Information Security Awareness and Behaviors of Health Care Professionals at Public Health Care Facilities

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (04) ◽  
pp. 924-932
Author(s):  
Dari Alhuwail ◽  
Eiman Al-Jafar ◽  
Yousef Abdulsalam ◽  
Shaikha AlDuaij
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Information Security ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Internet Usage ◽  
Public Health Care

Abstract Objectives This study investigated information security behaviors of professionals working in the public health sector to guide policymakers toward focusing their investments in infrastructure and training on the most vulnerable segments. We sought to answer the following questions: (1) Are certain professional demographics more vulnerable to cybersecurity threats? (2) Do professionals in different institution types (i.e., hospitals vs. primary care clinics) exhibit different cybersecurity behaviors? (3) Can Internet usage behaviors by professionals be indicative of their cybersecurity awareness and the risk they introduce? Methods A cross-sectional, anonymous, paper-based survey was distributed among professionals working in public health care organizations in Kuwait. Data were collected about each professional's role, experience, work environment, cybersecurity practices, and understanding to calculate a cybersecurity score which indicates their level of compliance to good cybersecurity practices. We also asked about respondents' internet usage and used K-means cluster analysis to segment respondents into three groups based on their internet activities at work. Ordinary least squares regression assessed the association between the collected independent variables in question on the overall cybersecurity behavior. Results A total of 453/700 (64%) were responded to the survey. The results indicated that professionals with more work experience demonstrated higher compliance with good cybersecurity practices. Interestingly, nurses demonstrate higher cybersecurity aptitude relative to physicians. Professionals that were less inclined to use the internet for personal use during their work demonstrated higher cybersecurity aptitude. Conclusion Our findings provide some guidance regarding how to target health care professional training to mitigate cybersecurity risks. There is a need for ensuring that physicians receive adequate cybersecurity training, despite the opportunity costs and other issues competing for their attention. Additionally, classifying professionals based on their internet browsing patterns may identify individuals vulnerable to cybersecurity incidents better than more discrete indicators such as age or gender.

Spatial distribution of public health care facilities in rural areas of Nalanda district, Bihar

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 387-399
Author(s):  
Anand Kumar ◽  
◽  
Dhiraj Kumar Sharma ◽  
Satya Prakash ◽  
Ram Sakal Yadava ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Community Development ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Graphical Representation ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
Location Quotient ◽  
Care Facilities

At this critical juncture of time when the whole world is facing a health care emergency due to the occurrence of (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. It becomes necessary to critically evaluate public health care facilities and their availability to common people to tackle the ongoing crisis rationally. In this regard, this paper tries to study the spatial distribution of public health care facilities and their availability in rural areas of Nalanda district. Location quotient, Lorenz curve and Gini's coefficient have been worked out to find unequal concentration, availability and distribution of public health care facilities across the study area. To show the concentration and distribution of health care facilities over space maps have been drawn on ArcGIS. MS Excel and Word have been used for showing the availability of health care facilities through graphical representation and for tabulation purposes. This paper concludes that community development blocks surrounding district headquarter have a higher concentration and larger availability of rural public health care facilities in comparison to peripheral community development blocks of the study area.

Confidentiality and security of information in the public health-care facilities to curb HIV/AIDS trauma among patients in Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ngoako Solomon Marutha ◽  
Olefhile Mosweu
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
Chronic Patients ◽  
Aids Patients ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Hiv Aids

Purpose This study sought to investigate a framework for ensuring the confidentiality and security of information at the public health-care facilities to curb HIV/AIDS trauma among patients in Africa. In most instances, trauma to HIV/AIDS patients accelerate because of their personal information relating to the state of illness leaks to public people. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study used literature to study confidentiality and security of information at the public health-care facilities to curb HIV/AIDS trauma among patients in Africa. Findings The study revealed that confidentiality and security of information has been neglected, in most instances, at the health-care facilities, and this has, to some extent, affected HIV/AIDS patients negatively, leading to trauma, stigma and skipping of treatment by patients resulting in accelerated mortality among chronic patients. The study recommends that patients’ information be always strictly controlled and kept confidential and secured at all the times, especially that of HIV/AIDS patients. Practical implications The proposed framework can be used by health-care facilities to guide the management and promotion of the confidentiality and security of information in the public health-care facilities to curb additional trauma to HIV/AIDS patients in the context of Africa, and even beyond. Originality/value The study provides a framework to ensure the confidentiality and security of information at the public health-care facilities to curb additional trauma to HIV/AIDS patients.

scholarly journals Patient costs of hypertension care in public health care facilities in Kenya

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robinson Oyando ◽  
Martin Njoroge ◽  
Peter Nguhiu ◽  
Fredrick Kirui ◽  
Jane Mbui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
Patient Costs ◽  
Care Facilities

scholarly journals Planning universal accessibility to public health care in sub-Saharan Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (50) ◽  
pp. 31760-31769
Author(s):  
Giacomo Falchetta ◽  
Ahmed T. Hammad ◽  
Soheil Shayegh
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Universal Accessibility ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Sub Saharan

Achieving universal health care coverage—a key target of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 3—requires accessibility to health care services for all. Currently, in sub-Saharan Africa, at least one-sixth of the population lives more than 2 h away from a public hospital, and one in eight people is no less than 1 h away from the nearest health center. We combine high-resolution data on the location of different typologies of public health care facilities [J. Maina et al., Sci. Data 6, 134 (2019)] with population distribution maps and terrain-specific accessibility algorithms to develop a multiobjective geographic information system framework for assessing the optimal allocation of new health care facilities and assessing hospitals expansion requirements. The proposed methodology ensures universal accessibility to public health care services within prespecified travel times while guaranteeing sufficient available hospital beds. Our analysis suggests that to meet commonly accepted universal health care accessibility targets, sub-Saharan African countries will need to build ∼6,200 new facilities by 2030. We also estimate that about 2.5 million new hospital beds need to be allocated between new facilities and ∼1,100 existing structures that require expansion or densification. Optimized location, type, and capacity of each facility can be explored in an interactive dashboard. Our methodology and the results of our analysis can inform local policy makers in their assessment and prioritization of health care infrastructure. This is particularly relevant to tackle health care accessibility inequality, which is not only prominent within and between countries of sub-Saharan Africa but also, relative to the level of service provided by health care facilities.

scholarly journals Factors affecting health care facility utilization in rural areas of Lucknow district

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 1766
Author(s):  
Vinita Shukla ◽  
Pratibha Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Facility ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Health Care Facility ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Background Population

Background: Population is increasing rapidly so with the limited resources government alone cannot cater the health of whole population. Private health sector is equally important for the improvement of health of the people. In view of these facts the present study was planned to assess the utilization of health care services (both public and private) and to assess the reasons for visiting that particular health facility (public or private).Methods: Study was cross sectional for 1 year period. Total sample size was 1024. In the present study only rural area was taken. By using multistage stratified random sampling 6 villages were selected and sample came out as 516. Data was analyzed by stata software version -12 for windows and chi square test.Results: 50% respondents visited public, 38% private and 10% visited others (charitable, pharmacies etc.). 62% respondents belonged to lower socio economic status preferred public health care facility. The main reason for visiting public health facility was free services and for private was got cure earlier from that heath facility. Majority of people visited any health facility for illness. (344 out of 516) and 50% of them visited for respiratory diseases. For chronic illness majority (60%) preferred public health care facility.Conclusions: Both public and private health care facilities should be made well equipped and affordable so that people can make choices and not forced to choose particular health facility.

Maintenance practices in Nigeria’s public health-care buildings: a systematic review of issues and feasible solutions

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Ebekozien
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Human Development ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Development Management ◽  
Building Maintenance ◽  
Hospital Building ◽  
Feasible Solutions

Purpose Health-care building maintenance has been receiving concern because of the recent global pandemic. However, there are inadequate broad studies affecting health-care facilities maintenance and feasible solutions in Nigeria. This study aims to conduct an all-inclusive review of public hospital building maintenance issues and proffer possible solutions to improve maintenance practices in health-care buildings via a framework that will support studies in the future. Design/methodology/approach A review of published papers from 2006 to 2020 was conducted. Based on the keywords, 3 pertinent databases were searched and descriptions of the findings from 40 studies were recognised and used in line with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Findings Two main themes (issues and feasible solutions to improve practices) emerged from public health-care building maintenance practices. The study developed a framework that describes the relationship between issues and possible solutions with an emphasis on how to improve human development, management efficiency, technical competence and professional skills, cost-minimisation and others. Practical implications As part of the paper implications, emerged issues were group into five categories (human development, management, technical, limited financial resources and others). The proposed framework for future studies will attempt to mitigate issues and proffer feasible solutions to improve hospital building maintenance practices in Nigeria and other developing countries that are facing similar challenges. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper is possibly the first comprehensive review of public health-care building maintenance practices in Nigeria. Moreover, this review demonstrates how the proposed feasible solutions can mitigate problems.

scholarly journals Compliance to prescribing guidelines among public health care facilities in Namibia; findings and implications

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 1227-1236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qamar Niaz ◽  
Brian Godman ◽  
Stephen Campbell ◽  
Dan Kibuule
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
Prescribing Patterns ◽  
National Standard ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
National Guidelines ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract Background The World Health Organization estimates that over 50% medicines are prescribed inappropriately and the main driver of antimicrobial resistance globally. There have only been a limited number of studies evaluating prescribing patterns against national standard treatment guidelines (STGs) in sub-Saharan African countries including Namibia. This is important given the high prevalence of both infectious and non-infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa alongside limited resources. Objective Our aim was to assess prescribing practices and drivers of compliance to National guidelines among public health care facilities in Namibia to provide future guidance. Setting Three levels of public healthcare in Namibia. Method A mixed method approach including patient exit and prescriber interviews at three levels of health care in Namibia, i.e. hospital, health centre and clinic. Main outcome measures Medicine prescribing indicators, compliance to and attitudes towards National guidelines. Results Of the 1243 prescriptions analysed, 73% complied with the STGs and 69% had an antibiotic. Of the 3759 medicines (i.e. mean of 3.0 ± 1.1) prescribed, 64% were prescribed generically. The vast majority of prescribers were aware of, and had access to, the Namibian STGs (94.6%), with the majority reporting that the guidelines are easy to use and they regularly refer to them. The main drivers of compliance to guidelines were programmatic, that is access to up-to date objective guidelines, support systems for continued education on their use, and ease of referencing. Lack of systems to regulate noncompliance impacted on their use. Conclusion Whilst the findings were encouraging, ongoing concerns included limited prescribing of generic medicines and high use of antibiotics. A prescribing performance management system should be introduced to improve and monitor compliance to prescribing guidelines in public healthcare.

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