scholarly journals Health sector responses to intiate partner violence: A literature review

Author(s):  
Kate Rees ◽  
Virginia Zweigenthal ◽  
Kate Joyner

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a common and serious public health concern, particularly in South Africa, but it is not well managed in primary care.Aim: This review aims to summarise the current state of knowledge regarding health sector-based interventions for IPV, their integration into health systems and services and the perspectives of service users and healthcare workers on IPV care, focusing on the South African context.Method: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Google Scholar were searched betweenJanuary 2012 and May 2014. All types of study design were included, critically appraised and summarised.Results: Exposure to IPV leads to wide-ranging and serious health effects. There is suffiient evidence that intervening in IPV in primary care can improve outcomes. Women who have experienced IPV have described an appropriate response by healthcare providers to be non-judgmental, understanding and empathetic. IPV interventions that are complex, comprehensive and utilise systems-wide approaches have been most effective, but system- andsociety-level barriers hamper implementation. Gender inequities should not be overlooked when responding to IPV.Conclusion: Further evaluations of health sector responses to IPV are needed, in order to assist health services to determine the most appropriate models of care, how these can be integrated into current systems and how they can be supported in managing IPV. The need for this research should not prevent health services and healthcare providers from implementing IPV care, but rather should guide the development of rigorous contextually-appropriate evaluations.

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 640-652
Author(s):  
Michelle Bester ◽  
Yolanda Havenga ◽  
Zea Ligthelm

Background: The ability to consent promotes children’s access to health services. Healthcare providers should assess and arrive at a clinical judgement about the child’s maturity and mental capacity to obtain valid consent. Research objective: The objective of the study was to determine practices employed by South African healthcare providers to obtain consent for treatment from children. Research design: A qualitative, explorative, descriptive research design was used and the study was contextual. Participants and research context: In all, 24 healthcare providers (professional nurses and medical practitioners) were purposively sampled from a hospital and primary health clinics. Semi-structured interviews were used. Ethical consideration: Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board and gatekeepers. Written informed consent was obtained from each participant. Findings: Healthcare providers’ current practices in obtaining consent from children revealed inconsistency in implementation as well as the yardstick used to determine children’s mental capacity. Building trust with children, sharing information and assessment were interlinked in obtaining consent. Discussion: The inconsistent practice has implications for children’s access to healthcare services. Conclusion: Inconsistent practices in the implementation of consent laws have the potential to violate children’s rights to bodily and psychological integrity, access to health services and having their opinions heard and be taken into consideration. Through uncovering the current perceptions and practices and a literature review, guidelines intended for use by the Department of Health could be developed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 225
Author(s):  
Mehmet Akif Cifci ◽  
Sadiq Hussain

Data Mining (DM), used to extract large amounts of hidden, valuable, useful information in large quantities and to provide strategic decision support, has created a new perspective on the use of health data. It has become a rapidly growing method of responding to problematic areas of data in large quantities in almost all sections. Although in health services it seems to be slow, a major leap has come to the scene. The aim of this study is to provide a new perspective on decision-making processes by creating an infrastructure for the health data and to provide examples for healthcare workers in the healthcare industry using DM techniques. Forasmuch as, the conceptual framework of data discovery in databases, Data Warehousing, DM, Business Intelligence (BI) has been given. DM applications and usages are given as examples of priority issues and problem areas in the health sector. 


Author(s):  
Zoe Duby ◽  
Busisiwe Nkosi ◽  
Andrew Scheibe ◽  
Ben Brown ◽  
Linda-Gail Bekker

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM), sex workers (SW) and people who use drugs (PWUD) are at increased risk for HIV because of multiple socio-structural barriers and do not have adequate access to appropriate HIV prevention, diagnosis and treatment services.Objective: To examine the context of access to healthcare experienced by these three ‘Key Populations’, we conducted a qualitative study in two South African cities: Bloemfontein in the Free State province and Mafikeng in the North West province.Method: We carried out in-depth interviews to explore healthcare workers’ perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards Key Populations. Focus group discussions were also conducted with members of Key Populations exploring their experiences of accessing healthcare.Results: Healthcare workers described their own attitudes towards Key Populations and demonstrated a lack of relevant knowledge, skills and training to manage the particular health needs and vulnerabilities facing Key Populations. Female SW, MSM and PWUD described their experiences of stigmatisation, and of being made to feel guilt, shame and a loss of dignity as a result of the discrimination by healthcare providers and other community. members. Our findings suggest that the uptake and effectiveness of health services amongst Key Populations in South Africa is limited by internalised stigma, reluctance to seek care, unwillingness to disclose risk behaviours to healthcare workers, combined with a lack of knowledge and understanding on the part of the broader community members, including healthcare workers.Conclusion: This research highlights the need to address the broader healthcare provision environment, improving alignment of policies and programming in order to strengthen provision of effective health services that people from Key Populations will be able to access.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. e024803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Sambrook Smith ◽  
Vanessa Lawrence ◽  
Euan Sadler ◽  
Abigail Easter

ObjectiveLack of access to mental health services during the perinatal period is a significant public health concern in the UK. Barriers to accessing services may occur at multiple points in the care pathway. However, no previous reviews have investigated multilevel system barriers or how they might interact to prevent women from accessing services. This review examines women, their family members’ and healthcare providers’ perspectives of barriers to accessing mental health services for women with perinatal mental illness in the UK.DesignA systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.Data sourcesQualitative studies, published between January 2007 and September 2018, were identified in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE and CINAHL electronic databases, handsearching of reference lists and citation tracking of included studies. Papers eligible for inclusion were conducted in the UK, used qualitative methods and were focused on women, family or healthcare providers working with/or at risk of perinatal mental health conditions. Quality assessment was conducted using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme for qualitative studies.ResultsOf 9882 papers identified, 35 studies met the inclusion criteria. Reporting of emergent themes was informed by an existing multilevel conceptual model. Barriers to accessing mental health services for women with perinatal mental illness were identified at four levels: Individual (eg, stigma, poor awareness), organisational (eg, resource inadequacies, service fragmentation), sociocultural (eg, language/cultural barriers) and structural (eg, unclear policy) levels.ConclusionsComplex, interlinking, multilevel barriers to accessing mental health services for women with perinatal mental illness exist. To improve access to mental healthcare for women with perinatal mental illness multilevel strategies are recommended which address individual, organisational, sociocultural and structural-level barriers at different stages of the care pathway.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42017060389.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Munther Saeedi ◽  
Nihad Al-Othman ◽  
Maha Rabayaa

Background. Workplace violence is a common issue worldwide that strikes all professions, and healthcare is one of the most susceptible ones. Verbal and nonverbal miscommunications between healthcare workers and patients are major inducers for violent attacks. Aim. To study the potential impact of verbal and nonverbal miscommunications between the patients and healthcare workers upon workplace violence from the patients’ perspectives. Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed from November to December 2020. Patients and previously hospitalized patients were asked to complete a self-reported questionnaire that involved items of verbal and nonverbal miscommunication. With the use of a suitable available sample composed of 550 participants, 505 had completed the questionnaire and were included in the study. The data were analyzed by using SPSS version 22 software. Results. 7.2% of the study population reported participating in nonverbal violence and 19.6% participated in verbal violence against healthcare workers. The nonverbal and verbal violence was characteristically displayed by the patients who are male, younger than 30 years old, and bachelor’s degree holders. The results of the study demonstrated that the verbal and nonverbal miscommunications between the patients and healthcare workers were the major factors in provoking violent responses from patients. Factors, such as age, gender, and level of education, were significant indicators of the type of patients who were more likely to respond with violence. Conclusion. Workplace violence, either verbal or nonverbal, in the health sector is a public health concern in Palestine. The verbal and nonverbal communication skills of healthcare workers should be developed well enough to overcome the effect of miscommunication provoking violent acts from patients and their relatives as well.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (S2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anoop T. Nair ◽  
Kesavan Rajasekharan Nayar ◽  
Shaffi Fazaludeen Koya ◽  
Minu Abraham ◽  
Jinbert Lordson ◽  
...  

Abstract Background With increased penetration of the internet and social media, there are concerns regarding its negative role in influencing parents’ decisions regarding vaccination for their children. It is perceived that a mix of religious reasons and propaganda by anti-vaccination groups on social media are lowering the vaccination coverage in Malappuram district of Kerala. We undertook a qualitative study to understand the factors responsible for generating and perpetuating vaccine hesitancy, the pathways of trust deficit in immunization programs and the interaction between various social media actors. Methods In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted among parents/caregivers, physicians, public sector health staff, alternative system medical practitioners, field healthcare workers and teachers in areas with highest and lowest vaccination coverage in the district, as well as with communication experts. Results The trust deficit between parents/caregivers and healthcare providers is created by multiple factors, such as providers’ lack of technical knowledge, existing patriarchal societal norms and critical views of vaccine by naturopaths and homeopaths. Anti-vaccine groups use social media to influence caregivers' perceptions and beliefs. Religion does not appear to play a major role in creating vaccine resistance in this setting. Conclusions A long-term, multipronged strategy should be adopted to address the trust deficit. In the short to medium term, the health sector can focus on appropriate and targeted vaccine-related communication strategies, including the use of infographics, soft skills training for healthcare workers, technical competency improvement through a mobile application-based repository of information and creation of a media cell to monitor vaccine-related conversations in social media and to intervene if needed.


Author(s):  
Vijayalakshmi Poreddi ◽  
Kathyayani Bidadi Veerabhadraiah ◽  
SaiNikhil Reddy ◽  
Manjunatha Narayana ◽  
NaveenKumar Channaveerachari ◽  
...  

Background: Telemedicine is a fast-emerging health sector in India. While nurses play an important role in delivering healthcare services through telemedicine, little is known about whether nursing interns are prepared adequately. Aim: To evaluate nursing interns’ perceptions of telenursing and to find out their opinion on whether telenursing should be added to the curriculum. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive survey carried out among conveniently selected nursing interns (N = 183) from renowned colleges in Bangalore, South India. The data were collected using a self-reported questionnaire. Results: In this study, a majority of the participants had smartphones (74.8%), were accessible to the internet (96.7%), and were using the internet for more than 3 h/day (73.3%). While a majority (65.6%) of the participants were able to correctly identify the definition of telenursing, only 33.9% of them rightly answered the definition of telemedicine. Most of the participants indicated that the inclusion of telenursing in undergraduate studies would be useful for future healthcare workers (92.4%), and telenursing can be practiced in all the medical specialties. Conclusion: The majority of the nursing interns hold positive perceptions of telenursing and acknowledge its usefulness in nursing practice. However, their knowledge of telenursing is limited. Hence, the findings strongly suggest the need to introduce concepts of telenursing in curricula to prepare future healthcare providers to be able to provide safe and competent care in a highly technical and digital environment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Prudence Jarrett ◽  
Yasin Fozdar ◽  
Nada Abdelmagid ◽  
Francesco Checchi

Abstract Background Large international humanitarian actors support and directly deliver health services for millions of people in crises annually, and wield considerable power to decide which health services to provide, how and to whom, across a vast spectrum of health areas. Despite decades of reform aiming to improve accountability in the sector, public health practice among humanitarian actors is not heavily scrutinized in either the countries where they are headquartered or those where they provide healthcare. We surveyed current healthcare governance practice among large international humanitarian actors to better understand what organisations are doing to ensure oversight and accountability for health services in humanitarian responses. Methods The term ‘healthcare governance’ was defined and categorised into seven domains: implementation of health management information systems (HMIS) and use of resulting data; professional development of health sector staff; audits of health service performance; management of clinical incidents; evidence-based practice; pharmaceutical supply; and beneficiary engagement. Senior health professionals at 32 leading international actors providing humanitarian health services were contacted between July and August 2019 to complete a 109-question online survey about their organisation’s practice in these domains. Results Respondents from 13 organisations completed the questionnaire. Healthcare governance practices were undertaken to varying degrees by all organisations but were often driven by donor requirements and external factors rather than improvement of programme performance. Common strengths were the inclusion of governance in organisational policies, high availability of technical guidelines, and close monitoring of pharmaceutical services. Recurring weaknesses were poor beneficiary engagement, inconsistent use of health information for decision making, unsystematic implementation of healthcare audits, inconsistent management of clinical incidents, and lack of training and professional development opportunities. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe healthcare governance practice among humanitarian actors. Leading international humanitarian healthcare providers are already implementing many healthcare governance activities; however, these are inconsistently applied and generally not reflective of systematic policies or earmarked organisational resources. There is a need for sector-wide consensus on how the humanitarian sector defines healthcare governance, the domains that constitute it, which actors in the humanitarian system are implicated, and how malpractice should be systematically addressed.


2021 ◽  
pp. 141-152
Author(s):  
Marlise Richter ◽  
Kholi Buthelezi

AbstractAn ethical and forward-looking health sector response to sex work aims to create a safe, effective, and non-judgemental space that attracts sex workers to its services. Yet, the clinical setting is often the site of human rights violations and many sex workers experience ill-treatment and abuse by healthcare providers. Research with male, female, and transgender sex workers in various African countries has documented a range of problems with healthcare provision in these settings, including: poor treatment, stigmatisation, and discrimination by healthcare workers; having to pay bribes to obtain services or treatment; being humiliated by healthcare workers; and, the breaching of confidentiality. These experiences are echoed by sex workers globally. Sex workers’ negative experiences with healthcare services result in illness and death and within the context of the AIDS epidemic act as a powerful barrier to effective HIV and STI prevention, care, and support. Conversely positive interactions with healthcare providers and health services empower sex workers, affirm sex worker dignity and agency, and support improved health outcomes and well-being. This chapter aims to explore the experiences of sex workers with healthcare systems in Africa as documented in the literature. Findings describe how negative healthcare workers’ attitudes and sexual moralism have compounded the stigma that sex workers face within communities and have led to poor health outcomes, particularly in relation to HIV and sexual and reproductive health. Key recommendations for policy and practice include implementation of comprehensive, rights-affirming health programmes designed in partnership with sex workers. These should be in tandem with structural interventions that shift away from outdated criminalized legal frameworks and implement violence prevention strategies, psycho-social support services, sex worker empowerment initiatives, and peer-led programmes.


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