scholarly journals Health communication in primary health care

Author(s):  
Rashmi G. Patel ◽  
T. Stephen

Developing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) supported health communication in PHC could contribute to increased health literacy and empowerment, which are foundations for enabling people to increase control over their health, as a way to reduce increasing lifestyle related ill health. However, to increase the likelihood of success of implementing ICT supported health communication, it is essential to conduct a detailed analysis of the setting and context prior to the intervention. The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of health communication for health promotion in PHC with emphasis on the implications for a planned ICT supported interactive health channel.

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. S49-S59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antônio Thomaz Gonzaga Matta-Machado ◽  
Ângela Maria L. Dayrell de Lima ◽  
Daisy Maria Xavier de Abreu ◽  
Lucas Lobato Araújo ◽  
Délcio Fonseca Sobrinho ◽  
...  

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Keleher ◽  
Rhian Parker ◽  
Karen Francis

Health reform is increasingly targeted towards strengthening and expansion of primary health systems as care is shifted from hospitals to communities. The renewed emphasis on prevention and health promotion is intended to curb the tide of chronic disease and sustain effective chronic disease management, as well as address health inequities and increase affordable access to services. Given the scope of nurses’ practice, the success of Australia’s health system reforms are dependent on a nursing workforce that is appropriately educated and prepared for practice in community settings. This article reports on the results of an Australian national audit of all undergraduate nursing curricula to examine the extent of professional socialisation and educational preparation of nurses for primary health care. The results of the audit are compared with Australian nursing standards associated with competency in primary health care. The findings indicate that Australian nursing competencies are general in their approach to skills and knowledge, not specifying any particular competencies for primary health care, while undergraduate student preparation for practice in primary health and community settings is patchy and not keeping pace with reform agendas that promote expanded roles for nurses in primary health care, prevention and health promotion. The implication for nursing curriculum reform is that attention to achieving nursing graduate capacity for primary health care and health promotion is a priority.


Author(s):  
Elijah Marangu ◽  
Fethi Mansouri ◽  
Natisha Sands ◽  
David Ndetei ◽  
Peterson Muriithi ◽  
...  

Abstract Aim To assess mental health literacy of health workers in primary health care services in Kenya. Background Mental illness is common in Kenya, yet there are fewer than 500 specialist mental health workers to serve Kenya’s population of over 50 million. The World Health Organization recommends the integration of mental health care into primary health care services to improve access to and equity of this care, especially in low and middle-income countries. An important step to integrating mental health care into primary health care services is to determine mental health literacy levels of the primary health care workforce. Method A cross-sectional survey using Jorm’s Mental Health Literacy Instrument (adapted for the Kenyan context) was administered to 310 primary health care workers in four counties of Kenya. Results Of the 310 questionnaires distributed, 212 (68.3%) were returned. Of the respondents, 13% had a formal mental health qualification, while only 8.7% had received relevant continuing professional development in the five years preceding the survey. Just over one third (35.6%) of primary health care workers could correctly identify depression, with even fewer recognising schizophrenia (15.7%). Conclusions This study provides preliminary information about mental health literacy among primary health care workers in Kenya. The majority of respondents had low mental health literacy as indicated by their inability to identify common mental disorders. While identifying gaps in primary health care workers’ mental health knowledge, these data highlight opportunities for capacity building that can enhance mental health care in Kenya and similar low and middle-income countries.


2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Henderson

This paper explores policy documents published as part of the National Mental Health Strategy for ideas about mental health promotion and prevention, to determine the extent to which these documents adopt a primary health care approach. Discourse analysis was undertaken of key policy documents to discover the manner in which they discuss mental health promotion and prevention. Three points of departure are identified. The first of these is a focus on social and biological risk factors that manifest at an individual rather than at a social level, effectively drawing attention away from social inequalities. These documents also primarily target a population that is viewed as being "at risk" due to exposure to risk factors, shifting attention from strategies aimed at improving the health of the population as a whole. A final difference is found in the understanding of primary health care. Recent policy documents equate primary health care with the first level of service delivery in the community, primarily by general practitioners, shifting the focus of care from mental health promotion with the community to early intervention with those experiencing mental health problems. This is supported by the incorporation of a biomedical understanding into mental health prevention. While recent mental health policy documents re-assert the need for early intervention and health prevention, the form of mental health prevention espoused in these documents differs from that which informed the Declaration of Alma Alta, Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion and World Health Organization's Health for All strategy.


2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Israel R Kabashiki ◽  
Ngozi I Moneke

Background: Health Information and Communication Technology (HICT) has the potential to reduce patient wait time and improves patient satisfaction. The Long wait times for patients to receive medical services are a big issue in Canada. The Canadian government has invested in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to shorten patient referral wait times for medical services. Little was known about the association between ICT investments and the quality of health care delivery, and particularly between the use of ICT and referral wait times in the Manitoba Health System (MHS). Methods: The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to determine if a relationship existed between the use of HICT and the quality of health care delivery in the MHS. The quality of health care delivery was measured in terms of referral wait time, health information sharing effectiveness, physicians’ satisfaction, and patients’ satisfaction. Conclusion: Findings indicated the absence of a significant association between HICT use and referral wait times. Significant correlations were found to exist between (1) HICT use and health information sharing effectiveness, (2) HICT use and physician’s satisfaction, and (3) HICT use and patient’s satisfaction. Four recommendations emerged from this study: First, patient satisfaction should be used as an indicator of the quality of health care delivery. Second, health knowledge repository and expert systems should be integrated into health ICT systems to minimize unnecessary referrals. Third, a mixed health system should be implemented to shorten wait times. Fourth, the portability of the Canadian Medicare should be enhanced to allow Manitobans in particular and Canadians in general to seek medical services abroad. This study was intended to contribute to the existing body of knowledge associated with ICT investments’ outcomes and health care delivery in the MHS.  


2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (suppl.2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Sodré Araújo ◽  
Ediná Alves Costa ◽  
Augusto Afonso Guerra Junior ◽  
Francisco de Assis Acurcio ◽  
Ione Aquemi Guibu ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the activities of clinical nature developed by pharmacists in basic health units and their participation in educational activities aiming at health promotion. METHODS: This article is part of the Pesquisa Nacional sobre Acesso, Utilização e Promoção do Uso Racional de Medicamentos – Serviços, 2015 (PNAUM – National Survey on Access, Use and Promotion of Rational Use of Medicines – Services, 2015), a cross-sectional and exploratory study, of evaluative nature, consisting of a survey of information in a representative sample of cities, stratified by the Brazilian regions that constitute domains of study, and a subsample of primary health care services. The interviewed pharmacists (n=285) were responsible for the delivery of medicines and were interviewed in person with the use of a script. The characterization of the activities of clinical nature was based on information from pharmacists who declared to perform them, and on participation in educational activities aiming at health promotion, according to information from all pharmacists. The results are presented in frequency and their 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: From the interviewed subjects, 21.3% said they perform activities of clinical nature. Of these, more than 80% considered them very important; the majority does not dispose of specific places to perform them, which hinders privacy and confidentiality in these activities. The main denominations were “pharmaceutical guidance” and “pharmaceutical care.” The registration of activities is mainly made in the users’ medical records, computerized system, and in a specific document filed at the pharmacy, impairing the circulation of information among professionals. Most pharmacists performed these activities mainly along with physicians and nurses; 24.7% rarely participated in meetings with the health team, and 19.7% have never participated. CONCLUSIONS: Activities of clinical nature performed by pharmacists in Brazil are still incipient. The difficulties found point out to the professionals’ improvisation and effort. The small participation in educational activities of health promotion indicates little integration of pharmacists with the health team and of pharmaceutical services with other health actions


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document