Dementia: An Overview (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Dementia is a serious terminal and irreversible disease that often does not receive attention from the public compared to other non-communicable diseases. This disease causes a decline in cognitive function in individuals and makes them have to depend on others for 5-20 years of their life span. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of dementia and other things related to this disease. METHODS The writing method in this article uses a narrative review on several scientific sources and journal articles published in 2011-2021 from several databases such as Google Scholar, CINAHL, ProQuest, PubMed, and EBSCO. RESULTS Dementia is one of the non-communicable diseases that can cause a high burden on individuals, families, communities, and countries as a result of the unproductiveness and total dependence of people with dementia on their surrounding environment due to the decline in body functions that occur. The caregiver burden experienced by caregivers includes physical, psychological, social and financial burdens. Support and assistance from professional health workers for people with dementia as well as caregivers and families can be provided through several efforts such as providing information related to illness, assistance in the care provided, providing counseling to prevent caregiver burdens and other problems, forming support groups for dementia caregivers, and advocacy for people with dementia and their families to get their rights. CONCLUSIONS Change efforts and policy making by the government that are more pro-people with dementia can change the perception that has been in society so far to be more positive and can potentially contribute to people with dementia.

Outlining the therapeutic itineraries of children with disabilities in the professional health care subsystem

ABSTRACT Objectives: to identify the outlining of therapeutic itineraries of families of children with disabilities in the professional health care subsystem. Methods: qualitative research carried out in two specialized services in the state of Ceará, with 41 family members interviewed using the life path technique and reports submitted to descending hierarchical classification and similitude analysis, with the help of the IRaMuTeQ software and the theoretical framework of health care systems. Results: the classes described the families’ itineraries in five paths, related to faith, support structures, medical behaviors, professionals, and health services. The professional subsystem stood out as deficient in outlining the therapeutic itinerary for access to health care for children with disabilities, without promoting integration between services in the Care Network. Final considerations: the families’ therapeutic itineraries showed homogeneous discourse with themes related to the care of professionals and spiritual aspects.

Advancing Healthcare for COVID-19 by Strengthening Providers’ Capacity for Best Practices in African, Caribbean and Black Community Service Provision in Ontario: A Multisite Mixed-Method Study Protocol

BACKGROUND: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as an unprecedented challenge for public and private life, and healthcare systems worldwide. African, Caribbean, and Black communities (ACB) represent some of the most vulnerable populations in terms of their susceptibility to health hazards, difficulty receiving adequate health care and relatively lower chances of recovery. OBJECTIVES: The main aim of this study is to improve the health system’s response during and after the COVID-19 pandemic by developing evidence-based models to inform policy and collaborative best practices to mitigate its spread and ameliorate related health consequences in vulnerable communities. METHODS: This is a mixed-method, multisite study based in Ottawa and Toronto that will involve in-depth qualitative interviews and surveys using a structured questionnaire. Data will be analyzed using NVivo for qualitative interviews, Stata 16 and IBM SPSS version 26 for statistical analyses. DISCUSSION: The findings of this study gained from highly professional health practitioners will produce strong evidence on current gaps in knowledge and practice in the healthcare system’s capacity to meet the health needs of ACB population. The distinct insights and perspectives will be disseminated with policymakers and researchers at all levels which will facilitate strategic policy making with the goal of addressing the unique challenges for health

Women’s experiences of maternal and newborn health care services and support systems in Buikwe District, Uganda: A qualitative study

Background Uganda continues to have a high neonatal mortality rate, with 20 deaths per 1000 live births reported in 2018. A measure to reverse this trend is to fully implement the Uganda Clinical Guidelines on care for mothers and newborns during pregnancy, delivery and the postnatal period. This study aimed to describe women’s experiences of maternal and newborn health care services and support systems, focusing on antenatal care, delivery and the postnatal period. Methods We used triangulation of qualitative methods including participant observations, semi-structured interviews with key informants and focus group discussions with mothers. Audio-recorded data were transcribed word by word in the local language and translated into English. All collected data material were stored using two-level password protection or stored in a locked cabinet. Malterud’s Systematic text condensation was used for analysis, and NVivo software was used to structure the data. Findings Antenatal care was valued by mothers although not always accessible due to transport cost and distance. Mothers relied on professional health workers and traditional birth attendants for basic maternal services but expressed general discontentment with spousal support in maternal issues. Financial dependency, gender disparities, and lack of autonomy in decision making on maternal issues, prohibited women from receiving optimal help and support. Postnatal follow-ups were found unsatisfactory, with no scheduled follow-ups from professional health workers during the first six weeks. Conclusions Further focus on gender equity, involving women’s right to own decision making in maternity issues, higher recognition of male involvement in maternity care and improved postnatal follow-ups are suggestions to policy makers for improved maternal care and newborn health in Buikwe District, Uganda.

Strategic directions of implementing a system of psychophysiological support of professional activity of military pilots

To date, the state aviation of Ukraine has an urgent problem of improving the existing system of medical support for flights by introducing measures of psychophysiological support for improving the professional health of military pilots, increasing the duration of their professional longevity and ensuring the safety of flights. That is why, the purpose of our research was to offer a list of strategic directions of scientific substantiation and development of a conceptual model of a system of measures for psychophysiological support of professional activities of military pilots based on an analysis of the problems of its implementation in the state aviation of Ukraine. For this, the methods of analysis and synthesis, generalization, induction and deduction, complex and system analysis were used. As a result of the research, it was found that the strategy for introducing a system of measures for psychophysiological support of the professional activities of military pilots should be perceived as a process of improving the existing system of medical support for flights of state aviation in Ukraine on the basis of defining qualitatively new goals and objectives of its functioning, harmonizing internal capabilities with the conditions of the professional environment, development of a set of measures to improve its reliability and efficiency in the long term. From these points of view, the systematic approach to determining the strategic directions of implementation of the said system should be based on the complex of organizational, regulatory, information-analytical, personnel and technological problems. To solve them, it is necessary to conduct research on health assessment of different categories of military pilots, hygienic assessment of conditions and features of their professional activity, selection of a set of informative psychophysiological characteristics and methods of their evaluation, development of mechanisms and criteria for access to flights, regulatory, legal, personnel and organizational bases of functioning of system of measures of psychophysiological support of professional activity of military pilots.

Current Guidelines for Gender Affirming Care for Transgender Individuals

Background and goals: The guidelines for transgender care are evolving and incorporate a multidisciplinary team approach. These roadmaps entail an understanding of gender development, mental health, and sociocultural factors in individual and family lives, as well as the specific medical needs in the process of transitioning and ongoing treatment. New research is continuing to update the best evidence-based practice. Multiple professional health organizations have published guidelines. The World Professional Association of Transgender Health has pioneered the Standard of Care, currently version seven. Other leading organizations have their own publications with an emphasis on specific relevant medical needs. In this paper, The World Professional Association of Transgender Health Standard of Care and the recommendation of multiple psychiatric and pediatric organizations are reviewed to provide an overview. Discussion: Most current guidelines have similar recommendations in providing care for transgender individuals. The more recent data has shown the benefits of medical transitioning in youth and updated recommendations in this age group. Healthcare professionals are encouraged to stay up to date with these current guidelines. Further research is recommended.

The Future of Carica papaya Leaf Extract as an Herbal Medicine Product

Carica papaya (papaya) leaf extract has been used for a long time in a traditional medicine to treat fever in some infectious diseases such as dengue, malaria, and chikungunya. The development of science and technology has subsequently made it possible to provide evidence that this plant is not only beneficial as an informal medication, but also that it has scientifically proven pharmacological and toxicological activities, which have led to its formal usage in professional health care systems. The development of formulations for use in nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals has caused this product to be more valuable nowadays. The use of good manufacturing practice (GMP) standards, along with the ease of registering this product facilitated by policies of the national government, will absolutely increase the value of papaya leaf extract as a vital nutraceutical and cosmeceutical products in the near future. In this article, we review the potential of papaya leaf extract to be a high-value commodity in terms of its health effects as well as its industrial benefits.

Transcend the Death of Child with Cancer: Professional Health Experiences

Objective: To reveal the perception of grief support of professionals in pediatric oncology units, after the death of the patients. Method: Qualitative phenomenological study. 22 in-depth interviews were conducted with professionals from 5 pediatric oncology units of public hospitals in Santiago. Once the narratives were transcribed, the comprehensive analysis and subsequent triangulation of the data was performed, achieving saturation. Results: Professionals perceive themselves supported in their grief by being able to experience the losses in a protected environment and feeling supported by their surroundings. They recognized the existence of external and internal factors that facilitated the process of grief. However, this support is perceived as insufficient, as there is a lack of formal support from the institution, as well as a protected grief period, or support from mental health professionals to the teams. All death experiences allow professionals to transcend their pain based on lifelong learning and to give meaning to their work. Conclusion: Grief support felt by the professionals is generated from their own initiatives of re-encounter within the teams, which is insufficient. Therefore, training in coping with death is necessary from undergraduate level, which would allow greater cohesiveness in coping and greater self-care within the teams.

BIMBINGAN TEKNIS PERAMALAN JUMLAH KUNJUNGAN PASIEN DENGAN TABLEAU

ABSTRAK. Peramalan jumlah kunjungan pasien berguna untuk membantu manajemen dalam membuat kebijakan dan perencanaan yang efektif dan efisien. Pesatnya perkembangan teknologi menjadikan data kesehatan digital sebagai salah satu sumber big data. Perlu dilakukan peningkatan pengetahuan pada mahasiswa dan tenaga Perekan Medis dan Manajemen Informasi Kesehatan dalam menganalisis data kunjungan pasien. Metode yang digunakan dalam kegiatan ini adalah pelatihan atau bimbingan teknis yang bersifat teoritis dan praktis. Hasil dari pelatihan ini adalah peningkatan pengetahuan peserta dalam menganalisis data peramalan kunjungan pasien menggunakan software statistik A Tableau. Kata kunci: kunjungan pasien; peramalan; analisis data; public tableau ABSTRACT. Forecasting number of visits is useful to help management to make effective and efficient policies and plans. The rapid development of technology makes digital health data as a one of big data sources. It is necessary to increase the knowledge of student and Professional Health Information Management in analyzing the patient visit data. The method used in this activity is a training or technical guidance which is namely theoretical and practical. The result of this training is an increase in participants' knowledge in analyzing the forecasting of patient visit data using a statistical software Tableau. Keywords: patient visit; forecasting; data analytics; public tableau

How access to healthcare affects population health

This chapter explores access to healthcare—the timely availability of professional health services to prevent, diagnose, and treat illnesses and to preserve or improve the health of individuals—and its consequences. The ethical context in which access is considered includes the human rights and social justice concepts of ‘a right to healthcare’ and ‘equity of access’. Conscious that these concepts differ from country to country, we offer working definitions. Countries and their governments vary in their political and social attitudes to access. Those with a strong social welfare agenda might focus attention and budgets on social factors such as education and social welfare; these not only determine health, but also access to care. Others, regarding healthcare as the individual’s concern, might give these factors less weight. Despite this complexity and much national variation, access depends, in general, most often on good primary healthcare, public investment, and political will, availability of data to guide resourcing decisions, and the development of a well-trained, integrated workforce with appropriate supporting infrastructure.