This thesis describes and analyses the development of the health care system in Saudi Arabia, particularly in the period since 1970. Two major differences between Saudi Arabia and most other countries have to be isolated. First, as a result of its oil wealth, Saudi Arabia has experienced extremely rapid economic growth over the last twenty years. Second, a very strong value system, Islam, has a persuasive effect upon Saudi society, including the organization of its health care system. The Basic Needs approach, which is favoured here, defines 'economic development' a the satisfaction of certain basic material human needs. Health care is important because it is one such basic need. The principal characteristics of health and health care in poor countries are examined. Patterns of mortality and morbidity are discussed as are the different health systems, and financial and health care planning arrangements, which are to be found. Trends in mortality, morbidity and life expectancy in Saudi Arabia are then discussed, bringing together data not previously assembled. The framework of the Saudi health sector is described. For the first time, the roles of health service providers, other than the Ministry of Health itself, are comprehensively documented. Regression contributions of rising living standards and the development of the health services to improvements in health status. Although some positive results are obtained, inadequate data prevent firm conclusions from being drawn. This crucial issue is therefore pursued on a more analytical level, employing comparative evidence on the experience of other countries. The final judgement is that economic growth, rather than the expansion of the health services, is the principal explanation of better standards of health in Saudi Arabia.

No description available.

This study was undertaken to determine the present and potential contribution of dietitians to health care in Australia. Data were collected from three separate surveys conducted over a 15 month period from September 1984 to December 1985. The first survey, a National Workforce survey, provided a profile of the demographic and employment characteristics of the dietetic profession in Australia. The second survey was undertaken to determine the role of the dietitian as perceived by dietitians themselves and in the third survey a group of general practitioners was surveyed to determine what they perceived to be the role of the dietitian and to what extent they utilised the services of dietitians.Results of the surveys suggest that dietitians in Australia are not realising their full potential contribution to health care. Firstly, there are too few dietitians in Australia and it is unlikely, despite the best intentions, that the profession will be able to meet consumer need and demand for nutritional care and education. There was considerable disparity between what dietitians considered to be their ideal role versus their actual role. Role disparity among dietitians was highest for professional development, education and research activities and low or moderate for nutritional care activities. A lack of time was most frequently cited as the major deterrent preventing dietitians performing activities which they perceived to be part of their ideal role.The results of the third survey indicated that in general, the doctors surveyed had favourable opinions of dietitians but that they held rather traditional views of the role of the dietitian, expecting them to be more involved in food preparation and service than dietitians expected to be. This general lack of awareness of the role and expertise of dietitians and their potential contribution to health care is likely to lead ++ / to an under- utilisation of the full range of services provided by dietitians as evidenced by this study.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 117-119)

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri--Columbia, 2000. / "May 2000." Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [32]-35). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.Public Health) -- University of the Western Cape, 2009. / Includes bibliographic references (leaves 118-126).

Thesis (doctoral)--Rijksuniversiteit te Utrecht.

Thesis (MMed)-UNiversity of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008. / Full text available online. Scroll down for electronic link.

<p> The 2010 Affordable Care Act has affected access and availability to medical services because states have increased the number of individuals on Medicaid and health exchanges have offered coverage to those who previously lacked it. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to identify whether the Affordable Care Act affects access to and availability of medical services, and to identify alternatives to how medical practices are formed and operated to accommodate an increase in patients. The study was based on Geyman&rsquo;s theory of economics and Glasser&rsquo;s consumer choice theory. Research questions addressed the effects the Affordable Care Act has had on providers&rsquo; schedules and patients&rsquo; appointments. Data collection involved interviews with six health care providers (four from Michigan and two from Maryland), three administrators (one each from Michigan, Maryland, and Kentucky), and six patients (three from Michigan, two from Maryland, and one from Kentucky). Results showed that under the Affordable Care Act newly insured Medicaid individuals are seeking care more often, whereas those with private insurance are seeking medical treatment less often. Increased out-of-pocket costs were the reason given by privately insured individuals for the decrease in obtaining medical care. The study did not find evidence of patients waiting longer to book an appointment with a medical practice or shortened visits. The study will inform the efforts of providers to address changes in access and availability of medical care due to implementation of the Affordable Care Act.</p>

<p> Hospitals, like many industries, are under great competition and cost control. Hospital leaders are responding to these environmental factors by becoming more efficient in their operations coupled with improving quality and patient satisfaction. According to Ozcan (2008), the health care industry lacks in adequate decision making strategies and performance to maintain competitive market position and understand which hospital is the best practice. Additionally, many companies and hospitals embark on process improvement initiatives, but lack evidence that these programs result in high efficiency. The inspiration for this research project was galvanized from this 21^st century challenging dynamic and supported by Sherman and Zhu&rsquo;s (2012) article, which analyses the performance of service organizations. These factors along with the Sherman and Zhu article <i>Analyzing Performance in Service Organizations</i> was the inspiration for this research. The research investigates the impact of quality improvement programs on the overall efficiency of hospitals. The study uses Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to understand hospital efficiency and employ a survey to understand the hospital&rsquo;s process improvement implementation. The research also collects hospital characteristics such as (a) hospital size, (b) location, and (c) ownership type. The analysis uses 2-Way ANOVA to test the association between process improvement implementation and efficiency of 32 hospitals in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States. The process improvement implementation is assessed from the top management prospective of each of the hospitals. The efficiency of each hospital is evaluated using DEA BCC input oriented model. The findings of this research indicate that (1) process improvement programs are widespread in the hospitals in the Mid Atlantic region, (2) hospitals with highest implementation of process improvement showed increases in the hospital&rsquo;s efficiency regardless of size, location, or ownership type, (3) Data Envelopment Analysis is a practical tool to monitor process improvement practices and identify best practices in a hospital setting.</p>