Keyfindings: Healthcare

Nov 9, 2004 -- Here are some interesting interesting stats on healthcare...

• Doctors who — at some point in their lives — played videogames more than three hours per week make 37% fewer errors when performing laparoscopic surgery. They also complete this type of surgery 27% more quickly.

• The U.S. spends 13.7% of its gross national product on healthcare, twice the percentage spent by other countries such as the U.K. (6%) and Japan (7%).

• About one-quarter (27%) of adults received mental health treatment in the past two years, while more than one-third (37%) of those who need treatment are not getting it. Four in 10 say their parents would have benefited from therapy.

• In 2003, 14.5% of households did not fill at least one drug prescription they received, up from 12.3% in 2002.

• Almost one-half (44%) of 19-29 year olds have been without health insurance in the past year, compared to 27% of people age 19-64.

• New cancer drugs introduced between 1975 and 1995 have increased the life expectancy of people diagnosed with cancer to 10.6 years from 9.6 years. These drugs account for about two-thirds of the 80 drugs currently in use.

• Between 1970 and 2002, the average age of hospital inpatients increased from 40.7 years to 52.1 years. The proportion of patients age 65 or older grew from 20% to 38%; patients younger than 15 dropped from 13% to 8%; those age 15-45 fell from 43% to 32%; and patients age 45-64 remained steady.

US Healthcare Performance Comparison
While the U.S. spends more money per capita on healthcare, and devotes a greater proportion of its national income to it than any other country, the U.S. system performs relatively poorly from a patient perspective, according to The Commonwealth Fund. The study compared the U.S. system with those in Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

For example, twice as many adults (18%) in the U.S. as in the UK (9%) reported that a medication or medical error had a serious health consequence. U.S. patients (18%) say they waited five days or more for an appointment with a doctor, compared with UK (16%), Australia (5%), or New Zealand (1%). Compared with patients' experiences in other countries, more U.S. patients report being sent for duplicate tests (22%) and having the test results fail to reach their doctors' offices in time for appointments (25%). The U.S. also scored the worst on every measurement that reviewed whether low-income patients receive needed care.

Hospitals Increasingly Offering CAM
The number of hospitals offering complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) services doubled from 8% in 1998 to 16.7% in 2002, and another 24% plan to provide them in the future. Reasons for this include patient demand (83%), organizational mission (69%), clinical effectiveness (61%), and attracting new patients (58%).

The services most commonly offered in hospital-based CAM centers include massage therapy (78%), stress management (40%), yoga (37%), relaxation techniques (32%), pastoral counseling (29%), acupuncture (21%), and biofeedback (20%). Some 13% of hospital pharmacies offer herbs or supplements.

Source: Saurage Research Key Findings

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About The Author

Mary A. Sicard is president of i-Genuity, the Click-Here Strategy and Services firm in Augusta, Georgia.

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