scholarly journals Perceptions of health professionals regarding minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) to identify the cause of death in stillbirths and neonates: results from a qualitative study

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anam Feroz ◽  
Anum Shiraz Ali ◽  
Mohsina Noor Ibrahim ◽  
Elizabeth M. McClure ◽  
Shiyam Sunder Tikmani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Minimally Invasive ◽  
Health System ◽  
Cause Of Death ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Tissue Sampling ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Fast Procedure

Abstract Background Pakistan is considered to be one of the riskiest places in the world for childbirth as measured by its high stillbirth and neonatal mortality rates. Complete diagnostic autopsy remains the gold standard to determine the cause of death (CoD); however, it is not routinely implemented due to religious objections, sociocultural beliefs, limited resources and low demand from physicians and families. Recently, minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) using needle biopsies of multiple tissues to obtain tissue for histological examination and organism identification with PCR has been developed and promoted to determine CoD in low-resource areas. To ensure successful implementation of MITS, it is important to understand health professionals’ attitudes and perceptions related to MITS. Methods A qualitative study was conducted at the National Institute of Child Health (NICH), Karachi, Pakistan. Focus group discussions (FGDs) and Key-informant interviews (KIIs) were conducted with health professionals including doctors, nurses, trainees, clinicians, bioethics experts and public health experts to explore their perceptions and views on acceptability of MITS. Data were analyzed using NVivo 10 software. Results A total of 12 interviews (FGDs = 4; KIIs = 8) were conducted. Four overarching themes were identified: (I) acceptability of MITS; (II) perceived benefits of the MITS procedure; (III) factors facilitating the implementation of MITS; and (IV) health system requirements for implementing the MITS procedure. Generally, MITS was considered as a positive development for the health system. Diagnostic accuracy and identification of less common causes of death were highlighted as two main benefits of the MITS procedure. The study highlighted a number of facilitators for the acceptability of MITS including effective counseling, building trust with parents, fast procedure time, and approaching families within a few hours of death. In addition, lack of skilled staff, poorly equipped healthcare facilities and the potential high cost to conduct MITS were identified as challenges for the implementation of MITS. Conclusions This formative research provided a unique opportunity to explore health professionals’ views and attitudes towards the MITS procedure. Such insights are crucial to ensure successful implementation and integration of a new technique into the existing health system. The research identified the factors influencing the acceptability of MITS among health professionals in Pakistan. The study also informed factors that could help facilitate the implementation of the MITS procedures in the context of Pakistan and similar settings.

scholarly journals Community health worker models in South Africa: a qualitative study on policy implementation of the 2018/19 revised framework

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua P Murphy ◽  
Aneesa Moolla ◽  
Sharon Kgowedi ◽  
Constance Mongwenyana ◽  
Sithabile Mngadi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Programme Implementation ◽  
Healthcare Facilities

Abstract South Africa has a long history of community health workers (CHWs). It has been a journey that has required balancing constrained resources and competing priorities. CHWs form a bridge between communities and healthcare service provision within health facilities and act as the cornerstone of South Africa’s Ward-Based Primary Healthcare Outreach Teams. This study aimed to document the CHW policy implementation landscape across six provinces in South Africa and explore the reasons for local adaptation of CHW models and to identify potential barriers and facilitators to implementation of the revised framework to help guide and inform future planning. We conducted a qualitative study among a sample of Department of Health Managers at the National, Provincial and District level, healthcare providers, implementing partners [including non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who worked with CHWs] and CHWs themselves. Data were collected between April 2018 and December 2018. We conducted 65 in-depth interviews (IDIs) with healthcare providers, managers and experts familiar with CHW work and nine focus group discussions (FGDs) with 101 CHWs. We present (i) current models of CHW policy implementation across South Africa, (ii) facilitators, (iii) barriers to CHW programme implementation and (iv) respondents’ recommendations on how the CHW programme can be improved. We chronicled the differences in NGO involvement, the common facilitators of purpose and passion in the CHWs’ work and the multitude of barriers and resource limitations CHWs must work under. We found that models of implementation vary greatly and that adaptability is an important aspect of successful implementation under resource constraints. Our findings largely aligned to existing research but included an evaluation of districts/provinces that had not previously been explored together. CHWs continue to promote health and link their communities to healthcare facilities, in spite of lack of permanent employment, limited resources, such as uniforms, and low wages.

scholarly journals Rumor surveillance in support of minimally invasive tissue sampling for diagnosing the cause of child death in low-income countries: A qualitative study

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0244552
Author(s):  
Md Saiful Islam ◽  
Abdullah Al-Masud ◽  
Maria Maixenchs ◽  
Saquina Cossa ◽  
Rui Guilaze ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Minimally Invasive ◽  
Cause Of Death ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Child Death ◽  
The Body ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Tissue Sampling ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Tissue Specimens

In low-and middle-income countries, determining the cause of death of any given individual is impaired by poor access to healthcare systems, resource-poor diagnostic facilities, and limited acceptance of complete diagnostic autopsies. Minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS), an innovative post-mortem procedure based on obtaining tissue specimens using fine needle biopsies suitable for laboratory analysis, is an acceptable proxy of the complete diagnostic autopsy, and thus could reduce the uncertainty of cause of death. This study describes rumor surveillance activities developed and implemented in Bangladesh, Mali, and Mozambique to identify, track and understand rumors about the MITS procedure. Our surveillance activities included observations and interviews with stakeholders to understand how rumors are developed and spread and to anticipate rumors in the program areas. We also engaged young volunteers, local stakeholders, community leaders, and study staff to report rumors being spread in the community after MITS launch. Through community meetings, we also managed and responded to rumors. When a rumor was reported, the field team purposively conducted interviews and group discussions to track, verify and understand the rumor. From July 2016 through April 2018, the surveillance identified several rumors including suspicions of organs being harvested or transplanted; MITS having been performed on a living child, and concerns related to disrespecting the body and mistrust related to the study purpose. These rumors, concerns, and cues of mistrust were passed by word of mouth. We managed the rumors by modifying the consent protocol and giving additional information and support to the bereaved family and to the community members. Rumor surveillance was critical for anticipating and readily identifying rumors and managing them. Setting up rumor surveillance by engaging community residents, stakeholders, and volunteers could be an essential part of any public health program where there is a need to identify and react in real-time to public concern.

scholarly journals Why parents agree or disagree for minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) to identify causes of death in under-five children and stillbirth in North India: a qualitative study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manoja Kumar Das ◽  
Narendra Kumar Arora ◽  
Pradeep Debata ◽  
Harish Chellani ◽  
Reeta Rasaily ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Minimally Invasive ◽  
Causes Of Death ◽  
Child Death ◽  
Family Members ◽  
North India ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Tissue Sampling ◽  
Negative Experience ◽  
Under Five

Abstract Background Information on exact causes of death and stillbirth are limited in low and middle income countries. Minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) is increasingly practiced in place of autopsy across several settings. A formative research documented the experiences of counselling and consenting for MITS in north India. Methods This exploratory qualitative study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Delhi. During the early implementation of MITS, observations of the counselling and consenting process (n = 13) for under-five child death and stillbirths were conducted. In-depth interviews with MITS team members (n = 3) were also conducted. Observation and interview data were transcribed and inductively analysed using thematic content analysis to identify emerging themes and codes. Results The MITS team participated in daily ward rounds for familiarisation with parents/families. Following death declaration the counselling was done in counselling corner of the ward or adjacent corridor. Mostly the counselling was targeted at the father and family members present, using verbal explanation and the consent document in local language. The key concerns raised by parents/family were possible disfigurement, time needed and possible benefits. Most of the parents consulted family members before consent. Among those who consented, desire for next pregnancy, previous pregnancy or neonatal loss and participation of treating senior doctor were the key factors. The negative experience of hospital care, poor comprehension and distance from residence were the factors for consent refusal. Lesser number of parents of deceased children consented for MITS compared to the neonates and stillbirths. Conclusions The initial experiences of obtaining consent for MITS were encouraging. Consent for MITS may be improved with active involvement of the treating doctors and nurses, better bereavement support, private counselling area along with improvement in quality of care and communication during hospitalisation. Special efforts and refinement in counselling are needed to improve consent for MITS in older children.

scholarly journals Consent to minimally invasive tissue sampling procedures in children in Mozambique: A mixed-methods study

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0259621
Author(s):  
Khátia Munguambe ◽  
Maria Maixenchs ◽  
Rui Anselmo ◽  
John Blevins ◽  
Jaume Ordi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Minimally Invasive ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Financial Burden ◽  
Real Case ◽  
Tissue Sampling ◽  
Hypothetical Scenario ◽  
Sampling Procedures ◽  
Clinical Records

Background Minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS), also named minimally invasive autopsy is a post-mortem method shown to be an acceptable proxy of the complete diagnostic autopsy. MITS improves the knowledge of causes of death (CoD) in resource-limited settings. Its implementation requires understanding the components of acceptability, including facilitators and barriers in real-case scenarios. Methods We undertook a mixed-methods analysis comparing anticipated (hypothetical scenario) and experienced (real-case scenario) acceptability of MITS among relatives of deceased children in Mozambique. Anticipated acceptability information was obtained from 15 interviews with relatives of deceased children. The interview focus was on whether and why they would allow the procedure on their dead child in a hypothetical scenario. Experienced acceptability data were obtained from outcomes of consent requested to relatives of 114 deceased children during MITS implementation, recorded through observations, clinical records abstraction and follow-up informal conversations with health care professionals and semi-structured interviews with relatives. Results Ninety-three percent of relatives indicated that they would hypothetically accept MITS on their deceased child. A key reason was knowing the CoD to take preventive actions; whereas the need to conform with the norm of immediate child burial, the secrecy of perinatal deaths, the decision-making complexity, the misalignment between MITS’ purpose and traditional values, lack of a credible reason to investigate CoD, and the impotency to resuscitate the deceased were identified as potential points of hesitancy for acceptance. The only refusing respondent linked MITS to a perception that sharing results would constitute a breach of confidentiality and the lack of value attached to CoD determination. Experienced acceptability revealed four different components: actual acceptance, health professionals’ hesitancy, relatives’ hesitancy and actual refusal, which resulted in 82% of approached relatives to agree with MITS and 79% of cases to undergo MITS. Barriers to acceptability included, among others, health professionals’ and facilities’ unpreparedness to perform MITS, the threat of not burying the child immediately, financial burden of delays, decision-making complexities and misalignment of MITS’ objectives with family values. Conclusions MITS showed high anticipated and experienced acceptability driven by the opportunity to prevent further deaths. Anticipated acceptability identified secrecy, confidentiality and complex decision-making processes as barriers, while experienced acceptability revealed family- and health facility-level logistics and practical aspects as barriers. Health-system and logistical impediments must also be considered before MITS implementation. Additionally, the multiple components of acceptability must be taken into account to make it more consistent and transferrable.

scholarly journals Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling in Preterm Deaths: A Validation Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 2333794X2095326
Author(s):  
Rahell Hailu ◽  
Tigist Desta ◽  
Yonas Bekuretsion ◽  
Messele Bezabih ◽  
Addisu Alemu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Minimally Invasive ◽  
Cause Of Death ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Gold Standard ◽  
Pulmonary Hemorrhage ◽  
Hyaline Membrane Disease ◽  
Preterm Neonates ◽  
Tissue Sampling ◽  
Neonatal Deaths ◽  
Multi Center Study

Uncertainty about the causes of neonatal deaths impedes achieving global health targets to reduce mortality. Complete diagnostic autopsy (CDA) is the gold standard to determine cause of death. However, it is often difficult to perform in high-burden, low-income settings. Validations of more feasible methods to determine cause of death are needed. This prospective, multi-center study in Ethiopia assessed the validity of the minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) approach to contribute to causes of death in preterm neonates compared to CDA. The MITS and CDA of 105 cases were reviewed. The MITS sampling success for lungs and liver was 100% and 84%, respectively. The kidney and brain had sampling successes of 58% each. MITS showed good agreement with CDA for the diagnosis of hyaline membrane disease (kappa = 0.78), and moderate to substantial agreement for pneumonia and pulmonary hemorrhage (kappa = 0.59 and 0.68, respectively). Even though CDA is the gold standard in identifying the cause of death, we believe that the MITS method can be a useful alternative method in supporting determination of cause of death in low-resource settings.

scholarly journals Health professionals’ and coroners’ views on less invasive perinatal and paediatric autopsy: a qualitative study

2018 ◽  
Vol 103 (6) ◽  
pp. 572-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celine Lewis ◽  
Melissa Hill ◽  
Owen J Arthurs ◽  
John C Hutchinson ◽  
Lyn S Chitty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
Psychological Benefits ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Health Economic Analysis ◽  
Training Requirements ◽  
Less Invasive ◽  
Paediatric Care ◽  
Parental Views

ObjectiveTo assess health professionals’ and coroners’ attitudes towards non-minimally and minimally invasive autopsy in the perinatal and paediatric setting.MethodsA qualitative study using semistructured interviews. Data were analysed thematically.ResultsTwenty-five health professionals (including perinatal/paediatric pathologists and anatomical pathology technologists, obstetricians, fetal medicine consultants and bereavement midwives, intensive care consultants and family liaison nurses, a consultant neonatologist and a paediatric radiologist) and four coroners participated. Participants viewed less invasive methods of autopsy as a positive development in prenatal and paediatric care that could increase autopsy rates. Several procedural and psychological benefits were highlighted including improved diagnostic accuracy in some circumstances, potential for faster turnaround times, parental familiarity with imaging and laparoscopic approaches, and benefits to parents and faith groups who object to invasive approaches. Concerns around the limitations of the technology such not reaching the same levels of certainty as full autopsy, unsuitability of imaging in certain circumstances, the potential for missing a diagnosis (or misdiagnosis) and de-skilling the workforce were identified. Finally, a number of implementation issues were raised including skills and training requirements for pathologists and radiologists, access to scanning equipment, required computational infrastructure, need for a multidisciplinary approach to interpret results, cost implications, equity of access and acceptance from health professionals and hospital managers.ConclusionHealth professionals and coroners viewed less invasive autopsy as a positive development in perinatal and paediatric care. However, to inform implementation a detailed health economic analysis and further exploration of parental views, particularly in different religious groups, are required.

scholarly journals Congenital Zika Virus Syndrome: care in light of the Brazilian Unified Health System principles

2022 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gleice Kelli Santana de Andrade ◽  
Elen Ferraz Teston ◽  
Sonia Silva Marcon ◽  
Bianca Cristina Ciccone Giacon-Arruda ◽  
Milena Dalariva Amorim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Health System ◽  
Prior Knowledge ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Family Experiences ◽  
Unified Health System ◽  
Continuous Care ◽  
Specialized Service

ABSTRACT Objective: to know health professionals’ perceptions about care actions provided to children with Congenital Zika Virus Syndrome and their families. Methods: this is a qualitative study, carried out in a capital of center-western Brazil, based on the Unified Health System theoretical precepts. Data were collected in September and October 2020, through audio-recorded interviews with 12 health professionals from a specialized service and submitted to analysis of content, thematic modality. Results: the implementation of care actions with these children occurs through multidimensional assessment of children and their families, use of the Unique Therapeutic Project, therapeutic interventions for the development of children and the communication and exchange of interprofessional and family experiences, in addition to considering professionals’ prior knowledge and their search for it. Final considerations: children with CZS and their families need individualized, frequent, integrated and continuous care.

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