Strengths and Barriers in Achieving “Green Status” of Breastfeeding; The Story of Frontline Health Care Workers in Sri Lanka

Abstract Objectives The achievements in breastfeeding in Sri Lanka are due to multiple factors and the work of frontline health care workers: public health midwives (PHMs) was crucial. Objective of this study is to explore the strengths and constraints of PHMs in optimizing breastfeeding practices in the Sri Lankan community. Methods We conducted a series of focus group discussions with PHMs in three different areas in Anuradhapura district Sri Lanka. Transcribed data were analyzed thematically to identify the types of strengths and constraints. Results Thirty six PHMs participated in the focus groups conducted. The well-established public health system that introduces and reinforce knowledge and skills on breastfeeding assured that mothers will adhere to the current recommendations on EBF. PHMs agreed on the support given by the hospital labor room, theatres and Lactation Management Center on early initiation and EBF. However, emphasis on attachment to breast rather than discharging a newborn on cup feeding was mentioned. PHMs devotion on establishing proper breastfeeding during the early postpartum home visits, the respect and acceptance of PHM by the mother and the community and the knowledge and skills they possess on breastfeeding counseling were highlighted. Irrational prescription of formula by medical practitioners, negative verbal comments by in-laws and unfavorable attitudes of mothers of high social class were seen as social obstacles to promote EBF. The PHMs seem to work with many barriers which could compromise care provision for mothers and children. Inability to attend for the home visit early due to scheduled work, the increased time needed to spent to counsel mothers and subsequent restriction of the daily duties, high population density and having to cover the vacant areas through out, excessive documentation work were problems needed to be addressed with regard to service enhancement. Conclusions The PHMs role is inevitable and Sri Lanka needs to enhance and facilitate service provision of grass root level health workers to optimize promotion, protection and support for EBF. Funding Sources No funding source.

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Burnout and Fear of Contagion as Factors in Aggressive Tendency of Health-Care Workers Treating People with Aids

Social Behavior and Personality An International Journal ◽

10.2224/sbp.2013.41.10.1625 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 41 (10) ◽

pp. 1625-1634 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Oluyinka Ojedokun ◽

Erhabor Sunday Idemudia ◽

Victoria Opeoluwa Kute

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Health Care System ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Physical Aggression ◽

Health Workers ◽

Medical Practitioner ◽

Intervention Strategies ◽

Medical Practitioners ◽

Care Workers

We investigated the roles of burnout and perceived fear of contagion with AIDS among 130 medical practitioners and 112 nurses (N = 242) working in AIDS care in Nigeria, in relation to the level of their aggressive tendency toward people living with AIDS (PLWAs). Participants completed scales concerning perceived AIDS anxiety, burnout, and aggressive tendency. Results showed that perceived fear of AIDS, burnout, and category of staff (medical practitioner or nurse), respectively, were associated with the tendency to perpetrate aggression against PLWAs. The implication of these findings is that stakeholders in the health-care system in Nigeria and elsewhere should address any aggressive tendency of health workers in public-health settings in order to prevent the occurrence of actual physical aggression against clients. We recommend that consideration should be given to the factors implicated in this study when intervention strategies are being developed.

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Risking Lives to Save Others During COVID-19: A Focus on Public Health Care Workers in Bangladesh and Egypt

International Journal of Health Services ◽

10.1177/00207314211063748 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 002073142110637

Author(s):

Shahjahan Bhuiyan

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Health Workers ◽

Public Health Care ◽

Altruistic Behavior ◽

Ongoing Research ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Street Level ◽

Care Workers

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been spreading around the world, causing a major public health crisis that has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Street-level bureaucrats—health workers, teachers, street cleaners, police officers, and so forth—are at the forefront in fighting against the pandemic. Of these, public health care workers, due to the nature of their involvement, should know and understand why they are risking their lives to save others during this pandemic. Based on the preliminary data gleaned from interviews with public health care workers in Bangladesh and Egypt, this ongoing research suggests they are risking their lives for reasons such as altruistic behavior, service to profession, adherence to bureaucratic accountability, and a desire to help mankind. The findings contribute to the existing literature about street-level bureaucratic behavior in atypical times such as these of the pandemic. This study is unique in that it comprehends that public health care workers of two culturally and geographically distinct countries are risking their lives for the same public-spirited cause.

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PENGARUH PERSEPSI TENTANG IDENTITAS PROFESI TERHADAP SIKAP INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION TENAGA KESEHATAN DI PUSKESMAS

Smart Medical Journal ◽

10.13057/smj.v2i2.35199 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 104

Author(s):

ETI PONCORINI PAMUNGKASARI ◽

SRI ANGGRAINI PARWATININGSIH

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Professional Identity ◽

Health Center ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Health Workers ◽

Interprofessional Collaboration ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Public Health Center ◽

Care Workers

ABSTRAKPendahuluan: Kolaborasi tenaga medis merupakan hal yang penting dalam mengupayakan peningkatan kualitas pelayanan kesehatan. WHO menyampaikan bahwa kolaborasi akan memperkuat sistem kesehatan. Studi tentang kolaborasi tenaga medis di Indonesia terutama tentang tenaga medis Puskesmas masih sangat terbatas.Metode: Studi ini merupakan bagian dari pengabdian masyarakat, dengan pendekatan cross sectional. Lokasi yang digunakan adalah Puskesmas Banyuanyar dan Puskesmas Kratonan, mewakili Puskesmas di kawasan pedesaan dan perkotaan. Tenaga kesehatan yang mengikuti kegiatan ini sebanyak 37 orang. Instrumen yang digunakan adalah kuesioner persepsi tentang identitas profesi, dan kuesioner sikap tentang interprofessional collaboration. Data yang didapatkan dianalisis statistik dengan uji regresi linier ganda.Hasil: Setiap peningkatan satu skor persepsi tentang identitas profesi akan meningkatkan sikap interprofessional collaboration sebesar 1,07; dan signifikan secara statistik (p = 0,001), setiap peningkatan satu tahun lama kerja akan menurunkan sikap interprofessional collaboration, namun tidak signifikan secara statistik (p=0,31). Persepsi tentang identitas profesi dan lama kerja bersama-sama mempengaruhi sikap interprofessional collaboration sebesar 31 %, sisanya sebesar 69 % dipengaruhi oleh faktor lain yang tidak diteliti, model regresi ganda fit dengan p=0,001.Kesimpulan: Persepsi tenaga kesehatan tentang identitas profesi mempengaruhi sikap tentang identitas profesi. Perlu memperkuat persepsi tenaga kesehatan tentang identitas profesi.Kata Kunci: kolaborasi; puskesmas; tenaga medis; identitas profesi ABSTRACTIntroduction: Collaboration of health care workers is important in order to improve the quality of health services. WHO states that collaboration will strengthen the health system. Studies on collaboration of health care workers in Indonesia, especially on public health center workers, are still very limited.Methods: This study was part of community service, with a cross sectional study approach. The locations used are Puskesmas Banyuanyar and Puskesmas Kratonan, representing public health center in rural and urban areas. There were 37 health workers who participated in this activity. The instrument used was a perception of professional identity, and attitudes about interprofessional collaboration. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using the multiple linear regression.Results: Every increase of one perception score about professional identity would increase interprofessional collaboration attitude by 1.07, statistically significant (p ≤ 0.001), every increase of one year of work would decrease interprofessional collaboration attitude, but not statistically significant (p = - 0.31). Perceptions of professional identity and length of work together affect interprofessional collaboration attitude by 31%, the remaining 69% is influenced by other factors not examined, the multiple fit regression model with p = 0.001.Conclusion: Health workers' perceptions about professional identity influence attitudes about professional identity. There is a need to strengthen the perception of health workers about professional identity. Keywords: collaboration; public health center; health care workers; professional identity

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Zero Health Worker Infection: Experiences From the China Ebola Treatment Unit During the Ebola Epidemic in Liberia

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness ◽

10.1017/dmp.2016.103 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 262-266 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Lei Liu ◽

Huahua Yin ◽

Ding Liu

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Infection Control ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Ebola Virus ◽

Health Workers ◽

Successful Outcome ◽

Medical Assistance ◽

Treatment Unit ◽

Care Workers

AbstractIn November 2014, a total of 164 health care workers were dispatched by the Chinese government as the first medical assistance team to Liberia. The tasks of this team were to establish a China Ebola treatment unit (ETU), to commence the initial admission and treatment of suspected and confirmed Ebola patients, and to provide public health and infection control training for relevant local personnel. Overall, during the 2-month stay of this first medical assistance team in Liberia, 112 Ebola-suspected patients presented to the ETU, 65 patients were admitted, including 5 confirmed cases, and 3 confirmed cases were cured. Furthermore, 1520 local people were trained, including health care workers, military health care workers, staff members employed by the ETU, and community residents. Most importantly, as the first Chinese medical assistance team deployed to Liberia fighting the Ebola virus on the frontline, not a single member of this team or the hired local staff were infected by Ebola virus. This highly successful outcome was due to the meticulous infection control initiatives developed by the team, thereby making a significant contribution to China’s ETU “zero infection” of health workers in Liberia. The major infection control initiatives conducted in the China ETU that contributed to achieving “zero infection” of all health workers in the ETU are introduced in this report. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:262–266)

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Telemedicine (or Teleconsultation?) Practice Guidelines of India: A Game changer or a half-hearted attempt amid COVID-19? (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.20026 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Venkatesh U ◽

Aravind Gandhi P

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Practice Guidelines ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Data Security ◽

Patient Relationship ◽

Medical Practitioners ◽

Care Workers ◽

The Government ◽

First Time ◽

Game Changer

UNSTRUCTURED Telemedicine is where health care intersects with Information Technology. In India, there has been no statutory regulations or official guidelines, specific for Telemedicine practice and allied matters, so far. For the first time, Government of India has released Telemedicine Practice Guidelines for Registered Medical Practitioners on March 25, 2020, amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Through this paper, we would like to initiate the discussion on the features of the guidelines, limitations, and its significance in times of COVID-19 pandemic. The guidelines are with a restricted scope for providing medical consultation to patients, excluding other aspects of Telemedicine such as research and evaluation, and the continuing education of health-care workers. The guidelines have elaborated on the eligibility for practicing Telemedicine in India, the modes and types of Teleconsultation, delved into doctor-patient relationship, consent, & management protocols, touched upon the data security & privacy aspects of the Teleconsultation. After releasing the guidelines, Telescreening of public for COVID-19 symptoms is being advocated by the Government of India. COVID-19 National Teleconsultation Centre (CoNTeC) has been initiated, which connects the doctors across the India to AIIMS in real-time for accessing expert guidance on treatment of the COVID-19 patients.

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COVID – 19 related knowledge and preventive practices early in the outbreak among health care workers in selected public health facilities of Illu aba Bor and Buno Bedelle zones, Southwest Ethiopia

BMC Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1186/s12879-021-06218-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Dereje Tsegaye ◽

Muluneh Shuremu ◽

Dereje Oljira ◽

Sileshi Dubale ◽

Getachew Befekadu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Infection Prevention ◽

Health Facilities ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Southwest Ethiopia ◽

Preventive Practices ◽

Care Workers

Abstract Background Novel-coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) disease is currently a worldwide health risk and public health emergency concern. The virus is transmitted from an infected person to another person through close contact and droplets. Frontline health care workers are the most at risk of infection, and so a WHO interim guidance document was issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) which underscores the importance of proper sanitation and waste management practices for COVID- 19 in health-care settings. This study aimed at assessing knowledge and preventive practices towards Covid-19 among health care providers in selected health facilities of Illu Aba Bor and Buno Bedele zones, Southwest Ethiopia. Methods An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April to May 2020 among 330 health workers in selected health facilities of Illu Aba Bor and Buno-Bedelle Zones, Southwest Ethiopia. Data were collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire. The collected data were entered into Epidata version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 23 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors of preventive practices towards Covid-19. Statistical significance was declared at a p-value of < 0.05. Result The majority of respondents (93.3%) demonstrated good knowledge of COVID-19, and the mean (SD) knowledge score was 9.04 ± 1.06. Nearly two-thirds (64.2%) of the study participants had good infection prevention practices. Being male (AOR = 3.65, 95% CI: (1.96, 6.80)), education level (AOR = 1.82, 95% CI (1.02, 3.22)), profession (AOR = 3.17, 95% CI (1.08, 9.33)), service year (5–10 years) (AOR = 2.00 (1.02, 3.92)) and more than 10 years (AOR = 3.14 (1.51, 6.52)), availability of personal protective equipment (AOR = 1.96 (1.06, 3.61)) and Knowledge level (AOR = 2.61 (1.48, 4.62)) were independent predictors of COVID-19 preventive practices. Conclusion The overall level of knowledge of HCWs was good. However, the practice was relatively low. Gender, educational status, profession, year of service, knowledge towards COVID-19, and availability of personal protective equipment were independent predictors of good infection prevention practices. Optimizing the infection prevention and control loop of the health facilities is recommended.

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Immune response to hepatitis B vaccine in a group of health care workers in Sri Lanka

International Journal of Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1016/j.ijid.2013.04.009 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 17 (11) ◽

pp. e1078-e1079 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

L.S. Chathuranga ◽

F. Noordeen ◽

A.M.S.B. Abeykoon

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Immune Response ◽

Sri Lanka ◽

Hepatitis B ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Hepatitis B Vaccine ◽

Care Workers

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ANALYSIS OF THE ROLE OF THE ECONOMIST IN PUBLIC HEALTH

Vestnik ◽

10.53065/kaznmu.2021.94.69.065 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 313-316

Author(s):

И.Г. Турсумбай ◽

Л.К. Кошербаева

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Comparative Analysis ◽

Health Economics ◽

Continuous Improvement ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Economic Situation ◽

Care Workers

Одним из последствий осуществления медицинской деятельности в разнообразных хозяйственных формах является изменение экономического положения работников здравоохранения. От количества и качества их труда зависит экономический результат деятельности лечебно-профилактических учреждений (ЛПУ) в целом. В статье приводится сравнительный анализ занимающихся подготовкой экономистов в области здравоохранения по различным критериям. Подчеркивается необходимость непрерывного совершенствования подготовки управленческих кадров в области экономики здравоохранения в современных условиях развития общества. One of the consequences of the implementation of medical activities in various economic forms is a change in the economic situation of health care workers. The number and quality of their work depends on the economic result of the activities of medical and preventive institutions (LPU) as a whole. The article presents a comparative analysis of the health economists who are engaged in training according to various criteria. The necessity of continuous improvement of training of managerial personnel in the field of health economics in the modern conditions of society development is emphasized.

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NSI: A major occupational hazards among the health care workers in Nepal

International Journal of Occupational Safety and Health ◽

10.3126/ijosh.v3i1.9098 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 22-25 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jaita Mondal

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Body Fluid ◽

Occupational Safety ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Health Workers ◽

Needle Stick Injury ◽

Safety And Health ◽

Care Workers ◽

B Virus

A percutaneous piercing wound as in needle stick injury is a typically set by a needle point, but possibly also by other sharp instruments or objects. These events are of concern because of the risk to transmit blood-borne diseases through the passage of the hepatitis B virus (HBV), the hepatitis C virus (HCV), and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus which causes AIDS. The present study was done to determine the risk status regarding NSI among health care workers of Private Hospitals, Pokhara, Nepal. Samples were selected through purposive sampling. Self administered questionnaire & risk assessment tool were used to collect data. Study revealed that majority of health care workers were females (93%) with mean age of 22.66 years (±3.1). Sixty eight percent had got NSI, among them 41% had NSI more than 2times in life. Maximum NSI cases happened either by recapping of the needle (18%) or during disposal of sharps (16%) or while transferring a body fluid (blood) to a specimen bottle (15%). The study concludes that majority of health workers had NSI more than two times which denotes NSI is a major occupational hazard. Cases happened either by recapping of the needle or during disposal of sharps or while transferring a body fluid to a specimen bottle. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijosh.v3i1.9098 International Journal of Occupational Safety and Health, Vol 3 No 1 (2013) 22-25

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Measuring the Quality of Rural-Based, Government Health Care Workers in Nepal

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice ◽

10.46743/1540-580x/2010.1281 ◽

2010 ◽

Author(s):

Stephen Knoble ◽

Anil Pandit ◽

Bibek Koirala ◽

Laxmi Ghimire

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Clinical Training ◽

Health Workers ◽

Clinical Skills ◽

Clinical Teacher ◽

Government Health ◽

Care Workers ◽

Key Skills ◽

Significant Difference

A representative, cross-sectional clinical skills assessment of 163 mid-level, rural-based, government health care workers was conducted in four districts of Nepal in June 2007. All Health Assistants and Auxiliary Healthcare Workers within the target districts were scored using checklists of standardized key skills in clinical encounters with model patients or clinical models. Participant scores were reported as a mean percentage in adult medicine 28(%), pediatric medicine 56(%), maternity medicine 35(%), orthopedic medicine 45(%), clinical procedures 59(%), and management 46(%). This was measured against the government’s 60(%) standard on clinical skills. There was little significant difference between categories of health workers by district of posting or years of experience. There was a minor difference in skills by level of facility - workers in higher level facilities scored better across the domains. Reasons for poor performance in clinical skills were attributed to a lack of clinical in-service training programs, training only focusing on prevention and public health, and poor on-sight supervision. Poor pre-service schooling factors included heavy theory concentration in pathophysiology and inadequate clinical exposure opportunities. Recommendations for the improvement of clinical skills and decision-making include the institution of in-service competency-based training with a high emphasis on real patient exposure. Pre-service recommendations include implementation of a national certification program and an expansion of the current government clinical training sites and clinical teacher development programs.

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