Family Safety Research Articles

Lived Experiences of Health Workers from the Caraga Regional Hospital (CRH) in Times of Covid-19 Pandemic

This study intends to unfold the lived experiences of the health workers from the Caraga Regional Hospital (CRH) during the outrage of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of five (5) medical doctors, five (5) nurses, and five (5) non-medical staff were subjected to Focus Group Discussions (FGD). Results showed that health workers have different experiences in terms of health benefits. Although the majority of the respondents were able to avail sufficient benefits, some health workers considered the benefits delayed and insufficient. Poor and delayed logistics support during the early years of the pandemic was also encountered. In terms of feelings towards their employer, the majority of the respondents are highly satisfied, while they have expressed feelings of discomfort towards the job. Common difficulties experienced by the health workers include negative social impressions, weariness and discomfort towards the family's safety, and insufficient medical supplies and workforce. On a positive note, the coping strategies of the health workers are strong adherence to safety and health protocols, optimism towards the situation, and quality conversation with psychology experts, friends, and families. These findings are significant inputs to CRH management for planning and better human resource management.

APA poll finds adults are anxious about their family's safety

A new poll released by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) found that one‐third of adults feel extremely anxious about keeping themselves or their family safe and paying their bills or expenses. Their anxiety about these concerns, along with the impact of climate change, has increased since 2022.

Differences in stress levels between junior high school students and college students during online learning

Differences in stress levels between junior high school students and college students during online learning

At the front of the front-line: Ontario paramedics' experiences of occupational safety, risk and communication during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThe study aimed to (1) determine on what bases paramedics in this context have defined themselves as feeling safe or at risk while serving on the front lines and (2) develop recommendations to support paramedics in their critical public health emergency response role.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative study consisted of 21 semi-structured interviews with primary care paramedics (PCPs), advanced care paramedics (ACPs) and critical care paramedics (CCPs) with first-hand experience responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario. Qualitative research is best suited to the research objectives of gaining detailed and nuanced understandings of paramedics' experiences during this public health emergency, and identifying in paramedics' accounts what changes to policy and practice might strengthen their sense of safety in future infectious disease outbreaks (Bowling, 2002; Chafe, 2017). Data collection occurred over the course of 3.5 months, from June 2020 until September 2020.FindingsParticipants described several factors that heightened their feeling exposed to risk particular to working on the front lines of the COVID-19 public health response. These factors include stress connected to personal protective equipment (PPE) and equipment access, risks of infection to self and family, communications and feelings of being systematically under-considered. Recommendations from this research include, but are not limited to, ensuring a more equitable distribution of protective equipment to paramedics across unevenly funded services, and recognizing paramedics face unique and additional stressors in public health emergencies.Research limitations/implicationsA key limitation of this study was the relatively small sample, with 50% of potential participants deciding not to engage in an interview. The authors suspect this is likely a result of timing, as this was conducting during significant periods of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario. The study identifies and begins to shed light on the way in which feelings of compromised safety and specific stressors in a public health emergency context connect to one another and potentially increase risks of burnout for this healthcare provider group. This study's documentation of paramedics feeling uncertainty about their own and their family's safety, combined with feeling occupational pressure, decisional pressure within constrained frameworks of care delivery, a lack of autonomy and a lack of consideration within their healthcare system in general and within its pandemic response in particular, is important in and of itself. These stressors can have serious implications for the ability of paramedics to sustain their integral role in public health emergency response.Practical implicationsA series of pandemic-specific and generalizable recommendations emerged from this research and in collaboration with community-based medical leadership. (1) Consult paramedics on effectiveness of screening questions and equipment. Be sure to illicit and respond to paramedic feedback in a timely manner. (2) Implement operational changes during pandemics in the form of donning and doffing stations, disposable gowns, decontamination teams at hospitals, infectious disease paramedic (IDP) truck, anti-fog sprays for goggles, and safe and controlled areas for eating and taking breaks. (3) Develop an emergency pandemic plan that is resourced and maintained as part of EMS strategic planning. Involve EMS in decisions related to health system emergency planning and sustainability of EMS practice. (4) Establish equitable distribution of resources, such as ensuring PPE is distributed equitably and applying pandemic pay equally to all essential workers. (5) Validate and respect EMS, as they are essential workers. Recognize the expertise of paramedics and community healthcare providers. Finally, an overarching recommendation at the core of this research is the consideration for paramedic knowledge as expertise given their role as critical front line healthcare specialists and the protection of this crucial human resource as it relates to their resilience and mental wellbeing.Social implicationsEvidence-based awareness and improved understanding of paramedic stress during the pandemic is a first step to developing strategies to reduce that stress. This is essential in ensuring access to this essential service during emergencies and the safety of the communities they serve.Originality/valueFindings from this study can inform development of supports to sustain paramedic wellbeing during public health emergencies, during the ongoing pandemic, in Ontario and beyond.

Talking With Your Children About Racism: Start, Continue the Conversation

Racism and discrimination harms everyone in our communities.As a parent, you must assume children of almost any age may experience racism first-hand or are exposed to racism. Children may be called names or bullied. They may also overhear adult conversations, see online videos, or watch news coverage of actions ranging from unfair treatment or unkind words to violent protests or hate crimes. Some actions may make children feel afraid for their own safety or their family's safety. They might have questions about why people are hurting other people.Ideally you can talk with them first, in ways they can understand, before they hear about it from other sources. When talking to your children, keep the following tips in mind:It's OK to acknowledge that people are treated differently based on the color of their skin and where they live and share examples of this happening. But this is also an opportunity to show your children how to make a positive difference. For example, perhaps your family can call your city council person or superintendent to advocate for issues faced by communities of color. Think about how you might confront your own biases and show how you want your children to respond to others who may be different than them.If we are to progress in this country, it's going to be because we help our children, adolescents and young adults learn not just that racism exists, but that it is something all of us can work together to dismantle.Adapted from the HealthyChildren.org article Talking to Children about Racism: The Time is Now by Nia Heard-Garris, MD, MSc, FAAP, and Jacqueline Dougé, MD, MPH, FAAP (1/7/2021).The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists, and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety, and well-being of all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.In all aspects of its publishing program (writing, review, and production), the AAP is committed to promoting principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion.The information contained in this publication should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.

Nurse Sensemaking for Responding to Patient and Family Safety Concerns.

Hospitals need to prevent, respond to, and learn from safety risks and events perceived by patients and families, who in turn rely on nurses to respond to and report their safety concerns. The aim of the study was to describe the process by which bedside nurses evaluate and determine the appropriate response to safety concerns expressed by patients or their families. A qualitative design was employed. We recruited inpatient bedside nurses in an 811-bed Midwest academic medical center. Nurses provided demographic information and participated in semistructured interviews designed to elicit narratives related to evaluation and response to patient- or family-expressed safety concerns. Data analysis and interpretation were guided by grounded theory. We enrolled 25 nurses representing 22 units. Based on these nurses' experiences, we developed a grounded theory explaining how nurses evaluate a patient or family safety concern. Nurses make sense of the patient's or family's safety concern in order to take action. Achieving this goal requires evaluation of the meaningfulness and reasonableness of the concern, as well as the potential effect of the concern on the patient. Based on this nursing evaluation, nurses respond in ways designed to (a) manage emotions, (b) immediately resolve concerns, (c) involve other team members, and (d) address fear or uncertain grounding in reality. Nurses reported routinely handling safety concerns at the bedside without use of incident reporting. Safety requires an interpersonal and evaluative nursing process with actions responsive to patient and family concerns. Safety interventions designed to be used by nurses should be developed with the dynamic, cognitive, sensemaking nature of nurses' routine safety work in mind. Being sensitive to the vulnerability of patients, respecting patient and family input, and understanding the consequences of dismissing patient and family safety concerns are critical to making sense of the situation and taking appropriate action to maintain safety. Measuring patient safety or planning improvement based on patient or family expression of safety concerns would be a difficult undertaking using only standard approaches. A more complex approach incorporating direct patient engagement in data collection is necessary to gain a complete safety picture.

An Enemy of the People

An Enemy of the People

Repetitive Questioning II.

Repetitive questioning is a major problem for caregivers, particularly taxing if they are unable to recognize and understand the reasons why their loved one keeps asking the same question over and over again. Caregivers may be tempted to believe that the patient does not even try to remember the answer given or is just getting obnoxious. This is incorrect. Repetitive questioning is due to the underlying disease: The patient’s short term memory is impaired and he is unable to register, encode, retain and retrieve the answer. If he is concerned about a particular topic, he will keep asking the same question over and over again. To the patient each time she asks the question, it is as if she asked it for the first time. Just answering repetitive questioning by providing repeatedly the same answer is not sufficient. Caregivers should try to identify the underlying cause for this repetitive questioning. In an earlier case study, the patient was concerned about her and her family’s safety and kept asking whether the doors are locked. In this present case study, the patient does not know how to handle the awkward situation he finds himself in. He just does not know what to do. He is not able to adjust to the new unexpected situation. So he repeatedly wants to reassure himself that he is not intruding by asking the same question over and over again. We discuss how the patient’s son-in-law could have avoided this situation and averted the catastrophic ending.

Sudden unexplained death in children

Sudden unexplained death in children

Development of a Culturally Informed Child Safety Curriculum for American Indian Families.

American Indian (AI) children are disproportionately affected by unintentional injuries, with injury mortality rates approximately 2.3 times higher than the combined rates for all children in the United States. Although multiple risk factors are known to contribute to these increased rates, a comprehensive, culturally informed curriculum that emphasizes child safety is lacking for this population. In response to this need, academic and tribal researchers, tribal community members, tribal wellness staff, and national child safety experts collaborated to develop a novel child safety curriculum. This paper describes its development and community delivery. We developed the safety curriculum as part of a larger randomized controlled trial known as Healthy Children, Strong Families 2 (HCSF2), a family-based intervention targeting obesity prevention in early childhood (2-5years). During the development of the HCSF2 intervention, participating tribal communities expressed concern about randomizing enrolled families to a control group who would not receive an intervention. To address this concern and the significant disparities in injuries and unintentional death rates among AI children, we added an active control group (Safety Journey) that would utilize our safety curriculum. Satisfaction surveys administered at the 12-month time point of the intervention indicate 94% of participants (N=196) were either satisfied or very satisfied with the child safety curriculum. The majority of participants (69%) reported spending more than 15min with the curriculum materials each month, and 83% thought the child safety newsletters were either helpful or very helpful in making changes to improve their family's safety. These findings indicate these child safety materials have been well received by HCSF2 participants. The use of community-engaged approaches to develop this curriculum represents a model that could be adapted for other at-risk populations and serves as an initial step toward the creation of a multi-level child safety intervention strategy.

The contribution of parents’ driving behavior, family climate for road safety, and parent-targeted intervention to young male driving behavior

One of the prominent issues in contemporary research on young drivers deals with the mechanisms underlying parents’ influences on their offspring's driving behavior. The present study combines two sets of data: the first gathered from in-vehicle data recorders tracking the driving of parents and their teenage sons, and the second derived from self-report questionnaires completed by the young drivers. The aim was to evaluate the contribution of parents’ driving behavior, participation in a parent-targeted intervention, and the teen drivers’ perception of the family climate for road safety, to the driving behavior of young drivers during solo driving. The data was collected over the course of 12 months, beginning with the licensure of the teen driver, and examined a sample of 166 families who were randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups (receiving different forms of feedback) or a control group (with no feedback). Findings indicate that young male drivers’ risky driving events rate was positively associated with that of their parents. In addition, any type of intervention led to a lower rate of risky driving events among young drivers compared to the control group. Finally, a higher perception of parents as not committed to safety and lower perceived parental monitoring were related to a higher risky driving events rate among young drivers. The results highlight the need to consider a complex set of antecedents in parents’ attitudes and behavior, as well as the family's safety atmosphere, in order to better understand young drivers’ risky driving. The practical implications refer to the effective use of the family as a lever in the attempt to promote safety awareness among young drivers.

‘I'm Working Towards Getting Back Together’: Client Accounts of Motivation Related to Relationship Status in Men's Behaviour Change Programmes in New South Wales, Australia

Research in Australia has examined factors associated with filicide in order to more accurately instigate points of intervention. Factors include parental separation/divorce, depression in the perpetrator and domestic violence. Therefore, services that facilitate men's behaviour change programmes provide one such point of intervention. Relationships Australia NSW offers ‘Taking Responsibility’: an 18‐week programme that addresses men's use of violence and abuse in their intimate relationships, through group work and individual support. Fundamental to this programme is the whole family's safety, which is managed through initial screening, ongoing contact and access to additional therapeutic services. Programme evaluation has revealed that men's change factors are influenced by varying levels of motivation, at intake and throughout. These accounts have indicated that the relationship status with their partner affects their motivation, which in turn has the potential to affect their investment in the programme. This relates to both increased and diminished motivation. Partners and former partners, however, expressed ambivalence towards their continuing relationships. Given the risk factors for filicide associated with domestic violence and separation, these interviews contribute to what is known about men's motivation to change violent and abusive behaviours, and in turn the clinical objectives for professionals working on these programmes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.‘Fundamental to this programme is the whole family's safety’Key Practitioner Messages: The client's relationship status often changes throughout the course of a men's behaviour change programme. A separation can negatively affect motivation and behaviour change processes. Professionals working with men who use violence are advised to raise the topic of the client's relationship status, to prevent attrition, and work with them to broaden their motivations. ‘A separation can negatively affect motivation and behaviour change processes’

The Journals and Letters of Susan Burney: Music and Society in Late Eighteenth-Century England by Philip Olleson (review)

The Journals and Letters of Susan Burney: Music and Society in Late Eighteenth-Century England. By Philip Olleson. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2012. [xxi, 334 p. ISBN 9780754655923. $134.95.] Illustra - tions, bibliography, index.England's musical landscape once teemed with Burneys. Today the family's patriarch looms largest: Charles Burney transformed his station as a promising provincial musician to Doctor of Music and the foremost music historian of his day. Many still turn to his four-volume History of Music (1776-89), a historiographical landmark and a chronicle of musical life in the late eighteenth century. Music-literary aptitude was not limited to Dr. Burney, however. Daughters Frances (Fanny) and Sarah prospered as novelists, while Susan, between them in age, captured in journals and letters a London music scene satiated on pasticcio and overrun by continental musicians. In a volume of fine craftsmanship, Philip Olleson delivers Susan's letters and journals from manuscript sources.The Journals and Letters of Susan Burney opens with a lengthy biographical introduction. Susan was born in 1755. She was regarded as a lively child and a talented student in schools in Paris and London. She circulated in London's musical scene during her adolescence and young adulthood. An engagement, marriage, and family followed, although her journals also record chronic marital tension.The volume is largely concerned with Susan's accounts of musical activities. Olleson picks up at the opening of the King's Theatre's 1779-80 opera season, when Susan recounts in considerable detail works by Antonio Sacchini, Ferdinando Bertoni, and Niccolo Piccinni as well as several pasticcios. She also chronicled encounters with the theater's colorful personalities. Castrato Gasparo Pacchierotti receives the most attention. The space he occupies in Susan's journals may be disproportionate even to his station as primo uomo. Susan's words admit a possible infatuation: [he] was so perfectly in tune, & so touching in his Expression that I c[ould] have woship'd him (p. 107). Apart from this, these passages are remarkable also in the way they traverse private life and the public sphere. For instance, Pacchierotti at once projected on stage a celebrity persona while revealing in intimate conversation modesty and even self-doubt.Self-doubt consumes Susan as well, especially when she is called on to play. She managed works of Ignace Joseph Pleyel but stressed over the music of Leopold Kozeluch and Joseph Haydn. She wrote about one such occasion: Forcing myself to attempt what I knew I c[ould] not execute, it ended as I had foreseen in general disappointment (p. 210). Her repertoire was almost exclusively modern. Susan rarely encountered ancient works (i.e., compositions older than a decade or two) or the leading composers of the previous generation (e.g., Corelli and Handel).Although not oriented toward musical activities, the journals and letters also capture the anti-Catholic furor of June 1780. During this time, Lord George Gordon challenged the Papist Act of 1778, which discouraged discrimination against Britain's Catholic population. The rioting that erupted following a Gordon-led march on Parliament on 2 June 1780 prompted Susan to fear for her family's safety and their home, as flames consumed the property and possessions of the neighbors. Despite several sleepless nights, her initial fear-our House w[ould] be burnt & Pillaged in all probability (p. 176)-gave way to confidence of peace when rioting subsided by 8 June.There are few entries from 1780-87, when Susan was in close proximity to her sister Fanny, the recipient of her letters. Susan resumed regular visits to London in 1787, and attended numerous musical performances over the next four years, although her presence was not as regular as it had been a decade earlier. …

Florida Department of Health workers' response to 2004 hurricanes: a qualitative analysis.

Examinations of the demands on public health workers after disaster exposure have been limited. Workers provide emergency care while simultaneously risking injury, damage to personal property, and threats to their own and their family's safety. We examined the disaster management experiences of 4323 Florida Department of Health workers 9 months after their response to 4 hurricanes and 1 tropical storm during a 7-week period in August and September of 2004. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire focused on work performance, mental and physical health, daily functioning, sleep disturbance, physiological arousal, and injury and work demand at the time of the hurricanes, and answered open-ended questions that described their experiences in more detail. A qualitative analysis conducted from the write-in data yielded 4 domains: (1) work/life balance; (2) training for disaster response role; (3) workplace support; and (4) recovery. Study findings highlighted a number of concerns that are important to public health workers who provide emergency care after a disaster and, in particular, multiple disasters such as during the 2004 hurricane season. The findings also yielded important recommendations for emergency public health preparedness.

Bringing Diagnosis Into the Quality and Safety Equations

CASES OF DELAYED, MISSED, AND INCORRECT DIAGnosis are common, with an incidence in the range of 10% to 20%. Some errors in diagnosis stem from mistakes in the interpretation of diagnostic tests. For example, pathology, radiology, and the clinical laboratory each have error rates of 2% to 5%. Superimposed on these testing errors are the ubiquitous system-related errors encountered in every health care organization, as well as cognitive errors caused by faulty clinical reasoning. Diagnostic errors do not occur only in connection with unusual conditions but span the breadth of clinical medicine, from rare disorders to commonplace ones like anemia and asthma. Most diagnostic errors are either inconsequential or discovered in time, but others are not. Based on the findings from large autopsy series, Leape et al estimated that diagnostic error accounts for 40 000 to 80 000 deaths per year, and the number of patients who are injured must be substantially higher. In a recent survey of more than 6000 physicians, 96% felt that diagnostic errors were preventable. How is it then that improving diagnosis goes largely unrepresented in the current quality framework? The recently proposed National Quality Strategy focuses almost exclusively on management, as do the proposed “pay-for-performance” measures and those presently being publicly reported. As Nuland observed, diagnosis is “ . . . the most critical of a physician’s skills. It is every doctor’s measure of his abilities; it is the most important ingredient in his professional self image.” Patients undoubtedly want their physicians to be accurate diagnosticians too. Yet diagnosis has been omitted from the quality and safety equations. Diagnosis apparently gets overlooked in most efforts to ensure quality and safety. In the seminal Institute of Medicine report To Err Is Human, the phrase medication error is used 70 times while diagnostic error occurs twice. Although there are many reasons for this omission, difficulty understanding and measuring diagnostic errors is certainly part of the answer. Another major factor involves the absence of ownership: in the quality and safety family, diagnostic error is essentially an orphan. Health care leaders assume their physicians should be responsible for ensuring reliable diagnoses, but most physicians seem to believe they are doing just fine. Through malpractice suits, physicians are well aware of diagnostic error, but there is a general tendency to perceive that such errors are made by someone else, someone less careful or skillful. Moreover, whereas errors such as wrong-site surgery and wrong-dose medication errors seem amenable to systems solutions (time-outs, computerized order entry, etc), diagnostic errors seem intensely personal: the “system” appears to be the physician, and his or her own knowledge, skills, values, and behaviors. The absence of diagnosis-related quality measures has had several consequences. The lack of interest and emphasis has translated into a similar level of apathy within health care organizations. We are unaware of any health care organization that is currently collecting specific data on diagnostic error or engaged in a system-wide campaign to decrease the frequency or consequences of diagnostic error. Without data on such errors, there is no clear motivation to improve the diagnostic process and no way to measure progress. Moreover, with so much focus being placed on improving quality and safety in treatment-related areas, the relative inattention to diagnosis has consequences: resources and attention that could be used to improve diagnosis are devoted instead to the already-overrepresented management issues. Not only is diagnosis critically important to patients, but improving diagnostic skill lies at the heart of efforts to rein in escalating costs of health care. Costs related to diagnostic testing are increasing faster than any other component of health care expenditures. The ABIM Foundation’s recently launched “Choosing Wisely” campaign focuses on using the most appropriate diagnostic strategies, an effort that could save billions of dollars. Additional savings could be found in reducing the harm caused by diagnostic errors; the magnitude of these costs must be substantial but have never been estimated.

The presence of IPV in foster care cases: Examining referrals for services, reunification goals, and system responsibility

The co-occurrence of child maltreatment and intimate partner violence (IPV) is estimated to range from 30 to 60% and IPV can negatively affect reunification for children in foster care. The purpose of this descriptive study is to assess the co-occurrence, reunification goals, and referrals for services related to IPV by foster care case managers. The study relies on survey data from 165 case managers in three geographic areas of one Midwestern state. Data from focus groups of case managers and supervisors (n = 64) are also used to uncover any barriers related to IPV services and reunification. The results indicate that overall, few referrals for IPV services are made by foster care case managers for children and adult perpetrators, although more referrals are made for adult victims and perpetrators when reunification is the goal. Focus group results reveal that a lack of available, affordable, and beneficial services were among the barriers cited for the low number of referrals for IPV services. Building resources and IPV services that are viewed as necessary and beneficial to children and families is essential to increasing a family's safety and improving the well-being of all members.

Bill Defines Who Can Call Themselves Physicians

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Government NewsFull AccessBill Defines Who Can Call Themselves PhysiciansMark MoranMark MoranSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:15 Jun 2007https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.42.12.0003APA, the AMA, and seven other medical organizations are hailing the introduction of legislation that would make it unlawful for health care professionals to misrepresent their qualifications to patients.The Healthcare Truth and Transparency Act (HR 2260) was introduced last month by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) and John Sullivan (R-Okla.) to help safeguard patients from misleading claims by nonphysicians about their qualifications and training. McDermott, Congress's only psychiatrist, is a member of APA.The bill states that the legislation would make it “unlawful for any person who is a licensed health care service provider but who is not a medical doctor or doctor of osteopathic medicine to make any deceptive or misleading statement, or engage in any deceptive or misleading act, that deceives or misleads the public or a prospective or current patient that such person is a medical doctor or doctor of osteopathic medicine or has the same or equivalent education, skills, or training.”As described in the legislation, the types of statements or activities that would be prohibited include “advertising in any medium; making false statements regarding the education, skills, training, or licensure of such person; or in any other way describing such person's profession, skills, training, experience, education, or licensure in a fashion that reasonably causes the public, a potential patient, or current patient to believe that such person is a medical doctor or doctor of osteopathic medicine.”In separate statements following introduction of the bill, leaders of APA and the AMA said it would help protect patients and ensure that they can make informed decisions about whom they want to obtain their health care from.“Patients shouldn't have to play roulette with their health care,” said incoming APA President Carolyn Robinowitz, M.D., in a written statement. “Now is the time for truth and transparency in health care. Information is power—the power to make better choices, the power to protect you and your family's safety, and the power to keep costs in check by getting you the care you need the first time you seek it.”AMA Board of Trustees member William Hazel Jr., M.D., said in a statement that it is important for patients to know the qualifications of health care professionals caring for them. “The AMA and its medical specialty partners applaud Reps. John Sullivan and Jim McDermott for introducing legislation that protects patients by strengthening the Federal Trade Commission's authority to challenge misleading marketing by nonphysician medical providers,” Hazel said.Joining APA and the AMA in public support of the Sullivan and McDermott bill are the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, American Society of Anesthesiologists, American Osteopathic Association, American College of Surgeons, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.In a statement issued in conjunction with the introduction of the bill, Sullivan said that he believes that the overwhelming majority of American people support legislation to make it easier for them to understand the qualifications of their health care professionals.“Patients today are confused about the health care system in general, especially about the differences in health care providers. We need to make changes to allow patients to understand who they are receiving care from, which is why I have reintroduced the Healthcare Truth and Transparency Act.”The text of the Healthcare Truth and Transparency Act can be accessed at<http://thomas.loc.gov> by searching on its bill number, HR 2260. ▪ ISSUES NewArchived

Human attitudes towards large carnivores in Norway

Many factors influence human attitudes towards large carnivores. In our study we explore different factors that affect attitudes towards four such species, i.e. wolverines Gulo gulo, lynx Lynx lynx, brown bears Ursus arctos and wolves Canis lupus. We examined attitudes through a representative sample of the Norwegian population. By using 12 independent variables chosen for this study, we were able to explain around 15-45% of the variance in attitudes towards the four species. In general, people displayed more negative attitudes towards wolves and bears than towards lynx and wolverines. However, they were more positive towards increasing the small populations of the first two species than the relatively large populations of the last two. The results showed that 34-44% of the respondents reacted negatively to the question ‘What do you think should be done about the size of the carnivore population?’. On the other hand, 73-87% reacted positively to the question ‘Do these species have a right to exist in Norway?’. To the question ‘How far do you want the carnivore species from your home?’, 41-66% answered > 10 km. The most important variables explaining negative attitudes towards all the large carnivore species regarded the concern of the respondents for their own and their family's safety. People became more negative with age; those who were afraid of the carnivores were in general more negative towards them, and those who experienced financial loss (i.e. farmers) by having large carnivores in their vicinity expressed negative attitudes. On the other hand, the excitement of seeing large carnivores in their natural environment had a positive influence on attitude. People from larger communities were in general more positive, whereas those who thought they had the species in their vicinity were more negative. Big-game hunters frequently showed negative attitudes, whereas those with higher levels of education tended to be more positive. Our results indicate that attitudes towards large carnivores are complex. However, people are in general more negative towards wolves and bears, which must be taken into account in conservation programmes.

Who Can Call Themselves Physicians: Law Would Draw the Line

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Government NewsFull AccessWho Can Call Themselves Physicians: Law Would Draw the LineRich DalyRich DalySearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:21 Jul 2006https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.41.14.0002The Healthcare Truth and Transparency Act aims to bar practitioners who have not graduated from medical school from misrepresenting themselves as physicians through advertising. Under the legislation, sponsored by Rep. John Sullivan (R-Okla.), nonphysician health professionals who continue to misrepresent themselves would face investigation and fines by the Federal Trade Commission.The legislation is backed by APA as a member of the Coalition for Health Care Accountability, Responsibility, and Transparency (CHART), a physicians' advocacy group. The legislation is needed to help patients avoid“ substandard—and perhaps even dangerous—care” through misleading claims, said APA President-elect Carolyn Robinowitz, M.D., in a written statement.“Information is power—the power to make better choices, to protect you and your family's safety, and to keep costs in check by getting you the care you need the first time,” she said.The legislation aims to eliminate practices such as those of Louisiana psychologists, who in recent years won the right to prescribe psychoactive medications and to refer to themselves as “medical psychologists.” That title is misleading, APA maintains, because the law that gave Louisiana psychologists prescribing privileges placed their oversight with the nonphysician Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists rather than with a state medical board.“The term `medical psychologist' encourages a patient to believe he or she is being seen by a medical doctor, when they're really being seen by someone without a medical degree. To me, that is deceptive,” Robinowitz said.Sullivan said that the increasingly complex health care system has created a need to help consumers understand the differences in the kind of care they are offered.The vast majority of Americans (90 percent) appear to be concerned about the qualifications of the professionals who provide their health care, according to a recent CHART survey. It found 86 percent support federal legislation that would make it easier for them to understand the qualifications of the health care professionals who treat them and their families.The measure comes as changes in state laws in recent years related to practitioners' scope of practice have blurred the line between physicians, other clinicians who have some degree of medical training, and nonmedically trained practitioners. Adding to the confusion are nonphysician clinicians who use “physician” inaccurately or employ misleading uses of“ doctor.”“While non-M.D. practitioners have an important role in the health care system, in fairness to the patients, the line must be clear as to the qualifications of the providers treating them,” Sullivan said. “As we focus on improving the delivery of health care in America, we must start by insisting on a level of transparency and truth in advertising that will empower patients to make an informed decision when it comes to their health care.”In addition to APA, CHART members include the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, American College of Surgeons, American Medical Association, and American Society of Anesthesiologists.The text of the Healthcare Truth and Transparency Act is posted at<http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.R.5688:>.▪ ISSUES NewArchived

Reflections on a Visit to Burma

Research Article| June 01 1997 Reflections on a Visit to Burma Michael Christopher Michael Christopher Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Asian Survey (1997) 37 (6): 540–549. https://doi.org/10.2307/2645528 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Michael Christopher; Reflections on a Visit to Burma. Asian Survey 1 June 1997; 37 (6): 540–549. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/2645528 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentAsian Survey Search This content is only available via PDF. Copyright 1997 The Regents of the University of California Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.