Organized services to provide health care to expectant and nursing mothers.

Organized efforts by communities or organizations to improve the health and well-being of the mother.

Maternal deaths resulting from complications of pregnancy and childbirth in a given population.

The practice of assisting women in childbirth.

The degree to which individuals are inhibited or facilitated in their ability to gain entry to and to receive care and services from the health care system. Factors influencing this ability include geographic, architectural, transportational, and financial considerations, among others.

Delivery of the FETUS and PLACENTA under the care of an obstetrician or a health worker. Obstetric deliveries may involve physical, psychological, medical, or surgical interventions.

The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH.

Care provided the pregnant woman in order to prevent complications, and decrease the incidence of maternal and prenatal mortality.

The exertion of a strong influence or control over others in a variety of settings--administrative, social, academic, etc.

The seeking and acceptance by patients of health service.

Countries in the process of change with economic growth, that is, an increase in production, per capita consumption, and income. The process of economic growth involves better utilization of natural and human resources, which results in a change in the social, political, and economic structures.

Services for the diagnosis and treatment of disease and the maintenance of health.

Organized services to provide mental health care.

Social and economic factors that characterize the individual or group within the social structure.

Health services required by a population or community as well as the health services that the population or community is able and willing to pay for.

The integration of epidemiologic, sociological, economic, and other analytic sciences in the study of health services. Health services research is usually concerned with relationships between need, demand, supply, use, and outcome of health services. The aim of the research is evaluation, particularly in terms of structure, process, output, and outcome. (From Last, Dictionary of Epidemiology, 2d ed)

The concept concerned with all aspects of providing and distributing health services to a patient population.

Health care services related to human REPRODUCTION and diseases of the reproductive system. Services are provided to both sexes and usually by physicians in the medical or the surgical specialties such as REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE; ANDROLOGY; GYNECOLOGY; OBSTETRICS; and PERINATOLOGY.

The level of health of the individual, group, or population as subjectively assessed by the individual or by more objective measures.

Health services, public or private, in rural areas. The services include the promotion of health and the delivery of health care.

Decisions, usually developed by government policymakers, for determining present and future objectives pertaining to the health care system.

Branch of medicine concerned with the prevention and control of disease and disability, and the promotion of physical and mental health of the population on the international, national, state, or municipal level.

Diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive health services provided for individuals in the community.

Organized services to provide health care for children.

Statistical measures of utilization and other aspects of the provision of health care services including hospitalization and ambulatory care.

The levels of excellence which characterize the health service or health care provided based on accepted standards of quality.

Innovation and improvement of the health care system by reappraisal, amendment of services, and removal of faults and abuses in providing and distributing health services to patients. It includes a re-alignment of health services and health insurance to maximum demographic elements (the unemployed, indigent, uninsured, elderly, inner cities, rural areas) with reference to coverage, hospitalization, pricing and cost containment, insurers' and employers' costs, pre-existing medical conditions, prescribed drugs, equipment, and services.

A systematic collection of factual data pertaining to health and disease in a human population within a given geographic area.

Encouraging consumer behaviors most likely to optimize health potentials (physical and psychosocial) through health information, preventive programs, and access to medical care.

Diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive mental health services provided for individuals in the community.

Facilities which administer the delivery of health care services to mothers and children.

Care which provides integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community. (JAMA 1995;273(3):192)

Health care programs or services designed to assist individuals in the planning of family size. Various methods of CONTRACEPTION can be used to control the number and timing of childbirths.

Deliberate maltreatment of groups of humans beings including violations of generally-accepted fundamental rights as stated by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted and proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948.

Organized services to provide health care to adolescents, ages ranging from 13 through 18 years.

The amounts spent by individuals, groups, nations, or private or public organizations for total health care and/or its various components. These amounts may or may not be equivalent to the actual costs (HEALTH CARE COSTS) and may or may not be shared among the patient, insurers, and/or employers.

Services designed for HEALTH PROMOTION and prevention of disease.

Planning for needed health and/or welfare services and facilities.

Services for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in the aged and the maintenance of health in the elderly.

The organization and administration of health services dedicated to the delivery of health care.

The state wherein the person is well adjusted.

Health services for employees, usually provided by the employer at the place of work.

Differences in access to or availability of medical facilities and services.

A system of medical care regulated, controlled and financed by the government, in which the government assumes responsibility for the health needs of the population.

Public attitudes toward health, disease, and the medical care system.

Components of a national health care system which administer specific services, e.g., national health insurance.

Insurance providing coverage of medical, surgical, or hospital care in general or for which there is no specific heading.

The care provided to women and their NEWBORNS for the first few months following CHILDBIRTH.

Preferentially rated health-related activities or functions to be used in establishing health planning goals. This may refer specifically to PL93-641.

Management of public health organizations or agencies.

Organized services to provide health care to women. It excludes maternal care services for which MATERNAL HEALTH SERVICES is available.

The concept pertaining to the health status of inhabitants of the world.

Health services, public or private, in urban areas. The services include the promotion of health and the delivery of health care.

A constituent organization of the DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES concerned with protecting and improving the health of the nation.

The status of health in rural populations.

Health care provided to specific cultural or tribal peoples which incorporates local customs, beliefs, and taboos.

Knowledge, attitudes, and associated behaviors which pertain to health-related topics such as PATHOLOGIC PROCESSES or diseases, their prevention, and treatment. This term refers to non-health workers and health workers (HEALTH PERSONNEL).

Studies in which the presence or absence of disease or other health-related variables are determined in each member of the study population or in a representative sample at one particular time. This contrasts with LONGITUDINAL STUDIES which are followed over a period of time.

The state of the organism when it functions optimally without evidence of disease.

The inhabitants of rural areas or of small towns classified as rural.

Men and women working in the provision of health services, whether as individual practitioners or employees of health institutions and programs, whether or not professionally trained, and whether or not subject to public regulation. (From A Discursive Dictionary of Health Care, 1976)

Any type of research that employs nonnumeric information to explore individual or group characteristics, producing findings not arrived at by statistical procedures or other quantitative means. (Qualitative Inquiry: A Dictionary of Terms Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1997)

Institutions which provide medical or health-related services.

Community health and NURSING SERVICES providing coordinated multiple services to the patient at the patient's homes. These home-care services are provided by a visiting nurse, home health agencies, HOSPITALS, or organized community groups using professional staff for care delivery. It differs from HOME NURSING which is provided by non-professionals.

A health care system which combines physicians, hospitals, and other medical services with a health plan to provide the complete spectrum of medical care for its customers. In a fully integrated system, the three key elements - physicians, hospital, and health plan membership - are in balance in terms of matching medical resources with the needs of purchasers and patients. (Coddington et al., Integrated Health Care: Reorganizing the Physician, Hospital and Health Plan Relationship, 1994, p7)

Federal, state, or local government organized methods of financial assistance.

Predetermined sets of questions used to collect data - clinical data, social status, occupational group, etc. The term is often applied to a self-completed survey instrument.

Conversations with an individual or individuals held in order to obtain information about their background and other personal biographical data, their attitudes and opinions, etc. It includes school admission or job interviews.

Behaviors expressed by individuals to protect, maintain or promote their health status. For example, proper diet, and appropriate exercise are activities perceived to influence health status. Life style is closely associated with health behavior and factors influencing life style are socioeconomic, educational, and cultural.

An infant during the first month after birth.

A division of the UNITED STATES PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE that is responsible for the public health and the provision of medical services to NATIVE AMERICANS in the United States, primarily those residing on reservation lands.

Planning for the equitable allocation, apportionment, or distribution of available health resources.

Education that increases the awareness and favorably influences the attitudes and knowledge relating to the improvement of health on a personal or community basis.

The area of a nation's economy that is tax-supported and under government control.

The concept covering the physical and mental conditions of women.

A situation in which the level of living of an individual, family, or group is below the standard of the community. It is often related to a specific income level.

Conditions or pathological processes associated with pregnancy. They can occur during or after pregnancy, and range from minor discomforts to serious diseases that require medical interventions. They include diseases in pregnant females, and pregnancies in females with diseases.

Those actions designed to carry out recommendations pertaining to health plans or programs.

A medical-surgical specialty concerned with management and care of women during pregnancy, parturition, and the puerperium.

Studies designed to assess the efficacy of programs. They may include the evaluation of cost-effectiveness, the extent to which objectives are met, or impact.

Activities concerned with governmental policies, functions, etc.

Attitudes of personnel toward their patients, other professionals, toward the medical care system, etc.

Psychiatric illness or diseases manifested by breakdowns in the adaptational process expressed primarily as abnormalities of thought, feeling, and behavior producing either distress or impairment of function.

The optimal state of the mouth and normal functioning of the organs of the mouth without evidence of disease.

Planning for health resources at a regional or multi-state level.

The activities and endeavors of the public health services in a community on any level.

Services designed to promote, maintain, or restore dental health.

The promotion and maintenance of physical and mental health in the work environment.

Childbirth taking place in the home.

Economic sector concerned with the provision, distribution, and consumption of health care services and related products.

Variation in rates of disease occurrence and disabilities between population groups defined by socioeconomic characteristics such as age, ethnicity, economic resources, or gender and populations identified geographically or similar measures.

Research aimed at assessing the quality and effectiveness of health care as measured by the attainment of a specified end result or outcome. Measures include parameters such as improved health, lowered morbidity or mortality, and improvement of abnormal states (such as elevated blood pressure).

Available manpower, facilities, revenue, equipment, and supplies to produce requisite health care and services.

Activities and programs intended to assure or improve the quality of care in either a defined medical setting or a program. The concept includes the assessment or evaluation of the quality of care; identification of problems or shortcomings in the delivery of care; designing activities to overcome these deficiencies; and follow-up monitoring to ensure effectiveness of corrective steps.

Groups of persons whose range of options is severely limited, who are frequently subjected to COERCION in their DECISION MAKING, or who may be compromised in their ability to give INFORMED CONSENT.

Organized efforts by communities or organizations to improve the health and well-being of infants.

An independent state in eastern Africa. Ethiopia is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered on the north and northeast by Eritrea, on the east by Djibouti and Somalia, on the south by Kenya, and on the west and southwest by Sudan. Its capital is Addis Ababa.

Outside services provided to an institution under a formal financial agreement.

Human males as cultural, psychological, sociological, political, and economic entities.

The availability of HEALTH PERSONNEL. It includes the demand and recruitment of both professional and allied health personnel, their present and future supply and distribution, and their assignment and utilization.

A kingdom in southern Africa, within the republic of SOUTH AFRICA. Its capital is Maseru.

A cabinet department in the Executive Branch of the United States Government concerned with administering those agencies and offices having programs pertaining to health and human services.

An international organization whose members include most of the sovereign nations of the world with headquarters in New York City. The primary objectives of the organization are to maintain peace and security and to achieve international cooperation in solving international economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian problems.

Health care provided to individuals.

A geographic area defined and served by a health program or institution.

Facilities which administer the delivery of health care services to people living in a community or neighborhood.

A stratum of people with similar position and prestige; includes social stratification. Social class is measured by criteria such as education, occupation, and income.

The inhabitants of a city or town, including metropolitan areas and suburban areas.

Planning that has the goals of improving health, improving accessibility to health services, and promoting efficiency in the provision of services and resources on a comprehensive basis for a whole community. (From Facts on File Dictionary of Health Care Management, 1988, p299)

Medical problems associated with OBSTETRIC LABOR, such as BREECH PRESENTATION; PREMATURE OBSTETRIC LABOR; HEMORRHAGE; or others. These complications can affect the well-being of the mother, the FETUS, or both.

Statistical models which describe the relationship between a qualitative dependent variable (that is, one which can take only certain discrete values, such as the presence or absence of a disease) and an independent variable. A common application is in epidemiology for estimating an individual's risk (probability of a disease) as a function of a given risk factor.

The status of health in urban populations.

The science of controlling or modifying those conditions, influences, or forces surrounding man which relate to promoting, establishing, and maintaining health.

Preventive health services provided for students. It excludes college or university students.

Health services for college and university students usually provided by the educational institution.

Application of marketing principles and techniques to maximize the use of health care resources.

Educational attainment or level of education of individuals.

Female parents, human or animal.

Organizations and individuals cooperating together toward a common goal at the local or grassroots level.

Human females who are pregnant, as cultural, psychological, or sociological entities.

An infection occurring in PUERPERIUM, the period of 6-8 weeks after giving birth.

The practice of sending a patient to another program or practitioner for services or advice which the referring source is not prepared to provide.

The total number of cases of a given disease in a specified population at a designated time. It is differentiated from INCIDENCE, which refers to the number of new cases in the population at a given time.

A republic in southern Africa east of ZAMBIA and MOZAMBIQUE. Its capital is Lilongwe. It was formerly called Nyasaland.

Systematic identification of a population's needs or the assessment of individuals to determine the proper level of services needed.

The care of women and a fetus or newborn given before, during, and after delivery from the 28th week of gestation through the 7th day after delivery.

That distinct portion of the institutional, industrial, or economic structure of a country that is controlled or owned by non-governmental, private interests.

Services specifically designed, staffed, and equipped for the emergency care of patients.

A specialized agency of the United Nations designed as a coordinating authority on international health work; its aim is to promote the attainment of the highest possible level of health by all peoples.

A method of data collection and a QUALITATIVE RESEARCH tool in which a small group of individuals are brought together and allowed to interact in a discussion of their opinions about topics, issues, or questions.

Elements of residence that characterize a population. They are applicable in determining need for and utilization of health services.

People who frequently change their place of residence.

The degree to which the individual regards the health care service or product or the manner in which it is delivered by the provider as useful, effective, or beneficial.

Persons trained to assist professional health personnel in communicating with residents in the community concerning needs and availability of health services.