Health Policy and Technology最新文献

{"title":"Barriers to access to insulin pumps in Chile: A qualitative study of a high-cost technology","authors":"Báltica Cabieses ,&nbsp;Alexandra Obach ,&nbsp;Paula Madrid ,&nbsp;Daniela Paredes","doi":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.100992","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.100992","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To investigate the barriers to accessing advanced insulin delivery system from the experiences of patients with type 1 diabetes (T1DM), family members, and treatment teams.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A qualitative study, taking a comprehensive approach, investigated a person's experience with T1DM and receiving insulin pump treatment, emphasizing the barriers to accessing it. A case study was conducted, considering a diverse range of individuals, including young patients, adult patients, family members or caregivers, and health professionals. Twenty-nine semi-structured individual interviews provided a rich and varied perspective on the issue.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>According to study participants, the main barriers to access to insulin pump treatment for T1DM patients in Chile were the following: (i) Geographic barriers, (ii) Socioeconomic barriers, (iii) Administrative barriers, and (iv) Barriers from health teams. Participants also identified emerging barriers related to the insulin pump's adaptation process.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Despite the barriers and bottlenecks identified, an effort to fill short gaps in access to insulin pump treatment by the Chilean health system is recognized. To keep improving in equitative access to high-cost treatments in T1DM and other chronic conditions, it is imperative to consider the active and meaningful participation of patients and their families in health decision-making. This can lead to more patient-centric and effective healthcare policies and practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48672,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy and Technology","volume":"14 2","pages":"Article 100992"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143421446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Factors associated with adoption of electronic health record sharing system (eHRSS) among private physicians","authors":"Junjie Huang ,&nbsp;Wing Sze Pang ,&nbsp;Fung Yu Mak ,&nbsp;Yuet Yan Wong ,&nbsp;Sze Chai Chan ,&nbsp;Yingxin Guan ,&nbsp;Jonathan Poon ,&nbsp;Ellen Tong ,&nbsp;Clement SK Cheung ,&nbsp;Wing Nam Wong ,&nbsp;Ngai Tseung Cheung ,&nbsp;Chung Ping Ho ,&nbsp;Martin CS Wong","doi":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.100995","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.100995","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aims to examine the adoption level of the electronic Medical Record (eMR) and Electronic Health Record Sharing System (eHRSS) among private physicians, and to establish areas for service improvement by evaluating the perception of the eHealth App.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Invitation emails containing the self-administered questionnaires link were sent out to private physicians, by referring to the eHRSS list and internet resources. A descriptive analysis was performed, the outcome variables (eMR, eHRSS, eHealth App) were expressed as proportions. Binary logistic regression models were constructed for the primary outcome variable and the secondary outcome variable.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 744 surveys were received. 78.5 % of the respondents adopted the eMR and 91.9 % joined the eHRSS. Among them, more than 90 % visited eHRSS regularly. ‘More technical support on data upload (61.7 %), ‘improve the friendliness of the interface (46.2 %), and ‘more cooperation between eHRSS and other medical systems’ (45.0 %) were potential factors that encourage data uploading. Type of practising [with partners/group practice: adjusted odd rate (aOR): 2.64, p&lt;0.001], and participation in eHRSS (aOR: 6.66, p&lt;0.001) were significant factors that increased the adoption of the eMR. Younger (aged≤ 30, aOR: 0.157, p&lt;0.041) and older age group (aged≥ 61, aOR: 0.403, p&lt;0.001) were less likely to adopt eMR. 79.9 % of them were aware of the eHealth App.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>A generally high recognition of the eHRSS was found among physicians. Most physicians had an understanding and positive perception towards the eHealth App. It was noted that participation in eHRSS was significantly associated with the adoption of eMR.</div></div><div><h3>Public Interest Summary</h3><div>This study aims to examine the adoption level of the electronic Medical Record (eMR) and eHRSS among private physicians, and to establish areas for service improvement by evaluating the perception of the eHealth App. The study adopts the form of questionnaire survey, and we will analyze the collected data. A generally high recognition of the eHRSS was found among physicians. Most physicians had an understanding and positive perception towards the eHealth App. Physicians demonstrated strong confidence in privacy and security, but were less satisfied with the technical support of the eHRSS. It was noted that participation in eHRSS was significantly associated with the adoption of eMR.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48672,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy and Technology","volume":"14 2","pages":"Article 100995"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143474469","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Are your mobile phone and continuous glucose monitoring application compatible?","authors":"Katrine Bovién Gørlitz ,&nbsp;Mia Uldum Tolstrup ,&nbsp;Sofie Husted Wilken ,&nbsp;Cathrine Bell ,&nbsp;Klavs Würgler Hansen","doi":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.100991","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.100991","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background and aim</h3><div>Patients who use mobile apps for continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) often disregard the official mobile phone compatibility list. This study aimed to describe the user proportion whose mobile phones are not on the compatibility list (unlisted) and compare their glycaemic metrics with those of users with compatible phones.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>All users of the Freestyle Libre2 CGM and LibreLink app connected to our clinic were evaluated if a glucose data download was available within three months (n = 248). We checked the mobile name appearing on the LibreView report with the manufacturer's list of compatible devices. Glycaemic metrics and adjustment for loss of signal alarms were recorded from LibreView.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 197 persons were using a compatible phone (79.4 %). The median active CGM time was 96 % (IQR: 91-98) for persons with compatible phones and 96 % (IQR: 89-98) for persons with an unlisted phone (p = 0.76). The time in range (glucose 3.9-10.0 mmol/l) for persons with a compatible phone was 55.9 ± 20.9 %; for users with an unlisted phone, 55.3 ± 21.8 % (p = 0.85). The loss-of-signal alarm was more frequently enabled for users with unlisted phones (45.0 %) than for users with compatible phones (24.0 %) (p &lt; 0.01).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Persons who use unlisted phones have a similar, high active CGM time as persons with compatible phones. The relationship between compatibility status and enabling of the loss-of-signal alarm remains unknown.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48672,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy and Technology","volume":"14 2","pages":"Article 100991"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143429636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The contribution of ICTs and telemedicine to COVID-19 vaccination: Evidence from the United States","authors":"M.Eugenia Fabra ,&nbsp;Juan Jung ,&nbsp;Raúl Katz","doi":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.100980","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.100980","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>This paper explores the influence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and telemedicine on COVID-19 vaccination decisions in the United States.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Leveraging survey data from nearly 4,000 respondents collected in 2021, we apply Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to analyze how factors such as vulnerability (measured as health status), ICT access and satisfaction with prior telemedicine experiences contribute to trust in telemedicine. This trust, in turn, shapes attitudes toward vaccination and ultimately influences vaccination decisions.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Our results show that greater access to ICT enhances trust in telemedicine, leading to more positive attitudes towards vaccination and higher vaccination rates. However, these positive effects are not uniform across all population groups. Higher-income, older, and more educated individuals benefit significantly from telemedicine, while lower-income, younger, and less educated populations face barriers such as limited ICT access, economic constraints, and lower digital literacy, reducing the impact of telemedicine on their vaccination decisions.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The novelty of this study lies in its focus on the digital divide in healthcare, a relatively underexplored factor in vaccine hesitancy research. We provide new empirical evidence on the role of ICT and telemedicine in shaping health behaviors during a pandemic, emphasizing the need for targeted policies to address inequalities in digital access and healthcare. Policy interventions should aim to improve ICT infrastructure, promote digital literacy, and build trust in telemedicine, especially among disadvantaged groups, to ensure more equitable healthcare outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48672,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy and Technology","volume":"14 2","pages":"Article 100980"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143350721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Patient safety of virtual primary care: A qualitative study examining risks and mitigation strategies","authors":"Olivia Lounsbury ,&nbsp;Edmond Li ,&nbsp;Tetiana Lunova ,&nbsp;Niki O'Brien ,&nbsp;Ahmed Alboksmaty ,&nbsp;Alay Rangel-Cristales ,&nbsp;Ara Darzi ,&nbsp;Ana Luisa Neves","doi":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2024.100966","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2024.100966","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>While virtual care delivery has numerous advantages, it can also introduce safety risks and unintended consequences. Considering that it has become an integral part of today's healthcare service, uncovering its unintended consequences is imperative to ensure patient safety.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>This study aimed to identify patient safety risks associated with virtual primary care, as well as strategies to mitigate these risks based on the perspectives of patients and healthcare providers.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Three focus groups were conducted followed by 26 semi-structured interviews with patients, carers and healthcare providers working in primary care. Data were analysed following a thematic analysis approach.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 42 participants took part in the study. Three main areas for patient safety risks associated with virtual primary care were identified, including suboptimal clinical decision-making, negative consequences for patients’ access to care, and worsening workload burden and exacerbating staff dissatisfaction. Strategies to mitigate these risks included providing information for patients, training triage personnel, making technical support available, standardising guidelines, setting up systems for feedback, improving continuity of care, communication, and safety netting.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Patients and providers now have a heightened awareness of the strengths and pitfalls of virtual care due to their increased familiarity with the use of virtual care technologies. Existing policies need to be updated and new ones devised to minimise risks associated with virtual care and support patient and provider workflows.</div></div><div><h3>Public Interest Summary</h3><div>The COVID-19 pandemic galvanized an emergent necessity to deliver care virtually in order to reduce disease transmission. However, given the urgency of the crisis, virtual care was being delivered with minimal protective measures for safety.</div><div>This study examines the lived experiences of both patients and providers around virtual care use in England. Potential risks of virtual care delivery, and strategies to mitigate these risks, are identified from both perspectives. The risks identified vary from the technological learning curve to the challenges associated with modified patient-provider communication. The potential solutions identified range from strategies to improve micro-level patient-provider interactions to larger-scale system changes to improve the continuity of care.</div><div>Support for patients and providers alike should be allocated to alleviate unnecessary burdens associated with virtual care. Ensuring patient safety necessitates effective coordination and integration between virtual and in-person healthcare so as to maximise the benefits of both modalities of healthcare delivery.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48672,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy and Technology","volume":"14 1","pages":"Article 100966"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143160793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing the impact of technology partners on the level of cyberattack damage in hospitals","authors":"Yannik Angler ,&nbsp;Steffen Flessa ,&nbsp;Emilia Grass ,&nbsp;Olav Goetz","doi":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2024.100955","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2024.100955","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Reliable performance of medical devices is crucial for hospitals. However, these devices are increasingly connected with the internet and, thus, prone to cyberattacks resulting in risks for patient safety and financial loss. As the number of specialists in this field is limited in most hospitals, technology partnerships with medical technology manufacturers can be a suitable concept for increasing the level of security or limiting damage in the event of a cyberattack.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Based on a discrete event simulation model (DES), the effects of security incidents with different degrees of impact on downtime costs, length of stay, staff utilization and lost arrivals in an emergency department of a general hospital were modelled and simulated. The effects of a technology partnership were simulated using what-if scenarios in order to be able to draw conclusions about the benefits by comparing the avoidable damage effects and the investment costs incurred for a technology partnership.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Depending on the scenario, the resulting savings range from €245,579 to €315,768, with a cost-benefit ratio between 4 and 5 over a 21-day period. Non-financial benefit (e.g. shorter lengths of stay or reduction IT resources) can also be achieved.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Our analysis demonstrates that the level of security for hospitals and their medical devices as well as the operational functionality in the event of damage can be increased if such a concept it applied, i.e., patient safety can be increased while costs can be cut.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48672,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy and Technology","volume":"14 1","pages":"Article 100955"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143159857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of the FitBack online platform: Enhancing global child fitness assessment, health-related interpretation, and surveillance","authors":"Maroje Sorić ,&nbsp;Shawnda A. Morrison ,&nbsp;Francisco B. Ortega ,&nbsp;Attilio Carraro ,&nbsp;Tamás Csányi ,&nbsp;Bojan Leskošek ,&nbsp;Jarek Mäestu ,&nbsp;Snežana Radisavljević-Janić ,&nbsp;Luís B. Sardinha ,&nbsp;Claude Scheuer ,&nbsp;Gregor Starc ,&nbsp;Tuija H. Tammelin ,&nbsp;Gregor Jurak","doi":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2024.100967","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2024.100967","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>Physical fitness is an important indicator of health in children<strong>.</strong> Accurately monitoring child and adolescent physical fitness is critical when designing effective public health interventions and strategies. This article communicates the creation process of the FitBack platform, a multi-lingual, free-for-use online health, education and information portal tool. The study's objectives are to provide a detailed breakdown of the evidence-based health-related criteria that support its unique feedback reporting system.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Four methodological phases were used to create the FitBack platform. First, a review of existing European fitness databases was conducted to identify common fitness tests and methodologies within a European framework. Second, investigators collated data to create European-level fitness norms, health-related criteria, and health-oriented educational resources dedicated to improving child fitness levels. Third, guidance on how to create one's own fitness monitoring and surveillance system was created based on good practice examples. The FitBack platform was then piloted and launched based on data received from stakeholders who responded to ≥2 rounds of consultation dialogues.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The final version of the online platform is detailed herein, with special focus on describing its novel health-related, child-specific fitness criteria used to provide its diverse end-users individualised health feedback.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The FitBack online platform is a first-step tool that anyone can use towards creating their own standardised, person-centred, multi-national fitness surveillance system for children, bridging policy gaps that exist between current European political recommendations and individual member states, encouraging harmonious cooperation between sectors. By providing the detailed age- and sex-specific health-related fitness cut-points underpinning FitBack's health feedback, we expect this versatile digital health tool to be useful not only to researchers, but also practitioners and policy makers, as they work towards building better child fitness monitoring system infrastructures worldwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48672,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy and Technology","volume":"14 1","pages":"Article 100967"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143160787","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Translating innovative medical devices from prototype to practice: A Delphi study of urgent financial barriers and promising solutions","authors":"Sanne Allers ,&nbsp;Frank Eijkenaar ,&nbsp;Frederik T. Schut ,&nbsp;Erik M. van Raaij","doi":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2024.100964","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2024.100964","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>Financial barriers are widely perceived as a major obstacle for translating innovative medical devices from prototype to practice. However, a clear overview of relevant financial barriers, their perceived urgency, and promising solutions is lacking. Therefore, this study aims to identify and prioritize the multitude of barriers and solutions from the perspective of various stakeholders involved in the development and financing of innovative medical devices.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We performed a Delphi study with three consecutive questionnaires sent to 72 experts from five stakeholder groups in the Netherlands: innovators, (social) venture capital investors, health insurers, healthcare providers, and (semi)governmental agencies.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The response rate was 71 % in the first round and decreased to 46 % in the third round, with each stakeholder group being well-represented. We identified 33 distinctive barriers and 183 associated solutions. Although respondents assigned a consistently high priority to each of these barriers, eight barriers stand out in terms of high priority and degree of consensus. In addition, 22 solutions were considered most promising to solve these barriers. For both the barriers and the solutions, differences in the degree of consensus were larger within than between stakeholder groups.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Our study has identified and prioritized a diverse set of financial and related challenges and potential solutions to translate innovative medical devices, as jointly faced by the stakeholders. Improvement efforts should first focus on addressing the consistently high-priority barriers, using the solutions perceived as being most suitable.</div></div><div><h3>Public interest summary</h3><div>To progress from an innovative prototype to a medical device in practice, products must be able to pass through a critical phase in the innovation process. This phase is called the valley of death, because a lack of financial opportunities kills many innovative technologies at this stage. The present study provides insight into the multitude of financial barriers that play a role in this innovation phase, and the priorities assigned to these barriers by various groups of relevant stakeholders. In addition, stakeholders were asked to suggest promising solutions to address these barriers. Consequently, this study has shown the prioritized need for financial support of a co-creation process of innovations between innovators and users. In addition, the stakeholders provided suitable solutions focusing on timely communication, alternative payment models, and disincentivizing low-value care. Finally, opinions strongly diverged about solutions that require radical changes towards a more centrally governed innovation system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48672,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy and Technology","volume":"14 1","pages":"Article 100964"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143160794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Internet use and satisfaction with overall medical services among older adults in China: Counterfactual estimation based on propensity score matching","authors":"Lei Wu,&nbsp;Feng Zhao,&nbsp;Cherong Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2024.100954","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2024.100954","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>In the context of China's \"Internet Plus Healthcare\" reform, this study aims to test whether the use of the Internet has improved older adults’ satisfaction with overall medical services (SMS), and analyze the effectiveness of the reform in the older population.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Based on the cross-sectional data from the China Family Panel Studies in 2020, propensity score matching (PSM) models were employed to examine the relationship between Internet use and SMS of Chinese older adults (4661 observations aged 60 and above), and ordinary least square (OLS) regression models were adopted to explore the mediating role of self-rated health (SH) in this relationship.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Internet use was associated with a decline in SMS among older adults in China, with Internet users’ SMS being about 18 % lower than non-users. However, we found no evidence for SH mediating the relationship between Internet use and SMS, which is contrary to our expectation.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Internet use has led to lower levels of SMS among Chinese older adults. In the future, the government needs to further promote the achievements of the “Internet Plus Healthcare” reform to benefit senior citizens more equitably and ultimately improve their SMS.</div></div><div><h3>Public interest summary</h3><div>This research showed that Internet use has led to a decrease in satisfaction with overall medical services (SMS) among older adults in China. This result could assist decision-makers in better understanding the healthcare reform achievement and how to further expand the effectiveness of health governance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48672,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy and Technology","volume":"14 1","pages":"Article 100954"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143160795","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The business case for palliative care: Translating research into program development in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)","authors":"Arun Ghoshal","doi":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2024.100965","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2024.100965","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Scientific abstract&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;The provision of palliative care is a critical component of comprehensive healthcare, particularly for individuals facing life-limiting illnesses. While the importance of palliative care has been recognized in high-income countries, its integration and implementation in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) pose unique challenges. In LMICs, limited resources, competing health priorities, and cultural factors have historically hindered the development and delivery of palliative care services. However, recent research has demonstrated the numerous benefits of palliative care, including improved patient outcomes, enhanced quality of life, and cost-effectiveness.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;A multifaceted approach is needed to develop palliative care programs in LMICs successfully. Firstly, there is a need to raise awareness among policymakers, healthcare providers, and the public about the value and benefits of palliative care. This can be achieved through targeted advocacy campaigns, capacity-building initiatives, and knowledge dissemination. Secondly, program development should be context-specific and tailored to the unique challenges and resources of each LMIC. This includes establishing partnerships with local healthcare providers, integrating palliative care into existing healthcare systems, and developing culturally sensitive models of care. Furthermore, financing mechanisms and sustainable funding sources must be explored to ensure the long-term viability of palliative care programs. This may involve advocating for the integration of palliative care into national health policies, exploring innovative financing models, and leveraging international partnerships and funding opportunities.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Public interest abstract&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;The global community has recognized that palliative care is integral to both universal health coverage and the right to health and helps improve the quality of life for people with serious illnesses as well as their caregivers/families. While it is well-established in wealthier countries, implementing palliative care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is challenging. In LMICs, limited resources have made it difficult to provide palliative care. However, recent research shows that palliative care brings many benefits, such as better patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness. These findings make a strong case for expanding palliative care in LMICs. To make this happen, there is a need to raise awareness about the value of palliative care among policymakers, healthcare providers, and the public. We must also develop tailored programs that consider each country's unique challenges and resources. Finding sustainable funding sources is crucial, which may involve integrating palliative care into national health policies and seeking international partnerships. By embracing palliative care, LMICs can improve the lives of those with serious illnesses, strengthen their healthcare systems, ","PeriodicalId":48672,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy and Technology","volume":"14 1","pages":"Article 100965"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143160826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}