A conceptual framework for contemporary professional foot care practice: ''The value based digital foot care framework''

Background A small minority of countries around the globe have podiatry as a recognized profession, hence, there are considerable differences among these countries when it comes to the curricula, the duration of training and legislation regulating the profession. The growth in research led evidence based practice, and the emerging digital landscape of health care practice, occur alongside trends in disease and health behaviours that strongly impact on foot health. As such, the changing complex role of the podiatrist requires critical reflection on current frameworks of practice and whether they are fit for purpose. This commentary presents a conceptual framework which sets the scene for further development of concepts in a podiatry context, reflecting contemporary health care beliefs and the changing expectations of health care and society. The proposed conceptual framework for podiatry practice utilizes the metaphor of an electronic circuit to reflect the vast and complex interconnections between factors that affect practice and professional behaviours. The framework helps in portraying and defining drivers of practice, actual practice as well potential barriers for current and future practice. The circuit emphasis the interconnectedness/interaction of three clusters: 1) internal factors, 2) interaction factors, 3) external factors. Conclusion Whatever promise this new framework holds, it will only be realised through conscious development of community consensus, respectful dialogue, constructive critical appraisal, and maintaining passion and focus on improving the health of people with foot related problems.

Health Care Providers' Understanding of Health Care Beliefs and Preferences in Anabaptist Communities

Anabaptist communities are among the fastest growing communities in the United States. Reviews of medical and sociological literature consistently demonstrate that members of Anabaptist communities hold health care beliefs and preferences that differ from the mainstream culture. However, the professional health care literature is lacking in information regarding health care providers' understanding of health care beliefs and preferences in Anabaptist groups. The purpose of this study was to explore the understanding of Anabaptist patients' health care beliefs and preferences as well as lessons learned from providers who have experience delivering health care for this culturally diverse population. A qualitative descriptive approach was used to collect data with a sample of health care providers (N = 18) selected via purposive sampling. The study participants provided informed consent to be interviewed and videotaped responding to a set of semi-structured interview questions. The videotaped interviews were transcribed before thematic analysis was conducted independently and then collectively by a group of three researchers familiar with Anabaptist health care practices. Through thematic analysis, seven themes were identified among the participants relating to their understanding of the beliefs and preferences of Anabaptist community members they served.

Cultural Patterns of Health Care Beliefs and Practices among Muslim Women in Uzbekistan

The purpose of this ethnographic study is to describe and analyse the meanings and uses of healthpromotion practices and beliefs, healing practices and folk medicine for Uzbek Muslim women.Contemporary healing practices can be seen as combining shamanic and Islamic concepts aboutdisease and healing, Sufi Research focus.The research questions ask how participants make decisions to seek remedies throughhealing practices, and how and whether they experience these choices and actions as empowering.The research also asks about what sorts of conditions women seeks to address through traditionalhealing practices; those in this study discussed seeking out such healing for colds, bronchitis, heartdisease, arthritis, as well as emotional and economic distress.Significance. With the increasing migration of Uzbeks to Canada, strength-based health care provisionapproach based on person-centred care, empowerment, health promotion and prevention and collaborative partnership is crucial in achieving quality of care.

Beyond a Generic Complementary and Alternative Medicine: The Holistic Health Care- Conventional Medicine Continuum

This article explores whether complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) users view CAM as a unified concept or individualize the modalities. A survey about the beliefs and concerns surrounding the use of 22 CAM modalities was posted to a random sample of 1,308 people in five rural and two metropolitan localities in Victoria, Australia. The response rate was 40% (n = 459). Overall, 91% of respondents were found to either have used one CAM modality (85%, n = 386) or be open to future use (6%, n = 33). Respondents did not view CAM as a unified concept. Each modality was used by people with different characteristics and beliefs about health care. However, it was practical to divide the 22 CAM modalities into four categories that we have named natural remedy, wellness, accepted, and established modalities. The four categories lie along a set of continua extending from natural remedy modalities and ‘‘holistic health care’’ beliefs at one end to established modalities and a belief in the tenets of conventional medicine at the other. We were able to develop a model to show this diagrammatically.

People's Choice: Complementary and Alternative Medicine Modalities

The diversity within CAM use in the community, and the beliefs, concerns, and characteristics of the users of individual CAM modalities was explored via a survey mailed to a randomly selected sample of 1,308 people in different metropolitan and rural localities in Victoria, Australia. The response rate was 40% ( n = 459). The respondents' overall current CAM use was 52% and lifetime use was 85%. Chiropractic (50%), massage therapy, (50%), and vitamin or herbal supplements (39%) were the most frequently used modalities. A set of beliefs labeled holistic health care beliefs strongly predicted the use of Natural Remedy and Wellness modalities. Users of these modalities were more likely to be female, under the age of 60, and tertiary educated. Rurality characteristics did not predict rural CAM usage and were equally present in metropolitan and rural respondents. The respondents' decisions concerning CAM involved choosing a modality that fit their self-assessed health care needs.

Designing Medication Instructions for Older Adults

We examined if medication instructions were better remembered when organized in terms of older adults' pre-existing schemes for taking medication. A preliminary study suggested that older adults share a general scheme with medication information grouped into 3 categories: (a) General Information (e.g., medication purpose), (b) How to take (dose), and (c) Possible Outcomes (side-effects). In the present study, we investigated age differences in this scheme and in instruction recall. We also examined if individual differences in organization related to cognitive abilities, health care beliefs, and medication taking experience. For the most part, the results provided further evidence that older adults share a scheme for taking medication and revealed few age differences in this organization. Verbal ability was more important than health attitudes for predicting individual differences in instruction organization. Most important, older and younger subjects preferred and better remembered instructions that were organized in terms of their medication taking scheme.

Age Differences in Lay Conceptions of Health and Self-Care Responses to Illness

This paper explores lay health care beliefs and practices. More specifically, the research tests the hypothesis that traditional “popular” health beliefs and self care practices are most likely to be found among older persons. Data were obtained through personal interviews with a randomly selected cross-sectional sample of 524 residents of Winnipeg, Canada. Statistical analysis was intended to assess the relationship between age and lay health care beliefs and practices, and to evaluate the relative explanatory power of age compared to other sociodemographic factors; self-reported health status; and medical care contact. The results suggest that the relationship between age and lay conceptions of health and self-care responses to illness is a rather complex one. Furthermore, respondents' age alone explained little of the variance in any of the dependent measures. Finally, this study revealed that although lay self-care beliefs and behaviour exist, they are not limited to older persons.