaps. Interviewees believe that task shifting from nurses to hospital auxiliary workers, and from higher and well-trained to lower HCW are accepted and feasible. The expansion and use of molecular TB diagnostic tools are seen by the interviewees as a proper way to fight effectively against both sensitive and MDR TB. Ensuring provision of N95 respiratory masks is believed to be an essential requirement for effective engagement of the HCW on high-quality in-hospital TB care. For monitoring and evaluation, TB quality improvement teams in each health facility are considered to be an added value. CONCLUSION: Shortage of resources within the national TB control programme is one of the potential factors for poor-quality of the TB care cascade. Task shifting of TB care and services delivery, decentralization of the molecular TB diagnostic tools, and regular provision of N95 respiratory masks should contribute not just to reduce the impact of resource scarceness, but also to ensure proper TB diagnosis and treatment to both sensitive and MDR TB.

Does Diabetes Increase the Risk of Contracting COVID-19? A Population-Based Study in Korea.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the infection risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with diabetes (according to treatment method). METHODS: Claimed subjects to the Korean National Health Insurance claims database diagnosed with COVID-19 were included. Ten thousand sixty-nine patients with COVID-19 between January 28 and April 5, 2020, were included. Stratified random sampling of 1:5 was used to select the control group of COVID-19 patients. In total 50,587 subjects were selected as the control group. After deleting the missing values, 60,656 subjects were included. RESULTS: Adjusted odds ratio (OR) indicated that diabetic insulin users had a higher risk of COVID-19 than subjects without diabetes (OR, 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03 to 1.53; P=0.0278). In the subgroup analysis, infection risk was higher among diabetes male insulin users (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.89), those between 40 and 59 years (OR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.13 to 2.44). The infection risk was higher in diabetic insulin users with 2 to 4 years of morbidity (OR, 1.744; 95% CI, 1.003 to 3.044). CONCLUSION: Some diabetic patients with certain conditions would be associated with a higher risk of acquiring COVID-19, highlighting their need for special attention. Efforts are warranted to ensure that diabetic patients have minimal exposure to the virus. It is important to establish proactive care and screening tests for diabetic patients suspected with COVID-19 for timely disease diagnosis and management.

Costs of viral hepatitis B in the Republic of Korea, 2002-2015.

The Republic of Korea has a high prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, and the policies concerning costly antiviral medication have been revised recently. However, in the past 10 years, no related research on costs has been conducted. The objective of this study was to estimate the economic burden of viral hepatitis B and determine the trend of changes in its costs between 2002 and 2015. Claims data from the National Health Insurance Service were used. To identify viral hepatitis B cases, the ICD-10th code B16, B17.0, B18.0 and B18.1 were used based on a primary diagnosis. This study was conducted from a societal perspective regarding both direct and indirect costs. Annual costs were adjusted for inflation by calculations based on the 2015 costs. The number of patients with viral hepatitis B increased from 213 758 in 2002 to 342 672 in 2015. The total socio-economic costs increased from 127.1 million USD in 2002 to 459.1 million USD in 2015, mainly due to the increase in pharmaceutical costs, which accounted for the largest proportion of total costs since 2009-220.5 million USD in 2015, which was ~15 times higher than that in 2002. The healthcare costs for viral hepatitis B accounted for 0.13% of the national health expenditure in 2002, increasing to 0.31% in 2015. The economic burden of viral hepatitis B has increased in the Republic of Korea. It is therefore essential to reduce the healthcare costs of HBV infection by establishing an effective management policy.

The Development of Health Technology Assessment in Asia: Current Status and Future Trends.

Health technology assessment (HTA) has long been employed by many countries around the world, but its adoption in Asia has been slower. Only recently have a growing number of Asian countries started to implement HTA for pricing and reimbursement decisions. The objective of this article is to provide an overview of how HTA has been or is being implemented in Asia within the context of a country's existing-and often complex-coverage, reimbursement, and pricing schemes. Three countries at different stages of HTA implementation were selected as case studies: South Korea, where there is a young yet established HTA program; Japan, where a 3-year HTA pilot program has just concluded; and China, where HTA efforts are underway but have not been formally implemented. Not only do the experiences of these 3 countries well exemplify how the organization and scope of HTA can be customized to meet a country's unique healthcare needs, but they also provide the opportunity to outline some common key challenges that must be overcome to implement and develop HTA competencies and capabilities.

Democracy and Health: reflections and challenges before the 16th Brazilian National Health Conference / Democracia e Saúde: reflexões e desafios frente à 16ª Conferência Nacional de Saúde

ABSTRACT This text aimed to analyze characteristics and challenges of the 16th Brazilian National Health Conference based on the conference three thematic axes: Health as a right; Consolidation of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) principles; Adequate and enough funding for SUS. Given the initiatives to dismantle the social security model and the setbacks of social protection policies, to delimitate health in an expanded sense is essential to defend the SUS project. We analyzed the proposal of Universal Health Coverage as an alternative to universal systems. We then presented the restrictions of universal coverage and how the restrictions can threaten the SUS principles. We also discussed insufficient SUS funding and possible worsening in the face of fiscal austerity policies. To strengthen social participation and to monitor the proposals approved at the conference are necessary.

RESUMO Este texto teve por objetivo analisar as características e os desafios da 16ª Conferência Nacional de Saúde a partir dos três eixos temáticos da conferência: Saúde como direito; Consolidação dos princípios do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS); Financiamento adequado e suficiente para o SUS. Diante das iniciativas de desmonte do modelo de seguridade social e dos retrocessos das políticas de proteção social, a delimitação da saúde em sentido ampliado é fundamental para a defesa do projeto do SUS. Analisamos a proposta da Cobertura Universal de Saúde como alternativa aos sistemas universais. Apresentamos as restrições da cobertura universal e as ameaças que podem significar aos princípios do SUS. Discutimos a insuficiência do financiamento do SUS e os possíveis agravamentos diante das políticas de austeridade fiscal. É necessário o fortalecimento da participação social e o monitoramento das propostas aprovadas na conferência.

The Research on the Outpatient Cost Adjustment Framework of the Urban Workers in a Southern China City During 2013 to 2015.

Based on a large amount of data, the study aimed to analyze all expenses of outpatients in a southern China city from 2013 to 2015. It draws a conclusion that the total cost of outpatient has increased in the past 3 years, and various cost indexes either increased or decreased in different ways. Drug costs and treatment fees are the main influencing factors for the change in total outpatient cost. The structural change from 2013 to 2015 was 70.15%. Drug costs, laboratory fees, and inspection fees are the main indexes that account for the increasing total outpatient costs. This study puts emphasis on the cost of human resources, which eliminates the phenomenon of "Yi Yao Yang Yi" (support medical cost with medicine) and "Yi Xie Yang Yi" (support medical cost with medical device). This study also focuses on the balance of outpatient cost, as well as the compensation function of medical insurance, which encourages multiple participation and coordinated adjustment.