A Search Strategy
It is necessary to apply an original search strategy to identify data that could act as evidence that measures to improve access to health services work. It may involve following several steps, the first of which is identifying the problem. This stage is necessary to improve understanding of the main aspects of the problem and why it should be overcome (Jacobs et al., 2020). In addition, researchers need to understand which populations are affected and what potential interventions might be.
The second step is the definition of search terms, which may involve the selection of keywords that should make it easier to parse the information. For the chosen problem, these might be “medical access,” “medical services,” “barriers,” or “strategy.” The next step is to select the right search platform or database. Medically specific data can be found in PubMed or Google Scholar. Setting certain search filters to filter out irrelevant or unqualified information is also essential.
To choose the right approach, it is crucial to understand the significance of the problem and the need to eliminate it. Access to medical services is of paramount importance, as the health and lives of many citizens depend on it (Boyle et al., 2020). Providing them with an appropriate level of care is a priority goal of the state and health care providers. Lack of access for some people can lead to inequality in society and the oppression of certain social groups. In addition, it will affect the development of civil society and progress in improving the health of certain people.
Following the designed search strategy, 11,702 search results were obtained in PubMed’s profile system and 19,000 in the general aggregator of scientific articles, Google Scholar. In this case, all inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, after which the total number of results of eligible scientific papers was 11. In addition, the search for medical access amounted to 158,228 results in both databases: for medical services – 240,371; for barriers – 221,280; for strategy – 1,895,889. At the same time, only studies over the past five years were considered. Exclusion criteria included articles and books published in languages other than English.
Research Evidence
Selected studies can provide substantial evidence of how existing barriers to accessing health services can be overcome—the interventions considered in their work by scientists most often focused on innovative achievements through online meetings. Community outreach programs and political lobbying for the interests of citizens who do not have access to health services may be suitable alternatives (Berwick, 2023). However, these methods are less effective compared to the use of telemedicine. Validated data from several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of two main ways to improve access to medicine.
As noted earlier, the two main intervention strategies differ in effectiveness, as they require different resources for implementation. Thus, the evidence that indicates a successful solution to the problem through the introduction of telemedicine is presented in more sources than with a political initiative (Giansanti et al., 2022). This is justified by the fact that the solution to the problem at the global level requires long-term planning to create new points of care and recruit appropriate personnel. In addition, even with full implementation, such an approach cannot provide services to all those in need.
The importance of evidence is demonstrated by providing intervention factors that consider the unique needs of social groups. The need to consider many aspects on which the result of interventions may depend has been demonstrated in detail in current studies. The relevance and significance of the evidence presented are measured by the fact that the sources have passed the necessary verification criteria. In turn, the significance of the specific aspects of the evidence is confirmed by the fact that they demonstrate sufficient evidence of the operability of the proposed methods for correcting the problem.
The Applicability of Interventions
Potential interventions apply to healthcare institutions seeking to improve their performance. Thus, the intervention to create a telemedicine program can be applied to any clinic. This is due to minimal resource costs and simple project implementation. At the same time, any possible interventions must necessarily be consistent with the missions and goals of the clinic where they are implemented (Loeb et al., 2020). The expected results of the interventions are increased access to health services among the population. The mission of any clinic is to provide healthcare services (Loeb et al., 2020). For stakeholders, such results will also be beneficial, as they will contribute to the influx of more clients and the development of the clinic.
Potential telemedicine interventions could be implemented in a specific clinic that would be able to hire specialists to set up the equipment. At the same time, it is necessary to consider the availability of financial resources since it will be necessary to allocate budgetary funds for installing computers and cameras. This means that a particular organization must have a unique background for reforms that can finance such an intervention (Aberer et al., 2021).
The company must be prepared to invest and monitor the project’s progress to complete all preparations on time. In addition, the results of the intervention must also be evaluated to determine their effectiveness and impact on the situation with access to health services. Relief and mitigation of the impact of the identified problem can also be achieved with sufficient dissemination of information about the introduction of a new telemedicine function. Otherwise, citizens who need medical services will be unable to receive them due to insufficient awareness of new opportunities.
Evidence-Based Intervention
The choice of intervention can be protected because many clinics have successfully solved the problem of access to medical services using telemedicine. Loeb et al. (2020) argue that people’s ability to visit hospitals was significantly limited during the pandemic. In this regard, many healthcare institutions have resorted to implementing telemedicine methods (Loeb et al., 2020). According to research data, this solution has completely replaced patient-doctor visits (Loeb et al., 2020).
In this regard, it can be argued that the proposed intervention is valid and realizable. The quality and level of evidence can be characterized by the fact that many scientists have investigated the effectiveness of telemedicine. They concluded that it is an effective method of accessing health services for most illnesses (Loeb et al., 2020; Aberer et al., 2021; McMaster et al., 2021). In this regard, we can say that the intervention chosen for implementation in the doctoral capstone project is evidence-based. This work will help many healthcare institutions decide how it is possible to solve the problem with access to medical services.
References
Aberer, F., Hochfellner, D. A., & Mader, J. K. (2021). Application of telemedicine in diabetes care: The time is now. Diabetes Therapy, 12, 629-639. Web.
Berwick, D. M. (2023). Salve lucrum: the existential threat of greed in US health care. JAMA, 329(8), 629-630. Web.
Boyle, C. A., Fox, M. H., Havercamp, S. M., & Zubler, J. (2020). The public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic for people with disabilities. Disability and Health Journal, 13(3). Web.
Giansanti, D., Morone, G., Loreti, A., Germanotta, M., & Aprile, I. (2022). A Narrative Review of the Launch and the Deployment of Telemedicine in Italy during the COVID-19 Pandemic. In Healthcare (Vol. 10, No. 3, p. 415). MDPI. Web.
Jacobs, K. G., Kugler, J., Chi, J., Stuart, E., Merrell, S. B., & Rassbach, C. (2020). A mixed methods approach to understanding curricular impact of a capstone course on the self-efficacy of fourth-year medical students. Cureus, 12(8). Web.
Loeb, A. E., Rao, S. S., Ficke, J. R., Morris, C. D., Riley III, L. H., & Levin, A. S. (2020). Departmental experience and lessons learned with accelerated introduction of telemedicine during the COVID-19 crisis. The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Web.
McMaster, T., Wright, T., Mori, K., Stelmach, W., & To, H. (2021). Current and future use of telemedicine in surgical clinics during and beyond COVID-19: A narrative review. Annals of Medicine and Surgery, 66. Web.