Sahin Kavuncubasi

Technical Efficiencies of Turkish Hospitals: DEA Approach

This study uses Data Envelopment Analysis to examine the technical efficiencies of 573 Turkish acute general hospitals. Inputs of number of beds, number of primary care physicians, and number of specialists, and how they are used to produce outputs of inpatient discharges, outpatient visits, and surgical operations, are examined. Results illustrate that less than ten percent of Turkish acute general hospitals operate efficiently compared to their counterparts. Inefficient, compared to efficient hospitals, on average utilize 32% more specialists, 47% more primary care physicians, and have 119% more staffed bed capacity. They also produce on average less output. Particularly, 13% less outpatient visits, 16% inpatient hospitalization, and 57% less surgical procedures. Additionally, the validity of DEA is illustrated by comparing it to the ratio analysis method; no discernible differences in the results are found.

Is the Turkish Health Care System Ready to Be a Part of the European Union

Lately, Turkey is struggling to recover from the economic effects of the economic crisis so that the government officials are trying to impose budget cuts in health and education sectors. After the United States, the countrys national defense expenditures are the highest among the NATO countries. Therefore, Turkey allocates only 3–4% of the gross domestic product for health care expenses. Overall, the health status in Turkey is the lowest among the European Union countries; infant mortality rate is about 45 per 1000 live births, which is the highest on the European continent, and per capita health care expenditure is

A new examination of hospital performance after healthcare reform in Turkey: sensitivity and quality comparisons

120. Although 75% of the people are covered by some type of public insurance, 25% of the Turkish people do not have any insurance coverage. The national system is funded by taxes (43%), out of pocket payments (32%), and social and private insurance premiums (25%). This study examines whether Turkey is ready to be a part of the European Union in terms of the health sector of its economy and health status of its people.

Delayed use of healthcare services among the urban poor in Turkey

The implementation of Health Transformation Program in Turkey brought opportunities to obtain new variables such as performance scores and service quality standards. The objectives of this study are: 1) perform sensitivity analysis to compare new variables to previous studies, 2) explore the effect of newly obtained quality scores on efficiency level. The study utilised data from 245 Ministry of Health general hospitals in 2008. Two models with old and new output variables were compared in sensitivity analysis. Then, a model which included quality scores was evaluated to test any evidence about efficiency and quality trade-offs. The sensitivity analysis showed that there was no significant difference between the two models. Quality variable added model have had no significant effect on existing models. The efficient hospitals in both models stayed efficient, however, quality scores had no effect on efficient hospitals, but some of the inefficient hospitals have increased their scores and became efficient.

Can Rural Telemedicine Help to Solve the Health Care Access Problems in Turkey

Purpose – Poor people often experience a delay in meeting their healthcare needs due to their economic situation. As a result, delayed diagnoses and treatment may increase disease severity, increase the risk of death, and enhance disease transmission in the community. The purpose of this paper is to provide important information about health service delays among the poorest people in Turkey.Design/methodology/approach – A field study is conducted among the 92 poorest households in the Etimesgut region of Ankara in order to ascertain any delays in health services among the poor, as well as the factors related to those delays.Findings – The results of the study show that 87 percent of the households lived on a daily income of US

Outsourcing profile in the Turkish health care system.

2.15, and that household members delay seeking healthcare services an average of 4.66±1.17 times in the past year. Reasons for delaying or not seeking healthcare services included the following: participants thought they would get better without doing anything (7.6 percent), by usi...

An evaluation of the leadership attitudes of managers in Turkish Armed Forces' hospitals.

Abstract In many developing countries, an ever-increasing population, great numbers of patients per hospital and physician, and unevenly distributed infrastructure are among the main sources of excessive pressure on the major health care institutions. According to the 1999 census, 35.3% of Turkeys population is rural. In order to find solutions to their health problems, they first seek medical attention at the nearest health care unit, then at state or private hospitals in the nearest town, and finally at university hospitals. Due to excessive demand, very often there are long waiting lists at these hospitals. This is a costly and inconvenient process due to traveling, accommodation and treatment expenses. Alternatively, a considerable percentage of rural residents may not need to travel such long distances if the nearest health care unit has links by means of telemedicine with reliable specialized health institutions. For regular health problems and even for routine check-ups, patients can be served in the rural health care units through medical data exchange, medical diagnosis and tele-consultancy by specialists with the help of telemedicine. Telemedicine may also play a major role in emergencies as a significant life-saving agent. The purpose of this study is to discuss telemedicine and relevant telecommunication technologies as a possible way to remedy the health care access problems of the rural population in Turkey.