scholarly journals Spirituality Concept by Health Professionals in Iran: A Qualitative Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadereh Memaryan ◽  
Maryam Rassouli ◽  
Maryam Mehrabi

Background. For years, researchers have sought to provide a clear definition of spirituality and its features and consequences, but the definitions provided of this concept still lack transparency. The present qualitative research was conducted to clarify this concept within the religious-cultural context of Iran.Materials and Methods. The present conventional qualitative content analysis was conducted with an inductive approach. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 17 spiritual health experts and activists selected through purposive sampling.Results. Three themes emerged from the analysis of the data, including (1) the structure of spirituality, (2) defects in the conceptualization of spirituality, and (3) spirituality in practice, which are explained in this paper with their relevant subthemes and codes. The definition which this study proposes for this concept is that “spirituality is the sublime aspect of human existence bestowed on all humans in order for them to traverse the path of transcendence that is closeness to God (Allah).”Conclusion. The definition provided by this study is similar to the previous definitions of this concept in its main part (transcendence) and in incorporating a God-centered view of spirituality within the context of an Islamic society. This definition has implications for health services’ education, research, and practice in similar societies.

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 237796081984437
Author(s):  
Confidence A. Atakro ◽  
Stella B. Addo ◽  
Janet S. Aboagye ◽  
Alice A. Blay ◽  
Kwaku G. Amoa-Gyarteng ◽  
...  

Terrorist attacks are increasingly becoming more lethal and less discriminate. The threat of bioterrorism is increasing daily. The ease of production and the broad availability of biological agents and technical know-how have led to a further spread of biological weapons and an increased desire among nations as well as terrorists to have them. Health professionals in emergency departments are expected to play crucial roles in the management of victims of bioterrorism when bioterrorism occurs. This study explored the knowledge, attitudes, and preparedness of emergency department nurses and medical officers (MOs) toward potential bioterrorist attacks in Ghana. This qualitative study utilized focus group discussions and semistructured interviews to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and preparedness of emergency department nurses and MOs toward potential bioterrorist attacks in Ghana. Data were subjected to a qualitative content analysis in which three main thematic categories were developed. These thematic categories are as follows: (a) differences in bioterrorism knowledge between emergency department nurses and emergency department MOs, (b) unprepared emergency department nurses and MOs for care during bioterrorism attacks, and (c) positive attitudes of emergency department nurses and MOs toward bioterrorism preparedness. Although emergency MOs had better knowledge of bioterrorism than their nursing counterparts, both groups of health professionals were unprepared to respond to any form of bioterrorism. Both nurses and MOs indicated the need for staff education and infrastructure readiness to be able to respond effectively to a bioterrorist attack. A well-prepared emergency department and health professionals against bioterrorism could prevent high casualty rates in a bioterrorist attack and also serve a dual purpose of dealing with other natural disasters when they occur.


Author(s):  
Tania Pearce ◽  
Myfanwy Maple ◽  
Anthony Shakeshaft ◽  
Sarah Wayland ◽  
Kathy McKay

Co-creation of new knowledge has the potential to speed up the discovery and application of new knowledge into practice. However, the progress of co-creation is hindered by a lack of definitional clarity and inconsistent use of terminology. The aim of this paper is to propose a new standardised definition of co-creation of new knowledge for health interventions based on the existing co-creation literature. The authors completed a systematic search of electronic databases and Google Scholar using 10 of the most frequently used co-creation-related keywords to identify relevant studies. Qualitative content analysis was performed, and two reviewers independently tested the categorisation of papers. Of the 6571 papers retrieved, 42 papers met the inclusion criteria. Examination of the current literature on co-creation demonstrated how the variability of co-creation-related terms can be reduced to four collaborative processes: co-ideation, co-design, co-implementation and co-evaluation. Based on these four processes, a new definition of co-creation of new knowledge for health interventions is proposed. The analysis revealed the need to address the conceptual ambiguity of the definition of “co-creation of new knowledge”. The proposed new definition may help to resolve the current definitional issues relating to co-creation, allowing researchers and policymakers to progress the development of co-creation of new knowledge in research and practice.


Author(s):  
Katharina Diehl ◽  
Tatiana Görig ◽  
Charlotte Jansen ◽  
Maike Carola Hruby ◽  
Annette B. Pfahlberg ◽  
...  

Pharmacists and pharmaceutical technicians play an important role in counselling customers regarding sunscreen use and sun protection measures. A potentially helpful tool that can be used during counselling is the ultraviolet index (UVI), which informs individuals when and what sun protection measures are needed at a specific place and time. Our aim in this qualitative study was to explore awareness, knowledge, and use of the UVI during counselling in pharmacies. We used semi-structured interviews with pharmacists and pharmaceutical technicians (n = 20) to answer our research questions. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. During the interviews pharmacists and pharmaceutical technicians revealed a lot of uncertainty and lack of knowledge regarding the UVI. Eight professionals were able to give a correct definition of UVI. Amongst others, the UVI was confused with sun protection factor. Overall, the UVI was hardly used during the counselling of customers. The UVI was developed to provide guidance when which type of sun protection is required to avoid detrimental effects of ultraviolet radiation. For effective implementation, both the general population and health professionals (e.g., pharmacists) have to increase their knowledge about the UVI. This would strengthen its use during professional counselling in pharmacies and may help to reduce the incidence of skin cancer over the long term.


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Woschnack ◽  
Stefanie Hiss ◽  
Sebastian Nagel ◽  
Bernd Teufel

Abstract This empirical study explores the financialization of social sustainability driven by sustainability accounting and reporting initiatives (SARIs). Since no globally accepted definition of what social sustainability encompasses exists, the paper asks how social sustainability is translated into the financial market language by SARIs as they provide standards for disclosing corporate non-financial performance and promote their concepts of social sustainability. The paper uses a two-step qualitative content analysis. First, it operationalizes social sustainability based on the empirical data of six sustainability rating agencies. Second, this operationalization is compared with the concepts created by three SARIs. The paper shows significant differences between the concepts of the SARIs and the rating agencies. While the rating agencies altogether interpret social sustainability with 83 distinct aspects, the SARIs, although differently created, use significant reduced concepts where 20% of these aspects are absent. The result of this financialization process could be a simplified and financially determined concept of social sustainability within die socially discourse. The research is limited to social sustainability and its financialization by SARIs. Individual indicators and their way or intensity to capture aspects of social sustainability were not part of the research interest. Further research should investigate the economic and the ecological pillars of sustainability as well as the usage of such financialized concepts within the society and especially by corporations. The paper unfolds the arbitrariness of operationalizing a qualitative phenomenon like social sustainability through the financial system. It discloses the need for looking at the mechanisms behind such processes and at the interests of the actors behind the frameworks. The paper reveals the financialization process driven by SARIs and demonstrates its simplifying effects on the concept of social sustainability. Furthermore, the paper shows that SARIs as metrics for non-financial aspects are troubled with a lack of transparency and a lack of convergence.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abbasali Ebrahimian ◽  
Seyed-Hossein Hashemi-Amrei ◽  
Mohammadreza Monesan

Introduction. Appropriate decision-making is essential in emergency situations; however, little information is available on how emergency decision-makers decide on the emergency status of the patients shifted to the emergency department of the hospital. This study aimed at explaining the factors that influence the emergency specialists’ decision-making in case of emergency conditions in patients. Methods. This study was carried out with a qualitative content analysis approach. The participants were selected based on purposive sampling by the emergency specialists. The data were collected through semistructured interviews and were analyzed using the method proposed by Graneheim and Lundman. Results. The core theme of the study was “efforts to perceive the acute health threats of the patient.” This theme was derived from the main classes, including “the identification of the acute threats based on the patient’s condition” and “the identification of the acute threats based on peripheral conditions.” Conclusions. The conditions governing the decision-making process about patients in the emergency department differ from the conditions in other health-care departments at hospitals. Emergency specialists may have several approaches to decide about the patients’ emergency conditions. Therefore, notably, the emergency specialists’ working conditions and the others’ expectations from these specialists should be considered.


Author(s):  
Liliia Syrota

The purpose of the article is to compare worldview, philosophical and scientific approaches to the definition of the concepts of celebration and event.  To suggest your own definition of the event. Methodology. The author uses general scientific research methods (analysis, synthesis, systematization, comparison, opposition, description, specification). The article also based on semantic, functional research methods. The scientific novelty. The concept of “down” is the closest in meaning to the event In the socio-cultural context, since it has the organizational aspect (the stage of preparation, conduct) that dominates the event. Conclusions. An event is a set of steps/actions aimed at creating family, corporate or official mass meetings. It has always been aimed at the development and implementation of a service.


1996 ◽  
Vol 168 (S30) ◽  
pp. 9-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans-Ulrich Wittchen

Comorbidity has become an increasingly popular theme in psychiatry and clinical psychology, although its heuristic value was recognised long ago. Frequently used in research and practice, no definition of comorbidity is uniformly accepted and it has no comprehensive and coherent theoretical framework. These factors have led to substantial variation in the magnitude of comorbidity across studies. The variability in the definition, assessment and design of comorbidity studies has led to an increasingly complex and confusing picture about the potential value of this concept. The full exploration of mechanisms of comorbidity requires an interdisciplinary approach to investigating nosology, assessment, and underlying models of comorbidity, as well as experimental study designs beyond the scope of clinical and epidemiological studies. A more precise specification of comorbidity patterns might help identify common biochemical and cognitive markers relevant in the aetiology of specific mental disorders as well as comorbid conditions. Critical issues that might help us understand and explain the variability of findings are described.


2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy C. Chang ◽  
Raquel Buranosky ◽  
Diane Dado ◽  
Patricia Cluss ◽  
Lynn Hawker ◽  
...  

Health professionals from two different clinical settings were asked about their comfort level in dealing with intimate partner violence (IPV). Focus groups and semistructured interviews were used to gather information. Staff in an obstetrics and gynecology setting relatively rich in IPV resources described feeling capable dealing with IPV. The staff in a general medicine setting dedicated to women’s health but without a focus on IPV and with fewer supports described discomfort and difficulty dealing with IPV. Presence of systemic prioritization of and resources for IPV were described as contributing to the confidence in addressing the issue. Other necessary elements identified included (a) on-site resources, (b) adequate time, (c) focused IPV training, and (d) a team or systemic approach.


2014 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Dieter Egerer ◽  
Virve Marionneau

AbstractAIMS – Problem gambling is normally identified by fixed criteria of harm adapted from those of substance abuse and by focusing on the individual gambler. However, rigid definitions neglect institutional variations of gambling practices within different legislative configurations. This study proposes analysing the line between recreational and problem gambling by focusing on gambling behaviour and looking at the corruption of the defining factors of play (Caillois, 1958) in three different institutional contexts. DESIGN – A stimulated focus-group method (Reception Analytical Group Interview) was applied to seven groups of Finnish and French general practitioners each and three groups of German ones to study the variations of conceptualising the defining factors of play as introduced by Caillois. RESULTS – Corruption of play was distinguished by participants from all three countries as the dividing line between recreational and problem gambling, but cultural variations were found: the French and German GPs emphasised the loss of the exceptionality of gambling, whereas the Finnish GPs highlighted the invasion of the home by online gambling. Furthermore, the Finnish and German participants were more concerned about the use of gambling as an emotional regulator, while French GPs echoed the French medical model in discussing the adrenaline rush of problem gamblers. CONCLUSIONS – Caillois’ defining factors of play can be used to distinguish recreational from problem gambling and to offer a more encompassing definition of problem gambling. The perception of the line between recreational and problem gambling also seems to depend on the institutional and cultural context.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veikko Pelto-Piri ◽  
Lars Kjellin ◽  
Ulrika Hylén ◽  
Emanuele Valenti ◽  
Stefan Priebe

Abstract Objectives The objective of the study was to investigate how mental health professionals describe and reflect upon different forms of informal coercion. Results In a deductive qualitative content analysis of focus group interviews, several examples of persuasion, interpersonal leverage, inducements, and threats were found. Persuasion was sometimes described as being more like a negotiation. Some participants worried about that the use of interpersonal leverage and inducements risked to pass into blackmail in some situations. In a following inductive analysis, three more categories of informal coercion was found: cheating, using a disciplinary style and referring to rules and routines. Participants also described situations of coercion from other stakeholders: relatives and other authorities than psychiatry. The results indicate that informal coercion includes forms that are not obviously arranged in a hierarchy, and that its use is complex with a variety of pathways between different forms before treatment is accepted by the patient or compulsion is imposed.


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