Body weight management and dilemmas of health responsibility for vulnerable groups in the changing Danish welfare state: a comparative case analysis

This article explores how health responsibility in relation to body weight management is institutionally enacted in three welfare institutions in the interplay between traditional ‘social interventionist’ welfare and ‘non-interfering’ neoliberal ideology. The analysis asks how citizens of non-Western origin at different life stages are positioned within, and navigate, opposing ideological value systems, and adapt to, or resist, institutionally constructed ‘health subjectivities’. The cross-case analysis shows that as people grow older, the institutional requirement to adapt to neoliberal norms of individual responsibility increases, but that in all three settings health responsibility is ambiguously distributed and enacted among welfare state agencies and citizens, and that this renders children, youths and parents vulnerable in different ways. We identify how marginalised citizens are constituted by, but also resist, neoliberal health promotion policies as welfare policy moves away from universalism and towards targeting in Denmark, which appears to increase health inequalities along socio-economic and ethnic lines.     

Community-based delivery of maternal care in conflict-affected areas of eastern Burma: Perspectives from lay maternal health workers

In settings where active conflict, resource scarcity, and logistical constraints prevail, provision of maternal health services within health centers and hospitals is unfeasible and alternative community-based strategies are needed. In eastern Burma, such conditions necessitated implementation of the “Mobile Obstetric Maternal Health Worker” (MOM) project, which has employed a community-based approach to increase access to essential maternal health services including emergency obstetric care. Lay Maternal Health Workers (MHWs) are central to the MOM service delivery model and, because they are accessible to both the communities inside Burma and to outside project managers, they serve as key informants for the project. Their insights can facilitate program and policy efforts to overcome critical delays and insufficient management of maternal complications linked to maternal mortality. Focus group discussions (n = 9), in-depth interviews (n = 18), and detailed case studies (n = 14) were collected from MHWs during centralized project management meetings in February and October of 2007. Five case studies are presented to characterize and interpret the realities of reproductive health work in a conflict-affected setting. Findings highlight the process of building supportive networks and staff ownership of the MOM project, accessing and gaining community trust and participation to achieve timely delivery of care, and overcoming challenges to manage and appropriately deliver essential health services. They suggest that some emergency obstetric care services that are conventionally delivered only within healthcare settings might be feasible in community or home-based settings when alternatives are not available. This paper provides an opportunity to hear directly from community-based workers in a conflict setting, perspectives seldom documented in the scientific literature. A rights-based approach to service delivery and its suitability in settings where human rights violations are widespread is highlighted.     

对社区卫生服务补偿机制的思考

通过对华阳地段医院１９９６～１９９８年医院收支、财政拨款与防保经费收支情况分析,阐述了医院补偿机制的重要性和必要性。探讨医院补偿途径,提出新形势下拓宽卫生筹资渠道,对于基层医院卫生服务功能定位,促进医疗改革顺利实施具有重要意义。     

Primary Care Trusts involving the community: is community development the way forward?

Patient and user involvement is central to current government thinking on the NHS. More comprehensive approaches to organised community participation and community development have received less support and examples of effective and genuine participation in key areas such as primary care decision-making are rare. The initiative described in this paper was established in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1995 to promote community participation in decision-making about local health services. It has particular relevance to current concerns about addressing social exclusion and tackling health inequalities since it operates in an area of social disadvantage with a significant black and ethnic minority population (6 percent). This case study is based on an independent evaluation which used multiple research methods, including interviews, questionnaire surveys and direct observation, to assess the project's practice and impact. Describes a community development approach to public participation. An emphasis on inclusive practices has facilitated meaningful involvement of minority groups such as ethnic minority residents and those with disabilities who tend to be marginalised in public debate. Argues that the project has made a significant impact on the ways in which local health services are planned and delivered     

Mode of birth and social inequalities in health: The effect of maternal education and access to hospital care on cesarean delivery

Access to health care is an important factor in explaining health inequalities. This study focuses on the issue of access to health care as a driving force behind the social discrepancies in cesarean delivery using data from 707 newborn children in the 2006–2011 birth cohorts of the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP). Data on individual birth outcomes are linked to hospital data using extracts of the quality assessment reports of nearly all German hospitals. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used to assess hospital service clusters within a 20-km radius buffer around mother׳s homes. Logistic regression models adjusting for maternal characteristics indicate that the likelihood to deliver by a cesarean section increases for the least educated women when they face constraints with regard to access to hospital care. No differences between the education groups are observed when access to obstetric care is high, thus a high access to hospital care seems to balance out health inequalities that are related to differences in education. The results emphasize the importance of focusing on unequal access to hospital care in explaining differences in birth outcomes.     

Health inequalities of the Roma in Europe: a literature review

The Roma are the most populous marginalised community in Europe and have some of the greatest health needs. There is a higher prevalence of communicable and non-communicable diseases within the community and significantly shorter life expectancies than national averages. Efforts by governments across Europe to address these health inequalities have been relatively weak and the Roma suffer poorer access to health care, education and employment in every country that they inhabit in comparison to the majority population. As the socioeconomic determinants of health become better understood over the past decade, it is becoming clear that societies with greater inequalities are less healthy overall. It is important for public health across Central and Eastern Europe that the health needs of the Roma are prioritised by governments concerned. We provide a review of the literature on the health inequalities of the Roma community in Europe.     

中国社会办医的现状分析

通过系统分析中国社会办医的现状,为进一步促进社会办医提出政策建议。根据国内外文献,社会办医疗机构和公立医疗机构在医疗费用和服务质量方面并没有显著差异,并且由于社会办医促进市场开放与公平竞争,公立医院和整个医疗卫生服务市场的绩效也因此有所提高（正向溢出效应）。尽管如此,由于中国长期计划经济自上而下的资源配置与行政干预,社会办医长期未能得到健康发展,主要政策障碍包括准入方面存在隐形限制、经营方面缺乏税收鼓励、用人方面缺少优质医师资源。因此,建议调整区域卫生规划的功能从“封顸”向“兜底”过渡,尽快制定有利于社会办医的土地政策和人才政策,进一步完善相关配套措施,促进社会办医在中国的健康发展。     

Falling through the net of stroke care

The provision of healthcare services has been shown to differ by social characteristics such as gender, age and social status. The processes by which such differences arise are unclear. We report findings from a qualitative interview study with stroke service providers undertaken during an investigation of inequalities in stroke care. We interviewed 41 professionals from hospital and community settings in south London. Participants' accounts are used to explore how it is that patients' trajectories of care might not follow evidence-based guidelines, focusing on stroke unit admission, provision of hospital rehabilitation therapies and community health and social services. Categories of patients who might not receive best care were people who were cognitively impaired, those regarded as having 'complex problems', those with communication problems and younger people. Additionally, the local availability of services was thought to affect individuals' chances of receiving particular components of care. Although professionals spoke of certain types of patients as 'falling through the net' (of services), their accounts suggest that they channel patients through services according to an implicit template of the individual suited to the service. Those who do not fit the service as currently resourced may have reduced access to specific components of care. If inequalities in access to care are to be addressed we require a better understanding of how professionals' decision-making processes test the fit between service users and the implicit template of 'suitable' patient or client.     

‘If there were doctors who could understand our problems,I would already be better’: dissatisfactory health care and marginalisation in superdiverse neighbourhoods.

How people in community settings describe their experience of disappointing health care, and their responses to such dissatisfaction, sheds light on the role of marginalisation and underlines the need for radically responsive service provision. Making the case for studying unprompted accounts of dissatisfaction with healthcare provision, this is an original analysis of 71 semi-structured interviews with healthcare users in superdiverse neighbourhoods in four European cities. Healthcare users spontaneously express disappointment with services that dismiss their concerns and fail to attend to their priorities. Analysing characteristics of these healthcare users show that no single aspect of marginalisation shapes the expression of disappointment. In response to disappointing health care, users sought out alternative services and to persuade reluctant service providers, and they withdrew from services, in order to access more suitable health care and to achieve personal vindication. Promoting normative quality standards for diverse and diversifying populations that access care from a range of public and private service providers is in tension with prioritising services that are responsive to individual priorities. Without an effort towards radically responsive service provision, the ideal of universal access on the basis of need gives way to normative service provision.     

Exploring the impact of a community hospital closure on older adults: A focus group study

The closing of hospitals has exacerbated challenges for older adults in accessing healthcare, especially those living in economically underserved settings. Through focus groups and a community-engaged approach, our study examined and documented the emergent health needs of older adults following the closing of a local hospital in an economically disadvantaged community. Focus groups were reconvened to assess progress and health needs over time. Analyses of the focus groups (n=37, mean age 77, 84% female) illustrated the impact of the closure and the emergence of the following dominant themes: perceptions of the hospital system, including feelings of abandonment and social isolation; transportation challenges in accessing health care resources; and lack of knowledge and literacy regarding available health care and obtaining health services. Discussion sessions with hospital administrators and participants afforded an opportunity for sharing data and additional assessment. The data and relationships developed with community participants and health system representatives resulted in the production of an information resource about access to health services, tailored for older adults.     

The impact of community Men’s Sheds on the physical health of their users

With men more susceptible than women to illness and mortality, and less likely to access primary healthcare services, there have been calls for more male friendly spaces within communities to engage ‘hard to reach’ men in physical health improvement. Research has shown that Men’s Shed (Shed) activity can provide localised support for the mental health and social wellbeing of men within communities, yet less is known about Sheds’ impacts on physical health. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 62 Sheds users, this study conceptualises proposed pathways from which Shed activity can lead to positive physical health outcomes. Findings showed that in attending a community Men’s Shed and taking part in activities users reported (i) increased mobility and decreased sedentary behavior, (ii) increased ability to overcome physical illness or injury, (iii) improved diet, (iv) decreased alcohol use, and (v) improved physical health knowledge. These findings support wider recommendations for community-based male friendly approaches to physical health improvement, and stress the importance of health and care service delivery beyond boundaries of ‘standard’ NHS settings, especially when targeting those viewed as ‘hard to reach’. While initiatives like Sheds do not offer a replacement of primary healthcare services, they have the potential to fit within existing health and social care practices as an alternative local health-engagement space for men.     

Is digital health care more equitable? The framing of health inequalities within England's digital health policy 2010–2017

Informed by a discourse analysis, this article examines the framing of equity within the UK's digital health policies between 2010 and 2017, focusing on England's development of NHS Digital and its situation within the UK Government's wider digital strategy. Analysis of significant policy documents reveals three interrelated discourses that are engaged within England's digital health policies: equity as a neoliberal imaginary of digital efficiency and empowerment; digital health as a pathway towards democratising health care through data‐sharing, co‐creation and collaboration; and finally, digital health as a route towards extending citizen autonomy through their access to data systems. It advances knowledge of the relationship between digital health policy and health inequalities. Revealing that while inclusion remains a priority area for policymakers, equity is being constituted in ways that reflect broader discourses of neoliberalism, empowerment and the turn to the market for technological solutionism, which may potentially exacerbate health inequalities.     

The Impact of Changes in Health and Social Care on Enteral Feeding in the Community

This paper examines the impact of the changes to health and social care on enteral feeding in the community, outlines implications for practice and offers recommendations to ameliorate the challenges. It is now clear that there have been significant changes especially in the last 10 years in health and social care provisions in the UK with an overarching effect on enteral nutrition in the community. Advances in technology, increasing demand and treatment costs, the need for improvement in quality, economic challenges, market forces, political influences and more choices for patients are some of the factors driving the change. Government’s vision of a modern system of health and social care is based on initiatives such as clinically led commissioning, establishment of Monitor, shifting care from acute hospitals to community settings, integrating health and social care provisions, Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) program and the concept of “Big Society”. These strategies which are encapsulated in various guidelines, policies and legislation, including the health and social care Act, 2012 are clarified. The future challenges and opportunities brought on by these changes for healthcare professionals and patients who access enteral nutrition in the community are discussed and recommendations to improve practice are outlined.     

社区卫生服务体系建设项目理论评价案例：来自新疆石河子市的经验

新疆石河子市社区卫生服务在以政府投入为主体的运行模式下运行,管理上以市区两大综合医院为依托,建立了医院与社区卫生服务机构的有效合作机制,为全体居民按成本提供基本医疗服务和免费的公共卫生服务。该市在社区卫生服务政策制定上的经验对中小城市社区卫生服务体系建设具有参考价值。     

State Health Policy and Rural Hospitals

Many rural hospitals are experiencing difficulties. This article explores the views of various government and hospital officials on state health policy for rural hospitals. The authors discuss how these officials define the rural hospital issues and suggest appropriate state interventions to assure hospital viability and local access to care. The authors recommend that states, hospitals, and communities decide through a formal process what level of health and medical care should be available in rural areas, and states assist in low-cost ways those rural hospitals that are ready to change or that, with help, will be ready to make such operational changes as service reconfiguration, affiliations, and working agreements with other health care organizations to continue and improve local access to health care.     

An investigation of culturally competent terminology in healthcare policy finds ambiguity and lack of definition

Objective : This research explored how the concept of cultural competence was represented and expressed through health policies that were intended to improve the quality and efficacy of healthcare provided to families from culturally marginalised communities, particularly women and children with refugee backgrounds. Method : A critical document analysis was conducted of policies that inform healthcare for families from culturally marginalised communities in two local government areas in South Australia. Results : The analysis identified two major themes: lack of, or inconsistent, definitions of ‘culture’ and ‘cultural competency’ and related terms; and the paradoxical use of language to determine care. Conclusions : Cultural competence within health services has been identified as an important factor that can improve the health outcomes for families from marginalised communities. However, inconsistency in definitions, understanding and implementation of cultural competence in health practice makes it difficult to implement care using these frameworks. Implications : Clearly defined pathways are necessary from health policy to inform culturally competent service delivery. The capacity for policy directives to effectively circumvent the potential deleterious outcomes of culturally incompetent services is only possible when that policy provides clear definitions and instructions. Consultation and partnership are necessary to develop effective definitions and processes relating to cultural competence.     

A lost cause? Extending verbal autopsy to investigate biomedical and socio-cultural causes of maternal death in Burkina Faso and Indonesia

Maternal mortality in developing countries is characterised by disadvantage and exclusion. Women who die whilst pregnant are typically poor and live in low-income and rural settings where access to quality care is constrained and where deaths, within and outside hospitals, often go unrecorded and unexamined. Verbal autopsy (VA) is an established method of determining cause(s) of death for people who die outside health facilities or without proper registration. This study extended VA to investigate socio-cultural factors relevant to outcomes. Interviews were conducted with relatives of 104 women who died during pregnancy, childbirth or postpartum in two rural districts in Indonesia and for 70 women in a rural district in Burkina Faso. Information was collected on medical signs and symptoms of the women prior to death and an extended section collected accounts of care pathways and opinions on preventability and cause of death. Illustrative quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed and the implications for health surveillance and planning were considered. The cause of death profiles were similar in both settings with infectious diseases, haemorrhage and malaria accounting for half the deaths. In both settings, delays in seeking, reaching and receiving care were reported by more than two-thirds of respondents. Relatives also provided information on their experiences of the emergencies revealing culturally-derived systems of explanation, causation and behaviour. Comparison of the qualitative and quantitative results suggested that the quantified delays may have been underestimated. The analysis suggests that broader empirical frameworks can inform more complete health planning by situating medical conditions within the socio-economic and cultural landscapes in which healthcare is situated and sought. Utilising local knowledge, extended VA has potential to inform the relative prioritisation of interventions that improve technical aspects of life-saving services with those that address the conditions that underlie health, for those whom services typically fail to reach.     

老年人卫生服务利用情况及影响因素分析

[目的]了解江西省60岁以上人群医疗服务利用情况及其影响因素，为卫生服务管理与决策提供依据。[方法]采用整群抽样，以家庭卫生服务调查表及问卷调查的方式对老年人的一般健康状况及卫生服务利用情况进行调查。[结果]老年人中两周就诊率7.01%，年住院率6.00%。城市老年患者主要选择县区级医院就诊，农村老年患者主要选择私人开业的医疗场所就诊，对社区卫生服务站的利用较低。人均住院费用占人均医疗总费用的79.49%。两周门诊就诊费用和住院费用都主要集中在县级医院和省级医院，占总各费用的81.01%和68.29%。[结论]医疗费用与经济收入成为影响老年人对卫生服务的合理利用的重要因素。完善医疗保障制度，积极开展社区卫生服务是解决老年人医疗保健问题的有效途径。     

Health supports needed for homeless persons transitioning from hospitals

Being homeless has a negative effect on health and the health needs of individuals experiencing homelessness are complex and challenging to address. As a result of limited access to and use of primary healthcare, the main point of entry into the healthcare system for individuals experiencing homelessness is often hospitals and emergency departments. Persons experiencing homelessness are commonly discharged from hospital settings to locations that do not support recovery or access to follow‐up care (e.g. shelters or the street). This can be costly to both the healthcare system and to individuals' health and quality of life. We conducted a scoping review of the literature published between 2007 and 2017 to identify the types of health supports needed for persons experiencing homelessness who are discharged from the hospital. Thirteen literature sources met inclusion criteria and thematic data analyses by two researchers resulted in the identification of six themes related to the types of health supports needed for persons experiencing homelessness who are transitioning (i.e. being discharged) from the hospital. Using a community consultation approach, the scoping review themes were validated with 23 health and shelter service providers and included in our integrated findings. Themes included: (a) a respectful and understanding approach to care, (b) housing assessments, (c) communication/coordination/navigation, (d) supports for after‐care, (e) complex medical care and medication management, and (f) basic needs and transportation. These themes were found to resonate with participants of the community consultation workshop. Recommendations for trauma‐informed care and patient‐ or client‐centred care approaches are discussed.