Browsing by Author "Akgun, Seval"

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Dutch citizens of Turkish origin who utilize healthcare services in Turkey: a qualitative study on motives and contextual factors
(2018) Akgun, Seval; Sekercan, Aydin; Woudstra, Anke J.; Peters, Ron J. G.; Lamkaddem, Majda; Essink-Bot, Marie-Louise; 29665855
Background: Dutch residents of Turkish origin frequently utilize healthcare in Turkey. Methods: To investigate their motives for doing so, we conducted a qualitative study among these healthcare users using semi-structured interviews. We complemented this with informal conversations with Turkish healthcare providers and observations at the registration offices and waiting rooms of outpatient clinics in several Turkish hospitals. Results: Respondents believed their perceived needs for referral to specialist care and diagnostic assessments to quantify their health were not being met in the Netherlands. Conclusions: These mismatches in expectations of what constitutes "good care" led to dissatisfaction with Dutch primary care. Consequently, respondents utilized healthcare in Turkey if the opportunity arose, and were encouraged in this by their social networks. Establishing cross-border communication between healthcare providers is necessary, because there is currently no continuity of care for cross-border patients.
Enhancing an International Perspective in Public Health Teaching through Formalized University Partnerships
(2017) Akgun, Seval; Brzoska, Patrick; Antia, Bassey E.; Thankappan, K.R.; Nayar, Kesavan Rajasekharan; Razum, Oliver; 28337431; AAL-1266-2021
Teaching in the field of public health needs to employ a global perspective to account for the fact that public health problems and solutions have global determinants and implications as well. International university partnerships can promote such a perspective through the strengthening of cooperation, exchange, and communication between academic institutions across national boundaries. As an example for such an academic network in the field of public health, we introduce the International Public Health Partnership-a collaboration between a university in Germany and universities in India, Turkey, and Nigeria. Formed in 2005, it facilitated the exchange of information, fostered discussion about the transferability of public health concepts, contributed to the structural development of the universities involved, and promoted an intercultural dialog through a combination of local and distance learning activities. Although well accepted by students and staff, different obstacles were encountered; these included limited external funding, scarce own financial, time and personnel resources, and diverging regulations and structures of degree programs at the partnership sites. In the present article, we share several lessons that we learned during our joint collaboration and provide recommendations for other universities that are involved in partnerships with institutions of higher education or are interested to initiate such collaborations.
Factors associated with the quality of outpatient service: The application of factor analysis - A case study
(2020) Alkuwaiti, Ahmed; Maruthamuthu, Thennarasu; Akgun, Seval
Background: Measuring patient satisfaction is a key factor in assessing the quality of patient care. Patient satisfaction outcomes are affected by many variables. Identifying and analyzing effective factors related to patients' overall satisfaction constitutes an essential aspect of the study of modern healthcare. Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the factors vital to patients' satisfaction with outpatient service. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was carried out from April to June 2015, consisting of 945 patients in the outpatient services division of King Fahd Hospital of the Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University. Subjects were selected through the simple random sampling method, and data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was checked for validity and reliability using the Cronbach alpha coefficient and Reliability analysis. The factor analysis technique was used to find the most significant factors affecting patient satisfaction. Results: Exploratory factor analysis showed that the outpatients' satisfaction comprised four factors namely, professional care, availability of services, waiting time, and satisfaction of laboratory service. These four factors explained 82% of the total variance of patient satisfaction. Based on the results of the factor analysis, satisfaction with physician services and appointment service was identified as the most important aspects of overall satisfaction. Conclusion: Physician-related services, the waiting time for getting test reports, and the wait time for appointment are the major factors affecting patient satisfaction in the outpatient department. Hence, improving the quality of these factors will improve the overall quality of outpatient services for patients.
Unravelling data for rapid evidence-based response to COVID-19: a summary of the unCoVer protocol
(2021) Penalvo, Jose L.; Mertens, Elly; Ademovic, Enisa; Akgun, Seval; Baltazar, Ana Lucia; Buonfrate, Dora; Coklo, Miran; Devleesschauwer, Brecht; Diaz Valencia, Paula Andrea; Fernandes, Joao C.; Javier Gomez, Enrique; Hynds, Paul; Kabir, Zubair; Klein, Jorn; Kostoulas, Polychronis; Jimenez, Lucia Llanos; Lotrean, Lucia Maria; Majdan, Marek; Menasalvas, Ernestina; Nguewa, Paul; Oh, In-Hwan; O'Sullivan, Georgie; Pereira, David M.; Ortiz, Miguel Reina; Riva, Silvia; Soriano, Gloria; Soriano, Joan B.; Spilki, Fernando; Tamang, Mary Elizabeth; Trofor, Antigona Carmen; Vaillant, Michel; Van Ierssel, Sabrina; Vukovic, Jakov; Castellano, Jose M.; 34794999
Introduction unCoVer-Unravelling data for rapid evidence-based response to COVID-19-is a Horizon 2020-funded network of 29 partners from 18 countries capable of collecting and using real-world data (RWD) derived from the response and provision of care to patients with COVID-19 by health systems across Europe and elsewhere. unCoVer aims to exploit the full potential of this information to rapidly address clinical and epidemiological research questions arising from the evolving pandemic. Methods and analysis From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, partners are gathering RWD from electronic health records currently including information from over 22 000 hospitalised patients with COVID-19, and national surveillance and screening data, and registries with over 1 900 000 COVID-19 cases across Europe, with continuous updates. These heterogeneous datasets will be described, harmonised and integrated into a multi-user data repository operated through Opal-DataSHIELD, an interoperable open-source server application. Federated data analyses, without sharing or disclosing any individual-level data, will be performed with the objective to reveal patients' baseline characteristics, biomarkers, determinants of COVID-19 prognosis, safety and effectiveness of treatments, and potential strategies against COVID-19, as well as epidemiological patterns. These analyses will complement evidence from efficacy/safety clinical trials, where vulnerable, more complex/heterogeneous populations and those most at risk of severe COVID-19 are often excluded. Ethics and dissemination After strict ethical considerations, databases will be available through a federated data analysis platform that allows processing of available COVID-19 RWD without disclosing identification information to analysts and limiting output to data aggregates. Dissemination of unCoVer's activities will be related to the access and use of dissimilar RWD, as well as the results generated by the pooled analyses. Dissemination will include training and educational activities, scientific publications and conference communications.