English 215: Research and Writing FACTORS INFLUENCING QUALITY OF HEALTHCARE SERVICES Part 2 Charles H. Smith Dr. Saraswathi 30 May2015 Health care delivery to patients should be the best and of high quality. Health centers should ensure they work to ensure their clients gets maximum benefits from the services they are offering. Health services in the country have however been not to the best of their game with several factors affecting their efficiency. Most clients always complain of poor outcomes once they visit government health care facilities. The core of the establishment is poor and not able to help offer the best services the client expects. This is due to small amounts of funds allocated to health care sector by the government comparing to the needs of the citizens of the country (World Health Organization, 2003). This research paper will in deep length explain the problems that health care establishments faces in an effort to provide the best health care services to their clients. The stakeholders of healthcare sector, who are my audience, should ensure they serve their part effectively to ensure a smooth service delivery to their clients under all aspects. The technological, political and socioeconomic factors that pose these problems needs to be addressed and solutions provided to improve the health of the clients. Healthcare sectors has faced all of these problems for over several centuries now. Technological advancement is continuous and the government is ought to keep up with the current advancement as it affects patient delivery. Infrastructure in hospitals should be well in cooperated with technology (Kaplan, Damuk, Lynch, Cohen, 1996). Government policies and regulations on healthcare sector affect service delivery. It has not been able to provide the best solution in this sector thus affecting its development. Socioeconomic factors are present in every society and have always been affecting delivery of healthcare services to members of the society will the poor individuals been the most affected by this aspect. These problems and how they affect the delivery of healthcare services in hospitals are explained in this research paper in depth. Differences in socioeconomic status among the clients affect their service delivery in a health care establishment. This affects every society since there is always a difference in social and economic status among the members of a particular society (Cassel .J, 1974). The effects of this factor are very severe in an overpopulated community which is multicultural and facing unequal economic growth. The factors that pose the problems in health care delivery under this aspect and their effects are very harming and it’s crucial for the government to take precautionary measures to prevent such problems. Low-income earners will not be able to access the best health care services as these services require the client to pay a huge sum of money which this in ...

1. English 215: Research and Writing
FACTORS INFLUENCING QUALITY OF HEALTHCARE
SERVICES
Part 2
Charles H. Smith
Dr. Saraswathi
30 May2015
Health care delivery to patients should be the best and of
high quality. Health centers should ensure they work to ensure
their clients gets maximum benefits from the services they are
offering. Health services in the country have however been not
to the best of their game with several factors affecting their
efficiency. Most clients always complain of poor outcomes once
they visit government health care facilities. The core of the
establishment is poor and not able to help offer the best services
the client expects. This is due to small amounts of funds
allocated to health care sector by the government comparing to
the needs of the citizens of the country (World Health
Organization, 2003). This research paper will in deep length
explain the problems that health care establishments faces in an
effort to provide the best health care services to their clients.
The stakeholders of healthcare sector, who are my audience,

2. should ensure they serve their part effectively to ensure a
smooth service delivery to their clients under all aspects. The
technological, political and socioeconomic factors that pose
these problems needs to be addressed and solutions provided to
improve the health of the clients.
Healthcare sectors has faced all of these problems for
over several centuries now. Technological advancement is
continuous and the government is ought to keep up with the
current advancement as it affects patient delivery. Infrastructure
in hospitals should be well in cooperated with technology
(Kaplan, Damuk, Lynch, Cohen, 1996). Government policies
and regulations on healthcare sector affect service delivery. It
has not been able to provide the best solution in this sector thus
affecting its development. Socioeconomic factors are present in
every society and have always been affecting delivery of
healthcare services to members of the society will the poor
individuals been the most affected by this aspect. These
problems and how they affect the delivery of healthcare services
in hospitals are explained in this research paper in depth.
Differences in socioeconomic status among the clients
affect their service delivery in a health care establishment. This
affects every society since there is always a difference in social
and economic status among the members of a particular society
(Cassel .J, 1974). The effects of this factor are very severe in an
overpopulated community which is multicultural and facing
unequal economic growth. The factors that pose the problems in
health care delivery under this aspect and their effects are very
harming and it’s crucial for the government to take
precautionary measures to prevent such problems. Low-income
earners will not be able to access the best health care services
as these services require the client to pay a huge sum of money
which this individual lacks. Emergency services for this person
will be affected as most hospitals require a guarantee of the
individual’s ability to pay for hospital bills. This person won’t
be able to access health care services to the establishment of

3. his/her choice rather that which his/her income can allow them
to. In cases of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease,
this low income earning individual will not survive for a long
time (Cassel .J, 1974). After the capital he/she has gets
exhausted from continuous treatments, he/she will no longer be
able to get such services which mean they will just have to wait
to see their lives end. It’s so unfortunate that the government is
not doing enough to prevent such incidences. On the other hand,
the high economic class individuals will enjoy the best health
care services they want, from the establishments of their choice
and practitioners they wish to have. This is a problem that needs
to be addressed as soon as possible to help the low-income
earners not get the health services they need to have
(Donabedian, 1980).
Another solution to healthcare challenges would be to improve
the access to the preventive care. The access to preventive care
as well as necessary treatment enhances the outcome of the
health care system. Additionally, it reduces the costs of
treatments. According to research, the majority of the medical
finances are spent on treatment other than prevention (Kolstad
& Kowalski, 2012). The government should add resources that
will be used in the fight against chronic diseases that are
preventable. Therefore, the healthcare system should partially
involve the government by providing financial support to fight
preventable diseases.
There are healthcare service approaches or solutions that are
beneficial economically. The government provides financial
support to the health sector. The largest part of the finance goes
to treatment especially in purchasing the necessary equipment.
However, that cash could be used in other developmental
services that would result in the growth of the economy.
Moreover, an unhealthy community equates a less productive
human resource (Payne, et. al., 2013). Therefore, the economy
lowers or goes through a crisis. On the other hand, the health
insurance will also be affordable to the poor people in the
community. For this reason, the intervention will cater for the

4. less economically able to afford higher health insurance covers.
To sum, healthcare solutions will also benefit the economy
because a healthy human resource has increased output.
There is an advantage to ensuring that people have access to
portable insurance services in the healthcare system. Further,
the measure will maintain and improve the lives of the people.
Moreover, the insurance cover helps the individual prepare for
the unexpected health incidences. Usually, a person does not
anticipate or know when an incident or ailment will happen. For
this reason, the person is covered and assured of medical
services when they experience an illness in the midst of other
financial commitments (Payne, et. al., 2013). The individual
also finds the treatment of ailments at their early stages when
they are treatable. Therefore, the insurance cover reduces the
costs a person can incur during an unexpected outbreak.
Additionally, it caters for the yearly screening and standard
services recommended by the health practitioners (Payne, et.
al., 2013). The portable insurance also ensures that an
individual is covered even after losing their job or moving to
self-employment. In summary, the portable insurance services
are beneficial because they are accessible regardless of the
social or economic changes in an individual’s life.
Health insurance covers are also based on economic
classes which too affects the low-income earners while favoring
the high-income earners. In cases of high costing procedures in
hospitals, these poor individuals will not be favored as the
company will say that the individual’s income cannot guarantee
the amount to be used for the procedure (Cassel .J, 1974). The
high-class individuals will not be affected. Therefore,
socioeconomic status in the society has a great influence on
patient’s health care delivery. Necessary standardizations
policies and regulations ought to be put into place to help save
health care delivery by ensuring equality despite economic
disparities. Socially unprivileged individuals in the society will
not be able to access healthcare. It’s so unfortunate that the gap
created between the rich and poor regarding healthcare delivery

5. is due to the unregulated mushrooming private healthcare sector
(Kaplan, Damuk, Lynch, Cohen, 1996).
Political factors are also responsible for poor services
delivery. The government is mandated to ensure that all its
citizens get quality healthcare services in the hospitals. The
government has failed in doing so with most individuals from
the rural areas being unable to access health care due to poor
infrastructure. Most of these people have to travel for several
miles before they get a health center which is not well equipped
to offer quality services. The practitioners in such areas are
limited as most of them move to the urban areas where pay is
good and lifestyle is modern. This has made it difficult for these
members of such a community to survive in cases of epidemics.
The government is supposed to ensure that resources are equally
distributed across the country for all the citizens to enjoy
similar services as there is no superior citizen to another. This
unequal distribution of government resources has significantly
affected health care sector.
The amount of capital to be allocated for healthcare is
determined by the government budget (World Health
Organization, 2003). The normally allocated value is not enough
to cater for this sector as it’s growing technologically every day
and the equipment required has to be installed to improve the
quality of service delivery. Effective and efficient healthcare
systems need to be installed to speed up and improve the patient
outcome in every establishment despite its geographical
location in the country. Necessary policies and regulations need
to be set by the government to ensure the above issues are well
handled and the citizens of this country do not suffer from ill-
health anymore (Alexander, Weiner, Griffith, 2006).
Finally, technological factors possess similar effects to
health care sector. Assimilation of technology in the health field
is very slow in the country. The advances in medicine need to
be put into practice very fast to help the clients get these
services as they might be the solution to their problems.
Integration of new computer systems in healthcare

6. establishments is important as it not only increases the speed of
processing patient information but improves the health services
being offered. Poor systems are responsible for slow speed in
hospitals and lack of communication which ultimately lowers
the outcome of the patient. Poor infrastructure will not allow
the practitioners to perform particular procedures to their
patients. Heart disease, cancers and kidney conditions cannot be
treated in centers where the infrastructure is not well developed
and technology is poor. Patients in such an area will not benefit
but will have to go to urban areas where the hospitals are well
equipped to perform these procedures. This action will cost
them a lot and it’s not fair since every individual pays tax to the
government for it to offer quality healthcare services to them in
areas of their choice (Kaplan, Damuk, Lynch, Cohen, 1996).
In conclusion, the effects of socioeconomic, political
and technology on health are profound. The effects of these
factors are significantly felt by a community that is diverse and
multicultural with unequal distribution of resources. The effect
is usually one sided with the under-privileged individuals been
affected. These problems can be solved to improve healthcare
delivery. The solutions can be effective and will involve all
stakeholders in healthcare sector being responsible for their
sections and ensuring development under all aspects. In
summary, the healthcare services should provide solutions to
their challenges that are advantageous to the people;
economically, morally, socially, and equitably.
References
Cassel. J, (1974). The contribution of the social environment to
host resistance: the Fourth Wade Hampton Frost Lecture. Am J
Epidemiology, 104, 107
Kaplan G Damuk E Lynch JW Cohen RD (1996). Inequality in
income and mortality in the United States: Analysis of mortality
and potential pathways. BMJ, 312,996-1103.
World Health Organization. (2003). The World Health Report.
Alexander JA, Weiner BJ, Griffith J. (2006). Quality

7. improvement and hospital financial performance. Journal of
Organizational Behavior. 27:1003–29.
Donabedian A. (1980). The definition of quality and
approaches to its assessment. Ann Arbor: Michigan Health
Administration Press;
Kolstad, J. T., & Kowalski, A. E. (2012). The impact of health
care reform on hospital and
preventive care: evidence from Massachusetts. Journal of Public
Economics, 96(11),
909-929.
Payne, K., McAllister, M., & Davies, L. M. (2013). Valuing the
economic benefits of complex
interventions: when maximizing health is not sufficient. Health
economics, 22(3), 258-271.