scholarly journals Cautioning Health-Care Professionals

2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Stroebe ◽  
Henk Schut ◽  
Kathrin Boerner
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Stage Theory ◽  
Related Disorder ◽  
Loved One ◽  
Conceptual Clarity ◽  
Persistent Complex Bereavement ◽  
Specific Reactions

Science and practice seem deeply stuck in the so-called stage theory of grief. Health-care professionals continue to “prescribe” stages. Basically, this perspective endorses the idea that bereaved people go through a set pattern of specific reactions over time following the death of a loved one. It has frequently been interpreted prescriptively, as a progression that bereaved persons must follow in order to adapt to loss. It is of paramount importance to assess stage theory, not least in view of the current status of the maladaptive “persistent complex bereavement-related disorder” as a category for further research in DSM-5. We therefore review the status and value of this approach. It has remained hugely influential among researchers as well as practitioners across recent decades, but there has also been forceful opposition. Major concerns include the absence of sound empirical evidence, conceptual clarity, or explanatory potential. It lacks practical utility for the design or allocation of treatment services, and it does not help identification of those at risk or with complications in the grieving process. Most disturbingly, the expectation that bereaved persons will, even should, go through stages of grieving can be harmful to those who do not. Following such lines of reasoning, we argue that stage theory should be discarded by all concerned (including bereaved persons themselves); at best, it should be relegated to the realms of history. There are alternative models that better represent grieving processes. We develop guidelines to enhance such a move beyond the stage approach in both theory and practice.

Renewing the National Health Service: Labour's Agenda for a Healthier Britain

1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rae Barrantes
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
National Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
National Health ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Labour Government ◽  
Point Of Use ◽  
Tier System

In this report the Labour Party gives its view of the current status of the British National Health Service (NHS), and outlines its plans for the NHS under a Labour government. The values underlying the NHS—comprehensive health care, free at the point of use, based on need rather than ability to pay—have been betrayed. The truly national health service, created by a Labour government in 1948, has been replaced by a market-based service led by accountants. Patients are suffering, health care professionals are dissatisfied, some of the nation's finest hospitals are closing, community care is in chaos, and NHS dentistry has all but been privatized. Under the Tories, the NHS faces a future of privatization, competition, and markets, money wasted on bureaucracy, and the unfairness of a two-tier system. Under Labour, the NHS faces modernization, planned progress, money spent on frontline services, and excellence for all. Labour will follow a model of health care that is patient centered and community led, a properly coordinated and efficient public service.

Surgical Quality Programs in the Veterans Health Administration

2006 ◽  
Vol 72 (11) ◽  
pp. 999-1004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph G. Depalma
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Veterans Health Administration ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Department Of Veterans Affairs ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Quality Performance ◽  
Surgical Quality ◽  
Enhance Patient Safety

This review describes the development, implementation, and current status of programs that promote and maintain surgical quality performance within the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA). It also considers evolving initiatives to improve surgical outcomes and enhance patient safety. The VHA is a nationwide health care system operated and funded by the federal government. It consists of 154 federal hospitals and 875 clinics staffed by 16,000 nurses, 33,000 other health care professionals, 15,000 doctors, and 25,000 university-affiliated faculty physicians. The VHA trains 90,000 health care professionals, and additionally its activities are supported by 140,000 dedicated volunteers. More than 1000 surgeons in all specialties serve in its facilities. Since these programs began more than 19 years ago, there has been a steady decrease in both risk-adjusted and actual mortality rates tracked annually.

scholarly journals ESGE and ESGENA Position Statement on gastrointestinal endoscopy and the COVID-19 pandemic

Endoscopy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (06) ◽  
pp. 483-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian M. Gralnek ◽  
Cesare Hassan ◽  
Ulrike Beilenhoff ◽  
Giulio Antonelli ◽  
Alanna Ebigbo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
European Society ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Infection Prevention And Control ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Increased Risk

AbstractWe are currently living in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic that imposes a significant stress on health care providers and facilities. Europe is severely affected with an exponential increase in incident infections and deaths. The clinical manifestations of COVID-19 can be subtle, encompassing a broad spectrum from asymptomatic mild disease to severe respiratory illness. Health care professionals in endoscopy units are at increased risk of infection from COVID-19. Infection prevention and control has been shown to be dramatically effective in assuring the safety of both health care professionals and patients. The European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (www.esge.com) and the European Society of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Nurses and Associates (www.esgena.org) are joining forces to provide guidance during this pandemic to help assure the highest level of endoscopy care and protection against COVID-19 for both patients and endoscopy unit personnel. This guidance is based upon the best available evidence regarding assessment of risk during the current status of the pandemic and a consensus on which procedures to perform and the priorities on resumption. We appreciate the gaps in knowledge and evidence, especially on the proper strategy(ies) for the resumption of normal endoscopy practice during the upcoming phases and end of the pandemic and therefore a list of potential research questions is presented. New evidence may result in an updated statement.

Post-Death Encounters: Grieving, Mourning, and Healing

2009 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine R. Nowatzki ◽  
Ruth Grant Kalischuk
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Loved One ◽  
Life And Death ◽  
Healing Effect ◽  
Historical Accounts ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Interpretive Process ◽  
Healing Processes

Historical accounts and previous research have shown that bereaved individuals often report seeing, hearing, or feeling the presence of the deceased. We examined such encounters in the context of the grieving, mourning, and healing processes. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 23 individuals who reported a post-death encounter following the death of a loved one. Phenomenological analysis showed that participants went through an interpretive process in which they attempted to make sense of their experiences. The encounters profoundly affected the participants' beliefs in an afterlife and attitudes toward life and death, and had a significant impact on their grief. Finally, post-death encounters had a healing effect on the participants by contributing to a sense of connectedness with the deceased. We conclude that health care professionals and counselors should be educated about post-death encounters so that the bereaved can share their experiences in a supportive and understanding atmosphere.

Operations Research on Health Care in Chile: An Experiment

1971 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-284
Author(s):  
T. Dahl
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Operations Research ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Simultaneous Equation ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
The North ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
The University

The problem of applying operations research techniques in a real setting is the subject of this paper. A group of faculty members at the University of Chile consented to study operations research in theory and practice by attending lectures at the University, and at the same time collecting statistical information in the field. These activities resulted in the formulation of a flow model of the pediatric services system in the North Area of Santiago. Integration of the flow of patients, resources, and records led to the development of a simultaneous equation model reflecting an operating health services system. This in turn spurred a set of recommendations for translating these results into policy measures. Linear programming and Markovian flow analysis were also applied to the data primarily for heuristic purposes. The experiment proved that it is possible to train health care professionals quickly and effectively for complex analytical tasks, and that such training is applicable to real-world problems.

scholarly journals Bridge Over Troubled Waters: End-of-Life (EOL) Decisions, A Qualitative Case Study

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Callahan ◽  
Nancy Maldonado ◽  
Joan Efinger
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Advanced Directives ◽  
Loved One ◽  
Group Settings ◽  
The Social ◽  
Eol Care ◽  
Share Information

This case study investigated the psychological and emotional experiences of nine health care professionals who attended a Five Wishes seminar, designed to acquaint participants with thinking holistically about death. All the self-selected participants had experienced the death of a loved one and indicated they were able to discuss death issues. Data collection included interviews, observations, physical artifacts, and the Five Wishes documents. Content analysis was the central technique used to identify themes. Findings indicated participants attended the EOL seminar to share information with their colleagues and patients; the information also interested them personally. However, facing death and making EOL care decisions were difficult for the participants. The EOL seminars educated them regarding some of the mysteries and problem s of EOL care and offered them some solutions and insights bot h professionally and personally. This study has implications for educators and health care professionals: 1) EOL decisions are facilitated by the social support of group settings . 2) Reluctance about facing death can be reduced by comprehensive, lifelong education beginning in the early childhood years and culminating with holistic advanced directives such as the Five Wishes.

scholarly journals Tele-health in the era of COVID-19 pandemic: need, current status, challenges and way forwards

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 4589
Author(s):  
Mohammad Abu Bashar ◽  
Nazia Begam
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Effective Option ◽  
Information And Communication

Tele-health is the delivery of health care services by health care professionals, where distance is a critical factor, through using information and communication technologies (ICT) for the exchange of valid and correct information. It is one of the effective option to fight the outbreak of COVID-19. However, its application for patient care during the pandemic times is not without hiccups and problems owing to lack of clarity on its domain and absence of clear guidelines on its use.

Improving Communication Skills in Health Care

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 109-117
Author(s):  
Lynda Katz Wilner ◽  
Marjorie Feinstein-Whittaker
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
International Medical Graduate ◽  
Medical Graduate ◽  
Health Care Environment ◽  
Medical Interpreters ◽  
Accent Modification

Hospital reimbursements are linked to patient satisfaction surveys, which are directly related to interpersonal communication between provider and patient. In today’s health care environment, interactions are challenged by diversity — Limited English proficient (LEP) patients, medical interpreters, International Medical Graduate (IMG) physicians, nurses, and support staff. Accent modification training for health care professionals can improve patient satisfaction and reduce adverse events. Surveys were conducted with medical interpreters and trainers of medical interpreting programs to determine the existence and support for communication skills training, particularly accent modification, for interpreters and non-native English speaking medical professionals. Results of preliminary surveys suggest the need for these comprehensive services. 60.8% believed a heavy accent, poor diction, or a different dialect contributed to medical errors or miscommunication by a moderate to significant degree. Communication programs should also include cultural competency training to optimize patient care outcomes. Examples of strategies for training are included.

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