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We aimed to evaluate the impact of health care vaccine mandates on vaccine uptake and infection risk in a cohort of Canadian health care workers (HCWs). We conduct interrupted time series analysis through a regression discontinuity in time approach to estimate the immediate and delayed impact of the mandate. Multilevel mixed effect modeling fitted with restricted maximum likelihood was used to estimate impact on infection risk. The immediate and sustained effects of the mandate was a 0.19% (P <.05) and a 0.012% (P <.05) increase in the daily proportion of unvaccinated HCWs getting their first dose, respectively. An additional 623 (95% confidence interval: 613-667) HCWs received first doses compared to the predicted uptake absent the mandate. Adjusted test positivity declined by 0.053% (95% confidence interval: 0.035%, 0.069) for every additional day the mandate was in effect. Our results indicate that the mandate was associated with significant increases in vaccine uptake and infection risk reduction in the cohort. Given the benefit that vaccination could bring to HCWs, understanding strategies to enhance uptake is crucial for bolstering health system resilience, but steps must be taken to avert approaches that sacrifice trust, foster animosity, or exacerbate staffing constraints for short-term results. • The mandate was effective in increasing vaccine uptake healthcare workers (HCWS). • Effectiveness was also shown for lowering infection risk. • Impact was greater in subgroups of HCWs including those who work in long-term care. • Context and epidemiology should be considered when utilizing vaccine mandates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, with many nurses being infected, understanding compliance with standard precautions (SP) among nurses in Kazakhstan is crucial for improving infection prevention and control and preparedness for future emergencies. The study aimed to assess Kazakh nurses' SP compliance amid the COVID-19 pandemic and examine the factors associated with their compliance. Quantitative, cross-sectional design. This research surveyed 241 clinical nurses in Astana, Kazakhstan using a standardized tool from December 2021 to April 2022. This study found 76.0% SP compliance among the nurses. The highest compliance was observed in the dimension "Decontamination of spills and used articles" (86.0% compliance rate), followed by "Use of protective devices" (83.5% compliance rate), "Prevention of cross-infection from person to person" (72.7% compliance rate), "Disposal of sharps" (65.4% compliance rate), and "Disposal of waste" (56.0% compliance rate). Nurses' age and educational qualification influences the nurses' SP compliance. While the nurses' compliance rate in this study was moderate, specific areas warrant more attention, such as their compliance with proper waste and sharps disposal. This study highlighted the experiences of nurses in Kazakhstan on their compliance with SP during the pandemic. • Moderate compliance among nurses highlights the need for targeted waste management and sharp disposal interventions. • Married, older, educated, and experienced nurses had higher compliance levels. • Institutions can enhance compliance through regular infection control training. • Insights into the factors shaping Kazakh nurses' SP compliance can inform effective interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A primer for pediatric providers on understanding stigma in health care, the terminology and types of stigma, the conditions commonly faced with stigma in pediatrics, the components of evidence-based anti-stigma initiatives, and guidance to effect change within a pediatric practice. The authors outline the negative effects of stigma in pediatrics and how to combat the problem at the source, and explore self-stigma, public stigma, and structural stigma and how it applies to weight, diabetes, disability, HIV, mental health, and substance use in pediatrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health Care Professionals (HCPs) are the main end-users of digital clinical tools such as electronic prescription systems. For this reason, it is of high importance to include HCPs throughout the design, development and evaluation of a newly introduced system to ensure its usefulness, as well as confirm that it tends to their needs and can be integrated in their everyday clinical practice. In the context of the PrescIT project, an electronic prescription platform with three services was developed (i.e., Prescription Check, Prescription Suggestion, Therapeutic Prescription Monitoring). To allow an iterative process of discovery through user feedback, design and implementation, a two-phase evaluation was carried out, with the participation of HCPs from three hospitals in Northern Greece. The two-phase evaluation included presentations of the platform, followed by think-aloud sessions, individual platform testing and the collection of qualitative as well as quantitative feedback, through standard questionnaires (e.g., SUS, PSSUQ). Twenty one HCPs (8 in the first, 18 in the second phase, and five present in both) participated in the two-phase evaluation. HCPs comprised clinicians varying in their specialty and one pharmacist. Clinicians' feedback during the first evaluation phase already deemed usability as "excellent" (with SUS scores ranging from 75 to 95/100, showing a mean value of 86.6 and SD of 9.2) but also provided additional user requirements, which further shaped and improved the services. In the second evaluation phase, clinicians explored the system's usability, and identified the services' strengths and weaknesses. Clinicians perceived the platform as useful, as it provides information on potential adverse drug reactions, drug-to-drug interactions and suggests medications that are compatible with patients' comorbidities and current medication. The developed PrescIT platform aims to increase overall safety and effectiveness of healthcare services. Therefore, including clinicians in a two-phase evaluation confirmed that the introduced system is useful, tends to the users' needs, does not create fatigue and can be integrated in their everyday clinical practice to support clinical decision and e-prescribing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Previous research into the competence of healthcare professionals in the stroke care pathway does not offer a complete picture of the relevant issues. • The overall level of competence of healthcare professionals in the stroke care pathway was good. Multiprofessional and collaboration competence were the strongest areas of competence. In contrast, competence to use evidence-based information was rated as the weakest area of competence. The competence profiles were found to be influenced by healthcare professionals' occupation, and their participation in their organization's expert network. • The results of the study can be used to inform competence development, competence management, and the design of continuing education. Nursing managers can use the results of this study to identify staff competencies and skills gaps. To describe healthcare professionals' self-assessed competence in stroke care pathways based on their self-evaluation and identify the factors associated with competence. A cross-sectional, descriptive explorative study design was used. The data were collected during May and September 2021 through a survey sent to healthcare professionals (N= 1200, n= 215) working in neurological care. Competence in stroke care pathways was measured using the RN-STROKE, PT-STROKE and OT-STROKE instruments defined by four-factor model. The instruments' validity and reliability were confirmed through exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha. K-means clustering, one-way ANOVA, Chi Square, Mann Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis were used to analyze the data. The results were reported as frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation. The results were reported according to STROBE guidelines. Four main areas of healthcare professionals' competence in stroke care pathways were identified: (1) counseling and interaction competence (2) competence to use evidence-based information, (3) self-management and development competence, and (4) multiprofessional and collaboration competence. The study then identified three competence profiles of healthcare professionals working in the stroke care pathway. Professionals in Profile A evaluated their competence at the highest level, those in Profile B at the average level, and those in Profile C at the lowest level. Healthcare professionals' occupation and participation in their organisation's expert network were found to be associated with competence profiles. The overall competence of healthcare professionals in the stroke care pathway was rated as good, but competence to use evidence-based information in clinical practice, in particular, should be improved. Organisations should, therefore, increase education and training in this area and provide adequate resources to enable the use of evidence-based information in clinical work. The study identifies three profiles relating to healthcare professionals' competence in the stroke care pathway, which can be used to create continuous education and ensure better patient care according to participants' profiles. The study was reported using the STROBE Statement checklist. No patient or public contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Telemedicine, which involves utilising technologies for remote health care delivery, proved useful to continue offering certain health services during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown. However, the extent of its effectiveness in delivering pre-exposure prophylaxis services for HIV prevention remains underexplored from the viewpoint of health care providers. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the experiences of health care professionals in Mexico who utilised telemedicine for delivering pre-exposure prophylaxis services during the COVID-19 contingency. Methods: A qualitative study was performed: 15 virtual interviews with health care professionals were conducted, transcribed and coded in ATLAS.ti. Results: The results indicate that telemedicine effectively mitigated COVID-19 exposure, facilitated users' access to pre-exposure prophylaxis counselling, minimised waiting times and enhanced health care professionals' perceived control during sessions. While implementing remote services, certain organisational challenges, which were somewhat latent before the pandemic, became more apparent: colleagues recognised the necessity for more formal communication channels to disseminate information effectively. Additionally, there was a recognised need for electronic patient files to streamline data-sharing processes. An optimal approach would involve a blend of face-to-face and virtual services, contingent upon the availability of essential infrastructure, well-defined implementation protocols and comprehensive training programs. Conclusions: Telemedicine streamlined certain processes, garnered positive acceptance from healthcare professionals and holds promise as a valuable post-pandemic tool for improving retention among pre-exposure prophylaxis users. Telemedicine, involving the use of technologies for remote healthcare services, was used by health care providers in Mexico to facilitate access to HIV prevention services, including pre-exposure prophylaxis. From their experiences, it became evident that telemedicine improved access to HIV-prevention counselling and enhanced time management for providers; at the same time, they struggled with inadequate infrastructure and concerns about privacy. They advocated for clear guidelines to establish procedures and provide support when delivering pre-exposure prophylaxis services remotely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to develop the inadvertent perioperative hypothermia knowledge test (IPH-KT) for health care professionals and examine its validity and reliability. The methodological and cross-sectional study design was used. The research was carried out with 326 nursing students in Turkey. Data for the study were collected using a demographic information form and the IPH-KT. The item difficulty index and item distinctiveness index of the questions included in the draft form of the 25-item test ranged from 0.03 to 0.81 and from 0.25 to 0.99, respectively. After the analyses, 8 items were excluded from the draft test, and the final version of the test consisted of 17 questions. The item difficulty index of the final test ranged from 0.30 to 0.96, and the item distinctiveness index ranged from 0.33 to 0.81. The reliability of the test was determined using the Kuder-Richardson formula 20 and found to be 0.72, indicating high internal consistency. Therefore, the IPH-KT was accepted as a reliable test. The study revealed that the questions in the IPH-KT had varying difficulty levels and a high ability to discriminate between individuals with knowledge of IPH and those without. The results demonstrated that the test had good content and face validity and showed high reliability for measuring the IPH knowledge of nursing students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study integrates patient-centered care (PCC) research and body work studies to understand how a focus on physical and sensorial aspects in the relationship between health care professionals (HPs) and patients contribute to the implementation of PCC. Purpose: To understand how HPs' body work practices contribute to the implementation of PCC, we investigate the meanings HPs ascribe to their and to patients' bodies. The goal is to grasp how these practices and meanings, rooted in unexplored sensorial perceptions, account for the emergence of a relationship of mutual acknowledgment between HPs and patients. Methodology: Thirty-nine in-depth interviews were carried out with HPs, who interact with patients with disabilities in Italian hospitals. Results: HPs engage in different body work practices: adopting a diagnostic gaze and an empathetic gaze, touching, and playing. The diagnostic gaze concurs to create a feeling of promptness between HPs and patients, but also a stronger distance with respect to other practices. The empathetic gaze, touching, and playing are associated with feelings of shared vulnerability and resilience. These shared perceptions and emotions build a common ground and shape a relationship focused on patients' involvement. Practice Implications: Voicing and feedback sessions can be arranged to listen to how HPs interpret their own and patients' bodies. An organizational culture acknowledging emotions should be promoted to sponsor among HPs the consideration of the sensorial aspects of their connection with patients. The value of bricolage should be observed, where the HPs feel free to readjust tools, spaces, and routines. Sensitivity training exercises should be arranged to understand the interactions with patients with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The awareness and usage of aromatherapy applications are increasing day by day in society. The current study aims to evaluate the thoughts and attitudes of individuals toward aromatherapy in Türkiye and to determine factors affecting the use of aromatherapy. This community-based descriptive study is conducted throughout Türkiye. Nine hundred eighty-five questionnaires were suitable for data quality. SPSS 23.0 statistical package program was used, and the statistical significance level was accepted as P value of less than.05. Approximately 72.4% of the participants have heard of aromatherapy. The rate of hearing about the concept of aromatherapy was found to be statistically significantly higher among women (P =.000), those residing in a province/district (P =.011), and those working in an income-generating positions (P =.003). It was determined that 58.9% of the participants used any essential oil. The 5 most commonly used essential oils are lavender, tea tree, peppermint, rose, and thyme, respectively. The rate of essential oil use in women is higher than in men (P =.000). The conditions in which essential oils are most frequently used are to provide beauty to the skin (51.7%), skin diseases (51.0%), and respiratory tract diseases (46.0%), respectively. The most common sources of information about the essential oils used by the participants are the Internet/social media (57.6%) and pharmacists (53.4%). The results of this research revealed that the awareness and use of aromatherapy practice in the community are high according to the literature. Considering the high tendency to use these products among the public, physicians, pharmacists, and nurses must provide consultancy services on the use of these products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zentralblatt fuer Arbeitsmedizin, Arbeitsschutz und Ergonomie is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Médica Clínica Las Condes is the property of Editorial Sanchez y Barcelo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

OBJECTIVE: Many countries, including the USA, are currently confronting a triple epidemic in children as COVID-19 cases increase and new strains emerge which urge COVID-19 vaccination for children. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the CDC unanimously approved the inclusion of the COVID-19 vaccine (C19V) in the recommended immunizations. As healthcare professionals (HCPs) and parents are significant players in changing the trend of the triple epidemic by giving the C19V, the present study was done to determine awareness and perception of HCPs and parents on the tripledemic and the need for inclusion of C19V in vaccination schedules for children. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 HCPs and 200 parents to assess their knowledge and perception of tripledemic and the need for the inclusion of C19V. RESULTS: Noticeably, half of the participants had either recent personal (36.2%) or family (21.8%) exposure to some of the tripledemic like RSV, Flu, or COVID-19. On perceived awareness, 42% were concerned about tripledemic, and 35% thought that regular C19V may prevent or reduce tripledemic. Ironically, 11% were not willing to give C19V to their children. The logistic regression model for positive perception of tripledemic and regular C19V identified significant relationships with education (OR 2.19, CI 1.48-3.81), gender (OR 0.9, CI 01.02-2.63), recent personal or family exposure to any of the tripledemic (OR 0.239, CI 0.87-1.63) and presence of children in the family (OR 0.71, CI 1.4-1.96). The reason for favorable perception was preventing self and family from tripledemic. CONCLUSIONS: The findings may give insight to the policymakers for a strategic plan to include C19V in the routine schedule to combat the pandemic and tripledemic by improving herd immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In both developed and developing nations, the rising prevalence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and underreporting of ADRs in pharmacovigilance centers have become major problems. The goal of this study was to access the overall knowledge, attitude and practices toward pharmacovigilance and ADRs reporting among Albanian healthcare professionals. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted from December 2021 to February 2022 including physicians, community pharmacists and nurses in Tirana, Albania. There were distributed a total of 511 questionnaires to healthcare professionals, where 410 of them were returned, resulting in an 80.23 percent response rate. Physicians and pharmacists compare to nurses had better knowledge about pharmacovigilance and its main purpose. Pharmacists had better knowledge regarding the establishment of the pharmacovigilance law (67.62%) and how to report ADRs (51.43%), Of all, 85.42% of physicians, 74.29% of pharmacists and 40.38% of nurses resulted had a positive attitude towards ADR reporting as a professional obligation, as well as 57.29% of physicians, 58.57% of pharmacists and 22.12% (p < 0.05) of nurses, declared that they have reported ADRs. Only physicians have reported ADRs to the national pharmacovigilance center. The findings of this study show that most of the healthcare professionals in Tirana do not have a thorough understanding of pharmacovigilance techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the experiences and perceptions of patients who underwent Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery with perioperative health care professionals. The study used a qualitative research design and was conducted by interviewing eight patients who underwent CABG surgery. Study data were collected between April 24, 2020 and February 25, 2021 via a demographic information form and a semi-structured interview form and analyzed by using Heidegger's phenomenological approach. The participants were between the ages of 51 and 70. They were patients who had undergone CABG surgery 2 months before data collection. Two themes were elicited from the interviews: "If you are bad, I am bad, too", which indicated negative experiences of CABG, and "If you are good, I am safe", which indicated positive patient experiences. In addition, eight sub-themes were determined under these two themes. In the perioperative process, patients may experience feelings of restlessness, fear, vulnerability, insecurity, and threat when ignored by health care professionals. The provision of interaction between the health professional and the patient, along with family support, changes the perceived care positively and makes patients feel cared for, well, and safe. Awareness of health care professionals about patient experiences during the CABG surgery process points to an important aspect of quality health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was evidence of challenges surrounding the psychological well-being of health care professionals (HCPs). HCPs already frayed psychological ability to cope risks being further compromised by COVID-19-related stresses. Critical Theoretical Analysis: Most research on stress, psychological distress, and coping among HCPs is done in a piecemeal manner without a theoretical model connecting these different but related phenomena. This critical advancement article aims to apply and extend Wheaton and Montazer's model of stressors, stress, and distress to the literature on HCPs, generally, and COVID-19, specifically, to summarize past and guide future research on HCPs' mental health, resilience, and coping. Our model describes how different sources of support buffer the effect of stressors on stress and how coping strategies moderate the effect of stress on psychological distress. Advance: We extended the model by (a) distinguishing context from the support in HCPs' environment; (b) distinguishing adaptive from maladaptive coping strategies and their relationships with antecedents and outcomes; (c) describing the adverse impacts that psychological distress has on patients, HCPs, and health services; and (d) describing how such outcomes can become stressors, in turn, further contributing to HCPs' stress in a vicious cycle. Practice Implications: Our model provides a broader perspective of HCPs' work-related mental health and helps guide the creation, implementation, and evaluation of different sources of support and promote adaptive coping strategies. This model helps HCPs, researchers, and health services managers better understand and respond to the well-being crisis HCPs are facing, especially during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Understanding the perspective of health care professionals (HCPs) is significant to the implementation of deprescribing in older adults with limited life expectancy (LLE) but a tool to assess this is lacking.Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate a survey tool for assessing HCPs attitudes towards deprescribing (HATD) in older adults with LLE.Methods: An online survey was used to collect data to determine the psychometric properties of a 49-item questionnaire generated from literature review, expert opinion and pretesting. 108 HCPs (doctors, nurses and pharmacists) with experience or interest in palliative care or a member of a palliative care team/organisation completed the survey.Results: Principal component analysis of the participants' data resulted in a 23-item questionnaire structured in five factors, named HATD tool. The factors were related to concerns about deprescribing (7 items), perceived burden of medications on patients (7 items), organisational support for deprescribing (4 items), assurance to deprescribing (2 items) and perceived involvement of patients in medication management (3 items). The HATD tool had valid descriptive statistics (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure: 0.708; Bartlett's test of sphericity: p < 0.001, determinant: 1.35E-5; variance explained: 60.4%; nonredundant residuals with absolute values > 0.05: 39%). The reliability statistics of all the factors were ≥0.750 for both Cronbach's alpha (α) and composite reliability (CR) except for the patient-involvement factor (α = 0.644 but CR = 0.787).Conclusions: The 23-itemed HATD tool is a valid and reliable tool to assess the attitudes and beliefs of HCPs towards deprescribing in older adults with LLE in the Australian setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patient safety culture is an important measure in assessing the quality of care. There is a growing need to establish a patient safety culture in hospitals. This study explored the perception of health professionals on patient safety culture in 2 public hospitals in Hanoi, Vietnam. Method: A mixed-methods study with an online Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) and qualitative data collection was conducted in Hanoi. The HSOPSC was validated in Vietnam before using it. Results: A total of 626 health professionals, including physicians and nurses, were involved in the survey, and 49 of them participated in in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The average positive response of patient safety culture composites was high at 85.2% and varied from 49.4% to 97.9%. The strongest areas were teamwork within units (91.3%) and organizational learning/continuous improvement (88.4%), and the areas that needed improvement were staffing (49.4%) and nonpunitive response to error (53.1%). Conclusion: The centralized incident reporting, management with peer involvement on event reporting, and continuous quality improvement should be routinely embedded by hospital leaders down to unit managers and all staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Atencao Primaria a Saude is the property of Revista de Atencao Primaria a Saude and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

• Most of the participants provided direct health care to COVID-19 patients. • Many health care professionals changed respirators/surgical mask less times than recommended. • Respirators were more prone to adverse effects, when compared to surgical masks. • Average number of errors reported was higher for Mask than for Resp. • The most frequent errors were touching the front while in use and omitting hand hygiene. During COVID-19 pandemic, a shortage of surgical masks (Mask) and respirators (Resp) was experienced worldwide. We aimed to assess its pattern of use, adverse effects and user errors by Portuguese health care professionals (HCP). A cross-sectional study was conducted through snowball convenience sample, collected by email/ social media to health care organizations. Participants answered an online anonymous survey in March 2021. Mean age of 3052 respondents was 42.1 years old, 83.6% were female and 77.8% provided direct health care to COVID-19 patients. Mean time of use per shift was 6-8 hours in 40.8% of the participants. 28.0% reported never changing it during their shift. Resp use (vs Mask) was more associated with discomfort (58.2% vs 26.8%), affecting task performance (41.5 vs 18.9%) and communication (55.0 vs 40.9%), dyspnea (36.0 vs 14.4%), skin rash (37.5 vs 19.4%) and headache (37.5 vs 19.4%). Frequent user errors included touching the front while in use (70.1% Mask vs 66.3% Resp) and omitting hand hygiene before (61.8% Mask vs 55.0% Resp) or after use (61.3% Mask vs 57.0% Resp). Average number of errors was higher for Mask (4.3), than for Resp (3.2) (all: P <.001). Most HCP admitted an extended use of Mask/ Resp. Resp were more prone to adverse effects and Mask more prone to errors. Strategies to reinforce good practices should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doctors and nurses are central in the challenging task of end-of-life (EOL) care, and this study aims to explore and describe doctors' and nurses' experiences of recognition and acknowledgment of the end of life for patients with cancer. A qualitative, explorative research design with individual interviews was carried out based on a semi-open interview guide. A total of 6 doctors and 6 nurses working in medical or surgical departments at a Norwegian University hospital were interviewed. The interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The study's findings highlight that recognizing and acknowledging patients with cancer as being at end-of-life is a challenging process. Three subthemes emerged from the analysis; the significance of being experienced , the significance of organizational structures, and the significance of having a common understanding. A main theme was analyzed further and abstracted from the subthemes ; Being safe to manage the balancing act of recognizing and acknowledging the end of life. Much is at stake in the EOL setting, and healthcare professionals (HCP) must balance several aspects regarding EOL decisions. Striking the right balance in these situations is challenging. HCPs need a safety net through collaboration with, and support from, colleagues, supporting organizational structures and experience. Strengthening the safety net will have a clear impact on improving clinical practice to reduce futile treatment and provide high-quality EOL care for all dying patients in hospitals. • Recognizing and acknowledging patients as being at the end of life is a challenging process for healthcare professionals. • Healthcare professionals must balance several aspects regarding end-of- life decisions. • Healthcare professionals need a safety net grounded in personal relations, knowledge, experienced-based elements, and support by organizational structures to be able to timely recognize and acknowledge end-of- life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical therapists (PT) are health care professionals, who helps to improve patient’s health status and optimum functioning to have better quality of life. PT plays a vital role in health care settings and known as dynamic provider of rehabilitation services. The objective of this study was to determine the awareness of physical therapy practice among health care professionals. A cross sectional study conducted in different hospitals of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Non-probability Purposive sampling technique was used. A self-structured questionnaire was distributed among 357 health care professionals working in different hospitals of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Mean age of participants was 29.93 ±7.734 in which 178 were males and 179 were females. Around 89.9% participants were having awareness about the Physical Therapy (PT) services. 68.9% reported that physical therapist has direct access to the patient. Referral to physical therapy was found to be 87.1%. Basic qualification of physical therapist were known by 64.1 % and 45.4% did not ever heard about specialization running in physical therapy degree. It is concluded that health care professionals had a good awareness about physical therapy profession. But the awareness needed to be augmented in terms of referral patients and specialized services provided by PT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background : Health care professionals' work motivation is assumed to be crucial for the quality of hospital care, but it is unclear which type of motivation ought to be stimulated to improve quality. Motivation and similar concepts are aligned along a motivational continuum that ranges from (intrinsic) autonomous motivation to (extrinsic) controlled motivation to provide a framework for this mixed-methods systematic review. Purpose: This mixed-methods systematic review aims to link various types of health care professionals' motivation directly and through their work-related behaviors to quality of care. Methods : Six databases were searched from January 1990 to August 2016. Qualitative and quantitative studies were included if they reported on work motivation in relationship to work behavior and/or quality, and study participants were health care professionals working in hospitals in high-income countries. Study bias was evaluated using the Standard Quality Assessment Criteria for Evaluating Primary Research Papers from a Variety of Fields. The review protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42016043284). Results : A total of 84 out of 6,525 unique records met the inclusion criteria. Results show that health care professionals' autonomous motivation improves their quality perceptions and work-related behaviors. Controlled motivation inhibits voicing behavior, but when balanced with autonomous motivation, it stimulates core task and proactive behavior. Proactivity is associated with increased quality of care perceptions. Practice Implications : To improve quality of care, policy makers and managers need to support health care professionals' autonomous motivation and recognize and facilitate proactivity as an essential part of health care professionals' jobs. Incentive-based quality improvements need to be complemented with aspects that stimulate autonomous motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cadernos de Saude Publica is the property of Escola Nacional de Saude Publica Sergio Arouca and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a multidrug resistant organism recognized as major cause of infections ranging from relatively minor skin and soft tissue infections to life-threatening systemic infections. Contact transmission from health care personnel (HCP) to the patients provides the main mode of transmission of MRSA. Screening of HCPs colonized with MRSA may aid in preventing spread of this organism. Two samples were collected from 200 HCP which included sample from anterior nares and web spaces of both hands. Identification of Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA strains were done as per standard operating protocol. Results were compiled, tabulated, and all data were subjected to SPSS, version 17.0 software for analysis. About 25.5% (51 HCPs) were carriers of S aureus and among them 6.5% (13 HCPs) were carriers of MRSA. Among the MRSA carriers, 28.4% were physicians, followed by nursing interns (21.1%), MBBS interns (9%), nurses (5.4%), and others, that is, physiotherapist, housekeeping staff, and helping staff (37.5%). In spite of having infection control policies in place, MRSA carriage rate was 6.5%. This signifies the importance of periodic systematic screening of all HCPs and decolonization, which may help in eliminating the burden of MRSA carrier status and spread of infection in the health care setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As we are witnessing the evolution of social media (SM) use worldwide among the general population, the popularity of SM has also been embraced by health care professionals (HCPs). In the context of SM evolution and exponential growth of users, this scoping review summarizes recent findings of the e-professionalism of HCPs.Objective: The purpose of this scoping review is to characterize the recent original peer-reviewed research studies published between November 1, 2014, to December 31, 2020, on e-professionalism of HCPs; to assess the quality of the methodologies and approaches used; to explore the impact of SM on e-professionalism of HCPs; to recognize the benefits and dangers of SM; and to provide insights to guide future research in this area.Methods: A search of the literature published from November 1, 2014, to December 31, 2020, was performed in January 2021 using 3 databases (PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus). The searches were conducted using the following defined search terms: "professionalism" AND "social media" OR "social networks" OR "Internet" OR "Facebook" OR "Twitter" OR "Instagram" OR "TikTok." The search strategy was limited to studies published in English. This scoping review follows the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines.Results: Of the 1632 retrieved papers, a total of 88 studies were finally included in this review. Overall, the quality of the studies was satisfactory. Participants in the reviewed studies were from diverse health care professions. Medical health professionals were involved in about three-quarters of the studies. Three key benefits of SM on e-professionalism of HCPs were identified: (1) professional networking and collaboration, (2) professional education and training, and (3) patient education and health promotion. For the selected studies, there were five recognized dangers of SM on e-professionalism of HCPs: (1) loosening accountability, (2) compromising confidentiality, (3) blurred professional boundaries, (4) depiction of unprofessional behavior, and (5) legal issues and disciplinary consequences. This scoping review also recognizes recommendations for changes in educational curricula regarding e-professionalism as opportunities for improvement and barriers that influence HCPs use of SM in the context of e-professionalism.Conclusions: Findings in the reviewed studies indicate the existence of both benefits and dangers of SM on e-professionalism of HCPs. Even though there are some barriers recognized, this review has highlighted existing recommendations for including e-professionalism in the educational curricula of HCPs. Based on all evidence provided, this review provided new insights and guides for future research on this area. There is a clear need for robust research to investigate new emerging SM platforms, the efficiency of guidelines and educational interventions, and the specifics of each profession regarding their SM potential and use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) pose a significant health threat and reduce both people's life expectancy and quality of life. Healthy living is a key component in the effective prevention and treatment of CVD. However, health care professionals (HCPs) experience difficulties in supporting lifestyle changes among their patients. eHealth can provide a solution to these barriers.Objective: This study aims to provide insights into the factors HCPs find important in the support of patients with CVD in the uptake of and adherence to a healthy lifestyle and the perceived facilitators of and barriers to using eHealth to provide lifestyle support to patients with CVD.Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 Dutch HCPs specializing in lifestyle support in cardiac care.Results: We identified 13 themes, of which the first 12 concerned lifestyle support in general and were related to intervention, patient, or health care. Throughout these themes, the use of eHealth reoccurred as a potential facilitator of or solution to barriers to lifestyle support. Our final theme specifically concerned barriers to the adoption and usability of eHealth.Conclusions: HCPs do recognize the potential advantages of eHealth while experiencing barriers to using digital tools. Incorporating their needs and values in the development of lifestyle support programs, especially eHealth, could increase their use and lead to a more widespread adoption of eHealth into health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected populations worldwide, with extreme health, economic, social, and political implications. Health care professionals (HCPs) are at the core of pandemic response and are among the most crucial factors in maintaining coping capacities. Yet, they are also vulnerable to mental health effects caused by managing a long-lasting emergency with a lack of resources and under complicated personal concerns. However, there are a lack of longitudinal studies that investigate the HCP population. Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the state of mind of HCPs as expressed in online discussions published on Twitter in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, from the onset of the pandemic until the end of 2020. Methods: The population for this study was selected from followers of a few hundred Twitter accounts of health care organizations and common HCP points of interest. We used active learning, a process that iteratively uses machine learning and manual data labeling, to select the large-scale population of Twitter accounts maintained by English-speaking HCPs, focusing on individuals rather than official organizations. We analyzed the topics and emotions in their discourses during 2020. The topic distributions were obtained using the latent Dirichlet allocation algorithm. We defined a measure of topic cohesion and described the most cohesive topics. The emotions expressed in tweets during 2020 were compared to those in 2019. Finally, the emotion intensities were cross-correlated with the pandemic waves to explore possible associations between the pandemic development and emotional response. Results: We analyzed the timelines of 53,063 Twitter profiles, 90% of which were maintained by individual HCPs. Professional topics accounted for 44.5% of tweets by HCPs from January 1, 2019, to December 6, 2020. Events such as the pandemic waves, US elections, or the George Floyd case affected the HCPs’ discourse. The levels of joy and sadness exceeded their minimal and maximal values from 2019, respectively, 80% of the time (P=.001). Most interestingly, fear preceded the pandemic waves, in terms of the differences in confirmed cases, by 2 weeks with a Spearman correlation coefficient of ρ(47 pairs)=0.340 (P=.03). Conclusions: Analyses of longitudinal data over the year 2020 revealed that a large fraction of HCP discourse is directly related to professional content, including the increase in the volume of discussions following the pandemic waves. The changes in emotional patterns (ie, decrease in joy and increase in sadness, fear, and disgust) during the year 2020 may indicate the utmost importance in providing emotional support for HCPs to prevent fatigue, burnout, and mental health disorders during the postpandemic period. The increase in fear 2 weeks in advance of pandemic waves indicates that HCPs are in a position, and with adequate qualifications, to anticipate pandemic development, and could serve as a bottom-up pathway for expressing morbidity and clinical situations to health agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] affects all aspects of life, yet little is known about the impact of the condition on intimacy and sexuality and if such concerns should be discussed with health care professionals. This hermeneutical phenomenological study aimed to explore the experiences of people living with inflammatory bowel disease and discussing their sexuality concerns with health care professionals. Methods Participants [ n  = 43] aged 17–64 years were recruited. Data were collected via in depth interviews and anonymous narrative accounts [Google Forms]. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results An overarching theme 'These discussions aren't happening' with four main themes were generated. The main themes were: 'I can't image talking about sex'; 'I am a person, not my IBD'; 'We need to talk about sex'; and 'Those who talked about sex, talked badly'. Participants described the lack of conversations with their health care professionals on sexual well-being issues, in spite of the importance they gave to the topic, and identified barriers to having such conversations. They made suggestions for future clinical practice that would better meet their needs. The few who had discussed sexual well-being issues with health care professionals reported negative experiences. Conclusions Patients' needs and preferences, about addressing during clinical appointments concerns related to their sexual well-being, should be addressed routinely and competently by health care professionals. Understanding the implications of inflammatory bowel disease for intimate aspects of the lives of those living with the condition could improve the quality of the care provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thorough investigation of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in those aged 1-40 years commonly reveals a heritable cause, yet access to postmortem genetic testing is variable.Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore practices of postmortem genetic testing and attitudes of health care professionals worldwide.Methods: A survey was administered among health care professionals recruited through professional associations, social media, and networks of researchers. Topics included practices around postmortem genetic testing, level of confidence in health care professionals' ability, and attitudes toward postmortem genetic testing practices.Results: There were 112 respondents, with 93% from North America, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand, and 7% from South America, Asia and Africa. Only 30% reported autopsy as mandatory, and overall practices were largely case by case and not standardized. North American respondents (87%) more often perceived practices as ineffective compared to those from Europe (58%) and Australia/New Zealand (48%; P = .002). Where a heritable cause is suspected, 69% considered postmortem genetic testing and 61% offered genetic counseling to surviving family members. Financial resources varied widely. Half of participants believed practices in their countries perpetuated health inequalities.Conclusion: Postmortem genetic testing is not consistently available in the investigation of young SCD despite being a recommendation in international guidelines. Access to postmortem genetic testing, which is critical in ascertaining a cause of death in many cases, must be guided by well-resourced, multidisciplinary teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotional intelligence (EI) is possibly one of the most studied psychological factors of the twenty-first century. EI is very much relevant in service industry particularly in management, academics, life sciences or psychology. The purpose of the empirical study is to test the relationship between the defined constructs of EI and job satisfaction (JS) amongst health care professionals of Delhi NCR region of India. It further tried to understand whether gender moderates the EI and JS relationship. Structured survey was used to solicit response from 260 health care professionals comprising doctors and nurses belonging to different hospitals of Delhi NCR region. Standardised instruments were used to assess the data. Linear and moderated regression were used to test hypotheses developed. The findings suggest that EI constructs significantly impact the level of JS among health care professionals. The result of moderated regression suggested that the relationship of EI and JS is significantly moderated by gender. The construct of EI is relevant in providing high quality health care service delivery to the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In late 2019, the world saw a viral outbreak of unprecedented scale that sent a significant fraction of humankind into either quarantine or lockdown. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory tract infection caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which was first recognized in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. We created and administered a 17-item questionnaire for health care professionals (HCPs) to assess their level of knowledge towards this ongoing and evolving pandemic. It was disseminated through Web- and mobile-based social networks. The questions were sourced and created from various standard national and international guidelines available at the time of writing. A total of 827 medical personnel participated in the study. Among them, 65.5% scored between 60% and 79%, indicating a moderate level of knowledge. There was no statistically significant difference in the scores of doctors, nursing officers and dental surgeons (p = 0.200). Participants had good knowledge regarding clinical symptoms, mode of transmission and preventive measures. But the study identified some gaps in knowledge in the implementation of management protocols, handling of dead bodies and biomedical waste management of COVID-19 cases. With this understanding, regular training, drills and knowledge dissemination along with skill development through learning correct practices focusing on HCP at all levels are the current needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the broadly talked about class of medications for their extravagantly expanded abuse is proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). In spite of the fact that, they are known to be profoundly useful, it is accounted for several adverse manifestations. Health care professionals can assume an essential part in controlling its irrational use. The purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge, attitude and behavior of health care professionals of Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia on the use of PPIs by a cross-sectional study design. The study data was obtained through a validated self-administered questionnaire covering knowledge (20 items), attitude (8 items) and behavior (6 items). Furthermore, demographic questions were placed to decide their effect on the intended three domains. The results were analysed by descriptive analysis and affirmed by multinomial regression method using SPSS-IBM 25. Of 414 surveyors, 121 (31%), 182 (44%) and 103 (25%) were doctors, pharmacist and nurses, respectively. Average age of participants' was 33.96 ± 8.37 years. Both doctors and pharmacist showed better degree of information (13.17/20 and 13.25/20) and good attitude (6.66/8 and 6.9/8) towards PPI use compared to nurses. Altogether higher extent of knowledge score showed by highly educated individuals, middle age groups and those with more practicing experience. The reliance on the utilization of PPI is less among pharmacist and nurses when compared to doctors. The outcome of the regression analysis exhibited that the odds of having low knowledge is more in young and bachelor degree holders. Healthcare professionals in the Riyadh area are generally positive about the use of PPIs. However, increasing their level of knowledge and reducing their reliance on PPIs must be strengthened. Frequent professional development programs and trainings for healthcare professionals are needed to minimize widespread PPI overuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cukurova Medical Journal / Çukurova Üniversitesi Tip Fakültesi Dergisi is the property of Cukurova University, Faculty of Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Oral symptoms in a growing number of palliative care patients are often neglected. Dental professionals are not always involved in palliative care. Oral care is often inadequately delivered to palliative care patients, while oral problems can affect the quality of life. A qualitative study was conducted to explore oral care experiences of palliative care patients, their relatives, and health care professionals (HCPs). Four patients, 4 relatives, and 4 HCPs were interviewed in a hospice. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis and revealed 3 themes. Patients who were capable of performing oral care mainly brushed their teeth and looked after their dentures. Other care tended to be carried out by relatives and HCPs, adapted based on a person's level of consciousness. When describing the effects on oral health, relatives and HCPs tended to focus on xerostomia, whereas patients provided detailed accounts denoting the psychological and social impact of oral symptoms. Perceptions of enablers and barriers to oral care differed between groups. Patients reported lack of access to professional dental care and patients' fatigue were the main barriers to oral care. Nevertheless, there is great scope for further research into good oral care practices identified in this study and possible implementation in other settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sick leave during pregnancy is frequent. • Sick leave during pregnancy is associated with working conditions. • Reasons for sick leave are discomfort such as nausea, Braxton Hicks, Low back and pelvic pain. • The literature lacks knowledge on the effect of interventions with-in the workplace. Sick leave during pregnancy is frequent and 36 % of Danish pregnant employees are on sick leave > 14 days. Health care professionals are considered a risk population. This intervention applies preventive sessions including the pregnant employee, her manager and a midwife in addition to usual practice at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark (AUH). It is hypothesised that pregnant employees who participate in preventive sessions will have less sick leave and report better wellbeing compared to the reference group. All departments at AUH are cluster randomized. A total of 25 and 24 departments are allocated to the intervention and reference group, respectively. The intervention is protocolled with preventive sessions in addition to usual practice. The reference group receives usual practice. The primary outcome is mean number of days on sick leave during pregnancy. Secondary outcomes are wellbeing measured as physical and mental health, general work ability, work-life balance, manager support, and completed work adjustments during pregnancy. Data on sick leave will be collected from the hospital payment system and survey data will be collected at inclusion and follow-up. This study will contribute to limited experimental research aimed to reduce sickness leave during pregnancy. The overall strength is the study design with easy access to study participants within a large hospital. The main limitation of the study is the high complexity of the study. The trial is registered in ClinicalTrials.gov with ID number 29-2019-03. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health care professionals working in delivery rooms often encounter stressful situations. Understanding their challenges and the support they receive is essential for improving their well-being and consequently patient care. Examining the relationship between burnout, intentions to leave, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and complex PTSD among health care professionals, and identifying their predictors. A mixed methods design, including a survey among 196 midwives and gynecologists assessing burnout, intentions to leave, exposure to negative work experiences and PTSD, as well as 15 semi-structured interviews. Most participants experienced multiple difficult events in the delivery room, reporting insufficient emotional support. Burnout and lack of emotional support were significant predictors of PTSD symptoms. Participants expressed a need for emotional support to cope with complex situations. Burnout among midwives must be addressed through prevention and intervention programs. Emotional support is essential in mitigating PTSD symptoms among midwives and gynecologists, enhancing their resilience and well-being. • Burnout among midwives is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. • Health care institutions can do this by using prevention and intervention programs. • Emotional support has a crucial role in mitigating PTSD symptoms. • The study provides a foundation for the coping of professionals in maternity wards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three themes emerged from the data: Risk assessment and planning, innovative evolution of roles and responsibilities, and pandemic response and capacity. • In a rapidly changing landscape of practice protocols and discipline-specific responsibilities, it is important to secure capacity-building resources early on. • Hierarchies seemed to compress during the pandemic, with a leveling of the traditional roles played by different professions. • Clear, concise, and consistent information must be accessible to all staff. Little is known about clinical staff's perspectives on preparedness for a pandemic. The purpose of this study was to obtain various clinical staff perspectives about preparedness to meet the demands for care during the early phase of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. We conducted a qualitative study using semistructured in-person interviews from March 2020 to April 2020 at a large tertiary academic urban hospital center. Interview guides were informed by the Resilience Framework for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and analyzed using a directed content analysis approach. Fifty-five clinical staff participated in the study. Three themes emerged from the data (1) Risk assessment and planning: "The powder keg," (2) Innovative evolution of roles and responsibilities, and (3) Pandemic response and capacity. In the early phases of the pandemic, participants reported varying levels of risks for dying. However, most participants adapted to practice changes and became innovative in their roles over time. Hierarchies were less relevant during care delivery, whereas team collaboration became crucial in managing workforce capacity. As the pandemic progressed, staff preparedness evolved through a trial-and-error approach. The pandemic is evolving as is clinical staff preparedness to meet the demands of a pandemic. In order to get a grasp on the crisis, clinical staff relied on each other and resorted to new workarounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision-making capacity in health care is central to optimise person-centred care. Impaired decision-making capacity is prevalent in hospital settings, leading to suboptimal care. This seeping review aimed to summarise current literature on practice and assessment of decision-making capacity in hospital settings with a focus on speech and language pathology. Four databases (Psychinfo, CINAHL, Scopus, and Medline) were searched for the period 2010 to March 2020, using search terms related to "assessment", "decision-making capacity" and "patient". Fifteen studies were included in the final analysis. Findings indicated doctors commonly assessed decisionmaking capacity with an informal patient interview with error rates up to 58%. Decision-making capacity assessments also rely heavily on patient communication abilities. Health care services should formalise decision-making capacity assessments and provide training to support improved assessment practices. Communication assistance should also be provided to patients, especially those with complex communication needs requiring speech and language pathology services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem Statement: As the global population over the age of 65 has grown significantly in recent decades, their quality of life is of prime importance in the field of health and medicine. In the literature, physical activity is positively related to quality of life of older adults. However, the association between physical activity and quality of life among this population needs to be examined further. The lack of meta-analytical research using correlation coefficients in measuring the average effect size of the relationship is apparent. Purpose: This study was designed to conduct a meta-analysis of the correlation between physical activity and quality of life among older adults. Methods: A systematic search of Academic Search Complete, PubMed, and Google Scholar yielded 12 studies that met the criteria for a meta-analysis (total participants = 2,819). Comprehensive Meta- Analysis Version 3 software was used to compute weighted average effect size. Results: The main finding of this study indicated that the effect size across the 12 studies was .263 (Fisher's Z = 5.298, p < .001), indicating that participation in physical activity had a significant positive effect on quality of life. In addition, this study analyzed heterogeneity that represents the variability among the studies, the Q-value (Q = 75.142, p < .001), and the I-squared value (85.361), which demonstrated that the studies were heterogeneous. To assess publication bias, the researchers produced the symmetrical funnel plot, indicating a possible absence of publication bias. Conclusions: This study provided evidence of a strong relationship between physical activity and quality of life among older adults. This research adds to the existing literature, while also contributing to practice. Most importantly, this study has meaningful implications for health care professionals serving seniors who have limited access to physical activity as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose was to describe health care professionals' experience of using the World Health Organization (WHO) surgical safety checklist. A descriptive cross-sectional mixed-method study, including health care professionals from two clinics at the same university hospital in the western part of Sweden was conducted. Data were collected from one hundred ninety-six health care professionals using a self-administered questionnaire that contained 12 questions. The Mantel-Haenszel and Pearson χ2 tests were used for ordered and unordered categorical variables. The text analysis was inspired by Malterud. The most statistically significant difference between the clinics related to the responsibility for administering the checklist (P =.0010) and always using the checklist in all emergency situations (P =.045). Among the health care professionals who were educated and trained in using checklists, 63% and 65.5% stated that the checklist was adapted to the department. Sixty four percent stated that the assistant nurses were responsible for implementing the checklist. The health care professionals also mentioned a large number of positive and negative aspects of using the WHO checklist. The health care professionals had difficulties using the WHO checklist in the Swedish health care system. More research is needed to determine why specific items are overlooked and whether these items could form the basis of the further elaboration of a modified checklist. An increased understanding of why the checklist is important, as well as updated knowledge on the content could produce greater compliance and thereby increase patient safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palliative care practice is associated with risk factors linked to end-of-life, chronicity, personal, interpersonal, and work characteristics, as well as with protective factors, but how these are perceived by the health care providers themselves is not clear. This article aims to elaborate a theoretical framework explaining the risk and protective factors for palliative care providers in their daily practice. Nineteen providers (16 nurses, 3 physicians) working in a palliative care unit of a clinical-research institute in Northern Italy were interviewed. A Grounded Theory qualitative approach guided the data collection and analysis. From the interviews, 28 codes, subsequently organized into 11 interconnected categories, emerged. They described both stressors (emotion management regarding death/dying, conflicts, communication and relationship with patients/caregivers, discrepancies between patients' and caregivers' needs, communication of poor diagnosis/prognosis, decision making about treatment, and real-life and work interference) and protective factors (social support, positive approach and value of past experience, recognized value of/passion toward professional work, work-family balance). Experiencing these elements as positive or negative depends on the professionals' point of view, as well as their past and present experience. Understanding what dealing with life-limiting illnesses means may suggest tailored interventions to improve professionals' well-being by fostering the protective elements and combatting the risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pharmaceutical manufacturer medical information (MI) departments play an important role in providing medical information to health care professionals (HCPs) and patients. A survey was conducted to gather insights on the utility of MI services and to understand the information needs/preferences to support therapy decisions. Methods: Patients (n=40) and HCPs (n=192) who requested medical information in a 3-month time frame from 4 companies were surveyed (15 questions for patients; 28 questions for HCPs). Results: Patients contacted MI departments for information on concerns about side effects, efficacy information, access/insurance coverage, how to take the medicine, switching medicine, how the medicine works, comparison to another medicine, medical condition information, and participating in trials. Patients reported that the medical information received changed the perception toward the treatment in the following ways: learned something new about the treatment, provided more confidence to talk to an HCP, and were potentially more likely to start treatment. Health care professionals requested medical information related to dosing, safety, patient selection, and differentiating between therapeutic options. The HCPs used the medical information to take an action (eg, managing treatment for patients or deciding to prescribe a medicine), to support informing-type of activities (eg, help guide discussions with patients, plan to use information for future treatment decisions/ discussion, help with insurance coverage determination, or help to enroll patients into ongoing clinical trials), and to meet an education need (eg, self-education or sharing information with practice/colleagues). Conclusions: These results describe patients' and HCPs' information needs/preferences that provide MI departments potential areas for enhancing services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women worldwide. Despite considerable research, there is still need for improved patient-centred care. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there were any typical experiences that characterized the lives of the women that we interviewed. Information was collected 1 year after and 9 years after primary breast cancer surgery. Interview data were analysed using Kvale'smethod of qualitativemeaning condensation. The findings were discussed in light of Martinsen's philosophy of caring. Three main themes were prominent both 1 and 9 years after surgery: being changed, being unprepared, and living in suspense. However, these typical experiences were often expressed differently. A profound understanding of both similarities and uniqueness in women's experiences when being treated for breast cancer is vital for health care professionals when supporting women to live with a cancer diagnosis. More information about side effects is needed to prepare these women for a changed life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Simulation-based training contributes to individual and collective learning. • Health care professionals not knowing each other impacts negatively on the simulation-based training as a whole. • It was the health care professionals' responsibility to create realism. The aim of the study was to explore health care professionals' experiences of participating in simulation-based training (SBT). Individual semistructured interviews were conducted at two in-house training centres with 23 health care professionals representing different occupations, such as midwives, assistant nurses, registered nurses, and physicians among others. The data were analysed by thematic analysis. Five main themes emerged: Being able to grow in one's professional role, Coming together is fun, isn't it?, Being helped with a structured approach, Learning from feedback , and Creating the best out of (sur)realism. Overall, the health care professionals experienced SBT as positive, valuable, and as providing learning opportunities. Conversely, they expressed difficulties in communication and providing/receiving feedback, in particular when they were not known to the group or were less experienced in SBT. SBT allows health care professionals to improve not only in the SBT process but also prepares them for clinical practice and to develop their communication and teamwork skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this review was to analyze the effectiveness of teaching healthcare professionals in perinatal palliative care, methods of evaluating the teaching, and the teaching strategies used. An integrative review. A systematic search was conducted for English language peer reviewed publications of any research design via SCOPUS, Medline/PubMed, EBSCOhost, Science Direct, ERIC, Web of Science, Wiley, Nursing Ovid, and ProQuest databases. Fourteen research papers published between 2002 and 2017 that met the selection criteria were included in the review. All 14 studies considered perinatal bereavement education to be effective. Eight studies reported statistical improvements in knowledge, security/comfort in providing end-of-life care, or increased perceptions of the emotional care needs of bereaved families, after attending an educational program. Questionnaires or interviews were used to evaluate the educational programs. Innovative teaching strategies, in particular, were evaluated positively (e.g., simulation, discussion, and arts-based methods). Perinatal palliative care education is essential in pregradual education for midwives and neonatal nurses. Other research is vital for finding out the effectiveness of this education for pregraduate nursing students. Perinatal palliative care education programs need to be available in postgraduate education for professionals who encounter perinatal death and bereaved families in hospital and community care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nosileftiki is the property of Hellenic Nurses' Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Recent decades have revealed a growing use of medicines for non-disease conditions, especially among university students. The prevalence rates for the use of study drugs (SDs), i.e. prescription stimulants and β-blockers, range from 2 to 20% among students worldwide. However, SD use does not take place in a vacuum. Like any other health-related behavior, medicine use takes place in specific social and cultural contexts, and there is very little scholarly work on these contextual aspects of SD use.Objective: This article aims to explore university students' use of SDs through the perceptions and practices of university counselors, general practitioners (GPs), psychiatrists, and from student polls in Denmark, in order to advocate for a contextual approach to SD use.Methods: The article relies on data from three different data sets involving a total of 18 semi-structured interviews, seven study counselors, nine GPs, and two psychiatrists, as well as votes from eight in-class polls conducted among approximately 300 university students in total. Data were collected between 2012 and 2017 and analyzed through meaning condensation and categorization.Results: The study shows that a great variety of perceptions and practices concerning SDs exists. While study counselors generally do not hear much about SDs from students, except for those seeking help with regard to β-blockers, they link the pressure, competition and perfectionism among students to a more general explanation of why some students may feel the need to use SDs. GPs meet students seeking SDs, but differ significantly in how they align their perceptions with their prescribing practices. The psychiatrists who participated in the study expressed widely different perceptions and practices regarding SDs. Finally, student polls indicate that students' opinions on SDs are also highly divided.Conclusion: The lack of consensus on SDs among professionals in health and education may contribute to students' divided opinions about SDs, just as it provides students with an opportunity to legitimize their use of SDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to explore experiences of older people with cancer in ascertaining the attributes of a person-centred approach in sustaining hope and enabling human flourishing. This was a qualitative study comparing patients and professional experiences and perceptions of care across to ward settings. Methods involved 10 semi-structured interviews conducted with patients and focus groups (n = 6) and 10 semi-structured interviews with health professionals. Three dissemination focus groups (n = 14) were also carried out with professionals to allow further analysis of the data. Two main themes were identified, including 'Emotional adaptations of hope: wants and expectations' and 'Hope through belittling their illness'. Findings highlight the way hope is conveyed and the emphasis' accorded to issues such as societal perceptions, knowledge, expectations of care, life stage, relationships, identity, and emotions. Findings also reinforce the importance of maintaining hope, recognising the different ways hope is used, and enabling patients to flourish. This study highlights how hope is facilitated through the interaction between patients and professionals and that the relational interactive stance. This current study establishes that hope seemed to be temporal, contextual and dynamic in nature, involving an ongoing process. Helping older people with cancer to understand their illness considering the situation of lives and experiences is essential to address expectations and wants. • The study contributes to research of older people with cancer managing hope in relation to their future lives in diverse settings. • Findings demonstrate the importance of the meaning of hope to ensure future expectations are a reality and the importance of relational care. • The study highlights differing types of hope voiced by patients depending on the context of care, 'notion of sameness' and 'comparison to others'. • This study demonstrates that hope is temporal, contextual and dynamic in nature, which involves an iterative process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]