Evaluation of maternal and child health services in Latin America.

A methodology has been devised for evaluating the efficiencies of maternal and child health care services in 18 countries of Latin America. The results point towards ways of developing local health systems, strengthening coordination between programmes and services, and utilizing resources more rationally.     

Migration and maternal health services utilization in rural Guatemala

This article examines the relationship between migration and the use of formal maternal health-care services among rural women in Guatemala. We identify assimilation, diffusion, and remittances as three potential pathways through which migration can affect health-care service utilization in rural areas. Using data from the 1995 Guatemalan Survey of Family Health and multi-level regression models, we estimate the impact of migration experience at the individual, household, and community level on the use of formal prenatal care and delivery assistance. We find that urban migration experience and having relatives abroad are associated with a greater likelihood of formal prenatal care utilization, after taking account of background characteristics and enabling resources. Migration experience at all levels is also strongly associated with formal delivery assistance; however, this association operates primarily through the positive association between migration and enabling resources. The differential effects of out-migration on maternal health-care service utilization reflect the different barriers to service use that exist for formal prenatal care and delivery assistance. Financial cost and geographic access are the most important barriers to formal delivery assistance, whereas awareness and acceptance remain as important barriers to the use of formal prenatal care in rural Guatemala. Urban migration experience and social ties to urban and international migrants lower the barriers to formal maternal health-care utilization through the acquisition and diffusion of new ideas and practices, and the return flow of financial resources.     

Poverty, health services, and health status in rural America

Access to health services for everyone has been a major policy goal in the United States: inequitable access is assumed to lead to inequitable health status, particularly for low-income groups. A sophisticated model of the relation between poverty, health care needs, service use, and health outcomes is used to analyze cross-sectional data on 7,823 adults from 36 rural communities. Improved access and use are helpful, but evidence clearly indicates that combined health and social initiatives will be necessary to reduce inequalities in health status.     

Determinants of the use of maternal health services in rural Bangladesh

Utilization of health services is a complex behavioral phenomenon. Empirical studies of preventive and curative services have often found that use of health services is related to the availability, quality and cost of services, as well as to social structure, health beliefs and personal characteristics of the users. In this paper an attempt is made to examine the factors associated with the use of maternal health care services in Bangladesh on the basis of data from a survey of maternal morbidity in Bangladesh, conducted by the Bangladesh Institute of Research for Promotion of Essential and Reproductive Health and Technologies (BIRPERHT). The results from both the bivariate and multivariate analyses confirmed the importance of mother's education in explaining the utilization of health care services. Female education retains a net effect on maternal health service use, independent of other women's background characteristics, household's socioeconomic status and access to healthcare services. The strong influence of mother's education on the utilization of health care services is consistent with findings from other studies. Women whose husbands are involved in business/services also positively influenced the utilization of modern health care services. However, the study results are inconclusive with respect to the influence of other predisposing and enabling factors, such as women's age, number of previous pregnancies and access to health facilities. Multivariate logistic regression estimates do not show any significant impact of these factors on the use of maternal health care. The influence of severity of disease condition in explaining the utilization of maternal health care appears to be significant. Multivariate analysis indicate that women having had a life-threatening condition are little over two times more likely to seek care from a doctor or nurse to treat their maternal morbidities.     

Expansion of rural health care and the use of maternal services in Nepal

In order to improve living standards among the rural poor, the government of Nepal has invested heavily in improving the provision of health care services in rural areas. The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of this investment on the use of maternal health care services. A bivariate probit model is used to estimate the effect of physical access to government health care services, along with individual-, household-, and other location-specific characteristics, on the use of prenatal care and birth delivery care. The results of the estimation are used to carry out policy simulations that assess the magnitude of the impact of improvements in health care availability on service utilization. The results indicate that physical access to a health care facility, as it is currently structured in rural areas, has a statistically significant but modest impact on the use of maternal services.     

农村孕产期保健服务需求的定性分析

目的:从需方角度分析中部地区农村孕产期保健的服务需求及其影响因素。方法:采用定性研究的半结构式访谈方法,对当地分管卫生工作的县长,卫生局长、人口与计划生育委员会主任、妇联主任、新型农村合作医疗办公室主任进行个人深入访谈,对乡镇卫生院院长、医护人员、乡村医生、计划生育工作者和3年内有分娩史的育龄妇女进行焦点小组访谈。访谈内容包括农村孕产期保健服务的现况,育龄妇女的孕产期保健服务需求及其影响因素。结果:当地产前检查工作中早孕检查率较低,高危妊娠管理欠佳;产妇基本住院分娩,但产后访视流于形式。孕产妇希望孕产期保健服务质量能够提高。医疗技术低和保健意识薄弱对当地农村孕产妇的保健需求产生主要影响,经济、交通等影响因素次之。结论:农村育龄妇女对孕产期保健服务有强烈的需求,提高孕产期保健服务能力和完善医疗保障体制是满足农村妇女孕产期保健服务需求的关键。     

Effect of urban versus rural residence and of maternal education on infant health in South Lebanon.

A sample of 253 women from rural and urban areas of south Lebanon were visited for 18 months after delivery. Information was collected on patterns of reproduction, infant feeding, and use of the health services. The findings indicate that educated women and women living in urban areas were better off in terms of family formation patterns, immunisation, and well-baby care. The importance of educating women, particularly in rural areas, as a policy that can be varied to improve child health and growth is thus emphasised. The study also indicates, however, the special need for health education programmes directed to all mothers to emphasise proper breast-feeding patterns and the importance of preventive health care for infants. The findings also indicate the need for a more diversified system of delivering health care in which properly trained paramedical personnel take part, particularly in rural areas.     

A community survey on maternal and child health services utilization in rural Ethiopia

A household health interview survey on MCH services utilization was carried out in 22 villages of a rural district of Arsi region, Ethiopia, before the launching of an integrated MCH programme. Coverage of antenatal services was 26%, and 61% of the women who received antenatal care reported having had 3 or more visits.Antenatal care was positively associated with living within 10 km of the Health Centre. Twenty-eight percent of the mothers attended the under-5 clinic and most returned for 3 or more visits. In addition, 99% reported having breast-fed their last child but more than 25% started weaning only after the seventh month of age. Differences in practice of treating diarrhoea according to knowledge of ORS were found. Of the 33% of those with knowledge of ORS, almost 90% reported use of ORS for treating child's dirrhoea, showing a positive attitude towards modern health care. The proportion of women using family planning was 5%, with no difference found between Christians and Muslims. Results on EPI coverage validated data from routine reporting. Integration of MCH services including out-reach activities may increase access and coverage of MCH services.     

Financing rural health and medical services.

The provision and utilization of health care services in rural areas are tied directly to the structure of financing. The model of rural health care shaped by federal policies over three decades was significantly altered by changes during the 1980s. With reactions of third-party payers to health care costs rising faster than inflation, the difficulty of accommodating access to care and cost efficiency in provision became evident. This review begins with the literature on patient services and capital financing of rural hospitals, then continues with the financing of clinics, community centers, and other supply forms. Research during the 1980s provides insight into the effects of various financing policies on the supply of services. The demand for health care in rural areas is characterized by less generous third-party coverage, leaving residents paying a larger share of their incomes for care than do urban residents. As a consequence, access to care is especially difficult for low-income and elderly people, heavily dependent upon government financing. Third-party payers have severely reduced cost shifting as a mechanism for taking care of the health care needs of a sizable share of the population, thereby placing providers in an uncomfortable position. Several potential and more formalized financing options for replacing cost shifting are discussed. Several important changes will take place with rural-focused legislation enacted in the late 1980s. These are used to present a rural financing research agenda for the 1990s.     

白山市农村卫生工作的调查报告

为了解和掌握白山市农村卫生工作现状,为制定农村卫生体制改革政策提供准确、真实的客观依据,我们先后对全市6个县(市)区的农村卫生工作所存在的问题进行了深入细致的调查.     

An overview of illegal opioid use and health services utilization in Canada

OBJECTIVES: Systematic research on health and treatment services availability for and utilization by illegal opioid users in Canada are very limited. Comparative data across provinces and territories is almost entirely absent. This study was designed to provide an overview of illegal opioid use and health services utilization among illegal opioid users across Canada. METHODS: A combination of statistical data and key informant data was used. Surveys were sent to key informants in all provinces and territories of Canada. Survey questions covered the number of illegal opioid users in each province, the number of opioid users receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT), the number of physicians authorized to prescribe methadone, and the number of opioid users receiving other outpatient and inpatient treatment. In addition, relevant data were collected from several statistical sources, both provincial and federal. The number of substance-use-related overdose deaths was obtained from the provincial coroners' offices. RESULTS: It is estimated that there were more than 80,000 regular illegal opioid users in Canada in 2003. The most prevalent treatment utilized was MMT; about one-quarter (26%) of the estimated opioid users received this type of treatment in 2003. Other forms of outpatient and inpatient treatment were of only minor importance compared with MMT. The number of illegal drug-related overdose deaths in Canada was 958 in 2002. Rates of drug use, health services utilization and overdose deaths showed considerable variation by province. CONCLUSIONS: Although the opioid use treatment system in Canada has expanded in recent years, especially with respect to the availability of MMT, the treatment utilization rates are still lower than in most countries in Western Europe. Rates of current treatment utilization as well as the relatively high number of overdose deaths suggest that there is still room for improvement in the Canadian health and social care system with respect to opioid use.     

Differences in access to health care services among adults in rural America by rural classification categories and age

Objective: To study differences in excess to health care services between different population groups in rural areas of the United States. Design: Using data from the 1994 National Health Interview Survey and the 1991 Area Resource File, we examined the differences in excess with seven measures: having a regular source of care, having a usual place of care, having health insurance coverage, delaying medical care because of cost for all rural residents; number of doctor visits, number of hospital discharges and length of hospital stay per discharge for those who reported their health as being either poor or fair. Rural residents were classified by ages and grouped into four rural classification categories that were characterised along two dimensions: adjacent to a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) (yes/no) and inclusion of a city of at least 10 000 people (yes/no). Setting: Rural areas Subjects: Rural populations. Results: Residents aged 18–24 years had the worst access to services and the residents aged 65 years and over had the best access to services when measured by regular source of care, a usual place of care and health insurance status. Compared to those aged 50–64 years, residents aged 25–49 years were less likely to report having health insurance and more likely to report delaying seeking medical care because of costs. Rural residents who lived in a county adjacent to an MSA generally were less limited in access than those who lived in a county not adjacent to an MSA. Conclusions: Rural America is not a homogeneous entity in many aspects of the access to health care services.     

农村妇幼卫生工作管理探索

目的 提高农村妇幼卫生工作水平.方法 从政策、经济和业务几方面对基层妇幼保健工作进行扶持,帮助建立妇幼卫生数据共享平台.结果 孕产妇和儿童系统管理率有明显提高,分别由2005年的88.60%和86.70%提高到95.41%和97.00%(x2值分别为556.79和4 284.96,P均小于0.001);乡镇卫生院妇幼保健设施得到改善;保健服务能力逐步提升,开展了婴儿抚触和早期功能锻炼等项目;人员收入有所增加,每月人均增长近70元.结论 农村妇幼卫生工作水平的提高需要政策、经济、业务和技术多方面扶持.     

The rural Alabama pregnancy and infant health program.

Infant mortality in the state of Alabama is among the highest in the nation and its breakdown among subgroups shows that the rate for nonwhite infants is more than 60% higher than for white infants. In an attempt to improve perinatal outcomes, the Rural Alabama Pregnancy and Infant Health (RAPIH) Program was founded in 1983 to reach out to high-risk, black childbearing women in 3 of Alabama's poorest counties: Greene, Hale and Sumter. The RAPIH Program is part of the larger Child Survival/Fair Start initiative funded by the Ford Foundation and is administered by the federally funded West Alabama Health Services, Inc. (WAHS). About 70% of the population in the service area is black, of whom more than 50% live below the poverty level. The Program is a home-visit program that relies on lay community workers to provide outreach, education, and social support to low-income families. A model visitation program begins at the 20th week of gestation and continues to the child's 2nd birthday. The home-visit services are provided by a group of black laywomen who are mothers recruited from the counties they serve. Prior to assuming their caseload, they participate in a 2 week training program sponsored by WAHS. Role-modeling activities provide active practice in establishing relationships with clients, presenting lessons, and dealing with problems. Prenatal and postnatal visits are conducted in the client's home; during each visit; the home visitor addresses a particular aspect of prenatal care or child health and development. Starting as a teacher, the home visitor eventually develops a partnership with the client in her understanding of and finding solutions for her problems including the use of community resources therefore. In an attempt to increase accessibility to both health and social services in the area, WAHS has purchased several vans to provide transportation to eligible residents. Records indicate that the home-visit group received an average of 5.3 home visits during the prenatal period and an additional 10.4 visits during the child's 1st year of life. As the program gets older, visit frequencies are expected to increase.