Frontline Nursing Staff Research Articles

Real-time intervention to increase daily chlorhexidine bathing and reduce central line-associated bloodstream infections.

After an increase of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) at our community hospital in 2021, a case-control study suggested that patients with CLABSIs were 3.0 times more likely to have missed daily chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) bathing than patients without CLABSIs. To increase the rate of daily CHG bathing in hospitalized patients with central lines and subsequently reduce the number of CLABSIs. Our pre-post intervention was launched on September 2022 and consisted of enhancements to the electronic health record (EHR) to simplify the identification of overdue CHG bathing instances to increase compliance, and therefore decrease the CLABSI rate at our hospital. A workflow was implemented Monday-Friday utilizing these EHR enhancements for active surveillance to engage frontline nursing staff and address gaps in care in real time. After the initiative was implemented, adherence to daily CHG bathing increased from 94.9% to 95.3%, with a considerable disparity between weekdays (97.6%) and weekends (89.3%). After weekend data were excluded, the post-intervention increase in the adherence rate was statistically significant (p = .003). This initiative underscored the importance of involving health care informatics partners and showed how technology can bridge gaps in health care quality. Outreach and reminders effectively improved CHG bathing adherence by emphasizing the importance of consistent communication and follow-up.

2271 Older trauma in the emergency department

Abstract Aim Improve the care of patients aged 65+ presenting with trauma to the emergency department by ensuring earlier senior reviews (ST4+) and consideration of trauma calls and appropriate imaging. Method Staff survey to assess awareness of older trauma and its management. Data analysis and collection followed by use of PDSA cycles to implement change. Teaching session on primary survey assessment and management of older trauma. Development of older trauma standard operating procedure. Results Improvement was seen in both primary outcomes over a period of 8 months. Documentation of primary survey improved from 30% from the initial 5 weeks to 52% over the final 5 weeks on average. Senior doctor review or discussion improved from 30% average in the first 5 weeks to 80% averaged across the final 5 weeks. There was no evidence of effect on waiting times in the emergency department for these patients. Conclusion This quality improvement initiative has positively impacted the early assessment of older trauma patients, aiming to mitigate the likelihood of missed injuries and adverse outcomes. While we haven’t formally assessed more complex outcome data, a notable achievement is the initiation of a cultural shift among our frontline medical and nursing staff. This shift involves approaching older trauma patients with a heightened index of suspicion. Among the interventions, the most straightforward and reproducible was the implementation of regular educational emails. We anticipate continued progress and hope that this poster serves as inspiration for other departments. Encouraging a review of how they assess and treat this expanding cohort of vulnerable, complex, and potentially critically ill patients. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon that for our growing elderly population, a trip and fall can lead to fatal consequences. We aspire for this work to contribute towards broader efforts in changing that narrative.

Impact of Sociodemographic Characteristics on the Quality of Life of Frontline Nursing Staff During COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic imposed unprecedented challenges on healthcare systems worldwide. The pandemic placed frontline nursing staff working in the ICU and ER at the epicenter of this global crisis. This study aimed to assess the multifaceted impact of sociodemographic characteristics on the quality of life (QOL) of nursing staff during the pandemic. Method A cross-sectional survey was conducted to evaluate the impact of sociodemographic characteristics on the QOLof 322 frontline nurses working in the ICU and ER of five Saudi hospitals from May to July 2022. Participants completed the electronic survey questionnaire including demographic characteristics and four domains of QOL from the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREFF). The data was evaluated using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results Among 322 nurse participants, the majority were female (84.8%), married (64.4%), and held a bachelor's degree (92.4%). Age (above 40 years), gender (male), and marital status (married) reported a higher individual domain and overall QOL scores which shows that these characteristics have a direct influence on QOL. Years of work experience, extra working hours, and direct contact with COVID-19 patients were additional significant factors. Pearson correlation coefficients among QOL domains ranged from 0.54 to 0.91, indicating a strong interrelation among these domains. The highest transformed score was in the social domain (70.10) while the lowest score was in the psychological domain (59.20). The overall QOL mean score (SD) was 3.49(0.14) and the mean score (SD) of general health was 3.46(0.15). Conclusion The findings of this study suggest that sociodemographic and work-related factors have a complex and multifaceted impact on the QOL of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. It also presents an insight into developing specific interventions to enhance nurses' resilience and well-being amidst pandemic challenges and to improve their QOL.

Voices from frontline nurses on care quality and patient safety during COVID-19: An application of the Donabedian model

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted quality of care and patient safety. This study aimed to describe registered nurses' (RNs) perceptions on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their ability to adhere to patient safety protocols using Donabedian's Health Care Quality model. In October 2020, a survey was conducted among all actively licensed RNs in New Jersey who provided direct patient care during the first peak of COVID-19. Of 3,027 participants, 68% reported that the number of patients assigned impacted their ability to adhere to protocols. RNs identified a variety of organizational structures impacting adherence, including inadequate staffing, staff qualifications, and inadequate resources. Impacted processes included the inability to adhere to patient safety protocols and conduct comprehensive assessments and surveillance, the need for additional time spent on personal protective equipment and isolation policies, and difficulty maintaining isolation integrity; the need to prioritize and cluster care; and guidelines limiting personnel who could enter the room. Nurses attributed both adverse patient and staff outcomes to inadequate staffing and high patient acuity. These findings highlight the need for health care organizations to support frontline nursing staff in adhering to patient safety and infection prevention and control protocols during times of crises. Infection preventionists have substantial contact with bedside nurses and should leverage their collegial relationships to promote patient safety.

The analysis of reliability and validity of a competency evaluation model for front-line nursing staff during the outbreak of major infectious diseases.

Outbreaks of major infectious diseases represent a tremendous threat to people's health, safety and property, yet little is known about the competence of front-line caregivers in such situations. To construct a model for evaluating the competency of front-line nursing staff during major infectious disease outbreaks and to test the model's reliability and validity. This was a cross-sectional study that took place between November and December 2021, in Chinese hospitals. The model was constructed through literature reviews, descriptive qualitative research, the Delphi method and the analytic hierarchy process. To evaluate the model's validity and reliability, 550 front-line nurses were selected to complete a questionnaire survey, and six experts were invited to conduct a content validity evaluation. Cronbach's α coefficient was used to test the model's reliability, while an exploratory factor analysis was used to measure the structural validity of the model. The model included 57 items. The Cronbach's α coefficient of the model was 0.983, and the content validity index was 0.958. Six common factors were produced by exploratory factor analysis. The cumulative variance contribution rate was 66.718%. After discussion, the original four dimensions were maintained. The model for evaluating the competency of front-line nursing staff during an outbreak of major infectious diseases has strong reliability and validity and can be used as a tool to assess the competency level of front-line nursing staff. This model can provide a useful reference for care managers to accurately evaluate, train and select caregivers during an epidemic.

Factors associated with the perceptions of eHealth technology of Chinese nurses and nursing students

AimThe current study sought to assess the perceptions of eHealth technology of nurses and nursing students in China and to examine the association between these perceptions and demographic factors. BackgroundDespite the increasing use of eHealth technologies in China and across the globe, the perceptions of practicing and student nurses remain minimally explored. Findings from such an inquiry can potentially inform actions and policies to improve the uptake of eHealth technologies among Chinese nurses. DesignThis was a cross-sectional study with a real-time online survey. MethodsA convenience sample of 1338 nurses and nursing students from Mainland China participated in the study. Their perceptions of eHealth technology were collected using the Chinese version of the Perceptions of eHealth Technology Scale. The Kruskal-Wallis test and multiple linear regression analysis were used to examine the relationship between demographic variables (age group, gender, occupation, education level, position and clinical experience) and perceptions of eHealth technology. All study procedures adhered to the STROBE guidelines. ResultsMost participants were aged between 20 and 29 (55.8%). Nearly half (42.5%) were frontline clinical nursing staff, some were nursing students (36.2%), academic nursing staff (12.3%) and clinical nursing management staff (9.0%). Regardless of the differences in their demographic characteristics, the participants had higher mean scores in “Perception of eHealth applications” and lower mean scores in “Knowledge of eHealth technology”. Participants with doctoral degree had a higher mean total score and higher sub-scale scores in knowledge of eHealth technology, perception of the advantages of eHealth technology and perception of eHealth applications; and the lowest scores in perception of the disadvantages of eHealth technology and perception of eHealth applications. Occupation, position and clinical experience were found to be the demographic characteristics associated with eHealth perceptions, before adjusting for age and gender. Education level was associated with eHealth perceptions regardless of adjustment. ConclusionOverall, participants had higher scores on perceptions of eHealth applications but lower scores on knowledge of eHealth technology. Considering the association between education and all subscales and overall scores, it may be essential to implement continuing professional education for nurses to improve their knowledge of eHealth applications. Encouragement to use available eHealth digital technologies may also be helpful to improve perceptions of eHealth.

The Behavioral Intention of Hospitals to Promote Sustainable Development of Green Healthcare from the Perspective of Organizational Stakeholders during the COVID-19 Epidemic: A Case Study of Hospitals in Taiwan

When the World Health Organization (WHO) analyzed the culprits of global warming, it was found that in developed countries with relatively few high-polluting heavy industries, the medical sector is one of the sources of high-density carbon emissions. Therefore, the medical industry has a noticeable impact on the environment. Amid the current COVID-19 epidemic, this study adopts the theory of planned behavior (TPB), widely used in decision-making science. We selected a regional teaching hospital with 339 employees in Taiwan to obtain valid questionnaire data. We explore the comparative analysis of different intra-organizational stakeholders’ “attitudes,” “subjective norms,” and “perceived behavioral control” on the hospital’s behavioral intention to promote green healthcare. The results show that the TPB model has reliable explanatory power. All three factors have a positive and significant effect on promoting green hospital behavior. Among them, perceived behavioral control was the most notable. A comparative analysis of the differences among stakeholders in the research model shows that “medical administrators” and “nursing staff” have a higher proportion of significant influence effects in various hypotheses, highlighting the critical roles of these two groups in promoting green hospitals. This research policy suggests that the cross-departmental staff in the hospital put forward green innovation ideas, strengthen internal environmental education and management, establish a good incentive system for front-line nursing staff, and implement the sustainable development strategy of the hospital.

Intervention strategies for separation disorder of nursing staff in sudden infectious public health events

BackgroundSeparability disorder is also called hysteria, and its main manifestations are separation symptoms and conversion symptoms. Patients often have symptoms such as acute stress disorder and traumatic stress disorder. Infectious public health emergencies are unpredictable and have a wide range of impacts. In such cases, nurses are faced with intensive work, and their mental health is greatly damaged. What’s more, it will cause psychological diseases such as acute stress disorder and traumatic stress disorder. Therefore, it is necessary to organize psychological experts to form intervention teams and establish perfect intervention procedures so as to pay attention to the psychological health of nursing staff and to track and evaluate their psychological status.Subjects and MethodsThe experiment randomly selected 46 nursing staff with dissociative disorder in sudden public health events, and divided them into an experimental group (23) and a control group (23). The patients in the observation group were given routine nursing care, and the experimental group added a team of psychological experts to intervene on this basis. During the intervention, attention should be paid to the construction of a good atmosphere and the maintenance of indoor lighting, temperature, humidity, and another comfortable physical environment. After 2 months of the experiment, the SAS and SDS scores of the two groups were observed.ResultsTable 1 shows the comparison of SAS (Self-Rating Anxiety Scale) scores and SDS (Self-Rating Depression Scale) scores of patients with dissociative disorder in two groups of public health emergencies before and after the intervention. Before the intervention, there was no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). After the intervention of the psychological experts, the scores of the two groups decreased, indicating that the patient’s condition had improved. However, the psychological status of patients in the experimental group was significantly better than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05).Table 1.Comparison of SAS and SDS scores between two groups before and after intervention ($ \overline{x}\pm s $)GroupSASSDSBefore InterventionAfter InterventionBefore InterventionAfter InterventionExperimental group46.38±3.2532.72±3.9847.23±3.2434.36±4.21Control group47.02±3.0543.51±4.6348.13±4.0345.65±5.13P>0.05<0.05>0.05<0.05ConclusionsNursing staff in public health emergencies are prone to suffer from separation disorder due to the particularity of their occupation. Therefore, based on the topic of psychological health of nursing staff, the experiment proposed the method of establishing a team of psychological experts to intervene in the psychological health of front-line nursing staff. The final experimental results show that this method can indeed improve the probability of separation disorder among nursing staff.

Nursing management for temporary lodging facilities in Japan in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic: A multiple-case study.

AimTemporary lodging facilities which were non‐medical facilities were established to secure beds for severely and moderately ill patients with COVID‐19, as well as for isolation, non‐contact observation, and care of mildly ill and asymptomatic patients in Japan. This study aims to understand nursing management practices adopted in these facilities by examining cases of their establishment and operation.MethodsA multiple‐case study design was used. Interviews for qualitative data collection were conducted from August to October 2020. After analyzing the nursing management practices in four temporary lodging facilities, common points were collated and integrated.ResultsFor the establishment and operation of temporary lodging facilities, a three‐layer structure based on disaster management methods was adopted: headquarters at the helm as overseers, field supervisors in the middle, and frontline nursing staff at the base. The structure had clear roles, facilitated information exchange, and provided efficient and effective nursing care. Field supervisors mainly provided psychological and clinical support for staff and served as information and interprofessional hubs.ConclusionIt is recommended that temporary lodging facilities should be organized based on principles of the division of labor. The workforce should comprise nursing staff, and experienced nursing professionals should be recruited to the higher echelons.

Exhaustion and burnout in the healthcare system in Greece: A cross-sectional study among internists during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly changed everyday life around the world. The situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic has been shown to be associated with severe mental health problems in frontline medical and nursing staff. The aim of this study was to investigate exhaustion, disengagement, secondary traumatic stress, compassion satisfaction, burnout, as well as depression, anxiety and stress among internists in Greece, during the second lockdown period. Internists were approached through the Internal Medicine Society of Greece and a total of 117 participated in the study (response rate: 15.3%). The participants responded through a Google form on the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21, the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) and the Professional Quality of Life Scale version 5 (ProQOL-5). Exhaustion was found in the majority of the participants (88%), 65.8% met the criteria for at least moderate levels of compassion satisfaction and 71.8% presented moderate levels of burnout. Furthermore, about half of the participants met the criteria for moderate to extremely severe levels of depression, anxiety and stress. Finally, regression analyses showed that depression was associated with both the OLBI and ProQOL-5 scales. The majority of the internists, during the lockdown period in Greece, were evaluated as "exhausted", with high rates of negative psychological symptoms. The present study, despite the limitations, highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on internists, which triggered a shift in attention onto the treatment, and especially the prevention, of stressful situations for health professionals.

Major Stressors and Coping Strategies of Frontline Nursing Staff During the Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2020 (COVID-19) in Alabama.

BackgroundStudies suggest that nursing staff during pandemics such as H1N1 Influenza and COVID-19 exhibit higher than usual stress levels due to an increasingly overburdened healthcare system and increasing infection rates. This study aims to investigate the major stressors and coping strategies reported by nurses working directly with potentially infectious patients in Alabama, United States, during the COVID-19 pandemic.Materials and MethodsA cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted with nursing staff working in hospital settings in the state. The questionnaire was completed by 109 nurses working in hospitals that treated COVID-19 patients.ResultsAround 71% of the nursing staff were concerned about receiving more COVID-19 patients and exhibited heightened workload-related stress resulting from taking care of infected patients. The study found that most nurses (82%) are stressed about getting their friends and family infected. Overall, younger, less experienced nurses reported more stress levels compared to older, senior-level nurses. Findings suggest that many nurses fail to perceive protective measures as an effective coping strategy, with only 75% reporting problem-solving strategies such as hand washing and wearing a face mask, and only 60% avoiding public transportation and crowded spaces. Findings also suggest a lack of organizational support including psychiatric assistance, with no nurses reportedly seeking psychological therapy.ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic increased the stress level of the nursing staff in Alabama. The study finds that the cases in the state of AL are still increasing dramatically, which can overwhelme the healthcare system and escalate nurse stress levels.

Caught off guard by covid-19: Now what?

Human beings are social in nature and maintaining social interactions, relationships and intimacy are fundamental needs of older adults (OAs) living in assisted living (AL) communities. Yet, these very basic human needs have been impeded by quarantine mandates imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.The socialization aspect offered in AL, allows for an integration of the whole person: body, mind, and spirit and is beneficial in mitigating the development of co-morbidities and negative patient outcomes. Additionally, the authenticity of home comes from the caring interactions provided by an interprofessional health care staff.Utilizing the 4 M Framework, created by The John A. Hartford Foundation and Institute of Healthcare Improvement, the authors describe simple direct bedside interventions of low cost, and high patient-centered value which front-line nursing and caregiver staff can employ to maintain social connections, interactions, mentation, function and mobility among residents they care for, and care about, in AL communities.

Psychological Problems and Intervention Strategies of Front-Line Nurses Fighting against Covid-19

The front-line nurses who fight against the Covid-19 epidemic situation have high work intensity, high risk of infection and high risk of mental health. Psychological intervention is very important for the physical and mental health of nursing staff. Through the analysis of the working state, stress disorder and mental health factors of front-line nursing staff, this paper puts forward some psychological intervention countermeasures and suggestions, such as early psychological crisis intervention, strengthening the emergency drill of public health events, establishing professional belief, strengthening the labor protection of female nursing staff, etc., for the reference of professionals and relevant departments

Reducing CLABSI and CAUTI: Does the Infection Preventionist's Title Matter?

<h3>Background</h3> Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) are associated with morbidity, mortality, expense and prolonged length of stay, yet these infections are largely preventable. We found that CLABSI/CAUTI reduction success varied widely within our 27-facility US acute care hospital system, and that infection prevention (IP) leadership roles were not standardized throughout. We conducted a 12-month study to examine differences in CLABSI and CAUTI standardized infection ratios (SIR) between director-led IP programs and manager-led programs. We also analyzed additional variables that may have influenced the outcomes between the two groups. <h3>Methods</h3> Nine of our facility IP programs are led by directors, while 18 are led by managers. CLABSI and CAUTI SIRs were calculated for each group via the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). In addition, we examined IP years' experience, certification (CIC) status, and IP staffing ratios to account for differences in knowledge, experience, and full-time equivalents (FTE) available for the programs. An eight-question survey was sent to front-line nursing staff at each facility via Survey Monkey to assess nursing perceptions on the importance of the IP program. Analysis was completed on levels of influence using Fischer's Exact and Student's T Tests. <h3>Results</h3> Analysis revealed that programs led by IP directors had statistically significant lower CLABSI (p=0.00) and CAUTI (p=0.026) SIRs than manager-led programs. There was no significant difference in years of IP experience (p=0.31), CIC status (p=0.38) or the number of FTEs (p=0.24) between each group. Additionally, survey results on perceptions of IP program importance among front line nursing staff showed significantly higher scores for IP directors reporting to senior leadership (p=0.04). <h3>Conclusions</h3> Our study suggests that director-led IP programs may be more successful in CLABSI and CAUTI reductions due to the direct reporting structure and access to senior leadership that influences perception of the IP program.

Leadership strategies to promote frontline nursing staff engagement.

Leadership strategies to promote frontline nursing staff engagement.

The psychological status investigation on the nursing staff in a 3A-level hospital during the prevalence of COVID-19 and the analysis of its influencing factors

Objective: The objective of the study is to investigate the psychological status of nursing staff both working on nonfront line and on the front line during the epidemic period of COVID-19 and to analyze the influencing factors related to mental health state, as well as to provide targeted psychological intervening measures for nursing staff in the face of this major public health event.Methods: We used data from January 28, 2019, to February 08, 2020, on the number of cases who worked in the 3A-level hospital as nonfront-line nurses (n = 29, 54%) and those who worked in Wuhan infectious hospital as the front-line supporters (n = 25, 46%) came from the 3A-level hospital. The participants completed the symptom checklist 90, and the researchers recorded data on demographics, psychological status, and the influencing factors.Results: In our baseline scenario, we estimated that the total symptom index was 1.676 ± 0.654 for nurses who worked on the front line, 1.260 ± 0.304 for those who worked as the front-line reserve nurses, and was 1.486 ± 0.647 for those who worked as the nonfront-line nurses. The results of correlation analysis show that the factors related to the psychological status of nurses include age, professional title, marital status, and family support; different factors have different effects on psychological status.Conclusion: In the face of major public health emergencies, both front-line nursing staff and nonfront-line staff are confronted with different degrees of psychological stress, so effective psychological support should be given to improve the working efficiency and enthusiasm of nurses.

Traditional Chinese medicine nursing protocols for COVID-19

In order to facilitate nurses to understand the key points of COVID-19's common syndromes, master the key points of nursing with syndrome differentiation, use the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) nursing characteristics, standardize TCM nursing behavior, and improve the TCM nursing effect, through the search of relevant information, combined with the clinical practice experience of more than 1 month of front-line anti-epidemic nursing staff, the TCM nursing protocols for COVID-19 (draft) were formed. After four rounds of expert consultation and discussion, and 15 times of collation and revision, the final version of TCM nursing protocols for COVID-19 was formed. The TCM nursing protocols for COVID-19 include the following five parts: key points of common syndromes, nursing for common symptoms/syndromes, TCM special nursing, healthy guidance, and difficulties in nursing; it is scientific and practical, and can provide clinical guidance for nursing of patients with COVID-19.

1173. Expanding the MAGIC: Engagement of Frontline Nursing Staff in Device Stewardship

BackgroundNearly 40% of all peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) placements may be inappropriate. Validated appropriateness criteria (Michigan Appropriateness Guide for Intravenous Catheters or MAGIC) were developed to improve patient safety and decrease adverse events from PICC line use. Recent studies have demonstrated the impact of MAGIC implementation with success but involve multimodal interventions that may not be sustainable. We evaluated the effect of a nursing-driven MAGIC-derived triage tool online utilization.MethodsWe conducted a quasi-experimental before and after study evaluating the effect of a MAGIC-derived triage tool including all patients for whom a PICC consult was ordered. The triage tool was implemented January 1, 2018 as part of the consult order and required providers to identify an indication for placement. All consults were reviewed by the IV Team Nurses who collaborated with ID providers when warranted. Providers were contacted if MAGIC criteria suggested alternate access was more appropriate and encouraged to either place a mid or peripheral line or to consider an oral medication. Rates of line utilization and line infections pre-intervention and post-intervention were compared.ResultsOverall, 242 consults for PICC lines were placed during the one year intervention period January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018. Indications included: antibiotics (54%), TPN/chemo (21%) difficult access (17%), no response (8%). Thirty-five PICCs were averted directly related to the intervention. Appropriate indication of PICC placement with the tool was 88%. During this same time period, the line utilization ratio (lines/1,000 patient-days of care) decreased from a mean of 3.8 (range 3.3 to 4.2 for years 2015–2017) to 2.6, a 32% reduction (IIR 0.72; P < 0.05). Central line bloodstream infection rates (infections/1,000 line days of care) also decreased from a mean of 0.81 (range 0.56 to 1.18 for years 2015–2017) to 0.37, a 54% reduction (IIR 0.4; P = 0.10).ConclusionEven in a setting of low line infection and line utilization rates, further reductions in potential device harm can be achieved using point of care feedback tools. This intervention empowers nursing involvement in device stewardship, thus expanding the range of their involvement in stewardship activities. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

The knowledge, perceptions and relationship behaviour of rugby and football players towards HIV infection at the University of Limpopo.

BackgroundSport has the capability to unite a country. To achieve winning teams, athletes have to rely on each other and often have close physical contact. Disclosure of a positive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status may be problematic for athletes in contact sports as they may suffer discrimination and stigmatisation which may impact their relationship behaviours. This may impact frontline nursing and medical staff dealing with on-field ‘blood’ injuries.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to determine if individuals who participate in football and rugby are aware of the risk of HIV infection in contact sports and their perceptions and reported behaviour towards HIV-positive athletes.MethodA cross-sectional survey design with a qualitative element. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while thematic content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data.Non-proportional quota sampling was used for male rugby (n = 23) and football (30) players registered at the University of Limpopo (Turfloop campus).ResultsThe results supported previous research in that there are gaps in HIV knowledge. For instance, not knowing that anal sex may cause HIV infection and believing that saliva can transmit HIV and that blood transfusions are unsafe.ConclusionProblematic findings were that a portion of the sample believed that having sex with a virgin could cure HIV and the majority of the sample believed that being ‘bewitched’ could cause HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

"Imagine if I'm not here, what they're going to do?"-Health-care access and culturally and linguistically diverse women in prison.

BackgroundWomen in prison have complex medical needs and poorer health status than the general population. Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women in prison, particularly those with limited English proficiency (LEP), have distinct needs and risk additional isolation, discrimination and marginalization when they are in prison.ObjectiveWe sought to examine how cultural and linguistic diversity, particularly LEP, affects the health‐care experiences of women in prison.Design, Setting and ParticipantsWe conducted focus groups and semi‐structured qualitative interviews with CALD women and frontline nursing staff in the three female Correctional Centres in New South Wales, Australia.ResultsParticipants comprised 30 women in prison and nine nurses. Both women and staff reported communication difficulties as a significant and additional barrier to accessing and receiving health care. For some women with LEP, barriers to care were perceived as discrimination. Fellow prisoners were often utilized as support persons and informal interpreters (“peer interpreters”) in place of formally trained interpreters. While peer interpreters were perceived as useful, potential challenges to their use were vulnerability to coercion, loss of confidentiality, untrained health advice and errors of interpretation.ConclusionThe persistent use of peer interpreters in prison is complicated by the lack of clearly defined roles, which can include informal peer support roles and lay health advice. These are highly complex roles for which they are unlikely to be adequately trained or supported, despite perceived benefits to their use. Improved understanding and facilitation of health‐related communication could enhance equity of access for CALD women in prison.