essay on health care facilities

Health Care Comes Home: The Human Factors (2011)

Chapter: 7 conclusions and recommendations.

7 Conclusions and Recommendations

Health care is moving into the home increasingly often and involving a mixture of people, a variety of tasks, and a broad diversity of devices and technologies; it is also occurring in a range of residential environments. The factors driving this migration include the rising costs of providing health care; the growing numbers of older adults; the increasing prevalence of chronic disease; improved survival rates of various diseases, injuries, and other conditions (including those of fragile newborns); large numbers of veterans returning from war with serious injuries; and a wide range of technological innovations. The health care that results varies considerably in its safety, effectiveness, and efficiency, as well as its quality and cost.

The committee was charged with examining this major trend in health care delivery and resulting challenges from only one of many perspectives: the study of human factors. From the outset it was clear that the dramatic and evolving change in health care practice and policies presents a broad array of opportunities and problems. Consequently the committee endeavored to maintain focus specifically on how using the human factors approach can provide solutions that support maximizing the safety and quality of health care delivered in the home while empowering both care recipients and caregivers in the effort.

The conclusions and recommendations presented below reflect the most critical steps that the committee thinks should be taken to improve the state of health care in the home, based on the literature reviewed in this report examined through a human factors lens. They are organized into four areas: (1) health care technologies, including medical devices and health information technologies involved in health care in the home; (2)

caregivers and care recipients; (3) residential environments for health care; and (4) knowledge gaps that require additional research and development. Although many issues related to home health care could not be addressed, applications of human factors principles, knowledge, and research methods in these areas could make home health care safer and more effective and also contribute to reducing costs. The committee chose not to prioritize the recommendations, as they focus on various aspects of health care in the home and are of comparable importance to the different constituencies affected.

HEALTH CARE TECHNOLOGIES

Health care technologies include medical devices that are used in the home as well as information technologies related to home-based health care. The four recommendations in this area concern (1) regulating technologies for health care consumers, (2) developing guidance on the structure and usability of health information technologies, (3) developing guidance and standards for medical device labeling, and (4) improving adverse event reporting systems for medical devices. The adoption of these recommendations would improve the usability and effectiveness of technology systems and devices, support users in understanding and learning to use them, and improve feedback to government and industry that could be used to further improve technology for home care.

Ensuring the safety of emerging technologies is a challenge, in part because it is not always clear which federal agency has regulatory authority and what regulations must be met. Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has responsibility for devices, and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has similar authority with respect to health information technology. However, the dividing line between medical devices and health information technology is blurring, and many new systems and applications are being developed that are a combination of the two, although regulatory oversight has remained divided. Because regulatory responsibility for them is unclear, these products may fall into the gap.

The committee did not find a preponderance of evidence that knowledge is lacking for the design of safe and effective devices and technologies for use in the home. Rather than discovering an inadequate evidence base, we were troubled by the insufficient attention directed at the development of devices that account, necessarily and properly, for users who are inadequately trained or not trained at all. Yet these new users often must

rely on equipment without ready knowledge about limitations, maintenance requirements, and problems with adaptation to their particular home settings.

The increased prominence of the use of technology in the health care arena poses predictable challenges for many lay users, especially people with low health literacy, cognitive impairment, or limited technology experience. For example, remote health care management may be more effective when it is supported by technology, and various electronic health care (“e-health”) applications have been developed for this purpose. With the spectrum of caregivers ranging from individuals caring for themselves or other family members to highly experienced professional caregivers, computer-based care management systems could offer varying levels of guidance, reminding, and alerting, depending on the sophistication of the operator and the criticality of the message. However, if these technologies or applications are difficult to understand or use, they may be ignored or misused, with potentially deleterious effects on care recipient health and safety. Applying existing accessibility and usability guidelines and employing user-centered design and validation methods in the development of health technology products designed for use in the home would help ensure that they are safe and effective for their targeted user populations. In this effort, it is important to recognize how the line between medical devices and health information technologies has become blurred while regulatory oversight has remained distinct, and it is not always clear into which domain a product falls.

Recommendation 1. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology should collaborate to regulate, certify, and monitor health care applications and systems that integrate medical devices and health information technologies. As part of the certification process, the agencies should require evidence that manufacturers have followed existing accessibility and usability guidelines and have applied user-centered design and validation methods during development of the product.

Guidance and Standards

Developers of information technologies related to home-based health care, as yet, have inadequate or incomplete guidance regarding product content, structure, accessibility, and usability to inform innovation or evolution of personal health records or of care recipient access to information in electronic health records.

The ONC, in the initial announcement of its health information technology certification program, stated that requirements would be forthcom-

ing with respect both to personal health records and to care recipient access to information in electronic health records (e.g., patient portals). Despite the importance of these requirements, there is still no guidance on the content of information that should be provided to patients or minimum standards for accessibility, functionality, and usability of that information in electronic or nonelectronic formats.

Consequently, some portals have been constructed based on the continuity of care record. However, recent research has shown that records and portals based on this model are neither understandable nor interpretable by laypersons, even by those with a college education. The lack of guidance in this area makes it difficult for developers of personal health records and patient portals to design systems that fully address the needs of consumers.

Recommendation 2. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, should establish design guidelines and standards, based on existing accessibility and usability guidelines, for content, accessibility, functionality, and usability of consumer health information technologies related to home-based health care.

The committee found a serious lack of adequate standards and guidance for the labeling of medical devices. Furthermore, we found that the approval processes of the FDA for changing these materials are burdensome and inflexible.

Just as many medical devices currently in use by laypersons in the home were originally designed and approved for use only by professionals in formal health care facilities, the instructions for use and training materials were not designed for lay users, either. The committee recognizes that lack of instructional materials for lay users adds to the level of risk involved when devices are used by populations for whom they were not intended.

Ironically, the FDA’s current premarket review and approval processes inadvertently discourage manufacturers from selectively revising or developing supplemental instructional and training materials, when they become aware that instructional and training materials need to be developed or revised for lay users of devices already approved and marketed. Changing the instructions for use (which were approved with the device) requires manufacturers to submit the device along with revised instructions to the FDA for another 510(k) premarket notification review. Since manufacturers can find these reviews complicated, time-consuming, and expensive, this requirement serves as a disincentive to appropriate revisions of instructional or training materials.

Furthermore, little guidance is currently available on design of user

training methods and materials for medical devices. Even the recently released human factors standard on medical device design (Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, 2009), while reasonably comprehensive, does not cover the topic of training or training materials. Both FDA guidance and existing standards that do specifically address the design of labeling and ensuing instructions for use fail to account for up-to-date findings from research on instructional systems design. In addition, despite recognition that requirements for user training, training materials, and instructions for use are different for lay and professional users of medical equipment, these differences are not reflected in current standards.

Recommendation 3. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should promote development (by standards development organizations, such as the International Electrotechnical Commission, the International Organization for Standardization, the American National Standards Institute, and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation) of new standards based on the most recent human factors research for the labeling of and ensuing instructional materials for medical devices designed for home use by lay users. The FDA should also tailor and streamline its approval processes to facilitate and encourage regular improvements of these materials by manufacturers.

Adverse Event Reporting Systems

The committee notes that the FDA’s adverse event reporting systems, used to report problems with medical devices, are not user-friendly, especially for lay users, who generally are not aware of the systems, unaware that they can use them to report problems, and uneducated about how to do so. In order to promote safe use of medical devices in the home and rectify design problems that put care recipients at risk, it is necessary that the FDA conduct more effective postmarket surveillance of medical devices to complement its premarket approval process. The most important elements of their primarily passive surveillance system are the current adverse event reporting mechanisms, including Maude and MedSun. Entry of incident data by health care providers and consumers is not straightforward, and the system does not elicit data that could be useful to designers as they develop updated versions of products or new ones that are similar to existing devices. The reporting systems and their importance need to be widely promoted to a broad range of users, especially lay users.

Recommendation 4. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should improve its adverse event reporting systems to be easier to use, to collect data that are more useful for identifying the root causes of events

related to interactions with the device operator, and to develop and promote a more convenient way for lay users as well as professionals to report problems with medical devices.

CAREGIVERS IN THE HOME

Health care is provided in the home by formal caregivers (health care professionals), informal caregivers (family and friends), and individuals who self-administer care; each type of caregiver faces unique issues. Properly preparing individuals to provide care at home depends on targeting efforts appropriately to the background, experience, and knowledge of the caregivers. To date, however, home health care services suffer from being organized primarily around regulations and payments designed for inpatient or outpatient acute care settings. Little attention has been given to how different the roles are for formal caregivers when delivering services in the home or to the specific types of training necessary for appropriate, high-quality practice in this environment.

Health care administration in the home commonly involves interaction among formal caregivers and informal caregivers who share daily responsibility for a person receiving care. But few formal caregivers are given adequate training on how to work with informal caregivers and involve them effectively in health decision making, use of medical or adaptive technologies, or best practices to be used for evaluating and supporting the needs of caregivers.

It is also important to recognize that the majority of long-term care provided to older adults and individuals with disabilities relies on family members, friends, or the individual alone. Many informal caregivers take on these responsibilities without necessary education or support. These individuals may be poorly prepared and emotionally overwhelmed and, as a result, experience stress and burden that can lead to their own morbidity. The committee is aware that informational and training materials and tested programs already exist to assist informal caregivers in understanding the many details of providing health care in the home and to ease their burden and enhance the quality of life of both caregiver and care recipient. However, tested materials and education, support, and skill enhancement programs have not been adequately disseminated or integrated into standard care practices.

Recommendation 5. Relevant professional practice and advocacy groups should develop appropriate certification, credentialing, and/or training standards that will prepare formal caregivers to provide care in the home, develop appropriate informational and training materials

for informal caregivers, and provide guidance for all caregivers to work effectively with other people involved.

RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENTS FOR HEALTH CARE

Health care is administered in a variety of nonclinical environments, but the most common one, particularly for individuals who need the greatest level and intensity of health care services, is the home. The two recommendations in this area encourage (1) modifications to existing housing and (2) accessible and universal design of new housing. The implementation of these recommendations would be a good start on an effort to improve the safety and ease of practicing health care in the home. It could improve the health and safety of many care recipients and their caregivers and could facilitate adherence to good health maintenance and treatment practices. Ideally, improvements to housing design would take place in the context of communities that provide transportation, social networking and exercise opportunities, and access to health care and other services.

Safety and Modification of Existing Housing

The committee found poor appreciation of the importance of modifying homes to remove health hazards and barriers to self-management and health care practice and, furthermore, that financial support from federal assistance agencies for home modifications is very limited. The general connection between housing characteristics and health is well established. For example, improving housing conditions to enhance basic sanitation has long been part of a public health response to acute illness. But the characteristics of the home can present significant barriers to autonomy or self-care management and present risk factors for poor health, injury, compromised well-being, and greater dependence on others. Conversely, physical characteristics of homes can enhance resident safety and ability to participate in daily self-care and to utilize effectively health care technologies that are designed to enhance health and well-being.

Home modifications based on professional home assessments can increase functioning, contribute to reducing accidents such as falls, assist caregivers, and enable chronically ill persons and people with disabilities to stay in the community. Such changes are also associated with facilitating hospital discharges, decreasing readmissions, reducing hazards in the home, and improving care coordination. Familiar modifications include installation of such items as grab bars, handrails, stair lifts, increased lighting, and health monitoring equipment as well as reduction of such hazards as broken fixtures and others caused by insufficient home maintenance.

Deciding on which home modifications have highest priority in a given

setting depends on an appropriate assessment of circumstances and the environment. A number of home assessment instruments and programs have been validated and proven to be effective to meet this need. But even if needed modifications are properly identified and prioritized, inadequate funding, gaps in services, and lack of coordination between the health and housing service sectors have resulted in a poorly integrated system that is difficult to access. Even when accessed, progress in making home modifications available has been hampered by this lack of coordination and inadequate reimbursement or financial mechanisms, especially for those who cannot afford them.

Recommendation 6. Federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, along with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Energy, should collaborate to facilitate adequate and appropriate access to health- and safety-related home modifications, especially for those who cannot afford them. The goal should be to enable persons whose homes contain obstacles, hazards, or features that pose a home safety concern, limit self-care management, or hinder the delivery of needed services to obtain home assessments, home modifications, and training in their use.

Accessibility and Universal Design of New Housing

Almost all existing housing in the United States presents problems for conducting health-related activities because physical features limit independent functioning, impede caregiving, and contribute to such accidents as falls. In spite of the fact that a large and growing number of persons, including children, adults, veterans, and older adults, have disabilities and chronic conditions, new housing continues to be built that does not account for their needs (current or future). Although existing homes can be modified to some extent to address some of the limitations, a proactive, preventive, and effective approach would be to plan to address potential problems in the design phase of new and renovated housing, before construction.

Some housing is already required to be built with basic accessibility features that facilitate practice of health care in the home as a result of the Fair Housing Act Amendments of 1998. And 17 states and 30 cities have passed what are called “visitability” codes, which currently apply to 30,000 homes. Some localities offer tax credits, such as Pittsburgh through an ordinance, to encourage installing visitability features in new and renovated housing. The policy in Pittsburgh was impetus for the Pennsylvania Residential VisitAbility Design Tax Credit Act signed into law on October 28, 2006, which offers property owners a tax credit for new construction

and rehabilitation. The Act paves the way for municipalities to provide tax credits to citizens by requiring that such governing bodies administer the tax credit (Self-Determination Housing Project of Pennsylvania, Inc., n.d.).

Visitability, rather than full accessibility, is characterized by such limited features as an accessible entry into the home, appropriately wide doorways and one accessible bathroom. Both the International Code Council, which focuses on building codes, and the American National Standards Institute, which establishes technical standards, including ones associated with accessibility, have endorsed voluntary accessibility standards. These standards facilitate more jurisdictions to pass such visitability codes and encourage legislative consistency throughout the country. To date, however, the federal government has not taken leadership to promote compliance with such standards in housing construction, even for housing for which it provides financial support.

Universal design, a broader and more comprehensive approach than visitability, is intended to suit the needs of persons of all ages, sizes, and abilities, including individuals with a wide range of health conditions and activity limitations. Steps toward universal design in renovation could include such features as anti-scald faucet valve devices, nonslip flooring, lever handles on doors, and a bedroom on the main floor. Such features can help persons and their caregivers carry out everyday tasks and reduce the incidence of serious and costly accidents (e.g., falls, burns). In the long run, implementing universal design in more homes will result in housing that suits the long-term needs of more residents, provides more housing choices for persons with chronic conditions and disabilities, and causes less forced relocation of residents to more costly settings, such as nursing homes.

Issues related to housing accessibility have been acknowledged at the federal level. For example, visitability and universal design are in accord with the objectives of the Safety of Seniors Act (Public Law No. 110-202, passed in 2008). In addition, implementation of the Olmstead decision (in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Americans with Disabilities Act may require states to provide community-based services rather than institutional placements for individuals with disabilities) requires affordable and accessible housing in the community.

Visitability, accessibility, and universal design of housing all are important to support the practice of health care in the home, but they are not broadly implemented and incentives for doing so are few.

Recommendation 7. Federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Federal Housing Administration, should take a lead role, along with states and local municipalities, to develop strategies that promote and facilitate increased housing visitability, accessibil-

ity, and universal design in all segments of the market. This might include tax and other financial incentives, local zoning ordinances, model building codes, new products and designs, and related policies that are developed as appropriate with standards-setting organizations (e.g., the International Code Council, the International Electrotechnical Commission, the International Organization for Standardization, and the American National Standards Institute).

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

In our review of the research literature, the committee learned that there is ample foundational knowledge to apply a human factors lens to home health care, particularly as improvements are considered to make health care safe and effective in the home. However, much of what is known is not being translated effectively into practice, neither in design of equipment and information technology or in the effective targeting and provision of services to all those in need. Consequently, the four recommendations that follow support research and development to address knowledge and communication gaps and facilitate provision of high-quality health care in the home. Specifically, the committee recommends (1) research to enhance coordination among all the people who play a role in health care practice in the home, (2) development of a database of medical devices in order to facilitate device prescription, (3) improved surveys of the people involved in health care in the home and their residential environments, and (4) development of tools for assessing the tasks associated with home-based health care.

Health Care Teamwork and Coordination

Frail elders, adults with disabilities, disabled veterans, and children with special health care needs all require coordination of the care services that they receive in the home. Home-based health care often involves a large number of elements, including multiple care providers, support services, agencies, and complex and dynamic benefit regulations, which are rarely coordinated. However, coordinating those elements has a positive effect on care recipient outcomes and costs of care. When successful, care coordination connects caregivers, improves communication among caregivers and care recipients and ensures that receivers of care obtain appropriate services and resources.

To ensure safe, effective, and efficient care, everyone involved must collaborate as a team with shared objectives. Well-trained primary health care teams that execute customized plans of care are a key element of coordinated care; teamwork and communication among all actors are also

essential to successful care coordination and the delivery of high-quality care. Key factors that influence the smooth functioning of a team include a shared understanding of goals, common information (such as a shared medication list), knowledge of available resources, and allocation and coordination of tasks conducted by each team member.

Barriers to coordination include insufficient resources available to (a) help people who need health care at home to identify and establish connections to appropriate sources of care, (b) facilitate communication and coordination among caregivers involved in home-based health care, and (c) facilitate communication among the people receiving and the people providing health care in the home.

The application of systems analysis techniques, such as task analysis, can help identify problems in care coordination systems and identify potential intervention strategies. Human factors research in the areas of communication, cognitive aiding and decision support, high-fidelity simulation training techniques, and the integration of telehealth technologies could also inform improvements in care coordination.

Recommendation 8 . The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality should support human factors–based research on the identified barriers to coordination of health care services delivered in the home and support user-centered development and evaluation of programs that may overcome these barriers.

Medical Device Database

It is the responsibility of physicians to prescribe medical devices, but in many cases little information is readily available to guide them in determining the best match between the devices available and a particular care recipient. No resource exists for medical devices, in contrast to the analogous situation in the area of assistive and rehabilitation technologies, for which annotated databases (such as AbleData) are available to assist the provider in determining the most appropriate one of several candidate devices for a given care recipient. Although specialists are apt to receive information about devices specific to the area of their practice, this is much less likely in the case of family and general practitioners, who often are responsible for selecting, recommending, or prescribing the most appropriate device for use at home.

Recommendation 9. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in collaboration with device manufacturers, should establish a medical device database for physicians and other providers, including pharmacists, to use when selecting appropriate devices to prescribe or recommend

for people receiving or self-administering health care in the home. Using task analysis and other human factors approaches to populate the medical device database will ensure that it contains information on characteristics of the devices and implications for appropriate care recipient and device operator populations.

Characterizing Caregivers, Care Recipients, and Home Environments

As delivery of health care in the home becomes more common, more coherent strategies and effective policies are needed to support the workforce of individuals who provide this care. Developing these will require a comprehensive understanding of the number and attributes of individuals engaged in health care in the home as well as the context in which care is delivered. Data and data analysis are lacking to accomplish this objective.

National data regarding the numbers of individuals engaged in health care delivery in the home—that is, both formal and informal caregivers—are sparse, and the estimates that do exist vary widely. Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes estimates of the number of workers employed in the home setting for some health care classifications, they do not include all relevant health care workers. For example, data on workers employed directly by care recipients and their families are notably absent. Likewise, national estimates of the number of informal caregivers are obtained from surveys that use different methodological approaches and return significantly different results.

Although numerous national surveys have been designed to answer a broad range of questions regarding health care delivery in the home, with rare exceptions such surveys reflect the relatively limited perspective of the sponsoring agency. For example,

The Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) and the Health and Retirement Survey (administered by the National Institute on Aging) are primarily geared toward understanding the health, health services use, and/or economic well-being of older adults and provide no information regarding working-age adults or children or information about home or neighborhood environments.
The Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance Survey (administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC), the National Health Interview Survey (administered by the CDC), and the National Children’s Study (administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) all collect information on health characteristics, with limited or no information about the housing context.
The American Housing Survey (administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) collects detailed information regarding housing, but it does not include questions regarding the health status of residents and does not collect adequate information about home modifications and features on an ongoing basis.

Consequently, although multiple federal agencies collect data on the sociodemographic and health characteristics of populations and on the nation’s housing stock, none of these surveys collects data necessary to link the home, its residents, and the presence of any caregivers, thus limiting understanding of health care delivered in the home. Furthermore, information is altogether lacking about health and functioning of populations linked to the physical, social, and cultural environments in which they live. Finally, in regard to individuals providing care, information is lacking regarding their education, training, competencies, and credentialing, as well as appropriate knowledge about their working conditions in the home.

Better coordination across government agencies that sponsor such surveys and more attention to information about health care that occurs in the home could greatly improve the utility of survey findings for understanding the prevalence and nature of health care delivery in the home.

Recommendation 10. Federal health agencies should coordinate data collection efforts to capture comprehensive information on elements relevant to health care in the home, either in a single survey or through effective use of common elements across surveys. The surveys should collect data on the sociodemographic and health characteristics of individuals receiving care in the home, the sociodemographic attributes of formal and informal caregivers and the nature of the caregiving they provide, and the attributes of the residential settings in which the care recipients live.

Tools for Assessing Home Health Care Tasks and Operators

Persons caring for themselves or others at home as well as formal caregivers vary considerably in their skills, abilities, attitudes, experience, and other characteristics, such as age, culture/ethnicity, and health literacy. In turn, designers of health-related devices and technology systems used in the home are often naïve about the diversity of the user population. They need high-quality information and guidance to better understand user capabilities relative to the task demands of the health-related device or technology that they are developing.

In this environment, valid and reliable tools are needed to match users with tasks and technologies. At this time, health care providers lack the

tools needed to assess whether particular individuals would be able to perform specific health care tasks at home, and medical device and system designers lack information on the demands associated with health-related tasks performed at home and the human capabilities needed to perform them successfully.

Whether used to assess the characteristics of formal or informal caregivers or persons engaged in self-care, task analysis can be used to develop point-of-care tools for use by consumers and caregivers alike in locations where such tasks are encouraged or prescribed. The tools could facilitate identification of potential mismatches between the characteristics, abilities, experiences, and attitudes that an individual brings to a task and the demands associated with the task. Used in ambulatory care settings, at hospital discharge or other transitions of care, and in the home by caregivers or individuals and family members themselves, these tools could enable assessment of prospective task performer’s capabilities in relation to the demands of the task. The tools might range in complexity from brief screening checklists for clinicians to comprehensive assessment batteries that permit nuanced study and tracking of home-based health care tasks by administrators and researchers. The results are likely to help identify types of needed interventions and support aids that would enhance the abilities of individuals to perform health care tasks in home settings safely, effectively, and efficiently.

Recommendation 11. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality should collaborate, as necessary, with the National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to support development of assessment tools customized for home-based health care, designed to analyze the demands of tasks associated with home-based health care, the operator capabilities required to carry them out, and the relevant capabilities of specific individuals.

Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation. (2009). ANSI/AAMI HE75:2009: Human factors engineering: Design of medical devices. Available: http://www.aami.org/publications/standards/HE75_Ch16_Access_Board.pdf [April 2011].

Self-Determination Housing Project of Pennsylvania, Inc. (n.d.) Promoting visitability in Pennsylvania. Available: http://www.sdhp.org/promoting_visitability_in_pennsy.htm [March 30, 2011].

In the United States, health care devices, technologies, and practices are rapidly moving into the home. The factors driving this migration include the costs of health care, the growing numbers of older adults, the increasing prevalence of chronic conditions and diseases and improved survival rates for people with those conditions and diseases, and a wide range of technological innovations. The health care that results varies considerably in its safety, effectiveness, and efficiency, as well as in its quality and cost.

Health Care Comes Home reviews the state of current knowledge and practice about many aspects of health care in residential settings and explores the short- and long-term effects of emerging trends and technologies. By evaluating existing systems, the book identifies design problems and imbalances between technological system demands and the capabilities of users. Health Care Comes Home recommends critical steps to improve health care in the home. The book's recommendations cover the regulation of health care technologies, proper training and preparation for people who provide in-home care, and how existing housing can be modified and new accessible housing can be better designed for residential health care. The book also identifies knowledge gaps in the field and how these can be addressed through research and development initiatives.

Health Care Comes Home lays the foundation for the integration of human health factors with the design and implementation of home health care devices, technologies, and practices. The book describes ways in which the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and federal housing agencies can collaborate to improve the quality of health care at home. It is also a valuable resource for residential health care providers and caregivers.

READ FREE ONLINE

Welcome to OpenBook!

You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

Show this book's table of contents , where you can jump to any chapter by name.

...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

Switch between the Original Pages , where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter .

Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

View our suggested citation for this chapter.

Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

Get Email Updates

Do you enjoy reading reports from the Academies online for free ? Sign up for email notifications and we'll let you know about new publications in your areas of interest when they're released.

Presentations made painless

Get Premium

124 Healthcare Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Healthcare is a diverse and complex field that encompasses a wide range of topics, issues, and challenges. Whether you are studying healthcare as a student, working in the healthcare industry, or simply interested in learning more about this important area, there are countless essay topics that you can explore. To help you get started, here are 124 healthcare essay topic ideas and examples that you can use for inspiration:

The impact of healthcare disparities on patient outcomes
Strategies for improving access to healthcare in underserved communities
The role of technology in transforming healthcare delivery
The ethics of healthcare rationing
The importance of diversity and inclusion in healthcare organizations
The rise of telemedicine and its implications for patient care
The impact of the opioid epidemic on healthcare systems
The role of nurses in promoting patient safety
The challenges of providing mental health care in a primary care setting
The future of healthcare: personalized medicine and precision healthcare
The role of healthcare providers in addressing social determinants of health
The impact of climate change on public health
The role of public health campaigns in promoting healthy behaviors
The challenges of healthcare delivery in rural areas
The impact of healthcare reform on the uninsured population
The role of healthcare informatics in improving patient outcomes
The importance of cultural competency in healthcare delivery
The ethical implications of genetic testing and personalized medicine
The impact of healthcare costs on patient access to care
The role of healthcare administrators in shaping the future of healthcare delivery
The challenges of implementing electronic health records in healthcare settings
The impact of healthcare privatization on patient care
The role of healthcare providers in promoting patient autonomy
The challenges of providing end-of-life care in a healthcare setting
The impact of healthcare disparities on maternal and child health outcomes
The role of healthcare providers in addressing the opioid crisis
The challenges of providing healthcare to undocumented immigrants
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare systems
The role of healthcare providers in promoting vaccination uptake
The challenges of healthcare delivery in conflict zones
The impact of healthcare disparities on LGBTQ+ populations
The role of healthcare providers in promoting healthy aging
The challenges of providing healthcare to homeless populations
The impact of healthcare disparities on rural communities
The role of healthcare providers in addressing food insecurity
The challenges of providing healthcare to refugees and asylum seekers
The impact of healthcare disparities on people with disabilities
The role of healthcare providers in promoting mental health awareness
The challenges of providing healthcare to incarcerated populations
The impact of healthcare disparities on immigrant populations
The role of healthcare providers in promoting sexual health education
The challenges of providing healthcare to indigenous populations
The impact of healthcare disparities on veterans' health outcomes
The role of healthcare providers in promoting healthy lifestyles
The challenges of providing healthcare to low-income populations
The impact of healthcare disparities on minority populations
The role of healthcare providers in promoting preventive care
The challenges of providing healthcare to elderly populations
The impact of healthcare disparities on women's health outcomes
The role of healthcare providers in promoting maternal health
The challenges of providing healthcare to children and adolescents
The impact of healthcare disparities on mental health outcomes
The role of healthcare providers in promoting substance abuse treatment
The challenges of providing healthcare to homeless youth
The impact of healthcare disparities on LGBTQ+ youth
The role of healthcare providers in promoting healthy relationships
The challenges of providing healthcare to LGBTQ+ youth
The impact of healthcare disparities on transgender populations
The role of healthcare providers in promoting gender-affirming care
The challenges of providing healthcare to LGBTQ+ elders
The impact of healthcare disparities on people of color
The role of healthcare providers in promoting racial equity
The challenges of providing healthcare to immigrant populations
The impact of healthcare disparities on refugee populations
The role of healthcare providers in promoting cultural competency
The challenges of providing healthcare to non-English speaking populations
The role of healthcare providers in promoting disability rights
The challenges of providing healthcare to people with mental illnesses
The impact of healthcare disparities on people experiencing homelessness
The role of healthcare providers in promoting housing stability
The challenges of providing healthcare to people living in poverty
The impact of healthcare disparities on incarcerated populations
The role of healthcare providers in promoting criminal justice reform
The challenges of providing healthcare to veterans
The impact of healthcare

Want to research companies faster?

Instantly access industry insights

Let PitchGrade do this for me

Leverage powerful AI research capabilities

We will create your text and designs for you. Sit back and relax while we do the work.

Explore More Content

SUGGESTED TOPICS
The Magazine
Newsletters
Managing Yourself
Managing Teams
Work-life Balance
The Big Idea
Data & Visuals
Reading Lists
Case Selections
HBR Learning
Topic Feeds
Account Settings
Email Preferences

How the Architecture of Hospitals Affects Health Outcomes

Cheryl Heller

MASS Design Group is changing the ways health care facilities are built.

A key determinant of everything that matters when it comes to health interventions — the experience, cost, and results — has been hiding in plain sight. It is the buildings and spaces in which patients are treated. The size and layout of a room, whether a bed sits in the middle or against a wall (even which wall), how much space is maintained for patients to walk versus how many beds or operating equipment can be accommodated, have not been considered predictors of health outcomes in the past. That’s changing, as architects and health care organizations come together to incorporate principles of social design into the built health care environment.

Cheryl Heller is the founding chair of the first MFA program in Design for Social Innovation at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and is president of the design lab CommonWise. She is the recipient of the AIGA Medal for her contributions to the field of design and is a Rockefeller Bellagio Fellow. She is the author of The Intergalactic Design Guide: Harnessing the Creative Potential of Social Design .

Article Critique

Article Review
Article Writing
Book Review
Business Plan
Business Proposal
Capstone Project
Cover Letter
Creative Essay
Dissertation
Dissertation - Abstract
Dissertation - Conclusion
Dissertation - Discussion
Dissertation - Hypothesis
Dissertation - Introduction
Dissertation - Literature
Dissertation - Methodology
Dissertation - Results
GCSE Coursework
Grant Proposal
Marketing Plan
Multiple Choice Quiz
Personal Statement
Power Point Presentation
Power Point Presentation With Speaker Notes
Questionnaire
Reaction Paper

Research Paper

Research Proposal
SWOT analysis
Thesis Paper
Online Quiz
Literature Review
Movie Analysis
Statistics problem
Math Problem
All papers examples
How It Works
Money Back Policy
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
We Are Hiring

Health Care in the United States, Essay Example

Pages: 4

Words: 1013

Hire a Writer for Custom Essay

Use 10% Off Discount: "custom10" in 1 Click 👇

You are free to use it as an inspiration or a source for your own work.

In the United States, there has long been discussion about the quality and nature of the delivery of healthcare. The debates have included who may receive such services, whether or not healthcare is a privilege or an entitlement, whether and how to make patient care affordable to all segments of the population, and the ways in which the government should, or should not, be involved in the provision of such services. Indeed, many people feel that the healthcare in this country is the best in the world; others believe tha (The Free Dictionary)t our health delivery system is broken. This paper shall examine different aspects of the healthcare system in our country, discussing whether it has been successful in providing essential services to American citizens.

The delivery of healthcare services is considered to be a system; according to the Free Diction- ary (Farlex, 2010), a system is defined as “a group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements forming a complex whole.” This is an apt description of our healthcare structure, as it is compiled of patients, medical and mental health providers, hospitals, clinics, laboratories, insurance companies, and many other parties that are reliant on each other and that, when combined, make up the entity known as our healthcare system.

Those who believe that our healthcare system is the best in the world often point to the fact that leaders as well as private citizens from countries throughout the world frequently come to the United States to have surgeries and other treatments that they require for survival. A more cynical view of this phenomenon is that if people have the money, they are able to purchase quality care in the U.S., a “survival of the fittest” situation. Those who lack the resources to travel to the U.S. for medical treatment are simply out of luck, and often will die without the needed care.

In fact, reports by the World Health Organization and other groups consistently indicate that while the United States spends more than any other country on healthcare costs, Americans receive lower quality, less efficient and less fairness from the system. These conclusions come as a result of studying quality of care, access to care, equity and the ability to lead long, productive lives. (World Health Organization,2001.) What cannot be disputed is that the cost of healthcare is constantly rising, a fact which was the precipitant to the large movement to reform healthcare in our country in 2010. More than 10 years ago, the goal of managed care was to drive down the costs of healthcare, but those promises did not materialize (Garsten, 2010.) A large segment of the population is either uninsured or underinsured, and it is speculated that over the next decade, these problems will only increase while other difficulties will arise (Garson, 2010.)

When examining the healthcare system, there are three aspects of care that call for evaluation: the impact of delivering care on the patient, the benefits and harms of that treatment, and the functioning of the healthcare system, as described in an article by Adrian Levy. Levy argues that each of these outcomes should be assessed and should include both the successes and the limitations of each aspect. The idea is that there should be operational measurements of patients’ interactions with the healthcare system that would include patients’ experiences in hospitals, using measurements of their functional abilities and their qualities of life following discharge. The results of patients’ interactions with the healthcare system should be utilized to develop and improve the delivery of healthcare treatment, as well as to develop policy changes that would affect the entire field of healthcare in the United States.

One view of the state of American healthcare is that the system is fragmented; there have been many failed attempts by several presidents to introduce the idea of universal healthcare. Instead, American citizens are saddled with a system in which government pays either directly or indirectly for over 50% of the healthcare in our country, but the actual delivery of insurance and of care is undertaken by an assortment of private insurers, for-profit hospitals, and other parties who raise costs without increasing quality of service (Wells, Krugman, 2006.) If the United States were to switch to a single-payer system such as that provided in Canada, the government would directly provide insurance which would most likely be less expensive and provide better results than our current system.

It is clear that throwing money at a problem does not necessarily resolve it; the fact that the United States spends more than twice as much on healthcare provision as any other country in the world only makes it more ironic that when it comes to evaluating the service, Americans fall appallingly flat. In my opinion, if the new healthcare reform bill had included a public option which would have taken the profit margin out of the equation, the nation and its citizens would have been in a much better position to receive quality healthcare. The fact that people die every day from preventable illnesses and conditions simply because they do not have affordable insurance is a national disgrace. In addition, many of the people who have been the most adamantly against government “intrusion” into their healthcare are actually on Medicaid or Medicare, federally-funded programs. Their lack of understanding of what the debate actually involves is striking, and they are rallying against what is in their own best interests. These are people that equate Federal involvement in healthcare as socialism. Unless and until our healthcare system is able to provide what is needed to all of its citizens, all claims that we have the best healthcare system in the world are, sadly, utterly hollow.

Adrian R Levy (2005, December). Categorizing outcomes of Health Care delivery. Clinical and investigative medicine, pp. 347-351.

Arthur Garson (2000). The U.S. Healthcare System 2010: Problems Principles and Potential Solutions. Retrieved July 3, 2010, from Circulation: The Journal of the American Heart Association: http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/101/16/2015

The Free Dictionary. (n.d.). Farlex. Retrieved July 3, 2010. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/system

World Health Organization. (2003, July). WHO World Health Report 2000. Retrieved July 3, 2010, from State of World Health: http://faculty.washington.edu/ely/Report2000.htm

Stuck with your Essay?

Get in touch with one of our experts for instant help!

Using Learning Journals in Continuing and Higher Education, Article Critique Example

Prolonged Exposure Therapy, Research Paper Example

Time is precious

don’t waste it!

Plagiarism-free guarantee

Privacy guarantee

Secure checkout

Money back guarantee

Related Essay Samples & Examples

Voting as a civic responsibility, essay example.

Pages: 1

Words: 287

Utilitarianism and Its Applications, Essay Example

Words: 356

The Age-Related Changes of the Older Person, Essay Example

Pages: 2

Words: 448

The Problems ESOL Teachers Face, Essay Example

Pages: 8

Words: 2293

Should English Be the Primary Language? Essay Example

Words: 999

The Term “Social Construction of Reality”, Essay Example

Words: 371

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Publications
Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

Advanced Search
Journal List
Sage Choice

Why hospital design matters: A narrative review of built environments research relevant to stroke care

Julie bernhardt.

1 Stroke, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Heidelberg, Australia

Ruby Lipson-Smith

Aaron davis, marcus white.

2 Centre for Design Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorne, Australia

Heidi Zeeman

3 Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

Natalie Pitt

4 Silver Thomas Hanley (STH) Health Architecture, Australia

Michelle Shannon

Maria crotty.

5 Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia

Leonid Churilov

6 Melbourne Medical School, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia

7 School of Education, Health and Social Studies, University of Dalarna, Falun, Sweden

Healthcare facilities are among the most expensive buildings to construct, maintain, and operate. How building design can best support healthcare services, staff, and patients is important to consider. In this narrative review, we outline why the healthcare environment matters and describe areas of research focus and current built environment evidence that supports healthcare in general and stroke care in particular. Ward configuration, corridor design, and staff station placements can all impact care provision, staff and patient behavior. Contrary to many new ward design approaches, single-bed rooms are neither uniformly favored, nor strongly evidence-based, for people with stroke. Green spaces are important both for staff (helping to reduce stress and errors), patients and relatives, although access to, and awareness of, these and other communal spaces is often poor. Built environment research specific to stroke is limited but increasing, and we highlight emerging collaborative multistakeholder partnerships (Living Labs) contributing to this evidence base. We believe that involving engaged and informed clinicians in design and research will help shape better hospitals of the future.

Introduction

Imagine (re-)designing the very hospital you work in. What would you design differently? What would you change, to benefit you, your patients, and their families? What evidence might help guide those design decisions?

Healthcare facilities are among the most expensive buildings to construct, maintain, and operate. 1 Once built, hospitals remain in service for decades and are difficult to modify. With stakes this high, considering how building design best supports healthcare services is important. In this narrative review, we outline why the built environment matters, with particular focus on stroke care. We also discuss challenges inherent in designing healthcare environments, undertaking research and evaluating completed architecture.

The planning and design process for new healthcare environments is incredibly complex, but, in general, it occurs in three overlapping stages: (1) the planning stage in which the healthcare provider describes the users’ needs, model of care, and clinical program in a functional brief that summarizes the requirements for the new hospital; (2) the design stage in which these requirements are interpreted by architects to develop an initial concept which is then refined to a more detailed design; and (3) the delivery stage in which the building is constructed. The extent to which hospital staff and patients are included at each stage of this process can vary significantly between projects. 2

Healthcare professionals have long advocated for design features thought to benefit health and well-being, such as natural light, ventilation, and space between patients—for example, the circular hospital design proposed by the physician Antoine Petit 3 and long “Nightingale wards” proposed by Florence Nightingale. 4 Hospital design is now informed by a process termed “evidence-based design” (EBD), in which research evidence is used alongside other considerations such as the healthcare context, budget, and architects’ experience, to inform the design of the healthcare built environment. 5 , 6 In this context, the “healthcare built environment” encompasses: (1) the physical construction (layout, room dimensions, doors and window placement, outdoor and community access, etc.), (2) ambient features (noise, air quality, light, temperature, etc.), and (3) interior design (furniture, signage, equipment, artwork, etc.). 7 Analogous to evidence-based clinical practice, hospitals designed following best research evidence garnered from EBD processes have better safety, patient outcomes, staff retention, and operation costs. 8 , 9 The Center for Health Design, established in 1993 to advance EBD, now maintains a repository of over 5,000 articles on healthcare design ( https://www.healthdesign.org ).

The field is growing; however, many healthcare contexts, including stroke, have a limited built environment evidence base. 10 Establishing geographically organized stroke units has been an important focus 11 ; however, these studies rarely address specifics of the built environment, and we know little about optimal stroke unit design. Stroke clinical guidelines rarely mention the built environment nor provide guidance on how the environment might best support care. There are currently no stroke care-specific building standards, nor standardized checklists to evaluate the quality of these environments. 12

Why is the built environment neglected? Clinicians may identify as knowing less about how the environment might influence patient care or staff well-being. They may also feel uninformed about the design process and how to contribute their clinical expertise to influence decision-making. To begin to address these gaps, our objectives for this review were: (1) to introduce readers to healthcare built environment research and (2) to highlight evidence that underpins acute, subacute, or rehabilitation stroke care facility design. This review is in three parts:

Overview of healthcare built environment research;
Stroke care built environment evidence; and
Planning and design of new healthcare environments: Challenges and opportunities.

We include research from recent, relevant systematic reviews, other evidence summaries, and selected qualitative and mixed-methods research focusing on healthcare environments and design. Healthcare environments are complex and context-specific, with many interdependent variables that can rarely be isolated. This complex system does not readily lend itself to highly controlled experimental research designs in real-life settings. 13 Qualitative methods, such as case studies and pre- and post-occupancy evaluations (before and after a redesign or redevelopment), are common. With research still developing, heterogeneity exists in research designs, outcomes, environments, populations, and theoretical frameworks employed. 14 Hence, robust summary evidence derived from meta-analyses is lacking.

Healthcare built environment research

Research is dominated by studies conducted in acute environments such as emergency, surgery, and intensive care units (ICUs) ( Figure 1 ). 6 , 15 , 16 Older people, including those in dementia care, are frequently studied post-acute populations. 17

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is 10.1177_17474930211042485-fig1.jpg

The volume of built environment research conducted in different healthcare settings. Circle size indicates the number of published research articles based on systematic literature review in preparation 18 and articles listed in the Centre for Healthcare Design research repository. Pink circles represent all built environment research, and the dark gray circles indicate stroke-specific research. (The aerial sketch in this image has been adapted with permission from Architectus + HDR.)

In this section, we introduce three topics relevant to most healthcare contexts: (1) design of internal spaces; (2) outdoor spaces; and (3) ambient features including light, noise, and air quality (with particular focus on infection control).

Internal spaces

The design of internal spaces, such as ward configuration, corridor design, and nurse station placements (centralized vs. decentralized), can influence patient visibility, safety, teamwork, distances staff walk in a shift, and time spent providing direct care to patients. 10 For example, open-plan, larger convex spaces can lead to greater patient visibility, and corridor width impacts staff circulation, informal communication, and teamwork. 19 In ICU, designs with centralized nurse stations and visibility of most patient rooms from that location are increasingly being replaced with decentralized nurses’ stations, arguably without strong evidence. 19 In emergency departments, with similar critical visibility requirements for teamwork and patient monitoring, some authors argue that physically separated zones or “pods” are neither efficient nor safe. 20 Decentralized nursing stations can lead to more patient room visits by staff. 21 , 22 This highlights current uncertainties.

The layout of hospital spaces and line of sight influences patient and visitor orientation and their ability to find their way around (“wayfinding”). 23 Signs, information boards, and “landmarks” (artwork, furniture, views, etc.) are typical wayfinding elements. 24 , 25 Inadequate wayfinding leads to delays in accessing services or finding people or places, associated stress, and higher staff burden as they provide directions for lost individuals. 25 While some standards exist, wayfinding is often not optimized in healthcare. 26

The proportion of single versus multiple(two or more)-bed rooms is a prominent ward design consideration. There is evidence that single rooms can support staff/patient communication, privacy, infection control, and noise reduction, but they are also associated with patient isolation and increased falls risk. 27 This evidence is, however, of mixed quality, limited to certain populations, with neutral and/or contrary results. 27 A higher proportion of single rooms generally results in longer corridors, longer staff walking distances, perceived decrease in patient visibility due to compromised sightlines, and higher construction and cleaning costs. 28 The inherent trade-offs will be different in every healthcare context. Less controversial is location of sinks and hand sanitizers; highly visible and standardized positioning promotes more consistent use. 29 , 30

Outdoor spaces

Hospital gardens were historically commonplace 31 ; however, less priority has been given to green space over time. Access to the outdoors and time in nature has been linked to stress reduction, improved physical symptoms, and emotional well-being in many healthcare settings. 32 Views of nature have been linked to reduced length of stay. 33 Good hospital garden design principles include creating opportunities for exercise, exploration, socialization, and to engage with and escape in nature. 32 Surprisingly, patients and visitors are often not aware of hospital gardens, and proactive approaches to increasing patient and family use of gardens have been recommended. 34 Usually conceptualized as spaces for patients and visitors, staff are often their primary users. 32 Outdoor spaces can be restorative for hospital staff, helping to reduce stress and improve attention, which may improve patient care and staff retention. 35

Ambient features

Ambient features, such as light and noise, can impact patient well-being and comfort, sleep, and communication with staff. 36 , 37 Light and noise also impact staff well-being and attention 38 and contribute to medication errors and other safety concerns. 39

Air quality is important for both comfort and infection control. Infection control is particularly prioritized in acute environments and is receiving deserved attention in the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent review of COVID-19 transmission showed that spatial configuration can affect patient density and thereby transmission. 40 Optimized systems for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) can filter microparticles such as viruses. Different HVAC systems also affect humidity, airflow velocities, air pressure—all important for exposure to active aerosols. Window ventilation, daylight, and electric UV light are recommended to aid disinfecting surfaces and use of surface materials that affect pathogen survival. 40

Stroke care built environment evidence

In this section, we outline how the built environment can influence important outcomes such as: (1) evidence-based stroke care, including rehabilitation; (2) efficiency of stroke care, staff processes, and communication; and (3) patient safety and well-being. The evidence-base specific to stroke care is small. 41 In Figure 2 , we summarize the design features and how they may influence a range of outcomes including patient and staff behavior. This should be considered illustrative rather than exhaustive. Where possible, we draw directly from stroke or brain injury-specific evidence, supplementing evidence from other populations where relevant.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is 10.1177_17474930211042485-fig2.jpg

A summary of the evidence specific to stroke care environments. Dotted lines = a hypothesis, garnered from research in other populations; thin lines = limited evidence, < 3 studies; thick lines = moderate evidence, ≥ 3 studies, based on systematic literature review. 41

Evidence-based practice including rehabilitation

We found no stroke-specific research to underpin built environment recommendations for optimal delivery of either time-critical acute stroke treatments or evidence-based care, including rehabilitation. Guidelines recommend early commencement of both structured and incidental physical, cognitive, and social activity for all stroke patients, 42 , 43 although recommended levels vary. Patients in both acute and subacute environments spend most of their day alone and inactive in their bedroom. 44 , 45 While we can hypothesize that providing “draw-them-out” features on a ward may improve activity and engagement, evidence is limited. These features may include green spaces and indoor communal (social) spaces. Unfortunately, communal spaces, when present, often appear to be underutilized in both acute 46 and rehabilitation environments. 47 Many factors may influence whether patients use communal spaces, including not knowing they exist or where to find them, difficulty accessing them without help, or feeling they don’t have permission to use them. 48 In a Norwegian study across 11 stroke units with communal areas, patients were more active and spent less time in their bedroom in units where meals were served in the communal area. 49 Providing resources (games, music, books) in personalized activity packs and in communal spaces (“environmental enrichment”), with the aim to improve physical, social, and cognitive activity, has recently been tested in acute and subacute settings with mixed results. 50 – 52 Importantly, this approach relies on staff to encourage use and engagement, rather than embedding activity opportunities into the building itself. Hallways and circulation spaces are generally underrecognized as providing spaces for incidental activity and interaction. 53

There is limited stroke-specific research about the value or harm of single- versus multiple-bed rooms. A higher proportion of single rooms may be associated with lower levels of patient activity in acute stroke. 54 , 55 A systematic review of single- versus multiple-bed rooms in older people and those with neurological disorders found potential benefits (e.g. infection control, patient satisfaction) and harms (e.g. falls, isolation) with single rooms. 56 In rehabilitation facilities with a high proportion of single rooms, patients emphasize the importance of communal areas. 57 Further work is needed to identify and test how modifications to layout and communal and circulations spaces could enhance patient engagement, activity, and optimal care provision.

Efficiency of care, staff processes, and communication

Interprofessional communication and teamwork between physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals supports best practice stroke care. 11 Shared staff spaces support team communication and collaboration, enabling better understanding of patient needs, and greater knowledge about other team roles. 58 , 59

Therapy spaces are often discrete locations (e.g. gym, occupational therapy rooms), rather than being holistic, context-based environments that reflect the connectivity and continuity necessary for rehabilitation and transition beyond discharge. 60 , 61 Separation of clinical and therapy spaces can impact staff travel time, patient practice and activity, and even clinical decision-making. For example, Blennerhassett et al. 47 found that patients spent less time engaged in physical activity and more time in corridors when the ward was located further from the gym, on a separate floor. This also impacted wheelchair use and patient travel time. 47 Inaccessible therapy spaces can also change therapists’ intervention choices. 62

Safety and well-being

Falls are common after stroke, 63 yet the relationship between the built environment and falls is largely unexplored. The presence of a fellow patient (multiple-bed room) may help reduce falls, especially for older patients with neurological injury. 56 , 64 Roommates play an important role in monitoring the physical and mental health of others in stroke rehabilitation. 48 Stroke patients often experience loneliness when in hospital, 65 , 66 and some patients will choose a shared room over the privacy of a single room. 57 Sleep is important for recovery. Unsurprisingly, visual and aural privacy is less in multiple-bed rooms. However, noise traveling between corridors and bedrooms and lack of dedicated staff spaces for confidential conversations are also important. 48

Planning and design of new healthcare environments: Challenges and opportunities

Healthcare environments research and design is a multistakeholder endeavor involving government, healthcare providers, managers, clinical staff, patients, architects, quantity surveyors, construction companies, building managers, etc. This collaborative process can be challenging, 67 , 68 considering interdisciplinary differences in knowledge and approaches. 69 The complexity of hospital procurement and the fact that design and construction processes are foreign to many healthcare professionals adds further challenge. Clinicians often do not understand what the “user group” consultation process is supposed to achieve, and their involvement may be inconsistent throughout the design process, which limits their contribution to the process and ability to influence decisions. 67 While collaboration between architects and healthcare professionals is not new, 70 limited evidence informs current consultation processes. 67 , 71 High-quality healthcare environments are produced when shared decision-making and collaboration happens across healthcare, construction, and architecture to create designs based on evidence and end-users’ perspectives. 69

A number of research approaches are suggested to facilitate this collaboration, including participatory design, co-design, and Living Labs. 2 , 72 , 73 Over many years, our team has built partnerships between healthcare environment practitioners, clinicians, researchers, and people living with stroke, which have served to create a common understanding of the barriers and opportunities for redesigning and optimizing stroke care environments. With the creation of the Neuroscience Optimized Virtual Living Lab (NOVELL) for stroke rehabilitation redesign ( www.novellredesign.com ), we are working to develop new models for stakeholder engagement and research, and to contribute new evidence to stroke rehabilitation design.

In addition to collaboration challenges, research is infrequently embedded in the planning and design of new healthcare environments, and leaders in EBD have long called for appropriately funded, transparent, and freely available evaluations of completed buildings. 74 – 76 Given the cost of constructing and running healthcare buildings, the absence, or non-disclosure, of evaluations to determine whether desired outcomes were met is concerning. 77 , 78 Hospital design and construction is underpinned by technical and generic building guidelines and standards that differ within and between countries. The degree to which these standards are “evidence-informed” varies. In stakeholder consultations, understanding what is evidence-based and what is open to change can be difficult. Design innovation is essential if hospital buildings are to respond to new healthcare models or processes. For example, the recent COVID-19 induced surge in utilization of telehealth and other e-health technologies for rehabilitation, other treatment, and communication with people with stroke has implications for healthcare design, increasing demand for spaces for videoconferencing, equipment storage, and potential changes to waiting rooms and on-site consultation spaces. 79 , 80 Future design considerations for stroke recovery should also extend to the home environment. 81

The built environment matters. It can impact healthcare delivery and patient and staff outcomes. An evidence base is growing in some areas of healthcare design, while others require significant further research. The potential for both hospital and health services design innovation is strong. By continuing to build this evidence base, EBD can complement architectural processes to deliver high-performing healthcare assets. Involving engaged and informed clinicians in built environment design and research will help shape hospitals of the future.

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: NOVELL is funded by the Felton Bequest and the University of Melbourne. Julie Bernhardt is funded by an NHMRC Research Fellowship (1154904). The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health acknowledges support from the Victorian government and in particular funding from the Operational Infrastructure Support Grant.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is 10.1177_17474930211042485-img1.jpg

Essay on Hospital

500 words essay on hospital.

Hospitals are institutions that deal with health care activities. They offer treatment to patients with specialized staff and equipment. In other words, hospitals serve humanity and play a vital role in the social welfare of any society. They have all the facilities to deal with varying diseases to make the patient healthy. The essay on hospital will take us through their types and importance.

Types of Hospitals

Generally, there are two types of hospitals, private hospitals and government hospitals. An individual or group of physicians or organization run private hospitals. On the other hand, the government runs the government hospital.

There are also semi-government hospitals that a private and organization and government-run together. Further, there are general hospitals that deal with different kinds of healthcare but with a limited capacity.

General hospitals treat patients from any type of disease belonging to any sex or age. Alternatively, there are specialized hospitals that limit their services to a particular health condition like oncology, maternity and more.

The main aim of hospitals is to offer maximum health services and ensure care and cure. Further, there are other hospitals also which serve as training centres for the upcoming physicians and offer training to professionals.

Many hospitals also conduct research works for people. The essential services which are available in a hospital include emergency and casualty services, OPD services, IPD services, and operation theatre.

Importance of Hospitals

Hospitals are very important for us as they offer extensive treatment to all. Moreover, they are equipped with medical equipment which helps in the diagnosis and treatment of many types of diseases.

Further, one of the most important functions of hospitals is that they offer multiple healthcare professionals. It is filled with a host of doctors, nurses and interns. When a patient goes to a hospital, many doctors do a routine check-up to ensure maximum care.

Similarly, when there are multiple doctors in one place, you can take as many opinions as you want. Further, you will never be left unattended with the availability of such professionals. It also offers everything under one roof.

For instance, in the absence of hospitals, we would have to go to different places to look for specialist doctors in their respective clinics. This would have just increased the hassle and waste energy and time.

But, hospitals narrow down this search to a great level. Hospitals are also a great source of employment for a large section of society. Apart from the hospital staff, there are maintenance crew, equipment handlers and more.

In addition, they also provide cheaper healthcare as they offer treatment options for patients from underprivileged communities. We also use them to raise awareness regarding different prevention and vaccination drives. Finally, they also offer specialized treatment for a particular illness.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Conclusion of the Essay on Hospital

We have generally associated hospital with illness but the case is the opposite of wellness. In other words, we visit the hospital all sick and leave healthy or better than before. Moreover, hospitals play an essential role in offering consultation services to patients and making the population healthier.

FAQ of Essay on Hospital

Question 1: What is the importance of hospitals?

Answer 1: Hospitals are significant as they treat minor and serious diseases, illnesses and disorders of the body function of varying types and severity. Moreover, they also help in promoting health, giving information on the prevention of illnesses and providing curative services.

Question 2: What are the services of a hospital?

Answer 2: Hospitals provide many services which include short-term hospitalization. Further, it also offers emergency room services and general and speciality surgical services. Moreover, they also offer x-ray and radiology and laboratory services.

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

Travelling Essay
Picnic Essay
Our Country Essay
My Parents Essay
Essay on Favourite Personality
Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
Essay on Knowledge is Power
Essay on Gurpurab
Essay on My Favourite Season
Essay on Types of Sports

Download the App

Healthcare Facility Essays (Examples)

Healthcare Provider Shortage

Us healthcare reimbursement and insurance issues.

Strata Decision Technology. (2020). Healthcare and hospital capital budget. Retrieved from https://www.stratadecision.com/healthcare-and-hospital-capital-budget/

The Karen Ann Quinlan Case Legal Aspects Of Healthcare

Quality and sustainability in health care, shortages of health care providers.

IOM. (2010). The future of nursing. Retrieved from http://nacns.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/5-IOM-Report.pdf " target="_blank" REL="NOFOLLOW">

Healthcare In The US Vs Healthcare In The UK France And India

Health care institutional organization and management.

Source Link: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Organizational-Chart-of-Leadership-at-the-Mayo-Clinic-the-parent-organization-changed_fig2_234069825

Healthcare Marketing

Lane, T. (2019). Healthcare marketing laws. Retrieved from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/healthcare-marketing-laws-67307.html

Lifelong Learning Plan For A Healthcare Administrator

Gender and veterans differences in access to mental health care services.

Koo, K.H., Madden, E. & Maguen, S. (2015). Race, ethnicity, and gender differences in V.A. health care service utilization among U.S. veterans of recent conflicts. Psychiatric Services, 66(5), 507-513. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201300498

Category Topics

Hallucinations
Evidence Based Practice
Chemical Dependency
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Nursing Leadership
Health Risk
Health Insurance

Improve your studying and writing skills

We have over 150,000+ study documents to help you.

Join thousands of other students and

"spark your studies"..

Study Guides

Writing Guides

Studying / Writing Tools

Customer Service

Your customer service team resolved my issue in minutes!

Study Spark - providing your mind the spark it needs to help improve your grades.

Studyspark.com uses cookies to offer our users the best experience. By continuing, you are agreeing to receive cookies. Privacy Policy

Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Health Care Policy — Challenges and Solutions in the Health Care System

Challenges and Solutions in The Health Care System

Categories: Health Care Policy

About this sample

Words: 862 |

Published: Feb 7, 2024

Words: 862 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Introduction, problems in the current health care system, causes of the problems in the health care system, proposed solutions to the problems in the health care system, advantages and disadvantages of the proposed solutions, implementation of the proposed solutions.

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Prof. Kifaru

Verified writer

Expert in: Nursing & Health

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

1 pages / 413 words

1 pages / 679 words

4 pages / 2018 words

2 pages / 712 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Health Care Policy

The term "Quality Chasm" was popularized by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report titled "Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century," published in 2001. This landmark report identified critical [...]

Health care disparities have been a significant issue in the United States for many years. The disparities in health care access and quality have had a profound impact on the health outcomes of various demographic groups, [...]

Smoking is a pervasive and harmful habit that affects millions of people worldwide. Despite the widely known health risks associated with smoking, many individuals continue to engage in this detrimental behavior. Anti-smoking [...]

The Symitar Episys system is a core processing solution designed specifically for credit unions. It offers a wide range of features and capabilities to help credit unions manage their operations efficiently and effectively. In [...]

Diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of certain diseases without medical supplies seem to be impossible in today’s world. Medical supplies have not only just aided doctors but they have assisted us also. We can now measure blood [...]

In 1946 the World Health Organisation (WHO) defined health as a ‘state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. This definition integrates the main concepts of health and identifies that health can be viewed [...]

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

Instructions Followed To The Letter
Deadlines Met At Every Stage
Unique And Plagiarism Free

Health Facilities Essays

System characteristics that contribute to dynamic complexity at medical associates, popular essay topics.

American Dream
Artificial Intelligence
Black Lives Matter
Bullying Essay
Career Goals Essay
Causes of the Civil War
Child Abusing
Civil Rights Movement
Community Service
Cultural Identity
Cyber Bullying
Death Penalty
Depression Essay
Domestic Violence
Freedom of Speech
Global Warming
Gun Control
Human Trafficking
I Believe Essay
Immigration
Importance of Education
Israel and Palestine Conflict
Leadership Essay
Legalizing Marijuanas
Mental Health
National Honor Society
Police Brutality
Pollution Essay
Racism Essay
Romeo and Juliet
Same Sex Marriages
Social Media
The Great Gatsby
The Yellow Wallpaper
Time Management
To Kill a Mockingbird
Violent Video Games
What Makes You Unique
Why I Want to Be a Nurse
Send us an e-mail

88 Healthcare Policy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best healthcare policy topic ideas & essay examples.

⭐ Simple & Easy Healthcare Policy Essay Titles

💡 Good Essay Topics on Healthcare Policy

📌 most interesting healthcare policy topics to write about.

Healthcare Policies in Nursing Informatics In this context, nurses aid in the technological transformation of the healthcare delivery system, particularly in the effective and efficient HIT deployment.
Regulatory and Allocative Healthcare Policymaking This essay discusses health policies, the determinants of health, and the connections between the two. The determinants of health are individual and environmental factors that affect people’s physical and mental well-being and the ability to […]
Advanced Practice Nurses: Impact of Healthcare Policy and Advocacy The healthcare policy can also dictate the approach used in compensating the APNs, thus affecting the attractiveness of the job. It influences policy change by making the followers commit to a new strategy that the […]
Health and Social Care Practice and Policy It should begin by evaluating the effectiveness of the current initiatives in attaining various outcomes: William Burns can access health services with the equal quality as the other people and sleeping rough on health to […]
The Health Care Policy Problems and Suggestions The health care policy presented in this paper looks at health care as a public policy that is pertinent to a country’s achievement of its vision.
The Replacement for the ACA Healthcare Insurance Policy For example, the AHCA policy allows a waiver of the ACA’s healthcare provision for societal rating and enables the federal government to charge patients more capital regarding the payment of premiums.
Healthcare Policies and Delivery To gain a better perspective of the healthcare policy and regulations within the organization, an interview with the Chief Nursing Officer was conducted. According to the CNO, the organization is explicitly dependent on the healthcare […]
A Healthcare Public Policy Meeting on Number of Doctors The Committee thought it was crucial to gather all the information regarding the number of physicians needed by hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
Johns Hopkins Healthcare: Policy Evaluation The survey for the patients to determine if the policy was appropriate for their Medicare plans is one of the measures used for evaluation.
Healthcare Policy. S. 3799: Prevent Pandemics Act Among the threats to national security in the sphere of citizens’ health, the risks of complications of the epidemiological situation against the background of the unfavorable situation in foreign countries for a number of dangerous […]
New Health Care Transparency Requirements: Policy Health Brief Access to this data is helpful to policymakers for identifying individuals and entities responsible for increasing the cost of health care.
Standard of Care Delivery and Health Care Policies The providers believe that the services remunerated for are reasonable and correspond to the care offered to the clients. Moreover, they are confident the structures, procedures, and guidelines that are in place guarantee effective and […]
Detailed Description of Healthcare Policy Bill This is due to the fact that from the very beginning of the increasing tendency of the human immunodeficiency virus widespread, people who became infected by this illness are not only physically but also mentally […]
Health Care Policy Development The impact of climate change reduction on the health care delivery system and the existing higher occurrence of asthmatic diseases in the US can be tremendous.
Healthcare Policy Overview and Analysis If the LCR mandated annual water testing in all schools, these schools would have discovered the health risk and taken appropriate measures to counter the effects. The LCR should mandate annual testing, reporting, and mitigation […]
Steer, Not Row Concept of Healthcare Policy This ideology refuses to recognize the role of the clearly societal factors on people’s continual ability to enjoy the ‘fruits of civilization’ while proposing that the task of ensuring the continuation of socio-economic progress is […]
Health Care Policy: HPV Vaccination It is important that these actors among others play a big role in influencing formulation of health policy. In this regard, it is necessary that content is marched up to its objectives of health policy.
Self Evaluation: Healthcare Policy & Planning But upon enrollment and active participation in this course, I have benefited a great deal in not only evaluating the policy implications of healthcare legislation, but also in understanding ways through which I can undertake […]
Evaluation of a Healthcare Policy Analysis This development has caused some legislators to question whether it is right for the federal government to continue funding the organization because it is unlawful for the government to finance abortion services.
Development of Health Care Policies To begin with, the consultation process is carried out to define the benefits and shortcomings of the strategy. Constant monitoring of the results of the already adopted reforms is also necessary to define whether they […]
Health Care Policy: Senate Bill 94 Allowing advanced practice registered nurses to order radiographic imaging tests is identified as the current healthcare policy issue in Georgia. It was intended to remove the barrier provided in the Georgia statutes that restricts APRNs […]
TRICARE Health Care Policy Analysis Tricare has other services like Prime remote and Overseas that cater for service members when they are in areas not accessible to the care.
U.S. Health Care Policy on Counterfeit Drugs These are pharmaceutical products produced and sold with the intention of misrepresenting their active ingredients, efficacy, safety, and authenticity. These include the pharmaceutical products, which are produced and approved in the U.

⭐ Simple & Easy Healthcare Policy Essay

Goals of Healthcare Policy and Prevention of Epidemic A Healthcare policy refers to a statement of a decision about a goal in healthcare. War torn areas such as Afghanistan and Somalia are some of the main targets of the current healthcare policy.
Healthcare: Policy Implementation and Modification Since the enactment of the Medicare Policy Act in 1965, the act has undergone several amendments in a bid to improve the level of accessibility and quality of health insurance coverage to all Americans.
Healthcare Policy and Affordable Care Act: Four Key Issues As reported by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the United States has the largest nursing workforce in the world, and yet it does not meet its residents’ demands.
Promotoras’ Role in Healthcare and Social Policies Several people discuss promotoras serving as liaisons between communities and agencies, analyzing health and social issues, as well as motivating and informing the residents to participate in resolving said issues.
Healthcare Responses in Health Policy: Reducing Disparities in Access to Health Care The issue of the Action Plan from the Department of Health and Human Services that consisted of the lack of activities’ specifications seems to be reasonable.
Healthcare Reform in Modern Conditions: New Health Policy A healthcare reform in modern conditions is an integral part of the transformation of the social sphere as a whole and the general process of transformation of the American society.
Affordable Care Act: Healthcare Policy Position The history of a single-payer system in the US is long and it dates back to the times of President Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930s when he proposed the adoption of a universal healthcare plan […]
Trump’s Contributions to Healthcare Policy Also, Trump’s contributions to the healthcare system are strictly related to Medicaid services and the costs of insurance plans, but he has not managed to fulfill all of his goals yet.
Clinton’s Plan and Obamacare: Healthcare Policy In September 1993, the president gave a major speech on health care in the US Congress, where he introduced the parts of the healthcare reform, including a mandate for employers, which forced them to cover […]
Healthcare Policy Analysis: Outbreak of Flu in Illinois The seriousness of the problem is obvious, and it is necessary to work on the prevention of such statistics in the future.
Health Care Policy and Regulations in the United States As for the significance of the chosen policy issue, it can be listed among the key problems of the United States as income inequality in the country has significantly increased since the end of the […]
Florida Healthcare System: Policy Planning, Assessment, Evaluation, and Corrective Measures The changes in government revenue pattern and rates are majorly attributed to economic patterns, which affect the stability and financial power of the government and the changes in health care system as well as its […]
Issues of the Health Care Policy in the USA It is also quite important to note that most of the establishments in the Healthcare industry are offices, which have been established for health practitioners such as dentists, physicians and doctors, among others.
Health Care as an Essential Public Policy On the broader spectrum, huge expenditures on health care systems are directly related to the life’s satisfaction derived by individuals and the general public, the generational effects being the baseline of the benefits of the […]
Economic Terms and Healthcare History: Policies to Enhance Access to Healthcare This has led to the evolution of healthcare economics as the costs for accessing medication shift from one sector of the economy to the other. Macroeconomics relates to the expenditure of the government and the […]
Healthcare and Legal Issues: Containment Policies and Its Rates of Efficiency More to the point, the people in the given area will be unable to acquire information concerning the current status of the disease and the existing treatment methods.
The Health Care Policy in the United Kingdom The main principles of the National Health Service are to provide healthcare services to all people, and this means all the medical services that the resident of the United Kingdom might need.
Analyzing the Healthcare Policy – Personal Protective Equipment
Are Remittances Good for Your Health? Remittances and Nepal’s National Healthcare Policy
Linking Congressional Committees and Healthcare Policy
Defining Health and Identifying Influences on Healthcare Policy
Healthcare Advocacy and Its Impact on Healthcare Policy
The Relationships Between Healthcare Policy and Economics
Healthcare Policy Affecting Access, Cost, and Quality
The Relations Between Healthcare Policy and Finance
Healthcare Policy and Complications in the United States
Overview of Healthcare Policy and Improvement of Patient Care
Healthcare Policy and Economics of the Field of Nursing
Analysis of Healthcare Policy and Its Effectiveness
Assessing Quality of the Healthcare Policy
Healthcare Policy and Regulations on Healthcare
Importance of Healthcare Policy and Healthcare Financing
Healthcare Policy Bill and Changes to Medicare
How Healthcare Policy Influences the Working of the Nurses
Healthcare Policy, Finance, and Regulatory Environments
Market Competition: Implications for Healthcare Policy in the United States
Healthcare Policy Issue and Nursing Strategies
Population-Level Intervention and Information Collection in Dynamic Healthcare Policy
Healthcare Policy Report: Medicares New Benefits Catastrophic Health Insurance
Relationship Between Healthcare Policy, Regulations, and Finance
Overview of Service Development and Healthcare Policy
The Complicated Healthcare Policy in the United States
The Current Healthcare Policy: A Stable Healthcare System
The International Healthcare Policy Health and Social Care
Why the American Healthcare Policy Needs a Reform
Development of Healthcare Policy Since 1945 as a Result of Welfare Ideologies
American Healthcare Policies and Nursing Role
Childhood Vaccination as a Healthcare Priority Policy Issue
Nurses and Their Role in New Healthcare Policy
Long-Term Care Facilities and Healthcare Policy
Overview of Healthcare Policy in Mercy Miami Hospital
Healthcare Policy and Pfizer’s Nigeria Scandal
Patient Good Nutrition as a Healthcare Policy
Advocacy in Nursing: The Process of Healthcare Policymaking
Malnutrition and Patient Safety Healthcare Policy
Healthcare Policy Effects on Individuals: Affordable Care Act
Occupational Health Paper Topics
Affordable Care Act Essay Titles
Government Regulation Titles
Health Insurance Research Topics
Pharmacy Research Ideas
Nursing Theory Questions
Obamacare Questions
Alcohol Abuse Paper Topics
Chicago (A-D)
Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, February 27). 88 Healthcare Policy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/healthcare-policy-essay-topics/

"88 Healthcare Policy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." IvyPanda , 27 Feb. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/healthcare-policy-essay-topics/.

IvyPanda . (2024) '88 Healthcare Policy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples'. 27 February.

IvyPanda . 2024. "88 Healthcare Policy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." February 27, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/healthcare-policy-essay-topics/.

1. IvyPanda . "88 Healthcare Policy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." February 27, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/healthcare-policy-essay-topics/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "88 Healthcare Policy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." February 27, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/healthcare-policy-essay-topics/.

COMMENTS

How to build a better health system: 8 expert essays
Health benefits aside, increasing investment in primary prevention presents a strong economic imperative. For example, obesity contributes to the treatment costs of many other diseases: 70% of diabetes costs, 23% for CVD and 9% for cancers. Economic losses further extend to absenteeism and decreased productivity.
Healthcare Essays: Examples, Topics, & Outlines
Healthcare Issues, Systems, And Policies America, once the global leader in the health of its population and among the nations with the highest quality and most readily available healthcare services, has now fallen behind almost twenty other countries, including some that only became industrialized in the last third of the 20th century, and with substantial assistance from the United States.
The Importance of Health Facilities
Introduction. Health is a critical aspect and should be handled with importance. This is because human bodies are susceptible to various health related issues that would require medical attention failure to which death would occur. Health care facilities are, therefore, a key component and should be maintained at the best condition possible to ...
612 Healthcare Essay Topic Ideas & Examples
This essay discusses health policies, the determinants of health, and the connections between the two. The determinants of health are individual and environmental factors that affect people's physical and mental well-being and the ability to […] Stages of Life and the Influence of Age in Healthcare.
7 Conclusions and Recommendations
Health care is administered in a variety of nonclinical environments, but the most common one, particularly for individuals who need the greatest level and intensity of health care services, is the home. The two recommendations in this area encourage (1) modifications to existing housing and (2) accessible and universal design of new housing.
124 Healthcare Essay Topic Ideas & Examples
To help you get started, here are 124 healthcare essay topic ideas and examples that you can use for inspiration: The impact of healthcare disparities on patient outcomes. Strategies for improving access to healthcare in underserved communities. The role of technology in transforming healthcare delivery.
How to improve healthcare improvement—an essay by Mary Dixon-Woods
There is no dispute about the preconditions for high quality, safe care: funding, staff, training, buildings, equipment, and other infrastructure. But quality health services depend not just on structures but on processes. 10 Optimising the use of available resources requires continuous improvement of healthcare processes and systems. 5
Healthcare Facility Essays (Examples)
Healthcare Services Healthcare Facility Analysis. Pages: 3 Words: 871. Analysis. The ability to schedule online and also have the ability to view records online significantly increased he patient satisfaction levels, judging from how much happier the families seemed to be to get into see the physicians. This same location had in years past been ...
How the Architecture of Hospitals Affects Health Outcomes
How the Architecture of Hospitals Affects Health Outcomes. MASS Design Group is changing the ways health care facilities are built. by. Cheryl Heller. October 15, 2018. mathisworks/Getty Images ...
Health Care in the United States, Essay Example
The delivery of healthcare services is considered to be a system; according to the Free Diction- ary (Farlex, 2010), a system is defined as "a group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements forming a complex whole.". This is an apt description of our healthcare structure, as it is compiled of patients, medical and mental ...
Should Healthcare Be Free? Essay on Medical System in America
Conclusion. The Healthcare system is one of the most important components of the U.S. social system since full productivity cannot be achieved without good health. This paper has argued that a free health care system would be the most effective system for America. To reinforce this assertion, the paper has articulated the benefits that the ...
Why hospital design matters: A narrative review of built environments
The potential for both hospital and health services design innovation is strong. By continuing to build this evidence base, EBD can complement architectural processes to deliver high-performing healthcare assets. ... Hume R and Looney J. Designing for telemedicine spaces: planning for the next generation of health care delivery. Health ...
Essay On Hospital in English for Students
500 Words Essay On Hospital. Hospitals are institutions that deal with health care activities. They offer treatment to patients with specialized staff and equipment. In other words, hospitals serve humanity and play a vital role in the social welfare of any society. They have all the facilities to deal with varying diseases to make the patient ...
Health Care 2030: The Coming Transformation
The problems in our health care systems include subpar quality and patient safety, a misplaced focus on acute care rather than on prevention and population health, inadequate person centeredness, and unsustainable cost. The next decade will see considerable transformation in how health systems are designed, propelled by opportunities such as ...
PDF How to improve healthcare improvement an essay by Mary Dixon-Woods
But quality health services depend not just on structures but on processes.10 Optimising the use of available resources requires continuous improvement of healthcare processes and systems.5 The NHS has seen many attempts to stimulate organisations to improve using incentive schemes, ranging from pay for performance (the Quality and Outcomes ...
Covid-19
A Crisis in Public Health. The United States has 4% of the world's population but, as of July 16, approximately 26% of its Covid-19 cases and 24% of its Covid-19 deaths. 17 These startling ...
Healthcare Thesis Statement Examples: Universal Healthcare ...
Get a custom research paper on Healthcare Thesis Statement: Examples of Universal Healthcare Pros and Cons. Universal health care is the provision of healthcare services by a government to all its citizens (insurancespecialists.com). This means each citizen can access medical services of standard quality. In the United States, about 25% of its ...
Healthcare Facility Essays
Healthcare facility Informatics Telehealth and the Health Care Shortage Snavely (2016) shows that the looming nursing shortage is due to hit America hard in the coming years, and that shortage is now evident more than ever with the arrival of the novel coronavirus in America—especially in hard hit areas like New York City, where the hospitals ...
Challenges and Solutions in The Health Care System
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Proposed Solutions. Universal health care coverage, for example, can improve access to healthcare services, reduce healthcare costs, and improve health outcomes. However, it can be challenging to implement, and there may be concerns about the quality of care and the potential for long wait times.
Hospitals are Symbols of Hope, Comfort and Care … For All People and
Hospitals and health systems — and the women and men who work there — are the heart of health care. In good times like the birth of a child, or in bad times and for so many things in between, people turn to their local hospital for caring, support, comfort and hope.
Should Healthcare be Free for Everyone Essay
Should Healthcare be Free for Everyone Essay. Health protection is one of the basic human rights because everyone wants to be healthy. At the same time, assistance in ensuring this health should come from the state as a guarantor of the protection of the person. The right to health is a fundamental aspect of any society; without a health system ...
Health Facilities Essay Examples
Health Facilities Essays System Characteristics That Contribute to Dynamic Complexity at Medical Associates Medical Associates, a healthcare establishment that offers a variety of treatments such as surgery, recently started seeing a decline in the amount of money it is reimbursed for delivering medical assistance.
Quality Of Health Care In India: Challenges ...
India's health care sector provides a wide range of quality of care, from globally acclaimed hospitals to facilities that deliver care of unacceptably low quality. Efforts to improve the quality ...
88 Healthcare Policy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples
This essay discusses health policies, the determinants of health, and the connections between the two. The determinants of health are individual and environmental factors that affect people's physical and mental well-being and the ability to […] Advanced Practice Nurses: Impact of Healthcare Policy and Advocacy.