International Journal of Health Planning and Management最新文献

Recognising that fragile contexts present a significant challenge to the Sustainable Development Goals, this paper examines the relationship between fragility and health, proposing a health-sensitive conceptual framework for understanding the impact of fragility on health outcomes. Through a comprehensive literature review and comparison of existing fragility frameworks, the study identifies five key characteristics of fragility: alignment with the risk paradigm; multidimensionality; systems perspective; state-society relationship; and appreciating fragility in relation to 'contexts' rather than 'states'. In doing so, the paper highlights the need for a multidimensional approach to fragility that includes a distinct health dimension in addition to political, security, economic, social, environmental domains. Rather than proposing a way to score or measure fragility, the authors argue in favour of a nuanced and dynamic understanding of fragility based on the interactions between the different dimensions of fragility, emphasising the impact on/interactions with health.

Oropouche fever has gained prominence due to its outbreaks and health consequences, particularly in Latin American countries. In addition to the more common symptoms of fever and nausea, Oropouche has been reported to cause neurological and gastrointestinal problems. However, Oropouche remains a neglected disease that needs improved detection methods. The purpose of this letter is to raise awareness of this infectious disease and the methods that can be used to detect and ultimately control it.

In this editorial, we explore the profound implications of Donald Trump's re-election on the U.S. health policy landscape. Recalling the lessons of his first term, marked by a contentious response to COVID-19 and challenges in reducing healthcare costs, we assess the potential trajectories of his administration's health agenda. With a focus on deregulation, market-based approaches, and possible shifts in public health infrastructure, the stakes are high not only for American citizens but also for global health. As Trump's policies unfold, both national and international audiences must confront a complex future that tests resilience, equity, and public trust in health governance.

Introduction: The biology of COVID-19 has intricate links to childhood cancer, exacerbated by pandemic disturbances. This research aims to explore the association between childhood cancer in children under 6 years old and COVID-19 immunisation, in addition to the effects of vaccination on parents before delivery.

Method: The study employs a case-control approach, gathering informed consent and matching factors like age, marital status, and socioeconomic status between cases and controls. A survey was distributed, culminating in 191 children under six, with data from 136 diagnosed cancer cases collected in 2023, adhering to methodological standards in epidemiological research. The analysis utilised SPSS28, employing chi-square testing and logistic regression.

Result: Chi-square testing confirmed a significant rise in childhood cancer rates post-COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic rates. Key factors influencing cancer incidence include the mother's age at childbirth, parental vaccination history before pregnancy, maternal vaccination details during pregnancy, the child's COVID-19 infection status, and maternal marriage age. Notably, younger mothers faced higher COVID-19 infection risks, but vaccination appears to mitigate paediatric cancer risk.

Conclusion: The post-pandemic surge in childhood cancer underscores a complex interplay of early exposures and maternal viral infections. Emphasising vaccination's protective effects before and during pregnancy, the study advocates integrating vaccination into maternal health programs. Public health measures should promote immunisation and address socioeconomic inequalities to lower paediatric cancer risk, aligning with previous studies linking parental health behaviours to childhood cancer incidence.

The World Health Organization's (WHO) Framework of Engagement with Non-State Actors (FENSA), established in 2016, is designed to enhance transparency, impartiality, and conflict-of-interest safeguards by setting rigorous guidelines for WHO's interactions with private entities, particularly those in high-risk industries such as tobacco, alcohol, and arms. This paper briefly reviews the implementation and impact of FENSA, observing that, despite these safeguards, its application in academic contexts poses specific challenges. Universities, often reliant on diverse funding sources, may find the rules restrictive and misaligned with independent funding needs. The creation of the WHO Foundation in 2020 further complicates this landscape by enabling engagements with previously restricted private sector entities through an "arm's length" model. The authors advocate for a reassessment of FENSA to resolve inconsistencies and support essential academic collaborations, while upholding WHO's commitment to ethical standards.

The COVID-19 pandemic was one of the most serious public health events of the 21st century, which had a profound impact on the entire human society and sparked extensive debate and research on public health crisis management. To clarify the development path of the issue and to discover the structure and internal logic of related studies, this study conducted a scientometric analysis (co-citation analysis, co-occurrence analysis, cooperation network analysis, knowledge domain migration analysis) of 8814 publications from the Web of Science Core Collection and PubMed using CiteSpace, and drew the following conclusions: (1) The research focuses on empirical studies in medicine and other fields, and expands to non-medical fields such as "social media", "COVID-19 lockdown", and "air quality"; (2) The USA, UK, Italy and other major developed countries in Europe and America are leading the research trend, while developing countries, notably China, India and Brazil have become the important contributors to the study of this issue in different ways; (3) The research results at this stage are mainly in the fields of medicine, health and biology and are cited internally, but are also developing in the direction of economics, political, environmental and other fields. Finally, this study summarises some of the issues that should be of concern to public health crisis management in the post-pandemic era, in the hope of providing some insight for researchers on this issue.

Background: Discharge against medical advice (DAMA) is used in healthcare facilities in a situation where patients refuse care or decide to leave the hospital before the treating physician recommends discharge. Previous studies have found DAMA to be prevalent among patients with various chronic conditions. The study had four objectives. The study aimed to investigate: (1) the prevalence of DAMA during COVID-19 (2020-2021) among Jordanian patients with chronic diseases, (2) the association between DAMA and sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients with chronic diseases, (3) the predictors of DAMA and (4) the reasons behind DAMA at the patient, hospital and environmental levels.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional correlational design was used in the study. A convenience sampling approach was used to collect data from 1576 patients with chronic diseases from 3 private hospitals.

Results: The study found that the prevalence rate of DAMA was 33.3%. There was a significant association between the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients with chronic diseases and DAMA. Health insurance found to be the strongest predictor of DAMA. Finally, the study found that patient, hospital and environmental-related factors had a low impact on DAMA.

Conclusions: DAMA is prevalent among patients with chronic diseases in Jordan during COVID-19 pandemic. The current study's findings can serve as an empirical basis for planning and implementing DAMA prevention programs and/or establishing or revising policies for the target population.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been studied and applied to medicines and vaccine development. However, there is still a need to understand the processes used and improve them. With this letter, we draw attention to AI use as a tool in vaccine production, supporting scientists and enabling optimization in this process. In this way, it can be applied to contain pandemics and epidemics.

The COVID-19 Pandemic contributed to accelerating the process of using information and communication technologies and digital technologies in healthcare management and delivery within healthcare systems. At that time, the Czech healthcare system faced the same problems as other European systems and struggled with a temporary limitation of direct provision of healthcare services. It was solved by switching to telemedicine. The Czech healthcare system used telemedicine to a minimal extent until then. Despite adopting the law on healthcare digitisation, it is still one of the countries with a lower level of digitisation of healthcare processes. The article presents the results of an exploratory expert investigation focused on the implementation and development of telemedicine in the Czech Republic. The conducted research aimed to identify problems related to the implementation of telemedicine in practice, place them in the broader framework of the healthcare system and structure them, propose possible solutions, and identify the future challenges of telemedicine in the Czech Republic. We based our study on the results of a three-phase QUAL-QUAN-QUAL research. Data collection in the first phase took the form of individual semi-structured interviews with patients (25) with practical experience in the field of telemedicine, followed by the second quantitative phase of the questionnaire survey with patients (650). The third qualitative phase included semi-structured interviews with experts (17) with practical experience in telemedicine. The introduction and expansion of telemedicine require several fundamental changes. These include adjustments to the legislative environment and changes to the technological infrastructure, organisation of care and work. Several barriers have been identified at the healthcare system level, healthcare providers, healthcare professionals and patients.

The healthcare sector is undergoing significant transformation driven by workforce shortages, role imbalances, and technological advances. Traditional health professions, characterised by advanced knowledge and self-regulation, face challenges from two key trends. First, there is a growing reliance on less-trained workers, such as nursing assistants and physician associates, to fill gaps, raising concerns about patient safety and the quality of care. While these roles can assist in simpler tasks, their expanded responsibilities-often exceeding their training-can lead to adverse outcomes, particularly in critical medical scenarios. Second, the rise of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) offers both opportunities and risks. While AI shows promise in reducing administrative burdens and aiding specialized tasks like image recognition, its limitations hinder its broader adoption, such as reinforcing biases and failing to reason diagnostically. This editorial argues that uncritical reliance on these developments risks compromising healthcare quality. It calls for evidence-based policymaking, robust oversight, and updated regulatory frameworks to ensure patient safety while adapting to these shifts. Getting the right balance between maintaining professional autonomy and integrating new roles and technologies is critical for building resilient healthcare systems capable of responding to future challenges.