Teach-back: A systematic review of implementation and impacts.

Patients often have difficulty comprehending or recalling information given to them by their healthcare providers. Use of 'teach-back' has been shown to improve patients' knowledge and self-care abilities, however there is little guidance for healthcare services seeking to embed teach-back in their setting. This review aims to synthesize evidence about the translation of teach-back into practice including mode of delivery, use of implementation strategies and effectiveness. We searched Ovid Medline, CINAHL, Embase and The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for studies reporting the use of teach-back as an educational intervention, published up to July 2019. Two reviewers independently extracted study data and assessed methodologic quality. Implementation strategies were extracted into distinct categories established in the Implementation Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) project. Overall, 20 studies of moderate quality were included in this review (four rated high, nine rated moderate, seven rated weak). Studies were heterogeneous in terms of setting, population and outcomes. In most studies (n = 15), teach-back was delivered as part of a simple and structured educational approach. Implementation strategies were infrequently reported (n = 10 studies). The most used implementation strategies were training and education of stakeholders (n = 8), support for clinicians (n = 6) and use of audits and provider feedback (n = 4). Use of teach-back proved effective in 19 of the 20 studies, ranging from learning-related outcomes (e.g. knowledge recall and retention) to objective health-related outcomes (e.g. hospital re-admissions, quality of life). Teach-back was found to be effective across a wide range of settings, populations and outcome measures. While its mode of delivery is well-defined, strategies to support its translation into practice are not often described. Use of implementation strategies such as training and education of stakeholders and supporting clinicians during implementation may improve the uptake and sustainability of teach-back and achieve positive outcomes.

Sostenibilidad del sistema sanitario: compromiso ético de los médicos / No disponible

No disponible

Health in Seychelles - an overview.

Health in Seychelles has improved significantly over the past three decades, largely as a result of investment not only in the health services, but also in other social sectors that have direct impact on child survival and the health of individuals. Through different stages of the evolution of the health care system there have been close links between health policy and strategy, the overall national development efforts and the wider social and economic environment. Awareness of these links are useful in the understanding of current health issues such as the lifestyle related patterns of morbidity and mortality, characterised by non-communicable diseases and HIV/AIDS, the high demands for health care services, and evolving relationships between the public and private sectors.

Lei n. 141/2012 e seus aspectos: Ações e Serviços

Foi publicada no dia 13 de janeiro de 2012 a Lei Complementar n. 141, que regulamenta a Emenda Constitucional n. 29, com a definição sobre a aplicação de recursos em ações e serviços de saúde por parte da União, estados e Distrito Federal, e municípios brasileiros. Ela também esclarece critérios de rateio de recursos e transferências para a saúde, assim como para fiscalização, avaliação e controle das despesas nas três esferas de governo e revoga dispositivos das leis n. 8.080, de setembro de 1990, e n. 8.698, de julho de 1993. Tendo em vista a importância da Lei para a gestão do SUS, o CONASS promoveu uma reunião ampliada entre a sua Câmara Técnica de Gestão e Financiamento (CTGF), o Ministério da Saúde e especialistas em orçamento público, no dia 6 de março de 2012, em Brasília/DF.

Lei n. 141/2012 e seus aspectos: Histórico de luta pelo financiamento da saúde

Foi publicada no dia 13 de janeiro de 2012 a Lei Complementar n. 141, que regulamenta a Emenda Constitucional n. 29, com a definição sobre a aplicação de recursos em ações e serviços de saúde por parte da União, estados e Distrito Federal, e municípios brasileiros. Ela também esclarece critérios de rateio de recursos e transferências para a saúde, assim como para fiscalização, avaliação e controle das despesas nas três esferas de governo e revoga dispositivos das leis n. 8.080, de setembro de 1990, e n. 8.698, de julho de 1993. Tendo em vista a importância da Lei para a gestão do SUS, o CONASS promoveu uma reunião ampliada entre a sua Câmara Técnica de Gestão e Financiamento (CTGF), o Ministério da Saúde e especialistas em orçamento público, no dia 6 de março de 2012, em Brasília/DF.

Development and pilot of a multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) tool for health services administrators.

INTRODUCTION: Health administration is complex and serves many masters. Value, quality, infrastructure and reimbursement are just a sample of the competing interests influencing executive decision-making. This creates a need for decision processes that are rational and holistic. METHODS: We created a multicriteria decision analysis tool to evaluate six fields of healthcare provision: return on investment, capacity, outcomes, safety, training and risk. The tool was designed for prospective use, at the beginning of each funding round for competing projects. Administrators were asked to rank their criteria in order of preference. Each field was assigned a representative weight determined from the rankings. Project data were then entered into the tool for each of the six fields. The score for each field was scaled as a proportion of the highest scoring project, then weighted by preference. We then plotted findings on a cost-effectiveness plane. The project was piloted and developed over successive uses by the hospital's executive board. RESULTS: Twelve projects competing for funding at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital were scored by the tool. It created a priority ranking for each initiative based on the weights assigned to each field by the executive board. Projects were plotted on a cost-effectiveness plane with score as the x-axis and cost of implementation as the y-axis. Projects to the bottom right were considered dominant over projects above and to the left, indicating that they provided greater benefit at a lower cost. Projects below the x-axis were cost-saving and recommended provided they did not harm patients. All remaining projects above the x-axis were then recommended in order of lowest to highest cost-per-point scored. CONCLUSION: This tool provides a transparent, objective method of decision analysis using accessible software. It would serve health services delivery organisations that seek to achieve value in healthcare.

"Everything Possible Is Being Done": Labour, Mobility, and the Organization of Health Services in Mid-20th Century Newfoundland.

This article is the Presidential Address to the 2018 meeting of the Canadian Society for the History of Medicine at the University of Regina. It examines the organization of the nursing service in Newfoundland during the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the recruitment and retention of nurses in cottage hospitals and nursing stations in outport communities. A number of interconnected strategies were used by the Newfoundland government to staff the nursing service, including recruiting internationally educated nurses, adjusting expectations with respect to registration standards, and using both trained and untrained workers to support nurses' labour. Although this article is intended more as a reconnaissance suggesting the possibilities of such research, it does analyze the interconnected issues of geography, funding and pay, the nursing shortage, and the renegotiation of nursing labour that characterized this period. Furthermore, although this is a case study of Newfoundland and Labrador, it is worth considering how, or whether, the linked strategies used in the province were transferable to other communities across rural, remote, or northern Canada.

Policy change and micro-politics in global health aid: HIV in South Africa.

Efforts to improve the effectiveness of global health aid rarely take full account of the micro-politics of policy change and implementation. South Africa's HIV/AIDS epidemic is a case in point, where the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has provided essential support to the national AIDS response. With changing political context, PEPFAR has shifted focus several times-most recently reversing the policy of 'transition' out of direct aid to a policy of re-investing in front-line services in priority districts to improve aid effectiveness. However, this policy shift has not led to the expected impact on health services. This paper reports the findings of a study on the implementation of the recent policy through interviews at randomly selected sites in high HIV-burden districts of South Africa that capture the experiences of public-sector health leaders. We find little evidence to support the explanation that the new aid policy displaced government staff and resources. Instead, our findings suggest that legacies of the previous policy remained as local aid managers did not shift funding and practice at sufficient scale to drive the planned service delivery expansion. Human resource support, the main PEPFAR contribution to service delivery at front-line facilities, was not adequate or distributed based on the size of the HIV programme, leaving notable gaps in outreach, defaulter tracing, and community service delivery. Instead, services that better fit the previous policy paradigm, like training and data-sharing, are common at site-level but provide diminishing returns. Together, our findings suggest opportunities for PEPFAR South Africa to revisit its model and increase service delivery intensity, in particular through community-based services. More broadly, this case illustrates the need for greater attention to the multiple actors with discretion in the policy system of health aid and the mechanisms through which political priority is translated into programming as policy shifts are made.

Sustainability in Health care by Allocating Resources Effectively (SHARE) 11: reporting outcomes of an evidence-driven approach to disinvestment in a local healthcare setting.

BACKGROUND: This is the final paper in a thematic series reporting a program of Sustainability in Health care by Allocating Resources Effectively (SHARE) in a local healthcare setting. The SHARE Program was established to explore a systematic, integrated, evidence-based organisation-wide approach to disinvestment in a large Australian health service network. This paper summarises the findings, discusses the contribution of the SHARE Program to the body of knowledge and understanding of disinvestment in the local healthcare setting, and considers implications for policy, practice and research. DISCUSSION: The SHARE program was conducted in three phases. Phase One was undertaken to understand concepts and practices related to disinvestment and the implications for a local health service and, based on this information, to identify potential settings and methods for decision-making about disinvestment. The aim of Phase Two was to implement and evaluate the proposed methods to determine which were sustainable, effective and appropriate in a local health service. A review of the current literature incorporating the SHARE findings was conducted in Phase Three to contribute to the understanding of systematic approaches to disinvestment in the local healthcare context. SHARE differed from many other published examples of disinvestment in several ways: by seeking to identify and implement disinvestment opportunities within organisational infrastructure rather than as standalone projects; considering disinvestment in the context of all resource allocation decisions rather than in isolation; including allocation of non-monetary resources as well as financial decisions; and focusing on effective use of limited resources to optimise healthcare outcomes. CONCLUSION: The SHARE findings provide a rich source of new information about local health service decision-making, in a level of detail not previously reported, to inform others in similar situations. Multiple innovations related to disinvestment were found to be acceptable and feasible in the local setting. Factors influencing decision-making, implementation processes and final outcomes were identified; and methods for further exploration, or avoidance, in attempting disinvestment in this context are proposed based on these findings. The settings, frameworks, models, methods and tools arising from the SHARE findings have potential to enhance health care and patient outcomes.

Value of Investment as a Key Driver for Prioritization and Implementation of Healthcare Software.

Health systems across the nation are recovering from massive financial and resource investments in electronic health record applications. In the midst of these recovery efforts, implementations of new care models, including accountable care organizations and population health initiatives, are underway. The shift from fee-for-service to fee-for-outcomes and fee-for-value payment models calls for care providers to work in new ways. It also changes how physicians are compensated and reimbursed. These changes necessitate that healthcare systems further invest in information technology solutions. Selecting which information technology (IT) projects are of most value is vital, especially in light of recent expenditures. Return-on-investment analysis is a powerful tool used in various industries to select the most appropriate IT investments. It has proven vital in selecting, justifying, and implementing software projects. Other financial metrics, such as net present value, economic value added, and total economic impact, also quantify the success of expenditures on information systems. This paper extends the concept of quantifying project value to include clinical outcomes and nonfinancial value as investment returns, applying a systematic approach to healthcare software projects. We term this inclusive approach Value of Investment. It offers a necessary extension for application in clinical settings where a strictly financial view may fall short in providing a complete picture of important benefits. This paper outlines the Value of Investment process and its attributes, and uses illustrative examples to explore the efficacy of this methodology within a midsized health system.

[SWOT-ANALYSIS OF PROFESSIONAL-PERSONAL COMPETENCE OF ECONOMISTS IN MEDICAL ORGANIZATIONS].

In modern conditions, there is a tendency to replace the qualification approach of assessing economists in medical organizations - competence. The purpose of the study was to identify the professional and personal abilities of economists in medical organizations to actively participate in the management decisions of the medical organization in the transition from public administration to the right of economic management. The study was carried out in 3 stages. At the first stage, the degree of influence of the experience of the economist, the frequency of training and its burden on the profitability of the medical organization was analyzed. At the second stage - the personal evaluation of the respondents by psychodiagnostic methods (memory, attention, the level of the person's orientation, self-esteem, the level of personal claims). At the third stage, the data of professional behavior and personal evaluation were summarized in the table of SWOT-analysis factors, for determining the personnel strategy of development of economists in medical organizations. The sample size was 43 respondents, which amounted to 10.3% of the participation of medical organizations. The results of the SWOT analysis of the personal and professional qualities of medical economists in medical organizations showed the predominance of weaknesses in corporate competencies among medical economists over strong ones, while personal opportunities prevail over risks. In general, the professional-personal SWOT analysis showed the prevalence of the possibilities of medical economists (Ps=5,3) over threats (Ps = 4,9), strong (Ps = 4,4) and weak sides (Ps = 3,8). At the same time, the force of influence does not suffice: the length of work for profitability (r = -0.3, p <0.05), and the ratio of one economist to employees on the growth of the specific weight of paid services (r = 0.001, p <0.05). The revealed relationships confirm: a direct strong dependence of the training frequency of economists on the profitability of the medical organization (r = 0.7, p<0.05), i.e. The higher the frequency of training economists, the higher the profitability, showed our results in the studied medical organizations. The results of the study made it possible to identify the behavioral professional and personal capabilities of medical economists in market conditions.

[Social Healthcare Organizations: a phenomenological expression of healthcare privatization in Brazil]. / Organizações Sociais da Saúde: uma expressão fenomênica da privatização da saúde no Brasil.

The study analyzed the expansion of Social Healthcare Organizations (OSS in Portuguese) in Brazil from 2009 to 2014. The ten largest OSS were measured according to their budget funding and their qualifications as non-profit organizations were explored, considering evidence of their expansion and consolidation in the management and provision of health services via strategies proper to for-profit private enterprises. The study is descriptive and exploratory and was based on public-domain documents. In their relations with government, the OSS have benefited from legal loopholes and incentives and have expanded accordingly. There has been a recent trend for these organizations to simultaneously apply for status as charitable organizations, thereby ensuring multiple opportunities for fundraising and additional tax incentives, permission to invest financial surpluses in the capital market, and remunerate their boards of directors. These organizations tend to concentrate in technology-dense hospital services, with clauses concerning increasing financial transfers to the detriment of other regulatory clauses, and special contract modalities for enabling services that are absolutely strategic for the overall functioning of the Brazilian Unified National Health System. Thus, in this study, the OSS are one component of the Health Economic and Industrial Complex, acting in management, provision, and regulation of services in a scenario of intensive commodification of health and the transfer of public funds to the private sector.

A pesquisa analisou o processo de expansão das Organizações Sociais da Saúde (OSS) no Brasil durante o período de 2009-2014. Para tanto, dimensionou as dez maiores OSS segundo recursos financeiros captados, explorou suas qualificações como entidades sem fins lucrativos, tomando em conta as evidências empíricas que apontam para sua expansão e consolidação no processo de gestão e prestação de serviços de saúde via estratégias próprias de organizações privadas lucrativas. O estudo é descritivo e exploratório, e foi realizado com base em fontes documentais de domínio público. No plano das relações com o Estado, as OSS têm se beneficiado das brechas e facilidades concedidas pela lei e apresentado uma notável expansão. Evidenciou-se um movimento recente das OSS pela busca concomitante da condição de entidades filantrópicas, assegurando múltiplas oportunidades de captação de recursos e de benefícios fiscais; a possibilidade de aplicação de excedentes financeiros no mercado de capitais; e a remuneração de seus corpos diretivos. Há uma concentração em serviços hospitalares com maior densidade tecnológica; nítida predominância de cláusulas respeitantes ao incremento de repasses financeiros em detrimento de outras cláusulas regulatórias; existência de modalidades especiais de contratos com serviços-meios absolutamente estratégicos para o funcionamento geral do Sistema Único de Saúde. Portanto, neste estudo as OSS se configuram como um dos componentes do Complexo Econômico Industrial da Saúde, nas vertentes da gestão, da prestação e da regulação de serviços, em um cenário de intensiva mercantilização da saúde e de transferência de fundo público para o setor privado.

La investigación analizó el proceso de expansión de las Organizaciones Sociales de Salud (OSS) en Brasil, durante el período de 2009-2014. Para ello, se dimensionaron las diez mayores OSS, según los recursos financieros captados, exploró sus características, como entidades sin ánimo de lucro, tomando en consideración las evidencias empíricas que apuntan a su expansión y consolidación en el proceso de gestión y prestación de servicios de salud, vía estrategias propias de organizaciones privadas con ánimo de lucro. El estudio es descriptivo y exploratorio, y fue realizado en base a fuentes documentales de dominio público. En el plano de las relaciones con el Estado, las OSS se han beneficiado de las brechas y facilidades concedidas por la ley y presentado una notable expansión. Se evidenció un movimiento reciente de esas organizaciones por la búsqueda concomitante de su condición como entidades filantrópicas, asegurando múltiples oportunidades de captación de recursos y de beneficios fiscales; la posibilidad de inversión de excedentes financieros en el mercado de capitales; y la remuneración de sus cuerpos directivos. Existe una concentración en servicios hospitalarios con una mayor densidad tecnológica; nítida predominancia de cláusulas, respecto al incremento de transferencias financieras, en detrimento de otras cláusulas regulatorias; existencia de modalidades especiales de contratos con servicios-medios absolutamente estratégicos para el funcionamiento general del Sistema Único de Salud. Por tanto, en este estudio las OSS se configuran como uno de los componentes del Complejo Económico Industrial de la Salud, en las vertientes de la gestión, de la prestación y de la regulación de servicios, en un escenario de intensiva mercantilización de la salud y de transferencia de fondos públicos hacia el sector privado.

Fiscal transfers based on inputs or outcomes? Lessons from the Twelfth and Thirteenth Finance Commission in India.

BACKGROUND: There is limited empirical evidence about the efficacy of fiscal transfers for a specific purpose, including for health which represents an important source of funds for the delivery of public services especially in large populous countries such as India. OBJECTIVE: To examine two distinct methodologies for allocating specific-purpose centre-to-state transfers, one using an input-based formula focused on equity and the other using an outcome-based formula focused on performance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examine the Twelfth Finance Commission (12FC)'s use of Equalization Grants for Health (EGH) as an input-based formula and the Thirteenth Finance Commission (13FC)'s use of Incentive Grants for Health (IGH) as an outcome-based formula. We simulate and replicate the allocation of these two transfer methodologies and examine the consequences of these fiscal transfer mechanisms. RESULTS: The EGH placed conditions for releasing funds, but states varied in their ability to meet those conditions, and hence their allocations varied, eg, Madhya Pradesh received 100% and Odisha 67% of its expected allocation. Due to the design of the IGH formula, IGH allocations were unequally distributed and highly concentrated in 4 states (Manipur, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Nagaland), which received over half the national IGH allocation. DISCUSSION: The EGH had limited impact in achieving equalization, whereas the IGH rewards were concentrated in states which were already doing better. Greater transparency and accountability of centre-to-state allocations and specifically their methodologies are needed to ensure that allocation objectives are aligned to performance.

Frequency of low-value care in Alberta, Canada: a retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine how frequently 10 low-value services highlighted by Choosing Wisely are done and what factors influence their provision. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study using routinely collected health data from five linked data sets from 2012 to 2015 in the Canadian province of Alberta to determine the frequency with which 10 low-value services were provided. RESULTS: Between 2012 and 2015, 162 143 people (4% of all 3 814 536 adult Albertans and 5% of the 3 423 135 who saw a physician at least once in that time frame) received at least one of the 10 low-value services, including 29.8% of Albertans older than 75 years (57 811 of 194 068). The proportion of adults receiving low-value services ranged from carotid artery imaging in 0.1% of asymptomatic adults without cerebrovascular disease, to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing in 55.5% of men 75 years or older without a history of prostate cancer. Although age, Charlson scores and frequency of primary care visits were associated with low-value service provision, the directions of the association differed across services; however, higher socioeconomic status, increased frequency of specialist contact and higher ratio of specialists to primary care physicians in the patient's region were associated with an increased risk of receiving all of the low-value services we examined. The low-value services which resulted in the greatest costs to the healthcare system were cervical cancer screening in women older than 65 without history of cervical dysplasia or genital cancer, PSA testing in men older than 75 without history of prostate cancer and preoperative stress testing/cardiac imaging before non-cardiac surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Even within a universal coverage healthcare system, the proportion of patients receiving low-value services varied widely (from <0.1% to 56%). Increased use was associated with higher socioeconomic status, increased frequency of specialist contact and higher ratio of specialists to primary care physicians.

Organizações Sociais da Saúde: uma expressão fenomênica da privatização da saúde no Brasil / Social Healthcare Organizations: a phenomenological expression of healthcare privatization in Brazil / Organizaciones Sociales de la Salud: una expresión fenoménica de la privatización de la salud en Brasil

Resumo: A pesquisa analisou o processo de expansão das Organizações Sociais da Saúde (OSS) no Brasil durante o período de 2009-2014. Para tanto, dimensionou as dez maiores OSS segundo recursos financeiros captados, explorou suas qualificações como entidades sem fins lucrativos, tomando em conta as evidências empíricas que apontam para sua expansão e consolidação no processo de gestão e prestação de serviços de saúde via estratégias próprias de organizações privadas lucrativas. O estudo é descritivo e exploratório, e foi realizado com base em fontes documentais de domínio público. No plano das relações com o Estado, as OSS têm se beneficiado das brechas e facilidades concedidas pela lei e apresentado uma notável expansão. Evidenciou-se um movimento recente das OSS pela busca concomitante da condição de entidades filantrópicas, assegurando múltiplas oportunidades de captação de recursos e de benefícios fiscais; a possibilidade de aplicação de excedentes financeiros no mercado de capitais; e a remuneração de seus corpos diretivos. Há uma concentração em serviços hospitalares com maior densidade tecnológica; nítida predominância de cláusulas respeitantes ao incremento de repasses financeiros em detrimento de outras cláusulas regulatórias; existência de modalidades especiais de contratos com serviços-meios absolutamente estratégicos para o funcionamento geral do Sistema Único de Saúde. Portanto, neste estudo as OSS se configuram como um dos componentes do Complexo Econômico Industrial da Saúde, nas vertentes da gestão, da prestação e da regulação de serviços, em um cenário de intensiva mercantilização da saúde e de transferência de fundo público para o setor privado.

Abstract: The study analyzed the expansion of Social Healthcare Organizations (OSS in Portuguese) in Brazil from 2009 to 2014. The ten largest OSS were measured according to their budget funding and their qualifications as non-profit organizations were explored, considering evidence of their expansion and consolidation in the management and provision of health services via strategies proper to for-profit private enterprises. The study is descriptive and exploratory and was based on public-domain documents. In their relations with government, the OSS have benefited from legal loopholes and incentives and have expanded accordingly. There has been a recent trend for these organizations to simultaneously apply for status as charitable organizations, thereby ensuring multiple opportunities for fundraising and additional tax incentives, permission to invest financial surpluses in the capital market, and remunerate their boards of directors. These organizations tend to concentrate in technology-dense hospital services, with clauses concerning increasing financial transfers to the detriment of other regulatory clauses, and special contract modalities for enabling services that are absolutely strategic for the overall functioning of the Brazilian Unified National Health System. Thus, in this study, the OSS are one component of the Health Economic and Industrial Complex, acting in management, provision, and regulation of services in a scenario of intensive commodification of health and the transfer of public funds to the private sector.

Resumen: La investigación analizó el proceso de expansión de las Organizaciones Sociales de Salud (OSS) en Brasil, durante el período de 2009-2014. Para ello, se dimensionaron las diez mayores OSS, según los recursos financieros captados, exploró sus características, como entidades sin ánimo de lucro, tomando en consideración las evidencias empíricas que apuntan a su expansión y consolidación en el proceso de gestión y prestación de servicios de salud, vía estrategias propias de organizaciones privadas con ánimo de lucro. El estudio es descriptivo y exploratorio, y fue realizado en base a fuentes documentales de dominio público. En el plano de las relaciones con el Estado, las OSS se han beneficiado de las brechas y facilidades concedidas por la ley y presentado una notable expansión. Se evidenció un movimiento reciente de esas organizaciones por la búsqueda concomitante de su condición como entidades filantrópicas, asegurando múltiples oportunidades de captación de recursos y de beneficios fiscales; la posibilidad de inversión de excedentes financieros en el mercado de capitales; y la remuneración de sus cuerpos directivos. Existe una concentración en servicios hospitalarios con una mayor densidad tecnológica; nítida predominancia de cláusulas, respecto al incremento de transferencias financieras, en detrimento de otras cláusulas regulatorias; existencia de modalidades especiales de contratos con servicios-medios absolutamente estratégicos para el funcionamiento general del Sistema Único de Salud. Por tanto, en este estudio las OSS se configuran como uno de los componentes del Complejo Económico Industrial de la Salud, en las vertientes de la gestión, de la prestación y de la regulación de servicios, en un escenario de intensiva mercantilización de la salud y de transferencia de fondos públicos hacia el sector privado.

Impact and economic evaluation of a novel HIV service delivery model in rural Malawi.

OBJECTIVE: We performed an impact and cost-effectiveness analysis of a novel HIV service delivery model in a high prevalence, remote district of Malawi with a population of 143 800 people. DESIGN: A population-based retrospective analysis of 1-year survival rates among newly enrolled HIV-positive patients at 682 health facilities throughout Malawi, comparing facilities implementing the service delivery model (n = 13) and those implementing care-as-usual (n = 669). METHODS: Through district-level health surveillance data, we evaluated 1-year survival rates among HIV patients newly enrolled between July 2013 and June 2014 - representing 129 938 patients in care across 682 health facilities - using a multilevel modeling framework. The model, focused on social determinants of health, was implemented throughout Neno District at 13 facilities and compared with facilities in all other districts. Activity-based costing was used to annualize financial and economic costs from a societal perspective. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were expressed as quality-adjusted life-years gained. RESULTS: The national average 1-year survival rate for newly enrolled antiretroviral therapy clients was 78.9%: this rate was 87.9% in Neno District, compared with 78.8% across all other districts in Malawi (P < 0.001; 95% confidence interval: 0.079-0.104). The economic cost of receiving care in Neno district (n = 6541 patients) was $317/patient/year, compared with an estimated $219/patient in other districts. This translated to $906 per quality-adjusted life-year gained. CONCLUSION: Neno District's comprehensive model of care, featuring a strong focus on the community, is $98 more expensive per capita per annum but demonstrates superior 1-year survival rates, despite its remote location. Moreover, it should be considered cost-effective by traditional international standards.

Effects of Payment for Performance on accountability mechanisms: Evidence from Pwani, Tanzania.

Payment for Performance (P4P) aims to improve provider motivation to perform better, but little is known about the effects of P4P on accountability mechanisms. We examined the effect of P4P in Tanzania on internal and external accountability mechanisms. We carried out 93 individual in-depth interviews, 9 group interviews and 19 Focus Group Discussions in five intervention districts in three rounds of data collection between 2011 and 2013. We carried out surveys in 150 health facilities across Pwani region and four control districts, and interviewed 200 health workers, before the scheme was introduced and 13 months later. We examined the effects of P4P on internal accountability mechanisms including management changes, supervision, and priority setting, and external accountability mechanisms including provider responsiveness to patients, and engagement with Health Facility Governing Committees. P4P had some positive effects on internal accountability, with increased timeliness of supervision and the provision of feedback during supervision, but a lack of effect on supervision intensity. P4P reduced the interruption of service delivery due to broken equipment as well as drug stock-outs due to increased financial autonomy and responsiveness from managers. Management practices became less hierarchical, with less emphasis on bureaucratic procedures. Effects on external accountability were mixed, health workers treated pregnant women more kindly, but outreach activities did not increase. Facilities were more likely to have committees but their role was largely limited. P4P resulted in improvements in internal accountability measures through improved relations and communication between stakeholders that were incentivised at different levels of the system and enhanced provider autonomy over funds. P4P had more limited effects on external accountability, though attitudes towards patients appeared to improve, community engagement through health facility governing committees remained limited. Implementers should examine the lines of accountability when setting incentives and deciding who to incentivise in P4P schemes.

Ethical priority setting for universal health coverage: challenges in deciding upon fair distribution of health services.

Priority setting is inevitable on the path towards universal health coverage. All countries experience a gap between their population's health needs and what is economically feasible for governments to provide. Can priority setting ever be fair and ethically acceptable? Fairness requires that unmet health needs be addressed, but in a fair order. Three criteria for priority setting are widely accepted among ethicists: cost-effectiveness, priority to the worse-off, and financial risk protection. Thus, a fair health system will expand coverage for cost-effective services and give extra priority to those benefiting the worse-off, whilst at the same time providing high financial risk protection. It is considered unacceptable to treat people differently according to their gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, social status, or place of residence. Inequalities in health outcomes associated with such personal characteristics are therefore unfair and should be minimized. This commentary also discusses a third group of contested criteria, including rare diseases, small health benefits, age, and personal responsibility for health, subsequently rejecting them. In conclusion, countries need to agree on criteria and establish transparent and fair priority setting processes.

La historia clínica compartida y el ejercicio de la autonomía de las personas en sanidad / Shared Electronic Health Record and the exercise of personal autonomy in Health

En este artículo se exponen los elementos principales que configuran la relación entre los usuarios de la sanidad y la gestión de sus datos personales de salud en el marco de la implementación de la historia clínica compartida, poniendo el énfasis en los riesgos que para la privacidad de las personas y para la debida confidencialidad pueden ocasionar la compartición de estos datos sensibles (AU)

This article set out the main elements that structure the relationship between Health Service users and the management of their personal health data, in the frame of implementation of Shared Electronic Health Record, emphasizing the risks that sharing this sensitive data can produce to personal privacy and confidentiality (AU)