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Health care planning for low income urban residents

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Summary

The purpose of this paper has been to provide a framework for conceptualizing the health care needs of economically disadvantaged urban residents. The need to approach health problems in a comprehensive manner was stressed. It is felt that a broad framework such as the one outlined is needed in the area of medical activity currently referred to as social psychiatry. The kinds of data systems that are needed in order to effectively plan for health care needs were reviewed. The ideas presented constitute an orientation and a rationale that can be followed when attempting to develop ways of dealing with the health care needs of the economically disadvantaged population sector. In this orientation, behavioral science constructs and methods are brought to bear on medical phenomena, the latter viewed generically. Ways of combining differing types of needs in order to arrive at an index that reflects the relative need of the community was discussed.

Résumé

Dans ce travail, on s'est proposé de donner un cadre de conceptualisation pour les besoins de soins de la population urbaine économiquement désavantagée. On a mis l'accent sur la nécessité d'approcher les problèmes de santé de façon étendue. On pense qu'un cadre vaste, tel que celui qui est décrit, est nécessaire dans le domaine d'activité médicale considéré couramment comme psychiatrie sociale. Les différents systèmes de données dont on a besoin pour une planification effective des besoins de soins ont été passés en revue. Les idées présentées constituent une orientation et une analyse raisonnée que l'on peut appliquer lorsqu'on tente de développer les différentes façons de répondre aux besoins de soins du secteur de population économiquement désavantagé. Dans cette orientation, les acquisitions et méthodes de la science du comportement portent sur le phénomène médical, ce dernier vu génériquement. Les façons de combiner des types de besoins différents dans le but d'obtenir un index qui reflète le besoin relatif de la communauté sont discutées.

Zusammenfassung

Diese Arbeit zielt darauf ab, ein System für die Erfassung des Bedarfs an Gesundheitsfürsorge von ökonomisch benachteiligten Stadtbewohnern zu erstellen. Die Notwendigkeit, sich mit Gesundheitsproblemen auf eine umfassende Weise auseinanderzusetzen, wurde hervorgehoben. Man glaubt, daß ein breites System, so wie es hier umrissen wird, im Bereich der medizinischen Aktivität gebraucht wird, den man üblicherweise als Sozialpsychiatrie bezeichnet. In einer Übersicht werden die Arten der Datensysteme, die für eine effektive Planung für den Bedarf an Gesundheitsfürsorge benötigt werden, aufgezeigt. Die dargestellten Gedanken geben eine Orientierung und eine logische Grundlage. Man kann ihnen folgen, wenn man versucht, Wege zu entwickeln, auf denen man dem Bedarf an Gesundheitsfürsorge des ökonomisch benachteiligten Bevölkerungsteils begegnen kann. In dieser Orientierung wurde die Beziehung zwischen verhaltenswissenschaftlichen Begriffen und Methoden und medizinischen Phänomenen hergestellt. Die letztgenannten werden generell betrachtet. Es werden Methoden für die Kombination verschiedener Bedürfnistypen diskutiert, um einen Maßstab zu gewinnen, der den relativen Bedarf der Gemeinde angibt.

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Supported in part by United States Public Health Service Grant No. RM-00007.

Preparation of this manuscript was aided by a grant from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, Austin, Texas.

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Fabrega, H., Roberts, R.E. & Merrill, J.M. Health care planning for low income urban residents. Soc Psychiatry 5, 84–91 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00594718

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