Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) Among COVID-19 Patients by Insurance Status in a Quaternary Hospital in Karnataka, India.

Out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) comprises 62% of national health expenditure in India. This heavy reliance on direct payments has engendered economic vulnerability and catastrophic financial pressures (typically defined as out-of-pocket spending exceeding a certain threshold of household income, leading to financial hardship) on households in a country where public health spending remains below targeted levels. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic intensified these financial hardships further, as both total healthcare spending and OOPE experienced significant escalations due to the increased need for emergency care, vaccination efforts, and expanded health infrastructure.

Assessment of the Physical and Emotional Health-Related Quality of Life Among Congestive Heart Failure Patients with Preserved and Reduced Ejection Fraction at a Quaternary Care Teaching Hospital in Coastal Karnataka in India.

Congestive heart failure (CHF), a complex clinical syndrome characterized by the heart's inability to pump blood effectively due to structural or functional impairments, is a growing public health concern, with profound implications for patients' physical and emotional well-being. In India, the burden of CHF is rising due to aging demographics and increasing prevalence of lifestyle-related risk factors. Among the subtypes of CHF, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), i.

Global Communication Practices and Their Impact on Patient Caregivers' Satisfaction in the Surgical Waiting Area: A Scoping Review.

Effective communication between healthcare professionals and patient caregivers is paramount in the surgical waiting area, particularly during periods of heightened stress and emotional vulnerability. Globally, communication practices exhibit considerable variability, from traditional face-to-face interactions to integrating advanced digital technologies. Despite innovations, a comprehensive understanding of the impact of diverse communication strategies on patient caregiver satisfaction remains underdeveloped.

Understanding out-of-pocket expenditure in India: a systematic review.

Introduction: Out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) constitutes a substantial portion of healthcare costs in India, accounting for 47.1% of the Total Health Expenditure in 2019-20. Despite a decline from previous years, OOPE remains a significant financial burden, contributing to catastrophic health expenditures and impoverishment for households.

Awareness of and Challenges in Utilizing the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission for Healthcare Delivery: Qualitative Insights from University Students in Coastal Karnataka in India.

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) aims to enhance healthcare delivery in India through digital integration. The ABDM, an essential part of India's healthcare system, aspires to transform healthcare delivery through digitization, by emphasizing affordability, accessibility, and transparency. This qualitative study investigated the awareness, challenges, and perceptions of the ABDM among postgraduate students in coastal Karnataka, focusing on their experiences and interactions with digital health technologies.

Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) on Selected Surgeries in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department incurred by Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), Private Health Insurance and Uninsured Patients in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in Karnataka state of India.

Introduction: OOPE for healthcare services is a major concern within the Indian healthcare system. 30% of the population remains uninsured despite increasing health insurance coverage. For obstetrics and gynaecology (OBG) patients financial obstacles like OOPE can delay access to health care, evaluating spending patterns can inform policies to enhance accessibility, affordability and equitable health.

Clinical implementation of preemptive pharmacogenomics testing for personalized medicine at an academic medical center.

Objective: This article describes the implementation of preemptive clinical pharmacogenomics (PGx) testing linked to an automated clinical decision support (CDS) system delivering actionable PGx information to clinicians at the point of care at UCSF Health, a large Academic Medical Center.

Methods: A multidisciplinary team developed the strategic vision for the PGx program. Drug-gene interactions of interest were compiled, and actionable alleles identified.

"": Out-of-Pocket Expenditure on Healthcare and the Preference for Private Healthcare Providers in South India.

Out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) directly reflects households' financial burden for healthcare. Despite efforts to enhance accessibility and affordability through government initiatives and insurance schemes, OOPE remains problematic, especially in rural areas with inadequate public healthcare infrastructure. This study examines factors influencing OOPE in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Shimoga districts, investigating socioeconomic characteristics, healthcare infrastructure, and accessibility to inform policies for equitable healthcare access and reduced household financial strain.

Unveiling the Heartbeat of Healing: Exploring Organizational Culture in a Tertiary Hospital's Emergency Medicine Department and Its Influence on Employee Behavior and Well-Being.

This study examined the organizational culture of an emergency medicine department (EMD) in a tertiary hospital in Karnataka, India, using a prospective cross-sectional design from January to February 2024. It aimed to identify the predominant and supporting organizational cultures within the EMD and their influence on employee behavior and well-being, including job satisfaction, burnout, stress levels, and coping strategies. A total of 82 participants, including physicians, emergency medical technicians, and nurses, completed the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) and a self-designed questionnaire.

Out-of-Pocket Expenditure for Selected Surgeries in the Cardiology Department for Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), Private Health Insurance, and Uninsured Patients in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in Karnataka, India.

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases are a major public health issue and the leading cause of mortality globally. The global economic burden of out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) for cardiovascular surgeries and procedures is substantial, with average costs being significantly higher than other treatments. This imposes a heavy economic burden.

Knowledge of and Self-Expressed Stigma for COVID-19 Vaccination among Pre-University Students in a College in South India: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious infection characterized by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2). Safe and effective vaccines are game-changers in the global vision of marking an end to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, vaccine hesitancy due to perceived stigma and misinformation is a grave cause of concern.

Competencies for Transformational Leadership in Public Health-An International Delphi Consensus Study.

This Delphi study intended to develop competencies for transformational leadership in public health, including behavioral descriptions (descriptors) tailored to individuals and their contexts. The study involved five rounds, including online "e-Delphi" consultations and real-time online workshops with experts from diverse sectors. Relevant competencies were identified through a literature review, and experts rated, ranked, rephrased, and proposed descriptors.

Spatial Patterns in the Distribution of Hypertension among Men and Women in India and Its Relationship with Health Insurance Coverage.

The present study explores district-level data associated with health insurance coverage (%) and the prevalence of hypertension (mildly, moderately, and severely elevated) observed across men and women as per NFHS 5. Coastal districts in the peninsular region of India and districts in parts of northeastern India have the highest prevalence of elevated blood pressure. Jammu and Kashmir, parts of Gujarat and parts of Rajasthan have a lower prevalence of elevated blood pressure.

A Critical Analysis of the World's Largest Publicly Funded Health Insurance Program: India's Ayushman Bharat.

Background: Launched in September 2018, the ABPMJAY is the world's largest publicly funded health insurance (PFHI) program with population coverage of 500 million. A systematic review was conducted.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in four databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar.

Prevalence of Cyberchondria among Outpatients with Metabolic Syndrome in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Southern India.

Background: In today's world, Internet-based medical information plays a significant role in patient education. There are several accessible health-related websites. It has become common to search Internet before going for a medical consultation.

Eye Donation: Awareness, Knowledge, Willingness, and Barriers among Paramedical and Allied Health Science Students at a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in South India.

Background: Visual impairments have physical, emotional, social, and economical consequences and are a crucial element influencing one's quality of life. A total of 1.285 million people are estimated to be visually impaired worldwide of which 39 million are categorised as blind.

An Assessment of the Economic Feasibility of Selected Surgeries in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department under Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) in a Tertiary Care Hospital in South India.

Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) is a form of micro health insurance targeted at low-income groups that permits for grouping of assets to tackle the expenses of future, uncertain, health-related circumstances. According to the International Labour Organisation, more than 80% of India's employed nonagricultural population is in the informal sector, implying that they are possibly excluded from receiving health insurance benefits. This is where CBHI comes into play, wherein groups of people belonging to a community define the demand and benefits and pool their resources to provide financial protection to all their members.

Mechanisms and regulation of IL-22-mediated intestinal epithelial homeostasis and repair.

Aims: Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are chronic inflammatory disorders of the intestine for which key elements in disease initiation and perpetuation are defects in epithelial barrier integrity. Achieving mucosal healing is essential to ameliorate disease outcome and so new therapies leading to epithelial homeostasis and repair are under investigation. This study was designed to determine the mechanisms by which IL-22 regulates intestinal epithelial cell function.

Near infrared readouts offer sensitive and rapid assessments of intestinal permeability and disease severity in inflammatory bowel disease models.

Intestinal permeability and neutrophil activity are closely linked to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) pathophysiology. Here we discuss two techniques for assessing permeability and neutrophil activity in mouse IBD models using near infrared (NIR) detection. To address the limitation of visible light readouts-namely high background-IRDye 800CW was used to enable rapid, non-terminal measurements of intestinal permeability.

Discovery of novel quinoline sulphonamide derivatives as potent, selective and orally active RORγ inverse agonists.

A high-throughput screen against Inventiva's compound library using a Gal4/RORγ-LBD luciferase reporter gene assay led to the discovery of a new series of quinoline sulphonamides as RORγ inhibitors, eventually giving rise to a lead compound having an interesting in vivo profile after oral administration. This lead was evaluated in a target engagement model in mouse, where it reduced IL-17 cytokine production after immune challenge. It also proved to be active in a multiple sclerosis model (EAE) where it reduced the disease score.