Articles

A community-based mobile clinic model delivering PrEP for HIV prevention to adolescent girls and young women in Cape Town, South Africa

Daily doses of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can reduce the risk of acquiring HIV by more than 95 %. In sub-Saharan Africa, adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) are at disproportionately high risk of acqu...

Authors: Elzette Rousseau, Linda-Gail Bekker, Robin F. Julies, Connie Celum, Jennifer Morton, Rachel Johnson, Jared M. Baeten and Gabrielle O’Malley

Evaluating an integrated care pathway for frail elderly patients in Norway using multi-criteria decision analysis

To provide value-based care for patients with multi-morbidity, innovative integrated care programmes and comprehensive evaluations of such programmes are required. In Norway, a new programme called “Holistic C...

Authors: M. Kamrul Islam, Sabine Ruths, Kristian Jansen, Runa Falck, Maureen Rutten-van Mölken and Jan Erik Askildsen

COVID-19 and the impact of cash transfers on health care use in Togo

Cash transfer program during pandemics provide a social protection mechanism to improve the health of the most vulnerable households. This article analysis the impact of cash transfers on household demand for ...

Authors: Yaovi Tossou

Inequity in health care utilization for common childhood illnesses in India: measurement and decomposition analysis using the India demographic and health survey 2015–16

Though child mortality has dropped remarkably, it is considerably high in South Asia. Across the globe, 5.2 million children under 5 years of age died in 2019, and India accounts for a significant portion of t...

Authors: Tulasi Malini Maharatha and Umakant Dash

The impact of Healthy Conversation Skills training on health professionals’ barriers to having behaviour change conversations: a pre-post survey using the Theoretical Domains Framework

Changing people’s behaviour by giving advice and instruction, as traditionally provided in healthcare consultations, is usually ineffective. Healthy Conversation Skills (HCS) training enhances health professio...

Authors: Jenna L. Hollis, Lucy Kocanda, Kirsty Seward, Clare Collins, Belinda Tully, Mandy Hunter, Maralyn Foureur, Wendy Lawrence, Lesley MacDonald-Wicks and Tracy Schumacher

Developing a hospital accreditation model: a Delphi study

Hospital accreditation (HA) is an external evaluation of a hospital’s structures, processes and results by an independent professional accreditation body using pre-established optimum standards. The Iranian ho...

Authors: Ali Mohammad Mosadeghrad and Fatemeh Ghazanfari

Healthcare leaders’ use of innovative solutions to ensure resilience in healthcare during the Covid-19 pandemic: a qualitative study in Norwegian nursing homes and home care services

The Covid-19 pandemic introduced a global crisis for the healthcare systems. Research has paid particular attention to hospitals and intensive care units. However, nursing homes and home care services in charg...

Authors: Hilda Bø Lyng, Eline Ree, Torunn Wibe and Siri Wiig

Reablement in a small municipality, a survival analysis

Reablement is a municipal service given to patients at home. The purpose of the service is to assist recovery after hospital discharges or other sudden changes in a patient’s functional level. The service is o...

Authors: Kjartan Sarheim Anthun, Monica Lillefjell and Kirsti Sarheim Anthun

The risks and benefits of using social media to engage consumers in service design and quality improvement in Australian public hospitals: findings from an interview study of key stakeholders

Engaging consumers - patients, families, carers and community members who are current or potential service users - in the planning, design, delivery, and improvement of health services is a requirement of publ...

Authors: Louisa Walsh, Nerida Hyett, Jayne Howley, Nicole Juniper, Chi Li, Belinda MacLeod-Smith, Sophie Rodier and Sophie J. Hill

Evaluation of the “safe multidisciplinary app-assisted remote patient-self-testing (SMART) model” for warfarin home management during the COVID-19 pandemic: study protocol of a multi-center randomized controlled trial

Warfarin treatment requires frequent monitoring of INR (international normalized ratio) to adjust dosage in a therapeutic range. In China, patients living in small towns usually go to tertiary hospitals to get...

Authors: Lei Chen, Yang-Zhao Zhou, Xin-Min Zhou, Li-Ming Liu, Ping Xu, Xia Zhang and Sheng-Lan Tan

Examining the association of social risk with heart failure readmission in the Veterans Health Administration

Previous research has found that social risk factors are associated with an increased risk of 30-day readmission. We aimed to assess the association of 5 social risk factors (living alone, lack of social suppo...

Authors: Charlie M. Wray, Marzieh Vali, Louise C. Walter, Lee Christensen, Wendy Chapman, Peter C. Austin, Amy L. Byers and Salomeh Keyhani

Development and preliminary evaluation of a novel physician-report tool for assessing barriers to providing care to autistic patients

Individuals on the autism spectrum face significant disparities in health and physicians often report difficulties in providing care to autistic patients. In order to improve the quality of care autistic indiv...

Authors: Chloe Walsh, Sinéad Lydon, Rosemary Geoghegan, Cornelia Carey, Michael Creed, Lauren O’Loughlin, Ellen Walsh, Dara Byrne and Paul O’Connor

Correction to: Managing pneumonia through facility-based integrated management of childhood management (IMCI) services: an analysis of the service availability and readiness among public health facilities in Bangladesh

Authors: Ahmed Ehsanur Rahman, Shema Mhajabin, David Dockrell, Harish Nair, Shams El Arifeen and Harry Campbell

Successful implementation of a trans-jurisdictional, primary care, anticipatory care planning intervention for older adults at risk of functional decline: interviews with key health professionals

Aging populations present a challenge to health systems internationally, due to the increasing complexity of care for older adults living with functional decline. This study aimed to elicit expert views of key...

Authors: Dagmar Anna S. Corry, Gillian Carter, Frank Doyle, Tom Fahey, Patrick Gillespie, Kieran McGlade, Peter O’Halloran, Nina O’Neill, Emma Wallace and Kevin Brazil

Factors associated with early 14-day unplanned hospital readmission: a matched case–control study

Early unplanned hospital readmissions are burdensome health care events and indicate low care quality. Identifying at-risk patients enables timely intervention. This study identified predictors for 14-day unpl...

Authors: Yu-Tai Lo, Chia-Ming Chang, Mei-Hua Chen, Fang-Wen Hu and Feng-Hwa Lu

Exploring the impact of rural health system factors on physician burnout: a mixed-methods study in Northern Canada

Burnout among physicians is a consequence of chronic occupational stresses and emotionally intense work demands. However, much of the evidence exploring burnout is derived from urban settings and may not refle...

Authors: Nathaniel Hansen, Kennedy Jensen, Ian MacNiven, Nathaniel Pollock, Thomsen D’Hont and Susan Chatwood

Correction to: Patients satisfaction with healthcare delivery in Ghana

Authors: Daniel Adjei Amporfro, Michael Boah, Shao Yingqi, Therese Martin Cheteu Wabo, Miaomiao Zhao, Victorine Raissa Ngo Nkondjock and Qunhong Wu

A qualitative assessment of barriers and facilitators associated with addressing social determinants of health among members of a health collaborative in the rural Midwest

Rural communities have unique economic and social structures, different disease burdens, and a more patchworked healthcare delivery system compared to urban counterparts. Yet research into addressing social de...

Authors: Kim Nichols Dauner and Lacey Loomer

Emerging epidemics: is the Zanzibar healthcare system ready to detect and respond to mosquito-borne viral diseases?

Effective control of emerging mosquito-borne viral diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika requires, amongst other things, a functional healthcare system, ready and capable of timely detection and promp...

Authors: Fatma Saleh, Jovin Kitau, Flemming Konradsen, Leonard E.G. Mboera and Karin L. Schiøler

Restoring patient trust in healthcare: medical information impact case study in Poland

This study empirically evaluates the influence of medical information on patient trust at the physician level, the medical profession, hospitals, and with the payer. Restoring patient trust in a medical settin...

Authors: Roman Lewandowski, Anatoliy G. Goncharuk and Giuseppe T. Cirella

Equity and access to maternal and child health services in Ghana a cross-sectional study

Inequities in the distribution of and access to maternal and child health care services is pervasive in Ghana. Understanding the drivers of inequity in maternal and child health (MCH) is important to achieving...

Authors: Samuel George Anarwat, Mubarik Salifu and Margaret Atosina Akuriba

Operational experiences associated with the implementation of near point-of-care early infant diagnosis of HIV in Myanmar: a qualitative study

Timely diagnosis and early initiation of life-saving antiretroviral therapy are critical factors in preventing mortality among HIV-infected infants. However, resource-limited settings experience numerous chall...

Authors: Win Lei Yee, Hla Htay, Yasmin Mohamed, Claire E. Nightingale, Htay Htay Tin, Win Thein, Latt Latt Kyaw, Win Win Yee, Moe Myat Aye, Steven G. Badman, Andrew J. Vallely, David Anderson, Angela Kelly-Hanku and Stanley Luchters

Comparison of maternal and child health service performances following a leadership, management, and governance intervention in Ethiopia: a propensity score matched analysis

Leadership, management, and governance (LMG) interventions play a significant role in improving management systems, enhancing the work climate, and creating responsive health systems. Hence, the Ethiopian Mini...

Authors: Mesele Damte Argaw, Binyam Fekadu Desta, Sualiha Abdlkader Muktar, Wondwosen Shiferaw Abera, Ismael Ali Beshir, Israel Ataro Otoro, Asegid Samuel, Deirdre Rogers and Kristin Eifler

Frontline healthcare workers’ experiences in implementing the TB-DM collaborative framework in Northern Ghana

Over the past decade, global health policy has increased its focus on measures to halt further increase in tuberculosis (TB) incidence and management of diabetes mellitus (DM). However, the vertical management...

Authors: Rita Suhuyini Salifu and Khumbulani W. Hlongwana

Covid-19 pandemic impact on maternal and child health services access in Nampula, Mozambique: a mixed methods research

The Covid-19 pandemic has so far infected more than 30 million people in the world, having major impact on global health with collateral damage. In Mozambique, a public state of emergency was declared at the e...

Authors: Paulo Henrique das Neves Martins Pires, Cynthia Macaringue, Ahmed Abdirazak, Jaibo Rassul Mucufo, Martins Abudo Mupueleque, David Zakus, Ronald Siemens and Celso Fernando Belo

The impact of clinical pharmacist services on patient health outcomes in Pakistan: a systematic review

The pharmacist’s role shifts from dispensing to bedside care, resulting in better patient health outcomes. Pharmacists in developed countries ensure rational drug use, improve clinical outcomes, and promote he...

Authors: Ali Ahmed, Muhammad Saqlain, Maria Tanveer, Ali Qais Blebil, Juman Abdulelah Dujaili and Syed Shahzad Hasan

Sustainability of hospital-based midwife-led antenatal care consultation — a qualitative study

All evidence-based knowledge and improvement strategies for quality care must be implemented so patients can benefit from them. In Germany, national expert standards (NES) contribute to quality care in nursing...

Authors: Anja Siegle, Friederike Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein and Martina Roes

Demand for malaria rapid diagnostic test, health care-seeking behaviour, and drug use among rural community members with fever or malaria-like illness in Ebonyi state, Nigeria: a cross-sectional household survey

A good understanding of the demand for malaria rapid diagnostic test (MRDT), malaria health care-seeking behavior, and drug use among community members is crucial to malaria control efforts. The aim of this st...

Authors: Ugwu I. Omale, Onyinyechukwu U. Oka, Ifeyinwa M. Okeke, Benedict N. Azuogu, Chihurumnanya Alo, Ugochukwu C. Madubueze, Irene I. Eze, Kingsley C. Okeke, Rowland Utulu, Uduak E. Akpan, Chijioke V. Iloke, Anthonia O. Nnubia, Desi O. Ibemesi, Chukwuka R. Nnabu and Ogechukwu C. Anene

How government health insurance coverage of novel anti-cancer medicines benefited patients in China – a retrospective analysis of hospital clinical data

China started to cover novel medicines for the treatment of major cancers, such as trastuzumab for breast cancer by the government health insurance programs since 2016. Limited data have been published on the ...

Authors: Yifan Diao, Mengbo Lin, Kai Xu, Ji Huang, Xiongwei Wu, Mingshuang Li, Jing Sun and Hong Li

Stigmatization, psychological and emotional trauma among frontline health care workers treated for COVID-19 in Lagos State, Nigeria: a qualitative study

COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in global health and economic crisis. We investigated the experiences of frontline health care workers recovering from COVID-19 in Lagos State Nigeria.

Authors: Ayi Vandi Kwaghe, Olayinka Stephen Ilesanmi, Peter Okpeh Amede, James Olatunde Okediran, Rowland Utulu and Muhammad Shakir Balogun

The rural tax: comprehensive out-of-pocket costs associated with patient travel in British Columbia

A significant concern for rural patients is the cost of travel outside of their community for specialist and diagnostic care. Often, these costs are transferred to patients and their families, who also experie...

Authors: Jude Kornelsen, Asif Raza Khowaja, Gal Av-Gay, Eva Sullivan, Anshu Parajulee, Marjorie Dunnebacke, Dorothy Egan, Mickey Balas and Peggy Williamson

Evaluation of interprofessional teamwork modules implementation in an emergency department – A mixed-methods case study of implementation fidelity

The need for interprofessional collaboration has been emphasized by health organizations. This study was part of a mixed-methods evaluation of interprofessional teamwork modules implementation in an emergency ...

Authors: Jenny Liu, Sari Ponzer, Nasim Farrokhnia and Italo Masiello

Adherence to the bedside paediatric early warning system (BedsidePEWS) in a pediatric tertiary care hospital

The aim of this study is to describe the adherence to the Bedside Pediatric Early Warning System (BedsidePEWS) escalation protocol in children admitted to hospital wards in a large tertiary care children’s hos...

Authors: Orsola Gawronski, Federico Ferro, Corrado Cecchetti, Marta Ciofi Degli Atti, Immacolata Dall’Oglio, Emanuela Tiozzo and Massimiliano Raponi

Attitudes and stressors related to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic among emergency medical services workers in Germany: a cross-sectional study

The aim was to investigate attitudes and stressors related to the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak among emergency medical services (EMS) workers in Germany. We further aimed to detect possible changes within a 5-week peri...

Authors: Annegret Dreher, Frank Flake, Reinhard Pietrowsky and Adrian Loerbroks

Maternal education level and maternal healthcare utilization in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: an analysis of the multiple indicator cluster survey 2017/18

Understanding how socioeconomic factors influence maternal health services utilization is crucial to reducing preventable maternal deaths in the DRC. Maternal education is considered an important associate of ...

Authors: Hanyu Wang, Eric Frasco, Rie Takesue and Kun Tang

Regional variation of potentially avoidable hospitalisations in Switzerland: an observational study

Primary health care is subject to regional variation, which may be due to unequal and inefficient distribution of services. One key measure of such variation are potentially avoidable hospitalisations, i.e., h...

Authors: Niklaus Gygli, Franziska Zúñiga and Michael Simon

Service providers’ perceptions of support needs for Indigenous cancer patients in Saskatchewan: a needs assessment

In Saskatchewan, Canada, Indigenous cancer care services at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels are intended to improve quality care but can result in a complex, fragmented, and multi-jurisdictional ...

Authors: Jennifer R. Sedgewick, Anum Ali, Andreea Badea, Tracey Carr and Gary Groot

CO-FLOW: COvid-19 Follow-up care paths and Long-term Outcomes Within the Dutch health care system: study protocol of a multicenter prospective cohort study following patients 2 years after hospital discharge

First studies indicate that up to 6 months after hospital discharge, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) causes severe physical, cognitive, and psychological impairments, which may affect participation and hea...

Authors: L. Martine Bek, Julia C. Berentschot, Merel E. Hellemons, Susanne M. Huijts, Joachim G. J. V. Aerts, Jasper van Bommel, Michel E. van Genderen, Diederik A. M. P. J. Gommers, Gerard M. Ribbers, Majanka H. Heijenbrok-Kal and Rita J. G. van den Berg-Emons

Cost evaluation of PAGE-B risk score guided HCC surveillance in patients with treated chronic hepatitis B

The PAGE-B score (Platelet Age GEnder–HBV) selects chronic hepatitis B (cHB) patients showing no relevant 5-year risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We, therefore, explored potential cost reduction follow...

Authors: Martin F. Sprinzl, Christina Feist, Sandra Koch, Wolfgang M. Kremer, Karl J. Lackner, Arndt Weinmann and Peter R. Galle

Value configurations for balancing standardization and customization in chronic care: a qualitative study

Demands for both customization and standardization are increasing in healthcare. At the same time, resources are scarce, and healthcare managers are urged to improve efficiency. A framework of three value configu...

Authors: Christian Colldén, Andreas Hellström and Ida Gremyr

Designing an SMS reminder intervention to improve vaccination uptake in Northern Nigeria: a qualitative study

Penta3 coverage in Nigeria was low at 33 % in 2017. The most reported reason for non-vaccination was lack of knowledge about the immunization place, time, and need. To address knowledge gaps and improve vaccin...

Authors: Chisom Obi-Jeff, Cristina Garcia, Obinna Onuoha, Funmi Adewumi, Winnie David, Tobi Bamiduro, Abdulrasheed Bello Aliyu, Alain Labrique and Chizoba Wonodi

Characterizing rescue performance in a tertiary care medical center: a systems approach to provide management decision support

Allocation of limited resources to improve quality, patient safety, and outcomes is a decision-making challenge health care leaders face every day. While much valuable health care management research has conce...

Authors: Susan P. McGrath, Todd MacKenzie, Irina Perreard and George Blike

Organizational readiness to change as a leverage point for improving safety: a national nursing home survey

A stronger safety climate in nursing homes may reduce avoidable adverse events. Yet efforts to strengthen safety climate may fail if nursing homes are not ready to change. To inform improvement efforts, we exa...

Authors: Emma D. Quach, Lewis E. Kazis, Shibei Zhao, Pengsheng Ni, Valerie A. Clark, Sarah E. McDannold and Christine W. Hartmann

Healthy-related quality of life in patients with cervical cancer in Southwest China: a cross-sectional study

Cervical cancer is the second most common female malignant tumor in the world. According to a study in 2018, the incidence of cervical cancer in Yunnan Province of China was 11.42 per 100,000, the mortality ra...

Authors: Min Zhao, Lei Luo, Chun-hong zhang, Jin-ping zhang, Jia-yan Yuan, Rong-yan Gu and Song-rui Ding

Organizing work in local service implementation: an ethnographic study of nurses’ contributions and competencies in implementing a municipal acute ward

The increased prevalence of chronic diseases and an ageing population challenge healthcare delivery, particularly hospital-based care. To address this issue, health policy aims to decentralize healthcare by tr...

Authors: Helle Krone-Hjertstrøm, Bente Norbye, Birgit Abelsen and Aud Obstfelder

Living life in limbo: experiences of healthcare professionals during the HCPC fitness to practice investigation process in the UK

It is the responsibility of healthcare regulators to ensure healthcare professionals remain fit for practice in healthcare settings. If there are concerns about an individual healthcare professional they may u...

Authors: Jill Maben, Linda Hoinville, Dawn Querstret, Cath Taylor, Magdalena Zasada and Ruth Abrams

Comparing the average cost of outpatient care of public and for-profit private providers in India

Understanding the cost of care associated with different kinds of healthcare providers is necessary for informing the policy debates in mixed health-systems like India’s. Existing studies reporting Out of Pock...

Authors: Samir Garg, Narayan Tripathi, Alok Ranjan and Kirtti Kumar Bebarta

The cost burden of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis depending on biologic treatment status – a Danish register-based study

Patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease may be treated with biologics, depending on several medical and non-medical factors. This study investigated healthcare costs and production values of patient...

Authors: Sarah Alulis, Kasper Vadstrup, Jens Olsen, Tine Rikke Jørgensen, Niels Qvist, Pia Munkholm and Andras Borsi

Correction to: Rapid Cycle Implementation and Retrospective Evaluation of a SARS-CoV-2 Checklist in Labor and Delivery

Authors: Liana Zucco, Nadav Levy, Yunping Li, Toni Golen, Scott A. Shainker, Philip E. Hess and Satya Krishna Ramachandran

Health facilities’ readiness for safe surgical care provision in Uganda and the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo during Ebola and COVID-19 era

This study aimed to assess health facilities’ readiness to provide safe surgical care during Ebola and COVID-19 era in Uganda and in the Eastern DR Congo.

Authors: Franck Katembo Sikakulya, Robinson Ssebuufu, Albert Ahuka Ona Longombe, Xaviour Francis Okedi, Michel Kalongo Ilumbulumbu, Moise Muhindo Valimungighe, Furaha Nzanzu Blaise Pascal, Bienfait Mumbere Vahwere, Simon Binezero Mambo, Yusuf Mulumba, Anderson Muhindo Muhasa Muyisa, Fatuma Djuma Sonia, John Sekabira, Jane O. Fualal and Patrick Kyamanywa