BACKGROUND Most low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) rely significantly on private health expenditure in the form of out-of-pocket payments (OOP) and voluntary health insurance (VHI). This paper assesses VHI expenditure trends in LMIC and explores possible explanations. This illuminates challenges deriving from changes in VHI expenditure as countries aim to progress equitably towards univers...

INTRODUCTION The Voice Handicap Index has been shown to be a valid instrument for assessing self-perceived handicap associated with dysphonia. OBJECTIVES To test the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the VHI-30 (Voice Handicap Index) and its shortened version VHI-10. SUBJECTS AND METHOD The original VHI-30 was translated into Spanish and was completed by 232 dysphonic patien...

Objective: Explore the practical clinical significance and correlation of voice handicap index (VHI) for vocal polyps and vocal nodules, and further validate practicality of VHI. Methods: VHI of vocal cord polyp group (n = 35), vocal nodule group (n = 29), and control group (n = 22) was surveyed respectively. The VHI investigation included three categories of function (F), physiology (P) and em...

BACKGROUND Responses to height may range from indifference to minor distress to severe symptoms of fear of heights (acrophobia); visual height intolerance (vHI) denotes the whole spectrum of symptoms. Although there are options to manage vHI, only a small part of persons affected by vHI are willing to seek professional help or confront their problem. Purpose of this study was to determine if pe...

In the velvet hand illusion (VHI), a person rubs his/her hands together on either side of wires strung through a frame, producing the sensation of rubbing a very smooth and soft surface like velvet. We investigate the VHI mechanism to obtain an effective hint for a new tactile display because such tactile illusions play a good role in deceiving the brain so that operators believe that a virtual...