Project description:BACKGROUND:Surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) is a leading indication for antibiotic use in the hospital setting, with demonstrated high rates of inappropriateness. Decision-making for SAP is complex and multifactorial. A greater understanding of these factors is needed to inform the design of targeted antimicrobial stewardship interventions and strategies to support the optimization of SAP and its impacts on patient care. METHODS:A qualitative case study exploring the phenomenon of SAP decision-making. Focus groups were conducted with surgeons, anaesthetists, theatre nurses and pharmacists across one private and two public hospitals in Australia. Thematic analysis was guided by the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and the Capabilities, Opportunities, Motivators-Behaviour (COM-B) model. RESULTS:Fourteen focus groups and one paired interview were completed. Ten of the fourteen TDF domains were identified as relevant. Thematic analysis revealed six significant themes mapped to the COM-B model, and subthemes mapped to the relevant TDF domains in a combined framework. Key themes identified were: 1) Low priority for surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis prescribing skills; 2) Prescriber autonomy takes precedence over guideline compliance; 3) Social codes of prescribing reinforce established practices; 4) Need for improved communication, documentation and collection of data for action; 5) Fears and perceptions of risk hinder appropriate SAP prescribing; and 6) Lack of clarity regarding roles and accountability. CONCLUSIONS:SAP prescribing is a complex process that involves multiple professions across the pre-, intra- and post-operative surgical settings. The utilisation of behaviour change frameworks to identify barriers and enablers to optimal SAP prescribing supports future development of theory-informed antimicrobial stewardship interventions. Interventions should aim to increase surgeon engagement, enhance the prioritisation of and accountability for SAP, and address the underlying social factors involved in SAP decision-making, such as professional hierarchy and varied perceptions or risks and fears.
Project description:BackgroundImprovements in the financing of healthcare services are important for developing countries like India to make progress towards universal health coverage. Inpatient-care contributes to a big share of total health expenditure in India. India has a mixed health-system with a sizeable presence of private hospitals. Existing studies show that out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) incurred per hospitalisation in private hospitals was greater than public facilities. But, such comparisons have not taken into account the healthcare spending by government.MethodsFor a valid comparison between public and for-profit private providers, this study in Indian state of Chhattisgarh assessed the combined spending by government and households per episode of hospitalisation. The supply-side and demand-side spending from public and private sources was taken into account. The study used two datasets: a) household survey for data on hospital utilisation, OOPE, cash incentives received by patients and claims raised under publicly funded health insurance (PFHI) schemes (n = 903 hospitalisation episodes) b) survey of public facilities to find supply-side government spending per hospitalisation (n = 64 facilities).ResultsTaking into account all relevant demand and supply side expenditures, the average total spending per day of hospitalisation was INR 2833 for public hospitals and INR 6788 for private hospitals. Adjusted model for logarithmic transformation of OOPE while controlling for variables including case-mix showed that a hospitalisation in private hospitals was significantly more expensive than public hospitals (coefficient = 2.9, p < 0.001). Hospitalisations in private hospitals were more likely to result in a PFHI claim (adjusted-odds-ratio = 1.45, p = 0.02) and involve a greater amount than public hospitals (coefficient = 0.27, p < 0.001). Propensity-score matching models confirmed the above results. Overall, supply-side public spending contributed to 16% of total spending, demand-side spending through PFHI to 16%, cash incentives to 1% and OOPE to 67%. OOPE constituted 31% of total spending per episode in public and 86% in private hospitals.ConclusionsGovernment and households put together spent substantially more per hospitalisation in private hospitals than public hospitals in Chhattisgarh. This has important implications for the allocative efficiency and the desired public-private provider-mix. Using public resources for purchasing inpatient care services from private providers may not be a suitable strategy for such contexts.
Project description:BackgroundMidwives are essential providers of primary health care and can play a major role in the provision of health care that can save lives and improve sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent health outcomes. One way for midwives to deliver care is through midwife-led birth centres (MLBCs). Most of the evidence on MLBCs is from high-income countries but the opportunity for impact of MLBCs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) could be significant as this is where most maternal and newborn deaths occur. The aim of this study is to explore MLBCs in four low-to-middle income countries, specifically to understand what is needed for a successful MLBC.MethodsA descriptive case study design was employed in 4 sites in each of four countries: Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Africa and Uganda. We used an Appreciative Inquiry approach, informed by a network of care framework. Key informant interviews were conducted with 77 MLBC clients and 33 health service leaders and senior policymakers. Fifteen focus group discussions were used to collect data from 100 midwives and other MLBC staff.ResultsKey enablers to a successful MLBC were: (i) having an effective financing model (ii) providing quality midwifery care that is recognised by the community (iii) having interdisciplinary and interfacility collaboration, coordination and functional referral systems, and (iv) ensuring supportive and enabling leadership and governance at all levels.ConclusionThe findings of this study have significant implications for improving maternal and neonatal health outcomes, strengthening healthcare systems, and promoting the role of midwives in LMICs. Understanding factors for success can contribute to inform policies and decision making as well as design tailored maternal and newborn health programmes that can more effectively support midwives and respond to population needs. At an international level, it can contribute to shape guidelines and strengthen the midwifery profession in different settings.
Project description:Cellular immunotherapies promise to transform cancer care. However, they must overcome serious challenges, including: (1) the need to identify and characterize novel cancer antigens to expand the range of therapeutic targets; (2) the need to develop strategies to minimize serious adverse events, such as cytokine release syndrome and treatment-related toxicities; and (3) the need to develop efficient production/manufacturing processes to reduce costs. Here, we discuss whether these challenges might better be addressed through forms of public-private research collaborations, including public-private partnerships (PPPs), or whether these challenges are best addressed by way of standard market transactions. We reviewed 14 public-private relationships and 25 underlying agreements for the clinical development of cancer cellular immunotherapies in the US. Most were based on bilateral research agreements and pure market transactions in the form of service contracts and technology licenses, which is representative of the commercialization focus of the field. We make the strategic case that multiparty PPPs may better advance cancer antigen discovery and characterization and improved cell processing/manufacturing and related activities. In the rush toward the competitive end of the translational continuum for cancer cellular immunotherapy and the attendant focus on commercialization, many gaps have appeared in our understanding of cellular biology, immunology, and bioengineering. We conclude that the model of bilateral agreements between leading research institutions and the private sector may be inadequate to efficiently harness the interdisciplinary skills and knowledge of the public and private sectors to bring these promising therapies to the clinic for the benefit of cancer patients.
Project description:BackgroundHarnessing of private sector resources could play an important role in efforts to promote universal access to safe obstetric care including caesarean delivery in low- and middle-income countries especially in rural contexts but any such attempt would need to ensure that the care provided is appropriate and patterns of inappropriate care, such as high caesarean delivery rates, are not reproduced for the entire population.ObjectiveTo examine the contracting arrangements for using private general practitioners to provide caesarean delivery services in rural district hospitals in South Africa.MethodWe utilised a mixed-method study design to examine the contracting models adopted by five rural district hospitals in the Western Cape, South Africa. Between April 2021 and March 2022, we collected routine data from delivery and theatre registers to capture the profile of deliveries and utilisation of contracted private GPs. We also conducted 23 semi-structured qualitative interviews with key stakeholders to explore perceptions of the contracting arrangements.ResultsAll five hospitals varied in the level of use of private general practitioners and the contracting models (three private in-sourcing models - via locum agencies, sessional contracts, and tender contracts) used to engage them. Qualitative interviews revealed insights related to the need for flexibility in the use of contractual models to meet local contextual needs, cost implications and administrative burden.ConclusionStructured appropriately, private public partnerships can fill important gaps in human resources in rural district hospitals. Policy makers should look to developing a 'contracting framework' which requires compliance with a set of underlying principles but allows for flexibility in developing context specific contracting arrangements. These underlying principles should include a 'risk' based delivery model, adherence to public sector- evidence-based protocols, time-based rather than per delivery/type of delivery remuneration models, group liability arrangements, and processes to monitor outcomes.
Project description:INTRODUCTION:Birthing centres (BC) in Nepal are mostly situated in rural areas and provide care for women without complications. However, they are often bypassed by women and their role in providing good quality maternity services is overlooked. This study evaluated an intervention to increase access and utilisation of perinatal care facilities in community settings. METHODS:This longitudinal cross-sectional study was conducted over five years in four villages in Nepal and included two BCs. An intervention was conducted in 2014-2016 that involved supporting the BCs and conducting a health promotion programme with local women. Population-based multi-stage sampling of women of reproductive age with a child below 24 months of age was undertaken. Household surveys were conducted (2012 and 2017) employing trained enumerators and using a structured validated questionnaire. The collected data were entered into SPSS and analysed comparing pre- and post-intervention surveys. RESULTS:The intervention was associated with an increase in uptake in facility birth, with an increase in utilisation of perinatal services available from BCs. The post-intervention survey provided evidence that women were more likely to give birth at primary care facilities (OR 5.60, p-value <0.001) than prior to the intervention. Similarly, the likelihood of giving birth at a health facility increased if decision for birthplace was made jointly by women and family members for primary care facilities (OR 1.76, p-value 0.023) and hospitals/tertiary care facilities (OR 1.78, p-value 0.020. If women had less than four ANC visits, then they were less likely to give birth at primary care facilities (OR 0.39, p-value <0.001) or hospitals/tertiary care facilities (OR 0.63, p-value 0.014). Finally, women were less likely to give birth at primary care facilities if they had only primary level of education (OR 0.49, p-value 0.014). CONCLUSION:BCs have the potential to increase the births at health facilities and decrease home births if their services are promoted by the local health promoters. In addition, socio-economic factors including women's education, the level of women's autonomy and having four or more ANC visits affect the utilisation of perinatal services at the health facility.
Project description:BackgroundLittle is known about the utilisation and safety of catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) among public and private sector hospitals.AimsTo examine the uptake of AF ablations and compare procedural safety between the sectors.MethodHospitalisation data from all public and private hospitals in four large Australian states (NSW, QLD, VIC and WA) were used to identify patients undergoing AF ablation from 2012 to 17. The primary endpoint was any procedure-related complications up to 30-days post-discharge. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between treatment at a public hospital and risk of complications adjusting for covariates.ResultsPrivate hospitals performed most of the 21,654 AF ablations identified (n = 16,992, 78.5 %), on patients who were older (63.5 vs. 59.9y) but had lower rates of heart failure (7.9 % vs. 10.4 %), diabetes (10.2 % vs. 14.1 %), and chronic kidney diseases (2.4 % vs. 5.2 %) (all p < 0.001) than those treated in public hospitals. When compared with private hospitals, public hospitals had a higher crude rate of complications (7.25 % vs. 4.70 %, p < 0.001). This difference remained significant after adjustment (OR 1.74 [95 % CI 1.54-2.04]) and it occurred with both in-hospital (OR 1.83 [1.57-2.14]) and post-discharge (OR 1.39 [1.06-1.83]) complications, with certain complications including acute kidney injury (OR 5.31 [3.02-9.36]), cardiac surgery (OR 5.18 [2.19-12.27]), and pericardial effusion (OR 2.18 [1.50-3.16]).ConclusionsPrivate hospitals performed most of AF ablations in Australia with a lower rate of complications when compared with public hospitals. Further investigations are needed to identify the precise mechanisms of this observed difference.
Project description:Burnout syndrome is a psychological condition that commonly affects health professionals, medical students, and others in professions with long shifts. It is defined by a high amount of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low personal job satisfaction. We aimed to determine the prevalence of burnout syndrome in medical interns and establish the relationships between this condition and the time and type of hospital at which students worked during their medical internship. This was a survey study in which we used the Maslach Burnout Inventory, applied to fifth-year medical students on an internship at private and public hospitals in Mexico. The participants were 96 women (54.5%) and 80 men (45.5%), with ages ranging from 21 to 34 years old. We found burnout syndrome in 20% of these medical students 22% of the women and 18.6% of the men in the sample. Second-semester interns suffered burnout at a rate of 29%, in contrast to 15% of first-semester students. Emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scores were higher in second-semester interns who worked in public hospitals. However, the prevalence did not differ between public and private hospitals. Our study reports a higher prevalence of burnout syndrome during the second semester of internship. Students who practiced their internship in a public hospital showed higher scores in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization than those who practiced in a private hospital.
Project description:BackgroundDisrespect and Abuse (D&A) during childbirth represents an important barrier to skilled birth utilization, indicating a problem with quality of care and a violation of women's human rights. This study compared prevalence of D&A during childbirth in a public and a private hospital in Southeast Nigeria.MethodsThis study was a cross-sectional study among women who gave birth in two specialized health facilities: a public teaching and a private-for-profit faith-based hospital in Southeast Nigeria. In each facility, systematic random sampling was used to select 310 mothers who had given birth in the facility and were between 0-14 weeks after birth. Study participants were recruited through the immunization clinics. Semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaires using the Bowser and Hills classification of D&A during childbirth were used for data collection. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 at 95% significance level.ResultsMean age of the participants in the public hospital was 30.41 ± 4.4 and 29.31 ± 4.4 in the private hospital. Over three-fifths (191; 61.6%) in the public and 156 women (50.3%) in the private hospital had experienced at least one form of D&A during childbirth [cOR1.58; 95% CI 1.15, 2.18]. Abandonment and neglect [Public153 (49.4%) vs. Private: 91 (29.4%); cOR2.35; 95% CI. 1.69, 3.26] and non-consented care [Public 45 (14.5%) vs. Private 67(21.6%): cOR0.62; 95% CI. 0.41, 0.93] were the major types of D&A during childbirth. Denial of companionship was the most reported subtype of D&A during childbirth in both facilities [Public 135 (43.5%) vs. Private66 (21.3%); cOR2.85; 95% CI. 2.00, 4.06]. Rural residents were less likely to report at least one form of D&A during childbirth (aOR 0.53; CI 0.35-0.79).ConclusionAlthough prevalence was high in both facilities, overall prevalence of D&A during childbirth and most subtypes were higher in the public health facility. There is a need to identify contextual factors enabling D&A during childbirth in public and private health care settings.
Project description:In many Western societies there are rising concerns about increasing polarization in public debate. However, statistics on private attitudes paint a different picture: the average attitudes in societies are more moderate and remain rather stable over time. The present paper presents an agent-based model of how such discrepancies between public opinion and private attitudes develop at the scale of micro-societies. Based on social psychological theorizing, the model distinguishes between two types of agents: a) those seeking to gain or maintain a good reputation and status, and b) those seeking to promote group harmony by reaching consensus. We characterized these different types of agents by different decision rules for either voicing their opinion or remaining silent, based on the behavior of their proximal network. Results of the model simulations show that even when the private attitudes of the agents are held constant, publicly expressed opinions can oscillate and (depending on the reputational concerns of individual actors) situations can occur in which minorities as well as majorities are silenced. We conclude that the macro-level consequences of micro-level decisions to either voice an opinion or remain silent provide a foundation for better understanding how public opinions are shaped. Moreover, we discuss the conditions under which public opinion could be considered a good representation of private attitudes in a society.