Asia-Pacific Journal of Health Management (ACHSM)
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Motivations And Barriers to Purchase Health Insurance: A qualitative study: - 2nd International Healthcare Management Conference 2022: Navigating the New Normal with Focus on Healthcare Accessibility, Innovation and Sustainability
No full textObjective: The purpose of this study is to understand and explore the motivations and barriers faced by customers while purchasing Health Insurance.
Design and Setting: An exploratory qualitative research design is applied to analyse the textual content of the depth interview data The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) provides the theoretical backdrop in designing the codes for the themes.
Results: The major factors which motivated the respondents to purchase health insurance policy include financial security, cashless transaction, taxation benefits, continuity benefits and helping in medical emergency. The significant barriers in the purchase of health insurance as identified by the participants include factors such as all ailments not covered, all facilities not covered, affordability, lack of awareness, lack of clarity and regarding the expense as an unnecessary expenditure.
Conclusion: The study uses the framework of TPB to ascertain the factors which contribute to the major themes during the course of content analysis. Our results indicate the factors which act as a motivation as well as the factors which act as barriers in the purchase of health insurance. A possible solution for such barriers is to widen the scope of financial literacy, to include the benefits of health insurance and make people aware of the details of such policies. Insurance companies should also try to reduce the premium charged
Residential Aged Care and Homelike Environments: A scoping literature review of views of the aged care workforce
No full textEvidence exists of the benefits of homelike environments for residents of residential aged care facil-ities (RACF). To date, most research has focused on the perceptions, experiences, and quality-of-life outcomes of homelike environments from residents’ perspectives. The views of the aged care workforce (ACW) about homelike environment in RACF is under-researched. A scoping review was conducted of the Pubmed, Medline, PsychInfo, Cinahl, and Scopus databases in April 2021. Search terms included: homelike environment; residential aged care; staff. Perspectives of ACW were synthesized using Rijnaard’s framework, encompassing three key categories. Of 1597 papers identified, 21 articles published from 1990 to 2021 met the eligibility criteria for review. The scop-ing review provided insights from nursing staff, facility managers, administrators, and also activity coordinators, laundry, and catering staff. Eight key elements of homelike environments were identi-fied, further classified into three key categories: (1) built environment (indoor and outdoor spaces); (2) psychological elements (residents’ choices and control, maintaining residents’ beliefs and habits); (3) social elements (relationships with residents, families, and staff, communal environments and maintaining contact with community). No important differences in themes across ACW groups were evident. Homelike environments were associated with higher job satisfaction, lower burnout, lower staff turnover and did not contribute to staff distress nor perceptions of reduced safety. Homelike environments are potentially beneficial for ACW. Review findings can inform planning, implemen-tation, and evaluation of homelike environments, to ultimately enhance outcomes for ACW and res-idents in RACFs
Automated Text-Based Psychological Support to Improve Work-Life Balance and Sleep Quality: A pilot study report of work-from-home workers in Indonesia
No full textBackground: Work-at-home jobs may raise the risk of mental health concerns as they blur the boundaries between one’s job and personal responsibility. This study aimed to develop and test the feasibility of an online psychological intervention using the WhatsAppÓmessaging application.
Materials and Method: During the 14-day intervention period, two messages were sent twice a day consisting of positive psychological affirmation aimed at assisting participants (N= 48; 13 males and 35 females) to achieve work-life balance and better sleep quality. The Indonesian-adapted Fisher’s work-life balance scale and the sleep disturbance scale were used to measure both constructs. These measures were administered at the beginning and end of the intervention. In addition, we provided participants with brief open-ended questions to check the program’s feasibility and acceptance of the intervention.
Results: A paired t-test analysis revealed that although there was an increase in work-life balance scores in the post-test compared to the pre-test, the difference was not significant (t (47) = -1.75, p >.05). Nevertheless, individuals' sleep quality scores improved significantly after the intervention (t (47) = − 2.85, p <.05).
Discussion: The findings of this study are expected to provide a preliminary argument to further pursue the development of behavioral interventions using online strategies in Indonesia during the pandemic
Health Employees’ Perceptions of Their Working Conditions
No full textBackground: Employees require an appropriate working environment that helps them work without problems limiting their performance.
Objective: This study aimed to assess the perspectives of the employees at the Ministry of Health in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region regarding their work environment and satisfaction with the various aspects of work.
Methods: This self-administered questionnaire survey involved 109 employees from the Ministry of Health in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan Region. A questionnaire containing different questions about the work environment and work satisfaction was used to assess employees' perspectives about their working environment.
Results: The participants thought that the sense of preserving public money and materials and feeling responsible among employees is low. The employees were not much satisfied with the relations between managers and employees. Most participants thought that improving the financial situation would affect the employees' capacity (96.3%) and that implementing modern systems, equipment, and programs would improve protection (84.4%). Most participants were satisfied with their workplace (71.6%) and thought their education was relevant to their work (73.4%). They emphasizedthe importance of making employees feel responsible, providing training courses, and improving the services and work facilities to improve the working conditions.
Conclusion: Low work awareness and commitment exist among employees. The working environment was an important factor in the job satisfaction of employees
Mental Wellbeing and Recreational Sports – Two Together for a Healthy Win - Implications for Higher Education Institutions
No full textThe current research highlights how recreational sports enhance student wellbeing and promote physical and mental health through positive social bonding. The Indian social fabric is culturally and traditionally more interconnected as Indians thrive on social networks and engage in several festivals, celebrations, and get-togethers across the year. Therefore, the pandemic and ensuing lockdown created a vacuum. The study explored how students at higher education institutes (HEIs) engaged in Recreational Sports during the lockdown and its role in increasing social bonds, experiencing a feeling of association, positive emotions, relaxing the mind, and promoting overall wellbeing. Further, the present study identifies factors that influence the intention to continue engaging in recreation sports on an ongoing basis (a behaviour that was picked up during the pandemic to cope with lockdown and isolation). The current need is to understand how learning and developing behavioural competencies can be encouraged through active learning in open spaces to overcome social isolation as all types of physical-sports activities favor psychological wellbeing. The present study uses the TPB (Theory of Planned Behavior) framework to identify factors that influence the intention to continue engaging in recreation sports on an ongoing basis. Social contact time, with many shared experiences, has multiple benefits. It not only helps in stress release but also motivates and provides comfort in the company of friends and colleagues. Therein lies the importance and relevance of Outdoor Behavioral Experiential Learning (OBEL) and recreational sports
An Effective Health Care System through Health Technology Assessment and Evidence Based Payment System in India: - Global Conference on Emerging Technologies, Business, Sustainable Innovative Business Practices, And Social Well-Being
No full textThe purpose of this research is to discuss the significance of health care insurance compensation for obtaining comprehensive medical treatment in India. Through a systematic review survey focusing on the keywords like out-of-pocket, Health Technology Assessment and Health care system was conducted by using the searches from Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed and ProQuest Database, it is observed that India ranks among the greatest out-of-pocket (OOP) healthcare expenditures in the globe. This seems to be notwithstanding the deployment of several public health plans and the provision of a significant variety of both private and public health coverage schemes. Decrease in the treatment quality across many healthcare institutions of government is a key cause causing the typical Indian individual to constantly rely on medical services provided by private firms, heading up OOP expenses. Among the most significant problems in implementing universal health care (UHC) in India is a poor acceptance of insurance products and awareness between many Indians. The burden of large OOP expenditures on people might be lessened by increasing medical insurance acceptance, which may be accomplished by enhancing India's medical claims system
Physicians’ Antibiotics Prescribing Patterns for Common Diseases and Knowledge on Antimicrobial Resistance: A descriptive cross-sectional study
No full textPurpose: This study was conducted to assess the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) of patients or their caregivers, and prescribers of antibiotics toward antimicrobial resistance in Bangladesh.
Method: This was a mixed-method research study. Data were collected from pre-determined study areas using a sample survey of 583 respondents, 11 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), 11 Key-Informant Interviews (KIIs), and 11 In-depth Interviews (IDIs). A scale of 11 points was used to measure attitudes.
Results: About 59% of the respondents (patients or carers) were between 1 to 20 years old. The difference of age of patients by sex was found statistically significant at .001 level. About 25.7% of the respondents visited an MBBS doctor and 8.1% visited a BDS dentist, and 66.2% went to traditional healers and the pharmacy. Men take more antibiotics for treatment purposes compared to their female counterparts. The difference between men and women, with regard to the treatment of common diseases, was found to be statistically significant. Usually, new graduate doctors and traditional healers prescribe antibiotics of longer duration. The duration of prescriptions for antibiotics and type of the physician was found statistically significant. Physicians prescribed common antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infections (26%), cold and fever (21%), diarrhea (12%), STDs (9%), HTN (8%), UTIs (7.5%), diabetes (5%), and lower respiratory infections (4%). Cephalosporin (31.4%), macrolides (27.6%), quinolones (17.8%), metronidazole (13%), and penicillin (10.10%) were used. About 65.8% of the caregivers did not have any knowledge about antimicrobial resistance and the negative effects of the overuse of antibiotics.
Conclusion: The majority of the respondents had poor knowledge of antimicrobial resistance and the negative effects of the overuse of antibiotics. A community-based awareness program was found important to create awareness of antimicrobial resistance and the negative effects of the overuse of antibiotics
Application Of Activity-Based Costing Method in The Eestimate of Cataract Surgery Cost
No full textObjective: Hospital managers need to have accurate information about actual costs to make efficient and effective decisions. Activity-based costing (ABC) is put forward as an alternative, more accurate costing method to calculate the cost of medical treatment. The objective of this paper is the application of an activity-based method to estimate the cost of cataract surgery in an ophthalmic hospital.
Methods: The present descriptive-analytical study was carried out at an ophthalmic hospital, in February and March of 2021, in Iran. Surgical operations for cataracts were considered. The required data were collected through conducting interviews with experts and relevant units, direct observation of activities, analysis of documents in the financial department, and the hospital information system (HIS) and financial software system of the hospital. The cost of surgical operations was estimated by activity-based costing (ABC).
Results: According to the findings, the amount and the share of the total costs of the activities identified in the main centers were as follows: human resources 54.24% of the total cost of cataract surgery which is the highest share of surgery costs; the cost of consumables was 32.57% of the total cost of cataract surgery is the second share of surgery costs.
Conclusions: The research results showed that in this regard administrators should design and implement a comprehensive operational planning system in the hospital
The Role of Perceived Social Support on Psychological Well-Being of University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic
No full textPast research revealed concerns over the depressive symptoms and psychological well-being of university students. The present study utilizes a stratified random sampling to examine the role of perceived social support on psychological well-being between depressed and non-depressed university students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. This study recruited a total of 244 university students from different universities across Malaysia from November 2021 to July 2022 through social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
A prevalence rate of 50.4% of university students was found to present significant depressive symptoms. There is a significant correlation between perceived social support and psychological wellbeing (r = 0.769, p < 0.05). Non-depressed university students reported significantly higher on their perceived social support and psychological well-being than university students with significant depressive symptoms with values of p<0.001 and p<0.043. Among depressed university students, perceived social support from friends and significant others was reported to be significantly lower than non-depressed university students with a value of p<0.001 and p<0.023.
Overall, the present study discovered that a higher level of perceived social support could predict greater psychological well-being and reduced depressive symptoms among university students. Hence, perceived social support should be promoted as an effective intervention for university students due to its accessibility and cost. Future research should look into the effectiveness of perceived social support and other psychological resources for university students with different mental health concerns
The Use of Digital Healthcare Systems to Predict Diseases: - 2nd International Healthcare Management Conference 2022: Navigating the New Normal with Focus on Healthcare Accessibility, Innovation and Sustainability
No full textSmart health care depends heavily on a resilient and strong digital infrastructure. Telemedicine, Electronic Health Records (EHR), Fitness Trackers, Wearable Devices that monitor Heart Rate, Steps, Sleep Cycle and many other digital health-related measures are already used as indicators of what a future system of health technology will look like. The purpose of this paper is to examine the existing research studies to determine if it is possible to forecast health based on the data available from such devices. Further, in the Indian context, where Unique Health ID is already being implemented, this paper aims to extend the functionality of the UHID and analyze the viability of integrating the UHID with data sources for predicting health. Predicting and forecasting health will benefit all stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem. Accurate disease forecasting models would be extremely helpful for epidemic and pandemic prevention and control. This research examines the potential for health forecasting and the challenges associated with its development