Explore the vast range of titles available.

This salient reference grounds readers in the theoretical basis and day-to-day practice of community-based health care programs, and their potential as a transformative force in public health. Centering around concepts of self-determination, empowerment, and inclusiveness, the book details the roles of physicians, research, and residents in the transition to self-directed initiatives and greater community control. Community-focused interventions and methods, starting with genuine dialogue between practitioners and residents, are discussed as keys to understanding local voice and worldview, and recognizing residents as active participants and not simply targets of service delivery. And coverage pays careful attention to training issues, including how clinicians can become involved in community-based care without neglecting individual patient needs.

On January 2020, the WHO Director General declared that the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The world has faced a worldwide spread crisis and is still dealing with it. The present paper represents a white paper concerning the tough lessons we have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, an international and heterogenous multidisciplinary panel of very differentiated people would like to share global experiences and lessons with all interested and especially those responsible for future healthcare decision making. With the present paper, international and heterogenous multidisciplinary panel of very differentiated people would like to share global experiences and lessons with all interested and especially those responsible for future healthcare decision making.

INTRODUCTION: Youth health outcomes are poor in New Zealand and have a life-long impact on individuals, whānau (family) and society. Little is known about how young people view their experiences of general practice care despite it being the most common place to access health care.AIM: This study sought to explore young peoples’ experiences of care in a selected, youth-friendly general practice.METHODS: In-depth individual interviews with six young people.RESULTS: Four themes were identified from young peoples’ narratives in relation to their experiences of general practice care: going to the doctor is not easy for a young person; the attributes of staff make all the difference; specific youth-friendly consultation practices help young people; and a youth-friendly physical environment can help young people access services and feel safe.DISCUSSION: Even though the study general practice had explicitly instituted youth-friendly initiatives, including offering no-charge consultations and specialist staff members, young people still described considerable barriers to attendance. Many barriers are practice-based and could be modified by staff training, provision of further youth care staff roles and consideration of environmental changes. Other barriers such as waiving prescription costs need government funding.

\"This book provides a step-by-step guide to integrating early childhood behavioral health care into primary care with hands-on advice for creating, implementing, and evaluating programs. It discusses the unique advantages of pediatric primary care as a setting for mental health services from birth into the early school years, particularly for addressing parent/child stress and trauma issues. Contributors illustrate in depth how bringing behavioral health into pediatric services can engender care that is replicable and sustainable, not only cost-effective but also clinically effective. Guidelines and case examples from frontline practitioners highlight typical challenges and workable recommendations ... Integrated Early Childhood Behavioral Health in Primary Care is an essential resource for clinicians/practitioners, graduate students, and researchers in child and school psychology, pediatrics, and social work.\"--Page 4 of cover.

Background Primary health care (PHC) is central to achieving universal health coverage, yet longitudinal assessments of residents’ experiences—especially regarding urban–suburban disparities—remain scarce. This study aims to examine changes in PHC service experiences among Shanghai residents between 2023 and 2024, identify urban–suburban differences, and explore key influencing factors. Methods A two-wave cross-sectional survey was conducted at 248 community health centers in Shanghai from May to June in 2023 and 2024. The Chinese version of the Primary Care Assessment Tool–Adult Short Version (PCAT-AS) was used. Propensity score matching ensured comparability between survey waves. Descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, and multiple linear regression were employed to assess temporal changes, regional disparities, and associated predictors. Results Residents reported significantly improved PHC experiences in 2024 across all domains ( P  < 0.001), with the largest gains in service comprehensiveness (+ 0.23) and referral coordination (+ 0.18). Urban residents consistently reported better experiences in continuity, service delivery, and cultural competence, while suburban residents rated higher in first-contact accessibility and service availability. Improvements from 2023 to 2024 were most notable in first-contact accessibility (Δ = +0.11) and comprehensiveness (Δ = +0.10), though domains such as family-centeredness and cultural competence showed limited progress (Δ = +0.01). Multivariate analyses identified residential location, chronic disease burden, psychological distress, and self-rated health as significant predictors of overall PCAT scores. Suburban residence was associated with lower scores (B = − 1.59, P  < 0.001), while comorbidities (B = 1.94, P  < 0.001) and psychological distress (B = 2.06, P  < 0.001) were linked to higher scores. Conclusion This study demonstrates that while overall perceptions of PHC services among permanent residents in Shanghai improved significantly compared to the previous year—particularly in terms of service comprehensiveness and referral coordination—urban–suburban disparities persist. Specifically, urban residents reported more favorable experiences in first-contact utilization, continuity of care, and cultural competence, whereas suburban residents expressed better perceptions of first-contact accessibility and service availability. Notably, the urban–suburban gaps in first-contact accessibility and service comprehensiveness narrowed between 2023 and 2024, suggesting a positive trajectory toward greater equity in basic health service delivery. Multivariate regression analysis further indicated that residential location, chronic disease burden, psychological distress, and self-rated health status were significant determinants of residents’ PHC experiences. Based on these findings, we recommend the implementation of more targeted interventions focusing on enhancing continuity of care and strengthening integrated management for both mental health and chronic conditions. Special attention should be given to addressing structural disparities between urban and suburban areas and to meeting the health service needs of priority populations, in order to continuously advance both equity and quality in PHC delivery.

Background While Australia has high breastfeeding initiation, there is a sharp decline in the first weeks postpartum and this continues throughout the first year. Supporting breastfeeding In Local Communities (SILC) was a three-arm cluster randomised controlled trial to determine whether early home-based breastfeeding support by a maternal and child health nurse (SILC-MCHN), with or without access to a community-based breastfeeding drop-in centre, increased the proportion of infants receiving any breast milk at three, four and six months. The trial was conducted in ten Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Victoria, Australia. The primary aim of this paper is to describe the three drop-in centres established during the trial; and the profile of women who accessed them. The secondary aim is to explore the views and experiences of the drop-in centre staff, and the challenges faced in establishing and maintaining a breastfeeding drop-in centre in the community. Methods Evaluation of the three LGAs with drop-in centres was multifaceted and included observational visits and field notes; data collected from attendance log books from each drop-in centre; a written survey and focus groups with maternal and child health (MCH) nurses who ran the drop-in centres; and semi-structured interviews with MCH coordinators of the participating LGAs. Results The three LGAs developed and ran different models of breastfeeding drop-in centres. They reported challenges in finding convenient, accessible locations. Overall, attendance was lower than expected, with an average of only one attendee per session. Two global themes were identified regarding staff views: implementation challenges , encompassing finding accessible, available space, recruiting volunteers to provide peer support, and frustration when women did not attend; and the work of SILC-MCHNs , including themes of satisfying and rewarding work, juggling roles, and benefits to women, babies and the community. Conclusion Providing community-based breastfeeding support was satisfying for the drop-in centre staff but proved difficult to implement, reflected by the lower than anticipated attendances at all of the drop-in centres. Interventions to increase breastfeeding in complex community settings require sufficient time to build partnerships with the existing services and the target population; to understand when and how to offer interventions for optimum benefit. Trial registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12611000898954 .

Sex and gender are important determinants of health, conditioning health exposures and needs, health seeking behavior, health outcomes, and subsequent consequences. We aim to explore the nature and magnitude of sex differences in disease burden, service awareness, utilization, expenditure and satisfaction while accessing primary health care services in the light of recent primary care reforms implemented in the southern Indian state of Kerala. We conducted a cross-sectional study to explore the nature and magnitude of sex differences in disease burden, service awareness, utilization, expenditure and satisfaction in the public sector of Kerala, India. A household survey using multistage random sampling design was conducted to collect information from 3234 households in the selected eight PHC catchment areas of four districts in the state. Descriptive data analysis was carried out with a focus on disease burdens, place of care seeking, cost of care and patient satisfaction, using STATA 12. More males reported fever as their primary ailment compared to females (67.7% vs. 58.6%). A greater proportion of males as compared to females knew about the recently implemented reforms (43% vs 36%; p  = 0.01). Allopathic (modern medicine) care was the most sought-after system of medicine across the sample. A higher proportion of females visited government primary health centres for outpatient care (34.7% vs. 27.5%; p  = 0.00).Our analysis found statistically significant differences in the self reported cost of care in the private sector: 20 times greater than in public sector for males, whereas the difference was roughly five fold among females (Private: ₹650, $8.5 (95% CI ₹524, ₹776) vs. Public: ₹120, $1.58 (95%CI ₹17, ₹223, p  < 0.001)). Males showed greater awareness of state health reforms than females, and high patient satisfaction existed for both private and public outpatient care across sex groups. We found significant sex differences in health system utilization and expenditure in Kerala, although our present analysis lacks data on trans, intersex and other sexual and gender minority groups. Further research on intersectionalities, such as care-seeking experiences across genders and socioeconomic groups, could enhance our understanding the role of sex in care seeking.