scholarly journals U.S. Field Hospitals: A Study on Public Health Emergency Response to COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luorongxin Yuan ◽  
Sherryn Sherryn ◽  
Peter Hu ◽  
Fenghao Chen
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Utilization Rate ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Public Health Emergency Response ◽  
Strict Regulation ◽  
Critical Patients ◽  
Effective Public Health ◽  
Local Healthcare

With the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rapidly growing in the U.S., many states are experiencing a shortage of hospital-especially ICU-beds. In addition to discharging non-critical patients, expanding local hospitals' capacity as well as re-opening closed healthcare facilities, these states are actively building or converting public venues into field hospitals to fill the gap1. By studying these makeshift hospitals, we found that the states most severely impacted by the pandemic are fast at responding with the first wave of hospitals opening around the date of peak demand and the majority ready to use by the end of April. However, depending on the types of patients the field hospitals accept (COVID-19 vs. non-COVID-19) and how they are incorporated to local healthcare system, these field hospitals have utilization rate ranging from 100% to 0%. The field hospitals acting as alternative site to treat non-COVID-19 patients typically had low utilization rate and often faced the risk of COVID-19 outbreak in the facility. As overflow facilities, the field hospitals providing intensive care were highly relied on by local healthcare systems whereas the field hospitals dedicated to patients with mild symptoms often found it hard to fill the beds due to a combination of factors such as strict regulation on transferring patients from local hospitals, complication of health insurance discouraging health-seeking behavior, and effective public health measure to "flatten the curve" so that the additional beds were no longer needed.

scholarly journals Using Google Trends to Examine the Spatio-Temporal Incidence and Behavioral Patterns of Dengue Disease: A Case Study in Metropolitan Manila, Philippines

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howell T. Ho ◽  
Thaddeus M. Carvajal ◽  
John Robert Bautista ◽  
Jayson Dale R. Capistrano ◽  
Katherine M. Viacrusis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Cross Correlation ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Epidemiological Methods ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Health Seeking Behavior ◽  
Search Queries ◽  
Seeking Behavior

Dengue is a major public health concern and an economic burden in the Philippines. Despite the country’s improved dengue surveillance, it still suffers from various setbacks and needs to be complemented with alternative approaches. Previous studies have demonstrated the potential of Internet-based surveillance such as Google Dengue Trends (GDT) in supplementing current epidemiological methods for predicting future dengue outbreaks and patterns. With this, our study has two objectives: (1) assess the temporal relationship of weekly GDT and dengue incidence in Metropolitan Manila from 2009–2014; and (2) examine the health-seeking behavior based on dengue-related search queries of the population. The study collated the population statistics and reported dengue cases in Metropolitan Manila from respective government agencies to calculate the dengue incidence (DI) on a weekly basis for the entire region and annually per city. Data processing of GDT and dengue incidence was performed by conducting an ‘adjustment’ and scaling procedures, respectively, and further analyzed for correlation and cross-correlation analyses using Pearson’s correlation. The relative search volume of the term ‘dengue’ and top dengue-related search queries in Metropolitan Manila were obtained and organized from the Google Trends platform. Afterwards, a thematic analysis was employed, and word clouds were generated to examine the health behavior of the population. Results showed that weekly temporal GDT pattern are closely similar to the weekly DI pattern in Metropolitan Manila. Further analysis showed that GDT has a moderate and positive association with DI when adjusted or scaled, respectively. Cross-correlation analysis revealed a delayed effect where GDT leads DI by 1–2 weeks. Thematic analysis of dengue-related search queries indicated 5 categories namely; (a) dengue, (b) sign and symptoms of dengue, (c) treatment and prevention, (d) mosquito, and (e) other diseases. The majority of the search queries were classified in ‘signs and symptoms’ which indicate the health-seeking behavior of the population towards the disease. Therefore, GDT can be utilized to complement traditional disease surveillance methods combined with other factors that could potentially identify dengue hotspots and help in public health decisions.

scholarly journals Fistula as a Public Health challenge in Pakistan

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamoon Noushad ◽  
Shershah Syed ◽  
Sadaf Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Obstetric Fistula ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Public Health Challenge ◽  
Effective Public Health ◽  
The Impact

Aims: To explore the impact of obstetric fistula in the county and to propose effective public health interventions that can help to prevent the condition with a long-term goal of eradicating the condition. Methods: The survey and analysis included secondary data addressing women's experiences of fistula; dynamics and limitationsdetermining women's access to in healthcare facilities for fistula management; and restraintsof health professional as well as health inequities. Results: It was assessed that recently, many hospitals and organizations in the country go on board on intercessions to address the impact of the illness, however, much importance is on pinpointing and discussing the existing cases rather than focusing on public health interventions that can help to prevent and eventually eradicate the condition in Pakistan.

scholarly journals Patients’ Perceptions of Hospital Care in a Covid-19 Pandemic Population

2021 ◽  
pp. 27-34
Author(s):  
Okechwukwu Felix Erondu ◽  
Michael Promise Ogolodom ◽  
Awajimijan Nathaniel Mbaba ◽  
Aniebo Nonyelum
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Hospital Care ◽  
Health Planning ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Seeking Behavior ◽  
Clean Environment ◽  
Seeking Behavior

Background: COVID-19 pandemic was associated with pandemonium and misinformation, affecting patients' health-seeking behavior. This study was designed to explore patients' perceptions of hospital care during this period and to provide evidence-based and appropriate public health planning strategies. Materials and Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 155 patients using 22 items structured and self-completion questionnaires to determine (A) Socio-demographic variables, (B) Knowledge and perception of the disease, and (C) The participants’ behaviors towards COVID-19. A Hardcopy version of the questionnaire was administered to the respondents by direct issuance. Results: 103(66.45%) of the respondents knew the cause of COVID-19, while 104 (67.09%) agreed that people can be infected with COVID-19 in the hospital.  84 (54.19%) were afraid of a hospital visit and 66 (42.58%) are unwilling to self-report if they have minor symptoms. A large number 43(27.74%) perceived a clean environment as the impetus to make them comfortable in the hospital. Conclusion: Our study illuminates gaps in the patients’ perceptions of hospital care during the COVID-19 pandemic, which impacted negatively on the patient population as they avoided hospitalization for fear of contracting COVID-19 in the hospital. Furthermore, appropriate public health strategies can improve patients’ perceptions and health-seeking behavior in a pandemic period.

scholarly journals Why is the Vaccination Rate Low in India?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pramod Kumar Sur
Keyword(s):  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
Jel Classification ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Universal Immunization Program ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Forced Sterilization ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Immunization Services

AbstractIndia has had an established universal immunization program since 1985 and immunization services are available for free in healthcare facilities. Despite this, India has one of the lowest vaccination rates globally and contributes to the largest pool of under-vaccinated children in the world. Why is the vaccination rate low in India? This paper explores the importance of historical events in shaping India’s current vaccination practices. We examine India’s aggressive family planning program implemented during the period of emergency rule in the 1970s, under which millions of individuals were forcibly sterilized. We find that greater exposure to the forced sterilization policy has had negative effects on the current vaccination rate. We also find that institutional delivery and antenatal care are currently low in states where policy exposure is high. Together, the evidence suggests that the forced sterilization policy has had a persistent effect on current health-seeking behavior in India.JEL ClassificationN35, I15, I18, O53, Z1

scholarly journals Perceptions and knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases among rural people in India: Some ground realties

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-51
Author(s):  
Dr Nanjunda
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Sexually Transmitted Diseases ◽  
World Health ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Focus Group Study ◽  
Rural People ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Health Organization

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) have become a serious public health issue among the rural people in India because of a unique health culture and health seeking behavior. Most rural people are suffering from different types of STDs because of cultural fabrics, poverty, illiteracy, ignorance and poor access to effective treatment. The World Health Organization has also warned that India could be the next nation with the highest number of unreported STD cases, resulting in devastating consequences. This current study, conducted in a rural part of the Hassan district of Karnataka, South India, examined the perceptions and knowledge regarding STDs among rural people. A focus group study conducted among selected purposive samples of both infected (with STD) and non-infected rural people. This study has found that STDs were more prevalent among people in the age group of 25-28 years (50.6%)male respondents (62.6%), people with a low level of literacy (42.2%), professional truck drivers (38.6%), people in the lower income groups (64%), and unmarried people (56%). This study also found vaginites and herpes are the most common types of STDs found among the respondents. The majority of the respondents were not aware about the onset and symptoms of the STDs. People were too shy to seek treatment even from the local healers. Effective public health policies and health promotion programs should be developed regarding the holistic and inclusive health development for the rural people with special references to STDs. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/seajph.v3i2.20040 South East Asian Journal of Public Health Vol.3(2) 2013: 47-51

scholarly journals Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice on Malaria Prevention Among Students of Hamelmalo Agricultural College

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minassie Mengisteab Araia ◽  
Amanuel Hadgu Mebrahtu ◽  
Ghenet Weldegerghish
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Malaria Prevention ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Attitude And Practice ◽  
Agricultural College ◽  
Seeking Behavior

Abstract Background: Malaria is one of the most severe public health problems worldwide with 300 to 500 million cases and about one million deaths reported annually. In Eritrea, malaria is one of the major public health problems, particularly in Gash Barka zone which bears more than 60% of the burden. Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude, practice and misconceptions as well as association among knowledge of most vulnerable population and practice of the respondents on utilization of ITN with their demographic characteristics. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess KAP of Hamelmalo Agriculture College students in November 2016. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 20 and Stata version 13. Results: (99.3%) of respondents were aware of the existence of malaria as a disease. With regard to the malaria symptoms, fever was the most frequently reported by participant accounts 99.7%. 70.1% of respondents said they went to health facility if they get sick. Majority (85.1%) of the respondents owned ITN but only 69.2% slept last night in ITN. 228 (77.55%) perceive malaria as serious diseases only if it remains untreated however, 13 (4.42%) as an ordinary disease. Some misconceptions were found on the assessment of the students on factors associated with malaria infection and health seeking behavior. The predictors of ITN utilization was found to be age 20 (OR18.49, (CI 1.227-278.87) (P=0.035) and being resident of Zoba Debub (OR 0.094, (CI, 0.014-0.607)) (0.013) or Zoba Gash Barka (OR 0.027(CI, 0.02-0.258) (P=0.002). The association between age of respondent and level of knowledge was found to be statistically significant with OR ranging from 3.9 up to 37.5 for the differ age groups.Conclusion: The student of Hamelmalo Agricultural College has a fair knowledge, which is above 60% of the mean score and 50% on attitude and practice which is hard to accept, because we were proposing to get more than 50%. So there are still areas that need to be addressed, since the students are likely to influence the behavior of their parents addressing the existing misconception is important.

scholarly journals SOCIAL SUPPORT AND HEALTHCARE-SEEKING BEHAVIOR OF OLDER PERSONS IN NIGERIA

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S143-S144
Author(s):  
Funmi Togonu-Bickersteth ◽  
Joshua O Aransiola ◽  
Catherine O Oyetunji-Alemede ◽  
Opeyemi Ekundayo ◽  
Oluwasegun Oluwaleimu
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Healthcare Facility ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Healthcare Seeking ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Healthcare Seeking Behavior

Abstract Abstract The choice of healthcare facility by older persons is an important factor in their healthcare seeking behavior, and this can be associated with a number of factors. This study investigated the relationship between social support and healthcare facility choice of older persons in Nigeria. Other factors associated with the choice of healthcare facilities by older persons were also identified. Quantitative data were collected from a sample of 3,696 elderly aged 60 years above (55.6% male; 44.4% females; mean age = 69.2, SD = 8.60) who were selected through multi-stage systematic random sampling. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that older persons who received social support were more likely to seek treatment in formal healthcare facilities, while older persons who did not receive any form of social support were more likely to seek treatment in informal healthcare facilities. Membership of social or religious groups was found to be a predictor of health seeking behavior among the older adults. Sex, age, level of education, and ability to handle activities of daily living (ADL), and ease of access to the nearest health facility, were found to be significantly associated with choice of healthcare facilities. The article concludes that there is need for conscious planning to provide formal supports to ease access of older persons to available health facilities. Such facilitation should include financial support and removal of existing physical and cultural barriers to health care utilization by older persons.

scholarly journals “We know about schistosomiasis but we know nothing about FGS”: A qualitative assessment of knowledge gaps about female genital schistosomiasis among communities living in Schistosoma haematobium endemic districts of Zanzibar and Northwestern Tanzania

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. e0009789
Author(s):  
Humphrey D. Mazigo ◽  
Anna Samson ◽  
Valencia J. Lambert ◽  
Agnes L. Kosia ◽  
Deogratias D. Ngoma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Schistosoma Haematobium ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Urogenital Schistosomiasis ◽  
Health Seeking Behavior ◽  
Northwestern Tanzania ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Female Genital

Background Schistosoma haematobium causes urogenital schistosomiasis and is widely distributed in Tanzania. In girls and women, the parasite can cause Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS), a gynecological manifestation of schistosomiasis that is highly neglected and overlooked by public health professionals and policy makers. This study explored community members’ knowledge, attitudes and perceptions (KAP) on and health seeking behavior for FGS. Methods/Principal findings Using qualitative research methods—including 40 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and 37 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs)—we collected data from 414 participants (Males n = 204 [49.3%] and Females n = 210 [50.7%]). The study engaged 153 participants from Zanzibar and 261 participants from Northwestern Tanzania and was conducted in twelve (12) purposively selected districts (7 districts in Zanzibar and 5 districts in northwestern Tanzania). Most participants were aware of urogenital schistosomiasis. Children were reported as the most affected group and blood in urine was noted as a common symptom especially in boys. Adults were also noted as a risk group due to their involvement in activities like paddy farming that expose them to infection. Most participants lacked knowledge of FGS and acknowledged having no knowledge that urogenital schistosomiasis can affect the female reproductive system. A number of misconceptions on the symptoms of FGS and how it is transmitted were noted. Adolescent girls and women presenting with FGS related symptoms were reported to be stigmatized, perceived as having a sexually transmitted infection (STI), and sometimes labeled as “prostitutes”. Health seeking behavior for FGS included a combination of traditional medicine, self-treatment and modern medicine. Conclusion/Significance Community members living in two very different areas of Tanzania exhibited major, similar gaps in knowledge about FGS. Our data illustrate a critical need for the national control program to integrate public health education about FGS during the implementation of school- and community-based mass drug administration (MDA) and with improvement of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities.

scholarly journals Optimizing COVID-19 Health Campaigns: A Person-Centered Approach

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Smith ◽  
Jessica Gall Myrick ◽  
Robert P. Lennon ◽  
Molly A. Martin ◽  
Meg L. Small ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Good Effect ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Public Health Campaigns ◽  
Effective Public Health ◽  
Person Centered Approach ◽  
Local Healthcare

As the United States continues to be ravaged by COVID-19, it becomes increasingly important to implement effective public health campaigns to improve personal behaviors that help control the spread of the virus. To design effective campaigns, research is needed to understand the current mitigation intentions of the general public, diversity in those intentions, and theoretical predictors of them. COVID-19 campaigns will be particularly challenging because mitigation involves myriad, diverse behaviors. This study takes a person-centered approach to investigate data from a survey (N = 976) of Pennsylvania adults. Latent class analysis revealed five classes of mitigation: one marked by complete adherence with health recommendations (34% of the sample), one by complete refusal (9% of the sample), and three by a mixture of adherence and refusal. Statistically significant covariates of class membership included relatively negative injunctive norms, risk due to essential workers in the household, personal knowledge of someone who became infected with COVID-19, and belief that COVID-19 was a leaked biological weapon. Additionally, trait reactance was associated with non-adherence while health mavenism was associated with adherence. These findings may be used to good effect by local healthcare providers and institutions, and also inform broader policy-making decisions regarding public health campaigns to mitigate COVID-19.

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