환자의 만족도는 더 나은 의료서비스 결과물을 위한 중요 요소이기에, 환자만족도와 관련 요인에 대한 연구는 그 필요성이 대두하고 있다. 따라서, 본 연구는 의사의 환자를 향한 공감적(empathetic) 태도와 같은 잠재적 요인이 환자만족도와 어떤 연관성을 가졌는지를 분석했다. 이를 위해, 편의표본추출법을 통한 환자설문조사 자료 중 총 273,994 개의 사례들을 분석한 단면연구가 수행되었다. 연구의 독립변수 및 종속변수들은 각각 의사의 태도 및 의사와 진료소(office setting or clinic)관련 환자만족도로 정의되었다. 연구결과에 의하면, 의사와 진료소 관련 환자만족도는 각각 100점 만점에 평균 78.08과 78.62로 나타났고 상응하는 표준편차는 각각 0.14와 0.12였다. 또한, 의사의 태도가 의사와 진료소 관련 환자만족도와 유의한 관계에 있음을 확인하였다(p < 0.001). 의료에 대한 환자만족도를 높이기 위해서는, 의사의 공감적 의사소통 능력개발을 위한 지속적인 노력이 기울여져서 환자에 의한 의사의 공감적 태도가 인지되어 질 수 있기를 본 연구는 제언한다.
Comparative effectiveness research (CER) is an important branch of pharmacoeconomics that systematically studies and evaluates the cost-effectiveness of medical interventions. CER plays instrumental roles in guiding government public health policy programs and insurance. Countries throughout the world use different methods of CER to help make medical decisions based on providing optimal therapy at a reduced cost. Expenses to the healthcare system continue to rise, and CER is one-way in which expenses could be curbed in the future by applying cost-effectiveness evidence to clinical decisions. China, India, South Korea, and the United Kingdom are of essential focus because these country's economies and health care expenses continue to expand. The structures and use of CER are diverse throughout these countries, and each is of prime importance. By conducting this thorough comparison of CER in different nations, strategies and organizational setups from different countries can be applied to help guide public health and medical decision-making in order to continue to expand the establishment and role of CER programs. The patient-centered medical home has been created to help reduce costs in the primary care sector and to help improve the effectiveness of therapy. Barriers to CER are also important as many stakeholders need to be able to work together to provide the best CER evidence. The advancement of CER in multiple countries throughout the world provides a possible way of reducing costs to the healthcare system in an age of expanding expenses.
Cancer screening tests are important tools to combat cancer-related morbidity and mortality. There is limited up-to-date research on spatial and temporal variations of colorectal and breast cancer screening in the United States. County-level data of cancer screening adherence rates were generated from 2008 to 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. We performed the univariate local indicators for spatial analyses (LISA) for the geographic differences of screening adherence rate and the differential LISA for the change of screening adherence rate from 2008 to 2012. In the univariate LISA, low-to-low clusters were consistently identified in counties of New Mexico, Wyoming, and Mississippi (P < 0.05) for both screenings. In the differential LISA, we found low-to-low clusters in Indiana counties (P < 0.05) for mammography screening, which implied that counties with a below-average difference in mammography adherence were surrounded by counties of below-average difference in adherence rates. A high-to-high cluster was also identified in the southern Appalachian counties for mammography screening (P < 0.05). No obvious spatial pattern was found for the colorectal cancer screening adherence rate across the United States. We found low-to-low clusters over time in adherence to screening guidelines for both cancer types in New Mexico, Wyoming, and Mississippi, and clusters of potential decrease in adherence to mammography screening guideline in counties of Indiana. The study also showed improvement on mammography screening clustered in southern Appalachia. The methodology adopted in this study identified areas with clusters of consistent low adherence to screening and a decrease in adherence, which implies that further research and intervention is warranted.
Aqueous dispersion of van der Waals bonded one-dimensional materials Mo6S3I6 with hydrophobic surfaces has been studied. The surface charge of the dispersed Mo6S3I6 is controlled from negative to positive by the charge type of dispersant tail (anionic, SDS and NaDDBS; cationic, CTAB; nonionic, Poloxamer 407), and through this, it is possible to deposit the dispersed Mo6S3I6 in nanosized by electrophoretic deposition at a desired position. When a flexible device was manufactured by transferring Mo6S3I6, it was confirmed that electrical conductivity can be measured in 40% of elongation and more than 1000 times cyclic test.
Little evidence exists the relationship of nurse staffing and quality with financial performance in hospitals. This study aimed to measure the relationship between nurse staffing, quality of care, and profitability in hospitals. This study used longitudinal panel datasets from 2006 to 2010, drawn from various datasets including the American Hospital Association Annual Survey Database, Medicare Cost Report, and Hospital Compare Data. This study used the random-effects linear regression model to measure the relationship between nurse staffing, quality, and profitability. In addition, we tested a mediating effect of quality on the relationship between nurse staffing and profitability. This study found nurse staffing’s significant association with quality and profitability in hospitals. First, compared to hospitals in the lowest quintile of RNs per 1,000 inpatient days, hospitals in the higher quintiles had lower pneumonia readmission rates, and higher total profit margins, operating margins, and cash flow margins. In addition, hospitals with lower pneumonia readmission rates were found to have higher total profit margins and cash flow margins. Lastly, the current study found that the positive relationship between RNs per 1,000 inpatient days and total profit margin and cash flow margin was partially mediated by pneumonia readmission rates. In conclusion, our finding that nurse staffing is positively associated with both quality of care and profitability in hospitals suggests that the idea of hospitals responding to financial pressures by cutting RN resources with a goal of greater profitability should be called into question. The influence of lower RN staffing levels on higher profitability for hospitals is uncertain, while it is possible that RN staff reductions may compromise the quality of patient care.
There is a lack of U.S. population-based research surrounding the marked decrease in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) caused by the morbidity of mental disorders in the U.S. Hispanic demographic. This cross-sectional study utilized data from the 2013-2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) to identify Hispanic community-dwelling residents with mental disorders in the U.S. The independent variable was the presence of mental disorders, and the dependent variable was HRQoL. HRQoL was measured with the Short Form 12 (SF-12) Physical Health Composite Scale (PCS) and Mental Health Composite Scale (MCS). A total of 34,434 patients met the inclusion criteria, representing about 38,683,299 Hispanic individuals. Of this group, those older than 18 were stratified by the presence of mental disorders. The two groups were those with mental disorders: 4,122 individuals representing a sample size of 4,789,634; and those without mental disorders: 30,312 individuals representing a sample size of 33,893,665. Based on our study, Hispanic patients with mental disorders were associated with lower HRQoL scores. SF-12 PCS scores (95% CI) were 45.3 (44.5, 46.1) for those with mental disorders and 50.8 (50.5, 51.0) for those without mental disorders. SF-12 MCS scores (95% CI) were 42.6 (42, 43.3) in patients with mental disorders and 52.6 (52.3, 52.8) in patients without mental disorders. These differences in scores denote the impact of mental health disorders on HRQoL scores in the Hispanic demographic and mark the way for further research on identifying means of improving such scores for Hispanic patients.
Purpose: To describe a pharmacist’s counseling service pertaining to methods of contraception on the postpartum unit of a university hospital and to evaluate the number of postpartum patients who desire information on contraception with the demographics of age, public or private insurance, and whether the patient was English or Spanish-speaking. Methods: Retrospective cohort data analysis of postpartum women who received the option of counseling by a pharmacist or pharmacy intern at a university hospital over a year and 7 month period. There were 2,048 cases included for this study. The total number of patients who wanted information as well as pharmacist preparation time and counseling time were also noted. Results: Patients who were interested in a hormonal contraception method were 3 times more likely to desire counseling compared with patients who declined information (p<0.05). Also, patients who wanted an implantable form of contraception were 8 times more likely to desire information compared with patients who declined counseling (p<0.05). Patients in the age range of 18-25, 26-30, and 31-45 years were less likely (56%, 64%, & 65%) to want counseling compared with the age range of 12-17 years (all p<0.05). Lastly, patients who spoke Spanish were 3 times more likely to have been counseled compared with non-Spanish speaking patients. The number of postpartum patients counseled on different contraception methods was 1,546 versus 699 patients who declined counseling. Total pharmacist preparation time totaled 160.95 hours, while total patient counseling time totaled 204.55 hours. Conclusion: Overall, postpartum women who chose to be counseled by a pharmacist were considering either a hormonal or implantable method of contraception, were younger than the age of 17 and were Spanish speaking. The average amount of pharmacist preparation time spent was 4.3 minutes per patient and actual counseling time on average was 5.5 minutes per patient.
Phamacoeconomics can aid the policy makers and the healthcare providers in decision making in evaluating the affordability of and access to rational drug use. Efficiency is a key concept of pharmacoeconomics, and various strategies are suggested for buying the greatest amount of benefits for a given resource use. Phamacoeconomic evaluation techniques such as cost minimization analysis, cost effectiveness analysis, cost benefit analysis, and cost utilization analysis, which support identification and quantification of cost of drugs, are conducted in a similar way, but vary in measurement of value of health benefits and outcomes. This article provides a brief overview about pharmacoeconomics, its utility with respect to the Indian pharmaceutical industry, and the expanding insurance system in India. Pharmacoeconomic evidences can be utilized to support decisions on licensing, pricing, reimbursement, and maintenance of formulary procedure of pharmaceuticals. For the insurance companies to give better facility at minimum cost, India must develop the platform for pharmacoeconomics with a validating methodology and appropriate training. The role of clinical pharmacists including PharmD graduates are expected to be more beneficial than the conventional pharmacists, as they will be able to apply the principles of economics in daily basis practice in community and hospital pharmacy.
'%3e%3cg id='b'%3e%3cpath id='a' stroke='%23000' stroke-width='2' d='M-6-25H6m-12 3H6m-12 3H6'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' y='44'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3cpath stroke='%23fff' d='M0 17v10'/%3e%3ccircle r='12' fill='%23cd2e3a'/%3e%3cpath fill='%230047a0' d='M0-12A6 6 0 0 0 0 0a6 6 0 0 1 0 12 12 12 0 0 1 0-24z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3cg transform='rotate(-123.69)'%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23b'/%3e%3cpath stroke='%23fff' d='M0-23.5v3M0 17v3.5m0 3v3'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/svg%3e)
