Teaming-up nurses with ophthalmologists to expand the reach of eye care in a middle-income country: Validation of health data acquisition by nursing staff in a telemedicine strategy

Telemedicine can be used to conduct ophthalmological assessment of patients, facilitating patient access to specialist care. Since the teleophthalmology models require data collection support from other health professionals, the purpose of our study was to assess agreement between the nursing technician and the ophthalmologist in acquisition of health parameters that can be used for remote analysis as part of a telemedicine strategy. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 140 patients referred to an ophthalmological telediagnosis center by primary healthcare doctors. The health parameters evaluated were visual acuity (VA), objective ophthalmic measures acquired by autorefraction, keratometry, and intraocular pressure (IOP). Bland-Altman plots were used to analyze agreement between the nursing technician and the ophthalmologist. The Bland-Altman analysis showed a mean bias equal to zero for the VA measurements [95%-LoA: -0.25–0.25], 0.01 [95%-LoA: -0.86–0.88] for spherical equivalent (M), -0.08 [95%-LoA: -1.1–0.95] for keratometry (K) and -0.23 [95%-LoA: -4.4–4.00] for IOP. The measures had a high linear correlation (R [95%CI]: 0.87 [0.82–0.91]; 0.97 [0.96–0.98]; 0.96 [0.95–0.97] and 0.88 [0.84–0.91] respectively). The results observed demonstrate that remote ophthalmological data collection by adequately trained health professionals is viable. This confirms the utility and safety of these solutions for scenarios in which access to ophthalmologists is limited.

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The families and directly observed treatment of tuberculosis: senses and prospects to the production of care

Revista Gaúcha de Enfermagem ◽

10.1590/1983-1447.2014.02.42741 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 35 (2) ◽

pp. 60-66 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mellina Yamamura ◽

Talita Reche Martinez ◽

Marcela Paschoal Popolin ◽

Ludmila Barbosa Bandeira Rodrigues ◽

Isabela Moreira de Freitas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Clinical Management ◽

Care Management ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Content Validation ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Good Relationship ◽

Directly Observed Treatment

The purpose was to identify the families' participation on care management of patients with tuberculosis. Also, to ascertain the contribution offered by health professionals for patients' families with ongoing treatment, and investigate the importance attributed by the families to the directly observed treatment. It is a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted in the municipality of Ribeirão Preto/SP with families of patients diagnosed with tuberculosis. For data collection, it was developed an instrument that underwent pretesting and content validation. Ninety four subjects were interviewed. According to the results, 64 (68.0%) relatives participated in the care management and 81 (86.2%) reported a good relationship with the staff. Sixty three family members (67%) did not receive any guidance about drugs and 75 (80.0%) of the respondents considered the strategy as relevant. The findings indicate that the Directly Observed Treatment has limitations regarding the guidelines of clinical management of the disease, the inclusion of family in care management and understanding of its goals.

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Doctor Retention in Ireland - What it may mean for the Global Health Workforce Reform Agenda Comment on "Doctor Retention: A Cross-sectional Study of How Ireland Has Been Losing the Battle"

International Journal of Health Policy and Management ◽

10.34172/ijhpm.2020.126 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Bernard Hope Taderera

Keyword(s):

Global Health ◽

Health Workforce ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Early Career ◽

Healthcare Personnel ◽

Health Coverage ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Middle Income ◽

Reform Agenda ◽

Medical Graduates

The study of healthcare personnel migration in Ireland reports that most medical graduates plan to leave the country’s health system. It may be possible to address this challenge by understanding and addressing the reasons why young doctors plan to leave. Future studies should contribute to the retention of early career doctors in highincome countries such as Ireland. This will help reduce the migration of doctors from low- and middle-income countries in order to address the global health workforce crisis and its impact on the attainment of universal health coverage in all health systems.

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Psychosocial Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Frontline Healthcare Workers in Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Journal of Dentistry and Oral Sciences ◽

10.37191/mapsci-2582-3736-2(4)-054 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Quratul-Ain Zafar

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Emotional Distress ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Psychosocial Impact ◽

Control Group ◽

Study Group ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Frontline Healthcare Workers

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on frontline healthcare workers in Pakistan in terms of psychological factors emotional distress, insomnia, and burnout. Study Design: Observational cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at different hospitals across Pakistan and data collection was carried out from 15th June 2020 till 15th August 2020. Material and Methods: This was a questionnaire-based study aiming to compare the levels of burnout and emotional distress between frontline COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 healthcare workers. Any physician, nurse, and other healthcare workers were recruited from emergency care units and Covid-19 care units (target group), and non-COVID-19 care units (control group). Participation was voluntary and participants had to complete self-reported questionnaires and scales. A mixed-mode data collection was carried out, either in paper or web-based form to ensure maximum participation. Results: The independent t-test showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding depression, stress, and insomnia. The study group showed higher scores for these factors than the control group. Chi-square test of association revealed significant scores of burnout and professional fulfillment in both groups. There was a higher prevalence of burnout in the study group than in the control group. Conclusion: This study concludes that there was a significant psychosocial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in the frontline healthcare workers measured in terms of emotional distress, insomnia, and burnout.

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Instagramming our way through public health communication: why and who is using it?

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa165.079 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

R Vareda ◽

T Garcia ◽

J Rachadell

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Social Media ◽

Health Promotion ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Communicable Diseases ◽

Healthy Lifestyles ◽

Communication Tool ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Non Communicable Diseases

Abstract Background From disease prevention to health promotion, communication is key for Public Health (PH) practice and, according to the 9th Essential Public Health Operation its goal is to improve populations health literacy and capacity to access, understand and use information. Though social media is frequently presented as a potentially useful tool for PH communication, there is a lack of evidence about its effectiveness and impact on PH outcomes. This study researches Instagram® as a PH tool and aims to know who is using it, what content is shared on the platform and how much engagement there is. Methods This cross-sectional study regards information on 1000 Instagram® posts with the hashtags publichealth, publichealthpromotion, healthpromotion, publichealthmatters and publichealtheducation. Authors categorized post content and creators, and reviewed the number of likes and comments per post to determine engagement. Data analysis was performed on IBM SPSS® Statistics. Results The most common content categories were communicable diseases (n = 383), non-communicable diseases (n = 258) and healthy lifestyles (n = 143). Health professionals post more about communicable diseases (43,6%) and non-professionals about healthy lifestyles (36,1%). Non-professionals (n = 191) post about PH issues almost as much as health professionals (n = 220) and PH associations (n = 201). Most don't reference their sources (n = 821). Posts on communicable diseases have the most likes and comments per post (mean of 172 likes and 3,1 comments). Conclusions Half the Instagram® posts analysed in this study were made by health professionals or organizations. Communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases and healthy lifestyles were the most frequent content categories and had the most engagement. The majority of posts didn't reference their sources. Though Instagram® seems to be a potential PH communication tool, further research is needed to confirm its benefits for PH. Key messages Social media platforms like Instagram® are potentially powerful tools for PH communication. There is a need to understand the efficacy of social media as health promotion tools.

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Prevalence of MDR organism (MDRO) carriage in children and their household members in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia

JAC-Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

10.1093/jacamr/dlaa097 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Shweta R Singh ◽

Bunsoth Mao ◽

Konstantin Evdokimov ◽

Pisey Tan ◽

Phana Leab ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Final Analysis ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Middle Income ◽

E Coli ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Siem Reap ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Significant Public Health ◽

History Of

Abstract Background The rising incidence of infections caused by MDR organisms (MDROs) poses a significant public health threat. However, little has been reported regarding community MDRO carriage in low- and middle-income countries. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study in Siem Reap, Cambodia comparing hospital-associated households, in which an index child (age: 2–14 years) had been hospitalized for at least 48 h in the preceding 2–4 weeks, with matched community households on the same street, in which no other child had a recent history of hospitalization. Participants were interviewed using a survey questionnaire and tested for carriage of MRSA, ESBL-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) by culture followed by antibiotic susceptibility testing. We used logistic regression analysis to analyse associations between collected variables and MDRO carriage. Results Forty-two pairs of households including 376 participants with 376 nasal swabs and 290 stool specimens were included in final analysis. MRSA was isolated from 26 specimens (6.9%). ESBL-producing Escherichia coli was detected in 269 specimens (92.8%) whereas ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae was isolated from 128 specimens (44.1%), of which 123 (42.4%) were co-colonized with ESBL-producing E. coli. Six (2.1%) specimens tested positive for CPE (4 E. coli and 2 K. pneumoniae). The prevalence ratios for MRSA, ESBL-producing E. coli and ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae carriage did not differ significantly in hospital-associated households and hospitalized children compared with their counterparts. Conclusions The high prevalence of ESBL-E across both household types suggests that MDRO reservoirs are common in the community. Ongoing genomic analyses will help to understand the epidemiology and course of MDRO spread.

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Evaluation of the Use of Shared Decision Making in Breast Cancer: International Survey

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18042128 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 2128

Author(s):

Marta Maes-Carballo ◽

Manuel Martín-Díaz ◽

Luciano Mignini ◽

Khalid Saeed Khan ◽

Rubén Trigueros ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Decision Making ◽

Shared Decision Making ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Shared Decision ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Professional Societies ◽

New Policies

Objectives: To assess shared decision-making (SDM) knowledge, attitude and application among health professionals involved in breast cancer (BC) treatment. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study based on an online questionnaire, sent by several professional societies to health professionals involved in BC management. There were 26 questions which combined demographic and professional data with some items measured on a Likert-type scale. Results: The participation (459/541; 84.84%) and completion (443/459; 96.51%) rates were high. Participants strongly agreed or agreed in 69.57% (16/23) of their responses. The majority stated that they knew of SDM (mean 4.43 (4.36–4.55)) and were in favour of its implementation (mean 4.58 (4.51–4.64)). They highlighted that SDM practice was not adequate due to lack of resources (3.46 (3.37–3.55)) and agreed on policies that improved its implementation (3.96 (3.88–4.04)). The main advantage of SDM for participants was patient satisfaction (38%), and the main disadvantage was the patients’ paucity of knowledge to understand their disease (24%). The main obstacle indicated was the lack of time and resources (40%). Conclusions: New policies must be designed for adequate training of professionals in integrating SDM in clinical practice, preparing them to use SDM with adequate resources and time provided.

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Global Prevalence and Drivers of Dental Students’ COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9060566 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 566

Author(s):

Abanoub Riad ◽

Huthaifa Abdulqader ◽

Mariana Morgado ◽

Silvi Domnori ◽

Michal Koščík ◽

...

Keyword(s):

International Association ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Dental Students ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Middle Income ◽

Related Attitude ◽

The Media ◽

Acceptance Levels

Background: Acceleration of mass vaccination strategies is the only pathway to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare professionals and students have a key role in shaping public opinion about vaccines. This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes of dental students globally towards COVID-19 vaccines and explore the potential drivers for students’ acceptance levels. Methods: A global cross-sectional study was carried out in February 2021 using an online questionnaire. The study was liaised by the scientific committee of the International Association of Dental Students (IADS), and data were collected through the national and local coordinators of IADS member organizations. The dependent variable was the willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine, and the independent variables included demographic characteristics, COVID-19-related experience, and the drivers of COVID-19 vaccine-related attitude suggested by the WHO SAGE. Results: A total of 6639 students from 22 countries, representing all world regions, responded to the questionnaire properly. Their mean age was 22.1 ± 2.8 (17–40) years, and the majority were females (70.5%), in clinical years (66.8%), and from upper-middle-income economies (45.7%). In general, 22.5% of dental students worldwide were hesitant, and 13.9% rejected COVID-19 vaccines. The students in low- and lower-middle-income (LLMI) economies had significantly higher levels of vaccine hesitancy compared to their peers in upper-middle- and high-income (UMHI) economies (30.4% vs. 19.8%; p < 0.01). Conclusions: The global acceptance level of dental students for COVID-19 vaccines was suboptimal, and their worrisome level of vaccine hesitancy was influenced by the socioeconomic context where the dental students live and study. The media and social media, public figures, insufficient knowledge about vaccines, and mistrust of governments and the pharmaceutical industry were barriers to vaccination. The findings of this study call for further implementation of epidemiology (infectious diseases) education within undergraduate dental curricula.

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Depression and its associated factors among pregnant women in central Vietnam

Health Psychology Open ◽

10.1177/2055102920988445 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 205510292098844

Author(s):

Bao-Yen Luong-Thanh ◽

Lan Hoang Nguyen ◽

Linda Murray ◽

Manuel Eisner ◽

Sara Valdebenito ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Associated Factors ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Prevalence Of Depression ◽

Patient Health ◽

Quota Sampling

To date, little attention has been given to prenatal depression, especially in low and middle-income countries. The aim of this research was to assess the prevalence of depression and its associated factors amongst pregnant women in a central Vietnamese city. This cross-sectional study included 150 pregnant women from 29 to 40 weeks of gestation, from eight wards of Hue city, via quota sampling from February to May 2019. We employed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to assess depression. Findings suggest the need to provide routine screening of pregnant women in primary care for depressive symptoms and other mental health problems.

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Educational programmes for frail older people, their families, carers and healthcare professionals

Wiener klinische Wochenschrift ◽

10.1007/s00508-021-01900-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rachel J. Viggars ◽

Andrew Finney ◽

Barnabas Panayiotou

Keyword(s):

Health Promotion ◽

Older People ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Data Extraction ◽

Self Care ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Educational Programmes ◽

Quasi Experimental

Summary Background More people are living with frailty and requiring additional health and support services. To improve their management, the “Frailty: Core Capability Framework” in the United Kingdom recommends frailty education for older individuals, their families, carers and health professionals. We performed a systematic review of specific educational programmes for these groups. Methods Electronic databases were searched using dedicated search terms and inclusion criteria. To improve accuracy, two reviewers carried out the screening and selection of research papers. Information from included studies was collected using a tailored data extraction template, and quality appraisal tools were used to assess the rigour of the studies. The findings were analysed to identify key themes. Results A total of 11 studies met the criteria and were included in the review. The study populations ranged from 12 to 603 and the research designs were heterogeneous (6 qualitative; 2 randomised controlled trials; 1 quasi-experimental; 1 mixed methods; 1 cross-sectional study). Whilst some methodological shortcomings were identified, all studies contributed valuable information. The results underwent narrative synthesis, which elucidated four thematic domains: (1) accessibility of educational programmes, (2) empowerment, (3) self-care, and (4) health promotion (especially exercise and nutrition). Conclusion Educational programmes for older people, their carers and health professionals are important for effective frailty prevention and management. To be maximally beneficial, they should be easily accessible to all target populations and include empowerment, self-care and health promotion. Further research should explore the formulation of widely applicable, user-friendly programmes and delivery formats that can be tailored to different client groups.

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