摘要:

In medical science, ill health is traditionally considered as a naturalistic phenomenon, but it is a psychologic and social phenomenon, too, and a clear conceptual distinction is required between these three related phenomena. The concept of morbidity refers to a human population not only as an aggregate of individuals but also as an organized society. Morbidity in a human population must be dealt with as a social and not as a medical problem. Organized medical care and the national health policy employ medical knowledge and medical techniques, but they are social institutions aiming at social goals, the welfare of citizens and society. The problems of health and ill health, therefore, range from the micro processes of the human organism to the macro processes of the national, even the international health policy. These processes all have a common denominator in that they all take place in some elements or some combinations of elements, which can be analyzed as organized systems. An attempt is made here to analyze medical and sociologic concepts of illness, morbidity, medical care, and health policy, as well as their relationship as integrated components of the same macro system.

ISSN:0025-7079    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1972

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

A central problem in planning primary health care services for a specific target population is to understand how that population reacts to the mix of services provided and the way in which the delivery system is organized. An ability to determine the factors influencing an individual's decision to seek care would be an important contribution to the management of primary care facilities and the removal of barriers that deny certain portions of a population access to care. An essential feature of this method is the use of a direct measure of a family's utilization of primary medical services that is simple and inexpensive to construct for a target population. In addition, the analytical techniques employed are sufficiently strong to permit the drawing of predictive relationships and valuable insights. An example based on a community of 3,000 families illustrates the advantages the approach offers for effective regional health services planning.

ISSN:0025-7079    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1972

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

The problem of health care delivery in inner city poverty areas with overcrowded OPD's and fragmented care demands a remodeling of out municipal health services. A commonly suggested change is merger of preventive and curative services. This is an important step but fraught with difficulty became of the necesarily different organizational structure of the two kinds of services. The broad information gathering base and uniform service demanded of the health department leads to a “mediating technology” or service bureaueracy. The individual care problems of the hospital and OPD lead to an “intensive technology” with a very different communication and decision-making structure. Merger of these two structures requires an adequate management system to see that the necessary functions of both are preserved.

ISSN:0025-7079    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1972

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

Data on comparable questions from national surveys of British general practitioners and American G.P.'s, internists, pediatricians, and obstetricians are compared. British G.P.'s see many mere patients in their offices and on home visits. American primary care physicians use a wider array of diagnaostic procedures, are more closely associated with professional colleagues, and express less frustration and dissatisfaction. Although American primary care physicians perform more complicated and varied tasks than British G.P.'s, such practices, for the most part, tend to be relatively restricted in dealing with many ordinary primary care problems. This trend is particularly clear among office-based specialists in internal medicine and obstetrics, and the use of paraprofesionals is discussed as a way of broadening these practices. Other differences among thypes of American dectors and between group and nongroup practitioners are also noted, as well as their perspectives on widely discussed innovations in the organization of medical care.

ISSN:0025-7079    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1972

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

A sample of 271 Navajo respondents were interviewed by Navajos to assess their attitudes toward major health problems on the reservation and problems with the health service they were receiving. Health problems identified were primarily disease states such as alcoholism and upper respiratory tract infections. Approximately one fifth of the respondents identifed environmental health problems as well. Difficulties with health services focused on prolonged waiting times, misplaced records, shortages of staff, and inadequate interpretation. The survey represents a first in developing an effective means of communicating with consumers, particularly when the cultures of the consumers and providers are quite distinct.

ISSN:0025-7079    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1972

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

The finding of an evaluative study of an experimental pediatric unit in which routine nursing care is accomplished by parent and physician, effects of hospitalization on the patient and his family, and the impact of the unit on medical students. In general, both parents and physicians were satisfied with the communications but “errors” were uncovered, especially in regard to the child's diagnosis, prognosis, and after-care. Also, parents were pleased with their other experiences on the unit and with the opportunity it provided for them to stay with their children. Disruptions of family life were minimal. Most medical students expressed approval of the unit as a care facility and preferred it to the more traditional pediatric ward as a teaching experience.

ISSN:0025-7079    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1972

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

A population of 350 children requiring procedures potentially suitable for day care surgery was studied. Preoperatively, 18 of these patients were excluded from day care. The remaining 332 patients were assigned alternately to hospital and home care groups. There were 14 postoperative exclusions. Of the remaining 318 patients, it was possible to obtain 116 control-experimental pairs of children, each pair being matched for operation, sex, age, and occupational class. Comparisons between the two matched samples revealed that complications were at a miniman in both groups, which demonstrated the safety of day care. Studies of parental choice and attitudes towards conventional hospitalization and home care revealed that these were largely related to the type of care experienced by the children. Parents who experienced home care were favorably impressed and accepted it.

ISSN:0025-7079    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1972

数据来源: OVID