Access to and Use of Eye Care Services in Rural Arkansas

Context: Rural residents are more likely to be uninsured and have low income.
Purpose: To determine if rural residents in Arkansas have decreased access to eye care services and use them less frequently than urban residents.
Methods: Data from the 2006 Visual Impairment and Access to Eye Care Module from the Arkansas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) were used in the analysis. Adults age 40 years and older were included (n = 4,289). Results were weighted to reflect the age, race, and gender distribution of the population of Arkansas. Multiple logistic regression was used to adjust for demographic differences between rural and urban populations.
Findings: Significantly fewer rural residents (45%) reported having insurance coverage for eye care services compared with residents living in urban areas (55%). Rural residents were less likely (45%) than urban residents (49%) to have had a dilated eye exam within the past year. Among residents aged 40-64, those from rural areas were more likely than their urban counterparts to report cost/lack of insurance as the main reason for not having a recent eye care visit.
Conclusions: In 2006, rates of eye care insurance coverage were significantly lower for rural residents while use of eye care services differed slightly between rural and urban residents. Rural residents in Arkansas age 40-64 would benefit from having increased access to eye care insurance and/or low cost eye care services.     

城乡基层医疗卫生机构基本公共卫生服务居民满意度研究:以湖北省为例

目的:分析湖北省城乡居民对基本公共卫生服务的满意度及影响因素,为改善我国基本公共卫生服务质量提供政策依据。方法:根据经济发展情况选取湖北省武汉、黄冈、荆州地区共12家基层医疗卫生机构,对就诊居民进行满意度问卷调查,测量居民对基本公共卫生服务的可及性、舒适性、安全性和有效性的满意状况。结果:城乡居民对基本公共卫生服务的满意度得分为71.62分,总满意率为73.44%。城乡居民对基本公共卫生服务具体指标满意度最高的为就诊方便性(83.03%)和隐私保护(80.25%),满意度最低的指标为医疗技术(61.61%)和设备设施(64.53%)。Logistic回归分析结果显示,基本公共卫生服务的可及性、舒适性、安全性对社区居民满意度影响较大,性别及年医疗支出对居民满意度也有一定的影响。结论:城乡居民对基本公共卫生服务总体满意度处于一般水平,有待提升;城市平均满意度高于农村,农村地区存在较大的提升空间;基本公共卫生服务应进一步强化质量建设,促进城乡基本公共卫生服务均等化发展。     

Use of Medicare services related to diabetes care: the impact of rural isolation

ABSTRACT: This study used Medicare data for people living in New South Wales (NSW) (1993–1997) to examine the impact of rural isolation on the utilisation of diabetes health care services. The relative odds of attending a specialist was slightly higher for people in urban areas when compared to their rural counterparts but reached as high as 1.85 in regard to attendance to consultant physicians. Surveillance of diabetes parameters over the 5 year period showed greatest improvement in rural areas. The proportion of patients each year with glycaemic control assessed by quantification of glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) or renal function and vascular risk by micro-albuminuria estimation rose to 57.4% and 12.3%, respectively, in rural areas compared to 55.2% and 11.3% in major urban areas. This study has shown that the level of monitoring in rural areas is equal to urban areas, despite decreased access to medical care, highlighting the vital role GPs play in diabetes management in rural NSW.     

Impact of improved primary care on patient satisfaction: Results of a pilot study in the University of the Philippines

Primary care is generally perceived by the public as an inefficient, low‐quality source of health care in the Philippines. Taking a toll on local health policies, the repercussions of these views warrant a more holistic approach in understanding patient experience. This paper evaluates the impact of strengthening primary care services on patient satisfaction at the University of the Philippines Health Service (UPHS). A prevalidated 16‐item, 5‐scale questionnaire was distributed to 200 eligible patients at the start of the study in 2016 and then again in 2017. A significant increase of highly satisfied patients in 13 of 16 questionnaire items was recorded after primary care services in the facility were strengthened. The highest satisfaction scores were reported for overall wait times, coordination of care, and health advice. Our findings suggest that improvements in primary care services through digitalizing health records, financing laboratory and pharmaceutical services, and retraining staff accounts for significant improvements in patient satisfaction. This ultimately bears potential for better clinical outcomes in form of patient retention and long‐term care.     

Health Care Utilization Patterns for Young Children in Rural Counties of the I‐95 Corridor of South Carolina

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess health care utilization patterns for young children with Medicaid insurance in the rural counties of the I‐95 corridor in South Carolina relative to other regions of the state. We hypothesize that young children received less well care and higher levels of tertiary care in the rural counties along the I‐95 corridor (I‐95) of South Carolina. Design/Methods: A Medicaid cohort of children less than 3 years of age was used to compare Early, Periodic, Diagnosis, Screening and Treatment (EPSDT) visits; preventable emergency department (ED) visits; and inpatient visits between I‐95, other rural and urban county groupings. Results: The adjusted odds of a child having had 80% of the recommended EPSDT visits were reduced for I‐95 compared to other rural counties. The odds of a preventable inpatient or ED visit were increased for all rural counties, with the highest rates in the other rural counties. Conclusions: Children accessed well care less in the I‐95 corridor compared to other rural areas of South Carolina. Rural children accessed tertiary care more often than urban children, a finding most prominent outside the I‐95 corridor, likely attributable to more available access of tertiary care in rural counties outside the I‐95 corridor.     

Costing of commune health station visits for provider payment reform in Vietnam

Expanding effective coverage in Vietnam will require better use of available resources and placing higher priority on primary care. The way providers are currently paid does not give priority to primary care and does not reflect the costs of delivering services. This paper aims to estimate the unit costs of primary care visits at commune health stations (CHS) in selected areas in Vietnam. Seventy-six CHS from two provinces in northern Vietnam were studied. Costs were calculated from the perspective of the CHS using the top-down costing using the step-down cost accounting technique in order to estimate the full cost of delivering services. On average, the cost of one outpatient visit in mountainous, rural and urban CHSs was VND 49,521 (US$2.40), VND 41,375 (US$2.01) and VND 39,794 (US$1.93), respectively. Personnel costs accounted for the highest share of total costs followed by medicines. The share of operating costs was minimal. On average, CHSs recover 18.9% of their total cost for an outpatient visit from social insurance payments or fees that can be charged patients. The results provide valuable information for policy-makers as they revise the provider payment methods to better reflect the costs of services and give greater priority to primary care.     

Emergency department reliance among rural children in Medicaid in New York State

Abstract Purpose: This study examines variation in emergency department reliance (EDR) between rural and metro pediatric Medicaid patients in New York State for noninjury, nonpoisoning primary diagnoses and seeks to determine the relationship between receipt of preventive care and the likelihood of EDR. Methods: Rural/urban designations were based on Urban Influence Codes established by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS^®) well‐visit measures were calculated using 2008 Medicaid claims and encounter data. Well‐child numerator status and location of residence variables were then entered as independent variables in multivariate logistic regression models. Models controlled for the effects of Medicaid financing system (fee‐for‐service vs managed care), Medicaid aid type, race/ethnicity, gender, and 2008 clinical risk group category. Findings: The likelihood of EDR was higher in all age categories for rural compared to metro residing Medicaid children in New York State. Meeting HEDIS well‐child criteria was protective against emergency department (ED) reliance in the adolescence age group (OR = 0.84). Conclusion: ED reliance is associated with rural residence. Increased access to primary and specialty care in rural settings could help reduce EDR, particularly among rural adolescents.     

北京海淀区城乡孕产期保健状况调查

目的了解城乡社区人群孕产期保健状况。方法对接受产后保健的无妊娠合并症及并发症的1126名城乡初产妇进行产后42天的问卷调查。结果在1126例产妇中,产前检查率为100．0％,城乡产妇孕早期（≤12周）产检率分别为85．4％及73．8％,产检次数超过11次的城乡产妇分别占36．7％及26．8％,经比较差异均有统计学意义（,值分别为13．310、7．657,均P〈0．叭）。城乡产妇做6次及以上B超的人数分别达14．4％及16．5％,参加孕妇学校的城乡产妇比例仅分别为60．0％和29．7％,孕期增重〉15kg的城市及农村产妇分别为51．6％和49．3％。城市产妇剖宫产率为44．3％,其中社会因素剖宫产占剖宫产的39．5％;农村产妇剖宫产率为44．1％,其中社会因素剖宫产占剖宫产的42．6％。新生儿出生体重超过3600g的城乡产妇分别为26．6％和27．9％。结论对城乡产妇孕产期保健服务的提供存在过度与不足并存的现象,应采取各种有效措施对孕产妇及大众进行广泛宣教、对医务人员进行广泛培训,从而持续改进孕产期保健工作质量。     

Understanding the Landscape: Promoting Health for Rural Individuals After Tertiary Level Cardiac Revascularization

Purpose: The purpose of this pilot study was to describe the needs and experiences of rural individuals commuting to an urban center for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: Data were analyzed from a “Patient Adherence and Satisfaction Survey” conducted by telephone as part of a quality improvement focus, and supplemented with in‐depth semi‐structured interviews with rural patients following PCI. Findings: Both urban and rural patients after PCI experienced few complications, had made some attempts to reduce tobacco usage, and were highly satisfied with explanations of their treatment and their overall treatment experience. Patients in rural settings were more likely to experience chest pain at least rarely following their surgery than people in urban settings (P < .05). Data on participation in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) showed no significant differences between urban and rural dwellers. Four themes emerged from the interviews: standards of care during treatment; transportation; local resources and community support; and lifestyle changes. Although patients were highly satisfied with standards of care during acute treatment, there were unmet needs in relation to transportation and lifestyle changes. Conclusion: Transitions between rural communities and urban centers and rural adaptations of secondary prevention programs require more attention in health service delivery. Further research is required to better understand potential variations in chest pain patterns between urban and rural residents.     

Australian GPs are satisfied with their job: even more so in rural areas

BACKGROUND: Australia has seen a constriction of the scope of practice and of professional prerogatives for GPs in the 1990s, which is said to have led to lower job satisfaction, particularly for rural GPs. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine levels of job satisfaction and mental health in a rural and an urban sample of GPs, and to correlate population and practice characteristics with lower job satisfaction and morale. METHODS: A postal survey of GP members of two urban and four rural Divisions of General Practice in New South Wales was carried out using the Wall-Cook-Warr scale and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). The overall response rate was 74%. RESULTS: Both urban and rural Australian GPs were generally satisfied with their jobs; however, rural GPs had significantly higher job satisfaction scores. The highest levels of satisfaction were recorded for factors denoting autonomy. The lowest ranked factors were hours of work, income and government policy in general practice. GPs without psychological disturbance were significantly more satisfied with their work than those who were disturbed. Lower job satisfaction was significantly associated with urban GPs, GPs who worked full-time and those who used a language other than English during consultations. Poor mental health and working in an urban area were predictive of lower job satisfaction in men, and bulk-billing all patients (i.e. not charging patients a co-payment, but making a consolidated claim to the government funder Medicare) and working full-time were predictive of lower job satisfaction in women. CONCLUSIONS: Both urban and rural GPs derive a large measure of satisfaction from their job. In particular, rural GPs are satisfied, especially so with their autonomy. Poor mental health was the strongest predictor of lower job satisfaction. The high percentage of GPs with psychological disturbances raises the problem of their access to appropriate mental health services, in particular in rural areas.     

中国已婚育龄妇女产前保健服务研究

目的:分析我国已婚育龄妇女产前保健服务状况及其变化。方法:利用《1997年全国人口与生殖健康调查》和《2001年全国计划生育/生殖健康调查》两次调查资料,采用STAT/TRASFER软件转换数据库,经过变量重新设置,连接两次调查的数据库,用SAS8.02软件对数据进行统计分析。结果:①与1997年调查前3年相比,2001年调查前3年育龄妇女的产前检查率增加较小。②1998～2000年间,95%以上城镇妇女接受产前保健服务,76%的农村妇女接受产前检查。③1998～2000年间,西部地区妇女中,超过1/3不做产前检查。西部地区以农村、少数民族、文化程度低的妇女产前保健最为薄弱。西部地区农村产前检查率远低于全国农村的平均水平。④少数民族育龄妇女的产前检查率明显低于汉族育龄妇女;随着文化程度和经济收入的增加育龄妇女对产前保健服务的利用增加。文盲妇女、经济收入低的妇女产前检查率极低。结论:我国产前保健服务状况发展极不平衡,西部地区农村的产前保健服务急待提高。需加强对西部地区和弱势育龄妇女产前保健服务的支持力度。对西部农村妇女,特别是少数民族,文化程度低、经济条件差的妇女应实施财政补贴政策。     

Implications of reassigning patients for the medical home: a case study

PURPOSE Improving patient-doctor continuity is one goal of the medical home, but achieving this goal may require physicians to reduce panel size. This article examines the impact on patient experience and utilization of Group Health Cooperative’s process of reassigning patients to new physicians as part of their medical home demonstration project.METHODS This work represents a subanalysis of the Group Health medical home pilot evaluation. Study participants include 8,005 adults who received primary care in 2006 and 2007 at an urban practice owned and operated by a not-for-profit integrated delivery system. Approximately one-quarter of patients were selected to be reassigned to a new physician. Primary care, emergency department, secure messaging, and telephone utilization were captured through automated sources. Patients’ experience was measured before and after implementation of the medical home for a subset of 1,098 patients.RESULTS Patients who were retained by their existing physicians were older, sicker, and had longer preexisting patient-doctor relationships. After reassignment, reassigned patients were less likely to use primary care services but equally likely to use the emergency department. They were no less satisfied with their care experience.CONCLUSIONS Informational and managerial continuity may mitigate deleterious effects of reassignment, but more must be done to actively bind reassigned patients to the medical home to improve relational continuity with younger, healthier patients.     

Rural physical health care services for people with serious mental illness: A nursing perspective

Objective: To understand nurse perspectives on the physical health needs of their mental health clients and how well rural services are meeting their overall care needs. Design: Focus groups with semistructured format. Setting: Community mental health care in a regional and rural district of Queensland. Participants: Thirty‐eight nurses in public mental health care. Results: The major themes were (i) stigma of mental illness, (ii) barriers to accessing physical health care services, (iii) nurse adaptations under demands, and (iv) community and integration towards better overall health. Nurses integrate overall care and foster its continuity for people with physical and mental co‐morbidity and can be supported much better in sustaining this. Conclusion: Access and continuity of physical health care experienced by all Australians is exacerbated for people in rural areas. Physical health of people with serious mental illness residing in remote Australia needs to be a national health priority.     

Rural Physician Satisfaction: Its Sources and Relationship to Retention

This study uses survey data to identify areas of satisfaction and dissatisfaction for primary care physicians working in rural areas across the country. It also identifies the specific areas of satisfaction associated with longer retention within a given rural practice, as well as the characteristics of individuals, practices, jobs, and communities associated with the areas of satisfaction that predict retention. Study subjects comprised a sample of 1,600 primary care physicians who moved to nonmetropolitan counties nationwide during the years 1987 through 1990, with oversampling of those who moved to federally designated health professional shortage areas (HPSAs). Physicians serving in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) were excluded. Sixty-nine percent of the eligible subjects returned completed mail questionnaires in 1991. Analyses for this study were limited to the 620 primary care physicians who worked more than 20 hours per week in towns of fewer than 35,000 population; who were neither in the military nor the NHSC; and who were not in urgent care, emergency room, or full-time teaching positions. Analyses revealed that the areas of rural physicians' greatest satisfaction were their relationships with patients, clinical autonomy, the care they provided to medically needy patients, and life in small communities. Physicians were least satisfied with their access to urban amenities and the amount of time they spent away from their practices. Retention was independently associated only with physicians' satisfaction with their communities and their opportunities to achieve professional goals. Retention was also marginally related to physicians' satisfaction with their earnings. Among the areas of satisfaction not related to retention were satisfaction with autonomy, access to medical information and consultants, and the quality of doctor-patient relationships. In a subsequent series of analyses of the factors that predict the three areas of satisfaction that were associated with retention (satisfaction with the community, professional goal attainment, and earnings), a variety of physician, work, and community factors were identified. These findings reveal that specific features of rural physicians, their work, and their communities predict each of the various aspects of satisfaction and that only certain aspects of satisfaction predict rural physicians' retention. There are no magic bullets to make rural physicians satisfied in all ways. Nevertheless, there are identified approaches to elevate the specific aspects of rural physicians' satisfaction important to their retention. Programs to improve the satisfaction of rural physicians should focus on those areas of satisfaction that predict longer retention and other important outcomes.     

河北省城乡居民卫生服务需求与利用趋势分析与对策

目的:了解河北省城乡居民的卫生服务需求与利用情况,为制定政策提供依据。方法:采取多级分层整群随机抽样,确定5 998户的20 529名常住居民作为调查对象,用统一的调查表进行询问调查。结果:调查人群的两周患病率为18.75%,城市高于农村,与1993年相比有上升趋势;慢性病患病率为16.9%,城市高于农村,与1998年相比有上升趋势;两周就诊率为14.32%,比1993年明显下降,两周未就诊率为57.60%。居民住院率为2.56%,与1993年相比有下降趋势。结论:城乡居民的卫生服务需要量呈上升趋势,卫生服务的需求量及利用率呈下降趋势。应采取有效措施,提高卫生服务利用率。     

A “Medical Mission” at Home: The Needs of Rural America in Terms of Otolaryngology Care

Objectives: Describe the population, Medicaid, uninsured, and otolaryngology practice demographics for 7 representative rural Southeastern states, and propose academic‐affiliated outreach clinics as a service to help meet the specialty care needs of an underserved rural population, based on the “medical mission” model employed in international outreach clinics. Methods: A needs assessment was conducted via review of medical licensing and practice location data from state medical licensing authorities, together with population, Medicaid, and uninsured data from state health/human services departments and the US Census Bureau. Results: In all states examined, there are significantly more practicing otolaryngologists per capita in urban areas compared to rural areas (P < .05), with the exception of West Virginia, where the difference was not statistically significant (P= .33). In the majority of the states examined, there were higher rates (expressed as a percentage of total county population) of both Medicaid recipients and uninsured patients in rural counties compared to urban counties. Notable exceptions include Louisiana and West Virginia, where there are higher percentages of Medicaid patients in urban areas, and Kentucky and Tennessee, where there are higher percentages of uninsured patients in the urban areas (P < .05 for each comparison). Conclusions: Borrowing design elements from the international outreach clinics, which involve many US otolaryngologists, a similar medical mission model could be of benefit domestically. There are rural areas of the Southeast where visiting outreach clinics could improve access to otolaryngology care and facilitate effective use of existing “safety net” health care resources.     

1993～2008年中国育龄妇女孕产期保健服务利用趋势分析

目的:描述中国1993～2008年代表不同社会经济发展程度的地区类型已婚育龄妇女产前、产时和产后保健利用的变化情况,并探讨其中存在的问题。方法:通过卫生部发布的1993、1998、2003、2008年4次国家卫生服务调查报告中的有关数据,筛选部分关键指标分地区类型、分时段反映15～49岁已婚育龄妇女孕产期保健服务利用水平的变化和其中存在的问题。结果:在1993-2008年间,孕早期检查率、产前检查率、住院分娩率和产后访视率分别从37.0%、69.5%、38.7%和46.0%升至65.2%、94.4%、88.6%和55.6%,剖宫产率从2.35%增至27.20%;产前保健、产时保健和产后保健各项指标的城乡差别均有不同程度缩小;2008年4类农村地区住院分娩率仅为64.30%,大城市剖宫产率高达63.00%。结论:中国孕产期保健服务利用水平在过去十余年间有了较大提高,但孕早期检查和产后访视两项指标仍处于较低水平。多数指标之间的城乡差距不断缩小,但4类农村地区住院分娩率还不理想。剖宫产率在全国范围内迅速攀升,已经远远超过正常水平,需予以重视和适当引导。     

Unintentional home-related injuries in the Islamic Republic of Iran: findings from the first year of a national programme

BACKGROUND: As elsewhere, unintentional injuries are a leading cause of death in Iran, but non-fatal injuries occurring in the home environment have not been analysed. OBJECTIVES: The primary purposes of this study were to describe the pattern of home-related injuries and to obtain incidence rates for their determinants in order to monitor intervention programmes for preventive purposes. METHODS: A surveillance system for home-related injuries in selected rural and urban areas was established for the systematic collection of data. The information obtained covers emergency department visits and health services provided between March 1998 and March 1999. RESULTS: In total, 79,723 unintentional home-related injuries were reported, primarily burns (49%, incidence of 19/10,000 rural and 13/10,000 urban inhabitants) and lacerations/cuts caused by contact with sharp instruments (30%, incidence of 8.4/10,000 rural and 11/10,000 urban inhabitants). Injury rates were highest among children aged 0--4 years and lowest among the elderly (60 years or over). Rates varied between the sexes; among children under 15 years of age, most patients were male, but the opposite applied to all groups >15 years of age. Leading causes of death were burns, falls and poisoning among 628 people who died because of home-related injuries. CONCLUSIONS: The injury pattern found in this study is generally similar to that of many other countries, with the striking exception of burns. Other reports focus on the same problem, particularly with regard to Iran. The prevention of burns should be an important feature of any national injury prevention programme. Due to the varied causes of home-related injuries in Iran, interventions should be targeted at people at the greatest risk, namely children. Home visitation as a tool for face-to-face training with a sharper focus on burns, falls and poisoning prevention can be recommended as a part of primary health care policy. Greater investment in surveillance also provides a way of reducing the threat of injury in the community.     

A Comparison of Diabetes Care in Rural and Urban Medical Clinics in Alabama

This study sought to determine the differences in the level of diabetes care of patients in a rural family practice clinic and an urban internal medicine clinic in Alabama. Medical records of patients with diabetes were reviewed and management practices were compared to current American Diabetes Association (ADA) standards of care. The rural practice had fewer patients at goal A1c, goal LDL, and goal blood pressure. Rural patients were also less likely to receive screening and preventative services such as lipid profiles, eye examinations, microalbumin screening, aspirin therapy, and vaccinations than urban patients. Although, adherence to the ADA standards of care was lower with rural patients, the results suggest that there exists significant opportunity to improve the delivery of diabetes care services to both patient populations.     

Satisfaction des patients diabétiques surla qualité des services de santé ambulatoires

Aim: To assess the degree of satisfaction of diabetic patients with health care services and to determine the factors that influence it. Methods: It was a cross sectional study conducted in 2018 among diabetic outpatients of the department of endocrinology of the university hospital La Rabta. Patients general characteristics were noted. Each patient responded to a questionnaire, asked orally, in Tunisian dialect, by two physicians, about health care services including 20 questions grouped into three items. Each question was scored from 1 to 4 according to the degree of satisfaction. The global score as well as the scores of the items were calculated by adding the scores of the corresponding questions. Results: 150 diabetic patients responded to the questionnaire; mean age: 58.9±12.2 years [18-88], sex-ratio: 0.51.Cronbach coefficient was 0.78. The overall score was 62.2±6.5 [46-80]. Ninety-seven patients (64.7%) had a score ≥60. The item concerning ‘human contact and communication’ was considered good in 98% of cases. The item concerning ‘premises, cleanliness, comfort and safety’ was considered intermediate in 64% of cases. Patients were very satisfied with the accessibility of the department inside the hospital (76.7%), the attitude of the agents during the administrative formalities (74%) and particularly the behaviour of the doctor (96%). However, they were dissatisfied with the noise (72%) and overcrowding (67.4%) of the waiting room. There were no statistically significant associations between the overall score and the studied data. Conclusion: The diabetic patients were overall satisfied with the provided services. Actions must be taken to reduce overcrowding and long waiting times..