Quality of diabetes care in community health centers

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the quality of diabetes care in community health centers. METHODS: In 55 midwestern community health centers, we reviewed the charts of 2865 diabetic adults for American Diabetes Association measures of quality. RESULTS: On average, 70% of the patients in each community health center had measurements of glycosylated hemoglobin, 26% had dilated eye examinations, 66% had diet intervention, and 51% received foot care. The average glycosylated hemoglobin value per community health center was 8.6%. Practice guidelines were independently associated with higher quality of care. CONCLUSIONS: Rates of adherence to process measures of quality were relatively low among community health centers, compared with the targets established by the American Diabetes Association.     

Changes of the perceived quality of care for older patients with hypertension by community health centers in shanghai

Background

Monitoring and evaluating changes of quality of primary care for older adult hypertensive patients is part of effective delivery of primary care. This study aimed to investigate changes of older adult hypertensive patients’ perceived quality of primary care over time in Shanghai.

Methods

Two rounds of cross-sectional questionnaire surveys were conducted in Shanghai in November 2011 and June 2013. A total of 437 patients participated in the first Round survey and 443 in the second. Primary care attributes were collected from Community Health Center users through on-site face-to-face interview surveys using the validated Primary Care Assessment Tool. Multiple linear regressions were used to determine whether there was any difference in primary quality of care scores between 2011 and 2013 surveys.

Results

Compared with those in the first Round, participants in the second Round reported higher scores in total primary care quality (28.73 vs. 27.75, P?<?0.001), as well as primary care attributes including first-contact utilization (2.81 vs. 2.60, P?<?0.001) and accessibility (2.48 vs. 2.44, P?<?0.05), continuity of care (3.38 vs. 3.27, P?<?0.001), coordination of information (3.82 vs. 3.67, P?<?0.001), comprehensiveness of service availability (3.51 vs. 3.39, P?<?0.001) and provision (2.69 vs. 2.43, P?<?0.001), and cultural competence (2.67 vs. 2.49, P?<?0.05), but a lower score in coordination of services (2.45 vs. 2.55, P?<?0.05).

Conclusion

Older adult hypertensive patients perceived better primary care quality from 2011 to 2013 in Shanghai. This may be associated with the general practitioner team service in Shanghai where hypertensive patients were targeted.

     

The impact of managed care on the mix of vulnerable populations served by community health centers

This article examined the impact of managed care involvement on vulnerable populations served by community health centers (CHCs), while controlling for center rural-urban location and size, and found that centers involved in managed care have served a significantly smaller proportion of uninsured patients but a higher proportion of Medicaid users than those not involved in managed care. The results suggest that the increase in Medicaid managed care patients may lead to a reduced capacity to care for the uninsured, thus hampering CHCs from expanding access to health care for the medically indigent.     

新医改以来四川省乡镇卫生院卫生技术人员的发展趋势研究

目的 在新医改政策背景下,探讨乡镇卫生院卫生技术人员的发展趋势。方法 梳理新医改以来与乡镇卫生院卫生人力建设相关的政策,利用2008和2013年四川省卫生服务调查数据以及2017年的现场调查数据,3次调查均采用多阶段分层整群抽样的方式,样本量分别为295、424和220,结合国家和四川省卫生统计年鉴,采用单因素方差分析及广义线性模型来分析2008 - 2017年四川省乡镇卫生院卫生技术人员的基本情况和职业认知变化。结果 从2009年到2017年,四川省每千农村人口乡镇卫生院卫生技术人员数1.04增加到1.49,工作年限少于9年的比例从32.94%上升到54.96%,本科及以上学历的比例从2.76%上升到6.97%,初级职称占比从84.47%下降到80.73%,月收入在3 000元以上的比例从0.7%升高到73.6%;卫生技术人员感知到的工作压力变小,总满意度从2013年的33.22升高到35.90分,感知的医患关系较差且呈恶化趋势。结论 新医改以来发布的与乡镇卫生院人力建设相关的政策取得了一定成效,但目前四川省乡镇卫生院卫生技术人员整体水平依然较低,且影响了乡镇卫生院医疗服务质量的提升。     

新时期乡镇卫生院改革的探索和实践——从安徽省乡镇卫生院改革路径的设计说起

安徽省人民政府在近期印发的《关于基层医药卫生体制改革试点实施意见》中对乡镇卫生院的综合改革做出了前所未有的系列安排。安徽在医改政策设计初期,是聚焦于乡镇卫生院实行药品的零差率制度,当时并没有考虑到乡镇卫生院的综合改革。     

Antiretroviral prophylaxis of health care workers at two urban medical centers

We examined the influence of job category, source patient HIV status, and exposure type as predictors of whether health care workers initiated antiretroviral prophylaxis after potential blood-borne pathogen exposures. Of 639 exposures over an 18-month period, 82 individuals (13%) elected to receive prophylaxis, of whom 66% took medications for fewer than 96 hours and 12% completed a 4-week course. Reasons for early drug discontinuation included confirmation of source patient HIV-negative serological status (65%), gastrointestinal side effects (13%), headache (4%), and personal decision after counseling/other input (18%). Individuals exposed to HIV-positive source patients were more likely to initiate prophylaxis (odds ratio [OR], 5.1; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.6 to 9.9). Licensed nurses were less likely than others to accept prophylaxis (OR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3 to 0.8), whereas physicians and medical students were more likely to accept prophylaxis (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.1 to 3.3).     

Problems in reforming health care centers

Reformation of therapeutic and prophylactic institutions attached to various institutions and ministries is and important problem of public health at the modern stage of its development. A model developed and tried in Magnitogorsk can serve as a perspective trend of such reforms. A medical institution with mixed form of property has been created. The institution was set up by administration of the territory and a plant (Magnitogorsk metallurgical plant). Creation of a new health center as a non-commercial institution promoted its integration in the municipal public health system; the institution possesses all the potentialities of a budget organization and retains close contact with the plant. Such a solution of the problem improved the financial status of the health center and promoted its adaptation to marketing conditions. Attraction of additional finances from industry to municipal public health allowed the administration of the health center start and carry out internal restructuring aimed at priority development of outpatient care, restructuring of the bed fund, technological updating, and, in general, more rational utilization of the available resources.     

Quality of health care for ethnic/racial minority populations

This article reviews the composition and characteristics of the health professions, the demographics of the national population, and factors that influence access to health care and satisfaction with care for ethnic/racial minority populations in the United States. In addition, an overview of publicly funded US health insurance programs for the poor is provided along with a discussion of the impact that managed care is having on the American health care system. Finally, the paper summarizes conference discussions regarding the problems, strategies, and approaches that the UK and the US have experienced with respect to providing quality health care for ethnic/racial minority populations.     

Satisfaction of mothers by nursing care provided to their sick children in ambulatory health care centers

The aim of the study was to measure satisfaction of mothers attending health units with their ambulatory children. A random sample of 150 mothers was included in the study from 3 ambulatory care units in Ismailia. The indirect method of measuring satisfaction was used through identification of mothers pre-visit expectations and measuring the post visit fulfillment by technical quality of nursing care. The percentage of expectation fulfillment reflected the degree of satisfaction. The mother's responses were validated by observers opinion to the same service provided. The results of the study revealed that respondent scores indicated a weak satisfaction with most of nursing care services such as taking temperature, weighing the child and carrying physicians orders. The results also revealed that aspects related to nurse's advice and guidance to mothers regarding child's condition, elicited high level of unsatisfaction.     

Quality of care of modern health services as perceived by users and non-users in Burkina Faso.

OBJECTIVE: Only one-fifth of the population in rural Burkina Faso uses modern health services. This article aims to identify barriers to increased use, which may help decision makers to develop policies to remove them. DESIGN: This article compares perceived quality of care of 853 pairs of users and non-users of modern health services. Non-users were matched to users on age, sex, occupation of the head of the household and distance to health post. Questions were structured according to four dimensions of quality of care. SETTING: Nouna health care district, Burkina Faso. RESULTS: Both users and non-users were relatively favourable about health personnel practices and conduct (77% versus 70% of the maximum attainable score), and about health care delivery (77% versus 74%). They were less favourable about adequacy of resources and services (51% versus 46%), and financial and physical accessibility of care (57% versus 51%). Both groups were very negative regarding the availability of drugs (33% versus 27%). Users were more favourable than non-users overall (66% versus 61%), and especially regarding payment arrangements (51% versus 43%) and costs (50% versus 40%). Observed differences were generally significant. CONCLUSION: To remove barriers to increase utilization, policy makers may do good to target their attention to improve financial accessibility of modern health services and improve drugs availability. These factors seem most persistent in decisions of ill people to stay with home-based care and/or traditional medicine, or go to consult modern health services.     

江西省乡镇卫生院卫生技术人员流动性

目的 了解江西省乡镇卫生院卫生技术人员流动整体情况及流动特征,为乡镇卫生院改善卫技人员流动情况、优化卫生人才队伍提供参考。方法 通过普查方式对江西省1 593家乡镇卫生院2012-2014年流动卫生技术人员情况进行调查,运用描述性统计与检验结合的方式,从人员流动总体情况、人员流动特征、人员流动原因3个方面进行分析。结果 2012-2014年江西省乡镇卫生院流出卫技人员共3 994人,流入1 436人;性别（男性44.10%,女性55.90%）、年龄结构（≤ 26岁占23.70%,26~35岁占36.50%,36~45岁占27.10%,46~55岁占7.80%,>55岁占4.90%）、学历（研究生占0.10%,本科占13.70%,大专占47.30%,中专占32.90%,中专水平占4.60%,无学历占1.60%）、职称水平（高级占1.70%,中级占19.80%,初级占58.80%,无职称占19.70%）在流动情况上差异均有统计学意义,流出人员总体素质高于流入人员,流入人员年龄小于流出人员,流出的主要原因是发展前景受限（36.59%）和薪资待遇低（30.42%）,流入人员主要方式为社会招聘（35.03%）和其他机构流入（24.79%）。结论 江西省乡镇卫生院卫技人员呈减少趋势,卫生人才结构不合理,高层次人员"下不去,留不住"情况需引起重视。     

Environmental health services in primary care centers

Primary Health care centers supported by the Public Health Service through the Community Health Center and Migrant Health Centers programs are now required to provide environmental hazards directly related to clinical findings, but correcting community and occupational environmental problems may be pursued through appropriate agencies. State and local health departments will play key roles in the program in providing professional expertise in environmental health, assisting patients in taking corrective action, and assisting in the coordination with state, local, federal and voluntary agencies. Some primary care centers in areas of great need and limited resources will have their own environmental health professionals, but most will depend on local health departments for this specialty.     

Optimal staffing in community health centers to improve quality of care

ObjectiveTo explore optimal workforce configurations in the production of care quality in community health centers (CHCs), accounting for interactions among occupational categories, as well as contributions to the volume of services.Data SourcesWe linked the Uniform Data System from 2014 to 2016 with Internal Revenue Service nonprofit tax return data. The final database contained 3139 center‐year observations from 1178 CHCs.Study DesignWe estimated a system of two generalized linear production functions, with quality of care and volume of services as outputs, using the average percent of diabetic patients with controlled A1C level and hypertensive patients with controlled blood pressure as quality measures. To explore the substitutability and complementarity between staffing categories, we estimated a revenue function.FindingsPrimary care physicians and advanced practice clinicians achieve similar quality outcomes (3.2 percent and 3.0 percent improvement in chronic condition management per full‐time equivalent (FTE), respectively). Advanced practice clinicians generate less revenue per FTE but are generally less costly to employ.ConclusionAs quality incentives are further integrated into payment systems, CHCs will need to optimize their workforce configuration to improve quality. Given the relative efficiency of advanced practice clinicians in producing quality, further hiring of these professionals is a cost‐effective investment for CHCs.     

Organization of health and safety activities in health care centers

The paper proposes a model for health and safety organization in health care units and hospitals which takes account of the risk assessment procedures required by law and the quality assessment of the measures thus taken. A redefinition is given of the role of Medical Director and of the functions, aims and standards on which health and safety service and the services of an authorized occupational health physicians must be based.