Israel Journal of Health Policy Research This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Meeting the challenges of the 21st century: the fundamental importance of trust for transformation
ConclusionTrust is essential if health systems are to meet the challenges of the 21st century but it is too often overlooked or, in some cases, undermined. (Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research)
Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research - April 22, 2024 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research

Severity of gambling behaviors: exploring associations with venues, legality, and substance use
ConclusionThough more research attention should be paid to gambling behaviors, harm reduction gambling interventions should be made available to all categories on the continuum of severity of gambling behaviors. The present study provides evidence-based information to promote health policies that aim to prevent and reduce harm for Israeli gamblers. (Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research)
Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research - April 16, 2024 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research

The Hamas massacre of Oct 7, 2023, and its aftermath, medical crimes, and the Lancet commission report on medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust
ConclusionsThe report ofthe Lancet Commission on medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust has striking relevance to the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023 and its aftermath. This is further conveyed in an accompanying Statement, that describes the report ’s implications for contemporary medicine, including: 1) provision of skills required to detect and prevent crimes against humanity and genocide; (2) care for victims of atrocities; (3) upholding the healing ethos central to the practice of medicine; and (4) fostering history-informed morally cour ageous health professionals who speak up when necessary. (Source: Israel Journal...
Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research - April 12, 2024 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research

Risks for re-hospitalization of persons with severe mental illness living in rehabilitation care settings
ConclusionFindings revealed that among the three Health Behavior Model factors, theneed factor best predicted re-hospitalization. Theenabling factor, comprised of personal relationships and social/vocational activities facilitated by interventions and services representing many of psychiatric rehabilitation ’s key goals, had the weakest association with reduced rates of re-hospitalization. Possible explanations may be inaccurate assessments of consumers' personal relationships and social/vocational activities by the mental healthcare professionals, problematic provider-consumer communication on the c onsumers' involvemen...
Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research - April 3, 2024 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research

Receipt of prescription opioid medication is associated with increased mortality in an Israeli population
ConclusionIncreased opioid use is independently associated with increased all-cause mortality among non-oncological patients. This result is most notable among young adults with little or no known comorbidities. These findings are consistent with results in other countries and seem more credible than previous Israeli reports. Healthcare regulators and providers should, therefore, act to curtail the increasing opioid prescriptions and devise and enhance controls in the healthcare system, which, until 2020, had very limited mechanisms in place. (Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research)
Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research - April 3, 2024 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research

Delirium screening in the emergency department: evaluation and intervention
ConclusionsThis study underscores that a significant majority of older adult delirium cases remain undetected by ED staff. Despite efforts to increase awareness, the rate of diagnosis did not significantly improve. While the presence of dedicated delirium evaluators slightly increased the diagnosis rate among patients assessed by ED staff, this rate reverted to pre-intervention levels after the evaluators left. These findings emphasize the necessity of implementing mandatory delirium screening during ED triage and throughout the patient ’s stay. (Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research)
Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research - April 2, 2024 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research

Arab male physicians ’ perceptions about their own smoking behaviors: a qualitative study
ConclusionsThis study provides an in-depth understanding of the personal, socio-cultural, and professional aspects of the phenomenon of Arab male smoking physicians from their perspective. Based on this information, we recommend developing programs that support and empower all physicians to cope better with their personal and professional stress as well as instituting programs that will provide all physicians with specific knowledge and skills related to smoking cessation. These programs should improve the ability of physicians to serve as positive role models for their patients for preventing and ceasing smoking, thus enh...
Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research - April 2, 2024 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research

Exploring pre-MRI imaging tests: patient survey reveals potential implications for healthcare efficiency in Israel
ConclusionsThese findings highlight the high prevalence of preliminary imaging tests prior to MRI, with many patients undergoing multiple tests for the same problem. The health system may need to evaluate whether current clinical guidelines defining the use of various imaging tests are cost-effective. (Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research)
Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research - April 1, 2024 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research

Drug shortages in Israel, revisited: a bitter pill to swallow
ConclusionDespite routine monitoring by the Israeli MOH and updating the DS policy throughout this period, DS persist, intensifying annually and posing serious health risks. This trend mirrors international patterns, affecting countries globally. In Israel's uniquely structured healthcare system, with its swift stakeholder cooperation and implementation capabilities, more effective DS management is conceivable. We propose ten universally applicable rules to address DS challenges. (Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research)
Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research - March 18, 2024 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research

Disclosure following a medical error: lessons learned from a national initiative of workshops with patients, healthcare teams, and executives
ConclusionThe study shows the moral, human, and educational values of open discourse in a protective setting after the occurrence of a medical error. We believe that workshops like these may help foster a culture of institutional disclosure following medical errors.  We recommend that the Ministry of Health extend such workshops to all healthcare facilities, establish guidelines and mandate training for skills in disclosure for all providers. (Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research)
Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research - March 11, 2024 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research

Use of prescription opioids in Israel and socio-economic correlations between 2010 and 2020
ConclusionsThis study highlights that the primary concern in the increase of opioid use is the increasing dosages. The increase in the number of patients using opioids is also significant but to a minor extent. These phenomena disproportionately impact vulnerable populations. Education programs should be offered to physicians regarding the possible harms of long-term use of opioids. These programs should emphasize the risk factors associated with the development of opioid use disorder (OUD) and the caution needed when increasing dosages or switching to higher-potency drugs. Pain clinics and centers for rehabilitation for p...
Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research - March 7, 2024 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research

The Israeli health system ’s rapid responses during the COVID-19 pandemic
ConclusionsBased on our findings, we encourage leaders in the Israeli government to ensure that its emergency response system will continue to have the capacity to respond rapidly to large-scale challenges, whether of a military or civilian nature. At the same time, the emergency response systems should develop mechanisms to include more stakeholders in the fast-paced decision-making process and should improve communication with the public. In addition, they should put into place mechanisms for timely reconsideration, adjustment, and —when warranted—reversal of decisions which, while reasonable when reached, turn out t...
Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research - March 4, 2024 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research

“When everyone is responsible, no one takes responsibility”: exploring pediatric physiotherapy services in Israel
ConclusionsPolicymakers are dubious regarding the provision of these services, questioning whether children with motor disabilities receive physiotherapy services according to their needs. In addition, the abundance of suppliers does not necessarily improve the quality of services provided to children with motor disabilities, which may ultimately harm their developmental potential. (Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research)
Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research - February 27, 2024 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research

Willingness to pay for an mRNA-based anti-cancer treatment: results from a contingent valuation study in Israel
ConclusionDespite the scientific breakthroughs in oncology treatment over the last few decades, many types of cancer are still incurable. Given the expected development of innovative mRNA-based treatments for cancer, these results should inform policymakers, the pharmaceutical industry and other stakeholders on the future coverage and reimbursement of these technologies incorporating patients ’ and societal views. To date, WTP considerations have not been given much weight in prioritization of drug reimbursement processes, neither in Israel nor in other countries. As a pioneer in adoption of the mRNA technology, Israel c...
Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research - February 19, 2024 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research

The outcomes of treatment for homebound adults with complex medical conditions in a hospital-at-home unit in the southern district of Israel
ConclusionsTreatment of homebound adults with a high disease burden in the setting of a hospital-at-home unit can significantly reduce the number of hospital days and the cost of hospitalization. This model of service for homebound patients with multiple medical problems maintained a high level of care while reducing costs. The results support the widespread adoption of this service in the community to enable the healthcare system to respond to the growing population of elderly patients with medical complexity. (Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research)
Source: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research - February 14, 2024 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research