Introduction
A Healthcare delivery system refers to the designed healthcare mechanisms that facilitate effective delivery of basic healthcare needs to the specific targeted group of individuals. Healthcare delivery systems are designed in different varieties globally. For instance, in some countries, the delivery system is equally disseminated to market participants and in some cases, the delivery system is distributed to the government central arms and other organizations. Some of these organizations include religious units, trade affiliated unions, charitable organizations, and other incorporated bodies that facilitate the healthcare service delivery process to the targeted group of individuals. Moreover, healthcare delivery systems have been considered to be evolutionary to the professional personnel involved in the service delivery rather than being revolutionary. According to the report of 2000 produced by the World Health Organization (WHO) to the public about healthcare delivery services, the body aims at providing healthcare services of the highest quality, being responsible to the needy individuals, and finally being fair in sensitive issues like financial distribution. Singh and Shi (5) suggested that healthcare delivery systems could be rationalized in a wider approach of two dimensions based on: service quality, acceptability, and the effectiveness of the delivery service. The second approach can be looked at as equity.
Aims of Healthcare Delivery Systems
The main objectives set by the healthcare delivery systems in the healthcare field include: providing management and leadership framework strategies required by a professional to solve the patient’s health problem. Secondly, it facilitates performance within an organization that is based on healthcare services delivery. Third, it helps in financial management. The fourth objective is all about developing and analyzing rational flexible and dynamic healthcare strategies. Finally, the delivery systems aim at researching different means of enhancing effective and efficient innovation within the healthcare arena. The above-mentioned goals can only be achieved when the following elements are considered as proposed by Hilts (20). These measures include: first considering the life expectancy and health conditions at all levels, secondly, the system in use should be looked at critically and ensure that it is the most appropriate. Third, is all about the fairness in response by the healthcare professional to the targeted group of individuals. Finally, the most fundamental element to be considered is the financial fairness that exists in the midst of different individuals or groups of individuals that have a closer follow up on finance allocated healthcare services (McCarthy and Schafermeyer 510).
Considering the above-outlined mark points in the achievement of efficient and effective healthcare delivery services in the world, the recent statistics conducted by World Health Organization have declared European systems of health to be the best performers. Countries such as Singapore, France, Spain, Italy, and Australia among others have been mentioned to be among the highest-ranked best performers. In the current status, meeting some of these delivery system goals has become a great challenge and seemingly their complexity frustrates a lot of these goals. These frustrations are attributed to various factors among them include: severe budget constraints experienced by NHS thus the system becomes incompatible. The financial crisis experienced in the implementation of the healthcare delivery system has led to difficulties in response to the high technological changes. This problem is currently affecting the population of the U.K and its extreme is felt by the healthcare professionals. The existence of healthcare packaged guarantees is not coded and this gives brings forth diversified healthcare services in various countries. Due to financial crisis experienced by healthcare delivery systems in underdeveloped countries, many of the sophisticated treatments like dialysis that affect aged individuals are not offered in such countries like the UK, unlike in the United States where treatments for such sophisticated infections like aggressive cancerous conditions and dialysis are offered (Schulte 9). Another challenge that has resulted in frustrations with the achievements of these goals is the inadequate modern treatment facilities. This has led to delays or the dismissal of some services offered by professionals in hospitals. Some of the emergency cases like pregnancy and other sensitive and special planned treatment services have been delayed thus causing loss of life to some individuals. Such a striking challenge has led to frustrations in achieving the set objectives by the healthcare delivery services (McCarthy and Schafermeyer 527).
Challenges Which Exist In Light Of the Health Care Workforce Which Often Have Poorly Defined Roles and Responsibilities
The major challenges that are experienced by the healthcare professionals along their healthcare workforce are attributed to the increased rate of malpractices cases that are often allocated to the medical experts. Among these compromising factors include unfriendly and poor working conditions. This is a demoralizing factor because most medical professionals work under extremely poor conditions like inadequate protective wear, poor hygiene, and enclosed rooms with little or no ventilation. All these become risky factors thus leading to poor service delivery to the patients. Delegation is another challenge that is encountered by healthcare professionals whereby most of the professional medical experts are delegating their duties to the immediate unqualified personnel who have not met the required healthcare training standards thus neglecting their roles (Docteur 87). The result of this delegation is low-quality service delivery thus shedding light on the patient’s perspective. Another factor is the downfall number of medical specialists in addition to the downsizing of the hospitals which generates workloads to the personnel, a factor that results in the occurrence of errors thus negligence of work occurs. The third factor is technological advancement (Block 92). The current advances that have cropped up in the medical profession have led to an increased rate of workload. Another challenge experienced by these experts is that most of the medical experts lack proper knowledge on how to operate new technological mechanisms which lead to occurrence of errors at work. With regard to the mentioned factors, it is clearly evident that at a time indeed there exists innumerable challenges that shade light of the healthcare workforce thus poorly defining their roles and responsibilities as unsatisfactory.
How Regulation and Policy At Times Interfere With the Patient-Provider Relationship
Policy regulations interfere with the patient-provider relationship whenever it is directed to be involved in the pharmaceutical technologists and other eligible healthcare professionals. In that case, a fundamental planning strategy based on the resources ought to be established to foster the selection of qualified trained health personnel. Healthcare policies times become constraints when coming up with an appropriately qualified healthcare workforce. All these disparities in the disintegration of limited healthcare resources may end up straining all healthcare delivery systems to a greater extent to the third world countries whereby there is funding competition of socio-economic programs to enhance economic boost as stated by Kongstvedt (31). Whenever such programs are prioritized to enhance economic stability, it is clearly evident that the patient-provider relationship becomes shadowed. However, whenever on the lookout for a solution to such a problem is sought; another problem is likely to encroach. For instance, the economy of the affected country is likely to downfall and this is of a diversified effect on the entire population of the country.
Conclusion
However, healthcare delivery services occur in different versions varying from one country to another. This helps an individual to determine comparatively the characteristics with a progressive or a retrogressive move to the healthcare delivery system. This system also provides equitable, affordable, and accessible healthcare to the targeted group of the population. As discussed in the context above, lessons are likely to be learned from both developing and industrialized countries. All healthcare delivery systems are dynamic in one way or another because they play a key role in establishing a change in the field of health. A number of factors comprising of consumer activism, political swings, and a combination of both private and public efforts of funding the systems are of great impact on the delivery service process. Healthcare resources dissemination both locally and worldwide has a significant effect on the use and delivery of healthcare services. There is also a need for highly skilled healthcare system professionals (McCarthy and Schafermeyer 530). This is basically considered in the perspective of both the providers’ population and the effectiveness of skills possessed by an individual. The entire process is directed by the country’s particular decisions based on the policymakers of the healthcare delivery system.
References
Block, Dale J. Health Care Outcomes Management Strategies for Planning and Evaluation. Boston: Jones & Bartlett Learning publishers 2006
Docteur, Elizabeth. Towards High Performing Health Systems: Policy Studies, Volume 434. New York: OECD Publishing. 2004
Kongstvedt, Peter R. Essentials of Managed Healthcare, Volume 1. Boston: Jones & Bartlett Learning publishers. 2001
McCarthy, Robert L. & Kenneth, Schafermeyer. Introduction to Healthcare Delivery: A Primer for Pharmacists. Boston: Jones & Bartlett Learning publication. 2007
Schulte, Margaret. Healthcare delivery in the U.S.A.: an introduction. New York: Taylor and Francis, 2009
Singh, Douglas A. & Leiyu Shi. Delivering healthcare in America: a systems approach. Boston: Jones & Bartlett Learning publishers 2008