Categories Of Health Care Providers Research Articles

Electronic maternal and child health application usability, feasibility and acceptability among healthcare providers in Amhara region, Ethiopia.

An innovative electronic Maternal and Child Health (eMCH) application was developed to support operational and clinical decision-making in maternal and child health services. End-user-based evaluation of eHealth application is a critical step to ascertain how successfully users can learn and use it, and improve the technology. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the eMCH tool usability, feasibility, and acceptability among healthcare providers (HCPs) in the Amhara region, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among HCPs working in six public healthcare facilities. The usability evaluation was done on 24 HCPs across three professional categories using the ISO 9241-11 usability guideline. One hundred nine HCPs were participated in the feasibility and acceptability study. Data were collected using a standard usability tool, think-aloud protocol, a self-administered approach, and Open Broadcaster Software Studio version 26.1.1 video recorder. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the data. A Kruskal-Wallis test was used to measure the association between mean scores and categories of HCPs. The recorded videos were used for the log file analysis method. None of the HCP categories were able to complete all the tasks without errors. The average number of errors and restarts were 7.5 and 2.8, respectively. The average number of restarts was directly proportional to the average number of errors. The participants successfully completed more than 70% of the tasks without requiring any assistance or guidance. Forty-seven comments or errors were identified from the think-aloud analysis and 22 comments from the usability metrics analysis. Overall, statistically significant performance differences were observed among the three HCP groups across the majority of the usability evaluation metrics. Fifty-seven percent of HCPs scored higher than the mean on the feasibility study. Slightly higher than half, 56 (51.4%), of the HCPs scored higher than the mean score on the acceptability study. The usability evaluation identified vital comments and usability flaws that were essential for the eMCH tool to be upgraded. The tool was feasible and acceptable as reported by end-users. Therefore, the errors and usability flaws of the tool should be fixed before deployment to other healthcare settings.

The role of clinical associates in South Africa as a health workforce: A scoping review.

South Africa's health care system grapples with persistent challenges, including health care provider shortages and disparities in distribution. In response, the government introduced clinical associates (Clin-As) as a novel category of health care providers. This study mapped Clin-As' history and practice in South Africa, assessing their roles in the health workforce and offering recommendations. Following the framework outlined by Arksey and O'Malley, we conducted a comprehensive literature search from January 2001 to November 2021, utilising PubMed, Scopus and EBSCOhost databases. One thousand six hundred and seventy-two articles were identified and then refined to 36 through title, abstract and full-text screening. Strengths of the Clin-A cadre included addressing rural workforce shortages and offering cost-effective health care in rural areas. Challenges to the success of the cadre included stakeholder resistance, rapid implementation, scope of practice ambiguity, inadequate supervision, unclear roles, limited Department of Health (NDoH) support, funding deficits, Clin-As' perceived underpayment and overwork, degree recognition issues, inadequate medical student training on Clin-A roles, vague career paths and uneven provincial participation. As a health care provider cadre, Clin-As have been welcomed by multiple stakeholders and could potentially be a valuable resource for South Africa's health care system, but they face substantial challenges. Realising their full potential necessitates enhanced engagement, improved implementation strategies and precise scope definition.Contribution:This study acknowledges Clin-As in SA as a promising solution to health care workforce shortages but highlights challenges such as stakeholder resistance, insufficient NDoH support and unclear policies, emphasising the need for comprehensive efforts to maximise their potential.

Interprofessional Collaboration in Fall Prevention: Insights from a Qualitative Study.

(1) Background and objective: to explore the experiences of Swiss health care providers involved in a community fall prevention pilot project on barriers and facilitations in interprofessional cooperation between 2016 and 2017 in three regions of Switzerland. (2) Methods: semi-structured interviews with health care providers assessed their perspective on the evaluation of jointly developed tools for reporting fall risk, continuous training of the health care providers, sensitizing media campaigns, and others. (3) Results: One of the project’s strengths is the interprofessional continuous trainings. These trainings allowed the health care providers to extend their network of health care providers, which contributed to an improvement of fall prevention. Challenges of the project were that the standardization of the interprofessional collaboration required additional efforts. These efforts are time consuming and, for some categories of health care providers, not remunerated by the Swiss health care system. (4) Conclusions: On a micro and meso level, the results of the present study indicate that the involved health care providers strongly support interprofessional collaboration in fall prevention. However, time and financial constraints challenge the implementation. On a macro level, potential ways to strengthen interprofessional collaboration are a core element in fall prevention.

"SHARE. CARE. CURE." – A EUROPEAN REFERENCE NETWORK FOR RARE INFECTIOUS DISEASES

"SHARE. CARE. CURE." – A EUROPEAN REFERENCE NETWORK FOR RARE INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Knowledge on Newborn Life Support among the Healthcare Providers in a Tertiary Care Maternity Hospital in the Southern Province, Sri Lanka.

Introduction The newborn life support (NLS) is a set of educational guidelines established by the academies of Paediatrics that outline the proper procedures for resuscitation of a newborn. The objective of this study was to determine the knowledge on NLS among the healthcare providers (HCPs) in a tertiary care maternity hospital in the Southern Province, Sri Lanka. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out among doctors, nurses, and midwives, using a self-administered questionnaire. Comparison of knowledge among different categories was made using the chi-square test. Total sample of 191 consisted of 118 (61.8%) nurses, 33 (17.3%) midwives, and 36 (18.8%) doctors. The majority of HCPs (76.7%) had good knowledge of NLS; however, following guidelines on NLS among HCPs was poor (33%). According to the category, 91% of doctors and 78% of nurses had good knowledge, whereas only 48% of midwives had good knowledge. The difference of knowledge on NLS among different categories of HCPs was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Only 33% of HCPs had good knowledge of following NLS guidelines. Of them, 52% were doctors, 31% were nurses, and only 18% were midwives. The difference in adherence to NLS guidelines among different categories of HCPs was highly significant statistically (p=0.003). Conclusion The majority of the healthcare providers had good knowledge of NLS. There was a significant difference in the level of knowledge on NLS among different categories of HCPs. Gaps in the knowledge in following guidelines of NLS were noted in the majority. Newborn resuscitation has to be included in nursing and midwifery curricula, and training on NLS is essential in the orientation programs for newly recruited HCPs in maternity hospitals.

Adverse effects of prolonged use of personal protective equipment among health care workers during COVID-19 pandemic

Background: To know adverse effects of prolonged use of (PPE) personal protective equipment among various categories of health care providers while taking care of COVID-19 patients.Methods: This study include health care workers involved in care of covid-19 positive patients admitted in COVID dedicated hospital. A preformed questionnaire based performa was distributed among health care providers. Questions were framed about various possible adverse effects of use of PPE. Duration of study was six month from first July 2020 to 31 December 2020. The data was obtained from questionnaire and thereafter analysed to determine the adverse effects of different parts of PPE among various categories of HCPs depending on their age, sex and duration of exposure.Results: A total of 150 health care workers of various categories were surveyed. Maximum numbers of health care workers were in the age group of 31-40 years. Most common side effects were itching, rash, suffocation and impaired cognition. N-95 masks, gloves and face shield when used caused maximum discomfort.Conclusions: COVID-19 is ongoing pandemic with uncertinity about its end. Health care workers are continuously exposed to COVID-19 positive patients and almost all the healthcare providers experienced discomfort while using PPE causing reduced work efficiency.

Trends in practice intentions and preferences of clinical associate students: Implications for training and health services in South Africa

BackgroundThe University of Pretoria (UP) had its first intake of Bachelor of Clinical Medical Practice (BCMP) students in 2009. The objectives of this study were to examine the trends in geographical practice intentions and preferences of the first nine cohorts of BCMP students. We also assessed sector and level of care preferences of six BCMP cohorts.MethodsCross-sectional studies were conducted 2011, 2014 and 2017. First-, second- and third-year UP BCMP students were invited to complete a electronic questionnaire. Our analyses consisted of calculating proportions for the practice intentions and preferences for each surveys, and performing multiple logistic regression on the aggregated date to determine their associations with sociodemographic and training characteristics.ResultsThe proportion of participants intending to practise as a clinical associate in a rural area in South Africa directly after graduating was 62.5% in the 2014 survey and 69.7% in the 2017 survey, compared to 59.6% in the 2011 survey. The majority in all three surveys (53.4% in 2011, 56.6% in 2014 and 59.8% in 2017) indicated a preference for rural practice. Both rural practice intention and rural practice preference were found to be significantly associated with respondent’s self-description of having lived most of her/his life in a rural area, and rural district hospital exposure during training. In 2014 and 2017, approximately two-thirds of the participants selected a public sector option as their most preferred work setting. District hospitals were the most preferred setting of 30.3% participants in 2014 and 32.0% in 2017.ConclusionMost participants across the three surveys intended to work in rural settings. Considering that this could provide a sustainable solution to the shortage of health care workforce in rural areas, policy makers in both higher education and health need to promote and ensure the viability of the training of this category of health care providers.

Intraoperative insertion of intrauterine contraceptive device at cesarean section: A survey on the experiences of trainee and practicing obstetricians

Background: Intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) placement during cesarean section has been shown to be a safe and effective method of contraception with very low complication and disuse following insertion. Its practice can be of immense benefit, especially in developing countries like Nigeria where high unmet needs for contraception and increasing cesarean section rates are prevalent. Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the practice of obstetricians and trainees on counseling and insertion of IUCD during cesarean section. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted among obstetricians and trainees at the 49th Annual Scientific Conference of the Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria held in November 2015. The data were analyzed using the SPSS version 20. Results: Of 150 respondents, 134 returned completed questionnaires, giving a response rate of 89.3%, 130 of these were adjudged to be correctly filled and were analyzed. Majority of the respondents, 97 (74.6%), were consultants. The mean age of the respondents was 42.01 years ± 7.00. About 95% (125) of the respondents admitted performing cesarean sections, but only 13 (10%) had ever inserted IUCD during cesarean operations. Counseling for the procedure was also low, as only 35 (26.9%) of the respondents had ever counseled the clients toward IUCD placement at cesarean section. Conclusion: For counseling and practice of insertion of IUCD at cesarean section is very low among Nigerian obstetricians, revealing a major barrier to clients' access to this effective and safe method of contraception. Advocacy, education, and training of this category of health-care providers are necessary for improved contraceptive access to cesarean section clients.

A STUDY OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PRACTICES REGARDING BIOMEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT AMONG THE HEALTH CARE WORKERS AT A TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL OF WESTERN UTTAR PRADESH

Background: The hazardous impact of biomedical waste on the community and environment is enhanced manifold if it is not managed effectively. Appropriate knowledge and awareness amongst the health care workers about the biomedical waste management, will help in minimizing health care associated infections.&#x0D; Purpose: There are no such studies in this part of the country to identify the gaps / lacunae in knowledge, attitude &amp; practices amongst health care workers, so that timely corrective measures could be instituted in the form of educational interventions.&#x0D; Material &amp; Methods: This Questionnaire based descriptive study was undertaken at a tertiary care teaching hospital of western Uttar Pradesh in March 2018 after obtaining clearance from Institutional ethics committee. A total of 85 subjects (30 Doctors, 30 Nurses, 25 Laboratory technicians) were administered pre structured pre-validated anonymous questionnaire. Mean scores of the Knowledge, Attitudes and practices of the three groups were compared by Anova test and the comparison between any two study groups done using unpaired t test and the significance level was set to 0.05.&#x0D; Results: While comparing Knowledge, attitude and practices between Doctors &amp; Nurses, though doctors scored higher in all 3 sections but the difference was statistically significant only in the Knowledge and Practice levels. While comparing KAP scores between Nurses &amp; Lab.technicians, though nurses scored higher but a statistically significant difference was seen in the attitude levels only.There was a statistically significant difference in the scores of Doctors, Nurses &amp; Lab. Technicians in all the three sections&#x0D; Conclusion: Such studies help in detecting the gaps &amp; lacunae in knowledge, attitude &amp; practices amongst different categories of health care providers which could be addressed through targeted educational interventions at regular intervals. This would help in reducing the incidence of health hazards due to improper BMW management.&#x0D; Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, Practices, Doctors, Nurses, Laboratory technicians, Questionnaire, Biomedical waste management.

Job satisfaction among health care providers: A cross-sectional study in public health facilities of Punjab, India.

Introduction:Job satisfaction is a multidimensional response to work and workplace environment. It depends on many factors, and affects the behavior of employees that, in turn, affects organizational functioning. The aim of the study was to measure job satisfaction among different categories of healthcare providers from the Punjab government health services and to determine the factors that affect job satisfaction the most.Methodology:The study was conducted between September 2015 and February 2016 and included 462 participants working under the Punjab Government health services. Multi-stage random sampling was used, and participants were interviewed telephonically. The study instrument comprised the sociodemographic data and questions from Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS).Results:Three-fourth of the respondents (75.3%) were dissatisfied by their working conditions, followed by fringe benefits facet (34%), promotion facet (25.4%), and contingent rewards facet (23.7%). But they felt satisfied concerning relations with their coworkers (97%), nature of their work (93.3%), supervision (91.2%) and communication facet (80.6). Ambivalence was seen in a range of 2.8% (coworkers facet) to 54.8% (contingent rewards facet).Conclusion:Job satisfaction affects future career goals, social relationships, and personal health. An extremely demanding workplace can make workers susceptible to feelings of uncertainty and low self-esteem. It is recommended to beef up the policies related to healthcare providers and their working conditions regularly. Job responsibilities should have a scope of change to avoid monotony and loss of interest. A conducive working ecosystem can have a positive effect on the evolving health system of a country.

‘The Open Typology’: Towards Socially Sustainable Architectural and Care Types

One aspect that characterises the twenty-first century is its accomplishments such as better health-care systems, improved economies, a reduction in infant mortality and a growing number of adults living longer. However, these accomplishments can have a downside. For example, people are living longer while at the same time dementia rates are increasing significantly. With the increase in demand for high-dependency-related services, while at the same time costs are spiralling possibly out of control of societal budgets, there is a need for a shift in the care model. Additionally, difficulties in defining a clear dividing line between normal ageing and pathological ageing have led to a stigmatisation of older adults as a social and economic burden. This type of segregation and stigmatisation must be addressed to ensure future care delivery is inclusive. The positive benefits of an inclusive care system are both social and economic, and at an individual level it can positively impact upon an older adult’s mental and physical well-being. Taking this into consideration, the aim of this paper is to describe and empirically explore Humanitas© in Deventer, the Netherlands, a nursing home with a population of 50 older adults with dementia, 80 people with severe physical suffering, 20 people with social difficulties, 10 people in short stay for recovery and 6 university students. This analysis will be adopted as a ‘tool’ for the definition of a new way of conceiving architectural types in contemporary culture, based on the concept of an ‘open system’ described by Richard Sennett. In this study, an open system is able to promote a new paradigm of care built upon inclusive collaboration and teamwork between different categories of health-care providers, volunteers, residents and their families. This will allow an alternative paradigm of older adults’ long-term care and its architectural correlate to ‘normalise’ ageing and its related mental and physical impairments, rather than to ‘medicalise’ and stigmatise.

Public and patients involvement in chronic illness care, a way to provide universal health coverage in poor resource setting - a case study

Lack of active community participation and inadequate human resources are challenges in caring chronic illness. Involving patients and publics in health care is an evidence-based strategy to overcome the above challenges. Department of Community and Family Medicine University of Jaffna has designed and evaluated a strategy. Three females were selected, trained and designated as Community Health Assistants (CHA) and financially supported by an NGO. Their performance was evaluated with mixed methods. CHAs supported clinics, education programs, home visits and some community-based N CD screening. CHAs found difficulties in working with some socio-economic groups and some categories of health care providers. They were interested in working in an institution-based setup. There were some problems in maintaining medical records. Satisfaction with each CHAs varied. The program could be improved by training the CHAs and a mechanism needs to be established to provide ongoing financial support.

Head Nurses' Interpersonal Relationship and Its Effect on Work Engagement and Proactive Work Behavior at Assuit University Hospitals

Introduction: Hospitals are challenged to achieve highly patient outcomes while facing mounting financial constraints. Studies of high-performing organizations suggest that one key to success is an engaged workforce that acts proactively to resolve performance problems. Aim: Explore head nurses' interpersonal relationships and it’s effect on work engagement and proactive work behavior. Study design: A descriptive correlational. Setting: This study was conducted in all departments at Assuit University Hospitals includes (Main Hospital, Pediatric Hospital, Women's Health Hospital). Subject and Method: The study subject consisted of (88) head nurse working in all departments of selected Hospitals. The data collected through self – administered questionnaire which includes personal characteristics data, Relational Coordination, Utrecht Work Engagement and Proactive Work Behavior Scale. Results: There was statistically significant relation between interpersonal relationships among head nurses, nurse administrators & physicians with work engagement and proactive work behavior. There was statistically significant relation between work engagement and proactive work behavior. Conclusion: There was a positive correlation between interpersonal relationships with work engagement and proactive work behavior. Recommendations: Implement continuous training programs for the different categories of health care providers to improve interpersonal relationships and work engagement &proactive work behavior.

Knowledge, Attitude and Oral Hygiene Practices among Medical Practitioners in Delta State, Nigeria

Background: The knowledge of good oral hygiene is of paramount importance for the technical knowhow to keep one’s mouth clean and free from periodontal diseases. Thus, one’s attitude towards oral hygiene directly affects the oral health status. Aims: The study aimed at evaluating the knowledge, attitude and oral hygiene practices among medical practitioners in Delta State, Nigeria. The research also aimed at determining the effect of sex on knowledge, attitude and oral hygiene practices. Methodology: This study was an observational cross sectional study. Purposive sampling technique was employed. A total of a hundred and twenty-three health care providers were assessed with a structured questionnaire. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics and Research Committee in the Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Biology, Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 18.0 package. Descriptive statistics was analyzed using simple frequency percentages distribution and association between categorical variables and sex was done using a chi-square test. Significance was accepted at p Result: Findings from the study present 76.0% males and 24.0% females in the studied population. Five categories of health care providers were assessed, 63.0% of respondents were medical officers, 21.0% were consultants, and 10.0% were residents, while 6.0% were house officers. The results showed that 43.9% of the participants brushed their teeth once daily, 54.5% twice daily while 1.6% thrice daily. Respondents were asked the last time they visited a dentist. Out of the 123 participants, 37.4% never visited, 20.3% claimed six months ago, 13.0% visited a year ago, 10.6% two years ago and 19.40% visited more than two years ago. It also shows percentage distribution of variant types of last treatment, 19.5% had extraction, 10.6% had filling, and 33.3% had scaling and polishing while 36.6% had other types of dental treatment. The study revealed that the majority of the respondents (93.5%) had a positive attitude towards oral health. A total of 91.9% of the participants had knowledge of oral hygiene, while 8.1% had no idea of oral hygiene. More than half of the respondent (57.2%) agreed and strongly agreed that oral hygiene knowledge in medical schools was adequate while 35.0% disagreed and strongly disagreed. There was no significant association (p > 0.05) between frequency of daily teeth brushing, last dental visit, variant treatments and sex. Conclusion: Findings from this study showed that the majority of the participants had an adequate knowledge on proper oral hygiene care and they had a positive attitude towards oral health. Being health care providers, the adequate knowledge and positive attitude could have a positive impact on the patients.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices among Health-Care Providers Regarding Zika Virus Infection.

Aims and Objectives:Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in monkeys. The study was designed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding ZIKV infection among rural health-care providers in Aligarh district, Uttar Pradesh, India.Materials and Methods:A total of 600 health-care providers were selected through stratified random sampling in an interventional survey. A self-structured, closed-ended questionnaire was administered to each participant in two phases to record their demographic, professional characteristics, knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding ZIKV.Results:Out of 600 health-care workers contacted, 585 (97.5%) agreed to participate in the survey. Multivariable linear regression analysis was carried out to assess the association of participant's professional characteristics with their knowledge, attitude, and practices.Conclusion:It showed that there was a wide gap between the level of awareness, knowledge, and practice among the different categories of health-care providers about the ZIKV. This study revealed that there was a very high probability of the risk of transmission of ZIKAV through health-care settings and hence health-care personnel must strictly adhere to Universal Precautions to prevent it.

Health Care in Ghana: A Study of Health Care Opinion Leadership

AbstractGhana is a developing sub-Saharan country in West Africa and it struggles with delivering health care within the universal health system. The primary barrier to medical care is the lack of access. The government of Ghana subsidizes universal health insurance for all of its citizens, but lacks technology, workforce, and more importantly access to sanitation and clean running water. Access to health care remains a challenge in Ghana, especially in rural areas. In this research, we studied opinion leadership for health care in Ghana using two surveys conducted in May, 2014. Student investigators administered a survey to explore who was identified as the health care opinion leaders by local community members. The respondents were asked to rank seven categories of health care providers by how often they spoke to the health care provider about their health, from most often to least often , including medical doctors, chemical sellers, herbalists, prayer camps, family members, midwives and shrines or voodoo priests. The study surveyed 157 respondents from local community members, including 51 people in cities, 65 people in rural villages and 41 people in Kpanla, a remote isolated island on Lake Volta. Student investigators also gave a self-designating survey to 61 health care providers to measure their health care opinion leadership. The results of these two surveys were consistent. Local community residents preferred to talk to medical doctors about their health care when medical doctors were accessible. Health care providers’ responses to the self-designating opinion leadership survey supported their strong opinion leadership for health care.

Changes in blood pressure among users of lay health worker or volunteer operated community-based blood pressure programs over time: a systematic review protocol.

REVIEW QUESTION / OBJECTIVE The objective of this review is to identify studies reporting on lay health worker- or volunteer-led community-based programs for blood pressure screening and cardiovascular awareness in order to determine if these programs contribute to changes in blood pressure among participants over time. The specific question for this review is: What are the changes in blood pressure among adult users of community-based blood pressure screening and awareness programs operated by lay health workers or volunteers as measured by the differences in systolic and diastolic blood pressure between the user’s first visit to the program and their last visit to the program? INCLUSION CRITERIA Types of participants Participants for this review will be adults aged 18 and over who have had their blood pressure taken on at least two occasions through a community-based hypertension screening and monitoring program targeting an adult population and led by lay health workers or volunteers. Participants aged less than 18 years will be excluded if specified in the study and the study report. Types of interventions This review will consider studies and reports of projects led by lay health workers or volunteers that are community-based and offer screening and/or monitoring of blood pressure over time. This review will also include and report on the different kinds of interventions that are reported in these studies, ranging from simple blood pressure monitoring over time, diet and exercise advice, stress reduction interventions, medication review by pharmacists and, nursing interventions, to referrals to primary care provider for TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS

Examining Parents' Experiences and Information Needs Regarding Early Identification of Developmental Delays: Qualitative Research to Inform a Public Health Campaign.

The purpose of this study was to assess the approach and materials of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Learn the Signs. Act Early." (LTSAE) health education campaign, which aims to improve awareness of developmental milestones and early warning signs of developmental delay among parents of young children. We conducted 2 phases of qualitative research. Focus groups assessed the campaign's objectives by exploring the experiences of parents with children who have developmental delays or disabilities to determine facilitators of and barriers to identification. In-depth interviews were conducted with parents of typically developing children, who reviewed campaign materials and provided feedback on appropriateness, appeal, and clarity with regard to the campaign's objectives. Phase 1: Parents were typically the first to express concern about their child's development, and most talked with their child's health care provider. Two categories of health care providers emerged: those who proactively asked about a child's development, used tools to facilitate conversations, and made referrals, and those who did not ask about development, told parents to "wait and see," and did not provide information about services and supports. Few parents knew about special education services before identification. Phase 2: Participants found the campaign materials appealing, but were unclear about how to act early and why acting early was important. Results affirmed LTSAE's evidence-based approach to educating parents about child development. Additional campaign considerations include providing more information about how to act early and why acting early is important and enhancing outreach to providers to help them communicate with concerned parents.

The experiences of pre-licensure or pre-registration health professional students and their educators in working with intra-professional teams: a systematic review of qualitative evidence protocol

The experiences of pre-licensure or pre-registration health professional students and their educators in working with intra-professional teams: a systematic review of qualitative evidence protocol

Male circumcision for HIV prevention in India: emerging viewpoints and practices of health care providers

A compelling case for promoting male circumcision (MC) as an intervention for reducing the risk of heterosexually acquired HIV infection was made by dissemination of the results of three studies in Africa. The WHO/UNAIDS recommendation for MC for countries like India, where the epidemic in concentrated in high-risk groups, advocates MC for specific population groups such as men at higher risk for HIV acquisition. A multicentre qualitative study was conducted in four geographically distinct districts (Belgaum, Kolkata, Meerut and Mumbai) in India during June 2009 to June 2011. Two categories of health care providers: Registered Healthcare Providers (RHCPs) and traditional circumcisers were interviewed by trained research staff who had received master's level education using interview guides with probes and open-ended questions. Respondents were selected using purposive sampling. A comparative analysis of the perspectives of the RHCP vs. traditional circumcisers is presented. Representatives of both categories of providers expressed the need for Indian data on MC. Providers feared that promoting circumcision might jeopardize/undermine the progress already made in the field of condom promotion. Reservation was expressed regarding its adoption by Hindus. Behavioural disinhibition was perceived as an important limitation. A contrast in the practice of circumcision was apparent between the traditional and the trained providers. MC should be mentioned as a part of comprehensive HIV prevention services in India that includes HIV counselling and testing, condom distribution and diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections. It should become an issue of informed personal choice rather than ethnic identity.