FQ3: What role do health care facilities and services play in achieving better health for all Australians? Flashcards
- CAMS
→ Use of healing practices that do not fall within the areas of conventional medicine
→ Complementary: used in conjunction or alongside Western medicine e.g. acupuncture w/ chemo
→ Alternative: used instead of conventional/western medicine
→ 82% of Australians use CAM health products and services
- How to make informed consumer choices
- relatively new status and inconsistent regulation of CAMS in Aus
How do you know who to believe? - qualifications, registration, regulations and research
- questions e.g. “are you registered”
- registered with an appropriate body e.g. Au Natural Therapies Association
- provide detailed info on the evidence, side effects and interactions
- seek info from academic journal articles or academic professionals
What do you need to help you make informed decisions? - reasonable amount of relevant information (research) from reliable sources
- Find out qualifications + registration of the provider
- about philosophy, nature, process and side effects
- academic journal articles or professionals
- Seek advice from multiple sources
- info from registration bodies/professional associations
Range of products and services available
→ Acupuncture: involves the use of inserting fine needles into the skin at strategic points to stimulate mind and body healing and encourage the body to heal itself
→ Chiropractic: uses spinal manipulations to make adjustments to the spine to relieve pain in joints and muscles → promote healing
→ Naturopathy: the use of natural medicine and products to strengthen the immune system and speed up the healing process
Reasons for growth of CA health products and services
- WHO recognition
- Increased credibility - tertiary qualifications e.g. 4 year Bachelor of health science in traditional Chinese med at UTS
- Growing multiculturalism (immigration)
- seeking a more holistic approach (‘natural’)
- Establishment of regulatory bodies and professional associations
- Included in many private health insurance policies
- Development of research facilities: UTS has added a research centre
Emerging new treatments + technologies
- had many benefits but also many costs
ADVANTAGES: - increased early detection e.g. PET scans + tumours - decreased indirect + direct health care costs
- improved diagnosis, treatment + prevention of chronic conditions e.g. new drugs have allowed cancer sufferers to live for longer or fully recover → INCREASED QOL + LE
- E.g. Keyhole surgery → less invasive, improve EI, increased QOL decreased recovery
- mammograms + HPV vaccine → reduce incidence
DISADVANTAGES: However, - expensive e.g. MRI - decreases equity to low SES → only accessible to people of higher SES
- Less available in R+R areas (may need to travel long distances) - decreased health outcomes + equity
Health insurance: Medicare
- nationwide, public health insurance system (1984)
- fed. program providing health care for all Aussies
- aim = equity of access + healthcare accessible
- funded through tax system + subsidises health care
ADVANTAGES: - Removes cost as a barrier - covers free hospital care + free or subsidised treatment
- Increased access → increased QOL, health status
- promotes equity → chronic illness sufferers receive subsidised costs for medicine under PBS
DISADVANTAGES: - Doesn’t cover most ancillary care providers
- little choice of care provider, doctor etc.
- long waiting list (especially for elective surgery)
- shared ward
Health insurance: Private
- health insurance paid by the individual
- hope to decrease the strain on the public health system
ADVANTAGES: - greater choice e.g. hospital, specialist, care provider
- shorter waiting times - surgery
- private rooms + healthcare overseas
- not required to pay Medicare Levy
- Covers some of the costs for ancillary care costs
DISADVANTAGES: - expensive (especially in regards to add. services)
- designed to benefit higher SES
- reduces equitable access to health services → ability to pay rather than need
- can be a ‘waste of money’ if not used
Health care expenditure versus expenditure on early intervention and prevention
→ Aus spends over $160 billion dollars a year on health care + rising
→ Cost of health care = large burden on Aus expenses → early intervention + prevention can help reduce this cost
→ P+EI = 1.4% of total health expenditure - main expenses going to immunisations, HP + cancer screening programs
→ Benefits:
- QOL and LE
- Decreasing burden on health care system → boosting economic performance + productivity
Equity of access to health facilities + services
- MODERATE
- how is it equitable? Medicare + PBS
- not equitable due to determinants
- R+R = limited access e.g. screenings - increase RFDS, health, Telehealth tech
- ATSI = decreased LE, more likely to die of chronic diseases
→ language barriers, SES, unavailability of services = location/culturally inappropriate
→ although there are programs that enable access e.g. Close the Gap - still evident health inequities, but govt. making effort to provide equitable access
Responsibility for health facilities + services
- intersectoral collaboration
FED: - health policy + legislation
- funding (Medicare, PBS)
STATE: - provide health + community services e.g. hospitals
- develop + fund state HP programs/campaigns e.g. ‘Speeding… no one thinks big of you’
LOCAL: - environmental control e.g. waste disposal + maintenance of parks
- develops local HP campaigns e.g. healthy canteens
COMMUNITY: - provides community services e.g. Meals on Wheels
INDIVIDUALS: - empowered, enabled, informed e.g. enrolment in Medicare
Ranges and types of health facilities + services
Institutional = hospitals (public/private), psychiatric hospitals, nursing homes Non-institutional = medical services, allied health providers, pharmaceuticals
