Bmc Health Serv Res
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Bmc Health Serv Res · Sep 2015
Multicenter StudyIncidence and predictors of annual chlamydia testing among 15-29 year olds attending Aboriginal primary health care services in New South Wales, Australia.
For the past two decades, chlamydia has been the most commonly notified infectious disease among young people (15-29 year olds) in Australia, the United States of America and the United Kingdom and rates have increased annually in these three countries. In Australia, rates of chlamydia are three times higher in Aboriginal compared with non-Aboriginal people. Australian sexually transmissible infection guidelines recommend annual chlamydia testing for 15-29 year old females and males. This analysis will examine the incidence and predictors of annual chlamydia testing in 15-29 year olds attending four Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) in Australia. ⋯ This analysis highlights that opportunistic STI testing strategies are needed to increase annual chlamydia testing in young people; especially males.
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Bmc Health Serv Res · Sep 2015
The prevalence of self-reported underuse of medications due to cost for the elderly: results from seven European urban communities.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of self-reported underuse of medications due to procurement costs amongst older persons from seven European urban communities. ⋯ Refraining from buying the prescribed medications due to cost is a problem for women and men in respect to ageing people in Europe. Prevalence varies by country, sex, and economic hardship.
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Bmc Health Serv Res · Sep 2015
The economic burden of overseas medical treatment: a cross sectional study of Maldivian medical travelers.
Access to tertiary care is a problem common to many small states, especially island ones. Although medical treatment overseas (MTO) may result in cost savings to high income countries, it can be a relatively high cost for low and middle income source countries. The purpose of this study was to estimate the costs of overseas medical treatment incurred by the households of medical travelers from Maldives and assess the burden of medical treatment overseas on the government and on households. ⋯ Overseas medical treatment represents a substantial economic burden to the Maldives in terms of lost consumer spending in the local economy and catastrophic health spending by households. Geographical inequality in access to public funds for MTO and the disproportionate travel cost borne by travelers from rural areas need to be addressed in the existing Universal Health Care programme to minimize the burden of MTO. Increased investment to create more capacity in the domestic health infrastructure either through government, private or by foreign direct investment can help divert the outflow on MTO.
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Bmc Health Serv Res · Sep 2015
Exploring the impact of intravenous thrombolysis on length of stay for acute ischemic stroke: a retrospective cohort study.
Understanding the factors that influence the hospital length of stay (LOS) for patients with stroke will help in discharge planning and stroke unit management. We explored how intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) affects LOS in an acute-care hospital setting. ⋯ IVT reduced the risk of prolonged LOS in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Measures to increase the rate of IVT are encouraged.
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Bmc Health Serv Res · Sep 2015
ReviewChallenges in the provision of healthcare services for migrants: a systematic review through providers' lens.
In recent years, cross-border migration has gained significant attention in high-level policy dialogues in numerous countries. While there exists some literature describing the health status of migrants, and exploring migrants' perceptions of service utilisation in receiving countries, there is still little evidence that examines the issue of health services for migrants through the lens of providers. This study therefore aims to systematically review the latest literature, which investigated perceptions and attitudes of healthcare providers in managing care for migrants, as well as examining the challenges and barriers faced in their practices. ⋯ It was evident that healthcare providers faced several challenges in managing care for migrants, which included not only language and cultural barriers, but also resource constraints within their workplaces, and disharmony between the law and their professional norms. Further studies, which explore health care management for migrants in countries with different health insurance models, are recommended.