Strategic planning is a methodical approach to generate fundamental decisions and actions that influence and direct the nature, function, and rationale of the public health sector. However, the existing literature presents mixed findings. This study aims identify potential knowledge gaps and unexplored areas in strategic planning, organizational performance, and its relationship. The scoping review was applied following PRISMA guidelines. A descriptive analysis was conducted to summarize key findings from studies focusing on strategic planning, organizational performance, and their relationship within the public health sector. Literature searches were conducted in the Scopus, EBCSO, and PubMed. Then, all retrieved articles, published between January 2015 and May 2024, were systematically reviewed. There were 16 studies that met the eligible criteria. Most articles focus on organizational performance in public health sectors followed by strategic planning and the relationship between strategic planning and organizational performance in the public health sector, accordingly. Most Studies showed that evaluation tools, supply chain management, transformative change, and strategic management are deemed for organizational development; and potential factors contributing to organizational performance were mainly human resource-related aspects. A confirmed relationship between strategic planning and organizational performance with mediators was presented. We conclude that strategic planning in public health involves carefully making important decisions and taking actions that define and direct the goals, activities, and purposes of the public health sector, while, it was an antecedence of public health sector performance.

Purpose: Retention of medical doctors and nurses in remote and rural areas is a key issue in India. The purpose of this paper is to assess the relevant policies and provisions with respect to health care professionals, aiming to develop feasible retention strategies in rural areas of Odisha state of India. Design/methodology/approach: The study employed documentary review and key informant interviews with policy elites (health planners, policy maker, researchers, etc.). The document review included published and unpublished reports, policy notifications and articles on human resources for health (HRH) in Odisha and similar settings. Throughout the study, the authors adapted World Health Organization’s framework to study policies relevant to HRH retention in rural areas. The adapted framework comprised of the four policy domains, education, regulation, financial incentives, professional and personal support, and 16 recommendations. Findings: In Odisha, the district quota system for admission is not practiced; however, students from special tribal and caste (Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste) communities, Socially and Educationally Backward Classes of citizens, and Persons with Disabilities have some allocated quota to study medicine and nursing. Medical education has a provision of community placement in rural hospitals. In government jobs, the newly recruited medical doctors serve a minimum of three years in rural areas. Doctors are given with location-based incentives to work in remote and difficult areas. The government has career development, deployment, and promotion avenues for doctors and nurses; however, these provisions are not implemented effectively. Originality/value: The government could address the rural retention problems, as illustrated in the study and put in place the most effective policies and provisions toward recruitment, deployment and attraction of HRH in remote and rural areas. At the same time, implementation HRH strategies and activities must be rigorously monitored and evaluated effectively.

This study was conducted during February-March 2012 to determine the perception and support regarding smoke-free policy among tourists at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Bangkok, Thailand. In this cross-sectional study, 200 tourists (n = 200) were enrolled by convenience sampling and interviewed by structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, and multinomial logistic regression were adopted in the study. Results revealed that half (50%) of the tourists were current smokers and 55% had visited Thailand twice or more. Three quarter (76%) of tourists indicated that they would visit Thailand again even if it had a 100% smoke-free regulation. Almost all (99%) of the tourists had supported for the smoke-free policy (partial ban and total ban), and current smokers had higher percentage of support than non-smokers. Two factors, current smoking status and knowledge level, were significantly associated with perception level. After analysis with Multinomial Logistic Regression, it was found that perception, country group, and presence of designated smoking room (DSR) were associated with smoke-free policy. Recommendation is that, at institution level effective monitoring system is needed at the airport. At policy level, the recommendation is that effective comprehensive policy needed to be emphasized to ensure smoke-free airport environment.

OBJECTIVE: Gaining insight into user satisfaction and its impact on the intention to use telemedicine is essential for the continued success of such services.METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out through an online survey targeting users of the Vajira@Home telemedicine platform. Data were collected via online survey questions, which was collected and analyzed through descriptive statistics, chi-squared tests, and multivariate binary logistic regression to explore the correlation between satisfaction and the intention to use telemedicine.RESULTS: A total of 389 respondents completed the questionnaire. Most respondents (81.2%) reported being satisfied with telemedicine services, and 72.5% indicated a strong intention to continue using them. Satisfaction emerged as the most influential factor in predicting the intention to use telemedicine (adjusted odds ratios (OR) = 13.28; 95% CI, 6.47–27.26; p < 0.001). Participants with a monthly income between 15,000 and 30,000 Thai Baht also showed a significantly higher intention to use the service (adjusted OR = 3.40; p = 0.048). Other demographic variables were not significant after adjustment.CONCLUSION: Satisfaction is the primary factor influencing the intention to use telemedicine under the Dusit Model. These results highlight the need to prioritize patient-centered care and improve user experiences to support the long-term integration of telemedicine into urban healthcare systems.

Introduction: Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death and disease worldwide. This study aimed to assess the smoking behaviour of adolescents in two districts of Nepal and examine the implications of the MPOWER policy on their smoking behaviour. Methods: An explanatory, mixed-method study was conducted in two districts of Nepal. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted among nine participants aged 35-50, representatives of the Ministry of Health, academic institutions, and managers of organisations working in tobacco control, using snowball sampling method. A total of 306 students of age 13-15 years, from six government schools were recruited through simple random sampling method using an adapted version of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS). Findings of the qualitative and quantitative study were explained for concurrence and relevance to present overall study findings. Ethical approval was received from the Nepal Health Research Council and Mahidol University. Results: Findings from the survey reported that a total of 25 (8.10%) of respondents were smokers, from which 13 (4.20%) were current smokers and 12 (3.90%) were ever smokers. Socio-economic status played a crucial role in the smoking behaviour. Although the survey among adolescents indicated an awareness of the policies, there was a lack of cessation services, which was concurrent with the qualitative findings. The interviews recommended improvements in the implementation of policy ban on public smoking, taxation, and availability of cessation services. Conclusions: The MPOWER policies are not regulated strictly, especially in areas of the ban on public smoking, regulating the selling of cigarettes to adolescents <18 years, and availability of cessation services.