Health Needs Assessments - Literature review Example

Health Needs Assessments Name Institution Introduction According to Bani (2008), the term “need” describes the discrepancy between an existing state and a desirable one. Taking this into perspective, it is reasoned that needs assessments are usually undertaken to identify the needs of a certain group of individuals for whom a system of operation exists to serve their needs. Indeed, Bani, I. (2008) uses this perspective to describe ‘needs assessment” as consisting of an organized methodology designed to take a definite series of steps to determine the needs of a selected population for purposes of study or research. Bani, I. (2008) adds that needs assessment often centres on the end-outcomes that need to be achieved rather than the processes used in achieving them. According to Messner (2009), needs assessment determines the main concerns, as well as sets the criteria for meeting the needs. Hence, the health needs assessment would consist of systematic processes aimed at determining the health care needs of a particular population’s area. Basing on this backdrop, the purpose of this paper is to assess the contributing issues to medical tourism, and how it contributes to meeting the population health needs and health service delivery in the UAE. Definition of population According to Yeboah (2007), population refers to the people or residents, who occupy or stay in a country, as well as who are the definitive recipients of any services, policies, as well as programs intended for that country. The impact of the population variables The key variables in Yeboah’s (2007) article include the size of population and health services provision. Yeboah’s (2007) findings suggest that there is a positive correlation between the size of population and health services provision, where the higher the size of the population, the larger the likely demand and the greater the intensity of the healthcare services provided. To this effect, the composition of the population operates on the premise that varied population segments, as well as in the certain distribution of ages share potential demand. Yeboah’s (2007) findings suggested a correlation between health services demand and population variables in the UAE since the country has made significant gains in terms of improvement of health care provision. Ultimately, a rise in UAE population has led to increased demand for healthcare services and provision of these services. Again, given UAE’s high per capita GDP, the country has been able to act in response to the increased demand for healthcare services after significant population increase. According to Yeboah (2007), effects of the population’s spatial distribution on the sizes of the population is similar, as the regions or places with the greatest population concentration in countries are likely to have the most profound demand and subsequently, the highest level of service provision. In respect to population composition, the population division based on gender, age and ethnicity is significant. Again, the mortality rates vary based on gender, age and ethnicity. In UAE for instance, which contain a heterogeneous population, the issue of ethnicity is significant since varied ethnicities display dissimilar values, practices and attitudes towards health and health services. Medical tourism According to Al-Lamki (2011), medical tourism is basically a prearranged travel outside an individual’s local geographical unit for purposes of maintaining, enhancing, or restoring her mental and physical health or general wellbeing. Hence, it involves organised processes or practices associated with seeking medical assistance outside one’s health care jurisdiction. Indeed, Al-Hinai et al. (2011) defines medical tourism as the activities involved in seeking healthcare overseas for conditions that are non-emergency in nature. The practice of medical tourism, as Ricafort (2011) explains, has gained prevalence in the UAE. In a survey by Ricafort (2011), the researcher established that UAE sends more than 8,500 medical tourists each year to the major destinations, such as Germany, Thailand, and the United States, costing around $2 billion a year. According to Oxford Business Group (2015), in 2012 alone, the revenues generated from medical tourism in UAE were $1.69 billion, up 6.5% from 2011. According to Clark et al. (2013), medical tourists often base their premise for travelling for medical assistance because of the lower associated costs, as well as for briefer periods, as well as when they are likely to acquire better quality care. Pocock and Phua (2011) also point out those medical tourists may travel overseas for health treatment and procedures, such as cardiac surgery, cosmetic dentistry, and ophthalmologic care. Ricafort (2011) notes that the concept of medical tourism has created an impact, as well as intensified attention to healthcare needs. The impact of Medical Tourism on the population variables and health services delivery and consumer need Medical tourism enables the consumers to access quality and low-cost healthcare services. This is since the medical tourism exposes the local health service providers to competitive pressures from abroad. The key motivating factor for medical tourism, according to Pocock and Phua (2011), is always the price. The reason for this is since, while the kind of treatment a medical traveller seeks abroad may be available in the local private or public sector, the traveller has greater choice as he can choose to seek the treatment abroad. In fact, when the costs are greater at home, the chances of seeking medical treatment abroad become more realisable. Pocock and Phua (2011) further argue that some medical systems may be inefficient and may, therefore, encounter barriers to entry. In such a situation, medical tourism may provide competitive pressures on the local service delivery systems, as the local population has more options to travel abroad in search of quality healthcare. In this case, medical tourism can assist in driving down the cost of healthcare service delivery. Likewise, it encourages the local healthcare providers to make optimal use of comparative advantages in terms of technology and labour cost. In another study, Ricafort (2011) established that a majority of countries that deliver health care to medical tourists are motivated to do so, as they get to amplify their levels of direct foreign exchange earnings that emanate in their country and the need to enhance their balance-of-payments positions. Basically, the income comes directly from the healthcare system and through a tourist. In such a case, the medical tourists buy healthcare services, and, therefore, offer income for utility within the host country’s hospitals, which subsidise care for the domestic patients. Similarly, the funds may be used in funding capital investment projects like getting MRI scanners, which are afterwards used to improve service delivery in the hospital. A case in point is in Singapore, where the researcher found that the hospital authorities emphasise that taking part in medical tourism enable the country to provide the local population with a broader range of services, as significant funds are generated through medical tourism. Pocock and Phua (2011) also studied the implications of medical tourism on consumers in Southeast Asia. The researchers drew on the cases of Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, through a review of published literature. In their findings, medical tourism potentially brings economic advantages to the consumers and the countries by providing the requisite financial resources for investment in healthcare. Pocock and Phua (2011) reiterated a need for proper management and regulations on the policy side, otherwise health advantages of medical tourism may still come to the detriment of access and use by local consumers. Medical tourism has varied financial impacts on the local population. According to Pocock and Phua (2011), some families that struggle to send their members for medical treatment abroad are likely to fall into debts, as medical treatment tend to be expensive, and hence may eat up all the family financial resources. According to Ricafort (2011), the population of the host country are also exposed to risks of infections. In his view, infection outbreaks that come about from medical tourists who seek medical treatment for their unique infections pose the population at risks of diseases. Conclusion In concluding, a rise in UAE population potentially increases demand for healthcare services and provision of the health services. Again, given UAE’s high per capita GDP, the country can promptly act in response to the increased demand for healthcare services after significant population increase. Again, because of medical tourism, the UAE population can access quality, as well as low-cost healthcare services since the country’s health service providers become exposed to competitive pressures from abroad. This gives the local UAE population greater level of choice regarding whether to seek their medical services locally or abroad. At the same time, the local healthcare service providers are forced to improve the quality of their services, as well as to lower the price to entice more local consumers. Likewise, it encourages the local health care providers to make optimal use of comparative advantages in terms of technology and labour cost. In such a situation, medical tourism assists in driving down the cost of healthcare service delivery. Again, the income generated directly from the medical tourists is absorbed into the healthcare system, therefore, offering income for utility within the host country’s hospitals. This income subsidises care for the domestic patients. Similarly, the funds may be used in funding capital investment projects. References Al-Hinai, S., Al-Bulsaidi, A. & Al-Bulsaidi, I. (2011). Medical Tourism Abroad: A new challenge to Oman’s health system - Al Dakhilya region experience. Sultan Qaboos Univ Med Journal, 2011 Nov; 11(4): 477–484 Al-Lamki, L. (2011). Medical Tourism Beneficence or maleficence? Sultan Qaboos Univ Med Journal, 11(4): 444–447 Bani, I. (2008). Health Needs Assessment. Journal of Family Community Medicine, 15(1), 13–20 Clark, P., Adegunsoye, A., Capuzzi, K. & Gatta, D. (2013). Medical Tourism: Winners and Losers. The Internet Journal of Health, 14(1), Messner, A. (2009). Needs Assessment and Analysis Method. Retrieved: Oxford Business Group. (2015). Attracting patients: Eyeing a stronger role in the medical tourism segment. Retrieved: Pocock, N. & Phua, K. (2011). Medical tourism and policy implications for health systems: a conceptual framework from a comparative study of Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. Global Health 7(12), 1 Ricafort, K. (2011). A Study of Influencing Factors That Lead Medical Tourists To Choose Thailand Hospitals As Medical Tourism Destination. A research paper submitted to the School of Business and Technology of Webster University in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree in Master in Business Administration, Webster University Yeboah, D. (2007). Impact Of Population Variables On Health Services Demand And Provision In The United Arab Emirates. Arab Studies Quarterly, 29(1), 61-70 Read More