Objectives: To evaluate disparity in service quality between second- and third-tier hospitals and explore factors that affect patients' perception of service quality in China. Design: Cross sectional study. Setting: Twelve hospitals in China. Participants: 5714 patients. Intervention: None. Main Outcome Measure: Total score of the SERVQUAL scale and each of its five dimensions. Results: Patients from third-tier hospitals rated significantly higher scores overall and in all the five dimensions of the SERVQUAL scale. Those with lower education, urban residents and those who had higher degree of life satisfaction and attention paid to health perceived higher service quality. Inpatients perceived higher service quality compared with outpatients. Conclusion: We found a significant gap in patient's perceived service quality between second- and third-tier hospitals in China. A variety of demographic and personality factors were found to significantly influence patient's perceived service quality.

In Africa, the intricate relationship between food security and health outcomes is increasingly challenged by the unpredictable forces of climate change. With this in mind, we utilized panel data spanning from 2010–2022 for 46 African nations, sub-grouped into regional panels to analyze the moderating role of climate change on food security- health outcome nexus, contributing to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2 (Zero Hunger), 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), and 13 (Climate Action). Considering issues of residual cross-sectional dependence and slope heterogeneity which are potential in panel data setting, the study utilized the Augmented Mean Group and the Common Correlated Mean Group techniques as the main methods in estimating the relationships amid the employed variables. Major outcomes from the study’s analysis revealed that, across all panels of African states, there is no doubt that climate change has a substantial, direct detrimental impact on health outcomes. Also, while the moderating effect of climate change is clearly negative in the case of Northern and Central regional panels, it is significantly positive in the aggregated, Eastern, Western, and Southern African regions with regard to the relationship between food security and health outcomes. In light of these findings, addressing the relationship between food security and health in Africa while taking the moderating impacts of climate change into account requires a region-specific approach.

Access to state-of-the-art infrastructure is inevitable for a higher standard of living for the people of any country. At least, this has been the case for developed countries. This study investigates the link between information and communication technologies (ICT) and life expectancy at birth (LEB) among low-income countries. We use panel data of low-income countries from 2000 to 2017 from the comprehensive World Bank dataset. Our analysis strategy includes employing Driskol and Kraay methodology and feasible generalized least squares to tackle cross-sectional dependence. Furthermore, we also employ the instrumental variable technique to deal with the endogeneity problem. We found that a rise in mobile internet use and Mobile Cellular Subscriptions led to improved LEB among low-income countries. On the contrary, the rise in fixed telephone subscriptions had a negative empirical effect on reducing LEB—however, the magnitude of the effect ranged between 0% and 4%.

The human microbiome is increasingly recognized as a key mediator of health and disease, yet translating microbial associations into actionable interventions remains challenging. This review synthesizes advances in machine learning (ML) and causal inference applied to human microbiome research, emphasizing policy-relevant applications. Explainable ML approaches, have identified microbial drivers, guiding targeted strategies. Econometric tools, including instrumental variables, difference-in-differences, and panel data models, provide robust frameworks for validating causal relationships, while hybrid methods like Double Machine Learning (Double ML) and Deep Instrumental Variables (Deep IV) address high-dimensional and non-linear effects, enabling precise evaluation of microbiome-mediated interventions. Policy translation is further enhanced by federated learning, standardized analytical pipelines, and model visualization frameworks, which collectively improve reproducibility, scalability, and data privacy compliance. By integrating predictive power with causal rigor, microbiome research can move beyond observational associations to generate interventions that are biologically grounded, clinically actionable, and policy-ready. This roadmap provides a blueprint for translating mechanistic microbial insights into real-world health solutions, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration, standardized reporting, and evidence-based policymaking.

Background: Burnout is evidenced to have adverse effect on the well-being of health workers. Although several risk factors of burnout have been found, only a hand full of studies have examined the role of teamwork quality. This study therefore sought to explore the relationship between the sub-dimensions of burnout and teamwork quality. Method: This is an empirical study involving health workers who have practising certificate from the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China. Relying on the study’s target population, a sample of 939 healthworkers complied to partake in the survey. Data were obtained from the administration of a well-structured electronic questionnaire containing the Maslach Burnout Inventory together with Healthy and Resilient Organization (HERO) scales correspondingly. The scales were then analysed using the canonical correlation approach (CCA). Results: The results unveiled a statistically significant correlation between teamwork quality and health worker burnout indicating that teamwork quality and burnout are canonically correlated. Further, examination on the relationship existing between the dimensions of teamwork quality and burnout unveiled that with the exception of personal accomplishment and teamwork dedication, teamwork quality sub-scales (teamwork vigour and teamwork absorption) were negatively related to emotional exhaustion and depersonalization as sub-scales of burnout, respectively. Conclusion: The study concluded that, surge in teamwork quality leads to reduced emotional exhaustion and reduced depersonalization while simultaneously increasing professional accomplishment. Therefore, this study presents a solid foundation for decreasing burnout syndrome in healthcare that can be implemented by successfully increasing levels of teamwork quality.