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The roots of health literacy can be traced back to the national literacy movement in India under Gandhi and to aid groups working in Africa to promote education and health. The term health literacy was first used in 1974 and descr...
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The roots of health literacy can be traced back to the national literacy movement in India under Gandhi and to aid groups working in Africa to promote education and health. The term health literacy was first used in 1974 and described as health education meeting minimal standards for all school grade levels (Ratzan, 2001). From that first use the definition of health literacy evolved during the next 30 years with official definitions promulgated by government agencies and large programs. Despite differences among these definitions, they all hold in common the idea that health literacy involves the need for people to understand information that helps them maintain good health. With the expansion of health literacy research and programs in the 1990s, health literacy has taken two different approaches, one oriented to clinical care and the other to public health (Pleasant and Kuruvilla, 2008). The clinical approach often involves a patientprovider interaction and is the focus of much of the health literacy efforts in the United States and Europe (Brand and Sorensen, 2010; Pleasant and Kuruvilla, 2008). The public health approach to health literacy is more prominent in developing nations, where organizations not only work to improve health for large groups of people but also provide educational opportunities to the same groups.
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Decentralization has been one of the most far-reaching interventions in the health sector reform packages. Sectoral reform in Guatemala began in 1996 with the Health Services Improvement Program (HSIP), financed by ID and implemen...
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Decentralization has been one of the most far-reaching interventions in the health sector reform packages. Sectoral reform in Guatemala began in 1996 with the Health Services Improvement Program (HSIP), financed by ID and implemented by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MSPAS). Among the goals of the reform were to expand health coverage with an emphasis on populations that lack access, increase the level of public expenditure, redirect resources based on efficiency and equity criteria, and generate an organized social response for mobilization and control of public resources. Another key objective was the development of a new health care model based on decentralization, provision of a basic services package and community participation. Using the decision space model, functions within the health logistics system were analyzed to measure the changes in performance indicators related to changes introduced by decentralization. The study's indicators for high decision space were related to better performance indicators for budgeting, needs quantification, procurement, and assignment of personnel to logistics tasks. These are major functions in a logistics system and, for effectiveness, it is important to be able to make adjustments to local conditions.
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During the past decade the economic situation in Zimbabwe has deteriorated significantly. Public sector health care workers have gone from being high status and relatively well paid members of the community to workers struggling t...
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During the past decade the economic situation in Zimbabwe has deteriorated significantly. Public sector health care workers have gone from being high status and relatively well paid members of the community to workers struggling to get a living wage from their jobs. This paper describes the specific policy measures that the Zimbabwean government has recently implemented to try to improve health sector performance, and promote higher levels of motivation amongst public sector health care workers. The overall reform package is to include financial reforms (user fees and social insurance), strengthening of health management, liberalization and regulation of the private health sector, decentralization, and contracting out.
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The report describes the nonmetropolitan component of the nation's supply ofhealth providers and assesses, where possible, the ability of that supply to meet the health care needs of rural populations. The report addresses the rel...
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The report describes the nonmetropolitan component of the nation's supply ofhealth providers and assesses, where possible, the ability of that supply to meet the health care needs of rural populations. The report addresses the relationship between rural health status and the availability of health professionals and services. It describes the methods used by analysts to determine the adequacy of the supply of personnel and demographic changes among rural practitioners and populations. It also describes current models of academic programs that prepare health professions students to meet the challenges of rural practice.
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HRSA's Material and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) and the Office of Women's Health are pleased to present Women's Health USA 2003, the second edition of the Women's Health USA data book. To reflect the ever changing, increasingly div...
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HRSA's Material and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) and the Office of Women's Health are pleased to present Women's Health USA 2003, the second edition of the Women's Health USA data book. To reflect the ever changing, increasingly diverse population and its characteristics, Women's Health USA 2003 will selectively include emerging issues and trends in women's health. Data and information on incarcerated women, immigrant women, breastfeeding, medication use, bleeding disorders, and HRSA programs and populations are a few of the new topics included in this edition. Where possible, every effort has been made to highlight racial and ethnic disparities as well as sex disparities.
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The Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Health Literacy brings together leaders from the federal government, foundations, health plans, associations, and private companies to discuss challenges related to health literacy practice ...
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The Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Health Literacy brings together leaders from the federal government, foundations, health plans, associations, and private companies to discuss challenges related to health literacy practice and research and to identify approaches to promoting health literacy in both the public and private sectors. The Roundtable also serves to educate the public, the press, and policy makers regarding issues related to health literacy. The Roundtable sponsors workshops for members and the public to discuss approaches to resolve key challenges. Health literacy, the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions has been shown to affect health outcomes. The use of preventive services improves health and prevents costly health care expenditures. Several studies have found that health literacy makes a difference in the extent to which populations use preventive services.
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This paper discusses several issues regarding health status assessment for purposes of evaluation of medical care delivery. The issues include: 1) reasons for health status assessment, 2) the nature and number of health concepts t...
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This paper discusses several issues regarding health status assessment for purposes of evaluation of medical care delivery. The issues include: 1) reasons for health status assessment, 2) the nature and number of health concepts that can be measured, and 3) some of the implications of various measurement strategies. The Health Insurance Study (HIS), which the Rand Corporation is conducting for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, is offered as an example of a soical experiment in which the measurement of health will aid in policy decisions about how medical care should be delivered. Solutions to the problems of health status assessment for purposes of the HIS are offered as examples that may have general applicablity. It is argued that: 1) the use of health care services, which in the past has been treated as and outcome measure, is not sufficient, i.e., more use doesn't imply better care; 2) an omnibus approach to the conceptualization and measurement of health status is require; 3) differences between disadvantaged and nondisadvantaged groups with respect to the reliability and validity of scores computed from survey measures of health must be kept in mind; and 4) self-ratings of health should be given greater emphasis in evaluating medical care. (Author)
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This Call to Action focuses on the need to promote sexual health and responsible sexual behavior throughout the lifespan. Its primary goal is to stimulate respectful, thoughtful, and mature discussion in our communities and in our...
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This Call to Action focuses on the need to promote sexual health and responsible sexual behavior throughout the lifespan. Its primary goal is to stimulate respectful, thoughtful, and mature discussion in our communities and in our homes. While sexuality may be difficult to discuss for some, and there are certainly many different views and beliefs regarding it, we cannot afford the consequences of continued or selective silence. It is necessary to find common ground--balancing diversity of opinion with the best available scientific evidence and best practice models--to improve the health of our nation. This Call to Action is also the first step toward the development of guidelines to assist parents, clergy, teachers, and others in their work of improving sexual health and responsible sexual behavior.
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Workshop manual for participants at a meeting (conducted in Philadelphia, PA)211 from October 18 to October 20, 1999. Designed for use by state and local 211 policymakers and legislators, it provides information on: preparing a ph...
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Workshop manual for participants at a meeting (conducted in Philadelphia, PA)211 from October 18 to October 20, 1999. Designed for use by state and local 211 policymakers and legislators, it provides information on: preparing a physician 211 workforce to meet the challenges of the new millennium, health care workforce 211 planning (policy issues and strategies), marketplace changes and how these are 211 affecting individual states, and perspectives on education in health professions. 211 It also provides information about new technologies and their cross cutting 211 issues, the politics associated with today''s health care workforce, and health 211 care regulations (licensure, and economic and political challenges).
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Provides a comprehensive framework for improving the status of women's health inthe areas of research, prevention, treatment, service, information, education, and policy. The Plan identifies specific goals and action steps being p...
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Provides a comprehensive framework for improving the status of women's health inthe areas of research, prevention, treatment, service, information, education, and policy. The Plan identifies specific goals and action steps being pursued by PHS agencies and offices in an effort to meet the priority health needs of women across age, biological, and sociocultural contexts.
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