scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the utilization of routine immunization services in Lebanon

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0246951
Author(s):  
Ziad Mansour ◽  
Jinan Arab ◽  
Racha Said ◽  
Alissar Rady ◽  
Randa Hamadeh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
National Level ◽  
Professional Associations ◽  
Oral Poliovirus Vaccine ◽  
Routine Immunization ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Public ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Immunization Services

Introduction The global abrupt progression of the COVID-19 pandemic may disrupt critical life-saving services such as routine immunization (RI), thus increasing the susceptibility of countries to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). Being endemic to several infectious diseases, Lebanon might be at increased risk of outbreaks as the utilization of RI services might have deteriorated due to the pandemic and the country’s political unrest following the October 2019 uprising. The aim of this study was to assess the changes in the utilization of RI services in both the public and private sectors following the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A self-administered cross-sectional survey was completed electronically, in April 2020, by 345 private pediatricians who are registered in professional associations of physicians in Lebanon and provide immunization services at their clinics. Means of the reported percentages of decrease in the utilization of vaccination services by pediatricians were calculated. As for the public sector, an examination of the monthly differences in the number of administered vaccine doses in addition to their respective percentages of change was performed. Adjustment for the distribution of RI services between the sectors was performed to calculate the national decrease rate. Results The utilization of vaccination services at the national level decreased by 31%. In the private sector, immunization services provision diminished by 46.9% mainly between February and April 2020. The highest decrease rates were observed for oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) and hepatitis A, followed by measles and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. The number of vaccine doses administered in the public sector decreased by 20%. The most prominent reductions were detected for the OPV and measles vaccines, and during October 2019 and March 2020. Conclusion The substantial decrease in the utilization of RI as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic requires public health interventions to prevent future outbreaks of VPDs.

scholarly journals Building people up: Leadership and employee resilience

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Esmé Franken
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Face ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Five Phases

<p>This mixed method research, in the area of HR and leadership, explores leadership behaviours that foster employee resilience. Resilience is a key capacity in contexts where job demands and challenges are often dynamic and complex, such as in the public sector. This research uses a contemporary definition of resilience, one that views employee resilience as a set of behaviours that help people grow and develop in their jobs, even in the face of challenges. Two questions guide this research: 1. What leadership behaviours enable employee resilience in the public sector?, and 2. How do these behaviours enable employee resilience? This study is situated in the public sector context.  The research consists of five phases. The first phase was a cross-sectional survey of public servants’ views on whether paradoxical leadership behaviours, mediated by perceptions of organisational support, might foster resilience. These connections reflect the correspondence between paradoxical leadership and the dilemmas and paradoxes that arise in public sector work. Phases two and three concerned a series of qualitative studies which identified further leadership behaviours, as well as possible mechanisms and outcomes, and generated an explanatory framework to illustrate how managers can enable employee resilience. This led to the development of the construct resilience-enabling leadership. Phase four gathered feedback on the construct’s validity so that it could be tested quantitatively in a scale. The fifth and final phase tested the resilience-enabling leadership scale (RELS) as a predictor of resilience. It also tested psychometric properties of the scale, including factor structure, and discriminant and convergent validity.  Findings show that a unique combination of leadership behaviours that foster growth, trust and collaboration in employees, is likely to play a pivotal role in developing employee resilience. The RELS is an innovative contribution to organisational scholarship. It represents a leadership model that recognises the changing nature of leadership and responds to the development needs of employees.</p>

scholarly journals Financial Control Practices and Accountability in the Public Sector in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 04 (07) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olaoye, Samuel Adebayo ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Significant Influence ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Financial Control ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Public ◽  
Physical Control ◽  
Questionnaire Research

The Nigerian government has for a long time recognized problems relating to mismanagement of public funds evidenced by lack of transparency, poor accountability, corruption, financial leakages and budgeting processes, financial excesses, poor cash management and resource allocation. This is coupled with the fact that there is a near total absence of the notion and ethics of accountability in the conduct of public activities in the country. This study investigates the effects of financial control practices on accountability in Nigeria public sector. This is due to dearth of literature in this area of study. The cross-sectional survey research design was employed, the data were primarily sourced by means of a questionnaire (research instrument) and empirically analyzed. The target population of this study was the staff (2,125) of public/civil servants working in the Accounts and Finance departments of Lagos and Ogun States government Secretariats, Taro Yaman was adopted to arrive at 337 sample size. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 20.0 version software, inferences were made at 5% significant level. The study showed that financial control has a significant influence on accountability of public sector (Adj. R2= 0.468, F(4, 349) = 77.692, P< 0.05). Based on this finding, the concluded that there is significant effect of financial control practices on accountability in the public sector. The study also established that financial control has a significant influence on responsibility of public sector (Adj. R2= 0.141, F(4, 349) = 15.296, P< 0.05). Therefore the study concluded that there is significant effect of financial control practices on responsibility of public sector accountability. The study therefore, concludes that there is a positive significant effect between financial control practices and accountability in public sector. Based on the findings of this study the study recommends that: The existing physical control assets should be strengthened in order to ensure effective financial control and improve on accountability thereafter due to the insignificant effect of physical control of assets has on accountability in public sector. Effective and efficient application of financial control methods and management strategies to accountability in the public sectors will compel each employee to be more serious, focused and loyal in the discharge of their responsibilities.

scholarly journals A Pilot Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 233339281878958
Author(s):  
Shafique Sani Nass
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Occupational Status ◽  
Educational Status ◽  
Routine Immunization ◽  
Bivariate Analysis ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Improve Compliance ◽  
Immunization Services

Background: Tetanus–diphtheria vaccine (Td+) coverage has been steadily declining in Katsina State, Nigeria. The pilot study was guided by The Andersen and Newman Framework of Health Services Utilization. The goal of the pilot study was to identify the Td+ vaccination coverage and identify any association between maternal residence, educational status, occupational status, access to routine immunization services, availability of routine immunization services, perceived need for Td+, perceived severity of maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT), and compliance with Td+ in Katsina State. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 309 randomly selected women in Charanchi district of Katsina State, Nigeria, was conducted. Data were collected using structured questionnaire and analyzed using logistic regression model. Findings: The Td+ coverage was low at 23%. Bivariate analysis showed that age, maternal residence, educational status, availability of Td+, perception of Td+, and perception of MNT significantly affected compliance with Td+ ( P < .05, P < .05, P < .05, P < .001, P < .001, P < .001, respectively). Multiple logistic regression findings were inconclusive. Conclusion: Effective strategies to improve compliance were awareness creation on Td+ immunization schedule, risk factors associated with MNT, vaccine availability, and safety. Additionally, improving access to routine immunization services, especially in underserved communities, and effective use of Td+ coverage data were used as strategies. Implications: The pilot study suggests that the design can be used to realize more conclusive and generalizable multivariate findings in future studies.

scholarly journals Building people up: Leadership and employee resilience

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Esmé Franken
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Face ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Five Phases

<p>This mixed method research, in the area of HR and leadership, explores leadership behaviours that foster employee resilience. Resilience is a key capacity in contexts where job demands and challenges are often dynamic and complex, such as in the public sector. This research uses a contemporary definition of resilience, one that views employee resilience as a set of behaviours that help people grow and develop in their jobs, even in the face of challenges. Two questions guide this research: 1. What leadership behaviours enable employee resilience in the public sector?, and 2. How do these behaviours enable employee resilience? This study is situated in the public sector context.  The research consists of five phases. The first phase was a cross-sectional survey of public servants’ views on whether paradoxical leadership behaviours, mediated by perceptions of organisational support, might foster resilience. These connections reflect the correspondence between paradoxical leadership and the dilemmas and paradoxes that arise in public sector work. Phases two and three concerned a series of qualitative studies which identified further leadership behaviours, as well as possible mechanisms and outcomes, and generated an explanatory framework to illustrate how managers can enable employee resilience. This led to the development of the construct resilience-enabling leadership. Phase four gathered feedback on the construct’s validity so that it could be tested quantitatively in a scale. The fifth and final phase tested the resilience-enabling leadership scale (RELS) as a predictor of resilience. It also tested psychometric properties of the scale, including factor structure, and discriminant and convergent validity.  Findings show that a unique combination of leadership behaviours that foster growth, trust and collaboration in employees, is likely to play a pivotal role in developing employee resilience. The RELS is an innovative contribution to organisational scholarship. It represents a leadership model that recognises the changing nature of leadership and responds to the development needs of employees.</p>

scholarly journals Availability, prices and affordability of essential medicines for children: a cross-sectional survey in Jiangsu Province, China

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. e023646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoluan Sun ◽  
Jing Wei ◽  
Yuan Yao ◽  
Qiutong Chen ◽  
Daiting You ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Jiangsu Province ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Essential Medicines ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Public ◽  
Medicines For Children ◽  
Government Worker

ObjectiveChina has undertaken several initiatives to improve the accessibility of safe and effective medicines for children. The aim was to determine the availability, price and affordability of essential medicines for children.DesignCross-sectional survey.SettingSix cities of Jiangsu Province, China.Participants30 public hospitals and 30 retail pharmacies.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe WHO/Health Action International standardised methodology was used to collect the availability and price data for 40 essential medicines for children. Availability was measured as the percentage of drug outlets per sector where the individual medicine was found on the day of data collection, and prices were measured as median price ratios (MPRs). Affordability was measured as the number of days’ wages required for the lowest paid unskilled government worker to purchase standard treatments for common conditions.ResultsThe mean availabilities of originator brands (OBs) and lowest priced generics (LPGs) were 7.5% and 34.2% in the public sector and 8.9% and 29.4% in the private sector. The median MPRs of LPGs in both sectors ranged from 1.41 to 2.12 and 1.10 to 2.24, respectively. However, the patient prices of OBs far exceeded the critical level in both sectors, with median MPRs ranging from 2.47 to 8.22. More than half of these LPGs were priced at 1.5 times their international reference prices in the public sector. Most LPGs were affordable for treatment of common conditions in both public and private sectors, as they each cost less than the daily wage for the lowest paid unskilled government worker.ConclusionsAccess to essential medicines for children is hampered by low availability. Further measures to enhance access to paediatric essential medicines should be taken, such as developing a national essential medicine list for children and mobilising the enthusiasm of pharmaceutical firms to develop and manufacture paediatric medicines.

scholarly journals The mediation role of motivation between leadership and public sector performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dzivhuluwani Mavhungu ◽  
Mark H.R. Bussin
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Provincial Government ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Improvement Strategy ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Public

Orientation: As a result of poor performance in 2013, five departments in the Limpopo province were placed under administration in terms of Section 100 (1) (b) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.Research purpose: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the importance of the individual level of performance when diagnosing performance issues in the public sector by focusing on the mediatory role of motivation in the relationship between leadership and public sector performance.Motivation for the study: The diagnosis conducted focused more on the analysis of administrative and operational systems. The solutions were based on normalising financial statements and systems to improve performance.Research design, approach and method: The study took a positivist approach as the philosophy of the study. Using quantitative methods, a cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from 65 employees working in one of the departments that were affected by the intervention.Main findings: The study confirmed the existence of a relationship between leadership and performance in the public sector. It was also found that Public Sector Motivation plays a mediatory role between Perceived Leadership Styles and Individual Job Performance.Practical/managerial implications: The findings imply that it is important that the Limpopo Provincial Government makes an effort to employ and retain employees who are readily showing high levels of Public Sector Motivation.Contribution or value additions: The study focused on an overlooked area in the study of performance in the public sector. The study was able to produce a tool that should be able to provide information to assist managers to make better performance improvement strategy decisions.

scholarly journals Risks of Major Mental Disorders and Irritable Bowel Syndrome among the Offspring of Parents with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Nationwide Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4679
Author(s):  
Ta-Chuan Yeh ◽  
Ya-Mei Bai ◽  
Shih-Jen Tsai ◽  
Tzeng-Ji Chen ◽  
Chih-Sung Liang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Irritable Bowel Syndrome ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Early Implementation ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Irritable Bowel

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional bowel disorder that is highly comorbid with mental disorders. However, few studies have examined the risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD), and schizophrenia in the offspring of parents with IBS. We used nationally representative cross-sectional survey data to analyze cross-generational transmission patterns of both IBS and major mental disorders. Odds ratio (OR) was calculated by using logistic regression models with adjustment for potential confounding factors. Offspring of parents with IBS were more likely to develop IBS themselves (OR = 2.41, 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.09–2.78), ADHD (OR = 1.33, 95% CI, 1.08–1.62), and MDD (OR = 1.32, 95% CI, 1.04–1.68) than the controls. Data stratification by parental sex revealed that paternal IBS increased risk of ADHD (OR = 1.34, 95% CI, 1.01–1.77) in the offspring, while maternal IBS increased the risk of MDD (OR = 1.51, 95% CI, 1.11–2.06). This is the first study to reveal parental IBS is associated with IBS, ADHD, and MDD among offspring, suggesting the necessity for early implementation of prevention strategies for at-risk children.

Public Sector Employment, Quality of Government, and Well-Being: A Global Analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 223386592110117
Author(s):  
Robert Davidson ◽  
Alexander Pacek ◽  
Benjamin Radcliff
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Global Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Political Factors ◽  
The Public ◽  
Employment Quality ◽  
The Impact

While a growing literature within the study of subjective well-being demonstrates the impact of socio-political factors on subjective well-being, scholars have conspicuously failed to consider the role of the size and scope of government as determinants of well-being. Where such studies exist, the focus is largely on the advanced industrial democracies of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development. In this study, we examine the size of the public sector as a determinant of cross-national variation in life satisfaction across a worldwide sample. Our findings strongly suggest that as the public sector grows, subjective well-being increases as well, conditional on the extent of quality of government. Using cross-sectional data on 84 countries, we show this relationship has an independent and separable impact from other economic and political factors.

scholarly journals Training interns in nutrition and dietetics: a cross-sectional study of the barriers and motivators to being a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist preceptor

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea M. Hutchins ◽  
Donna M. Winham ◽  
Jinette P. Fellows ◽  
Michelle M. Heer
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
National Level ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Registered Dietitian ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Entry Level

Abstract Background As is common across the health professions, training of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) requires experiential learning for interns/students to gain skills and demonstrate entry-level competency. Preceptors are essential to the experiential learning component of health care professional training, providing supervision and mentoring as students and interns gain the skills required for entry-level practice competency. Over the past 27 years, 47–73% of applicants to dietetic internships have received a placement. Practitioners willing to volunteer as preceptors are needed to generate more internship or experiential learning opportunities for the profession to continue to meet workforce demands. Methods The objective of this national-level online cross-sectional survey was to identify perceptions and attitudes associated with the preceptor role and incentives that might encourage precepting by current RDNs. A random sample of RDN and Nutrition and Dietetic Technicians, Registered (NDTR) professionals from the Commission on Dietetic Registration credentialed practitioner database were eligible to participate in the online survey. The main outcome measures included perceptions, attitudes, and preferred incentives to precept compared by preceptor experience categories (current, former, never precepted). Comparisons of perceptions, attitudes, and preferred incentives were made between preceptor experience categories using Chi-square and ANOVA. Results Of 2464 invitations, 308 participants had complete variables for analysis. Top incentives were the opportunity to earn continuing education units (65.9%) and having expenses paid to attend a national conference (49.5%). Significantly more (P < 0.001) “former” and “never” preceptors reported the ability to choose when to take an intern, training on how to teach and communicate with interns, and access to an “on-call” specialist as incentives compared to “current” preceptors. Significantly more (P < 0.01) “never” preceptors reported training on internship expectations and the ability to provide input on intern selection process as incentives compared to “current” or “former” preceptors. Conclusions Incentives to serve as a preceptor differ based on “current”, “former”, or “never” precepted status. Promoting and strategizing solutions to the current imbalance between the greater number of dietetic internship applicants compared to preceptors should be targeted based on preceptor status to retain current preceptors, encourage former preceptors to return and recruit professionals who have never served.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document