11: Health care system

Question 1

Define a healthcare system

Answer 1

an organisation of people, institutions and resources that provide health care services to meet the health needs of a population.

A good health system as one that ‘delivers quality services to all people, when and where they need them’ (WHO 2018).

Question 2

Define primary healthcare

Answer 2

= refers to an individuals first contact with the health care system
includes; GP’s, nurse, midwife, dentist, physio, dietician etc
can also include health promotion, prevention and early intervention.

=refers to health care received from general medical and dental practitioners, community pharmacists and other allied health professionals working in the community. - basic and first-line care provided to patients.

Question 3

What are the benefits of primary healthcare

Answer 3

• supports improving health
• provides treatment for illness’
• incorporates health promotion
• disease prevention activities
  helps people with chronic illness’ manage their health in the home or community.

Question 4

Define secondary healthcare

Answer 4

health care is provided by a specialist of a facility usually from a referral from a primary health care providers.

Secondary health care is provided by provided by doctors and nurses and other health care professionals usually in a hospital setting.

Question 5

Define tertiary health care

Answer 5

health care is specialised care provided by specialised healthcare professionals.

Question 6

Do each area of healthcare work alone?

Answer 6

Primary-secondary-tertiary health care does not occur in isolation and nurses/midwives work in all of these areas!

Question 7

Through what services is healthcare delivered in Aus?

Answer 7

• health promotion
• education programs
• Diagnosis
• treatment and preventative services in the community
• treatment and care in hospitals
• rehabilitation programs
  palliative care

Question 8

What are the different ways health care can be provided?

Answer 8

• Health promotion (week 10 content)
• Primary healthcare
• Specialist services
• Hospitals

Question 9

What is the aim of health promotion?

Answer 9

aimed at prevention and improving the overall health of the population

Question 10

How is health promotion seen?

Answer 10

Through;

• educational programs to promote health literacy
• public awareness/health promotion campaigns
• population health programs

Question 11

What are some examples of health promotion initiatives

Answer 11

• health promotion campaigns
• screening programs, immunisation programs
• alcohol & drug abuse prevention programs
• education (safe-sex, domestic violence etc).

Question 12

Define specialist services

Answer 12

when individuals have a specific or complex diagnosis or health condition.
- sometimes described as a ‘secondary’ healthcare service,

Question 13

What are examples of specialist services?

Answer 13

• antenatal services
• mental health services
• radiotherapy treatment
• surgeons
• obstetricians
• pathology
• imaging

Question 14

What is necessary to seek a specialist service

Answer 14

a referral from a primary healthcare provider

Question 15

Describe public hospitals

Answer 15

• owned and managed by state and territory gov

- include outpatient services and emergency department

Question 16

Describe private hospitals

Answer 16

• owned and managed by either for-profit or non-for-profit organisations.

Question 17

Define non-admitted patient services

Answer 17

when patients are treated without being admitted
e.g. in emergency departments before they are treated and sent home or referred somewhere else.

• public usually have more of these services then private

Question 18

Describe the process of an outpatient clinic

Answer 18

patients can be consulted by a doctor, have diagnostic procedures, receive allied healthcare without being admitted to the hospital.

Question 19

What 4 elements fund healthcare in Australia

Answer 19

• government
• non-government organisations
• private health insurers
• individuals (when they pay out-of-pocket costs for products and services that is not subsidised)

Question 20

When did medicare begin?

Answer 20

1984

Question 21

What is medicare?

Answer 21

Australias’s universal healthcare system since 1984 funded by the Aus government.

Question 22

Who is provided medicare?

Answer 22

Australian and New Zealand citizens, permanent residents in Australia and people from 11 other agreed countries

Question 23

What does medicare cover?

Answer 23

public healthcare services including hospital care.

Some other healthcare services such as;
- some visits to some GPs

Question 24

What is the MBS

Answer 24

Medicare benefits scheme= a list of all services the gov as agreed to subsidise.

• has medicare sfatey net.

Question 25

What is the medicare safety net?

Answer 25

designed to provide additional financial relief for people with high medical costs by reducing their out of pocket costs. When an individual or family receives many services in a year, the Medicare Safety Net reduces their out of pocket costs for services received out-of-hospital.

• access to the safety net is decided by assessing your expenditure on health acre through a calendar year from jan 1 to dec 31.

Question 26

What is the PBS?

Answer 26

a list of medications that are commonly used and so the government agrees ti subsidise them.
- makes them more affordable particularly for those who continually use them.

• patient only pays a fraction of the actual cost and the gov pays the rest

Beneficial for those who have lots of medication.

Question 27

Explain the 2 types of private health insurance

Answer 27

• hospital cover
• general cover (‘extras’ such as dental, physio, optometry services)

individuals can choose to get one or both.

Question 28

What factor will influence an individuals choice private health issurance

Answer 28

• age
• occupation
• finances
• needs

Question 29

Does the government help individuals pay private health insurance?

Answer 29

yes, a little bit

Question 30

List some of the responsibilities of the Australian government

Answer 30

• Medicare benefits schedule (MBS)
• PBS
• regulation of private health insurance
• supporting and monitoring public health services
• publish health info/stats via AIHW
• subsidise aged care services
• fund research
• fund veterians
• control ATSI primary healthcare
• buying vaccines
• subsidising hearing services
• coordinating organ and tissue transplant
• coordinating national responses in pandemics/disaster
• ensuring supply and affordable blood products are available
• ensure safe food supply

Question 31

List some of the responsibilities of the state territory and local gov responsibilities

Answer 31

• managing and administering public hospitals
• delivering preventative services e.g. screening and immunisations
• funding and managing community and mental health services
• public dental clinics
• ambulance and emergency services
• patient transport
• food after and handling regulations
• regulating, inspecting, licensing and monitoring health premises.

Question 32

List shared responsibilities of the Aus gov and state gov.

Answer 32

funding public hospital services

• preventive services e.g. free cancer screening programs
• registering and accrediting health professionals ‘- funding palliative acre
• national mental health reform
• responding to national health emergencies

Question 33

Who is responsible for registering health care professionals

Answer 33

Majority of Australia’s healthcare workforce are registered by Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)

Question 34

What is the greatest growing demand on the healthcare system

Answer 34

the ageing population

Question 35

Why are chronic diseases an issue for the Australian healthcare system

Answer 35

they are;

• becoming more prevalent
• they are chronic so long lasting
• require ongoing healthcare