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Biomedical subjects

R M Andersen

Publications and source records attributed to R M Andersen.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

A framework for evaluating the impact of health services management education.

The objectives of this paper are three-fold. The first is to propose a conceptual and analytical framework for planning and evaluating health services management education programs. The framework was developed in response to the health care industry restructuring and the emerging questions and concerns regarding how to strategically redesign the educational programs for the twenty-first century. Additionally, it was used to develop a questionnaire for the 1998 National Survey of Program Directors. The second objective is to suggest variables for operationalizing the framework as the field considers initiatives such as, "Evidence-Based Health Administration Education" (AUPHA Education Outcomes Task Force 1999; Griffith 2000) and other more standardized, quantifiable approaches to assessing program quality. The third objective is to report selected results from the 1998 National Survey of Program Directors focusing on the major changes impacting the health services industry and the implications for management education and development. In the future, ACEHSA and other accrediting commissions will likely consider evidence-based evaluation criteria for assessing and improving education program quality. The framework presented in this paper can be used as a starting point for conceptualizing and developing valid and reliable measures.

Accreditation↗

Program directors' recommendations for transforming health services management education.

A survey of graduate program directors shows that they recognize major change taking place in the health services industry and the need for programs to respond with curriculum revision. The revisions proposed tend to emphasize more practice involvement and human resources management skills rather than increased quantitative and financial competencies. Is this the right direction for programs to take? Will such revisions produce graduates better able to manage and lead in the emerging health care environment? We need more evidence-based research to answer these questions. In the meantime we have developed an environmental typology suggesting some rather clear distinctions among programs according to their settings. We know that the resulting categories of programs vary according to their national reputations and the kind of students that they serve. Do these different categories of programs prepare their different students well for the changing health care environment? Our current evidence, again, is sparse, indicating the need for further research.

Curriculum↗

The impact of competing subsistence needs and barriers on access to medical care for persons with human immunodeficiency virus receiving care in the United States.

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether competing subsistence needs and other barriers are associated with poorer access to medical care among persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), using self-reported data. DESIGN: Survey of a nationally representative sample of 2,864 adults receiving HIV care. MAIN INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: Going without care because of needing the money for food, clothing, or housing; postponing care because of not having transportation; not being able to get out of work; and being too sick. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Having fewer than three physician visits in the previous 6 months, visiting an emergency room without being hospitalized; never receiving antiretroviral agents, no prophylaxis for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in the previous 6 months for persons at risk, and low overall reported access on a six-item scale. RESULTS: More than one third of persons (representing >83,000 persons nationally) went without or postponed care for one of the four reasons we studied. In multiple logistic regression analysis, having any one or more of the four competing needs independent variables was associated with significantly greater odds of visiting an emergency room without hospitalization, never receiving antiretroviral agents, and having low overall reported access. CONCLUSIONS: Competing subsistence needs and other barriers are prevalent among persons receiving care for HIV in the United States, and they act as potent constraints to the receipt of needed medical care. For persons infected with HIV to benefit more fully from recent advances in medical therapy, policy makers may need to address nonmedical needs such as food, clothing, and housing as well as transportation, home care, and employment support.

Adult↗

Evaluating the effect of usual source of dental care on access to dental services: comparisons among diverse populations.

Data collected from the International Collaborative Study of Oral Health Outcomes USA (ICS-II) research locations were used to evaluate the relationship between having a usual source of dental care (USDC) and access to dental services. The robustness of the USDC effect after reducing simultaneity bias was tested in the population-based samples using sensitivity analysis. Logistic regression results provided evidence that USDC was the strongest and most consistent predictor of a dental visit in the past 12 months regardless of geographic location, dental care delivery system, or cultural diversity of the population. Even removing cases that had a USDC for less than 1 or 2 years, the effect remained. From a policy perspective, USDC remains critical to understanding and explaining dental are utilization patterns. The findings suggest the need for designing interventions to increase the availability of a regular provider among vulnerable populations.

Adult↗

Do black and white adults use the same sources of information about AIDS prevention?

Although AIDS prevention campaigns need to target population segments that are at highest risk to be effective, little is known about how various sources of AIDS information vary by race, education, and age. To determine the most common communication channels for AIDS information reported by Blacks and Whites, the authors interviewed 1,769 adults in Baltimore, Maryland, to obtain data on nine common sources of information about AIDS and analyzed their reports by race, age, and education. Television and newspapers were the most common sources but varied little across groups. National and local public health agencies, as well as medical doctors and dentists, were more commonly reported by Blacks than by Whites. Religious organizations were much more commonly reported by Blacks than by Whites. Public health organizations working collaboratively with religious organizations and health care providers might be more effective in developing AIDS prevention strategies than has been considered previously.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Is access to medical care associated with receipt of HIV testing and counselling?

Lack of timely HIV testing leads to missed prevention opportunities and poor prevention counselling may be related to further disease spread. We examined the association of self-reported access to medical care with receiving HIV testing and preventive counselling services among a sample of patients with HIV disease prior to hospitalization. We conducted a cross-sectional interview of 217 Los Angeles patients hospitalized with HIV-related illness between 1992 and 1993 and abstracted clinical data from the medical record. Eighty-four per cent of patients received HIV testing prior to hospitalization, but only 33% received preventive counselling services. Only 48% of all patients rated outpatient medical care as somewhat or very easy to obtain. Controlling for severity of illness, better access to outpatient medical care (OR = 1.48; 95% CI = 1.02-2.15), having a regular source of care (OR = 3.40; 95% CI = 1.29-8.97) and non-homosexual mode of HIV transmission (OR = 0.31; 0.12-0.83) were associated with receiving HIV testing services prior to hospitalization. Having a regular source of care (OR = 3.55; 95% CI = 1.37-9.22), being VA (Veterans' Administration) insured (OR = 6.16; 1.46-26.05), older age (OR = 0.95; 95% CI = 0.90-0.99) and having a CD4 count between 101-200 (OR = 0.19; 95% CI = 0.06-0.63) were associated with receiving HIV counselling. Limited self-reported access to medical care is associated with fewer patients receiving HIV testing and counselling. Improving timeliness of HIV testing may require removing the barriers to medical care.

Adolescent↗

The persistence of race and ethnicity in the use of long-term care.

We examine the use of nursing homes, formal personal care, informal Activities of Daily Living (ADL) assistance, and no care to identify racial differences in their use. Using the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey of both nursing homes and the community, multinominal logistic regressions controlled for predisposing, enabling, and need variables as well as other types of service use. Additional state-level variables make few changes in race/ethnicity parameters, indicating that race/ethnicity are not simply proxies for state-level variables. Older African Americans are less likely to use nursing homes than similar whites, with the lower institutionalization replaced by a higher use of paid home care, informal-only care, and no care. This suggests that formal in-home community care is not fully compensating for the racial differences in nursing home use. Persistent effects of race/ethnicity could be the result of culture, class, and/or discrimination that may impair equitable access to services.

Aged↗

Physicians and organizations: strange bedfellows or a marriage made in heaven?

Underscoring the importance of physician-organization alignment as a necessary condition for building and sustaining integrated healthcare systems, this article provides information regarding the nature of such alignment, the key influential factors, and the processes employed to make alignment a reality. Structural and strategic factors address the influence of environmental, market, and organizational characteristics on alignment. The strategic intent of organizations and physicians, and physician perspectives on the effects of integration, are explored. Key processes examined include building trust, placing physicians in management and governance, and developing physician leadership. Continuing issues and challenges are considered, and a set of principles to help guide the journey of physicians and organizations toward successful alignment is suggested.

Delivery of Health Care, Integrated↗

Tuberculosis skin testing among homeless adults.

OBJECTIVE: To document the prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) skin test positivity among homeless adults in Los Angeles and determine whether certain characteristics of homelessness were risk factors for TB. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Shelters, soup lines, and outdoor locations in the Skid Row and Westside areas of Los Angeles. PARTICIPANTS: A representative sample of 260 homeless adults. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Tuberculosis tine test reactivity was measured. The overall prevalence of TB skin test positivity was 32%:40% in the inner-city Skid Row area and 14% in the suburban Westside area. Using multiple logistic regression, TB skin test positivity was found to be associated with living in crowded or potentially crowded shelter conditions, long-term homelessness, geographic area, history of a psychiatric hospitalization, and age. CONCLUSIONS: Homeless adults living in congested inner-city areas are at high risk of both latent and active TB. Endemic risk factors and limited access to medical care support the need for aggressive treatment of active TB cases and innovative programs to ensure completion of prophylactic regimens by homeless individuals with latent infection.

Adult↗

Determinants of regular source of care among homeless adults in Los Angeles.

OBJECTIVES: The authors explore the determinants of having a regular source of care in a community-based probability sample of homeless adults in Los Angeles. Results from this study should be more representative than those from previous studies of the homeless that are clinic- or shelter-based. In addition to those factors found to be barriers to regular sources of care in the general population, we hypothesized that psychosocial characteristics of the homeless and the homeless lifestyle would negatively impact their likelihood of having a regular source of care. METHODS: The authors conducted a multiple logistic regression to predict regular source of care among the homeless, using an adaptation of the Behavioral Model of health services utilization as an analytic framework. RESULTS: Fifty-seven percent of the sample reported that they had a regular source of care. Of those with a source of care, 30% reported a hospital outpatient department; 25% reported a community or homeless clinic; 23% reported a hospital emergency room; 14% reported a government clinic; and 9% reported a private physician's office as their source of care. Some factors found to be barriers to having a regular source of care in the general population (male, Hispanic, young age) also were barriers among homeless adults. Additional barriers in this sample included homelessness-related characteristics such as competing needs, long-term homelessness, and social isolation. Chronic mental illness and chronic substance dependence were not related to having a source of care among the homeless. Characteristics that increased the likelihood of having a regular source of care in the general population (poor health status, Medicaid) were not related to having a regular source of care among the homeless. CONCLUSIONS: In a context of limited resources, the distribution of regular source of care among the homeless appears to be highly inequitable. Although some of the characteristics identifying those with a regular source of care suggest differential patterns of behavior across subgroups, others suggest differential advantage in access to care and a lack of fit between the needs of the homeless and the organization of health services.

Adolescent↗

Ethnicity, aging, and oral health outcomes: a conceptual framework.

An expanded version of Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Utilization is used as the theoretical and analytical framework for the International Collaborative Study of Oral Health Outcomes (ICS-II). The conceptual framework for understanding determinants of oral health is based on a "systems" perspective. The framework posits that characteristics of the external environment, the dental care delivery system, and the personal characteristics of the population influence oral health behaviors. The expanded behavioral model conceptualizes health behaviors (oral hygiene practices and dental services utilization) as intermediate dependent variables, which in turn influence oral health outcomes (evaluated, perceived, patient satisfaction). The framework is presented with an increased focus on the effects of race-ethnicity and age cohort, the major exogenous variables used in this study for systematic assessment of the differences in the multitude of factors influencing oral health. The framework can be applied by policy analysis and health services managers to help describe, predict, and explain population-based health behaviors and health outcomes.

Adult↗

ICS-II USA research design and methodology.

The purpose of the WHO-sponsored International Collaborative Study of Oral Health Outcomes (ICS-II) was to provide policy-markers and researchers with detailed, reliable, and valid data on the oral health situation in their countries or regions, together with comparative data from other dental care delivery systems. ICS-II used a cross-sectional design with no explicit control groups or experimental interventions. A standardized methodology was developed and tested for collecting and analyzing epidemiological, sociocultural, economic, and delivery system data. Respondent information was obtained by household interviews, and clinical examinations were conducted by calibrated oral epidemiologists. Discussed are the sampling design characteristics for the USA research locations, response rates, samples size for interview and oral examination data, weighting procedures, and statistical methods. SUDAAN was used to adjust variance calculations, since complex sampling designs were used.

Adult↗

Oral health beliefs in diverse populations.

Using data from population-based samples of adults participating in the ICS-II USA study, and using principal components analysis, we constructed oral health belief measures corresponding to the Health Belief Model (HBM) dimensions. Tests of validity and reliability were performed. Scales measuring perceived benefit of preventive practices and seriousness of oral disease had the highest validity and reliability. We used multiple regression analysis to examine sociodemographic predictors of perceived benefits of preventive practices. Race-ethnicity and age cohort were significant predictors among Baltimore and San Antonio adults. White adults and middle-aged persons in both research locations were more likely to believe in the benefit of preventive practices. Female gender, higher educational attainment, and better self-rated health were significant indicators of more positive oral health beliefs in every research location. Results also characterize persons who place lower value on preventive practices (i.e., males, less-educated persons, and those reporting poorer self-rated health). The design of effective dental public health messages and outreach efforts requires an analysis of the individual's health orientation and the factors influencing oral health beliefs. Oral health education interventions designed to improve health beliefs should contain an evaluation component for assessing the impact of education on health practices and oral health status.

Adult↗

Socio-behavioral determinants of oral hygiene practices among USA ethnic and age groups.

In this study, socio-behavioral determinants of oral hygiene practices were examined across several dentate ethnic and age groups. Oral hygiene scale scores were constructed from toothbrushing and dental floss frequencies self-reported by population-based samples of middle-aged (35-44 years) and older (65-74 years) dentate adults representing Baltimore African-American and White, San Antonio Hispanic and non-Hispanic White, and Navajo and Lakota Native American persons participating in the WHO International Collaborative Study of Oral Health Outcomes (ICS-II) survey. Female gender, education, certain oral health beliefs, household income, and the presence of a usual source of care were revealed with multivariate analysis to show a significant positive relationship with higher oral hygiene scale scores (indicating better personal oral hygiene practices). Other socio-behavioral variables exhibited a more varied, ethnic-specific pattern of association with oral hygiene scale scores.

Adult↗

Determinants of dental care utilization for diverse ethnic and age groups.

Dental services utilization in the past 12 months was compared across population-based samples of African-American, Navajo, Lakota, Hispanic, and White adults participating in the WHO International Collaborative Study of Oral Health Outcomes (ICS-II) at USA research locations. Bivariate results revealed that ethnic minority groups in both age cohorts reported significantly fewer dental visits in the past 12 months compared with White adults. When dentate status was controlled for, age cohort differences were not significant in Baltimore (African-American and White) and San Antonio (Hispanic and White) research locations. In contrast, older Native Americans (65-74 years) reported visiting the dentist significantly less often compared with their middle-aged (35-44 years) counterparts. Multivariate results indicated that generalizable variables were associated with dental contact in every ICS-II USA ethnic group (i.e., dentate, usual source of dental care, oral pain). Among the diverse ethnic groups, other determinants presented a varied pattern of risk factors for underutilizing dental care. Information on ethnic-specific risk factors can be used to design culturally appropriate and acceptable oral health promotion programs. Generalizable risk factors across ethnic groups inform oral health policy-makers about changing national priorities for promoting oral health.

Adult↗

Oral health policy and programmatic implications: lessons from ICS-II.

The conceptual model used in the ICS-II USA Ethnicity and Aging project helps to identify who among the elderly should be targeted for oral health promotion initiatives and the kinds of initiatives most likely to promote positive oral health outcomes. Outcomes have been measured in this study as perceived by the individual and as clinically assessed by the oral epidemiologists. For policy purposes, achieving both types of outcomes is important. A typology of oral health promotion priorities is used to rank the diverse racial-ethnic groups. In the analysis, groups with both low perceived and low evaluated oral health status receive highest priority. By these criteria, the older Native American populations have the highest priority, followed, in order, by Hispanics, African-Americans, and non-Hispanic Whites. Policy implications of the empirical analyses presented in earlier articles are discussed by use of the conceptual model and the typology of oral health promotion priorities. Having a usual source of care and/or regular dental visits appears to be a promising avenue for the promotion of better-perceived oral health status among most older ethnic groups. Improved oral hygiene practices, as represented by both regular toothbrushing and dental floss use, promote better clinically evaluated oral health status among many older ethnic groups.

Adult↗

The impact by race of changing long-term care policy.

Long-term care policy has evolved with little attention to racial differences in the need for and use of services. Using 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey data on nursing home care, formal in-home personal care, and informal-only help, a model was created to show how different races would use each type of care if: (1) a universal home-care benefit was established, (2) existing Medicaid home-care benefits were ended, or (3) the income level for Medicaid eligibility was substantially reduced. Expanded community care benefits would primarily serve severely disabled older whites. Reductions in long-term care benefits or eligibility would disproportionately impede access to long-term care for severely disabled older African-Americans. These differences indicate that race must be taken into account in long-term care policy initiatives.

Aged↗

Competing priorities as a barrier to medical care among homeless adults in Los Angeles.

OBJECTIVES: The role of competing priorities as a barrier to the utilization of physical health services was assessed in a subset (n = 363) of a probability sample of homeless adults in Los Angeles. METHODS: Unadjusted odds of four measures of health services utilization were calculated for those with frequent difficulty in meeting their subsistence needs. These odds were then adjusted for a range of characteristics assumed to affect the utilization of health services among the homeless. RESULTS: Before and after adjustment, those with frequent subsistence difficulty were less likely to have a regular source of care (odds ratio [OR] = 0.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.16, 0.53) and more likely to have gone without needed medical care (OR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.04, 3.00). Subsistence difficulty had no impact on the likelihood of having an outpatient visit or having been hospitalized. Conclusions remained the same after adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Frequent subsistence difficulty appears to be an important nonfinancial barrier to the utilization of health services perceived as discretionary among homeless adults.

Adolescent↗