MEDtube.net’s Post

If Americans rarely visit doctors, then are doctors really the ones responsible for either American poor health or high cost of care? Many of the healthiest countries in the world or cities in the U.S. are very walkable or have a lot of use of bikes. This is also called “the built environment” which is a “social determinant of health” or #SDoH or #SDH. These places also highly regulate the food industry for use of chemicals and hygiene in food production or humane conditions in the meat industry. We need not only whole person care but also #health accessible to people in their homes and communities, via clean air, clean water, fresh and healthy food, spaces to exercise, etc.

How often people visit the doctor? If a country’s average doctor visits are high, it could be easy to assume the population isn’t healthy. At the same time not going enough may seem like there’s an accessibility issue. As with most sociological data, the devil is in the details. And differences in payment systems, insurance plans, and how healthcare is delivered all play a part into why going to the doctor is more common or not. This chart tracks the number of in-person doctor visits per year by country. Data is sourced from the OECD, as of 2021, or the latest year available. Figures are rounded.

Frequency of doctor visits, such figures are an inspiration to many further leading questions: 👉 availability / access to out-patient care 👉 financial (dis)incentives, that apply to drs as well as patients 👉 complementarity of hospital/out-patient care - is the system laid out as out-patient care to prevent hospital admissions? 👉 patient expectation - does the patient expect to be competently guided through health and disease or are these more ad hoc (kind of) emergency visits? 👉 ER or telemedicine - e.g. ER being the ultimate point-of-care for the low- or uninsured in the US. This is an extreme example, however, in universal health coverage countries ER can also be tempting as a low threshold alternative to long appointment waiting times. 👉 correlations to "system outcome measures" like HLY as mentioned by Giuliano Ramadori E.g.Sweden ( acc. to Vojtech Vosecky) very difficult to get an appointment, yet, Sweden possibly one of the best healthy-life-years champions. 👉 ...and may be more questions Thanks Nick Guldemond for cautioning not to jump on interpretations too soon on such a crude measure Any thoughts, Jakub Hlávka ?

I wonder if on all counts India will fare better in healthcare. The keywords here are #accessibility #affordability #governmentschemes #primarytotertiary. The reach and awareness in the last decade has probably made it easy for citizens here. Let us dig deep and generate data to help achieve better health for our CITIZENS.

Really interesting chart showing average number of visits to the doctor by nation. I was intrigued how the UK compares and it's around 3 visits per year. As noted in the chart there will be external factors such as cost, ageing population etc. It would be interesting to see how these figures would change globally with unlimited free access and enough clinical staff to meet the true demand. #nhs #data #zebrahealthcare

Thank you Nick Guldemond for bringing to our attention this informative OECD 2021 data about the number of medical appointments per year in EU Member States. You are right to say that the devil hides in the details. If the table you posted does not explain how these data were compiled for each country, it is difficult to understand them . The number of three!! visits per year for Greece is totally unrealistic since for common medical specialties e.g. dentistry, ophtalmology, ORL, the only realistic possibility to solve a medical problem is to visit a private doctor at cost, since physicians in these specialties are almost non-existant in the public social insurance system. Similarly, for serious diseases the availability of medical appointments or appointments for operations in the public health system is none to scarce, the only alternative being a private doctor or hospital. Since the out of pocket spending for health care of the Greek population is estimated to 33% as per the Country Profile Greece 2023 of the European Health Observatory (p.14), it is not possible that the three medical appointments per year reflects the real number of medical appointments per person per year. ........ Out-of-pocket spending accounts for one third of all health expenditure Greece’s OOP (out of pocket) expenditure is among the highest in the EU, and at 33 % of health spending in 2021 it is more than double the EU average of 15 % (Figure 14). Although some copayments are levied on diagnostic and laboratory tests, outpatient medicines and visits to private providers contracted by EOPYY, the majority of OOP spending is direct payments. Pharmaceuticals and inpatient care are the main drivers of this Figure 13. There is a large disparity in unmet needs for medical care between low- and high-income groups in Greece Costs for visits to private (outpatient) specialists are also considerable. Given the lack of public coverage, the relatively low OOP share for dental services may well reflect a considerable degree of forgone care: in 2021, Greece had the third highest rate of unmet needs for dental care (7.8 %) in the EU, which increased to 12.1 % (the highest) in 2022. ....... Another survey among breast cancer patients in Greece revealed that screening and diagnosis is mostly in private health care. The first doctor to whom the majority of the sample (51.3%) addressed was a private doctor while 21.9% addressed outpatient clinics of a private hospital or clinic or a private polyclinic, compared to 25.4% for corresponding public health system (morning & afternoon clinics of a public hospital, Health Center). https://lnkd.in/dY_BMWbu

Indians continue to demonstrate resilience in their health, but embracing traditional pre-colonial lifestyles and dietary practices can further enhance well-being. This includes avoiding milk tea, choosing natural brown sugar over processed white sugar, incorporating pure ghee instead of refined oils, and celebrating the rich variety of spices in our meals. Additionally, adopting practices like yoga, meditation, and prayers can provide holistic health benefits, aligning physical and mental harmony with our cultural roots. #Ayurveda #HealthyLifeStyle

How Often People Go to the Doctor “If a country’s average doctor visits are high, it could be easy to assume the population isn’t healthy. At the same time not going enough may seem like there’s an accessibility issue. As with most sociological data, the devil is in the details. And differences in payment systems, insurance plans, and how healthcare is delivered all play a part into why going to the doctor is more common or not.” Source: Visualcapitalist https://lnkd.in/dPj9ZWV3

Certain exclusions mean no payout will be made if you pass due to: 1. Travel to high-risk countries: If you visit dangerous places listed by the insurer 2. Suicide: If you take your own life within a specified period after getting the policy 3. Crime by a beneficiary: If the person set to receive the payout is involved in your death 4. Undeclared medical conditions: If you fail to disclose serious health issues when applying for the policy #100daysofinsurance #lifeinsurance

Frequency of Doctor Visits: When the average number of doctor visits is high in a country, it might suggest that the population is unhealthy. Conversely, infrequent doctor visits could indicate issues with healthcare accessibility. As with much sociological data, the details matter greatly. Variations in payment systems, insurance plans, and healthcare delivery models all influence the frequency of doctor visits. This chart shows the annual number of in-person doctor visits by country, based on OECD data from 2021 or the latest year available. Figures are rounded.