Theses (MBA In Healthcare Management)

This study examines the relationship between health expenditures, economic growth, and health outcomes in ASEAN region. It specifically looks at the impact on life ex­pectancy and infant mortality rates. Using annual dataset from 2000 to 2021 taken from the World Development Index by World Bank, the study applies econometric technique panel ARDL and Dumitrescu-Hurlin causality tests. The findings reveal a significant positive association between public and private health expenditures with life expectancy in the long term, emphasizing the critical role of government spending in improving health outcomes, with the complementing support of the private sectors. However, the mixed impacts of public health expenditure on infant mortality rates sug­gest potential inefficiencies and mis-allocations in health spending. There is a clear link between economic growth with increased life expectancy and infant mortality reduc­tion, which highlights the importance of sustained economic development for better health outcomes. The study also identifies bidirectional causality between GDP per capita and life expectancy. In order to achieve significant improvements in population health, it is crucial to make strategic health investments. Policy implications include the need for targeted policies to address healthcare financing and service delivery dis­parities in ASEAN countries. Governments should effectively allocate health expenditure to ensure equitable access to healthcare services, particularly for vulnera­ble populations. Future research should focus on examining the impact of health interventions and policies, by including other health indicators and factors to gain more comprehensive view into the progress of UHC and to identify best practices. Keywords: health expenditure, economic growth, health outcome, ASEAN

Travel insurance is becoming more widely recognised as a critical financial safeguard against unforeseen travel-related complications on a global scale. However, its adoption rate in Malaysia remains below the global average, necessitating a deeper understanding of the contributing factors. This quantitative study investigates the behaviours and perceptions of Malaysian travellers, with a particular emphasis on the Klang Valley region, to provide actionable insights for boosting travel insurance adoption in Malaysia. This study investigates the impact of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control on the intention to purchase travel insurance, using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) as its foundation. Furthermore, it incorporates insurance literacy as an additional predictor into the TPB model. A bilingual online questionnaire was implemented to gather data from travellers in the Klang Valley, employing non-random sampling. The results indicate that demographic variables, including age, education, income, attitudes, risk perceptions, and travel insurance knowledge significantly influence purchase intentions. These insights can assist the insurance industry and policymakers in promoting travel insurance, thereby fostering socioeconomic development through the tourism sector.

Healthcare quality assessment is the key to drive organizations towards a patient-centred approach, and the evaluation of service quality by exploring patient and family satisfaction is one of the ways forward in identifying the principal drivers for optimal patient experience. This study investigates the factors affecting customer satisfaction in a private rehabilitation hospital in Putrajaya by adapting SERVQUAL model which are tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, empathy, and assurance. The study further investigates the relationship between customer satisfaction and the willingness to recommend the hospital and the mediation effect of customers satisfaction on SERVQUAL dimension and willingness to recommend the hospital. This study employs quantitative, cross-sectional research design and adapted systematic random sampling. The target population were patients and family members attending rehabilitation sessions at DAEHAN Rehabilitation Hospital Putrajaya. The study was conducted from March to April 2024 involving 161 respondents. The findings revealed that tangibles, reliability, empathy, and assurance of the SERVQUAL dimension has a significant relationship with customer satisfaction, with assurance being the most important factor. Further analysis shows that customer satisfaction has a significant relationship with the willingness to recommend the hospital. This study also found that customer satisfaction plays an important mediating role in strengthening the relationship between tangibles, reliability, empathy and assurance towards the willingness to recommend the hospital. One of the limitations of the study is that it focuses primarily on a private rehabilitation hospital in Putrajaya, thus restricting generalizability to other private and public hospitals. Despite the limitations, the novel findings of this study and the insights provided may contribute to future studies, besides providing better understanding of service quality assessment in the healthcare context. Finally, the finding of the study is aimed as a steppingstone and to shed light for hospital leaders to decide on comprehensive and attentive quality improvement strategies.

This study investigates the relationships between general practitioners' (GPs) knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and referral intentions towards Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in the Klang Valley, focusing on the mediating role of communication. This study aims to assess general practitioners' (GPs) knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions towards Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and their referral intentions for CAM therapies. It also examines whether GPs' years of practice moderate the relationship between their knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and referral intentions. Additionally, the study investigates the mediating role of effective communication in the relationship between GPs' knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and their referral intentions towards CAM. Data were collected from 144 respondents, resulting in a response rate of 28.8%, which aligns with similar studies in healthcare settings. The questionnaire data were meticulously coded and analyzed using SPSS, ensuring no missing values and a high level of data completeness. Validity and reliability tests confirmed the accuracy and consistency of the survey instruments, with construct validity verified through factor analysis and reliability evidenced by high Cronbach's alpha values across all constructs (overall alpha = 0.892). Descriptive analysis revealed that the largest group of respondents had 11-15 years of experience, providing a balanced mix of early career and highly experienced practitioners. Inferential analysis supported the hypothesis that knowledge positively affects communication (Hla), with a significant path coefficient of0.318. However, attitudes (Hlb) and perceptions (Hlc) did not significantly influence communication, suggesting that other factors may play a more critical role. Furthermore, the study found that years of practice did not significantly impact the relationship between knowledge, attitude, practice, and communication (Hypothesis 2a- 2c).The mediation analysis highlighted that communication significantly mediates the relationship between GPs' knowledge, attitude, perception, and their referral intentions towards CAM. This emphasizes the essential role of effective communication in translating GPs' knowledge and perceptions into referral practices, thereby promoting a more integrated approach to patient care. These findings underscore the importance of enhancing communication strategies and targeted educational interventions to improve GPs' ability to discuss and recommend CAM therapies. By doing so, the integration of CAM into conventional medical practices can be further advanced, benefiting patient care. KEY WORDS: Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Knowledge, Attitude, Perception, Communication and Referral Intentions.

The transition to Electronic Health Records (EHRs) from paper-based patient records has presented various challenges, such as coordinating care, usability of software interfaces, privacy and cybersecurity issues, new types of medication errors, and psychological distress leading to burnout and a negative user experience. Similar difficulties have been observed in a specialized health center in Saudi Arabia that recently implemented new EHRs software with nurses expressing dissatisfaction towards the changes. This study aimed to identify and analyze the factors influencing the adoption of EHRs among nurses in Saudi Arabia. It employed a non-experimental cross-sectional research design with 141 clinical nurses participating. Drawing inspiration from several theories including Theory of Reasoned Action, Theory of Planned Behavior, Technology Adoption Model, Diffusion of Innovation Model and Technology-Organization-Environment Framework; the proposed conceptual framework sought to establish relationships between EHRs usability digital competency attitude toward technology usage organizational training with perceived usefulness ease-of-use. Lastly it explores the role these variables play in fostering adoption of EHRs system. The results showed positive associations between usability, digital competency, attitude toward technologies, and organizational training with how easily adoptable the system was. The study did not explore the demographic implications on the adoption or whether a representative sample size could limit its applicability. Self-report questionnaires may introduce bias; however, despite this limitation, the innovative framework and insights provided could serve as a valuable foundation for further research in the field of health information systems.