scholarly journals The Efficacy of an Antioppression Curriculum for Health Professionals

2019 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Wu ◽  
Lamercie Saint-Hilaire ◽  
Andrew Pineda ◽  
Danielle Hessler ◽  
George W. Saba ◽  
...  

Background and Objectives: Health professionals increasingly recognize the role that social determinants play in health disparities. However, little focus is placed on how health care professionals themselves contribute to disparities through biased care. We have developed a curriculum based on an antioppression framework which encourages health professionals to evaluate their biases and combat health care disparities through an active process of allyship. Methods: Teaching methods emphasize skill building and include lectures, guided reflections, and facilitated discussions. Pre- and postsurveys were administered to assess participants’ confidence level to recognize unconscious bias and to be an ally to colleagues, patients, and staff. In total, we conducted 20 workshops with a total of 468 participants across multiple disciplines. Results: The survey response rate was 80%. Using a paired t-test, the mean difference in the pre- and postsurveys revealed a statistically significant improvement across all measures. Participants showed the greatest improvements (large effect size d>0.8) in their understanding of the process of allyship, their ability to describe strategies to address, assess, and recognize unconscious bias, and their knowledge of managing situations in which prejudice, power, and privilege are involved. Conclusions: Results show that an antioppression curriculum can enhance health professionals’ confidence in addressing bias in health care through allyship. For those who value social justice and equity, moving from the role of bystander to a place of awareness and solidarity allows for one’s behaviors to mirror these values. Allyship is an accessible tool that all health professionals can use in order to facilitate this process.

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
R Arnone ◽  
M I Cascio ◽  
I Parenti

Abstract The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between Emotional Intelligence (EI) and burnout in health care professionals. More specifically, this survey has the purpose of demonstrating the role of EI as a protective factor against the risk of burnout. Health professionals (doctors, nurses, and other caregivers) composed the sample. Health care professionals were invited to complete the following tests: Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (Schutte et al., 1998; it. ad. Craparo, et al.[35]); Link Burnout Questionnaire,LBQ; Other variables, such as gender, lenght of service (years of professional experience) and organizational department. Major results of this survey underline the relationship between EI and burnout. More specifically, there is a negative and significant correlation between burnout and Emotional Intelligence. Moreover, burnout varies depending on length of service: burnout increases between 5 and 10 years of experience and decreases over 10 years. Indeed, burnout is differently expressed amongst healthcare professionals: more specifically, Psycho-physical exhaustion, Detriment of the relationships and Burnout (total score) impact physician (doctors) more than other investigated health professionals. These findings seem to suggest the opportunity to improve Emotional Intelligence abilities through specific training programs, useful to promote the ability to cope with stress and to enrich the relationships in the workplace. Key messages Burnout is more diffuse among health professionals working in emergency departments. Emotional intelligence has the role to cope with burnout.


2007 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glen E. Randall

As health care costs climb, governments continue to seek ways of controlling expenditures and improving accountability. One approach recently used by the government of Ontario to reform the delivery of homecare services focused on the introduction of competitive market forces in conjunction with the establishment of greater managerial controls over the activities of frontline health professionals. The purpose of this article is to assess how this “managed competition” model impacted the role of homecare case managers and their relationships with frontline health professionals. Data for this case study were obtained primarily through 36 in-depth key informant interviews with representatives from homecare provider agencies and the community care access centers (CCACs), which contract with the provider agencies for client services. The managed competition reform dramatically altered the role of homecare case managers by requiring them to take on greater responsibility for monitoring budgets and rationing services. This shift from a collaborative to a competitive system promoted conflict between case managers and other health care professionals. In the presence of an increasingly bureaucratized case manager role, interprofessional conflict and a focus on cost containment seems to have left clients without any clear advocate of their interests.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaki Kobayashi ◽  
Mio Ito ◽  
Yasuyuki Iwasa ◽  
Yoshiko Motohashi ◽  
Ayako Edahiro ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The prevalence of oral diseases in people with dementia has increased, and patients with dementia have worse oral health than people without dementia. However, in the provision of oral care, these patients often exhibit care-resistant behaviours. Empathy is important for health care professionals who provide dental care for people with dementia. A study was conducted to assess whether a multimodal comprehensive care methodology training programme, Humanitude™, was associated with an improvement in empathy for people with dementia among oral health care professionals. Methods This research was a pre-post prospective study. A total of 45 dentists and dental hygienists participated in a 7-h multimodal comprehensive care methodology training programme. Participants’ empathy for their patients was evaluated with the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-Health Professionals Version (JSPE-HP) before the training and 1 month after the training (primary outcome). Each participant listed 3 patients with poor oral health due to the refusal of usual oral care or dental treatment from his or her clinical practice. The oral health of the 3 care-resistant patients listed by each participant was evaluated by the Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT) before the training and 1 month after the training (secondary outcome). Results The post-training response rate was 87% (21 dentists and 18 dental hygienists). From pre-training to post-training, the multimodal comprehensive care methodology training significantly increased the mean empathy score (from 113.97 to 122.95, P < 0.05, effect size = 0.9). Regardless of gender, profession and years of clinical experience, all post-training subgroup scores were higher than the pre-training subgroup scores. The tongue, natural teeth, and oral hygiene scores of patients with dementia who resisted usual oral care or dental treatment, as assessed by the OHAT, were significantly improved compared with those before the training. Conclusions The multimodal comprehensive care methodology training was associated with an improvement in oral health professionals’ empathy for patients with dementia. These findings suggest that randomized controlled trials with large sample sizes will be needed. Trial registration UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR), UMIN000041687. Registered 4 September 2020 – Retrospectively registered, https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000047586


Author(s):  
Alfonso M. Cueto-Manzano ◽  
Héctor R. Martínez-Ramírez ◽  
Laura Cortés-Sanabria ◽  
Enrique Rojas-Campos

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziyafet Uğurlu ◽  
Sultan Kav ◽  
Azize Karahan ◽  
Ebru Akgün Çıtak

Introduction: The changing proportion of older adults in society necessitates the need to determine the attitudes of health care professionals toward older adults. The purpose of this study was to explore attitudes of ageism and its correlates among health care professionals working with older adults. Method: This descriptive study was conducted in seven hospitals in five cities in Turkey. A total of 628 health care professionals participated in this study. The Fraboni Scale of Ageism (FSA) was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics, student’s t test, one-way analysis of variance and multivariate linear regression were used for data analysis. Results: The mean total score from the FSA was 56.9 ( SD = 8.0). Education (β = −.18, p < .001) and difficulty with the care of older adults (β = −.10, p < .05) were statistically significant predictors of the FSA score. Conclusions: The attitudes of health care professionals toward older adults were generally positive and affected by difficulty in providing care and the educational status of the health care professionals.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Ángel Amor-García ◽  
Roberto Collado-Borrell ◽  
Vicente Escudero-Vilaplana ◽  
Alejandra Melgarejo-Ortuño ◽  
Ana Herranz-Alonso ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND The large number of available cancer apps and their impact on the population necessitates a transparent, objective, and comprehensive evaluation by app experts, health care professionals, and users. To date, there have been no analyses or classifications of apps for patients with genitourinary cancers, which are among the most prevalent types of cancer. OBJECTIVE The objective of our study was to analyze the quality of apps for patients diagnosed with genitourinary cancers using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) and identify high-quality apps. METHODS We performed an observational cross-sectional descriptive study of all smartphone apps for patients diagnosed with genitourinary cancers available on iOS and Android platforms. In July 2019, we searched for all available apps for patients with genitourinary cancers (bladder, prostate, cervical, uterine, endometrial, kidney, testicular, and vulvar) or their caregivers. Apps were downloaded and evaluated, and the general characteristics were entered into a database. The evaluation was performed by 2 independent researchers using the MARS questionnaire, which rates 23 evaluation criteria clustered in 5 domains (Engagement, Functionality, Esthetics, Information, and Subjective Quality) on a scale from 1 to 5. RESULTS In total, 46 apps were analyzed. Of these, 31 (67%) were available on Android, 6 (13%) on iOS, and 9 (20%) on both platforms. The apps were free in 89% of cases (41/46), and 61% (28/46) had been updated in the previous year. The apps were intended for prostate cancer in 30% of cases (14/46) and cervical cancer in 17% (8/46). The apps were mainly informative (63%, 29/46), preventive (24%, 11/46), and diagnostic (13%, 6/46). Only 7/46 apps (15%) were developed by health care organizations. The mean MARS score for the overall quality of the 46 apps was 2.98 (SD 0.77), with a maximum of 4.63 and a minimum of 1.95. Functionality scores were quite similar for most of the apps, with the greatest differences in Engagement and Esthetics, which showed acceptable scores in one-third of the apps. The 5 apps with the highest MARS score were the following: “Bladder cancer manager,” “Kidney cancer manager,” “My prostate cancer manager,” “Target Ovarian Cancer Symptoms Diary,” and “My Cancer Coach.” We observed statistically significant differences in the MARS score between the operating systems and the developer types (<i>P</i>&lt;.001 and <i>P</i>=.01, respectively), but not for cost (<i>P</i>=.62). CONCLUSIONS MARS is a helpful methodology to decide which apps can be prescribed to patients and to identify which features should be addressed to improve these tools. Most of the apps designed for patients with genitourinary cancers only try to provide data about the disease, without coherent interactivity. The participation of health professionals in the development of these apps is low; nevertheless, we observed that both the participation of health professionals and regular updates were correlated with quality.


2021 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iram Osman ◽  
Shaista Hamid ◽  
Veena S. Singaram

Background: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, health professionals were pushed to the front line of a global health crisis unprepared and resource constrained, which affected their mental well-being.Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a brief online mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on stress and burnout for health professionals training and working in South Africa during the COVID-19 crisis.Setting: The context of the study is the overburdened, under-resourced health care system in South Africa during a global pandemic.Methods: A mixed method framework was adopted for this study. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive analysis and the participants’ qualitative experiences were interpreted using interpretative phenomenological analysis.Results: Forty-seven participants took part in this study. The study found a statistically significant (p 0.05) reduction in stress levels and emotional exhaustion as well as an increase in mindful awareness and feelings of personal accomplishment after the intervention. The participants’ shared experiences were analysed in two parts. The pre-intervention analysis presented with central themes of loss of control and a sense of powerlessness because of COVID-19. The post-intervention analysis comprised themes of a sense of acquired control and empowerment through increased mindfulness.Conclusions: The study found that a brief online MBI can be associated with reduced levels of stress and burnout as well as an increased sense of control and empowerment, felt both personally and professionally, during a global crisis.Contribution: The impact of an online MBI for health care professionals amidst a pandemic has not been previously documented.


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