Objective To investigate the elasticity of demand for health care services in China, and to provide suggestions for further studies. Methods Databases including PubMed, The Cochrane Library (Issue 10, 2015), EMbase, CNKI, VIP and WanFang Data were searched from inception to December 2015 to collect studies about price elasticity or income elasticity of demand for health care services. Literatures were screened and related information was independently extracted by two reviewers. Then qualitative approaches were applied to describe the elasticity. Results A total of 31 studies were included. Estimates of the own-price elasticity of demand for health care services ranged from –2.520 to 2.944 in 25 studies; 2 studies estimated cross-price elasticity between outpatient and inpatient service and one study estimated cross-price elasticity between different levels of inpatient services and all estimates were positive; Estimates of the income elasticity ranged from –0.020 to 2.480 in 28 studies. Demand for inpatient services was more income sensitive than the demand for outpatient services and urban citizens were more sensitive to income than their rural counterparts. Conclusion Health service is insensitive to price and belongs to necessity; inpatient service and outpatient service are substitutes for each other and different levels of inpatient services are substitutes for each other; government are supposed to tackle with the unbalanced increase of the demand of outpatient and inpatient services along with the increase of income to guide rational health-seeking behaviors.
ObjectivesTo investigate the status quo of follow-up services for patients with cervical spondylosis, to explore its influencing factors, and to provide reference for the follow-up management model after postoperative discharge of patients with cervical spondylosis.MethodsA total of 220 patients with cervical spondylosis were selected by using convenient sampling from October 2018 to May 2019, and the general information questionnaire and the follow-up service needs questionnaire were used for the investigation.ResultsThe score of follow-up service content requirement for patients with cervical spondylosis was 54.87±7.56, and the rehabilitation training instruction was the highest. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the follow-up service content score was influenced by education level [non-standardized partial regression coefficient (b)=3.186, 95% confidence interval (CI) (2.490, 3.882), P<0.001], length of hospital stay [b=5.140, 95%CI (3.914, 6.365), P<0.001], Neck Disability Index [b=1.326, 95%CI (0.189, 2.463), P=0.022], and age [≥75 years as the reference, 45-59 years: b=3.766, 95%CI (0.671, 6.860), P=0.017; 60-74 years: b=4.081, 95%CI(0.849, 7.314), P=0.014]. The method of obtaining follow-up services was mainly based on outpatient follow-up (85.5%), telephone follow-up (50.5%), and established a follow-up service center (40.5%) for discharged patients. The executives were multidisciplinary teams (60.5%) and hospital-community integration teams (48.2%). There were 19.1% of discharged patients who were willing to pay for relevant follow-up services.ConclusionsPatients with postoperative cervical spondylosis have strong demand for post-discharge follow-up services, which are affected by many factors. Medical staff should pay attention to this and develop a personalized follow-up service plan according to patient characteristics to meet different discharged patients and improve the quality of medical services.
Objective To understand the status of needs, demands and utilization of health services of urban and rural residents in Chongqing, so as to provide references for the evaluation of health services status and policy making and regulating. Methods The data from family health questionnaire of health service survey in Western China in 2008 were descriptively analyzed. Results The two-week prevalence rate was 216.9‰ and the two-week hospital visit rate was 211.5‰. The sick people who did not seek medical care accounted for 56.2% among the sick population. The chronic disease prevalence rate was 226.4‰. The annual hospitalization rate was 77.1‰. Conclusion During the past five-year from 2003 to 2008, the needs of health services in Chongqing have had no big change, but the chronic disease prevalence rate has been in uptrend, and the utilization has obviously increased. And the economic factor is still the major cause for impeding residents to seek medical care. So it’s necessary to strengthen the construction of primary health care institutions, to improve the level of health insurance system, and to decrease the disparity in urban and rural areas.
Objective To understand the demands of residents in postgraduate medical education for faculty doctors and provide useful information to teaching hospitals. Methods Two hundred residents were interviewed through questionnaires. Results Demands for faulty doctors were consistent in the following 5 fields: faculty’s synthetic diathesis, adaptability to social and medical changes, information management and research, cooperation and teamwork, and innovation and continuous self-improvement (Pgt;0.05). However, with regard to the faculty doctors’ professionalism, teaching models and atmosphere, the demands of residents in the different stages of postgraduate medical education differed significantly (Plt;0.05). Conclusion Teaching hospitals continuously improve faculty doctors’ abilities and pay much attention to residents’ role transformation.
ObjectiveTo discuss the demands for nursing knowledge among family caregivers for elderly people, in order to provide a basis for nurses to provide effective education for these people. MethodsBetween May and June 2012, a questionnaire which contained the condition of demands for nursing knowledge and the burden of care was used to investigate 1 600 family caregivers for the elderly people. ResultsThe caregivers had a demand for nursing knowledge, which may include the knowledge on medicine, disease and caregiving. The demand for knowledge was correlated with relationship between the caregivers and care recipients, health condition of the caregivers and care burden. ConclusionThe demands for nursing knowledge are higher in those who have spouse and high burden of care, without disease and symptom; we should pay more attention on them and take measures to reduce their burden of care.
Objective To re-estimate price elasticity of different income groups’ demand for cigarette in terms of the lastest national tobacco consumption data and provide policy-makers with evidence to make decision on public policy of tobacco control. Methods A total of 16 056 adults of different income were surveyed in 27 provinces in 2002 and the data analyzed by using two-part model (logistic and log-linear model). Results We found that the demand elasticities were -0.589, -0.234, -0.017 and 0.247 for the poor group, low income group, middle income group and high income group, respectively. Conclusions Increasing tobacco tax will result in decreasing more cigarette consumption of lower income groups than higher groups, bearing more taxation of higher income groups than lower income groups, therefore tobacco taxation is not regressive.
ObjectivesTo investigate Chinese health practitioners’ usage and demand for clinical practice guidelines in general so as to improve the development and implementation of guidelines.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey that covered health practitioners from different levels of medical institutions in 17 provinces in China. Attitudes, adherence, usage barriers and demands for clinical practice guidelines were investigated.ResultsA total of 953 health practitioners were involved in the survey in which 931 completed the questionnaires. Respondents generally held positive attitudes toward guidelines and agreed that they improved quality of care and standardized diagnosis and treatment. More than 80% of the respondents reported a fine adherence to guidelines. The most reported barriers to follow the guidelines were " several guidelines are competing” and " lack of facilities and medical resources”. Most respondents agreed that it was necessary to establish a national guideline database, appraise implementation effect of guidelines, develop evaluation tools for guidelines that are applicable for Chinese clinical practice, and provide guidelines training.ConclusionsThis study finds favorable attitudes and fine adherence towards clinical guidelines in general in China. However, internal barriers, such as authority of guidelines, and external barriers, such as supplying system and patients’ preference, can affect guideline dissemination and implementation. It is suggested that establishing a national guidelines database, developing evaluation tools for guidelines that fit for Chinese clinical practice, and provision of guideline training, would facilitate the use of guidelines.
Objective To further understand the specialist/resident trainees’ requirements for postgraduate medical education so as to provide a foundation for selecting the best faculty and improving the faculty’s ability and to promote the specialist/resident doctors training project. Methods To investigate the 244 specialist/resident trainees by giving out a modified questionnaire. Factor analysis and variance analysis were done by using SPSS 11.5. Results There were 260 questionnaires given and 260 received. There were 244 effectual questionnaires. Analysis results were in the following: The specialist/resident trainees’ faculty members were able to “synthesize, manage information, adapt to society and the medical environment, perform scientific research, work as team members, innovate, and self-improve” (Pgt;0.05). The importance of “occupational attitude and work style” was higher in Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital than in West China Hospital of Sichuan University (P=0.03); There were differences between the trainees at different ages on demands to “occupational attitude and work style” (P=0.04); There were differences between the entrants in different years on demands for “information management and scientific research” (P=0.03); There were differences between the trainees of different education degrees on demands related to “adaptation to society and medical environment change” and “team work, innovation. and self-improvement” (P=0.04). Conclusion To meet the trainees’ demands and promote the specialist/resident doctors training project, the faculty should continuously improve their abilities.
ObjectiveTo investigate the educational background of practitioners from the hospital infection control departments located in the mainland of China and reveal the necessity and employment prospects of setting up a major of hospital infection control for a bachelor degree in universities.MethodsA self-designed questionnaire was used to conduct an online survey on the Shanghai International Forum for Infection Control and Prevention and the WeChat group of nosocomial infection control from March 12th to March 25th, 2018. The convenient sampling method was used to investigate the leader of infection prevention and control department in each hospital. The survey included the regional distribution, attention on nosocomial infection control, existing staff structure, future staff needs and employment prospects of hospitals in 2018, and the attention on nosocomial infection control in the same period in 2014.ResultsA total of 1 654 questionnaires were obtained, from 30 provincial-level regions, including 103 maternal and child health hospitals, 143 other special hospitals, 258 hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine, and 1 150 general hospitals. Hospitals upgraded more attention on nosocomial infection control in 2018 than in 2014 [(3.76±0.98) vs. (2.94±1.14) points; t=-36.112, P<0.001]. Currently, there were 5 068.5 labors engaged in nosocomial infection control. The educational background of the current practitioners was mainly nursing [60.52% (3 067.5)]. In the next 5 years, 83.50% (820/982) of the hospitals that had recruitment plans planed to recruit graduates specialized in the hospital infection control, and respectively, 44.86% (742/1 654) and 17.35% (287/1 654) of the respondents believed that the employment prospects of graduates with bachelor degree specialized in the hospital infection control were good or very good.ConclusionThere is a tremendous demand for the graduates specialized in the hospital infection control, and it is imperative to set up this undergraduate major.
ObjectiveTo investigate the demand of pediatric health service, the current situation of resource allocation and the equity of health service, so as to provide guidelines for optimizing the resource allocation of pediatric health service in Sichuan province.MethodsA questionnaire of all healthcare institutions with legal capability from a total of 183 prefectures in Sichuan province was performed in 2015. We described the demand of pediatric health service by two-week hospital visit rate, the proportion of no-visit rate within two-weeks, hospital admission rate, and the patient required hospitalization rate. We assessed current situation of resource allocation, equity and accessibility by analyzing Gini coefficient, Lorenz curve and thermodynamic diagram.ResultsThe demand of pediatric health service in Sichuan province was huge and the current resource allocation can be shown a " inverted triangle” form. According to population distribution, the Gini coefficients of physician, bed and equipment were 0.47, 0.40 and 0.49, respectively, which represented inequality in resource allocation. By location, the Gini coefficients of physician, bed and equipment were 0.82, 0.77 and 0.81, respectively, which indicated an absolutely unfair situation.ConclusionsThe health resources of pediatric in Sichuan province are limited, the distribution is unbalanced, and the supply of pediatric healthcare is not compatible with demand. The lack of resources and waste coexist simultaneously. Furthermore, the fairness of distribution in terms of geographical areas is far less than that in terms of population. The accessibility of superior health resources is low.