scholarly journals Health Education and Communication in Occupational Health Services in Finland

2008 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 171-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Palmgren ◽  
Päivi Jalonen ◽  
Simo Kaleva

Health Education and Communication in Occupational Health Services in FinlandThis article discusses health education and communication in Occupational Health Services (OHS) based on a questionnaire study conducted in Finnish OHS in 2005. The study focused on educational activities carried out by OH professionals and directed at individual employees, work communities and groups, and representatives of client organisations. The questionnaire was sent to 1132 OH professionals - physicians, nurses, physiotherapists and psychologists - working in 130 OHS units, and representing different OHS providers in Finland. 635 respondents (162 physicians, 342 nurses, 96 physiotherapists, 35 psychologists) returned the questionnaire. The overall response rate was 58 %. There were statistically significant differences in educational activities by different professional groups; differences were also related to the length of working experience in OHS. For all OH professionals, individual employees were the primary clients of health education and communication. Education was less often directed at work communities and representatives of client organisations. However, many issues related to health and well-being at work are not within the reach of individual employees. The impact of health education would be more evident if it also reached those organisational stakeholders with discretion in decision-making. Furthermore, OH personnel should pay attention to the social aspect of learning and work more with groups and work communities.

2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 375-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Matthewson ◽  
A Tiplady ◽  
F Gerakios ◽  
A Foley ◽  
E Murphy

Abstract Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been essential for occupational health services (OHS) providers to react rapidly to increased demand and to utilize resources in novel ways. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological well-being of staff is already identified as an area of high risk; therefore, providing timely access to psychological support may be vital, although limited evidence is available on how these risks are best managed. Aims To describe implementation and analysis of a psychology-led COVID-19 telephone support line in a National Health Service OHS. Methods Data from calls made to the support line were collected over the first 4 weeks of service implementation. Numerical data including frequency of calls and average waiting time were first considered. A content analysis was then conducted on call notes to identify prevalence of themes. Results Six hundred and fifty-five calls were received, and 362 notes included sufficient information for use within the content analysis. Frequency of calls peaked within the first week followed by a reduction in the number of calls received per day over time. Most calls included discussion around clarification of guidance (68%) with a smaller subset of calls offering support around anxiety (29%). Prevalence of themes did not appear to change over time. Conclusions Clear and timely information is vital to support the well-being of healthcare staff. A psychologically informed telephone support line was a good use of occupational health service resources in the interim while more tailored advice and services could be established.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 43-56
Author(s):  
Nyaradzo Dhliwayo ◽  
Nelson Chanza ◽  
Anton De Wit

There is now considerable interest to understand how local communities experiencing climatic risks can benefit from climate change responses. As this agenda unfolds, there is need to understand the impact of climate-related interventions from the perspective of local populations targeted by such projects. Existing assessment approaches tend to concentrate on the environmental and economic impacts of projects that minimise greenhouse gas emissions. This study assesses the social aspect of a domestic biogas project that was intended to address the twin challenges of poverty and climate change in Sogwala village, Zimbabwe. A three-tier methodological execution process was adopted, involving field reconnaissance, household survey and key informant interviews. The focus was on measuring the social dimension of the changes brought about by the project, from the experiences of participating households. With a consciousness of assessment challenges associated with community projects, social capital parameters were used to assess the project’s contribution to the social well-being of the villagers. Overall, results show that the biogas project has the potential to facilitate social development through improved trust and social networks. Despite the contested climatic benefits associated with small-scale household biogas digesters, projects of this nature can enhance community relationships and networks, upon which other development interventions can be operationalised.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 211-248
Author(s):  
Oliver Kofi TASIN

Medicine (n-nyork) has been one of meaning laden words faced by scholars. This subject has attracted much attention from scholars, but the social aspect of health tied to people’s medical culture has been neglected. The paper examines the reasons and the context within which the medical culture of the Konkomba ensured social equilibrium and well-being. It further examines key medicines and healers that constituted the corpus of the Konkomba health system. Information was sourced from oral interviews, archival and secondary sources. The work focuses on the historiography of indigenous medicine in Ghana, in particular, and Africa in general. In conclusion, it analyses the impact of the Western understanding of medicine indicating that n-nyork (medicine) and ngbanpuan (health) were more holistic within the Konkomba conceptualisation. In that sense, the adoption and non-adaptation of the western view of health has led to more undesirable health situation in the twentieth century. That notwithstanding, the medical culture of the Konkomba still constitute an integral aspect of their medication.


1980 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgio Assennato ◽  
Vicente Navarro

This article sets forth a historical and current analysis of (a) the occupational health services in Italy; and (b) the political, economic, and social forces that determined them. Special focus is placed on the analysis of the events leading to the establishment in 1969 of forms of direct democracy at the workplace, i.e. workers' committees, and their consequences for the occupational health services. Also described and analyzed are the responsibilities and modus operandi of these committees in the creation and reproduction of scientific knowledge at the point of production. The relationship between the workers' committees, the “experts,” and the institutions of medicine, as well as that between the workers' committees, political parties, and the trade unions, is also discussed. An update on the impact that recent political developments have had on these workers' committees concludes the article.


Author(s):  
Aditya Jain ◽  
Juliet Hassard ◽  
Stavroula Leka ◽  
Cristina Di Tecco ◽  
Sergio Iavicoli

The development and enhancement of occupational health services (OHS) at the national level is central to ensuring the sustainable health, well-being and work engagement of the working population. However, due to differences in national health, social security and occupational safety and health systems, the content, capacity, coverage and provisions of OHS vary considerably across national contexts. Obtaining a better understanding in terms of such similarities and variations internationally is essential as such comparative information can help inform evidenced-based decision-making on OHS at both policy and practice levels. This paper therefore reviews and analyses the key policies, standards and approaches in OH systems and services, using both academic and grey literature, across 12 industrialised countries (Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom and the United States of America). It provides a detailed overview and categorization of OHS in these selected countries in terms of the legal and policy context, organisation and financing and coverage and staffing while specifically discussing variations aimed at psychosocial risk management and the promotion of mental health and well-being at work. It draws conclusions on key development needs of OHS internationally to ensure psychosocial risk management and mental health promotion are prioritised effectively in a preventive manner.


1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Kalliokoski ◽  
J. Kangas ◽  
M. Kotimaa ◽  
K. Louhelainen

Author(s):  
Xueli Wei ◽  
Lijing Li ◽  
Fan Zhang

Pumping elephantThe COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the lives of people around the world in millions of ways . Due to this severe epidemic, all countries in the world have been affected by all aspects, mainly economic. It is widely discussed that the COVID-19 outbreak has affected the world economy. When considering this dimension, this study aims to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world economy, socio-economics, and sustainability. In addition, the research focuses on multiple aspects of social well-being during the pandemic, such as employment, poverty, the status of women, food security, and global trade. To this end, the study used time series and cross-sectional analysis of the data. The second-hand data used in this study comes from the websites of major international organizations. From the analysis of secondary data, the conclusion of this article is that the impact of the pandemic is huge. The main finding of the thesis is that the social economy is affected by the pandemic, causing huge losses in terms of economic well-being and social capital.


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