scholarly journals Assessment of Workplace Safety Climate among Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Low and Middle Income Countries: A Case Study of Nigeria

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 661
Author(s):  
Haruna Musa Moda ◽  
Fabian M. Dama ◽  
Christopher Nwadike ◽  
Basim S. Alatni ◽  
Solomon O. Adewoye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Safety Climate ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Worker Safety ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Safety Priority ◽  
Low And Middle Income

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented several organizations with the opportunity to review their operational strategies, as well as the existing safety climate within their establishments. The healthcare sector is not an exception, especially those in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs), where most safety systems are not robust when compared with developed countries. The study aim is to assess the occupational safety climate among healthcare workers (HCWs) in LMICs using Nigeria as a case study. A cross-sectional study was adopted to measure safety climate perception among professionals working in healthcare establishment during the COVID-19 pandemic using a validated Nordic Safety Climate Questionnaire (NOSACQ-50). At the end of the survey period, 83% (433) of the responses were adjudged to have met the threshold criteria and were used to inform the study outcome. Worker safety commitment within the healthcare facilities (M = 3.01, SD = 0.42) was statistically significantly higher than management safety priority, commitment, and competence (M = 2.91, SD = 0.46), t(130.52), p < 0.001. A significant effect of the management role was found in regards to management safety priority, commitment, and competence (F(1, 406) = 3.99, p = 0.046, η2 = 0.010). On the contrary, the managerial position does not have a significant effect on worker safety commitment (F(1, 417) = 0.59, p = 0.440, η2 = 0.001). The outcome from the study showed that, where there is active promotion of a positive safety climate in healthcare sectors in LMICs, employees are more likely to engage in positive safety behaviour. To help address the identified gaps, there is the need for more effort to be made towards promoting an effective and positive safety climate across the establishment, including management and healthcare worker commitments.

scholarly journals The impact of COVID-19 on the care of people living with noncommunicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries: an online survey of physicians and pharmacists in nine countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Bullen ◽  
Jessica McCormack ◽  
Amanda Calder ◽  
Varsha Parag ◽  
Kannan Subramaniam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
World Health ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Abstract Background: The global COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted healthcare worldwide. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where people may have limited access to affordable quality care, the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to have a particularly adverse impact on the health and healthcare of individuals with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). A World Health Organization survey found that disruption of delivery of healthcare for NCDs was more significant in LMICs than in high-income countries. However, the study did not elicit insights into the day-to-day impacts of COVID-19 on healthcare by front-line healthcare workers (FLHCWs). Aim: To gain insights directly from FLHCWs working in countries with a high NCD burden, and thereby identify opportunities to improve the provision of healthcare during the current pandemic and in future healthcare emergencies. Methods: We recruited selected frontline healthcare workers (general practitioners, pharmacists, and other medical specialists) from nine countries to complete an online survey (n = 1347). Survey questions focused on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on clinical practice and NCDs; barriers to clinical care during the pandemic; and innovative responses to the many challenges presented by the pandemic. Findings: The majority of FLHCWs responding to our survey reported that their care of patients had been impacted both adversely and positively by the public health measures imposed. Most FLHCs (95%) reported a deterioration in the mental health of their patients. Conclusions: Continuity of care for NCDs as part of pandemic preparedness is needed so that chronic conditions are not exacerbated by public health measures and the direct impacts of the pandemic.

Opportunities and Challenges for Implementing Neurotrauma Prevention Program: A Practical Perspective for Developing Countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (02/03) ◽  
pp. 077-081
Author(s):  
Amrita Ghosh ◽  
Ranabir Pal ◽  
Luis Rafael Moscote-Salazar ◽  
Huber Said Padilla-Zambrano ◽  
Harsh Deora ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Literature Research ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Literature Searches ◽  
Low And Middle Income

AbstractNeurotrauma is an underestimated and less understood public health issue in low- and middle-income countries for which we need system-based approach to prevention plans. This study was initiated to find rationale of effective plan with projectile vision of neurotrauma prevention. In search of innovative ideas of neurotrauma prevention evidence was explored from the published literature research on traumatic brain injury. Evidence-based global guidelines on recommended content and scheduling on prevention of neurotrauma literature searches data were also synthesized and summarized from research in developed countries. Our study noted that a considerable number of victims of neurotrauma with death and disabilities put mammoth costs to the already compromised health systems of the low- and middle-income countries. We need systems-based four-pronged approach incorporating neurotrauma registry, neurotrauma surveillance, translational research programs, and current approved process for development of clinical guidelines for prevention.

scholarly journals Formulating Design Recommendations for the Acceptance of the Use and Results of Point-of-Care Testing in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Literature Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 2795-2804
Author(s):  
Yvonne Jolanda Melanie Licher ◽  
Jan Simon Visser ◽  
G-Young Van ◽  
Jan Carel Diehl
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Waiting Times ◽  
Point Of Care Testing ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Future Design ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Barriers And Opportunities ◽  
Point Of Care Tests ◽  
Low And Middle Income

AbstractIn low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), diagnostics are not always available in remote areas. Hospitals and healthcare centres are often too far from the community, and waiting times are up to a few hours even for relatively simple procedures. Moreover, travelling to the healthcare centre and taking the diagnostic test is frequently unaffordable. Point of Care Tests (POCTs) can improve the availability, accessibility and affordability of the diagnostics by providing the test at the time and place of patient care. Although many POCTs have been developed already, there remain challenges to enable the healthcare workers (HCW) and the patients to use the device in practice. In this paper, we aim to provide a systemic overview of the barriers and opportunities for the adoption of use and acceptance of the results of POCTs based on the literature. The barriers and opportunities were clustered into six themes and used to draw out recommendations for the future design.

scholarly journals Global Breast Cancer: The Lessons to Bring Home

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia C. Formenti ◽  
Alan A. Arslan ◽  
Susan M. Love
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Western Countries ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Common Cancer ◽  
The Us ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women globally. This paper discusses the current progress in breast cancer in Western countries and focuses on important differences of this disease in low- and middle-income countries (LMCs). It introduces several arguments for applying caution before globalizing some of the US-adopted practices in the screening and management of the disease. Finally, it suggests that studies of breast cancer in LMCs might offer important insights for a more effective management of the problem both in developing as well as developed countries.

scholarly journals Safety Climate as an Indicator and Predictor of Safety Performance: A Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Brandon Baertschi ◽  
Sang D Choi ◽  
Kwangseog Ahn
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Safety Climate ◽  
The United States ◽  
Worker Safety ◽  
Study Objective ◽  
High Performing ◽  
Employee Safety ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Safety Priority

This study compared and objectively gauged the safety climate in the manufacturing facilities (high safety performing vs. low safety performing) to identify the most impactful areas to focus to reduce or prevent workplace injuries. In order to accomplish the study objective, we employed the Nordic Safety Climate Questionnaire (NOSACQ-50) consisted of 50 items across seven dimensions. A total of 116 operations employees in the paper laminate manufacturing completed the survey. The two sites were both within the United States and had structured the same operations. The results of the comparisons showed that there was a significant difference in the total scores for the sites. The high performance site had significantly higher NOSACQ-50 scores than the underperforming site in all dimensions. The high performing site had the greater safety climate scores in the area of “management safety priority & ability”. The underperforming site recorded comparatively lower scores in the areas of “management safety empowerment”, “group safety priority”, and “worker safety commitment”. We provided the recommendations of three focus areas: commitment, involvement, and accountability. The outcomes from this study could be useful to apply resources and focus to the appropriate areas in order to make safety improvements. In turn, improving safety climate can have positive impacts on increasing employee safety while improving the viability of the organization.

scholarly journals Mobile consulting (mConsulting) as an option for accessing healthcare services for communities in remote rural areas and urban slums in low- and middle- income countries: A mixed methods study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bronwyn Harris ◽  
Motunrayo Ajisola ◽  
Raisa Alam ◽  
Jocelyn Antsley Watkins ◽  
Theodoros N Arvanitis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Urban Slums ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Policy Document ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Urban Sites ◽  
Low And Middle Income

AbstractObjectiveRemote or mobile consulting (mConsulting) is being promoted to strengthen health systems, deliver universal health coverage and facilitate safe clinical communication during COVID-19 and beyond. We explored whether mConsulting is a viable option for communities with minimal resources in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).MethodsWe reviewed evidence published since 2018 about mConsulting in LMICs and undertook a scoping study (pre-COVID) in two rural settings (Pakistan, Tanzania) and five urban slums (Kenya, Nigeria, Bangladesh), using policy/document review, secondary analysis of survey data (from the urban sites), and thematic analysis of interviews/workshops with community members, healthcare workers, digital/telecommunications experts, mConsulting providers, local and national decision-makers. Project advisory groups guided the study in each country.ResultsWe reviewed five empirical studies and seven reviews, analysed data from 5,219 urban slum households and engaged with 419 stakeholders in rural and urban sites. Regulatory frameworks are available in each country. mConsulting services are operating through provider platforms (n=5-17) and, at community-level, some direct experience of mConsulting with healthcare workers using their own phones was reported - for emergencies, advice and care follow-up. Stakeholder willingness was high, provided challenges are addressed in technology, infrastructure, data security, confidentiality, acceptability and health system integration. mConsulting can reduce affordability barriers and facilitate care-seeking practices.ConclusionsThere are indications of readiness for mConsulting in communities with minimal resources. However, wider system strengthening is needed to bolster referrals, specialist services, laboratories and supply-chains to fully realise the continuity of care and responsiveness that mConsulting services offer, particularly during/beyond COVID-19.

scholarly journals A New Standards-based Grammar for Linking Aggregate Datasets

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek Ritz ◽  
Bob Jolliffe ◽  
Xenophon Santas ◽  
James Kariuki
Keyword(s):  
Data Exchange ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Use Cases ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Integrating The Healthcare Enterprise ◽  
Hands On ◽  
The Us ◽  
Low And Middle Income

The theme of this session is the linking and cross-referencing of disparate aggregate datasets that need to be combined for pruporses of reporting and/or analysis. The session leverages, as a global case study, the US Government's President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programme. PEPFAR is a $7 billion per year programme supporting the delivery of HIV-related services, medicines, and commodities in 58 low and middle-income countries (www.pepfar.gov). PEPFAR has an immense datastore of monitoring, evaluation and reporting (MER) indicators that have been collected from all its supported countries over the course of its 15 years of operations. The goal of the session is to describe for attendees a newly-developed, standards-based grammar for describing interoperable aggregate data exchange and the message schemas needed to support it. The session facilitators are the primary authors of this new standard. Using the PEPFAR case study as a working example, the session explores how disparate HIV data elements and indicators from PEPFAR-supported countries are cross-referenced to each other and collected into a single central datastore to support analysis, management and reporting across the global programme. The specific HIV example will be elaborated upon to illustrate generalizable techniques that can be applied to linking aggregate datasets in other use cases (e.g. reporting to the annual WHO global health observatory, multiple provinces reporting to a federal health data institute, etc.). The session will be facilitated by Xenophon Santas and James Kariuki of the US CDC, Bob Jolliffe of the University of Oslo's Health Information Systems Programme (HISP) and Derek Ritz of ecGroup Inc (a Canadian health informatics consultancy). All four facilitators are members of the Quality, Research and Publich Health (QRPH) technical committee of the international digital health standards body, Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE; www.ihe.net). The session's content and examples will leverage the facilitators' first-hand experience working on HIV-related projects in low and middle-income countries (e.g. South Africa, Rwanda, Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Sierre Leone, Vietnam, the Philippines and elsewhere). It is intended that the session will be conducted using an interactive workshop style. Attendees who wish it will have an opportunity to engage in participative (hands-on) learning. To get started, information will be provided about the standards-based grammar and how it works. Then, results from the facilitators' efforts leveraging this method to link multiple disparate HIV-related datasets will be presented. As a hands-on activity, attendees who have notebook computers will be able to connect to an open source software solution (www.dhis2.org) and "play in a sandbox" to try for themselves some of the techniques that have been described. As learning objectives, it is expected that attendees will: Be introduced to data linking use cases outside of their everyday experience Learn about a new technique for expressing aggregate content schema that supports interoperable data exhange Apply new skills in a hands-on, worked example.

scholarly journals Materno-fetal and neonatal outcomes associated with caesarean section delivery in private and public hospitals in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Idrissa Beogo ◽  
Amadou Darboue ◽  
Tiara Marthias ◽  
Sia Drissa ◽  
Tchouaket Nguemeleu Eric ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Caesarean Section ◽  
Vaginal Delivery ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Neonatal Outcomes ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Caesarean Section Delivery ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Abstract Background: Advancement in medicine has improved birth assistance. As a result, caesarean section delivery (CSD) has become the most commonly performed surgical procedure. The exponential growth has now skewed toward low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) despite the well-established morbimortality risk and extra costs associated to this procedure. The expansion of private healthcare sector may be playing a significant role. The objective of this review synthesizes knowledge and investigates the difference in materno-fetal and neonatal outcomes of CSD in the perinatal period, between private and public hospitals. Methods: Medline, Embase, Cinhal, Cochrane Database, LILACS, and HINARI were screened for peer-reviewed published studies in English and French, from 1990 to 2019, in human subjects and supplemented by manual searches. The studies included were prospective and retrospective cohort studies, cross-sectional and Delphi studies comparing perinatal outcomes of women whose neonates were delivered by caesarean section and by vaginal delivery in public and private hospitals. In total, the searches yielded 7,762 studies, assessed independently by two assessors. Of these, 26 quantitative studies were included which risk of bias was considered fairly low.Results: Elective or not, CSD is associated with a variety of outcomes, including death for both the mother and the neonate. Low quality of life, postpartum depression, infections, and scars were burdens attributable to CSD in both sectors. CSD is associated with less urinary incontinence compared to vaginal delivery but no difference exists in early skin-to-skin contact or in early breastfeeding introduction. Finally, across continents, Africa leads in terms of adverse consequences.Discussion/Conclusion: Private facilities surpassed public ones in CSD rate but were associated with the least severe materno-neonatal outcomes. Countries like China are succeeding through robust policies interventions formulation to contain the CSD epidemic and the health issues associated thereto.

scholarly journals Dementia assessment and diagnostic practices of healthcare workers in rural southwestern Uganda: a cross-sectional qualitative study

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Kamoga ◽  
Godfrey Z. Rukundo ◽  
Edith K. Wakida ◽  
Gladys Nakidde ◽  
Celestino Obua ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Specialized Training ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Diagnostic Practices ◽  
Diagnosis Of Dementia ◽  
Southwestern Uganda ◽  
Low And Middle Income ◽  
Assessment And Diagnosis

Abstract Background An estimated 50 million people worldwide have Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), and this number is projected to increase with the growth of the aging population, with the largest growth occurring in low and middle-income countries. Diagnostic coverage for dementia is estimated to be only 5–10% in low- and middle-income countries. Timely diagnosis of ADRD could prompt early access to information, medical treatments, and support for caregivers. The aim of this study was to assess how healthcare workers in rural southwestern Uganda assess for and diagnose ADRD. Methods We used in-depth interviews to investigate the medical knowledge and clinical practices surrounding ADRD diagnoses among 42 healthcare workers employed at mid-tier health facilities in southwestern Uganda. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify distinct categories and themes. Results Our findings show that healthcare workers without specific mental health training assessed and diagnosed dementia based on history and physical examination alone. On the other hand, healthcare workers with some specialized training in mental health were more likely to use neuropsychological tests, blood tests, urine tests, and brain imaging in the diagnosis of dementia. Collateral history from caregivers was noted to be very important in proper assessment and diagnosis of dementia among all categories of healthcare workers. The majority of healthcare workers regarded memory loss as part of the normal aging process and reported that it does not need any specific treatment. Other healthcare workers could recognize signs and symptoms of dementia, but focused on managing other medical problems at the expense of assessing cognitive decline and mental health. Diagnostic practices did not differ based on age, years of experience, or gender of the healthcare workers. Conclusion These results indicate that specialized training in mental health among healthcare workers is crucial for the assessment and diagnosis of ADRD in rural southwestern Uganda.

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