Measuring catastrophic medical expenditures: Reflections on three issues

In the “basic” approach, medical expenses are catastrophic if they exceed a prespecified percentage of consumption or income; the approach tells us if expenses cause a large percentage reduction in living standards. The ability‐to‐pay (ATP) approach defines expenses as catastrophic if they exceed a prespecified percentage of consumption less expenses on nonmedical necessities or an allowance for them. The paper argues that the ATP approach does not tell us whether expenses are large enough to undermine a household's ability to purchase nonmedical necessities. The paper compares the income‐based and consumption‐based variants of the basic approach, and shows that if the individual is a borrower after a health shock, the income‐based ratio will exceed the consumption‐based ratio, and both will exceed the more theoretically correct Flores et al. ratio; whereas if the individual continues to be a saver after a health shock, the ordering is reversed and the income‐based ratio may not overestimate Flores et al.'s ratio. Last, the paper proposes a lifetime money metric utility (LMMU) approach defining medical expenses as catastrophic in terms of their lifetime consequences. Under certain assumptions, the LMMU and Flores et al. approaches are identical, and neither requires data on how households finance their medical expenses.     

分级诊疗制度下公立医院的实践方式思考*

推行分级诊疗是深化医药卫生体制改革的核心战略,公立医院为了适应分级诊疗的推行必须在实践过程中对相关的措施进行调整。通过分析部分省份在分级诊疗推行过程中公立医院进行的相关改革情况,针对公立医院在分级诊疗推行过程中存在的难以有效下沉医疗资源、信息化建设不到位和分级诊疗推行缺乏持久动力等问题,提出了加强医院内部管理、加强信息化建设并发展高新技术以及完善激励机制等措施,使公立医院在分级诊疗过程中发挥更重要的作用。     

Extending multilevel spatial models to include spatially varying coefficients

Multilevel models have long been used by health geographers working on questions of space, place, and health. Similarly, health geographers have pursued interests in determining whether or not the effect of an exposure on a health outcome varies spatially. However, relatively little work has sought to use multilevel models to explore spatial variability in the effects of a contextual exposure on a health outcome. Methodologically, extending multilevel models to allow intercepts and slopes to vary spatially is straightforward. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to show how multilevel spatial models can be extended to include spatially varying covariate effects. We provide an empirical example on the effect of agriculture on malaria risk in children under 5 years of age in the Democratic Republic of Congo.     

Disparity between recent graduates’ and experienced surgeons' assessment of time to operative independence

Background

In cardiothoracic surgery, little data exist on the transition to operative independence. We aimed to compare current perceptions of operative autonomy of junior cardiothoracic surgeons and senior colleagues who oversee transitional years.

生理学教学核心理念变革的探讨

医学教育改革更多的是热衷于授课形式和方法的改革，而忽视了真正能够渗透到教学各方面的教学理念的改革。结合对生理学教学目标的反思和“岗位胜任力”培养的需求，将生理学教学的核心理念总结为四个方面：“三观”要正，帮助学生树立平衡观、辩证观和整体观；“三基”要牢，培养学生掌握基本的知识架构体系、基本的知识获取能力、基本的操作技能；重视学以致用和强化人文素养。上述核心理念在教学实践中得到学生的广泛认可，临床医学专业学生对核心理念的评价明显高于护理专业。下一步教学改革的方向是在教学理念的指导下如何细化授课内容，以适应专业设置越来越细化的现状。