Healthcare knowledge management is an active, yet not a well characterized research topic. In this chapter, we attempt to characterize healthcare knowledge management and highlight the practical aspects of healthcare knowledge management vis-à-vis knowledge-centric services that aim to improve healthcare delivery and health outcomes. We investigate healthcare knowledge management from various p...

private healthcare services in vietnam are seen as a major part of the solution to the rapid increase in need and demand for healthcare services. formally recognized over 20 years ago, the private health services coexist with public services and are available all over the country. however, the scale and size of private sector is still small compared to the public sector and public acceptance an...

Semantic Web plays a vital role in healthcare domain. Immunization is one among the effective methods of preventing childhood diseases. The objective of the current work is to evaluate the immunization coverage of children in a specific rural area in the state of Tamil Nadu, India and to strengthen immunization services based on the study findings. It is expected that this can be achieved throu...

Healthcare PPPs where clinical services as well as infrastructure are delivered by the private sector are coming under the spotlight as governments seek to achieve value for money in health budgets. Existing examples are being reported as successful, however this article urges caution as a closer look at the evidence shows that handing over control of service delivery to the private sector is d...

As the elderly population has been rapidly expanding and the core tax-paying population has been shrinking, the need for adequate elderly health and housing services continues to grow while the resources to provide such services are becoming increasingly scarce. Thus, increasing the efficiency of the delivery of healthcare services through the use of modern technology is a pressing issue. The s...

Rising costs and increasing expectations from patients (consumers) have caused healthcare planners to seek ways to improve efficiency, while striking a balance with the quality of services offered. This study explores how the integrated emerging technologies can play a valuable role in cost-effective medical and healthcare delivery by means of e-data computer simulation of clinical units, borde...

BACKGROUND A low ratio of utilization of healthcare services in postpartum women may contribute to maternal deaths during the postpartum period. The maternal mortality ratio is high in the Philippines. The aim of this study was to examine the current utilization of healthcare services and the effects on the health of women in the Philippines who delivered at home. METHODS This was a cross-sec...

INTRODUCTION A long and protracted civil war compounded by the occurrence of nature-related disasters have forced thousands of Somalis to take refuge in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) to escape violence and seek shelter. Dwellers of these camps have limited accessibility to and affordability of the fractured healthcare facilities located in nearby towns. A free, outreach, mobile,...

BACKGROUND Home healthcare services are important in aging societies worldwide. The present nationwide study of health insurance data examined the utilization and delivery patterns, including diagnostic indications, for home healthcare services used by seniors in Taiwan. METHODS Patients ≥65 years of age who received home healthcare services during 2004 under the Taiwanese National Health Ins...

This study examined the factors that influence the use of maternal healthcare services in Ethiopia and particularly assessed the use of antenatal and delivery-care services. Data for the study were drawn from the 2000 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to explore the relative importance of a number of demographic and sociocultural vari...