Tag: Health Problem

A shift from In-Patient to Ambulatory Care

Article

December 13, 2021
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5 min
2 years
821 words

Tagged Ambulance, Ambulatory, Health, Health Problem, Heathcare

A shift from In-Patient to Ambulatory Care

Health System is defined as the organization and its resource and people target population to deliver the healthcare services to meet their health needs. That’s why it is called a healthcare system. It is comprised of many levels such as primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary based on the complexities of diseases. The healthcare system has been revolutionized because of the transition from in-patient to out-patient to ambulatory care.

The healthcare system has been revolutionized because of the transition from in-patient to out-patient to ambulatory care.

Author: Dr. Shruti

Ambulatory care is a vastly growing segment. It is one of the components of out-patient care. Out-patient has many segments such as-

Emergency department
Specialty clinics
Imaging
Primary care clinics
Community health clinics
Ambulatory centers

Ambulatory care is performing procedures on the patient without admitting them or same-day discharge which is much convenient to the patients. Many surveys and studies were done in the past have shown the benefits of this care and still, they are areas yet to be researched. This shift from IP to OP and ambulatory care settings has also boosted the revenue or the economy part. Several factors played an important role in this transition or shift.

First and foremost is the technology and innovation, due to advancements in the techniques many procedures can be done in these ambulatory care settings.

Advancements in the technique of giving anesthesia and minimally invasive surgeries led to these centers being more convenient. The list of procedures is as follows-

Cataract Surgery
Lithotripsy
Endoscopy
Colonoscopy
Sinus Surgery
ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) surgery
Tonsillectomy
Knee Replacements
Laparoscopic Surgery
Robotic Surgery
Few cardiac surgeries such as catheterization, PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention), stent, and coronary angioplasties.
Kidney treatment

Adoption of mHealth – mHealth is mobile health. It is helping in remote monitoring of the patient with the help of various applications or portals where the patient’s vitals or anything the doctor wants to monitor can be monitored easily.
Telemedicine – Telemedicine is a boom in today’s pandemic era where we can’t visit hospitals very often. It helps in monitoring the patient’s health virtually through video or tele call where a patient can connect with a doctor being at home. It helps in reducing the cost of travel, traveling time, OOPE (out-of-pocket expenditure of the patient and his family). It cuts down the major of distance by connecting any patient to any doctor PAN India or PAN World.
Hybrid rooms – These are special rooms that are set up to perform multiple procedures under single anesthesia.
EHR – It is electronic health records. It helps in maintaining records digitally with ease.

The second most important factor is cost. Costs of procedures are comparatively less or less expensive in nature due to less staff or resources, hybrid rooms, less duration of stay at the centers. It helps in reducing OOPE as well. Also in this pandemic era, where patients are much scared in visiting hospitals, this limits their duration of stay at the hospital.

The third factor is convenience. These centers are benefitting a local community by being accessible to them. Also due to no admission, the patient feels more satisfied and convenient in this pandemic. In short, these centers satisfy consumer demand by improving access, reducing cost, better experience due to less stay and efficient care.

The fourth important factor is incentives. A company like Medicare gives incentive in finding out these centers. Also, they are reimbursing the procedures done in ambulatory settings as well as telemedicine.

The fifth factor is opportunity to healthcare providers. They give incentives to doctors who carry out these procedures in ambulatory settings as it helps in reducing the spread of infection in this era.

The sixth factor is competition among hospitals. Competition among hospitals helps in strengthening ambulatory care as they compete to add services that are cost-efficient to attract more patients to their center.

The transition is pretty good for consumers as it lowers costs by improving access and giving complete satisfaction and convenience. Still, there is a need to strategize to avoid any issues. Previously, most revenue comes out from IP or in-patient care but now it has got shifted to OP or out-patient and ambulatory care. But these ambulatory care settings are not appropriate for complex procedures or patients with co-morbidities. Another challenge that comes up is the location which seems inconvenient to some which delay the acceptance of ambulatory care settings. Another challenge that comes up is sometimes patient’s demand to satisfy services free of cost, to make them understand, transparency is the rule which can be followed. They should tell patients transparently the cost in comparison to in-patient settings. In short, patients and providers have to be the decision-maker.

To establish these centers more efficiently, payers should discuss everything with healthcare providers so that everything can be under their guidance. Also, help these new centers to assure quality and safety which can help in promoting these centers also efficiently.

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An Overview of Adolescent Health Problems

Article / Lifestyle

November 8, 2021
/ Leave a Comment on An Overview of Adolescent Health Problems

5 min
2 years
955 words

Tagged Adolescent, Education, Health Problem, immunity

An Overview of Adolescent Health Problems

Keywords – Adolescent, health problems Author: Dr. Shruti In a country like India, 21% of the population is adolescents and they are considered as the future of our country. Poor access to education and many […]

Keywords – Adolescent, health problems

Author: Dr. Shruti

In a country like India, 21% of the population is adolescents and they are considered as the future of our country. Poor access to education and many other services are responsible for high rates of morbidity and mortality in this age group. To increase the reach, many adolescent programs that focus on education, nutrition, reproductive health, immunization, etc. Major barriers are the lack of information, parent’s education, limited services, etc. Programs should address mental and behavioral aspects of adolescent health as these are important aspects of development and if not addressed, will give ill effects.

Adolescence is also known as young adulthood. It is a significant transformational period in one’s life. This period is of both physical and cognitive development. It consists of people between 10-19 yrs; this period has been categorized into 3 stages-

Early Adolescence (10-14 yrs) – This period has the significance of physical growth in both genders. This stage is the beginning of puberty.
Middle Adolescence (15-17 yrs) – In this period, puberty gets completed usually. This stage marks the beginning of changes like independence, self-love, morality, etc.
Late Adolescence (18-19 yrs) – This period consists of less physical and more cognitive changes. They develop a sense of future planning, their own identity, and stability.

Globally, it has been estimated that 1.2 billion are the adolescent population. In a country like India, 21% of the population is adolescents and they are considered as the future of our country. Poor access to education and many other services are responsible for high rates of morbidity and mortality in this age group. To increase the reach, many adolescent programs that focus on education, nutrition, reproductive health, immunization, etc. Major barriers are the lack of information, parent’s education, limited services, etc. Programs should address mental and behavioral aspects of adolescent health as these are important aspects of development and if not addressed, will give ill effects. Below are the health issues faced by adolescents-

Infectious Diseases
Violence
STI (Sexually transmitted diseases)
Malnutrition
Drug and substance abuse
Mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, conduct disorder, ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Eating disorders)
Early pregnancy or childbirth
Unintentional injuries/ Accidents
Chronic health conditions like cancer, asthma, diabetes, etc.

Infectious Diseases – Diseases such as respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia, diarrhea, HPV (human papillomavirus) are much risky for adolescent’s health. HPV is usually followed by genital warts which further leads to cervical cancer. Here vaccination plays a significant role in decreasing the mortality of adolescents deaths.

Violence – As per WHO, violence is the 4^th leading cause of mortality in adolescents worldwide. Male and females are equally victims of violence. It is related to substance abuse and hormonal changes which make young adults more aggressive in nature. It has direct and indirect effects on the physical and mental health of an individual, increasing the level of fear and social stigma. Sexual violence has also affected a larger proportion of youth.

STIs (Sexually transmitted diseases) – It includes gonorrhea, syphilis, Chlamydia, and HIV/AIDS. Out of the mentioned above; HIV/AIDS is being the most common of all. It came into the picture when in 2003; high school students had sexual intercourse without using contraception. This type of inappropriate behavior poses a greater risk for the transmission of infections. In increasing the rate of infection, one of the major factors is no or limited access to services for adolescents.

Malnutrition – In 2016, iron deficiency anemia was considered the second leading cause of death in adolescence. Many children enter this significant period of their life undernourished which poses more risk to their life. On the other hand in this current scenario, people in the age of 10-19 yrs are getting overweight, obese due to zero or low physical activity or binge eating, or any other type of eating disorder. It has been recommended by WHO that an adolescent should do at least 60 minutes of moderate physical exercise each day. A person in this age group has a high demand for protein, calcium, vitamins, and iron as this is the period of physical growth. Also, it has been observed that people in this age used to have food while watching TV also.

Drug and substance abuse – It is one of the greatest risk factors of an adolescent’s life. Substances such as tobacco, alcohol, opium, marijuana are the commonest ones used by adolescents. Some also develop binge drinking patterns. They increase both mortality and morbidity rates. They all have many ill-effects like more violence, sexual abuse, and aggression. They also increase the risk of developing many types of cancers.

Mental Health – Anxiety is the commonest of all mental health disorders in adolescents. Depression comes in second place for the same. It has effects on decision-making power, independence, confidence, sexual abuse, etc.

Early pregnancy and childbirth – Children belonging to lower economic status have performed sexual debut even before the required age for it. It has ill effects like early pregnancy and childbirth. Due to unhealthy females and no access to sex education or family planning, the number of abortions increases which further increases female mortality.

Unintentional injuries/Accidents – They are also considered the leading cause of disability and mortality. Under the influence of substance abuse, young adults not only have taken their own lives but also pedestrians, cyclists, etc.

Recommendations for a healthy life-

Physical Health:

Regular exercise
Healthy diet
Complete vaccination
Maintaining BMI
No sleep cycle disturbances

Emotional Health:

Good communication
Tell if you are feeling bad about something or have across something bad
Don’t let others feel you bad
Ask for help if required
Watch your anger, appetite, weight loss, etc.

Mental Health:

Accept and manage tension or stress levels
Harmonious relation between peers

Behavioral Health:

Don’t get indulge in substance abuse
Remember driving precautions
Avoid violence

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Mail at info@edumound.com

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