Competent Health Professionals Research Articles

Employment as a predictor of mental health, psychological distress, anxiety and depression in Australian pre-registration nursing students.

Caring for self by maintaining emotional well-being is important for pre-registration nursing students if they are to graduate as confident and competent health professionals. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to identify the predictors of emotional well-being of pre-registration nursing students by measuring their levels of anxiety, depression, behavioural control, positive affect and general distress. A cross-sectional study designed facilitated an examination of the level of emotional well-being of pre-registration nursing students (enrolled in their first, second and third year) in an Australian university across five campuses using the Mental Health Index (MHI). Purposive, all-inclusive sampling was used to recruit 920 nursing students. Data was collecting during a two month period (August to October 2016). Regression analyses were used to identify predictors of emotional well-being. Results indicate that employment status was one of the major predictors of students' emotional well-being. Given this finding, and the importance that paid employment appears to have as a protective factor nurse education programs need to support these students to effectively balance their academic performance and employment. Innovative ways to structure course curriculum and modes of delivery to support work and study demands should be a focus of future research.

The consequences of diverse empathic responses in nurse-patient interactions: a discourse analysis

ABSTRACTBackground: Empathy in healthcare interactions has been a focus of considerable research since the 1980s, and discourse analysis has been used more recently to identify how empathy is accomplished in interactions between healthcare professionals and their patients. However, there has been little research using naturally occurring nurse/patient interactions.Method: This study employs discourse analysis from an interactional sociolinguistic approach to examine and describe the interactional consequences of empathy during nurse-patient interactions.Results: The consequence of the display of empathy was an extended interaction with numerous affiliative responses by both parties, showing evidence of good rapport and a therapeutic relationship. This is compared to interactions where minimal affiliative responses are evident. The exchange with the patient is cut short with a quick return to the clinical agenda after a momentary acknowledgement of the patient’s concern. Where empathy is not displayed, the patient does not elaborate on concerns, thereby limiting the development of rapport and trust. The display of empathy has been linked to patient satisfaction and improved patient outcomes.Conclusion: Examining natural nurse-patient interactions allows for a greater understanding of the consequences of various communicative approaches and levels of engagement. This awareness can enable the development of stronger communicative competence of health professionals, enhancing professional practice and patient satisfaction.

Older people's views and expectations about the competences of health and social care professionals: a European qualitative study.

Adapting and providing quality services for people as they age is a common challenge across Europe. The perspective of older people is fundamental in a person-centred care approach. Expanding research at the European level that explicitly includes their views can offer a relevant contribution to the development of evidence-based guidelines that can be shared in education and training across health and social care professions. This study aimed to identify common meaningful dimensions of professional competence in health and social care emphasised by older people from six countries in different regions of Europe according to their experiences. A qualitative approach was chosen with a total of 95 semi-structured interviews conducted in Austria, Finland, Lithuania, Portugal, Turkey and UK, following a common topic guide. Participants in this study were aged 60 and above, and recruitment considered age, gender, level of education and living arrangements. Results identified a set of universal skills and practices that according to older people, health and social care professionals should meet. Competences at the interpersonal level were central in older people's discourses, and its core dimensions are anchored in relational, communication and socio-emotional skills of professionals. These findings reinforce the aspiration of establishing best practices in care that relies on the harmonisation of a competence framework that can be shared in the training and education of health and social care professionals across Europe and that voices older people's preferences, expectations and needs.

Are health professional competency assessments transferable across cultures? A preliminary validity study

This study investigated if professional competency assessments are transferable across cultures using COMPASS®: Competency assessment in speech pathology, a tool developed and validated in Australia. Students in Hong Kong were assessed by clinical educators using COMPASS® and the usual clinical evaluation forms. Analyses compared Hong Kong data with the original Australian field trial data. Rasch analysis was used to evaluate how well the ratings and score generated represented students’ development of competency. Hong Kong clinical educators’ ratings represented the same seven distinct categories of judgement as Australian clinical educators. The order of item difficulty was very similar for the two samples. However, Hong Kong clinical educators were not rating students in a pattern that reflected increasing competency with experience and very few year 4 students were rated at entry level. It is concluded that an assessment tool validated and developed in one culture may well support valid judgements and yield measures that can be used to judge student competency in another culture. Further evaluation is required to investigate the differences in the judgement of student progress in another culture and strengthen the validity of using its measures to judge students' competency performance.

Measures of Success: Exploring Student Approaches to Learning Public Health

The goal of public health education consists of equipping competent future public health professionals with the skills necessary to effectively convert knowledge to meet current and future public health challenges. Although great focus has been placed on topics and skills that are relevant to undergraduate degree curricula in public health, little effort has been directed at identifying student perceptions about metacognitive strategies that best help them learn and recall public health skills or ideas. There is also little investigation of factors that contribute to students’ success in the field of public health. The purpose of this article is threefold: first, to describe common themes and gaps pertaining to public health undergraduates’ awareness of potent learning strategies; second, to characterize students’ definition of success in the field of public health; and third, to provide instructors with valuable information that may be used to enhance the design of classroom learning environments, course content, content delivery methods, and course assessments.

The role and competences of health professionals in a new healthy ageing approach

Demographic change and health is an important theme all over the world. It is one of the grand societal challenges of the European Union: we have an fast ageing population, people live longer but with more chronic diseases, and the cost of health and social care increase. Solutions are to be found in a combination of prevention, innovation, technology and entrepreneurship. Active and healthy ageing gives a fruitful approach to solve the challenges of demographic change and health. In the Netherlands, healthy ageing not only focusses about older people with diseases: we have a life cycle approach, from growing up healthy to growing old. The focus is on functioning and health and participation. We use a new definition of health as the ability to adapt and selfmanage in the face of social, physical and emotional challenges. Nurses play an important role in this approach. In the international ELLAN project, a European Core Competence Framework is developed for health and care professionals working with older people. In this framework, assessment performance indicators are specified for each CanMed role. In October 2018 a new book is published, in which from the background of healthy ageing and demographic change, these competences are described. The roles of (geriatric) nursing in this Healthy Ageing approach include: Strengthen selfmanagement and resilience of patients; contribute to prevention and health literacy of citizens; focus on functioning and the ability to adapt and selfmanage and; use interdisciplinary innovative methods in health improvement like health technology. Introduction: The old age of an individual has always been interesting and attractive. That work can be understood as a presentation of the concept of “healthy ageing” but mainly focused on the individual. The concept of an ageing population is a relatively new problem from the historical point of view. It can be observed that in 1950 no country had more than 11 percent of its population aged 65 and over. Looking at the year 2000, the highest was 18 percent. However, the problem will rise dramatically by 2050 when it could reach 38 percent. Projections indicate that in 2050 there will be a larger number of older people aged 60 or over than adolescents aged 10–24. To address this problem, different solar PV modules cooling systems are investigated, developed, and employed. These systems are cooling the PV modules by different methods and techniques. Unfortunately, there is no universal approach to assess the effectiveness of applied cooling techniques. In this paper, a method and criterion for the PV modules’ cooling system effectivity assessment are proposed. Methods: Four independent researchers used combinations of keywords such as healthy ageing and World Health Organization, and found 637 521 articles. After adding specific keywords including long-term integrated care, human resources, research, ageism, economic issues, investment, implementation and age-friendly city the search was limited to studies. The search was also limited to studies of humans and articles written in English. After a careful review of their abstracts, the articles were identified as papers focusing on the researched topic. With this restriction, the search provided the articles and after reading the complete texts, 46 of the most relevant articles were included in this review. Conclusions: The global population is ageing rapidly. These changes highlight the need to adapt person-centred integrated care focusing on the needs of older people and their preferences and guaranteeing access to multiple age-friendly services closely engaged with families and communities. Public health policies should address the diversity of health and functional states experienced by older people and maximize the number of people who achieve positive trajectories of ageing. Integration initiatives need actions at macro-levels (legislation, funding), at meso-levels (age-friendly environment) and at micro-clinical levels. However, few countries have managed to sustainably deliver integrated care for older people and evidence for the effectiveness of integrated care approaches remains inconsistent.

Cultural Competence of Western Psychotherapists in Helping Sex Trade Survivors: An Initial Exploration

Sex-trafficking survivors that come from the Developing world and who become free in the west, can receive help from western psychotherapists. A therapist who is able to provide help to a former sex-slave of this origin is answering to a need for culturally competent mental health professionals. To serve this goal, the author analyses the example of Nigerian women who become free in the west and provides information about their background that could be useful in session. Parallel to this discussion, the question of whether cross-cultural differences can be overcome in therapy in an ethical way arises.

Point Systems in Games for Health: A Bibliometric Scoping Study

Very few details about point systems used in games for health are reported in scientific literature. To shed some light on this topic a bibliometric study, analyzing the papers containing terms related to games for health and point systems was performed and a mini taxonomy was derived. The search string game* AND health AND (point* OR score) AND system* in a Scopus bibliographic database was used to produce the corpus. We limited the search to articles, reviews and conference papers written in English and to topics related to medical, health and social subjects. The corpus papers abstracts and titles were analysed by VOSviewer and a scientific landscape was generated. The search resulted in a corpus consisting of 354 papers. The derived taxonomy contains three objects; video games, serious games and educational games. The biblimetric mapping and taxonomy revealed some interesting conclusions: (1) the video games have mostly negative effects on health, (2) the serious games might have both a direct positive health effects on users and also indirect effects by improved competencies of health professionals, and (3) the research is concerned not only to computer based educational games, but also to traditional table games and sporting games. Based on the derived taxonomy we can conclude that point systems should reward physical activity and healthy living style and punish sedentary activities.

HIV Treatment Cascade Assessment of a Community-Based Test and Start Model for Key Populations in Lagos State Nigeria: Where Are the Gaps?

Background: Community-based test and start (TAS) models have shown the potential to improve clinical outcomes for key populations because early access to treatment will have population level impact by reducing transmission through the promotion and provision of hassle-free quality HIV testing, on the spot ART initiation and unrestricted access to culturally competent health professionals. We assessed the effectiveness of a pioneer community-based test and start (TAS) model for key populations in Lagos along UNAIDS 90/90/90 cascade. Methods: Men who have sex with men (MSM), female sex workers (FSW), and persons who inject drugs (PWID), >14 years of age were recruited through peer-referral for HIV testing services (HTS) at a community-based KP-friendly clinic in Lagos between June 2015 and September 2016. The clinic provides comprehensive HIV services, including HIV treatment. Those who test positive are enrolled and provided with TAS services. Using routine service data, we deployed descriptive cross tabulations at p Results: In total, 8812 KPs comprising MSM (51.6%), FSW (32.7%) and PWID (15.7%) were tested during this period. About one-half (46.4%) were young KP (15 - 25 years). The majority (76.1%) were male, single (86.1%), almost all (99%) had at least primary school level education, and about one-quarter (25.1%) were employed. Among MSM, 506 (11.1%) tested positive, 276 (54.5%) were initiated on ART, of whom 155 conducted viral load testing and 88 (56.7%) had achieved viral suppression ( Client satisfaction index was 96.1%. Conclusion: The current community-based model showed excellent capacity to achieve the first 90 goal among target KP communities. However, linkage to care and treatment, adherence, and retention remain major challenges in achieving the second and third nineties at the community level.

Therapeutic Patient Education (TPE) and health education in spa centers in France

Therapeutic Patient Education (TPE) aims to help patients manage their lives better with chronic illness Spa centers are good places for the TPE for many reasons: groups of homogeneous and motivated patients, sufficient duration of the stay and presence of competent health professionals to ensure therapeutic education In France TPE programs are governed by an opposable regulation and an obligation of evaluation. The stakeholders must have a specific training of at least 40 hours. Programs are licensed for 4 years by regional health agencies (RHA). A TPE program consists of: 1°) an individual session of elaboration of the educational diagnosis or its updating to identify the needs and expectations of the patient, formulate with him the skills to be acquired and the learning priorities, and define a personalized action program, 2°) collective or individual therapeutic or alternating therapeutic education sessions for the acquisition of self-care skills and the mobilization or acquisition of adaptive skills and their maintenance, 3°) an individual assessment session of skills acquired, changes implemented by the patient in his daily life and the progress of the individualized program, 4°) a coordination of health professionals involved in the management of chronic disease around and with the patient TPE programs in French spa centers are proposed in addition to the classic spa treatment In 2018 in France TPE programs have been authorized by the RHA for several spa centers for the following twelve indications: fibromyalgia, lower limb osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, overweight and metabolic syndrome, post-bariatric surgery, type 2 diabetes, venous insufficiency, lymphoedema, psoriasis, eczema, asthma and post breast cancer Some of these TPE programs have been the subject of evaluation studies by AFRETH (Association Francaise pour la Recherche Thermale) One of the main problems of TPE programs is its cost, which is entirely the patient's responsibility because it is not reimbursed by the health system Beside the labeled “TPE programs” authorized by RHA, many other simpler health education programs, not labeled TPE and not requiring authorization from RHA, are organized in French spa centers: stopping smoking, benzodiazepine withdrawal, chronic low back pain education, prevention of falls, Parkinson‘disease, support for patients with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers, etc. In conclusion more and more TPE programs and health education are developing in French spa centers. The value of these programs must continue to be evaluated.

Mapping of pain curricula across health professions programs at the University of Toronto

ABSTRACT Background There is a growing societal need for health professional competency in pain care. The University of Toronto Centre for the Study of Pain–Interfaculty Pain Curriculum (UTCSP-IPC) has been offered since 2002. Content and process have been updated annually. In addition, participating health professions programs have advanced their pain teaching. A curricular scan was needed to creatively and constructively advance the UTCSP-IPC. Aim The aim of this study was to map curricular pain content in participating health professions programs onto the UTCSP-IPC content as a first step to further curriculum design. Methods UTCSP-IPC committee members and faculty representatives from six health profession programs completed a 27-item online survey in this collaborative action study. Descriptive statistics were completed in Microsoft Excel. Results The UTCSP-IPC provided an average of 43.3% (range 32%–62%) of total pain content teaching hours to participating health professions students and a range of 8% to 100% of total opioid-related teaching hours. Curricular overlaps and gaps in pain content were identified and will be used to update and inform the iterative design of the UTCSP-IPC. Ninety-three percent of participating health professions faculty indicated that the interprofessional focus on pain care in the UTCSP-IPC was important. Conclusion This study highlighted the value of the UTCSP and areas of curricular refinement to ensure continued relevance in relationship to pain content within the six participating health professions programs. Mapping a coordinated approach between uniprofessional and interprofessional teaching will both meet the demands of professional competence and create greater applicability to future practice settings.

Adoption research, practice, and societal trends: Ten years of progress.

Adoption involves the legal transfer of parental rights and responsibilities from a child's birth parents to adults who will raise the child (Reitz & Watson, 1992). Research related to adoption has expanded over the past 10 years and has incorporated more focus on implications for practice and public policy. This expansion has reflected increased awareness of the lived experience of adopted individuals, in addition to that of adoptive families and birth or first parents and families, collectively known as the adoption kinship network (Grotevant & McRoy, 1998). Trends discussed included research and social trends or movements (2007-2017) since the publication of the final article in a series of articles in the psychological literature related to adoption in The Counseling Psychologist (Baden & Wiley, 2007; Lee, 2003; O'Brien & Zamostny, 2003; Wiley & Baden, 2005; Zamostny, O'Brien, Baden, & Wiley, 2003; Zamostny, Wiley, O'Brien, Lee, & Baden, 2003). This article summarizes the social trends and research related to adoption over the last 10 years, including longitudinal and meta-analytic studies, increased research and conceptualization of ethnic and racial identity development, research on microaggressions, and research on diverse adoptive families, including those with gay and lesbian parents. Social trends included increased knowledge related to Internet accessibility, genetic information, continued focus on openness, and viewing adoption through a more critical lens. Implications are discussed for the development of programs that enhance competence of mental health professionals and adoption professionals in adoption-competent practice. (PsycINFO Database Record

Case della Salute, efficacia terapeutica, risolutività e integralità delle cure: una sperimentazione su modelli di intervento nell'assistenza primaria

The article is about research-training-intervention methodology applied to support Health Homes development in the Ferrara province. This methodology applied to health field combine Participatory Action Research and Permanent Education framework. Along the research muliti-disciplinar, intersectoral working groups were settled. Real case studies and specific tools were used to analyze health services delivery; evaluation and self evaluation about health services delivery and health professional competencies were fostered. Datas collected through the participative process pointed out the educational and training needs of the actors involved and group activities facilitated a peer educational process. Moreover these datas highlighted which organizational models could be adopted to support local health system transition.

Health Literacy Competencies for European Health Care Personnel.

Background:Health literacy as a concept is gaining importance in European countries, although it is still not adequately addressed among health personnel. Health literacy supports the self-management of patients in maintaining and improving health, which could decrease the burden on health systems in Europe. However, health professionals lack adequate knowledge about health literacy and the skills to promote health literacy among their patients.Objective:The Health Literacy Practices and Educational Competencies for Health Professionals (a health literacy training curriculum for health professionals) was recently developed in the United States, and the study presented here aimed to refine that assessment for health personnel in European settings.Methods:The modified Delphi method was used and data collected online via electronic communication to achieve consensus among an expert panel. The participants were a group of 20 health literacy and health care experts from 10 professional fields representing 13 European countries. The participants rated health literacy competencies on a four-point Likert scale and provided written feedback and recommendations. If a predetermined threshold of 70% or more of the participants agreed on the competency, the consensus was defined (similar to the criteria in the Health Literacy Practices and Educational Competencies for Health Professionals intervention).Key Results:After three rounds of ratings and modifications, consensus agreement was reached on 56 health literacy competencies (20 knowledge items, 25 skills items, 11 attitude items) and 38 practices. Eight items were removed from the original list and eight new items were added to the final list.Conclusions:This study is the first known attempt to develop a measurable list of health literacy competencies for health personnel in Europe. Further work is needed to develop educational curricula, standard national and regional guidelines, and questionnaires for the process of implementation to maximize health literacy responsiveness in health care organizations. [Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2017;1(4):e247–e256.]Plain Language Summary:The Health Literacy Practices and Educational Competencies for Health Professionals was recently developed in the United States. This study aimed to refine that assessment for health care professionals in Europe. The modified Delphi method was used and data collected online via electronic communication, and in the end, 56 health literacy competencies were included.

Enhancing Key Competencies of Health Professionals in the Assessment and Care of Adults at Risk of Suicide Through Education and Technology.

This article describes efforts undertaken to improve the clinical competencies of health professionals in the area of suicide risk assessment, documentation, and care planning. Best practices that fit the mental health and addictions setting were identified from the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario Best Practice Guideline on Assessment and Care of Adults at Risk for Suicidal Ideation and Behaviour. A variety of methods were used to implement the guidelines at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. These included 3 in-person educational modules, an e-learning module, and the creation of an electronic health record suicide risk assessment documentation form. Results showed that interprofessional team members improved their suicide awareness and increased their confidence and knowledge in suicide risk assessment and the identification of interventions for clients at risk. Organizational level performance and quality improvement activities after implementation of the education and the electronic suicide risk assessment documentation form are being implemented through a collaboration between performance improvement, clinical education and informatics, and professional practice. The success of an interprofessional educational program of this nature is dependent on the collaboration of a number of stakeholders from a variety of areas of the organization.

Correction of: Effectiveness of Adaptive E-Learning Environments on Knowledge, Competence, and Behavior in Health Professionals and Students: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Correction of: Effectiveness of Adaptive E-Learning Environments on Knowledge, Competence, and Behavior in Health Professionals and Students: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Early psychosis workforce development: Core competencies for mental health professionals working in the early psychosis field.

The aim of this study was to identify the core competencies required of mental health professionals working in the early psychosis field, which could function as an evidence-based tool to support the early psychosis workforce and in turn assist early psychosis service implementation and strengthen early psychosis model fidelity. The Delphi method was used to establish expert consensus on the core competencies. In the first stage, a systematic literature search was conducted to generate competency items. In the second stage, a panel consisting of expert early psychosis clinicians from around the world was formed. Panel members then rated each of the competency items on how essential they are to the clinical practice of all early psychosis clinicians. In total, 1023 pieces of literature including textbooks, journal articles and grey literature were reviewed. A final 542 competency items were identified for inclusion in the questionnaire. A total of 63 early psychosis experts participated in 3 rating rounds. Of the 542 competency items, 242 were endorsed as the required core competencies. There were 29 competency items that were endorsed by 62 or more experts, and these may be considered the foundational competencies for early psychosis practice. The study generated a set of core competencies that provide a common language for early psychosis clinicians across professional disciplines and country of practice, and potentially are a useful professional resource to support early psychosis workforce development and service reform.

The Global Health Nursing Imperative: Using Competency-Based Analysis to Strengthen Accountability for Population Focused Practice, Education, and Research

BackgroundThe Quad Council Competencies for Public Health Nurses are used to guide community and public health nursing course development in baccalaureate nursing programs. As clinical practice has expanded to global settings, the appropriateness of the 2011 Quad Council Public Health Nursing (PHN) Competencies to guide global clinical practice and evaluation was questioned. ObjectiveTo describe a comparison and analysis of three sets of competencies: PHN competencies, competencies for global health nurses, and interprofessional competencies for health professionals. MethodA literature review identified the most current guidelines and competencies for global health practice. Two seminal articles, “Global Health Competencies for Nurses in the Americas” and “Identifying Interprofessional Global Health Competencies for 21st-Century Health Professionals,” were reviewed and compared with the 2011 Quad Council Public Health Nursing Competencies. A six-member multi-site team conducted a qualitative thematic approach to competency analysis. A four column crosswalk spreadsheet grid was used for comparison of the three sets of competencies. Column four was created to identify possible exemplars for clinical practice. FindingsGaps exist in the PHN competencies for specific global and interprofessional competencies. RecommendationsEnhanced and consistent emphasis on population/global health, and interprofessional content throughout nursing curricula is necessary to prepare providers for practice in global settings. Incorporation of global and interprofessional competencies should be considered in the revision of competencies for PHN practice to enhance productive contributions to community health outcomes. Consideration of proper placement of content gaps within basic and advanced nursing education as well as leveling for community/public health nursing practice needs to be addressed by nursing education and practice. In the interim, a special course or elective may be appropriate, especially for schools having clinical nursing practicums in international settings. Clinical evaluation in low-resource settings needs to be enhanced and aligned with competencies.

Examining transgender health through the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health's (ICF) Contextual Factors.

For many transgender individuals, medical intervention is necessary to live as their desired gender. However, little is known about Contextual Factors (i.e., Environmental and Personal) that may act as facilitators and barriers in the health of transgender individuals. Therefore, this paper sought to examine Contextual Factors of the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health that may facilitate or negatively impact the physical, psychological, and social functioning of transgender individuals. A literature review was conducted to identify Environmental and Personal Factors that may influence transgender individuals' physical, psychological, and social functioning. Seven electronic databases were searched. In total, 154 records were reviewed, and 41 articles and other records met inclusion criteria. Three general themes emerged for Environmental Factors: family and social networks, education, and health care. Three general themes also emerged for Personal Factors: socioeconomic status, race, and age. Transgender individuals benefit from gender-affirming services, improved family and social support systems, and competent provider care. Educational training programs, including medical curricula or workshops, might provide the greatest benefit in improving transgender health by increasing the knowledge and cultural competency of health professionals working with this population. Given the diversity of gender expression, differences in lived experiences, and potential for enduring persistent "double discrimination" due to the intersectional relationships between socioeconomic status, race, and/or age, health professionals must approach transgender health using a holistic lens such as the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health.

Practical education in family planning: integrative review

Objectives: To identify educational practices in family planning, facilitating factors, difficulties and resulting impacts.
 Method: This is an integrative literature review, using the three descriptors: "family planning", "health education" and "contraception"; In the databases of the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS) and Nursing Database (BDENF), were searched in January and February 2016.
 Results: Regarding the accomplishment of educational practices, most of the studies pointed out its accomplishment. The difficulties and facilitators aspects were related to the management of the health service, professional competence and users. Guarantee of family rights and autonomy were the impacts pointed out.
 Conclusion: The study showed that educational practices in family planning are tools to be encouraged as a guarantee and respect for sexual and reproductive rights.
 Descriptors: family planning; education in health; contraception.