Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026
16:14
Trajectory Data Analyses for Pedestrian Space-time Activity Study
Published on: February 25, 2013
Trend data on medical encounters: tracking a moving target.
A B Bernstein1, E Hing, C W Burt
1Development and Analysis Group, Division of Health Care Statistics, National Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, Maryland, USA.
Health Affairs (Project Hope)
|March 23, 2001
Summary
The National Health Care Survey reveals changes in US healthcare encounters over time. It is crucial to analyze the content, not just the number, of these health services.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The National Health Care Survey (NHCS) tracks healthcare encounters in the United States.
- Monitoring healthcare trends requires understanding both the volume and nature of services provided.
- Changes in the content of healthcare encounters can significantly impact health outcomes and resource allocation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze trends in the content of healthcare encounters using data from the National Health Care Survey.
- To highlight the importance of examining the content of healthcare encounters, not solely their frequency or duration.
- To inform policymakers and researchers about the evolving landscape of healthcare delivery in the U.S.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the National Health Care Survey (NHCS).
- Analyzed trends in the types of services and interventions patients receive.
- Compared changes in healthcare encounter content over specified time periods.
Main Results:
- The U.S. population is receiving an increasing volume of pharmaceuticals, cardiac procedures, ambulatory surgeries, nursing home therapies, and home health care.
- Significant shifts in the composition of healthcare services have been observed.
- The content of healthcare encounters is dynamic and evolving.
Conclusions:
- Policymakers and researchers must consider the content of healthcare encounters when evaluating health trends.
- Judging the value or impact of healthcare encounters solely by number or length can be misleading.
- A comprehensive understanding of healthcare delivery requires analyzing both quantitative and qualitative aspects of patient encounters.
More Related Videos
10:46A Method of Trigonometric Modelling of Seasonal Variation Demonstrated with Multiple Sclerosis Relapse Data
Published on: December 9, 2015
06:55Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting (Propensity Score) using the Military Health System Data Repository and National Death Index
Published on: January 8, 2020
Related Concept Videos
01:30Current Trends in Nursing II
Trends in nursing are multifactorial and associated with changes in society, within the nursing profession, and in other professions. Notably, telehealth and remote nursing contribute to successful healthcare delivery for numerous patients and help reduce stress for nurses due to nursing shortages. Nurses can reach patients, monitor their conditions, and interact with them using computers, audio, visual accessories, and telephones—for example, remote patient monitoring systems. Likewise,...
01:29Issues And Trends In Healthcare Delivery System
The issues and trends in healthcare delivery are constantly changing. The COVID-19 pandemic is one recent issue that wreaked havoc on healthcare systems, causing a shortage of healthcare workers, high demand for medicines and supplies, and increased medical expenditure due to a lack of insurance. Other issues include rising healthcare costs and care fragmentation.
Cost Containment
Payment for healthcare services has historically promoted adoption of costly and often unnecessary or inefficient...
Cost Containment
Payment for healthcare services has historically promoted adoption of costly and often unnecessary or inefficient...
01:30Pulse rhythm
Pulse rhythm refers to the pattern of pulsations within specific intervals, offering valuable insights into the regularity or irregularity of the heart's beats as observed through the pattern of pulsation within specific intervals. A regular pulse exhibits a consistent heart rate with uniform waveforms and pulsation force, variations of which can be classified as normal, weak, or bounding.
Conversely, an irregular pulse pattern is termed dysrhythmia, stemming from disruptions in cardiac muscle...
Conversely, an irregular pulse pattern is termed dysrhythmia, stemming from disruptions in cardiac muscle...
01:19Purpose of Health Records II
Health records serve various essential purposes in the healthcare system. Here are some key purposes:
01:26Principles of Disease Surveillance
Disease surveillance is the systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data essential to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health practice. This process integrates data dissemination to entities responsible for preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability. Surveillance systems provide crucial information for action, helping public health authorities make informed decisions to manage and prevent outbreaks, ensure public safety, optimize...
01:25Interpreting Run Charts
Run charts, essentially line graphs plotted over time, serve as fundamental yet effective tools for process analysis. They chronicle data sequentially, facilitating the identification of trends, shifts, or cyclical movements. This graphical representation is instrumental in determining whether a process is stable or exhibits signs of potential instability indicative of special cause variation. In the healthcare domain, run charts depict infection rates over time, enabling hospitals to monitor...