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Health Care Needs (health + care_need)
Selected AbstractsHealth Care Need: Three InterpretationsJOURNAL OF APPLIED PHILOSOPHY, Issue 2 2006ANDREAS HASMAN abstract The argument that scarce health care resources should be distributed so that patients in ,need' are given priority for treatment is rarely contested. In this paper, we argue that if need is to play a significant role in distributive decisions it is crucial that what is meant by need can be precisely articulated. Following a discussion of the general features of health care need, we propose three principal interpretations of need, each of which focuses on separate intuitions. Although this account may not be a completely exhaustive reflection of what people mean when they refer to need, the three interpretations provide a starting-point for further debate of what the concept means in its specific application. We discuss combined interpretations, the meaning of grading needs, and compare needs-based priority setting to social welfare maximisation. [source] Nurse Practitioner Practice in 2012: Meeting the Health Care Needs of TomorrowJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSE PRACTITIONERS, Issue 4 2003Endorsed by the Fellows of the American Academy of Nurse Practioners Think Tank Committee [source] Meeting the Health Care Needs of a Rural Hispanic Migrant Population With DiabetesTHE JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 3 2004Loretta Heuer PhD ABSTRACT: Context: There is a need for models of health care that provide accessible, culturally appropriate, quality services to the population of Hispanic migrant farmworkers at risk for or diagnosed with diabetes. Purposes: The purposes of this study were to describe the Migrant Health Service, Inc (MHSI), Diabetes Program, the conceptual model on which it is based, and 4 types of outcomes achieved over a 3-year period. Methods: Types and amounts of medical services and education were studied. Qualitative data obtained from program records and documents were analyzed to determine the nature of the program. Quantitative data were used to measure outcomes of the program. Findings: The multiplecomponent MHSI Diabetes Program is addressing economic, cultural, and language barriers experienced by the target population. The program provides a continuum of health services and education that meet American Diabetes Association (ADA) Clinical Practice Recommendations on diabetes. The program exposes regional health care professionals and university students from numerous academic disciplines to Hispanic farmworker culture. Conclusions: Evidence-based program management, patient care, and program evaluation are traits of this program, which offers accessible, culturally appropriate, quality health services and education to Hispanic farmworkers. The multicomponent program model has high potential for positively impacting the health of the target population. [source] Health Care Need: Three InterpretationsJOURNAL OF APPLIED PHILOSOPHY, Issue 2 2006ANDREAS HASMAN abstract The argument that scarce health care resources should be distributed so that patients in ,need' are given priority for treatment is rarely contested. In this paper, we argue that if need is to play a significant role in distributive decisions it is crucial that what is meant by need can be precisely articulated. Following a discussion of the general features of health care need, we propose three principal interpretations of need, each of which focuses on separate intuitions. Although this account may not be a completely exhaustive reflection of what people mean when they refer to need, the three interpretations provide a starting-point for further debate of what the concept means in its specific application. We discuss combined interpretations, the meaning of grading needs, and compare needs-based priority setting to social welfare maximisation. [source] The well-being of gays, lesbians and bisexuals in BotswanaJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 6 2001V.J. Ehlers BA BSSc MA DLitt RGN RM The well-being of gays, lesbians and bisexuals in Botswana Aims.,To investigate the level of well-being of gays, lesbians and bisexuals (GLBs) in Botswana, how this level of well-being could be promoted and whether their health care needs were met by health care professionals. Rationale.,It is illegal to engage in same-sex activities in Botswana, punishable by imprisonment. Although Botswana's citizens have one of Africa's best health care systems, little is known about the health status, health care needs and general well-being of Botswana's GLBs. This survey attempted to uncover some of these potential health care needs, impacting on the GLBs' well-being. Design/methods.,The research framework adopted was the health and human rights approach, placing dignity before rights. A survey design, with structured questionnaires, was used. Snow-ball sampling techniques were used. Results.,Results indicated that varying degrees of distress were experienced by 64% of the GLBs in this study. The GLBs identified a need for human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) education and had concerns about their general health, discrimination against them and vulnerability to violence including sexual assaults. Conclusions.,The well-being of the GLBs in Botswana was influenced by both positive internal acceptance of their sexual orientation and negative external acceptance by society. Health care professionals played insignificant roles in the promotion of GLBs' well-being, and could make greater inputs into health education efforts, and more significant contributions towards enhancing the GLBs' levels of well-being. Enhanced collaboration between health professionals and human rights activists are recommended to reduce violations of Botswana's GLBs' dignity and to improve their quality of life, including enhanced access to and utilization of health care services. [source] Osteoporosis and the Global Competition for Health Care Resources,JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 7 2004L Joseph Melton III Abstract Global aging superimposed on existing infectious diseases and trauma will aggravate competition for health care resources to diagnose and treat osteoporosis. Efforts to implement public health measures are needed, but the targeted approach to assessment and treatment of high-risk individuals must also be refined. Increases in the elderly population worldwide will cause a dramatic rise in osteoporotic fractures, but other age-related diseases will increase as well. Changes will be superimposed on existing public health problems (e.g., malaria, alcoholism), and these acute health care needs will take priority in some areas. Societies in most parts of the world may have to limit osteoporosis control to broad public health measures, and such efforts (e.g., calcium and vitamin D supplementation) should be supported. In these regions, clinical decision-making will generally be limited to treating patients with fractures (who presumably have already failed any public health measures in place), or in a few wealthy countries, to patients with low bone density identified by case-finding. Case-finding approaches will vary with the resources available, although unselective (mass) screening by bone densitometry is largely ineffective and unaffordable anywhere. The key to clinical decision-making on behalf of individuals will be an assessment of absolute fracture risk, and the tools needed to predict the risk of an osteoporotic fracture over the next 10 years are now being developed. These include bone density measures, but also incorporate other risk factors (e.g., fracture history, corticosteroid use), which may allow extension of fracture risk prediction to nonwhite populations and to men. Even with a universal risk prediction tool, cost-effective treatment thresholds will vary by country based on the level of fracture risk in the region and on the resources available for health care. To better compete for these resources, efforts should be made to lower the cost of osteoporosis interventions. Additionally, evidence is needed that these interventions are really effective in reducing fractures in the community. [source] Comparing Frequent and Average Users of Elementary School-Based Health Centers in the Bronx, New York CityJOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 4 2002Raymundo S. Baquiran ABSTRACT: This study analyzed health care utilization at three school-based health centers (SBHCs) in the Bronx, New York City, and compared characteristics of "frequent" and "average" service users. Encounter form data for visits by 2,795 students who received services at least once between September 7, 1998, and June 30, 1999, were reviewed. Demographic comparisons between clinic users and the total school population, and between "frequent" (five or more visits/year) and "average" (one to four visits/year) users were made. The two groups also were compared after primary diagnoses were classified into five general categories. Some 96% (3,469/3,614) of students were registered in the SBHCs, of whom 81% (2,795/3,469) used clinic services at least once during the school year. Clinic users did not differ from the general school population by gender, but were younger (p < 0.01). "Frequent" users were more likely than "average" users to be older (p < 0.01), but they did not differ by gender, race/ethnicity, or insurance status. "Frequent" users comprised 28% of the clinic-using population, but accounted for 72.5% of all visits. Similarly, "average" users comprised 72.4% of the clinic-using population, but accounted for 27.5% of all visits. "Frequent" users generated most visits for mental health and chronic medical conditions, while "average" users generated most visits for preventive care, acute medical care, and injuries/emergencies (p < 0.01 for all). Important challenges for elementary SBHCs include developing new approaches that meet children's needs while protecting clinic resources, like scheduling group interventions for those with on-going health care needs who require frequent use of school health services. [source] | ||||||||||