Temporal availability of obstetrics and gynecology clinics in Taiwan: A nationwide survey
Objective: Obstetrician–gynecologists are the main providers of women's healthcare. However, workforce shortages and excessive workloads among these providers have been encountered in many countries. While most past studies on this subject have investigated the spatial distribution of obstetric...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2017-10-01
|
| Series: | Taiwanese Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1028455917302000 |
| _version_ | 1811216270062780416 |
|---|---|
| author | Wei-Ting Chang Hsin-I Leu Huang-Pin Chen Ming-Hwai Lin Tzeng-Ji Chen Shinn-Jang Hwang Li-Fang Chou Peng-Hui Wang |
| author_facet | Wei-Ting Chang Hsin-I Leu Huang-Pin Chen Ming-Hwai Lin Tzeng-Ji Chen Shinn-Jang Hwang Li-Fang Chou Peng-Hui Wang |
| author_sort | Wei-Ting Chang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective: Obstetrician–gynecologists are the main providers of women's healthcare. However, workforce shortages and excessive workloads among these providers have been encountered in many countries. While most past studies on this subject have investigated the spatial distribution of obstetrics–gynecology clinics, few have focused on their temporal availability, especially on the national level.
Materials and methods: The weekly opening time schedules (divided into morning, afternoon, and evening sessions) of all obstetrics–gynecology clinics in Taiwan were extracted from the web site of Taiwan's National Health Insurance Administration in July 2015. The numbers of open sessions were then analyzed and stratified by urbanization level and practice type.
Results: Among 742 obstetrics–gynecology clinics in Taiwan, 521 were located in urban areas, 194 in suburban areas, and 27 in rural areas. The numbers of open sessions per week in suburban areas were higher than those in urban and rural areas (16.7 ± 2.6 vs. 15.9 ± 3.1 and 15.9 ± 2.7). Group practices had more open sessions per week than solo practices (16.8 ± 2.8 vs. 15.8 ± 3.0). With respect to after-hours services in rural areas, only two rural obstetrics–gynecology clinics remained open on Sunday mornings, while none remained open on Sunday afternoons and evenings.
Conclusion: Obstetrics–gynecology clinics in Taiwan offered great temporal availability. In addition to the remarkable urban–rural disparity in the distribution of obstetrics–gynecology clinics, the availability of services on Sundays in rural areas demands special attention. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T06:36:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-14e7bae15a534cb9a609d950e268109a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1028-4559 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T06:36:39Z |
| publishDate | 2017-10-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Taiwanese Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology |
| spelling | doaj.art-14e7bae15a534cb9a609d950e268109a2022-12-22T03:43:52ZengElsevierTaiwanese Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology1028-45592017-10-0156563664110.1016/j.tjog.2017.08.011Temporal availability of obstetrics and gynecology clinics in Taiwan: A nationwide surveyWei-Ting Chang0Hsin-I Leu1Huang-Pin Chen2Ming-Hwai Lin3Tzeng-Ji Chen4Shinn-Jang Hwang5Li-Fang Chou6Peng-Hui Wang7Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, TaiwanEmergency Department, Yuli Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, TaiwanDepartment of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Public Finance, National Chengchi University, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, TaiwanObjective: Obstetrician–gynecologists are the main providers of women's healthcare. However, workforce shortages and excessive workloads among these providers have been encountered in many countries. While most past studies on this subject have investigated the spatial distribution of obstetrics–gynecology clinics, few have focused on their temporal availability, especially on the national level. Materials and methods: The weekly opening time schedules (divided into morning, afternoon, and evening sessions) of all obstetrics–gynecology clinics in Taiwan were extracted from the web site of Taiwan's National Health Insurance Administration in July 2015. The numbers of open sessions were then analyzed and stratified by urbanization level and practice type. Results: Among 742 obstetrics–gynecology clinics in Taiwan, 521 were located in urban areas, 194 in suburban areas, and 27 in rural areas. The numbers of open sessions per week in suburban areas were higher than those in urban and rural areas (16.7 ± 2.6 vs. 15.9 ± 3.1 and 15.9 ± 2.7). Group practices had more open sessions per week than solo practices (16.8 ± 2.8 vs. 15.8 ± 3.0). With respect to after-hours services in rural areas, only two rural obstetrics–gynecology clinics remained open on Sunday mornings, while none remained open on Sunday afternoons and evenings. Conclusion: Obstetrics–gynecology clinics in Taiwan offered great temporal availability. In addition to the remarkable urban–rural disparity in the distribution of obstetrics–gynecology clinics, the availability of services on Sundays in rural areas demands special attention.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1028455917302000Ambulatory careObstetrician–gynecologistsScheduleTaiwanUrban–rural health service |
| spellingShingle | Wei-Ting Chang Hsin-I Leu Huang-Pin Chen Ming-Hwai Lin Tzeng-Ji Chen Shinn-Jang Hwang Li-Fang Chou Peng-Hui Wang Temporal availability of obstetrics and gynecology clinics in Taiwan: A nationwide survey Taiwanese Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology Ambulatory care Obstetrician–gynecologists Schedule Taiwan Urban–rural health service |
| title | Temporal availability of obstetrics and gynecology clinics in Taiwan: A nationwide survey |
| title_full | Temporal availability of obstetrics and gynecology clinics in Taiwan: A nationwide survey |
| title_fullStr | Temporal availability of obstetrics and gynecology clinics in Taiwan: A nationwide survey |
| title_full_unstemmed | Temporal availability of obstetrics and gynecology clinics in Taiwan: A nationwide survey |
| title_short | Temporal availability of obstetrics and gynecology clinics in Taiwan: A nationwide survey |
| title_sort | temporal availability of obstetrics and gynecology clinics in taiwan a nationwide survey |
| topic | Ambulatory care Obstetrician–gynecologists Schedule Taiwan Urban–rural health service |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1028455917302000 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT weitingchang temporalavailabilityofobstetricsandgynecologyclinicsintaiwananationwidesurvey AT hsinileu temporalavailabilityofobstetricsandgynecologyclinicsintaiwananationwidesurvey AT huangpinchen temporalavailabilityofobstetricsandgynecologyclinicsintaiwananationwidesurvey AT minghwailin temporalavailabilityofobstetricsandgynecologyclinicsintaiwananationwidesurvey AT tzengjichen temporalavailabilityofobstetricsandgynecologyclinicsintaiwananationwidesurvey AT shinnjanghwang temporalavailabilityofobstetricsandgynecologyclinicsintaiwananationwidesurvey AT lifangchou temporalavailabilityofobstetricsandgynecologyclinicsintaiwananationwidesurvey AT penghuiwang temporalavailabilityofobstetricsandgynecologyclinicsintaiwananationwidesurvey |