Attitudes Of Healthcare Professionals Research Articles

Attitude toward Suicidal Behavior: A Cross-Sectional Study among Health-Care Professionals in Northwest Malaysia

Introduction: The attitude of clinicians will steer the direction of clinical care provided to patients with suicidal behavior. However, there is limited local data to suggest the attitude of health-care workers toward suicidal patients in the health-care settings. Objective: We aimed to assess the attitude of health-care professionals toward suicidal behavior and the factors influencing their attitude. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a single tertiary health-care facility in northwest Malaysia, using a validated modified Suicide Opinion Questionnaire, distributed to medical doctors, nurses, and assistant medical officers. Results: A total of 487 health-care workers from 13 clinical departments participated in the study. We found that health-care professionals generally held unfavorable attitudes toward suicidal behavior, with 70.0% of the respondents generated low attitude scores in overall section. Independent factors that were found to be significantly associated with unfavorable attitudes toward suicidal behavior include religion (P = 0.027), education level (P = 0.007), and occupation (P = 0.007). Multivariate analysis with logistic regression showed that medical doctors were found to be 2.11 times more likely to hold unfavorable attitudes toward suicidal behavior as compared to nurses (95% confidence interval: 1.15–4.30, P = 0.009). Conclusion: Our findings highlighted the suicide stigma that is prevalent even among professional health-care workers in Malaysia. The unfavorable attitude toward suicidal behavior contrasted the elements of empathy and care that should be the core practice in health-care services. Therefore, we suggest for the implementation of training workshops incorporating interactive communication skills and reflective thinking to improve understanding and attitude toward suicidal behavior among health-care workers.

KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, PRACTICE AND ANXIETY OF HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS PERTAINING TO THE OUTBREAK OF COVID -19

Background: The COVID -19 pandemic is highly dangerous with its rapid rate of spread and death rate all over the world; it has caused a lot of stress and anxiety in the public as well as in healthcare professionals. Objective: To find out knowledge, attitude, practice and anxiety of different health care professionals towards COVID-19. Methods: A cross sectional Survey was conducted on n=429 healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses, physical therapists and technicians(laboratory technicians, imaging technicians, OT staff )among different hospitals of Rawalpindi during the month of May to December, 2020. Data was collected through non probability convenient sampling. To find the knowledge, attitude, practice and anxiety, a self-structured questionnaire was administered after content validity from two experts. The data was analyzed and interpreted using SPSS ver 21. Results: The mean age of the health care professional was 30.30±8.82 years. The mean score of the knowledge of all health care professionals was 11.13±1.16 showing good knowledge about the disease, its spread and preventive measures. There was negative 7.57±1.83 attitude with significant difference (p=0.001) among the healthcare professionals. The mean score (8.51±0.84) of practice regarding COVID-19 was good and anxiety was high 56.85±9.93, showing higher levels of stress among all health care professionals. There was no significant difference (p≥0.05) among knowledge, practice and anxiety level, but significant difference (p<0.001) was observed among healthcare professional regarding the attitude towards COVID-19. Conclusion: The knowledge and practice regarding COVID19 among different health care providers found to be good. However; there is a difference in attitude of health care professionals that was shown to be negative. Anxiety remained unaffected from change in knowledge, attitude and practice. However knowledge, attitude and practice affect each other. Keywords: Anxiety, Attitude, Corona, COVID-19, Health Care Professionals, KAP, Knowledge

Views of Healthcare Professionals to Traditional and Complementary Medicine

Objective: Although its roots go back centuries, there is still a demand for traditional medicine practices and it is important to know the opinion of the society and healthcare professionals about the subject. Our study aims to determine the attitudes of healthcare professional and non-healthcare hospital staff about traditional medicine.Material-Method: A two-stage questionnaire, a demographic information section, and the Complementary, Alternative, and Conventional Medicine Attitudes Scale (CACMAS) was used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics, Kolmogorov Smirnov, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal Wallis and chi-square tests were used to analyze the data.Results: A total of 681 staff of nine public and private hospitals participated in the study. 65.4% (n=439) of the participants were healthcare professionals, 34.6% (n=232) were non-healthcare professionals. The mean scores of the healthcare professional respondents were 92.6 (±16.7), of the non-healthcare professional respondents were 126.1 (±11.7).Conclusion: In our study, it was found that healthcare professionals' attitudes towards traditional medicine practices were more negative than non-healthcare professionals. However, as according to the current legislation in many countries around the world, only physicians who receive standard training and other healthcare professionals under their supervision are authorized to perform traditional medicine practices in Turkey. As a result of our study, it was determined that the attitudes of healthcare professionals and other segments of the society should be observed about traditional medicine practices and that measures should be taken to bring together the supply and demand for traditional medicine on a legal basis.

Attitudes, knowledge and practice behaviours of oncology health care professionals towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) patients and their carers: A mixed-methods study

ObjectiveThere is growing recognition that health care professionals (HCPs) and policy makers are insufficiently equipped to provide culturally competent care to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) cancer patients and their families. We examined HCP attitudes, knowledge, and practices regarding LGBTQI cancer care using a mixed-methods research design. MethodSurveys were completed by 357 oncology HCPs in nursing (40%), medical (24%), allied health (19%), and clinical leadership roles (11%); 48 of the surveyed HCPs were interviewed. ResultsMost HCPs reported being comfortable treating LGBTQI patients, but reported low levels of confidence and knowledge and systemic barriers to LGBTQI cancer care. Most wanted more education and training, particularly on trans and gender-diverse people (TGD) and those born with intersex variations. ConclusionEducation of HCPs and health system changes are required to overcome barriers to the provision of culturally competent cancer care for LGBTQI patients. Practice implicationsThese findings reinforce the need for inclusion of LGBTQI content in HCP education and professional training curricula, and institutional support for LGBTQI-inclusive practice behaviours. This includes administrative and visual cues to signal safety of LGBTQI patients within cancer care, facilitating inclusive environments, and the provision of tailored patient-centred care.

Impact of COVID-19 on patient and healthcare professional attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors toward the healthcare system and on the dynamics of the healthcare pathway

BackgroundCOVID-19 has dramatically changed how healthcare is delivered and experienced.MethodsOne-on-one interviews and a virtual ethnographic roundtable were conducted among 45 patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals (HCPs) in 4 therapeutic areas from the United States and Japan: overactive bladder, vasomotor symptoms, prostate cancer, and metastatic urothelial carcinoma. The goal was to identify the impact of COVID-19 on patient/caregiver and HCP attitudes, interactions, beliefs, and behaviors toward the healthcare system and care pathway.ResultsFour foundational themes were identified: 1) COVID-19 risk is relative; 2) isolation is collateral damage; 3) telehealth is a parallel universe; and 4) COVID-19 is destabilizing the foundations of healthcare. Numerous insights, influenced by diverse cultural, social, and psychological factors, were identified within each theme.ConclusionsThe impacts of COVID-19 were noticeable at multiple points of care during the “universal” care pathway, including at initial screening, referral to specialists, diagnosis, treatment initiation/surgery, and during ongoing care. Greater appreciation of the short- and long-term impacts of COVID-19 and resulting gaps in care may act as a catalyst for positive change in future patient care.

Healthcare Professionals’ Breastfeeding Attitudes and Hospital Practices During Delivery and in Neonatal Intensive Care Units: Pre and Post Implementing the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative

Background:The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative represents a global effort to support breastfeeding. Commitment to this program has been associated with the longer duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding and improvements in hospital practices. Further, healthcare professionals’ breastfeeding attitudes have been associated with the ability to provide professional support for breastfeeding.Research Aims:To determine healthcare professionals’ breastfeeding attitudes and hospital practices before and after the implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.Methods:Using a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest study design, healthcare professionals (N = 131) from the single hospital labor and delivery, maternity care, and neonatal intensive care were recruited before and after the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative intervention during 2017 and 2019. Breastfeeding attitudes with the validated Breastfeeding Attitude Questionnaire, breastfeeding-related hospital practices, and background characteristics were collected.Results:The healthcare professionals’ breastfeeding attitude scores increased significantly after the implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, difference = 0.16, (95% CI [0.13, 0.19]) and became breastfeeding favorable among all professional groups in each study unit. Positive changes in breastfeeding-supportive hospital practices were achieved. The infants had significantly more frequent immediate and uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact with their mothers. The rate of early breastfeeding, as well as the number of exclusively breastfed infants, increased.Conclusions:After the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative for neonatal wards (Neo-BFHI) interventions were concluded, we found significant improvements in the breastfeeding attitudes of healthcare professionals and in breastfeeding-related care practices.This RCT was registered (0307-0041) with ClinicalTrials.gov on 03/03/2017.

Assessing Knowledge and Attitude of Healthcare Professionals on Biosimilars: A National Survey for Pharmacists and Physicians in Taiwan.

Despite the first approval of biosimilars’ in 2010, biosimilar products usage has remained low in Taiwan. This cross-sectional survey study assessed healthcare professionals’ (HCPs)—hospital pharmacists, oncologists, and rheumatologists—knowledge, and attitudes toward biosimilars. More precisely, their knowledge and attitude towards biosimilars’ current usage and regulations in Taiwan were analyzed. The mean ± standard deviation knowledge score was 2.56 ± 0.86 out of 4 (n = 395), and a difference in knowledge score was determined according to the hospital types (p = 0.004). Rheumatologists possessed significantly higher confidence in their knowledge of biosimilars than other HCPs (p = 0.001). Pharmacists showed the highest acceptance—and rheumatologists the least—for switching patients from reference drugs to biosimilars (p = 0.02). Hospital type was associated with the respondent’s confidence in their knowledge (p = 0.04) and the preference for distinguishable naming of biosimilars (p = 0.007). Their knowledge scores were associated with their confidence in the efficacy and safety of biosimilars (p = 0.02). The study found that the current level of biosimilar knowledge of HCPs in Taiwan is low. The higher the knowledge score, the greater the confidence in biosimilars and the familiarity with relevant regulations.

Attitudes of Health Care Professionals on Parental Presence During Invasive Procedures and Resuscitation: A Cross-sectional Study in Eastern Nepal

Introduction: Trends are changing to allow parents and families to be with their child during invasive procedures. Because of the intense workload, there is a tendency to overlook the parents’ feelings. Attitudes of physicians and nurses are the common obstacles for this.
 Objective: To determine health care professionals’ attitudes toward parental presence during invasive procedures.
 Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the health professionals in the department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine of a tertiary care center in Eastern Nepal. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Review Committee of the institute. Total sample size was 112 (83 nursing staff and 29 physicians). Attitudes of physicians and nursing staff towards parental presence during various invasive procedures were recorded in the predesigned proforma. Data was entered in MS Excel and analysed using SPSS version 21.0. Frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, chi-square test, independent t-test and one-way ANNOVA were used for data analysis at p<0.05.
 Results: Simple procedures like intravenous blood sampling and the simple wound repair or suture majority of the health professionals (71.1% to 79.3%) agreed for parental presence. Other major procedures including resuscitations, majority (69.0 % to 85.5%) disagreed for the parental presence. The most important factors considered was the child’s request (62.1% to 80.7%) for parental presence. The major likely reason for declining was unjustly blaming the medical staff for common/ simple complications (69.9%). Only for the simple wound repair, statistically significant differences were noted between the physicians and the nursing staff (p= 0.033) on the basis of years of experiences where the physicians preferred for the parental presence.
 Conclusion: Both the physicians and the nursing staff preferred not to allow the parents in the major invasive procedures including resuscitations whereas when the level of invasiveness decreased, the rate of approval increased in both the groups.

An interactive e-learning module to promote bio-psycho-social management of low back pain in healthcare professionals: a pilot study

ABSTRACT Introduction: Low back pain (LBP) is ranked as the first musculoskeletal disorder considering years lived with disability worldwide. Despite numerous guidelines promoting a bio-psycho-social (BPS) approach in the management of patients with LBP, many health care professionals (HCPs) still manage LBP patients mainly from a biomedical point of view. Objective: The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility of implementing an interactive e-learning module on the management of LBP in HCPs. Methods: In total 22 HCPs evaluated the feasibility of the e-learning module with a questionnaire and open questions. Participants filled in the Back Pain Attitude Questionnaire (Back-PAQ) before and after completing the module to evaluate their attitudes and beliefs about LBP. Results: The module was structured and easy to complete (91%) and met the expectations of the participants (86%). A majority agreed that the module improved their knowledge (69%). Some participants (77%) identified specific topics that might be discussed in more detail in the module. HCPs knowledge, beliefs and attitudes about LBP significantly improved following module completion (t = −7.63, P < .001) with a very large effect size (ds = −1.63). Conclusion: The module seems promising to change knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of the participants. There is an urgent need to develop and investigate the effect of educational interventions to favor best practice in LBP management and this type of e-learning support could promote the transition from a biomedical to a bio-psycho-social management of LBP in HCPs.

A questionnaire-based knowledge, attitude and practice study to determine the awareness of pharmacovigilance among the health care professionals in a tertiary care hospital of West Bengal

Background: Pharmacovigilance programs have been introduced to keep an eye on adverse drug reactions and safe use of drugs. All Healthcare professionals (HCPs) should report each and every adverse events which they come across. Pharmacovigilance programme of India is running actively since 2010 but India contributes only 2% of Adverse drug reactions (ADR’s) reported worldwide. There is need to monitor awareness of HCP’s about pharmacovigilance to achieve the goals. Such studies from peripheries of Eastern India are lacking. The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice and overall awareness among HCP’s about pharmacovigilance and to understand actual barriers of ADR reporting.Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was done in Burdwan Medical College and Hospital. Ninety-nine HCP’s completed the pre-designed questionnaire. There were 15 questions to assess the awareness and cause(s) of underreporting. Data were analysed using appropriate statistical software.Results: We analysed data of 67 doctors and 32 nurses. We found, 67.2% doctors and 59.4% nurses knew definition of pharmacovigilance. About half HCP’s had knowledge about existing pharmacovigilance committee in our hospital. Almost all HCP’s felt ADR reporting is necessary. Surprisingly 88.1% doctors and 46.9% nurses experienced ADR at least once but 25.4% and 3.1% reported them respectively. For knowledge and practice related questions, correct responses were significantly higher for doctors. Most common discouraging factors regarding ADR reporting were, didn’t know how to report (52.5%) where to report (41.4%).Conclusions: Attitude of HCP’s towards pharmacovigilance activities was appreciable and combining it with periodic sensitizing programs, and training sessions will increase the knowledge, clear doubts about ADR reporting and improve the awareness about pharmacovigilance.

The Sexuality of Adolescents and Young Women With MRKH Syndrome: A Qualitative Study

BackgroundVaginal agenesis, most commonly referred as Mayer–Rokitansky–Küster–Hauser (MRKH) Syndrome, is mostly diagnosed as primary amenorrhea in teenage girls; although there is plenty of literature concerning the formation of a neovagina, limited research has focused on the psychological burden of this diagnosis to the girls. AimTo enlighten health providers into the finer aspects of sexuality through the own words and experiences of girls with MRKH under our care. MethodsWomen currently undergoing vaginal dilation or who had completed vaginal dilation within the past year were recruited from February 2019 to January 2020. A gynecologist with training in Sexual Medicine conducted a semistructured interview, which was recorded and then transcribed to identify common themes among interviewees. OutcomesThe main outcome explored was the narrative experiences of women with MRKH. Results7 women participated, with a mean age of 19.7 (range 17–22 years). None of the girls felt stigmatized, however one reported significant distress at diagnosis, stemming from the attitude of health care professionals and exacerbated by an earlier age at disclosure. All girls accepted that VDT was successful, when it was initiated after they had felt sexual interest and arousal. Exact quantification of the vaginal length at onset, worried 4 as they felt pressurized to achieve a specific length. A few girls reported anxiety over sharing the diagnosis with an intimate partner. All of them pretended at some point to have menses. Childbearing was an important issue for most of the interviewees, but it did not concern them for the time being. All girls had supporting families. However, 5 did not want to share information about VDT with them. One girl reported that openness in discussing genital anatomy, VDT and sexuality, helped her both in completing treatment and adapting in a sexual relationship. Clinical ImplicationsA multidisciplinary team should aim for age-appropriate disclosure and consultation and guide women through VDT and their sexual relations. Strengths and LimitationsThis is a thorough account of women's perceptions regarding VDT and sexuality in MRKH. However, our conclusions may be limited by the small number of participants. ConclusionGradual provision of information at disclosure and adjusted timing at VDT may reduce stress in girls with MRKH.Tsitoura A, Michala L. The Sexuality of Adolescents and Young Women With MRKH Syndrome: A Qualitative Study. J Sex Med 2021;18:2012–2019.

Attitudes of Healthcare Professionals and General Population Toward Vaccines and the Intention to Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19 in Spain.

Background: To achieve herd immunity, the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine by the population, especially healthcare professionals, plays a key role. The objective of the present paper is to address the differences in attitudes among Spanish healthcare professionals compared with the general population regarding COVID-19 vaccination.Methods: This cross-sectional study included data from 2,136 adults (n = 664 healthcare professionals) from an online survey conducted from May 6 to June 9, 2021. The Vaccination attitudes examination scale was used to measure the negative attitudes toward vaccines. Four subscales: mistrust of vaccine benefit, worries about the unforeseen future effect, concerns about commercial profiteering, and preference for natural immunity were calculated. Generalized linear mixed models were conducted to study these associations.Results: Between 10.2 and 22.6% of the subjects showed high levels of negative attitudes toward vaccines. However, only 1.5% of our sample (2.1% among healthcare professionals) refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine when it was offered because they chose otherwise. Retired people showed the lowest concerns and the highest trust in vaccines. No statistically significant effects were found between working in a healthcare field and having higher positive attitudes toward vaccines.Conclusion: Low levels of rejection against the COVID-19 vaccine were identified in the present sample. However, despite being at a higher risk, health care professionals did not show higher positive attitudes toward vaccines. Furthermore, refusal percentage to vaccination was higher among healthcare professionals compared with non-healthcare professionals. Developing a strategy to increase positive attitudes against the COVID-19 vaccine should be an objective for public health policy.

The Year of Enduring COVID-19: Typology of Attitudes Displayed by Health Care Professionals in Ukraine

Aim. Identification and construction of the typology of attitudes of health care professionals in Ukraine to the current COVID-19 situation and vaccination process. Methods. Transcripts of 49 semi-structured interviews subjected to thematic analysis constituted the subject matter of the analysis. On the basis of the categories identified within the thematic analysis process, a typology was developed, with due account of two parameters: the idea about the origin of the virus: artificial or natural, and the attitude of the informants to the policy (implementation of policy decisions) chosen by the authorities to fight the virus. Combination of these two parameters gives four standpoints—types of attitude of health care professionals to the risks associated with COVID-19. Results and conclusion. Analysis of the results has enabled to outline the problem field for assessing the risk of COVID-19, which includes three topics, as well as to point out four typical standpoints in the attitude displayed by health care professionals that are marked as “magical thinking,” “technological thinking,” “negativistic thinking,” “critical thinking.” Originality. The research was conducted during the third wave of coronavirus in Ukraine, therefore, it reflects the analysed opinions of health care professionals about the threat of COVID-19 and vaccination process. The fact that the research was performed using qualitative methods ensured focusing on subjective peculiarities of the perception of changes in the COVID-19 situation.

Perceptions, experiences, and attitudes of health care professionals regarding the role of librarians in fostering evidence-based health practice: a systematic review protocol.

The objective of this systematic review is to explore perceptions, experiences, and attitudes of health care professionals in teaching hospitals, academic health science centers, and health care professional colleges regarding the role of librarians in fostering the production of evidence-based research. Evidence-based health practice entails the use of the best research evidence, combined with knowledge and information gained through professional expertise as a practicing clinician, and consideration of patients' concerns and preferences to make the best possible decision for the care provided to those patients. With their extensive skills in literature searching, librarians and other information professionals contribute to the process of evidence-based health practice by locating and retrieving the most relevant information for clinical practice. Despite the importance of librarians in evidence-based health practice, little attention has been paid to the perceptions and attitudes of health care professionals toward the involvement of librarians in fostering evidence-based research and their participation in other evidence-based health practice activities. The population of interest is health care professionals working in teaching hospitals, academic health science centers, and health care professional colleges who make clinical decisions based on evidence, clinical judgments, and patient values. The following databases will be searched from database inception till June 2021 for published and unpublished studies: CINAHL, PsycINFO, AMED, Academic Search Premier, Scopus, LISTA, MEDLINE, POPLINE, and OpenGrey. Studies published in English will be considered for review. The selected studies will be critically assessed for methodological quality by two independent reviewers. PROSPERO CRD42019136749.

Attitudes Towards Assisted Suicide Among Hospital Workers: Results of a Large Multiprofessional Survey in French-Speaking Switzerland

"Background: Worldwide, assisted dying is currently on the rise. For health care professionals (HCP), this raises questions regarding roles and responsibilities. Switzerland is a social laboratory for a non-medicalized form of suicide assistance (SA). Aims: To describe experiences and attitudes of Swiss HCP toward SA in the hospital setting and to identify associated factors. Methods: An online questionnaire survey targeted all HCP involved in patient care at two tertiary hospitals in French-speaking Switzerland. The primary outcome was a favorable attitude toward SA. Associated factors were assessed using logistic regression. Results: A total of 5127 professionals responded (37.1%). The sample was representative of the hospitals, with 74% being female, 52% nurses, 23% physicians and 25% other professions. 69% supported the view that each HCP should have the choice to participate or not in SA. The majority favored access to SA in case of severe somatic illnesses, irrespective of prognosis, but less for patients with mental disorders or healthy seniors. 60% of all HCP were generally ready to be involved in SA, but only 30% of physicians would prescribe a lethal substance. 58% of HCP would consider assisted suicide for themselves in certain circumstances. Independent factors associated with a favorable attitude toward SA were: younger age, graduation in Switzerland, non-physician profession. Working in palliative care or being protestant was associated with a less favorable attitude. Conclusion: The diverse attitudes of HCP suggest that the Swiss model of SA may have to be reconsidered, including the question about the participation of hospital workers. "

Transcultural adaptation and validation of a French version of the University of California, Los Angeles geriatrics attitudes scale (UCLA-GAS-F)

BackgroundIn the context of demographic aging, active aging must be encouraged. In addition, the increase in life expectancy requires specific care for the elderly. Therefore, it is important to ensure appropriate training and education to caregivers. Educational institutions put value in positively influencing the attitudes and behaviours towards elderly people in order to ensure the quality of patient care in the future. Questionnaires are often used to assess attitudes. Among them, the University of California, Los Angeles Geriatrics Attitudes Scale (UCLA-GAS) was developed to assess attitudes towards older people and caring for older patients. This scale has been used to evaluate attitude of healthcare professionals and students including undergraduate physiotherapy students. To our knowledge, there is no scale that assesses the same concept in French. Therefore, this study aimed to translate and adapt the UCLA-GAS into French and to test its psychometric properties.MethodsWe conducted this study in two phases. First, we translated and adapted the UCLA-GAS from English into French following the five recommended stages of cross-cultural adaptation. Second, we validated the French version of the scale with undergraduate physiotherapy students. One hundred nineteen students participated from the first to the third academic years. We estimated reliability and validity of the scale. We performed correlation analyses between the French version of the UCLA-GAS (UCLA-GAS-F) with the Aging Stereotypes and Exercise Scale (ASES) and the Attitudes to Aging Questionnaire (AAQ).ResultsThe scale was translated and adapted into French. Results of the validation phase showed that the UCLA-GAS-F had high test-retest reliability (ICC 0.83, 95%CI 0.74–0.89), but internal consistency below 0.7 (Cronbach’s alpha 0.49 to 0.57). The scale showed no ceiling or floor effect. As expected, the French version showed a weak correlation to the ASES (r = 0.28, p = .003) and to the AAQ (r = 0.32, p = .001).ConclusionsDespite low internal consistency, the French version of the UCLA-GAS showed appropriate psychometric properties. Further validation should include healthcare professionals and other healthcare students.

Evaluation of a Workshop on Therapeutic Lying and Dementia Care for Long-Term Care Staff Supporting Persons With Dementia.

Therapeutic lying is an intervention used by health care professionals (HCPs) when a person with dementia is disoriented and distressed and when all other interventions have not succeeded in deescalating the symptoms of dementia. The goal of this study was to evaluate a workshop on therapeutic lying and dementia care for HCPs specializing in the care of persons living with dementia with symptoms of dementia. Seventeen HPCs, including nurses and personal support workers (PSWs), participated in the workshop and evaluation survey. The workshop did not affect the attitudes of HCPs toward therapeutic lying and dementia, their sense of competence in providing care to patients with dementia, or their rate of admitting to using therapeutic lying in dementia care settings. All of the PSWs and 50.0% of the nurses admitted to using therapeutic lying as an intervention. Conclusion: Current nursing ethics standards and training practices may cause reluctance among nurses to include therapeutic lying in care plans as a last resort and as a person- and family-centered intervention to deescalate the symptoms of dementia. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2021;52(9):438-444.].

Assessment of healthcare professionals' perceptions and attitudes towards the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey.

Determining the healthcare professionals' perceptions and attitudes towards the COVID-19 pandemic will contribute to managing and struggling their efforts against COVID-19. This study aimed to determine the perceptions and attitudes of healthcare professionals who are at the forefront in the fight against this pandemic. In the study, the survey technique used as the data collection method and 216 participants agreed to participate. The questionnaire consisted of three sections. Reliability analysis and descriptive statistical methods used to analyze the data obtained using the SPSS package program. According to the study results, 80.4%of the participants perceive the probability of being infected with the COVID-19 to be very high, and 64%of them consider that the conditions are very favorable for them to be infected. More than half of them are afraid of being infected and believe that if they contract COVID-19, adverse effects may continue for a long time. Furthermore, almost all participants (96.20%) consider personal protective equipment beneficial and will protect them from the COVID-19 as a wise preventive measure. However, 82.30%of the participants stated that using personal protective equipment is uncomfortable, and 76.60%said it is challenging to take care of patients while using personal protective equipment. The current study results show that healthcare professionals are aware of how serious COVID-19 is, understand the importance of protective equipment in protection from COVID-19, and are seriously afraid of COVID-19. Given that the fears of healthcare professionals may have adverse effects on them, it is recommended that healthcare administrators take measures to comfort healthcare workers and ensure that they maintain their positive attitude towards COVID-19.

Profiles of eHealth Adoption in Persons with Multiple Sclerosis and Their Caregivers.

(1) Background: Persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) are often characterized as ideal adopters of new digital healthcare trends, but it is worth thinking about whether and which pwMS will be targeted and served by a particular eHealth service like a patient portal. With our study, we wanted to explore needs and barriers for subgroups of pwMS and their caregivers when interacting with eHealth services in care and daily living. (2) Methods: This study comprises results from two surveys: one collecting data from pwMS and their relatives (as informal caregivers) and another one providing information on the opinions and attitudes of healthcare professionals (HCPs). Data were analyzed descriptively and via generalized linear models. (3) Results: 185 pwMS, 25 informal caregivers, and 24 HCPs in the field of MS participated. Nine out of ten pwMS used information technology on a daily base. Individual impairments like in vision and cognition resulted in individual needs like the desire to actively monitor their disease course or communicate with their physician in person. HCPs reported that a complete medication overview, additional medication information, overview of future visits and a reminder of medication intake would be very helpful eHealth features for pwMS, while they themselves preferred features organizing and enriching future visits. (4) Conclusions: A closer look at the various profiles of eHealth adoption in pwMS and their caregivers indicated that there is a broad and robust enthusiasm across several subgroups that does not exclude anyone in general, but constitutes specific areas of interest. For pwMS, the focus was on eHealth services that connect previously collected information and make them easily accessible and understandable.

'The world is not only for hearing people - It's for all people': The experiences of women who are deaf or hard of hearing in accessing healthcare services in Johannesburg, South Africa.

BackgroundDespite legal and adopted frameworks purporting access to healthcare and rehabilitation services, which are both a human right and key to developmental issues, women who are deaf and/or hard of hearing (HoH) are still excluded and experience barriers when accessing healthcare services. Largely, this is attributed to communication barriers between healthcare professionals and women who are deaf and/or HoH. There have been limited research studies carried out on women with invisible disabilities, such as deafness, especially amongst African women.ObjectivesThis study sought to gain insights into the communication experiences of women who are deaf or HoH when accessing public healthcare services in hospitals in Johannesburg.MethodsA qualitative research study employing semi-structured interviews with 10 African women who are deaf and/or HoH residing in Johannesburg, South Africa and attending government healthcare facilities was conducted. Participants were purposively selected. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsData revealed the following themes: communication barriers resulting in compromised quality of care and infringement on participants’ right to confidentiality; accommodation that is not accommodative and negative attitudes of healthcare professionals.ConclusionThe findings of this study confirm the alienating, exclusion, marginalisation, discrimination, invisibility, lack of independence and autonomy of women who are deaf and/or HoH when accessing healthcare services. Therefore, this study argues for a need for the conscientisation of healthcare professionals on communication needs of persons who are deaf and/or HoH. This has implications for the implementation of training programmes that will address communication, reasonable accommodation and attitudes of healthcare professionals.