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Can a Low-Budget Questionnaire Support Improved Health Service Accessibility and Sustainability: Results from an
Stefan Hellstrand1, Leif Sundberg2, Jon Karlsson3
1Nolby Ekostrategi, Sweden.
Summary
A low-cost method effectively estimates healthcare time costs for patients and staff. This supports improving healthcare accessibility and sustainability, aligning with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Sustainable Development
- Health Economics
Background:
- Time is a critical resource impacting economic and social sustainability in healthcare.
- Reducing time costs in healthcare can significantly contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Patient travel and treatment time, along with healthcare staff time, represent key cost factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess if a low-budget questionnaire and data processing can estimate time costs for patients, employers, and healthcare staff.
- To generate initial estimates of the sustainability impacts of these time costs in physical and monetary terms.
- To explore the potential for improving healthcare accessibility and sustainability through reduced time costs.
Main Methods:
- An exploratory study utilizing a low-budget questionnaire for patients with diabetes attending a therapeutic footwear appointment.
- Data collection included patient-reported time for travel and treatment, and recorded healthcare staff time.
- Analysis and presentation of results in both physical (hours) and monetary (SEK/USD) terms.
Main Results:
- The questionnaire successfully generated data for estimating strategic parameters for healthcare sustainability and access.
- For 101 patients, total time consumed was 360.6 hours: 49% patient private time, 28% staff time, 23% employer time.
- The estimated monetary value of time consumed was SEK 142,911 (USD 13,466), with mean costs per visit ranging from SEK 1,233 to SEK 1,944.
Conclusions:
- A low-cost questionnaire and data-processing approach is a promising tool for estimating healthcare-related time costs.
- This method can inform decisions aimed at enhancing healthcare accessibility and sustainability in various settings.
- Findings support the integration of time cost analysis into healthcare system planning for improved efficiency and equity.
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