Healthcare Services Quiz

Healthcare System Components

• Healthcare delivery is a societal response to health problems and needs.
• Countries differ in their income levels, health needs, organization, and management of their health systems.
• Quality of care is measured by coverage, access, equity, efficiency, and financing.
• Substantial changes are needed, including a greater role for primary healthcare and using market forces.

What is Healthcare System?

• A healthcare system includes all organizations, resources, and people working to improve health.
• It comprises health-improving efforts, impacting health determinants and directly improving health.
• The healthcare system encompasses preventative, promotive, curative, and rehabilitative interventions.
• Responsiveness and financial fairness are essential while respecting patients.
• Essential components for functioning include staff, funding, information, supplies, transportation, and communication, as well as guidance and direction.

Functions of Healthcare System

• Health services cover environmental, health promotion, disease and injury prevention, primary and specialist care, hospital services, specific group care, and self-help.
• Production of healthcare resources (facility construction and maintenance).
• Production and distribution of medicines and equipment.
• Education and training of healthcare personnel.
• Health research, technology development, assessments, and knowledge transfer.
• Governance for implementation of health policies, coordination with other sectors, regulation of activities, and efficient utilization of health manpower and physical resources.
• Financial management (funding and allocation of finances).

Characteristics of Good Health System

• Comprehensive services addressing the needs of the targeted population (preventive, curative, palliative, and rehabilitative services, and health promotion activities).
• Accessible services, available regardless of cost or geographical barriers.
• Coverage providing services to every population member.
• Continuity of care that remains consistent across the life span.
• Quality that is effective, safe, patient-centered, and timely.
• Coordinated services across different providers, care levels, and scenarios.

Stakeholders and their Definition

• Patients: individuals with existing or past illnesses, family members, or caregiver support associations.
• Clinicians: healthcare providers like physicians, nurses, assistants, and rehabilitation professionals, and professional care organizations.
• Researchers: those conducting clinical studies and studies' funders and organizations that support community research.
• Purchasers: organizations providing health benefits, individual companies, related groups, and health coalitions.
• Hospitals/Health Systems: organizations delivering health services such as hospitals, medical clinics, and their associations.

Healthcare System Challenges

• Progress in healthcare interventions has been achieved to improve maternal and child health, as well as to reduce mortality from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and other endemic diseases.
• There are new challenges such as the aging global population, increased lifestyle-related diseases, growing burden of non-communicable diseases, new medical technology, increasing costs, and lack of community involvement.
• Healthcare delivery is not universally available or sustainably broad-based.
• Challenges like avoidable patient injuries, errors, mismanagement in hospitals, lack of competent monitoring strategies, and accountability at national and global levels hinder improvement.

WHO Health Systems Framework

• The WHO framework identifies six building blocks: providing health services, health workforce, health information systems, access to essential medicines, financing, and leadership/governance.
• Each block aims to improve health outcomes, accessibility, and efficiency.

Levels of Health Care

• First Level: Self-care, involving individuals and families, addressing minor health issues.
• Second Level: Primary professional care, for contact and treating illnesses, provided by a doctor or nurse.
• Third Level: Specialty care, requiring complex conditions handled by specialists in specific institutions.

Third Level

• Quality Indicators: Quality is defined as meeting expectations, needs, and quality.
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): measuring and quantifying performance and providing appropriate care.

Key Characteristics

• Safety: minimizing potential risks to patients and providers.
• Effectiveness: utilizing evidence-based practices to achieve desired outcomes.
• Efficiency: optimizing use of resources to provide effective care cost-efficiently.
• Timeliness: minimizing patient wait times and ensuring timely interventions.
• Patient-centered: individualizing care based on patient preferences and values.

Healthcare Accreditation

• Accreditation process involves assessment by non-governmental organizations and evaluates whether facilities meet specific standards to ensure quality and safety of care.
• National and international accreditation entities exist, such as the Joint Commission International in the USA.
• There are components to the process such as requirements to assess application, evaluation of patient-centered standards, assessment of quality management, and evaluation academic standards.

Health System in Egypt

• The Egyptian system faces multiple challenges, including poverty, lack of education, and emerging diseases, posing increasing demands and pressures on the system.
• Egypt's health system is highly diverse, encompassing public and private organizations, with governmental, para-statal, and private sectors involved in the delivery of services and funding.
• The Ministry of Health plays a crucial role in the delivery of healthcare services, while other organizations provide specialized care.
• Numerous programs, like Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), maternal and child health focusing on reducing maternal mortality, etc. aim to address specific needs.
• Reform strategies focus on universal health coverage, holistic family-focused care, and decentralizing services to districts.