INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE最新文献

{"title":"Determinants of life expectancy: evidence from World Bank income groups using a panel dummy interaction approach.","authors":"Sameer Ahmad Sofi, Effat Yasmin","doi":"10.1108/IJHCQA-03-2025-0026","DOIUrl":"10.1108/IJHCQA-03-2025-0026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Achieving optimal health outcomes is central to global health policies. This study examines the impact of out-of-pocket (OOP) health expenditures and other determinants on life expectancy across income groups classified by the World Bank.</p><p><strong>Design/methodology/approach: </strong>Using panel data and a fixed-effects model with dummy interactions, the findings reveal that OOP expenditures reduce life expectancy more in low-income economies, underscoring the need to lower financial barriers to healthcare.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is significant for improving life expectancy more in low-income economies, but diminishing returns suggest aligning growth with health policies. Immunization consistently improves life expectancy, highlighting preventive care's importance. Unemployment limits healthcare access, particularly in low-middle-income economies, requiring policies to address economic instability. Alcohol consumption adversely affects life expectancy in high-income economies, highlighting the impact of lifestyle changes and the need for regulatory interventions.</p><p><strong>Practical implications: </strong>By exploring the interplay of health expenditures, socioeconomic factors and lifestyle risks, the study offers insights for equitable global health policies aimed at improving health outcomes across income groups.</p><p><strong>Originality/value: </strong>(1) While previous studies have analysed the impact of various socio-economic factors on life expectancy in developed economies, little is known about the impact of these factors in Low and Middle Income Economies. (2) Moreover, the impact of out-of-pocket health expenditure on life expectancy has not been comprehensively analysed across different income groups. (3) Findings reveal that out-of-pocket expenditures negatively affect life expectancy more in low-income economies than in high-income economies, emphasizing the need for reducing the financial burden to improve healthcare access. (4) Alcohol consumption adversely impacts life expectancy in high-income economies, highlighting the need for regulatory interventions targeting lifestyle-related risks. (5) This study enhances understanding of how health expenditures, socio-economic factors, and lifestyle choices influence life expectancy across income groups, offering insights to guide equitable global health policies.</p>","PeriodicalId":47455,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE","volume":" ","pages":"181-197"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144111740","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Health professionals' experiences with participating in quality improvement in elderly care.","authors":"Lisabet Wieslander, Marie Haggström, Ingela Bäckström","doi":"10.1108/IJHCQA-11-2024-0103","DOIUrl":"10.1108/IJHCQA-11-2024-0103","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Employee participation in quality improvement is essential for fostering engagement and job satisfaction and delivering high-quality care, as highlighted in the total quality management literature. However, how employee participation is facilitated during quality improvement processes within healthcare organizations remains largely unexplored. Previous studies have identified a research gap, highlighting the importance of examining this phenomenon from the perspective of health professionals. The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of how health professionals in nursing homes experience their participation in quality improvement. The underlying aim was to describe their involvement and how it can be strengthened, ultimately improving the quality of care.</p><p><strong>Design/methodology/approach: </strong>This study is based on interviews with 17 health professionals from 2 nursing homes in a medium-sized Swedish municipality. Data were analysed with Reflexive Thematic Analysis.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>The themes identified through the analysis are \"experiences of barriers at the organizational level that limit participation in quality improvement\" and \"experiences of barriers in daily care that limit participation in quality improvement\".</p><p><strong>Originality/value: </strong>The themes address barriers to participation in quality improvement, reflecting an organizational structure that hinders participation and quality improvement. A quality culture, along with structured approaches to improve quality and foster employee participation is lacking. Implementing total quality management could help address the challenges faced by health professionals in these settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":47455,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE","volume":" ","pages":"158-170"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12492459/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144024511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Does healthcare access affect trust in institutions? Empirical evidence in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic.","authors":"Olfa Berrich, Moktar Lamari, Faten Lakhal","doi":"10.1108/IJHCQA-08-2024-0080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-08-2024-0080","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The paper investigates the determinants of citizens' trust in institutions, including banks and companies, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.</p><p><strong>Design/methodology/approach: </strong>We used a survey, conducted in 2020, with 36,851 respondents to identify what made some trust and others distrust institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our methodology incorporated ordinary least squares and logit estimations.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Lack of healthcare access had a significant negative impact on people's trust in institutions. Consistent with life experience theory, we found that individuals facing healthcare barriers may distrust firms and banks. Sociodemographic variables, including gender, education and marital status, were likely to shape the effect of healthcare access problems on trust in institutions. Moreover, mental health issues stemming from healthcare access problems adversely affected trust in banks and firms, suggesting that people who had mental health problems during COVID-19 were more likely to lose trust in these institutions. The relationship between healthcare access and trust in banks and firms was more pronounced among men and highly educated people. The results were robust to the instrumental variable approach.</p><p><strong>Practical implications: </strong>We showed that a link between trust in institutions and problems with healthcare access can inspire partnerships between Canadian institutional entities, typically banks and firms, and healthcare organizations. This would help strengthen long-term trust in these institutions.</p><p><strong>Originality/value: </strong>The potential long-term economic consequences of COVID-19 created a crisis in the public's trust in institutions, typically firms and banks. This paper examined the relationship between healthcare access and trust in institutions, addressing the limited evidence on this topic.</p>","PeriodicalId":47455,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144200451","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quality of patient-physician intercultural communication in healthcare tourism and medical interview experiences at an Indian hospital.","authors":"Payal Mehra, Himanshu Tyagi","doi":"10.1108/IJHCQA-06-2024-0061","DOIUrl":"10.1108/IJHCQA-06-2024-0061","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>While many studies have addressed health communication and physician-patient interactions, knowledge about intercultural communication in medical tourism is limited. Our empirical study, therefore, investigates aspects related to patients' cultural beliefs regarding the quality of healthcare and the way this shapes their expectations and experiences in an intercultural medical interview setting at a Joint Commission International (JCI) accredited host country hospital in India. The theoretical foundation is the Communication Accommodation Theory.</p><p><strong>Design/methodology/approach: </strong>A quantitative design was used in this study using the convenience sampling method. Data were collected from 300 medical tourism (MT) patients immediately after their face-to-face medical interview at the hospital.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>The non-Western cultures displayed higher intercultural communication (ICC) expectations from the host country doctors than the Western patients, possibly on account of cultural similarity with and proximity to the host country. ICC beliefs of MT patients supported by convergent communication accommodation by the doctors led to the perception of better ICC experience in clinical consultations with the potential to improve word-of-mouth promotion, patient satisfaction and revisit intentions; patients' expectations mediated the relationship. Consultation time in minutes controlled the relationship between patient ICC beliefs, expectations and experience in the medical consultations. The proposed model was undifferentiated for age, gender and geography of the MT patient as well as wait time (in minutes).</p><p><strong>Originality/value: </strong>While culture has been recognised as a significant factor in shaping the growth in medical tourism, research is scant on cultural and religious communication accommodation practices of host country doctors and medical staff and its effects on patient experience. Most studies on culture and MT have either evaluated the role of culture on the destination choice of international patients (cultural affinity or cultural familiarity) or have analysed the effect of distance between the host and the guest country as critical determinants of the choice of MT country. This study is probably the first to assess the quality of ICC beliefs, expectations and effects on MT patients' experiences. It is also the pioneering study to relate the context of MT with the well-regarded Communication Accommodation Theory, especially the manner in which convergent and divergent accommodation occurred between MT patients and MT service providers in the host country.</p>","PeriodicalId":47455,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE","volume":" ","pages":"53-78"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143711520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Access barriers for severe mental disorders in Colombia.","authors":"Juan Camilo Rodriguez Fandino","doi":"10.1108/IJHCQA-08-2024-0077","DOIUrl":"10.1108/IJHCQA-08-2024-0077","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study aims to identify the barriers to accessing mental health services in Colombia, analyze the causes that generate them and how they perpetuate over time and critically call for the strengthening of the provision and guarantee of access to these services in the country.</p><p><strong>Design/methodology/approach: </strong>A systematic review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses methodology. The databases Science Direct, Proquest and Google Scholar were consulted, and the following search terms were used: Accessibility to health services, health disparities, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and Colombia. A total of 35 articles meeting the inclusion criteria were analyzed, which allowed the classification of access barriers into five categories: governmental, personal, familial, social and institutional, all of which directly or indirectly affect access to mental health services.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Colombia regularly faces various social issues; thus, progress in the field of mental health in terms of treatment, research and prevention is imperative. For such a change to be possible, contributions from legislation and health authorities are required, taking into account the individuality of the patient, their context and their limitations.</p><p><strong>Originality/value: </strong>This study offers a critical view of the barriers that hinder access to mental health services in Colombia, highlighting the need to strengthen the provision and guarantee access to these services.</p>","PeriodicalId":47455,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE","volume":" ","pages":"79-93"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143721810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Public health insurance for the elderly: an insight from bibliometric analysis.","authors":"Gaurav Agrawal, Amit Kumar","doi":"10.1108/IJHCQA-03-2023-0019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-03-2023-0019","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The study examines worldwide public health insurance and ageing studies. This was accomplished by doing a thorough bibliometric analysis of publications published between 2002 and 2022 (till 31st May), which includes 479 articles for the analysis.</p><p><strong>Design/methodology/approach: </strong>This study used the Web of Science database to analyse the vast quantity of data from the journals referenced above. VOSviewer creates network maps, keyword concurrences and cross-country co-authorship. The research analyses parameters like article distribution by year and citation frequency to determine top publications. After that, co-authorship, country co-authorship and keyword co-occurrence bibliometric network maps are shown.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>The finding of the study reveals that the year 2020 is the most productive year for publication; BMJ Open is referred to as the most productive journal in this area, and \"Depression in the Elderly\" is the most referenced paper. The US has published the highest number of articles. We've seen 21 authors work with \"Akishita and Ishizaki\". The USA is the most collaborative author with other countries and conducted a keywords-based cluster analysis in which \"Public health insurance, older adults and long-term care\" are the most frequent keywords in this domain.</p><p><strong>Originality/value: </strong>This article aligns with the current literature on elderly public health insurance. The authors utilize bibliometric analysis to provide a more comprehensive and robust understanding of this area. Those interested in conducting further research in this field can use the findings of this study as a guide.</p>","PeriodicalId":47455,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE","volume":"38 2","pages":"94-111"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144024513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The response of the benchmark healthcare index of India to COVID-19 pandemic: a return volatility approach.","authors":"Peeyush Bangur","doi":"10.1108/IJHCQA-01-2023-0005","DOIUrl":"10.1108/IJHCQA-01-2023-0005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>From poor healthcare infrastructure to vaccine donors, India has traveled a long way. In this study, the author tried to find the investment certainty and persistence of volatility in the Indian healthcare system due to COVID-19.</p><p><strong>Design/methodology/approach: </strong>Using the Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (GARCH 1,1) model, this study quantifies the change in the conditional variance after the first case report of COVID-19. The author has used the S&P BSE HEALTHCARE index time series to analyze India's healthcare infrastructure and practices.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>The author found evidence of a decrease in investment certainty in investments related to India's healthcare infrastructure and practices after the first case report of COVID-19. Furthermore, the estimation of the econometric model suggests the presence of a large degree of volatility persistence in the S&P BSE HEALTHCARE index.</p><p><strong>Originality/value: </strong>This research would be the first of its kind where the return volatility of the Indian healthcare sector has been discussed. Also, this research quantifies the return volatility of the healthcare sector during the pre- and post-COVID-19 period.</p>","PeriodicalId":47455,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE","volume":" ","pages":"39-50"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142865830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of family members' communication mode choice on the family's perceptions of care.","authors":"Adi Gerblich, Eran Rubin, Kathleen Kennedy","doi":"10.1108/IJHCQA-06-2023-0040","DOIUrl":"10.1108/IJHCQA-06-2023-0040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Family-centered rounds (FCR) are a multidisciplinary process in which patients and/or family members are present and actively participate in medical rounds. While research has shown that FCR may enhance collaborative information exchange and reduce family anxiety, the impact of the information exchange modality on the experience has been largely unexplored. Medical rounds are typically assumed to be carried out in person at the bedside. In this research, we challenge this perception. We ask whether FCR communication is best conducted at the bedside or if similar communication outcomes are obtained when family members choose the communication mode according to their preferences.</p><p><strong>Design/methodology/approach: </strong>Using a field experiment in which participants choose the communication mode, we empirically analyze perceptions of the resulting communication in terms of information exchange. Three communication modes are available for participants to choose from (i.e. patients' families): face-to-face (FtF), phone and video conferencing. A questionnaire is distributed, and the responses of the patients' family members are analyzed. ANOVA tests are carried out to analyze the effect of communication mode on family perceptions.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Perceptions following video conferencing or FtF interaction were significantly higher than perceptions following the use of a phone. Thus, our results show clear superiority of video and FtF communication modes as facilitators of effective communication perceptions. There is also marginal evidence that FtF communication is perceived as superior than video conferencing in supporting the receipt of information and understanding but not in the ability to convey information and input to the care team. These results suggest that allowing family members to choose their communication preferences does not always support effective communication. A case can be made for motivating patient family members to use face-to-face or video communication rather than phone if possible.</p><p><strong>Originality/value: </strong>The possible ramifications of allowing family members to choose communication mode with the care team have been largely unexplored. Medical rounds are typically assumed to be carried out in person at the bedside. In this research, we challenge this perception. We ask whether communication is best conducted at the bedside or whether similar communication outcomes are obtained when family members choose the communication mode according to their preferences.</p>","PeriodicalId":47455,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE","volume":" ","pages":"28-38"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142781467","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Risk management in Moroccan public hospitals: a literature review.","authors":"Asma Oumghar, Issam Izza","doi":"10.1108/IJHCQA-08-2023-0057","DOIUrl":"10.1108/IJHCQA-08-2023-0057","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive analysis of risk management practices in the healthcare sector, with a particular focus on identifying challenges and strategies in Moroccan hospitals.</p><p><strong>Design/methodology/approach: </strong>A literature search was carried out on several academic search engines using search terms reflecting the relationship between risk management and public hospitals in Morocco.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>The Moroccan public hospital is confronted with several disjunctions, which can be sources of multiple risks. This influences the quality of care provided to patients and can sometimes threaten their vital prognosis. The risk management process can help health professionals, researchers and risk managers to be agile and identify and anticipate risks in order to avoid serious accidents that can affect the whole organization, especially after the pandemic lived experiences (COVID-19).</p><p><strong>Originality/value: </strong>Protecting human life in an environment where risks are omnipresent is a dilemma that every hospital organization must confront. So, risk management in the hospital is not a simple process, given the interaction of several components and the sensitivity of the field. Risk management in this establishment must be rigorous because every error can cost human life. In this sense, the analysis of risk management processes in Moroccan hospitals, based on what really exists, enables the identification of shortcomings in order to master the risk management system and thus protect goods and services as well as human life, which is the ultimate goal of the hospital organization's existence.</p>","PeriodicalId":47455,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE","volume":" ","pages":"1-27"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142848103","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Geographical health inequalities in India: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare access and healthcare inequality.","authors":"Parvathi Jayaprakash, Rupsa Majumdar, Somnath Ingole","doi":"10.1108/IJHCQA-05-2023-0030","DOIUrl":"10.1108/IJHCQA-05-2023-0030","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Purpose: &lt;/strong&gt;With an emphasis on spatial health disparities, this study examines how COVID-19 has affected healthcare access and inequality in India. The study developed the Healthcare Access Index (HAI) and Healthcare Inequality Index (HII) to assess the pandemic's effects on healthcare. The study addresses spatial health disparities in healthcare access and inequality, filling gaps in the literature. The final aim of the study is to offer policy suggestions to lessen healthcare inequities in India, particularly in the context of COVID-19.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Design/methodology/approach: &lt;/strong&gt;The study incorporates secondary data from publicly accessible databases such as the National Family Health Survey, Niti-Ayog and Indian Census databases and employs a quantitative research design. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare access and healthcare inequality in India is examined using the HAI and the HII. The five dimensions of healthcare access - availability, accessibility, accommodation, cost and acceptability - were used in developing the HAI. The study uses a panel data analysis methodology to examine the HAI and HII scores for 19 states over the pre-COVID-19 (2015) and post-COVID-19 (2020) periods. In order to investigate the connection between healthcare access, healthcare inequality and the COVID-19 pandemic, the analysis employs statistical tests such as descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, factor analysis and visualization analysis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Findings: &lt;/strong&gt;According to the study, COVID-19 impacted healthcare access and inequality in India, with notable regional inequalities between states. The pandemic has increased healthcare disparities by widening the gap between states with high and low HII ratings. Healthcare access is closely tied to healthcare inequality, with lower levels of access being associated with more significant levels of inequality. The report advises governmental initiatives to lessen healthcare disparities in India, such as raising healthcare spending, strengthening healthcare services in underperforming states and enhancing healthcare infrastructure.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Practical implications: &lt;/strong&gt;For Indian healthcare authorities and practitioners, the study has significant ramifications. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a main focus on addressing geographic gaps in healthcare access and inequality. The report suggests upgrading transportation infrastructure, lowering out-of-pocket costs, increasing health insurance coverage and enhancing healthcare infrastructure and services in underperforming states. The HAI and the HII are tools that policymakers can use to identify states needing immediate attention and appropriately spend resources. These doable recommendations provide a framework for lowering healthcare disparities in India and enhancing healthcare outcomes for all communities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Originality/value: &lt;/strong&gt;The study's originality resides ","PeriodicalId":47455,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE","volume":"ahead-of-print ahead-of-print","pages":"42-67"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142644862","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}