Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) Positioning on Strengthening Partnership with Midwives

Background of this research was the still high number of infant mortality and high use of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs). The This study aims aimed to determine TBAs positioning on the effort of strengthening partnership with midwives. A number of pregnant women, TBAs, and midwives become became informants, through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The results showed positioning TBAs still needed with different roles but side by side with midwife role, used by primi and multi pregnant women before and during pregnancy, during and after birth. The requirement forrequirement for TBAs was derived from parents as a cultural heritage, whereas the requirement for midwife obtained was from formal and non- formal information. The TBAs services toward maintain family health care including include cultural events. The midwife is givingserved professional servicescare. The partnership includes clients registration, motivation, abnormalities early detection. There has had been an unwritten financing unwritten agreement. The TBAs midwife partnership needs to be strengthened through legislation and , communication to diverse audiences in order to form the right positioning.

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Sexual and reproductive health in the time of COVID-19 in Latvia, qualitative research interviews and focus group discussions, 2020 (in Latvian)

10.25143/fk2/lxku5a ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Gunta Lazdane ◽

◽

Dace Rezeberga ◽

Ieva Briedite ◽

Elizabete Pumpure ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Qualitative Research ◽

Focus Group ◽

Reproductive Health ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Care Providers ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions

Qualitative research is focused on the influence of COVID-19 pandemic and restriction measures on sexual and reproductive health in Latvia. Results of the anonymous online survey (I-SHARE) of 1173 people living in Latvia age 18 and over were used as a background in finalization the interview and the focus group discussion protocols ensuring better understanding of the influencing factors. Protocols included 9 parts (0.Introduction. 1. COVID-19 general influence, 2. SRH, 3. Communication with health professionals, 4.Access to SRH services, 5.Communication with population incl. three target groups 5.1. Pregnant women, 5.2. People with suspected STIs, 5.3.Women, who require abortion, 6. HIV/COVID-19, 7. External support, 8. Conclusions and recommendations. Data include audiorecords in Latvian of: 1) 11 semi-structures interviews with policy makers including representatives from governmental and non-governmental organizations involved in sexual and reproductive health, information and health service provision. 2) 12 focus group discussions with pregnant women (1), women in postpartum period (3) and their partners (3), people living with HIV (1), health care providers involved in maternal health care and emergency health care for women (4) (2021-02-18) Subject: Medicine, Health and Life Sciences Keywords: Sexual and reproductive health, COVID-19, access to services, Latvia

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The Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action Text Message–Based mHealth Intervention for Maternal Care in South Africa: Qualitative User Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.14078 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Jesse Coleman ◽

Jaran Eriksen ◽

Vivian Black ◽

Anna Thorson ◽

Abigail Hatcher

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Health Care ◽

Focus Group ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Health Care System ◽

Text Message ◽

Text Messages ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions

BACKGROUND Using mobile technology to support health care (mobile health [mHealth]) has been shown to improve health outcomes across a multitude of health specialties and across the world. Exploring mHealth user experiences can aid in understanding how and why an intervention was successful. The Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA) was a free maternal mHealth SMS text messaging service that was offered to pregnant women in Johannesburg, South Africa, with the goal of improving maternal, fetal, and infant health outcomes. We conducted focus group discussions with MAMA users to learn about their experiences with the program. OBJECTIVE The aim of this qualitative study was to gather opinions of participants of the MAMA maternal mHealth service regarding health care atmosphere, intervention use, and intervention feedback. METHODS Prenatal and postnatal women (N=15) from public antenatal and postnatal care sites in central Johannesburg who were receiving free maternal health text messages (MAMA) participated in 3 focus group discussions. Predefined discussion topics included personal background, health care system experiences, MAMA program recruitment, acceptability, participant experiences, and feedback. RESULTS The feedback regarding experiences with the health system were comprised of a few reports of positive experiences and many more reports of negative experiences such as long wait times, understaffed facilities, and poor service. Overall acceptability for the maternal text message intervention was high. Participants reflected that the messages were timely, written clearly, and felt supportive. Participants also reported sharing messages with friends and family. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that maternal mHealth interventions delivered through text messages can provide timely, relevant, useful, and supportive information to pregnant women and new mothers especially in settings where there may be mistrust of the health care system.

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The Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action Text Message–Based mHealth Intervention for Maternal Care in South Africa: Qualitative User Study

JMIR Human Factors ◽

10.2196/14078 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. e14078 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jesse Coleman ◽

Jaran Eriksen ◽

Vivian Black ◽

Anna Thorson ◽

Abigail Hatcher

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Health Care ◽

Focus Group ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Health Care System ◽

Text Message ◽

Text Messages ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions

Background Using mobile technology to support health care (mobile health [mHealth]) has been shown to improve health outcomes across a multitude of health specialties and across the world. Exploring mHealth user experiences can aid in understanding how and why an intervention was successful. The Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA) was a free maternal mHealth SMS text messaging service that was offered to pregnant women in Johannesburg, South Africa, with the goal of improving maternal, fetal, and infant health outcomes. We conducted focus group discussions with MAMA users to learn about their experiences with the program. Objective The aim of this qualitative study was to gather opinions of participants of the MAMA maternal mHealth service regarding health care atmosphere, intervention use, and intervention feedback. Methods Prenatal and postnatal women (N=15) from public antenatal and postnatal care sites in central Johannesburg who were receiving free maternal health text messages (MAMA) participated in 3 focus group discussions. Predefined discussion topics included personal background, health care system experiences, MAMA program recruitment, acceptability, participant experiences, and feedback. Results The feedback regarding experiences with the health system were comprised of a few reports of positive experiences and many more reports of negative experiences such as long wait times, understaffed facilities, and poor service. Overall acceptability for the maternal text message intervention was high. Participants reflected that the messages were timely, written clearly, and felt supportive. Participants also reported sharing messages with friends and family. Conclusions These findings suggest that maternal mHealth interventions delivered through text messages can provide timely, relevant, useful, and supportive information to pregnant women and new mothers especially in settings where there may be mistrust of the health care system.

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Nairobi Early Childcare in Slums (NECS) Study Protocol: a mixed-methods exploration of paid early childcare in Mukuru slum, Nairobi

BMJ Paediatrics Open ◽

10.1136/bmjpo-2020-000822 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. e000822

Author(s):

Robert C Hughes ◽

Patricia Kitsao-Wekulo ◽

Sunil Bhopal ◽

Elizabeth W Kimani-Murage ◽

Zelee Hill ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mixed Methods ◽

Focus Group ◽

Early Years ◽

Epidemiological Methods ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Early Childcare ◽

Depth Interviews ◽

Childcare Providers

IntroductionThe early years are critical. Early nurturing care can lay the foundation for human capital accumulation with lifelong benefits. Conversely, early adversity undermines brain development, learning and future earning.Slums are among the most challenging places to spend those early years and are difficult places to care for a child. Shifting family and work structures mean that paid, largely informal, childcare seems to be becoming the ‘new normal’ for many preschool children growing up in rapidly urbanising Africa. However, little is known about the quality of this childcare.AimsTo build a rigorous understanding what childcare strategies are used and why in a typical Nairobi slum, with a particular focus on provision and quality of paid childcare. Through this, to inform evaluation of quality and design and implementation of interventions with the potential to reach some of the most vulnerable children at the most critical time in the life course.Methods and analysisMixed methods will be employed. Qualitative research (in-depth interviews and focus group discussions) with parents/carers will explore need for and decision-making about childcare. A household survey (of 480 households) will estimate the use of different childcare strategies by parents/carers and associated parent/carer characteristics. Subsequently, childcare providers will be mapped and surveyed to document and assess quality of current paid childcare. Semistructured observations will augment self-reported quality with observable characteristics/practices. Finally, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with childcare providers will explore their behaviours and motivations. Qualitative data will be analysed through thematic analysis and triangulation across methods. Quantitative and spatial data will be analysed through epidemiological methods (random effects regression modelling and spatial statistics).Ethics and disseminationEthical approval has been granted in the UK and Kenya. Findings will be disseminated through journal publications, community and government stakeholder workshops, policy briefs and social media content.

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Kinship construction variability among Nigerian international migrants: The context of contemporary Diaspora

Human Affairs ◽

10.2478/s13374-011-0044-2 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Olayinka Akanle ◽

Olanrewau Olutayo

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

Life Histories ◽

First Century ◽

Primary Data ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Kinship Networks ◽

Methodological Triangulation ◽

International Migrants ◽

Depth Interviews

AbstractUnderstanding the selves, situations and actions of Africans can never be comprehended outside kinship. Local and foreign worldviews are first pigeonholed into culture and defined within kinship realities in Nigeria and Africa. There have been studies on kinship in Africa. However, the findings from such studies portrayed the immutability of African kinship. Thus, as an important contribution to the on-going engagement of kinship in the twenty-first century as an interface between the contemporary Diaspora, this article engaged kinship within international migration. This is a major behavioural and socio-economic force in Nigeria. Methodological triangulation was adopted as part of the research design and primary data were collected through in-depth interviews (IDIs), and life histories of international migrants were documented and focus group discussions (FGDs) were held with kin of returnees. The article found and concluded that while returnees continued to appreciate local kinship infrastructures, the infrastructures were liable to reconstruction primarily determined by dominant support situations in the traditional African kinship networks.

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Islamic Discourses of Environmental Change on the Swahili Coast of Southern Tanzania

Human Organization ◽

10.17730/1938-3525-80.1.49 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 80 (1) ◽

pp. 49-60

Author(s):

Justin Raycraft

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

Social Science ◽

Environmental Change ◽

Belief System ◽

Social Suffering ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Swahili Coast ◽

Making Sense ◽

Depth Interviews

This paper addresses how Makonde Muslim villagers living on the Swahili coast of southern Tanzania conceptualize and discuss environmental change. Through narratives elicited during in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, I show that respondents associate various forms of environmental change—ecological, climatic, political, and socioeconomic—with God’s plan. Respondents had a sound grasp of the material workings of their lived realities and evoked religious causality to fill in the residual explanatory gaps and find meaning in events that were otherwise difficult to explain. Such narratives reveal both a culturally engrained belief system that colors people’s understandings of change and uncertainty and a discursive idiom for making sense of social suffering. On an applied note, I submit that social science approaches to studying environmental change must take into account political and economic contexts relative to local cosmologies, worldviews, and religious faiths, which may not disaggregate the environment into distinct representational categories.

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Persepsi Ibu Terhadap Iklan Vaksin Measles Rubella (MR)

Hasanuddin Journal of Midwifery ◽

10.35317/hajom.v1i1.1788 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Muslimah Muslimah ◽

Dian Ayubi

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Promotion ◽

Focus Group ◽

Data Collection ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Electronic Media ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Data Collection Process ◽

Depth Interviews

Measles and Rubella (MR) is a disease that is highly contagious and usually occurs in children aged 9 months until the age of 15 years. One effort that can be done to reduce the incidence of the disease is through health promotion about the importance of immunization. Purpose the promotion was packaged in the form of advertisements on electronic media with the aim of building perceptions that the importance of immunization for public health. Methods this research was a qualitative study with a method of collecting in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The number of informants in this study was 19 mothers who had children aged 0.9 to 15 years in one of the Puskesmas work areas in Merangin District, Jambi Province. Before the data collection process, all informants were asked to see two MR immunization advertisements. Results that immunization advertisements are interesting and contain humor. Meanwhile, informants who did not give MR immunization to their children tended to be negative towards MR immunization advertisements and tended to ignore the effects that arose if they did not give immunizations to their children. The recommendation that MR immunization advertisements should avoid using the fear arousal method and use the pay off idea method in those ads

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Unlocking Trust in Community Health Systems: Lessons from the Lymphatic Filariasis Morbidity Management and Disability Prevention Pilot Project in Luangwa District, Zambia

International Journal of Health Policy and Management ◽

10.34172/ijhpm.2021.133 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Joseph M. Zulu ◽

Patricia Maritim ◽

Adam Silumbwe ◽

Hikabasa Halwiindi ◽

Patricia Mubita ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

Health Services ◽

Lymphatic Filariasis ◽

Health Systems ◽

Disability Prevention ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Community Health Systems ◽

Referral Systems ◽

Depth Interviews

Background: Surgery for hydrocele is commonly promoted as part of morbidity management and disability prevention (MMDP) services for lymphatic filariasis (LF). However, uptake of these surgeries has been suboptimal owing to several community level barriers that have triggered mistrust in such services. This study aimed at documenting mechanisms of unlocking trust in community health systems (CHS) in the context of a LF hydrocele management project that was implemented in Luangwa District, Zambia. Methods: Qualitative data was collected through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions (n=45) in February 2020 in Luangwa District. Thirty-one in-depth interviews were conducted with hydrocele patients, CHWs, health workers, traditional leaders and traditional healers. Two focus group discussions were also conducted with CHWs who had been involved in project implementation with seven participants per group. Data was analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Results: The use of locally appropriate communication strategies, development of community driven referral systems, working with credible community intermediaries as well as strengthening health systems capacity through providing technical and logistical support enhanced trust in surgery for hydrocele and uptake of the surgeries. Conclusion: Implementation of community led communication and referral systems as well as strengthening health services are vital in unlocking trust in health systems as such mechanisms trigger authentic partnerships, including mutual respect and recognition in the CHS. The mechanisms also enhance confidence in health services among community members.

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Care Across Campus: Athletic Training, Nursing, and Occupational Therapy Student Experiences in an Interprofessional Simulation

Athletic Training Education Journal ◽

10.4085/1304332 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 332-339 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Briyana L. M. Morrell ◽

Alison M. Nichols ◽

Craig A. Voll ◽

Kathleen E. Hetzler ◽

Jane Toon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Focus Group ◽

Occupational Therapy ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Athletic Training ◽

Interprofessional Education ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Occupational Therapy Students ◽

Positive Attitudes

Context: This study explored health care students' experiences after participation in an interprofessional simulation. Interprofessional education incorporates students from several health care professions in a controlled, collaborative learning environment. Athletic training students are not well represented in interprofessional education literature. Objective: This study sought to explore the attitudes of athletic training, nursing, and occupational therapy students toward other professions after their participation in an interprofessional simulation. Design: This article describes the results of the qualitative portion of a mixed-methods study. Focus group discussions related to elements of the Interprofessional Attitude Scale to explore participants' attitudes toward other professions. Researchers analyzed transcribed focus group discussions for themes. Setting: This study occurred in a private midsized Midwestern university. Patients or Other Participants: Seventy-nine students, representing athletic training, nursing, and occupational therapy, participated in the simulation; a sample of 13 of these participated in the focus groups. Intervention(s): Students in all professions cared for or observed the care of a standardized patient from the time of a spinal cord injury on the football field through an ambulance ride and subsequent emergency and inpatient care. Students collaborated and communicated with one another. Faculty conducted debriefing after the simulation and before the focus groups. Main Outcome Measure(s): Focus groups included relevant questions from the Interprofessional Attitudes Scale, and themes were identified from participants' responses. Results: Researchers identified 4 themes from the focus group discussions: collaboration, respect, knowledge of other professions, and communication. These themes also mirror elements of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative's core competencies of interprofessional collaborative practice. Conclusions: After the simulation, students expressed positive attitudes toward other professions. This study suggests that athletic training, nursing, and occupational therapy students have positive attitudes toward each other's professions after an interprofessional simulation activity.

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Exploring a Model of Whistle Blowing System for Malaysian Municipal Council

International Journal of Financial Research ◽

10.5430/ijfr.v11n3p62 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 62

Author(s):

Maheran Zakaria ◽

Rahayu Abdul Rahman ◽

Hasnun Anip Bustaman

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

Internal Control ◽

Ethical Culture ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Whistle Blowing ◽

Municipal Council ◽

Life Threatening ◽

Depth Interviews

A municipal council is one of the local authorities established under the auspice of Malaysian local government. The objective is to deliver services to a community under its jurisdiction in a sustainable manner, but evidences indicated that the service qualities have deteriorated due to numerous malpractices. The malpractices could be prevented should any of the insiders who witness the incidences whistle blow to those who have power to act. However, not many are willing to report for fear of reprisal, retaliation and even life threatening. Despite that a whistleblowing system is established to encourage whistleblowing, such system has yet to be formed in any of Malaysian municipal councils. Intrigued with the issue, the objective of this study is to explore a model of whistle blowing system for a Malaysian municipal council. A hermeneutic phenomenography study was conducted in which data were gathered through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The participants consisted of four top management and sixty officials from a Malaysian municipal council. Data were analyzed qualitatively using Nvivo 14 and triangulated with other source of documents. The findings from emergent themes proposed a model of the whistleblowing system that consisted of four elements namely protection, internal control policies, incentives and ethical culture. This discovery provides useful insights to policy makers, relevant authorities, and academic fraternities of the model of whistle blowing system that will alleviate malpractices and thus elevate the transparency, efficiency and integrity of the municipal council to the fullest.

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