Urban Health and Social Marginality: Perceived Health Status and Interaction with Healthcare Professionals of a Hard-to-Reach Community Living in a Suburban Area of Rome (Italy)

The study reports an urban health investigation conducted in Bastogi, an outskirt of Rome (Italy) characterised by social marginalization and deprivation. Our aim was to analyse the health perception, health-related behaviours, and interaction with healthcare professionals of the inhabitants of Bastogi compared to the population living in the area of the same local health unit (ASL). The Progresses of Health Authorities for Health in Italy questionnaire (PASSI) was administered to a sample of 210 inhabitants of Bastogi. Data were analysed and compared to those of the ASL collected in 2017–2018. The socio-economic indicators showed an overall worse condition for the inhabitants of Bastogi, with a significantly higher proportion of foreign and unemployed residents and a lower educational level compared to the ASL. Significant differences in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases, mental health complaints, and participation in prevention strategies, including cancer screening, were found. The questionnaire showed a lower help-seeking behaviour and a lack of reliance on health professionals in Bastogi inhabitants. Our findings highlight how social determinants produce health inequities and barriers to accessing healthcare. The difficulties of conducting quantitative research in complex and hard-to-reach contexts, characterized by high social vulnerability, are outlined.

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Engaging Citizens Via Journey Maps to Address Urban Health Issues

Environmental Health Insights ◽

10.1177/1178630220963126 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

pp. 117863022096312

Author(s):

Amanda Pomeroy-Stevens ◽

Muh Afdhal ◽

Neeraj Mishra ◽

Kim Farnham Egan ◽

Karin Christianson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Urban Health ◽

Informal Settlement ◽

Wastewater Management ◽

Local Health ◽

Waterborne Diseases ◽

Improvement Project ◽

Traditional Research ◽

Health Related ◽

Research Findings ◽

The City

Effectively addressing urban health challenges requires engagement of citizens. However, citizens often face barriers providing feedback, and city officials likewise face difficulties incorporating feedback in a meaningful and systematic way. This paper shares one innovative approach to capturing citizens’ stories about urban health concerns, developed by the Building Healthy Cities (BHC) project in 2 Asian cities (Indore, India, and Makassar, Indonesia). Using ethnographic methods, BHC developed “journey maps” as a monitoring tool to follow key service issues over time. Several urban health-related issues were identified in each city. For this paper, we focus on wastewater management, which was a serious health issue in both cities. Qualitative data were collected from citizens in one neighborhood and city officials quarterly starting in early 2018; these data were supplemented by city spending data, usage statistics, photos and news articles. In both cities, the journey maps captured notable changes during the first 2 years of the project. At the start of the journeys (2018), informal settlement citizens in Indore reported poor drainage which was compounded by trash, narrow roads blocking vehicular removal of waste, and unsafe infrastructure leading to waterborne diseases and injuries (including several child deaths). Likewise in Makassar, dirty water overflowed from open drains due to frequent flooding and garbage. Citizens reported exposure to diarrhea, dengue and skin symptoms due to the drains, which was confirmed by the local health post. By the end of Year 2 (2019), these journeys captured increasing dialogue between citizens and the city, which resulted in several improvements. In Indore, changes included garbage vans built for narrow streets and construction of a safer bridge. In Makassar, while they still suffer from seasonal flooding, the city has increased garbage pickup, included drainage activities in the village-level budgeting process, and a slum improvement project has pledged funding to improve drainage and street issues in 41 neighborhoods. Journey maps work on the premise that capturing a community’s experience and relaying it to government officials can bring about positive change. They also provide crucial grassroots level evidence to support more traditional research findings, which can lead to effective urban health solutions. As this work continues, BHC is training citizens to collect and share their own journeys.

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Measles Outbreak Among Healthcare Professionals: Operational Response and Remedial Measures

Clinical Management Issues ◽

10.7175/cmi.v13i1.1433 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Silvia Dari ◽

Anna Maria Cassano ◽

Sabrina Di Lorenzo ◽

Raffaela Napoli ◽

Elisabetta Manini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Local Health ◽

Close Monitoring ◽

Health Unit ◽

Mmr Vaccine ◽

Information Campaign ◽

Local Health Unit ◽

Measles Outbreak ◽

First Time

Given the numerous cases recorded in 2017, a descriptive epidemiological study was conducted in the Viterbo Local Health Unit (LHU) area, Italy. Hospital Discharge Sheets (HDSs) and the notifications of infectious diseases (NOIDs) were used.We were able to trace the distribution of the disease both in the general population and, in particular, among the staff of Belcolle Hospital in Viterbo. In 2017, 50 cases of measles were detected among the population in the area of Viterbo. Of these, 10 concerned healthcare professionals and 3 employees of the Viterbo LHU.Due to the education and information campaign on the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and the close monitoring of the vaccination coverage among the employees of the hospital (performed for the first time), only 4 cases were registered from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018 in the same area, and no healthcare workers were involved.

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Depression and anxiety in healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic

Epidemiology and Infection ◽

10.1017/s0950268821000303 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 149 ◽

Author(s):

S. Weibelzahl ◽

J. Reiter ◽

G. Duden

Keyword(s):

Help Seeking ◽

Online Survey ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Clinical Symptoms ◽

Psychological Symptoms ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Work Related ◽

Help Seeking Behaviour ◽

Icd 10 ◽

Work Related Stressors

Abstract Healthcare staff have been at the centre of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, facing diverse work-related stressors. Building upon studies from various countries, we aimed to investigate (1) the prevalence of various work-related stressors among healthcare professionals in Germany specific to the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) the psychological effects of these stressors in terms of clinical symptoms, and (3) the healthcare professionals' help-seeking behaviour. To this end, N = 300 healthcare professionals completed an online survey including the ICD-10 Symptom Rating checklist (ISR), event-sampling questions on pandemic-related stressors and self-formulated questions on help-seeking behaviour. Participants were recruited between 22 May and 22 July 2020. Findings were analysed using t tests, regressions and comparisons to large clinical and non-clinical samples assessed before and during the pandemic. Results show that healthcare professionals were most affected by protective measures at their workplace and changes in work procedures. Psychological symptoms, particularly anxiety and depression, were significantly more severe than in a non-clinical pre-pandemic sample and in the general population during the pandemic. At the same time, most professionals indicated that they would not seek help for psychological concerns. These findings indicate that healthcare employers need to pay greater attention to the mental health of their staff.

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‘Genetic loading’ or ‘evil mind’: current conceptions of depression in Myanmar from the perspective of healthcare professionals

BJPsych International ◽

10.1192/bji.2018.12 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 43-46

Author(s):

Steffen Schödwell ◽

Theresa Steinhäuser ◽

Anna Auckenthaler

Keyword(s):

Grounded Theory ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Treatment Strategies ◽

Explanatory Models ◽

Traditional Healing ◽

Help Seeking Behaviour ◽

Genetic Loading ◽

Patients Perspective

In Myanmar, a country that has just recently opened up to the international community, Buddhist and traditional healing methods are still widely applied to various diseases and conditions. The aim of this study was to ascertain how professionals from the biomedical healthcare system in Myanmar experience interactions with patients with depression, based on the professionals' conceptualisation of this disorder. Six problem-centred interviews were conducted and analysed with grounded theory methodology. The interviewed professionals conceptualised three ways of understanding depression, including different treatment strategies: a biomedical, a contextual and a Buddhist concept of depression. Concerning the patients' perspective, the professionals mentioned somatic, religious and supernatural explanatory models, as well as corresponding help-seeking behaviour. Our results suggest that by taking a biomedical approach, professionals risk neglecting both the needs and resources of Myanmar patients with depressive symptoms.

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How Art may be a Tool for Understanding Other Cultures and their Perception of Illness

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/s0924-9338(09)70366-9 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 24 (S1) ◽

pp. 1-1

Author(s):

M. Kastrup

Keyword(s):

Help Seeking ◽

Therapeutic Process ◽

Rural Setting ◽

Individual Factors ◽

Health Staff ◽

Mental Health Staff ◽

The World ◽

Help Seeking Behaviour ◽

Health Related ◽

The Impact

Cultural background has a significant influence upon how we perceive illness, our attitudes to illness and our help-seeking behaviour.But culture is only one of many influences on our health related beliefs and behaviours. Other factors include e.g. individual factors related to age, gender, sociodemographic background, but also environmental factors such as urban or rural setting, pollution, globalization.If we want to understand and assess the impact of culture in a particular clinical case, the use of art may be a valuable tool to facilitate this understanding and serve as a bridge over cultural incongruities.The paper will discuss ways in which the application of artistic elements in the therapeutic process may serve as a useful intervention and ultimately as a vehicle to increase the cultural competence of mental health staff. In an increasingly complex, globalised world with patient populations originating from all parts of the world this may prove to be a profitable instrument.

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Healthcare Professionals’ Role in Social Media Public Health Campaigns: Analysis of Spanish Pro Vaccination Campaign on Twitter

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare9060662 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 662

Author(s):

Ivan Herrera-Peco ◽

Beatriz Jiménez-Gómez ◽

Juan José Peña Deudero ◽

Elvira Benitez De Gracia ◽

Carlos Ruiz-Núñez

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Social Media ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Vaccination Campaign ◽

Communication Strategy ◽

Traffic Information ◽

Health Campaigns ◽

Health Authorities ◽

Health Related ◽

Public Health Campaigns

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a great impact worldwide both on the population health but also on an economic and social level. In this health emergency, a key element has been and still is the need for information, which has become a daily concern for many people. Social media represent powerful tools for searching and gathering health-related information, thus becoming a new place where health authorities need to be present to disseminate information of preventive measures like vaccines against COVID-19, as well as try to block information against these public health measures. The main goal of this study was to analyze the role that healthcare professionals have in Twitter to support the campaign of public institutions on vaccination against COVID-19. To address this study, an analysis of the messages sent on Twitter containing the hashtag #yomevacuno, between 12 December 2020 was developed using the NodeXL software (Social Media Research Foundation, Redwood, CA, USA), focusing on content analysis of tweets and users’ accounts to identify healthcare professionals. The results show that healthcare professionals represent only 11.38% of users, being responsible for 6.35% of impressions generated by the network #yomevacuno. We can observe that traffic information generated by healthcare professionals is not significant in comparison with institutions (p = 0.633), but it is compared to common users (p = 0.0014). The most active healthcare professionals were pharmacists (40.17%), nurses (27.17%), and physicians (12.14%). Their activity (90.43% of messages) was mainly focused on sharing messages generated by other users’ accounts. From original content generated by healthcare professionals, only 78.95% had a favorable storytelling on the vaccine, but without sharing information about vaccines or vaccination. As a conclusion for this study, the participation of healthcare professionals in the dissemination and generation of information within the #yomevacuno communication strategy, led by the Spanish Ministry of Health, has been scarce. We emphasize the need to enhance communication skills in social networks to support public health campaigns through these increasingly important social media.

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Pandemic-Induced Depression and Anxiety in Healthcare Professionals

10.31234/osf.io/5rehd ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Stephan Weibelzahl ◽

Julia Reiter ◽

Gesa Duden

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Online Survey ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Well Being ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Work Related ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Help Seeking Behaviour ◽

Work Related Stressors

Medical staff has been at the centre of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, facing diverse work-related stressors. Studies from various countries have shown that healthcare professionals have an increased risk of burnout and mental disorders during pandemic outbreaks. The present study aimed to investigate what kind of work-related stressors healthcare professionals in Germany have been facing and how they have been affected psychologically by the COVID-19 pandemic. N=300 healthcare professionals completed an online survey including the ISR symptom checklist to measure psychological well-being and questions on help-seeking behaviour. Findings were analyzed using t-tests, regression, and comparisons to large clinical and non-clinical samples assessed before and during the pandemic. Results show that healthcare professionals were most affected by protective measures at their workplace and changes in work procedures. Psychological symptoms, especially of anxiety and depression, were significantly more severe than in a non-clinical pre-pandemic sample and in the general population during the pandemic. At the same time, most professionals indicated that they would not seek help for psychological concerns. These findings indicate that healthcare employers need to pay increasing attention to the mental health of their staff, encourage help-seeking behaviour, as well as provide access to mental health support.

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Help-seeking by substance dependants presenting to healthcare professionals in the Free State Province

South African Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v18i3.352 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 7

Author(s):

P M Van Zyl ◽

C A Gagiano ◽

W F Mollentze ◽

J S Snyman ◽

G Joubert

Keyword(s):

General Practitioners ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Substance Dependence ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Free State ◽

Free State Province ◽

State Hospitals ◽

Professional Groups ◽

Substance Dependent ◽

Help Seeking Behaviour

Introduction. Current data regarding treatment needs in South Africa for substance dependence are based on admissions to specialised treatment centres. The data therefore do not include patients presenting to independent healthcare workers and state hospitals.Aim. The aim of this study was to investigate help-seeking behaviour for substance dependence disorders from the perspective of healthcare professionals at various levels of the referral chain in Free State Province. Design. A descriptive study was performed.Setting. Treatment environments in Free State Province accessible to substance-dependent persons. Participants. General practitioners, private psychiatrists, prescribing healthcare professionals at state hospitals and treatment centres, and non-prescribing therapists responsible for management of substance-dependent persons. Measurements. A questionnaire was used to determine the level of help-seeking experienced by the participants regarding various classes of psycho-active substances.Findings. The presentation of alcohol, cannabis, opioid, benzodiazepine, ecstasy, cocaine and inhalant dependency at general practitioners, private psychiatrists, treatment centres and non-prescribing therapists was compared. Different patterns of help-seeking for substance dependence from the various professional groups were detected. Regarding alcohol dependence, 40.3% of private general medical practitioners reported being confronted with alcohol dependence at least once per month, compared with 100% of treatment centre representatives and private psychiatrists, 70.6% of state hospitals and 53.8% of non-prescribers. State hospitals reported the highest frequency for contact with cases of cannabis dependence, compared with the other professional groups, while psychiatrists reported the highest contact with cases involving benzodiazepine, cocaine and ecstasy. Therapists reported a higher level of contact with inhalant dependence, while this group virtually never presented at general practitioners and private psychiatrists.Conclusion. Help-seeking data can be used in conjunction with other data, such as treatment demand data, to inform and adapt policies and practice. Variations in the manifestation of help-seeking behaviour at various groups may be important pointers to conditions that influence help-seeking, and therefore should be investigated further.

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Help-seeking behaviour for chronic pain

10.33178/boolean.2011.7 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 31-34

Author(s):

Nicola Cornally

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Help Seeking Behaviour ◽

Seeking Help ◽

Risk Of Fall ◽

Daily Pain ◽

Key Questions

Many people with Chronic Pain do not seek help from healthcare professionals; in some cases, they are suffering severe daily pain. Others have sought help initially but failed to return if their pain prescription ran out or treatment was ineffective. There is also a cohort of people who delay seeking help until their pain becomes intolerable. Untreated Chronic Pain can lead to increased disability, increased risk of fall, depression, sleep deprivation, reduced quality of life, social isolation and impact significantly on co-existing diseases. It is therefore pertinent to ask the following questions; why do some people suffer in silence? Why do people fall off the help-seeking path? Why is help-seeking delayed? Although these may be key questions to consider, it would be as prudent to ask what factors influence prompt help-seeking behaviour. The answers to the latter question may provide valuable information on model behaviour which could be adopted by ...

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N06 Help-seeking behaviours for fatigue in inflammatory bowel disease

Journal of Crohn s and Colitis ◽

10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjz203.990 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S660-S660

Author(s):

D NI DHALAIGH ◽

G Anna Marie ◽

D Farrell

Keyword(s):

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Theory Of Planned Behaviour ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Symptom Perception ◽

Planned Behaviour ◽

Help Seeking Behaviour ◽

Inflammatory Bowel ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Fatigue is a common and burdensome symptom of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Although many symptoms of IBD can be debilitating, fatigue is reported by people with IBD as the most difficult symptom to live with. It is experienced by up to 86% of people in active disease and 41–48% of people with IBD in remission, and impacts greatly on all aspects of people’s lives. Fatigue is a complex and invisible symptom and therefore can often be overlooked by those caring for people with IBD. Since it is invisible, it can only be made known to healthcare professionals if patients seek help for it. The experience of people who seek help for IBD fatigue is unknown, as are the reasons some choose to seek help and others do not. This study aims to explore the determinants of help-seeking behaviour for fatigue in IBD and examine why some people with IBD fatigue are more likely to seek help than others. Methods An exploratory qualitative method was employed, underpinned by the Theory of Planned Behaviour. A voluntary sample of 12 people with a diagnosis of IBD was recruited from the Irish Society of Crohn’s and Colitis. The sample included people who had and who had not sought help for IBD fatigue in the past. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using an interview guide. Themes were uncovered using content analysis. Results Themes uncovered included symptom perception, impact of IBD fatigue and knowledge of and access to sources of help. Most commonly, people did not seek help if they could continue life with relative normalcy in spite of IBD fatigue. Access and availability of help was perceived as good. Barriers, such as time and cost, were identified as making help-seeking more difficult at times, however these did not prevent seeking help. Poor knowledge of the sources of help, IBD fatigue being regarded as an inferior symptom to other symptoms and the perceived lack of interventions to manage the complex symptom emerged as important factors influencing help-seeking behaviour. Conclusion The Theory of Planned Behaviour was found to be a useful framework to predict help-seeking behaviour for IBD fatigue. Symptom perception, impact of IBD fatigue and knowledge of and access to sources of help are the most influential aspects of help-seeking behaviour. IBD fatigue appears to lack the legitimacy of other IBD symptoms. Therefore, there is a need for healthcare professionals to fully acknowledge and routinely assess fatigue as part of the clinical management of IBD. Further research aimed at specifically managing fatigue as a major IBD burden is warranted, in particular multidimensional, holistic interventions to help people cope with the impact of IBD fatigue.

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