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Showing results for tags 'Health Disparities'.
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Content ArticlePoor mental health is an important and increasingly prevalent issue facing farmers and the farming industry. This article in the journal Sociologia Ruralis seeks to understand the factors that influence the adaptability of support systems for farmers facing mental health issues, especially at a time of crisis. The authors undertook a literature review as well as conducting interviews with 22 mental health support providers and an online survey of people working within support systems and farmers themselves. The study found that support-giving organisations adapted during the pandemic using a range of interventions, but that implementation was affected by organisational and operational challenges such as limited digital training, funding shortfalls, staff trauma, lack of capacity, the rural digital divide, tension between providers and stigma. The authors discuss how landscapes of support for farming mental health can be made more sustainable to deal with future shocks.
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News Article
NHSE estimates mortality rate for autistic people is 51% higher
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Autistic people in England who do not also have a learning disability are approximately 51% more likely to die in a single year compared to the general population, according to a leaked document which estimates the mortality rate for the first time. According to an internal NHS England document, seen by HSJ, the standardised mortality rate between April 2020 and March 2021 was 16.6 deaths per 10,000 for people with autism and no learning disability compared to 11 deaths per 10,000 for the general population. NHSE also determined life expectancy for this group to be 75 years – 5.4 years less than the general population. Dominic Slowie, former national clinical director for learning disability, told HSJ that because of the different ways autism presents itself, it can be difficult to pinpoint causes of premature mortality. “In some cases, people with autism who are severely disabled and can’t communicate their needs in a conventional way are going to have premature mortality for the same reasons that people with a learning disability do, because people do not really understand the level of their need or do not investigate their need in a reasonably adjusted way,” he said. “While, if someone is presenting atypically in their communication, we mustn’t make presumptions – we must make reasonable adjustments to ensure they are investigated and diagnosed in the same way.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 13 December 2022 -
Content ArticleIn the face of record high waiting times for elective care, The King's Fund undertook research to understand the strategies that have been used to reduce waiting times in England and elsewhere in the past 20 years. Elective care waiting lists and waiting times are a product of the fluctuations in and disparities between the demand for and available supply of healthcare. Understanding the root causes of these disparities and taking corrective action to restore balance between demand and supply and optimising the conditions within the health care system is therefore considered key to any strategy to reduce waiting times and sustain them at that level.
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Content ArticleFundamentals of Health Care Improvement: A Guide to Improving Your Patient’s Care, 4th edition, is intended to help health professional learners diagnose, measure, analyse, change and lead improvements in healthcare, with the aim to shape reliable, high-quality systems of care in partnership with patients. Copublished by Joint Commission Resources and the Institute of Healthcare Improvement, this fourth edition includes updated resources, including examples, figures, tables, and tools. New to this edition is a focus on health equity and disparities of care brought to light by the COVID-19 pandemic. This focus explores the relationship between social determinants of health and how improvement methods and skills can help identify and close disparity gaps in systems of care. Also new to this edition is an expanded discussion of effective teamwork and the importance of creating multidisciplinary health care teams that partner with patients and families.
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Content ArticleRacism, xenophobia, and discrimination exist in every modern society causing avoidable disease and premature death among groups who are often already disadvantaged. This Lancet series examines how the historic systems and structures of power and oppression, and discriminatory ideologies have shaped policy and practice today, and are root causes of racial health inequities. Furthermore, by applying a global lens and intersectional framework, overlapping forms of oppression such as age, gender, and socioeconomic status and their impact on discrimination are analysed. Interventions to address the spectrum of drivers of adverse health outcomes with a focus on the structural, societal, legal, human right, institutional and system level are reviewed. Research recommendations and key approaches for moving forward are proposed.
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Content ArticleFor the 20th year, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is reporting on healthcare quality and disparities. The annual National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report is mandated by Congress to provide a comprehensive overview of the quality of healthcare received by the general U.S. population and disparities in care experienced by different racial and socioeconomic groups. The report is produced with the help of an Interagency Work Group led by AHRQ.
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Content ArticleThis article by the Betsy Lehman Center in Massachusetts draws attention to research by ECRI, a US non-profit research and risk management firm, which shows that efforts to address racial inequalities in medical care need to include an examination of the way in which patient safety events are reported. Research by ECRI shows that existing patient safety reporting systems may be undercounting events experienced by patients who are Black , Latino or from other ethnic groups. It also highlights that racial, ethnic and other demographic data about patients is missing in adverse event reports from most US healthcare organisations.
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News Article
Health inequities lead to early death in many persons with disabilities
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
A new report by the World Health Organization shows evidence of a higher risk of premature death and illness among many persons with disabilities compared to others in the society. The Global report on health equity for persons with disabilities published today shows that because of the systemic and persistent health inequities, many persons with disabilities face the risk of dying much earlier—even up to 20 years earlier—than persons without disabilities. They have an increased risk of developing chronic conditions, with up to double the risk of asthma, depression, diabetes, obesity, oral diseases, and stroke. Many of the differences in health outcomes cannot be explained by the underlying health condition or impairment, but by avoidable, unfair and unjust factors. Read more Source: WHO, 2 December 2022 -
Content ArticleAn estimated 1.3 billion people—16% of the global population—experience a significant disability today. People with disabilities have the right to the highest standard of health, however, this report by the World Health Organization (WHO) demonstrates that while some progress has been made in recent years, many people with disabilities continue to die earlier and have poorer health than others. The report demonstrates how these poor health outcomes are due to unfair conditions faced by people with disabilities in all areas of life, including in the health system itself.
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Content ArticleIn this HSJ article, Gemma Dakin and George Croft from the Health Innovation Network share their reflections on the HSJ Patient Safety Congress. They highlight key themes that emerged including the need to listen to patients, service users, and carers stories, and encourage their involvement to bring about a cultural change. They argue that humanity will be central to making progress in quality improvement and patient safety.
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Content ArticleIn this blog for The Patients Association, Patient Safety Commissioner Henrietta Hughes looks at the importance of patient involvement in improving patient safety. She argues that patient voices should be embedded in the design and delivery of healthcare, and highlights that services and organisations need to seek feedback from patients from a wide variety of backgrounds. She also outlines why shared decision making and consent are vital to ensure patients are safe and have more control over their care and treatment.
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News Article
Poorer women in UK have sixth-highest cancer death rates in Europe, WHO finds
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Poorer women in Britain have some of the highest death rates from cancer in Europe, an in-depth new World Health Organization study has found. They are much more likely to die from the disease compared with better-off women in the UK and women in poverty in many other European countries. Women in the UK from deprived backgrounds are particularly at risk of dying from cancer of the lungs, liver, bladder and oesophagus (foodpipe), according to the research by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the WHO’s specialist cancer body. IARC experts led by Dr Salvatore Vaccarella analysed data from 17 European countries, looking for socioeconomic inequalities in mortality rates for 17 different types of cancer between 1990 and 2015. Out of the 17 countries studied, Britain had the sixth-worst record for the number of poor women dying of cancer. It had the worst record for oesophageal cancer, fourth worst for lung and liver cancer and seventh worst for breast and kidney cancer. However, the UK has a better record on poor men dying of cancer compared with their counterparts in many of the other 16 countries. It ranked fifth overall, second for cancer of the larynx and pharynx, and third for lung, stomach and colon cancer. That stark gender divide is most likely because women in the UK began smoking in large numbers some years after men did so, the researchers believe. They pointed to the fact that while cases of lung cancer have fallen among men overall in Britain, they have remained stable or increased among women, and gone up among women from deprived backgrounds. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 28 November 2022 -
Content ArticleReducing socioeconomic inequalities in cancer is a priority for the public health agenda. In this study, cancer-specific mortality data by socioeconomic status, as measured by educational level, were collected and harmonised across 18 countries in Europe and for multiple points in time over the period 1990–2015. The study found that everywhere in Europe, lower-educated individuals have higher mortality rates for nearly all cancer-types relative to their more highly educated counterparts, particularly for tobacco/infection-related cancers. However, the magnitude of inequalities varies greatly by country and over time, predominantly due to differences in cancer mortality among lower-educated groups, as for many cancer-types higher-educated have more similar (and lower) rates, irrespective of the country. Inequalities were generally greater in Baltic/Central/East-Europe and smaller in South-Europe, although among women large and rising inequalities were found in North-Europe. These results call for a systematic measurement, monitoring and action upon the remarkable socioeconomic inequalities in cancer existing in Europe.
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Content ArticleThis report by LCP Health Analytics, looks at how inequalities across the medicine life cycle impact patients and populations. It paints a vision of what success could look like, and proposes specific, feasible calls to action across industry, health technology assessment (HTA) bodies and players that could transform the role of the life science sector in reducing inequalities and fostering healthy populations. The report identifies two key challenges in addressing health inequalities that are tractable, and where the life science sector is most likely to make commitments and contributions: Multimorbidity is increasing and embedding inequalities in health Financial incentives across health systems are not aligned with patient and population health
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Content ArticleThe Health Equity Network will launch in January 2023 and aims to build momentum for health equity across the UK. It will provide an opportunity for public and private sector organisations, community and voluntary groups and individuals to share their work on health equity and to engage across the country with others with the same interests. This article describes how the Network will work and offers the opportunity to register interest in joining.
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News Article
‘Staggering’ rise in restraint of black people in mental healthcare
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The rate of people from black backgrounds being restrained in mental healthcare has more than doubled in the past six years, widening the gap with other racial groups, according to official NHS data. Standardised rates of black and black British people subject to restrictive interventions – including physical, chemical and mechanical restraints – have leapt from 52.1 per 100,000 people in 2016-17 to 106.2 in 2021-22. That is compared to a much smaller increase of 30% in the same period for people from white backgrounds, from 15.8 per 100,000 to 20.5. NHS race and health observatory director Habib Naqvi told HSJ he was “very concerned” at the rise. He said a “range of complex causes are likely to be presented to account for this pattern”, including disparities in care pathways, late presentation and lack of timely diagnosis, and general overuse of restrictive practice on people from minority ethnic backgrounds. He added: “It is critical we also focus on ‘causes of the causes’ of these disparities, including the impact of discrimination and bias on access, experience and therefore outcomes of mental health services.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 24 November 2022 -
Content ArticleCore20PLUS5 is NHS England's approach to reducing health inequalities at both national and system level. The approach defines a target population cohort and identifies five focus clinical areas that require accelerated improvement. This infographic outlines the specific Core20PLUS5 approach to reducing health inequalities for children and young people.
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Content ArticleThis report by NHS Wales summarises the ways in which the cost of living crisis can impact on health and well-being. It takes a public health lens to identify actions for policy makers and decision-makers to protect and promote the health and well-being of people in Wales in their response to the cost of living crisis, outlining what a public health approach to the crisis could look like in the short and longer-term.
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Content ArticleIn this press release, The Health Foundation responds to the Autumn Statement delivered by the Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt on 17 November 2022. They highlight that although the planned additional funding for the NHS and social care is welcome, abandoning planned changes to introducing a cap in social care costs will leave older and disabled people without the care they need, with many facing catastrophic costs. They also highlight that although the Chancellor committed to publishing long-term workforce projections, he did not offer additional funding or any plan to actually expand the workforce.
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Content ArticleThe UK continues to feel the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, both through its impact on the nation’s health, as well as the prolonged impact on the UK economy. Yet despite this, there isn’t enough attention on boosting population health, the NHS and social care to build resilience to future shocks and support economic recovery. For the 2022 REAL challenge lecture, Andy Haldane, Chief Executive of the RSA and former Chief Economist at the Bank of England, explored the relationship between health and wealth. He drew lessons from the pandemic and argued for a more holistic economic growth strategy where health and wealth are inextricably linked.
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Content ArticleThis opinion piece in the BMJ by Partha Kar, Director of Equality for Medical Workforce in the NHS, explores racial inequalities in the NHS workforce. Partha is currently leading work on the Medical Workforce Race Equality Standard (MWRES), which aims to challenge trusts and systems openly and transparently about race-based inequalities faced by NHS doctors.
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Content ArticleThis article in the HSJ explores the challenges in implementing the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) and looks at how it will help achieve effective learning and improvement. Liz Hackett, health advisory partner at Hempsons law firm, addresses the following questions: Who does PSIRF apply to? How does PSIRF help achieve effective learning and improvement? What is required? Involving patient safety and addressing inequalities The challenge
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News ArticleVoices offer lots of information. Turns out, they can even help diagnose an illness — and researchers in the USA are working on an app for that. The National Institutes of Health is funding a massive research project to collect voice data and develop an AI that could diagnose people based on their speech. Everything from your vocal cord vibrations to breathing patterns when you speak offers potential information about your health, says laryngologist Dr. Yael Bensoussan, the director of the University of South Florida's Health Voice Center and a leader on the study. "We asked experts: Well, if you close your eyes when a patient comes in, just by listening to their voice, can you have an idea of the diagnosis they have?" Bensoussan says. "And that's where we got all our information." Someone who speaks low and slowly might have Parkinson's disease. Slurring is a sign of a stroke. Scientists could even diagnose depression or cancer. The team will start by collecting the voices of people with conditions in five areas: neurological disorders, voice disorders, mood disorders, respiratory disorders and pediatric disorders like autism and speech delays. This isn't the first time researchers have used AI to study human voices, but it's the first time data will be collected on this level — the project is a collaboration between USF, Cornell and 10 other institutions. The ultimate goal is an app that could help bridge access to rural or underserved communities, by helping general practitioners refer patients to specialists. Long term, iPhones or Alexa could detect changes in your voice, such as a cough, and advise you to seek medical attention. Read full story Source: NPR, 10 October 2022
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Content ArticleIt is time to end all forms of stigma and discrimination against people with mental health conditions, for whom there is a double jeopardy: the impact of the primary condition itself and the severe consequences of stigma. Many people describe stigma as ‘worse than the condition itself’. This Lancet Commission report is the result of a collaboration of more than 50 people globally. It brings together evidence and experience on the impact of stigma and discrimination and successful interventions for stigma reduction. The report is co-produced by people who have lived experience of mental health conditions and includes material to bring alive the voices of people with lived experience. The voices whisper or speak or shout in the poems, testimonies and the quotations that are featured.
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Content ArticleThis interactive tool developed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) can be used to explore how health changed in each local authority area across England between 2015 and 2020, according to the Health Index.
