Characterization of teaching-learning tutors in public health services and topics of interest for their work.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the profile of teaching-learning tutors in public health services and investigate which topics are of greatest interest in development spaces for these actors. METHOD: Cross-sectional study. Eligible tutors of Health Care Planning. Data collection using an electronic questionnaire composed of closed questions on sociodemographic characteristics, training and performance. Chi-square test used to compare proportions according to tutor typologies. RESULTS: A total of 614 tutors worked in Brazil's five geographic regions, the majority in primary care (82%), followed by state/regional work (13%) and specialized outpatient care (5%). The majority reported being female, of brown skin color, from the nursing field, having worked as a tutor for less than a year, and with no previous experience in preceptorship or similar. The most important topics were Health Care Networks, risk stratification for chronic conditions and the functions of specialized outpatient care. CONCLUSION: The predominance of certain characteristics among tutors was identified, with differences between the types of work. The findings can support managers in the process of selecting and developing tutors in Health Care Planning.

Long-term catheter management in the community: a population-based analysis of user characteristics, service utilisation and costs in England.

BACKGROUND: Long-term urinary catheters are problematic and burdensome for patients, carers and health services. Nursing practice to improve the management of long-term urinary catheters has been held back by a lack of evidence to support policy and practice. Little is known about who uses a catheter long term and the resources and costs needed for their management. Understanding these costs will help to target innovations to improve care. There have been no substantial innovations to urinary catheters or their management recently and no publications to characterise users and costs. AIM: To describe long-term catheter users and explore catheter-related service use and costs in England. METHODS: Descriptive information on the characteristics of catheter users and their use of services was obtained from: General Practice records (n = 607), district nursing records (n = 303), questionnaires to patients (n = 333) and triangulated, 2009-2012. Annual service costs (British pounds 2011) were computed. FINDINGS: Most catheter users (59.6%) were men, nearly three-quarters (71.2%) were over 70 years and 60.8% used a urethral catheter. Women tended to be younger than men and more likely to use a suprapubic catheter. The services used most frequently over 12 months were general practitioner (by 63.1%) and out of hours services (43.0%); 15.5% accessed Accident and Emergency services for urgent catheter-related care. Hospital use accounted for nearly half (48.9%) of total health service costs (mainly due to inpatient stays by 13.6% of participants); catheter supplies/medications were next most costly (25.7%). Half of all costs were accounted for by 14.2% of users. The median annual cost of services used was £6.38, IQR: £344-£1324; district nursing services added approximately a further £200 per annum. CONCLUSIONS: Finding better ways to reduce catheter problems (e.g. blockage, infection) that cause unplanned visits, urgent or hospital care should be a priority to improve quality of life for long-term catheter users and reduce health service expenditure.

Community-embedded follow-up management intervention for geriatric primary care: a mixed-methods study of an integrated health services model.

BACKGROUND: To propose a community-embedded follow-up management model to provide health services for elderly patients with osteoporosis who live alone. METHODS: Researchers randomly selected 396 people with osteoporosis living alone from five communities in Nantong, China, for the study. These participants were randomly assigned to control and intervention groups. Twenty-four community physicians in five communities provided professional support based on a community-embedded follow-up management model. Participants completed quantitative questionnaires at baseline and after the 6-month follow-up intervention, and some participants underwent semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The primary outcome is the effectiveness of the community-embedded follow-up management model in improving the quality of life of elderly patients with osteoporosis living alone. Based on an objective quantitative assessment, the qualitative study explains and adds essential components of this community-based follow-up management model. RESULTS: The quantitative study showed that scores in physical functioning, ability to perform daily activities, self-efficacy, and mental status were significantly improved in the intervention group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The most significant improvements were found in "mental status" (p = 0.012) and "self-care skills" (p = 0.003). The qualitative study reported the essential elements of a community healthcare model for older people living alone with osteoporosis, including professional support, personalized services, social support, and empowerment. CONCLUSIONS: Community-embedded follow-up management meets the need for elderly patients with osteoporosis living alone. It helps to improve health perception, promote physical and mental health, and optimize the quality of life in this population. Personalized services and professional support are two major contributing factors to effective embedded follow-up management in the community.

Hematologic health services and practical characteristics: report of a nationwide survey among Chinese hematologists.

BACKGROUND: In the past 40 years, China has experienced tremendous economic development, but the current situation of hematologists has rarely been reported. A landscape survey of human resources is essential for healthcare development and policy formulation in the future. METHODS: The Chinese Society of Hematology initiated a survey of Chinese hematologists in mainland China for evaluating demographic and practice characteristics. Respondents were anonymous, and there were no limitations regarding their age, sex, etc. RESULTS: Totally 2032 hematologists responded, with a median age bracket of 36-45 years. Respondents were well engaged into subspecialties, and 28.1% acquired doctorates of philosophy. Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) centers have been established all over China. Higher-GDP regions reported more advantages, including bigger scale of transplant centers (P < 0.001), younger age structure (P = 0.039), better education qualifications (P = 0.001) and less turnover intentions (P = 0.004), despite of increased risk of medical disputes (P = 0.028). Although females accounted for 65.5% of hematologists, males were older (P < 0.001), and had more senior professional titles (P < 0.001), academic positions (P < 0.001), opportunities for continuing education (P < 0.001), and paper publishing in the recent two years (P = 0.001). For turnover intention, the higher GDP regions led to an independently reduced risk (HR = 0.673, 95%CI [0.482-0.940], P = 0.020), whereas medical disputes resulted in an increased the risk (HR = 2.037, 95%CI [1.513-2.743], P < 0.001). Considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, majority of respondents believed that the decline in patient visits and delay in treatment was within 30%. 67.9% of respondents reported a decrease of the use of bone marrow as grafts but 18.8% reported an increase of cord blood units. 35.0% of the respondents switched their daily work to support the anti-epidemic medical activities. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded the discipline of hematology in China has flourished in recent years with a young workforce, while regional economic and gender disparities warrant further continuous optimization. Joint efforts against the impact of COVID-19 are needed in the post-pandemic era.

Unveiling spatial disparities in basic medical and health services: insights from China's provincial analysis.

Based on the panel data of 31 provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions) in China from 2012 to 2019, this paper constructs the evaluation index system of basic medical and health services in China from seven dimensions: medical and health facilities, health expenditure, medical services, traditional Chinese medicine hospital services, maternal and child health care, people's health and medical security, disease control and public health. The entropy method was used to measure the level of basic medical and health services in China, and its spatial differences and convergence characteristics were further investigated. In this study, we employ the entropy weight method, σ convergence, and ß convergence as our primary methodologies. The entropy weight method is used to evaluate the variability of each indicator, determine the weights of indicators, and quantify the information content of the data. σ convergence illustrates the process by which the variance of a sample decreases over time. ß convergence refers to the gradual approach of variables within an economic system towards their long-term equilibrium level over time. The results show that: (1) The scores of basic medical and health services in China's four major regions (including Northeast, East, Central and West) remain in a relatively stable state, with small fluctuations and great room for improvement; (2) There are significant regional differences in the level of basic medical and health services in China, and the intra-regional differences are much greater than the inter-regional differences; (3) There is no significant σ convergence observed in China and its four major regions; however, there is a notable presence of ß convergence.

Marginal cost per QALY estimates: What are they good for?

Estimates of the marginal cost per quality-adjusted life year (MCPQ) are available for health care systems worldwide. Researchers routinely make claims about these estimates and how they should inform policymaking. This commentary considers these claims by taking a recent article from Health Policy as a case study. Claims are made about the past performance of the health service and about future decisions and relate to such considerations as productivity, the impact of technology approvals, cost-effectiveness thresholds, and budget allocation. We argue that the evidence does not justify these claims and MCPQ estimates should instead inform questions about the consequences of changes in expenditure.

Exceso de mortalidad durante la pandemia de COVID-19 en Ecuador. Análisis espacio temporal del exceso de mortalidad durante la pandemia de COVID-19 en Ecuador / Excess Mortality during the COVID- 19 Pandemic in Ecuador. Spatiotemporal Analysis of Excess Mortality During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Ecuador

Introducción: La pandemia de COVID-19 causó una elevada mortalidad en el mundo y en el Ecuador. Esta investigación se propuso analizar el exceso de mortalidad debido a la pandemia de COVID-19 en Ecuador. Método: Estudio observacional, longitudinal, cuantitativo y descriptivo. Clasificado como estudio ecológico en el campo de la epidemiología. Este estudio se centra en la medición del exceso de mortalidad durante los años 2020, 2021 y 2022, tomando como período base el promedio de defunciones ocurridas en el intervalo de 2015 a 2019. Resultados: Ecuador, en el período de enero 2020 a octubre 2022, acumuló un exceso total de muertes de 98.915. En el año 2020, el exceso de mortalidad fue mayor a 46.374, siendo el mes de abril el valor más alto de 15.484. En el año 2021, el exceso de muertes fue de 35.859, siendo abril el mes con mayor exceso de 7.330. Y el año 2022 el exceso de mortalidad fue de 16.682, el mes con mayor exceso fue enero con 4.204. Conclusión: Se evidenció un subregistro de defunciones, así como variaciones temporales y geográficas en el exceso de mortalidad. La provincia con mayor número de fallecidos y exceso de mortalidad fue Guayas seguida de Pichincha. Los resultados proporcionan un análisis del panorama durante la emergencia sanitaria, destacando la importancia de evaluar la capacidad de respuesta de los sistemas de salud en momentos de crisis y la necesidad imperativa de implementar medidas correctivas para el futuro.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant mortality in the world and in Ecuador. This research aimed to analyze the excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador. Method: An observational, longitudinal, quantitative and descriptive study, classified as an ecological study in the field of epidemiology. This study focuses on measuring excess mortality during the years 2020, 2021 and 2022, using the average number of deaths that occurred in the period from 2015 to 2019 as the baseline. Results: From January 2020 to October 2022, Ecuador accumulated a total excess of deaths of 98,915. In 2020, the excess mortality was higher at 46,374, with the highest value occurring in April at 15,484. In 2021, the excess deaths amounted to 35,859, with April having the highest excess of 7,330. In 2022, the excess mortality was 16,682, with January recording the highest excess at 4,204. Conclusion: Evidence of underreporting of deaths, as well as temporal and geographi-cal variations in excess mortality, was observed. The province with the highest number of deaths and excess mortality was Guayas, followed by Pichincha. The results provide an analysis of the situation during the health emergency, emphasizing the importance of evaluating the healthcare system's capacity to respond during times of crisis and the imperative need to implement corrective measures for the future.

Using predictive risk modelling to identify patients with hidden health needs in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health service.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In partnership with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled health service, we explored the use of a machine learning tool to identify high-needs patients for whom services are harder to reach and, hence, who do not engage with primary care. METHOD: Using deidentified electronic health record data, two predictive risk models (PRMs) were developed to identify patients who were: (1) unlikely to have health checks as an indicator of not engaging with care; and (2) likely to rate their wellbeing as poor, as a measure of high needs. RESULTS: According to the standard metrics, the PRMs were good at predicting health checks but showed low reliability for detecting poor wellbeing. DISCUSSION: Results and feedback from clinicians were encouraging. With additional refinement, informed by clinic staff feedback, a deployable model should be feasible.

Does the healthcare decentralization provide better public health security capacity and health services satisfaction? An analysis of OECD countries.

PURPOSE: Decentralization has profound implications for many health systems. This study investigates the effect of health system decentralization in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries on public health security capacity and health service satisfaction. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Multiple linear regression analyses were employed for variables related to the level of health security capacity and satisfaction with the healthcare system while controlling for all socio-demographic variables from the European Social Survey, including over 44,000 respondents from 25 OECD countries. The Health Systems in Transition series of countries were used for assessing the decentralization level. FINDINGS: The result of multiple linear regression analyses showed that the level of decentralization in health systems was significantly associated with higher health security capacity (ß-coefficient 3.722, 95% confidence interval (CI) [3.536 3.908]; p=<0.001) and health service satisfaction (ß-coefficient 1.463, 95% CI [1.389 1.536]; p=<0.001) in the study. Countries with a higher level of decentralization in health policy tasks and areas were significantly likely to have higher health services satisfaction, whereas this satisfaction had a significant negative relation with the lower level of decentralization status of secondary/tertiary care services in OECD countries (ß-coefficient -5.250, 95% CI [-5.757-4.743]; p = 0.001). ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This study contributes to a better understanding of the extent to which decentralization of health services affects public health safety capacity and satisfaction with health services, whereas the level of decentralization in OECD countries varies considerably. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of public health security and satisfaction with health care delivery in assessing the effects of decentralization in health services.

Indonesian COVID-19 lesson: A mixed-methods study on adolescent health status and health services during pandemic.

TOPIC: The COVID-19 pandemic affected adolescents' physical and psychological health. There must be specific services to cater to the needs of adolescents during COVID-19 in Indonesia. Lessons learned from previous pandemics will be beneficial for nurses and other health professionals to prepare services for future pandemics. PURPOSE: This mixed-method study aimed to examine 459 Indonesian adolescents' health, literacy, preventive measures, and preferred health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also examines sociodemographics, respondent characteristics, health information sources, and media choices. RESULTS: A total of 47.5% of adolescents knew about COVID-19, 26.8% experienced physical health changes, and 61.7% considered wearing masks. Adolescent health information came from teachers (26.6%) and the Internet (32.9%). Psychological changes showed 67.8% irritation. Indonesians preferred online counseling (53.8%) and WhatsApp (45.8%) for pandemic health services. COVID-19 literacy did not affect physical or mental health (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Most adolescents reported mental and physical health changes during COVID-19. Our data suggest that adolescents' strong COVID-19 knowledge did not prevent anxiety and other psychological difficulties. The longitudinal studies could be utilized if pandemic demands social and physical distance. The government, as well as nurses, might utilize WhatsApp-based remote online treatment for health services.

Assessing the accuracy of health facility typology in representing the availability of health services: a case study in Mali.

INTRODUCTION: Using health facility types as a measure of service availability is a common approach in international standards for health system policy and planning. However, this proxy may not accurately reflect the actual availability of specific health services. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the reliability of health facility typology as an indicator of specific health service availability and explore whether certain facility types consistently provide particular services. DESIGN: We analysed a comprehensive dataset containing information from 1725 health facilities in Mali. To uncover and visualise patterns within the dataset, we used two analytical techniques: Multiple Correspondence Analysis and Between-Class Analysis. These analyses allowed us to quantitatively measure the influence of health facility types on the variation in health service provisioning. Additionally, we developed and calculated a Consistency Index, which assesses the consistency of a health facility type in providing specific health services. By examining various health facilities and services, we sought to determine the accuracy of facility types as indicators of service availability. SETTING: The study focused on the health system in Mali as a case study. RESULTS: Our findings indicate that using health facility types as a proxy for service availability in Mali is not an accurate representation. We observed that most of the variation in service provision does not stem from differences between facility types but rather within facility types. This suggests that relying solely on health facility typology may lead to an incomplete understanding of health service availability. CONCLUSIONS: These results have significant implications for health policy and planning. The reliance on health facility types as indicators for health system policy and planning should be reconsidered. A more nuanced and evidence-based understanding of health service availability is crucial for effective health policy and planning, as well as for the assessment and monitoring of health systems.

Towards leaving no one behind in North Macedonia: a mixed methods assessment of barriers to effective coverage with health services.

BACKGROUND: The Government of North Macedonia's Primary Health Care reform is committed to leaving no one behind on the path to Universal health Coverage (UHC). During mid-2022 to March 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) collaborated with the Government and other national stakeholders for an assessment of barriers to effective coverage with health services experienced by adult citizens, with a specific focus on rural areas and subpopulations in situations of vulnerability. METHODS: This study constituted the piloting of a draft forthcoming WHO handbook on assessing barriers for health services, grounded in the Tanahashi framework for effective coverage with health services. In North Macedonia, the convergent parallel mixed methods study involved four sources. These were: a nationally representative Computer Assisted Telephone Interview Survey (1,139 respondents); 24 key informant interviews with representatives from government, professional associations, non-governmental and civil society organizations, and development partners; 12 focus groups in four regions with adults from vulnerable/high risk groups in rural areas and small urban settlements and an additional focus group with persons with disabilities; and a literature review. Instrument design was underpinned by the Tanahashi framework, which also orientated data triangulation and deductive analysis. The research team synergistically incorporated emerging themes in an inductive way. A key component of the assessment was participatory design of the study protocol with inputs from national stakeholders as well as participatory deliberation of the results and the ways forward. RESULTS: Despite considerable progress towards UHC in North Macedonia, the assessment elucidated remaining challenges. These included: insufficient numbers of health workers, in general and particularly in the more disadvantaged regions of the country; inadequate number of outpatient medicines covered by health insurance; distance and transportation obstacles, including indirect travel costs, particularly in rural areas; adverse gender norms and relations for both women and men inhibiting timely treatment seeking; perceived discrimination by providers on multiple grounds; bottlenecks including waiting times to get appointments for specialist referrals; and lack of patient adherence, due several factors including costs of medicines and health products. CONCLUSIONS: The outputs from this study of barriers to effective coverage with health services for adult citizens of North Macedonia are feeding into the ongoing Primary Health Care reform, and provide evidence for equity-related actions in the forthcoming National Development Strategy.

Reconsidering performance management to support innovative changes in health care services.

PURPOSE: A large number of studies indicate that coercive forms of organizational control and performance management in health care services often backfire and initiate dysfunctional consequences. The purpose of this article is to discuss new approaches to performance management in health care services when the purpose is to support innovative changes in the delivery of services. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The article represents cross-boundary work as the theoretical and empirical material used to discuss and reconsider performance management comes from several relevant research disciplines, including systematic reviews of audit and feedback interventions in health care and extant theories of human motivation and organizational control. FINDINGS: An enabling approach to performance management in health care services can potentially contribute to innovative changes. Key design elements to operationalize such an approach are a formative and learning-oriented use of performance measures, an appeal to self- and social-approval mechanisms when providing feedback and support for local goals and action plans that fit specific conditions and challenges. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The article suggests how to operationalize an enabling approach to performance management in health care services. The framework is consistent with new governance and managerial approaches emerging in public sector organizations more generally, supporting a higher degree of professional autonomy and the use of nonfinancial incentives.

Optimizing health services for young children in poverty: enhanced collaboration between Early Head Start and pediatric health care.

Given the importance of health to educational outcomes, and education to concurrent and future health, cross-systems approaches, such as the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) framework, seek to enhance services typically in K-12 settings. A major gap exists in cross-systems links with early care and education serving children birth to age 5. Both pediatric health systems and early family and child support programs, such as Early Head Start (EHS) and Head Start (HS), seek to promote and optimize the health and wellbeing of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and their families. Despite shared goals, both EHS/HS and pediatric health providers often experience challenges in reaching and serving the children most in need, and in addressing existing disparities and inequities in services. This paper focuses on infant/toddler services because high-quality services in the earliest years yield large and lasting developmental impacts. Stronger partnerships among pedicatric health systems and EHS programs serving infants and toddlers could better facilitate the health and wellbeing of young children and enhance family strengths and resilience through increased, more intentional collaboration. Specific strategies recommended include strengthening training and professional development across service platforms to increase shared knowledge and terminology, increasing access to screening and services, strengthening infrastructure and shared information, enhancing integration of services, acknowledging and disrupting racism, and accessing available funding and resources. Recommendations, including research-based examples, are offered to prompt innovations best fitting community needs and resources.

Effects of medical consortium policy on health services: an interrupted time-series analysis in Sanming, China.

Objectives: China has implemented reforms to enhance the operational efficiency of three-level medical services through medical consortiums (MCs). This study evaluated the impact of MCs reform on health services in Sanming, China. Methods: An interrupted time-series analysis (ITSA) was conducted to assess the impact of MCs on changes in health service levels and trends across the overall situation of MCs and different institutional types within MCs, including county hospitals and grassroots medical institutions. The evaluation focused on various indicators such as outpatient and emergency visits, inpatients, average length of stay, occupancy rate of hospital beds, and hospital bed turnover times. Monthly data were collected from April 2015 to June 2019 through reports on the Sanming Municipal Health Commission website and the Sanming public hospital management monitoring platform. Results: After the intervention of MCs reform, a significant increase was observed in the total number of inpatients (ß3 = 174.28, p < 0.05). However, no statistically significant change was observed in the total number of outpatient and emergency visits (ß3 = 155.82, p = 0.91). Additionally, the implementation of MCs reform led to an amplification in service volumes provided by county hospitals, with significant increases in the number of outpatient and emergency visits (ß3 = 1376.54, p < 0.05) and an upward trend in the number of inpatients (ß3 = 98.87, p < 0.01). However, no significant changes were observed under the MCs policy for grassroots medical institutions regarding the number of outpatient and emergency visits (ß3 = -1220.72, p = 0.22) and number of inpatients (ß3 = 75.42, p = 0.09). Conclusion: The Sanming MCs reform has achieved some progress in augmenting service volumes. Nevertheless, it has not led to an increase in service volumes at the grassroots medical institutions. There persists an insufficiency in the efficiency of services and a need for further improvement in primary healthcare. To address these concerns, it is imperative for county hospitals to offer targeted assistance that can enhance motivation among grassroots medical institutions. Besides the MCs should explore initiatives, including improved management of medical equipment, allocation of funding, and personnel resources.

Assessment of parental satisfaction with paediatric health services in public sector tertiary hospitals within a low-income setting using Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ-18).

INTRODUCTION: Patient satisfaction is an integral part of healthcare quality, impacting treatment adherence, patient loyalty and healthcare utilisation. Parental satisfaction is particularly crucial as parents influence decision-making for their child's healthcare. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to assess parental satisfaction levels (as measured by Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire-18 (PSQ-18)) related to paediatric healthcare services and identify specific factors significantly influencing parental satisfaction with paediatric healthcare services. METHODOLOGY: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study that used a structured questionnaire based on the PSQ-18. The study was conducted in Faisalabad, Islamabad, Peshawar and Swat. Seven subscales measured satisfaction across various dimensions. RESULTS: We found 882 suitable responses indicating a diverse participant demographic, with the largest group in the 6-12 years age category. The overall mean parental satisfaction score was 2.0±0.5 (40.0%). Notably, financial aspects scored highest at 2.8 (55%), followed by accessibility and convenience at 2.0 (40.5%). However, lower satisfaction scores in the interpersonal relationship (1.8±0.5) and technical quality (1.8±0.5) domains were recorded. Sociodemographic analysis indicated age, education and occupation significantly influenced satisfaction. Conversely, factors such as gender, residence and the presence of chronic disease did not significantly impact satisfaction levels. CONCLUSION: The study offers valuable insights into paediatric patient satisfaction in Pakistan, emphasising the need for targeted interventions and improvements in specific domains to enhance overall healthcare quality.

Impact of the Essential Public Health Service program on financial protection and health outcomes among hypertensive patients: A quasi-experimental study in China.

BACKGROUND: The Chinese government launched the Essential Public Health Service (EPHS) program nationwide in 2009. However, prior studies have not provided clear and integrated evidence on whether the EPHS program improves health outcomes and prevents financial risks among individuals. Because hypertension is the chronic disease with the highest prevalence, this study evaluated the impact of the EPHS program among hypertensive patients to provide evidence for the progress of the program. METHODS: A cohort of hypertensive patients was identified from the 2011-2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The outcomes assessed included hospitalization expenditure, outpatient expenditure and cardiovascular disease (heart attack and stroke). The key independent variable was whether an individual received EPHS-covered blood pressure measurements in 2013-2015. Based on the International Health Partnership+ (IHP+) common monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework, a difference-in-differences (DID) method with propensity score matching (PSM) was used to examine the impact of the EPHS program on hypertensive patients. RESULTS: The results showed that among hypertensive patients covered by the EPHS program, outpatient total costs/OOP costs were reduced by 29.8% and 30.8%, respectively, and hospitalization total costs/OOP costs were reduced by 34.9% and 35.6%, respectively. The EPHS program reduced the probability of heart attack and stroke among hypertensive patients by 3.5% and 2.7%, respectively. Mechanistic tests showed that the EPHS program improved health outcomes by reducing alcohol consumption and increasing physical activity, thereby further reducing health expenditure among hypertensive patients. The impacts of the EPHS program on hypertensive patients varied by age, educational attainment, residential region, and alcohol consumption status. CONCLUSION: The EPHS program in China significantly improved health outcomes and prevented financial risks for hypertensive patients. This evidence provides a valuable reference for low- and middle-income countries with their essential public health service programs.

A quasi-experimental study on health insurance coverage and health services in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Nigeria has the highest maternal mortality rate among sub-Saharan African countries. Recently, universal health insurance coverage has been embraced as a means to enhance population health in low- and middle-income countries. Hitherto, the effect of health insurance coverage on the utilisation of facility-level delivery is largely unknown in the face of the earnest need to lower maternal mortality rates in developing countries. AIM: To empirically investigate the association of health insurance coverage on health services utilisation of facility-level delivery and the extent to which public- and private-sector facility delivery in Nigeria had a disproportionate associational effect with health insurance coverage, in the universal health coverage era. SETTING: A cross-sectional study conducted for Nigeria. METHODS: This study employed a quasi-experimental method using propensity scores along with different matching methods that were applied to the most recent wave of Nigeria's Demographic and Health Survey (2020) data. RESULTS: Evidence suggests that childbearing mothers from insured households had an average of 25% probability of utilising facility-level delivery relative to mothers from uninsured households in the year that preceded the survey. Moreover, private-sector facility delivery had a 31% higher associational effect with health insurance coverage than public-sector facility delivery, which had an estimated probability of 21%. CONCLUSION: Expansion of health insurance coverage in Nigeria will be a desirable way to stimulate the utilisation of facility-level delivery by women of childbearing age. Consequently, coverage expansion has the potential to save many maternal and newborn lives in Nigeria.Contribution: This study has contributed to the urgent attention of the federal government of Nigeria to monitor and revamp the health insurance coverage policies of the country for better facilitation of health services to the Nigerian population.

Primary healthcare system and provider responses to the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.

INTRODUCTION: Existing health system challenges in Afghanistan were amplified by the Taliban's August 2021 government takeover during which the country faced an evolving security situation, border closures, banking interruptions, donor funding disruptions and international staff evacuations. We investigated factors that influenced health sector and health service delivery following the takeover. METHODS: We purposively sampled individuals knowledgeable about Afghanistan's health sector and health professionals working in underserved areas of the country. We identified codes and themes of the data using framework analysis. RESULTS: Factors identified as supporting continued health service delivery following August 2021 include external funding and operational flexibilities, ongoing care provision by local implementers and providers, health worker motivation, flexible contracting out arrangements and improved security. Factors identified as contributing to disruptions include damaged infrastructure, limited supplies, ineffective government implementation efforts and changes in government leadership and policies resulting in new coordination and capacity challenges. There were mixed views on the role pay-for-performance schemes played. Participants also shared concerns about the new working environment. These included loss of qualified health professionals and the associated impact on quality of care, continued dependency on external funding, women's inability to finish their studies or take on any leadership positions, various impacts of the Mahram policy, mental stress, the future of care provision for female patients and widespread economic hardship which impacts nearly every aspect of Afghan life. CONCLUSION: Afghanistan's health sector presents a compelling case of adaptability in the face of crisis. Despite the anticipated and reported total collapse due to the country's power shift, various factors enabled health services to continue in some settings while others acted as barriers. The potential role of these factors should be considered in the context of future service delivery in Afghanistan and other settings at risk of political and societal disruption.