Informal communication in integrated primary health clinics

2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. bjgp18X696785
Author(s):  
Nicholas Elmitt ◽  
Kirsty Douglas ◽  
Christine Phillips ◽  
Sally Hall ◽  
Marianne Bookallil
Keyword(s):  
Informal Communication ◽  
Informal Networks ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Shared Experiences ◽  
Health Clinics ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Formal Communication ◽  
Informal Communications ◽  
Entire Picture

BackgroundEffective integrated care requires healthcare professionals to collaborate across disciplines with and around the patient. The tribal nature of health professionals can make this a difficult task. Understanding how, when and where communication occurs in Integrated Primacy Health Clinics (IPHCs) can foster stronger integration, however communication patterns are not always predictable. Informal communication is often the most prominent form of communication in an IPHC, but is poorly understood due to its nature.AimTo articulate the role that informal communication plays in supporting integration, propose methods for measuring it, and discuss the results of our study in a community IPHC in Canberra, Australia.MethodAspects of informal communication are defined and their functions explained. The aspects of informal communication are: informal networks, informal relationships, and informal encounters. A mixed-methods approach to measuring and describing the role of informal communication is proposed: Social Network Analysis is a useful tool for examining key relationships across disciplines; ethnography is necessary to understand how these relationships emerged, what supports them, and how they contribute to integration.ResultsOur study revealed that informal communication is more prevalent and preferred to formal communication in the community IPHC we studied. Space, shared experiences and commitment to organisational ethos were key to building these relationships which allow for teams to more quickly respond to the needs of patients.ConclusionInformal mechanisms exist and influence both processes and outcomes in IPHC. The informal communications that occur within the IPHC are often vital to the process of integration as well as the outcomes of the patient. SNA can give us important insight, but we cannot see the entire picture unless this is complemented by focused qualitative research.

Examining the Role of Trust and Informal Communication on Mutual Learning in Government

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Owen Temby ◽  
Jean Sandall ◽  
Ray Cooksey ◽  
Gordon M. Hickey
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
New York ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Fair Play ◽  
Informal Communication ◽  
Informal Networks ◽  
Mutual Learning ◽  
Network Properties ◽  
Interagency Relationships ◽  
Formal Communication

Although public agencies must mutually coordinate climate policy and other complex environmental issues, the extent and relative importance of informal networks and different dimensions of trust to the process remains underresearched. Addressing this, we conducted surveys and interviews with civil servants from numerous agencies and three levels of government working on climate change–related policy in the state of New York. We examined the effect of two network properties on mutual learning on climate change–related issues: the extent to which interagency communication takes places through formal and informal channels, and the distribution of two dimensions of trust (“fair play” and “relational comfort”) across the network. Our analysis revealed that formal communication among staff at different agencies was utilized more often than informal and that interagency relationships were more characterized by a feeling of “fair play” than by “relational comfort,” yet informal communication and Relational Comfort were the most important in facilitating interagency collaboration.

Tracing New Genealogies

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer J. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Country Of Origin ◽  
American Family ◽  
Community Or ◽  
Immigration Laws ◽  
Shared Experiences ◽  
Biological Relationships

Chapter four turns to a more intimate form of affiliation than either nation or community: family. The period from the 1970s onward has produced the greatest concentration of cycles since modernism, because writers embraced the cycle to express the contingency of being ethnic and American. Family, rather than community or time, is the dominant linking structure for many of these cycles, reflecting how immigration laws placed family and education above country of origin. This chapter focuses on the role of family in the production and reception of Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club (1989), Julie Alvarez’s How the García Girls Lost Their Accents (1991), and Jhumpa Lahiri’s Unaccustomed Earth (2008). These cycles argue that subjectivity—and by extension gender and ethnic attachments—derives not only from biological relationships but also from “formative kinship,” which originates in shared experiences that the characters choose to value.

Physical activity promotion in primary health care in Slovenia

2014 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Graduate Nurses ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
The Family ◽  
Prevention Of Cardiovascular Disease

In Slovenia, the role of general practitioners in counselling physical activity for prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is well recognized. The role of general practitioners in advising healthy lifestyle for individuals who are at risk of developing CVD is formally defined in the National Program for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, which has been running since 2001. Part of the program is counselling on healthy lifestyle including physical activity, performed in all health centres across the country. First a screening and medical examination is performed. In case of higher risk for CVD (>20%) the physician should give advice on the particular risk factor and direct patients to health-education centres, where they can participate in healthy lifestyle workshops lead by health professionals. Physicians and other health professionals who are involved in the implementation of prevention activities within the program need knowledge and skills that are crucial for successful counselling on healthy lifestyle. The educational program “basic education in health promotion and prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases in primary health care/family medicine” consists of two parts. The first part of the training is open to all health professionals working within the program. The second part is intended for health professionals working in health-education workshops. In the last few years a new family practice model has been introduced and disseminated. Some duties of the family physician, including health promotion and counselling, are being transferred to graduate nurses who become part of the family practice team. This new division of work undoubtedly brings many advantages, both in terms of the work organization, and of high-quality patient care. Nevertheless preventive action cannot be fully passed on to graduate nurses. Careful planning and education are needed to ensure a comprehensive approach in healthy life style counselling.

Case study 2

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewan Ferlie ◽  
Sue Dopson ◽  
Chris Bennett ◽  
Michael D. Fischer ◽  
Jean Ledger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
Informal Networks ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Significant Potential ◽  
Key Stakeholders

This chapter analyses the role of think tanks in generating a distinctive mode of policy knowledge, pragmatically orientated to inform and shape issues of importance to civil society. Drawing on political science literature, we argue that think tanks exploit niche areas of expertise and influence to actively mobilize policy analyses and recommendations across diverse stakeholders. Through our exploratory mapping of think tanks, geographically concentrated within London, we characterize their influence as significantly boosting knowledge intensity across the regional ecosystem. In particular, we study the empirical case of one London-based think tank which powerfully mobilized policy knowledge through its formal and informal networks to build influential expert consensus amongst key stakeholders. We conclude that such organizations act as key knowledge producers and mobilizers, with significant potential to influence policy discourses and implementation.

scholarly journals Impact of Pharmacist Insulin Injection Re-Education on Glycemic Control Among Type II Diabetic Patients in Primary Health Clinics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selvakumari Selvadurai ◽  
Kit Yee Cheah ◽  
Min Wei Ching ◽  
Hanisah Kamaruddin ◽  
Xiao You Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Glycemic Control ◽  
Insulin Injection ◽  
Diabetic Patients ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Health Clinics ◽  
Primary Health

The Role of Social Support in Concussion Disclosure in United States Air Force Academy Cadets: A Mixed Methods Approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle L Weber Rawlins ◽  
Brian R Johnson ◽  
Emily R Jones ◽  
Johna K Register-Mihalik ◽  
Craig Foster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Air Force ◽  
Medical Staff ◽  
United States Air Force ◽  
Medical Attention ◽  
Air Force Academy ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach

ABSTRACT Introduction United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) cadets are at risk for sustaining concussions; however, several factors inhibit disclosure. We aimed to better understand the role of social support in concussion disclosure. Methods and Materials We used a mixed methods approach with an electronic survey and interviews. The survey used a 9-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree and 9 = strongly agree) to assess concussion disclosure. Survey items asked cadets whom they felt most comfortable disclosing a concussion or bell-ringer/ding to, how quickly they would seek medical attention for a suspected concussion or bell-ringer/ding, whether cadets would be generally supportive/unsupportive of another cadet disclosing a concussion to medical staff, and whether other cadets important to them would be generally supportive/unsupportive if they reported a concussion to medical staff. Two multivariate linear regressions, one for concussion and one for bell-ringers/dings, were calculated to determine whether cadet choice of the person they felt most comfortable disclosing a concussion or bell-ringer/ding to predicted whether they would immediately seek medical attention for either condition. Choice of person included Air Officer Commanding (AOC)/Academy Military Trainer (AMT), upper classmen, cadet who had recovered from a concussion, cadet, closest friend, teammate, and squadmate. Descriptive analyses assessed whether cadets felt supported or unsupported by other cadets and by those who were important to them concerning concussion reporting. Thirty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted with cadets to explore their views on concussion disclosure. Results Increased comfort with disclosing a suspected concussion to an AOC/AMT had higher agreement seeking medical attention (β = 0.28, P < .001). For every 1-point increase in being comfortable disclosing a potential bell-ringer/ding to an AOC/AMT (β = 0.272, P < .001), squadmate (β = 0.241, P = .002), and teammate (β = −0.182, P = .035), agreement for seeking medical attention immediately increased 0.27, increased 0.24, and decreased 0.18, respectively. Interviews indicated cadets would often speak to a peer before seeking medical attention. Conclusions Our results suggested that cadets felt comfortable reporting a suspected concussion or bell-ringer/ding to various peers and that those peers would be supportive of that choice, indicating social support. Future interventions should include educating cadets that peers may come to them, especially if they are AOCs/AMTs or squadmates.

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