scholarly journals Attitudes, beliefs and behaviors of religiosity, spirituality, and cultural competence in the medical profession: A cross-sectional survey study

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0252750
Author(s):  
Victoria Dillard ◽  
Julia Moss ◽  
Natalie Padgett ◽  
Xiyan Tan ◽  
Ann Blair Kennedy

Introduction Religion and spirituality play important roles in the lives of many, including healthcare providers and their patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between religion, spirituality, and cultural competence of healthcare providers. Methods Physicians, residents, and medical students were recruited through social platforms to complete an electronically delivered survey, gathering data regarding demographics, cultural competency, religiosity, and spirituality. Four composite variables were created to categorize cultural competency: Patient Care Knowledge, Patient Care Skills/Abilities, Professional Interactions, and Systems Level Interactions. Study participants (n = 144) were grouped as Christian (n = 95)/non-Christian (n = 49) and highly religious (n = 62)/not highly religious (n = 82); each group received a score in the four categories. Wilcoxon rank sum and Chi-square tests were used for analysis of continuous and discrete variables. Results A total of 144 individuals completed the survey with the majority having completed medical school (n = 87), identifying as women (n = 108), white (n = 85), Christian (n = 95), and not highly religious (n = 82). There were no significant differences amongst Christian versus non-Christian groups or highly religious versus not highly religious groups when comparing their patient care knowledge (p = .563, p = .457), skills/abilities (p = .423, p = .51), professional interactions (p = .191, p = .439), or systems level interaction scores (p = .809, p = .078). Nevertheless, participants reported decreased knowledge of different healing traditions (90%) and decreased skills inquiring about religious/spiritual and cultural beliefs that may affect patient care (91% and 88%). Providers also reported rarely referring patients to religious services (86%). Conclusions Although this study demonstrated no significant impact of healthcare providers’ religious/spiritual beliefs on the ability to deliver culturally competent care, it did reveal gaps around how religion and spirituality interact with health and healthcare. This suggests a need for improved cultural competence education.

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Winnie Thembisile Maphumulo ◽  
Busisiwe Bhengu

The National Department of Health in South Africa has introduced the National Core Standards (NCS) tool to improve the quality of healthcare delivery in all public healthcare institutions. Knowledge of the NCS tool is essential among healthcare providers. This study investigated the level of knowledge on NCS and how the NCS tool was communicated among professional nurses. This was a cross-sectional survey study. Purposive sampling technique was used to select hospitals that only offered tertiary services in KwaZulu-Natal. Six strata of departments were selected using simple stratified sampling. The population of professional nurses in the selected hospitals was 3 050. Systematic random sampling was used to recruit 543 participants. The collected data were analysed using SPSS version 25. The study showed that only 16 (3.7%) respondents had knowledge about NCS, using McDonald’s standard of learning outcome measured criteria regarding the NCS tool. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the communication and knowledge was r = 0.055. The results revealed that although the communication scores for the respondents were high their knowledge scores remained low. This study concluded that there is a lack of knowledge regarding the NCS tool and therefore healthcare institutions need to commit themselves to the training of professional nurses regarding the NCS tool. The findings suggest that healthcare institutions implement the allocation of incentives for nurses that attend the workshops for NCS.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lidia Del Piccolo ◽  
Valeria Donisi ◽  
Ricciarda Raffaelli ◽  
Simone Garzon ◽  
Cinzia Perlini ◽  
...  

Objective: To assess the psychological distress of healthcare providers (HCPs) working in the field of obstetrics during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and to identify factors associated with psychological distress at the individual, interpersonal, and organizational level.Design: Cross-sectional survey study.Setting: Four University hospitals in Italy.Participants: HCPs working in obstetrics, including gynecologists, residents in gynecology and obstetrics, and midwives.Methods: The 104-item survey Impatto PSIcologico COVID-19 in Ostetricia (IPSICO) was created by a multidisciplinary expert panel and administered to HCPs in obstetrics in May 2020 via a web-based platform.Main Outcome Measures: Psychological distress assessed by the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) included in the IPSICO survey.Results: The response rate to the IPSICO survey was 88.2% (503/570), and that for GHQ-12 was 84.4% (481/570). Just over half (51.1%; 246/481) of the GHQ-12 respondents reported a clinically significant level of psychological distress (GHQ-12 ≥3). Psychological distress was associated with either individual (i.e., female gender, stressful experience related to COVID-19, exhaustion, and the use of dysfunctional coping strategies), interpersonal (i.e., lower family support, limitations in interactions with colleagues), and organizational (i.e., reduced perception of protection by personal protective equipment, perceived delays on updates and gaps in information on the pandemic) factors in dealing with the pandemic.Conclusions: Results confirm the need for monitoring and assessing the psychological distress for HCPs in obstetrics. Interventions at the individual, interpersonal, and organizational level may relieve the psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic and foster resilience skills in facing emotional distress.


Author(s):  
Fahad Afzal ◽  
Rehan Siddiqui ◽  
Mohammad R. Khan ◽  
Maria Afzal ◽  
Nabeela Usmani

Background: The aim of this survey study was to assess the level of awareness amongst the population of Uttar Pradesh province of India regarding the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the month of August 2020 amongst 1024 respondents in Uttar Pradesh province, to assess their awareness towards COVID-19 pandemic and its preventive measures.Result: Majority of respondents are aware about some aspects of COVID-19 which are highlighted by media but there also exist a significant knowledge gaps. Awareness level of respondents is high for some aspects of COVID-19, such as; animal responsible for anthropozoonosis, prevention, symptoms, contagiousness of COVID-19. Respondents also expressed the importance of proper nutrition and balanced diet to strengthen the immune system and recover from COVID-19 infection. Also, a considerable percentage of respondents are not fully aware about the risk imposed by COVID-19 on different age groups.Conclusion: Upon the understanding of awareness level of the respondents regarding different aspects of COVID-19, it is clear that there exists a certain knowledge gap, which should be rectified by direct contact of population with the healthcare providers and government health agencies. Government and healthcare agencies should utilize social networking websites as a platform of direct information communication. Intense education program regarding COVID-19 should be initiated by Indian Government enabling direct interaction and ensuring only authentic and complete information is imparted in the population. Government could develop their own program incorporating World Health Organization open course program regarding COVID-19.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 115-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Firoozi ◽  
Naser Mozaffari ◽  
Sohrab Iranpour ◽  
Behnam Molaei ◽  
Mahmood Shamshiri

Introduction Culture is an important determinant in providing appropriate and coordinated health care for people from different ethnicities. The present study aimed to evaluate the status of cultural care among nurses working in teaching hospitals affiliated to Ardabil University of Medical Sciences. Methods In this descriptive-correlational study, 350 nurses completed the Persian version of Cultural Care Inventory (PCCI). This tool consists of 51 items and measures cultural care process in four domains including cultural preparation, cultural attitude, cultural awareness and cultural competence. Data were analyzed by IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 22. Results The grand item mean of cultural care was 2.60 ± 0.621, which is considered poor. The grand item mean was 2.64 ± 0.78 in the subscale of cultural preparation, 3.45 ± 0.559 in cultural attitude, 2.81 ± 0.736 in cultural awareness and 2.58 ± 0.834 in cultural competence. Cultural competence was significantly related to cultural preparation (r = 0.80), cultural attitude (r = 0.62) and cultural awareness (r = 0.87). Discussion Based on the present findings, cultural care and its dimensions (with the exception of cultural attitude) were at a poor level. It can also be claimed that there is a direct and strong relationship between the dimensions of cultural care including cultural preparation, awareness, attitude and competence, which indicates the interdependence of these dimensions on each other. Nurses need to improve their cultural competence to ensure of providing patient-centered and culturally coordinated care.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 286-295
Author(s):  
Jung-Ha Park

Purpose: This study aimed to identify cultural competency, importance, and educational requirements by analyzing nurses who were experienced in nursing foreigners in secondary hospitals and hospitals all over Korea. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 210 nurses from 39 hospitals in Korea. The collected data were analyzed by t-test, ANOVA, and Scheffe test. Main Findings: Satisfaction with nursing care averaged 2.48 ± 0.45. Perceived level of cultural competence averaged 2.69 ± 0.45. Cultural nursing behavior was at the highest level with 3.05±0.62; otherwise, cultural knowledge was the lowest among the subcategories (2.27±0.55). The level of importance of cultural competency was 3.69 ± 0.53. For the subcategories, cultural nursing behavior was at the highest level (3.77±0.63) and cultural awareness was at the lowest level (3.58±0.62). Training requirements had 6.83 ± 1.32, followed by cultural communication (7.34±1.50), attitudes and skills (7.04±1.50), knowledge of basics (6.83±1.33), knowledge of key concepts (6.73±1.53), and knowledge of theory and research (6.28±1.54). Implications/Applications: We suggest developing educational programs for clinical nurses to provide high-quality care to the subjects from various cultural backgrounds by strengthening cultural competency. In addition, the active support of the medical and health care institutions in improving cultural competency of nursing nurses should be emphasized.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana A. Schinasi ◽  
Carolyn C. Foster ◽  
M. Katie Bohling ◽  
Leonardo Barrera ◽  
Michelle L. Macy

Introduction: Expansion of telemedicine enabled healthcare access during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to in-person visit restrictions, our institution trained >1,000 clinicians in telemedicine. Little is known about telemedicine-naïve pediatric healthcare provider's perceptions as they adopted telemedicine practice.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of clinicians after expanding telemedicine practice at an independent children's hospital. The survey assessed experience with, concerns about, and intentions to continue telemedicine. Outpatient providers were included if they were first trained for telemedicine in response to COVID-19 and conducted at least one video visit, 3/21/2020–6/30/2020. Descriptive statistics were calculated; perceptions were compared across telemedicine activity level quartiles (based on proportions of visits delivered by video in June 2020) using Fisher's exact tests.Results: Of 609 survey responses, 305 (50.1%) met inclusion criteria, representing various roles and disciplines. Over half (54.1%) conducted >20 video visits 3/21/2020–6/30/2020. More than 75% of providers found telemedicine easy to learn. Providers with greater proportions of video visits in a typical week in June reported greater ease of incorporating telemedicine into clinical practice and greater intention to continue telemedicine practice in 6 months. Nearly all providers endorsed concerns. Patient care experiences reinforced technology-related concerns and alleviated liability and privacy concerns. Payer reimbursement was the leading influencer of anticipated future use of telemedicine.Discussion: Providers who conducted more telemedicine encounters reported greater ease of incorporating telemedicine into practice. Provider concerns were influenced by patient care experiences. Targeted training and quality improvement strategies are needed to sustain a robust post-pandemic telemedicine program.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Montecalvo

Abstract Introduction: The hierarchy of the American medical system and it’s disconnect of recognition beyond the binary of sexual minorities has created systematic inequitable care because of lack of appropriate cultural competency training. Healthcare providers are not adequately taught appropriate cultural competencies in standardized academic training. Methods: Given an online survey of varied health care providers (N = 208), the research examined “culturally competent health care delivery” knowledge, stage of change; precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance; as per the work of Prochaska & DiClemente, (1983) for taking action to be culturally sensitive, culturally competent, culturally appropriate, and future training desirability. Results: The sample population reported a high self-rating for aligning with definition of cultural competency; prevalence of 6 to 10 hours of engagement in cultural competence training; rating 3.97 (SD = .741) of quality for cultural competence training; Pre-Survey Stage of Change (N = 208) mean was 4.32 between action and maintenance, but closest to action (SD = 1.21); and with 71.2% already in maintenance it is noted that the research captured providers who have received equitable training, offering equitable care. Conclusions: Affirmation for LGBT clients is a critical adaptive response for practitioners recognizing the overt social injustices that have occurred historically as personal injustices and responding in a positive and accepting manner can dramatically improve patient engagement. Training within the confines of a grounded evidenced based theory can support appropriate and culturally competent equitable care. Keywords: healthcare providers, cultural competency, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT), stages of change, transtheoretical model


Author(s):  
OSAMA MOHAMED IBRAHIM ◽  
RANA IBRAHIM ◽  
NOOR KIFAH AL-TAMEEMI ◽  
KAREN RILEY

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the perception of patients and pharmacists in the United Arab Emirates about social media uses in health-care delivery. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was distributed among patients and pharmacists residing in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Their perception of social media uses in delivering health-care services was evaluated by analyzing their attitude toward the benefits and associated risks of social media. Results: The survey study had a total of 267 participants, including 150 patients and 117 pharmacists. Based on the results, 69.2% of the pharmacists agreed that social media, text message, or e-mail can be effectively used by them to improve patient communication. For patients, the study showed that the greatest percentage (77.3%, n=116) utilize both: Disease-related information and information on drugs. About 69.2% of pharmacists chose WhatsApp to be the most used platform, and 60.7% of patients prefer using Instagram as a health-care platform. Conclusion: The use of professional development tools for social networking is likely to continue to evolve. Integrating social media with the practice of pharmacy and patient care will have a positive impact on achieving optimal patient care.


Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 501
Author(s):  
Abbas Alshami ◽  
Steven Douedi ◽  
America Avila-Ariyoshi ◽  
Mohammed Alazzawi ◽  
Swapnil Patel ◽  
...  

Delivering bad news to patients is a challenging yet impactful everyday task in clinical practice. Ideally, healthcare practitioners should receive formal training in implementing these protocols, practice in simulation environments, and real-time supervision with feedback. We aimed to investigate whether healthcare providers involved in delivering bad news have indeed received formal training to do so. We conducted a cross-sectional survey study that targeted all healthcare providers in the intensive care units of 174 institutions in 40 different countries. Participants included physicians, nurses, medical students, nursing students, pharmacists, respiratory technicians, and others. The survey tool was created, validated, and translated to the primary languages of these countries to overcome language barriers. A total of 10,106 surveys were collected. Only one third of participants indicated that they had received a formal training. Providers who had received formal training were more likely to deliver bad news than those who had not. Younger and less experienced providers tend to deliver bad news more than older, more experienced providers. The percentage of medical students who claimed they deliver bad news was comparable to that of physicians. Medical schools and post-graduate training programs are strongly encouraged to tackle this gap in medical education.


Author(s):  
Mohammed Alessa ◽  
Mohammed Alzahrani ◽  
Abdulmajeed Alshehri ◽  
Amjad Aljrboa ◽  
Rami Bustami ◽  
...  

Background. Zika virus (ZIKV) has become a major concern across the world. It is highly necessary for healthcare providers (HCPs) to have sufficient knowledge about such a disease. The purpose of this study is to assess the knowledge regarding ZIKV among HCPs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted at a tertiary care center in Riyadh, KSA, during a two-month period from September 19, 2016 to November 19, 2016. Descriptive statistics were performed on data collected. For continuous variables, data were expressed as means ± standard deviations (SDs), medians, and ranges. Proportions were used to describe categorical variables. Knowledge scores were evaluated and compared by demographic characteristics including age, designation, years of practice, and gender, using the t-test/Mann–Whitney U test or the Kruskal–Wallis test, as appropriate. Results. A total of 336 HCPs from different specialties (physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, and nutritionists) completed the questionnaire. Significant differences in knowledge about ZIKV were observed by participant’s age. Significantly higher knowledge levels were observed among older participants (45 years or more; p=0.011). A substantial difference in the knowledge level was observed by department, with pairwise comparisons showing significant differences in knowledge scores between all departments except for Pharmacy vs. Nutrition and Nursing vs. Internal Medicine. Knowledge scores were not significantly different by years of practice. Conclusion. Our study showed inadequate knowledge of HCPs from different specialties about ZIKV infection which needs to be improved in terms of infection prevention and control. Awareness about ZIKV infection should be ensured and maintained among HCPs to face any possible emergence in the region.


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