Collaborative Health Research Articles

Strengthening community actions to improve diabetes mellitus care optimising public health facilitators

BackgroundDiabetes mellitus is the second leading cause of death in South Africa, and almost 90,000 people died from diabetes-related causes in the year 2019. This study aimed to investigate facilitators that can be harnessed to strengthen community actions and barriers that should be redressed in structured public health and health promotion programs for people with diabetes mellitus at a primary healthcare level.MethodsAn exploratory qualitative study was conducted using face-to-face interviews among 20 conveniently sampled participants. The Ottawa Charter was adopted to guide health promotion and strengthening actions for people with diabetes mellitus. This study was conducted at Ngangelizwe Community Health Centre. Ngangelizwe is one of the townships located about 2 km east of Mthatha Town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The thematic analysis method was used to analyse data with the assistance of Atlas ti, version 23 software.ResultsFive overarching themes were yielded and categorized as facilitators and barriers. Facilitators included enhancing the role of community healthcare workers and strengthening health education activities. Barriers included lack of support groups, food insecurity, and unavailability of community health promotion programs.ConclusionWe conclude that a collaborative health promotion intervention with the necessary competencies should be designed to assess needs and develop, implement, and evaluate relevant empowerment programs at the household and community levels. This approach involves active engagement with health promoters/ public health practitioners and community health workers at the local level, allowing individuals and communities to access motivation and knowledge regarding the control of diabetes mellitus.

Integration of Ethnopharmacology and One Health Approach for Rabies Control in Kualin, East Nusa Province

The ethnopharmacological approach and One Health framework offer a novel perspective with significant potential in controlling rabies cases in East Nusa (NTT), Indonesia. Traditional medicines rooted in local knowledge can complement existing prevention and treatment strategies. This descriptive study involved 20 respondents to explore local practices related to rabies treatment. The findings indicate that integrating ethnopharmacological insights with the One Health approach can contribute significantly to rabies control, particularly in Kualin Subdistrict, South Central Timor Regency, NTT. The study identified local practices, analyzed their integration with modern medical interventions, and educated the community about rabies prevention. These results highlight the importance of incorporating ethnopharmacological knowledge into public health programs while promoting cross-sectoral collaboration in human, animal, and environmental Health. Further research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of medicinal plants used by the community. Additionally, developing community-based educational programs and strengthening collaborations between the government, non-governmental organizations, and local communities are crucial for creating effective and sustainable strategies for rabies control in NTT.

Bridging the health information gap among undergraduate university students: The role of academic libraries.

Although university students are young and seem generally healthy, they do have health information needs that affect their academic work. Some university healthcare services and academic libraries collaborated during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide health information to students. The study explored the health information gap among undergraduate students in universities in Ghana. The study involved 382 students from the University of Cape Coast, the University of Ghana, and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, including nine librarians and six university health professionals. Respondents for the study were chosen using stratified sampling and purposeful sampling techniques. A questionnaire and a semi-structured interview guide were used to collect the data. The study revealed limited access to health information for undergraduate students. Male and female students had similar high priorities (personal hygiene, disease prevention, healthy living, mental health) but reproductive health information was mostly a priority for female students. Inadequate access to health information among undergraduate students may pose a threat to avoidable health risks and academic productivity. Based on the findings, a functional Collaborative Health Information Model for Academic Libraries and University Healthcare Systems is proposed to address undergraduate students' health information needs.

Interprofessional education and collaborative practice with practicing radiographers: A mixed methods scoping review.

There is increasing evidence substantiating the advantages of Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice (IPECP) in healthcare. Despite this, global adoption is still in its infancy. Whilst there has been some recognition of the importance of collaborative practice in healthcare, implementation of IPECP programs remain limited in many countries. This scoping review aimed to synthesise global evidence for the implementation and effectiveness of IPECP on practicing radiographers and to further identify the enablers and barriers to the implementation of IPECP within radiography. The JBI guidelines for the conduct of scoping reviews and the PRISMA guidelines for reporting scoping reviews were followed. Databases searched included Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane library, and JBI. Grey literature was searched through Google, Google Scholar, and the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. Following full text screening, 21 articles were included in the review, and data was extracted onto a custom-developed template. IPECP competencies identified in the included studies were mapped against the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative (CIHC) framework of competencies. Results indicate that while certain factors such as peer support and interprofessional communication facilitated IPECP, numerous barriers impeded its implementation on a wider scale. Implications for practice, policy and research include the need to prioritise funding for IPECP initiatives and to establish regulatory frameworks that support interprofessional collaboration.

The Role of Collaboration in Supporting Community Resilience Programmes in Post-Disaster Events

The impact of collaboration on the community resilience program for residents of Lumajang Regency varies. For the variable “Strengthening local knowledge”, collaboration is preferable since it allows different communities to cooperate in gathering local information from different perspectives. According to our research, if local knowledge is not strengthened through collaboration, it will actually have the reverse effect—that is, it will not have an impact on catastrophe risk reduction. This is due to the community’s still limited and underutilized participation in government programs for monitoring and communicating the catastrophe response. Different findings were made for the community network and relationship variables, where the influence of relationships within the community network on disaster risk reduction is still non-significant, whether directly or indirectly through cooperative mediation. Because LR is preparing for disaster risk management, community relations or engagement with the authorities regarding the necessity of disaster risk management have not yet been involved. The location, interaction, traits, and interests should all be taken into consideration when forming the community. In fact, LR residents have not yet put this into practice. The findings are similarly important when considering how different variables, either directly or through the collaboration variable, influence leadership, governance, and health. Therefore, disaster risk reduction may be impacted directly or indirectly by the presence of emergency response health services, the creation of disaster-resilient villages, and the creation of a profile of disaster-prone locations. But according to the data above, collaboration can actually have a bigger impact on disaster risk reduction.

An investigation of the use of Google Street View for identifying gentrification across diverse United States morphological city types

ABSTRACT Google Street View (GSV) is a tool for measuring characteristics of the built environment and appropriate for analyzing change in neighborhoods longitudinally. We investigate whether using GSV to identify gentrification works across the spectrum of urban morphologies in the U.S. We first use Hirsch and Schinasi’s (2019, A measure of gentrification for use in longitudinal public health studies based in the United States. Drexel University Urban Health Collaborative.) gentrification criteria to identify tracts that underwent gentrification between 2012 and 2019 in Boston, Cincinnati, and Phoenix. We then used Hwang’s (2015, Gentrification, race, and immigration in the changing American city [Unpublished doctoral dissertation] Harvard University.) GSV-based gentrification index, originally used in Chicago, to measure gentrification in the built environment and look for alignment with gentrification using Hirsch & Schinasi’s criteria. Alignment was best in Boston with a population density and built form closest to Chicago’s. The process did not work as well for Cincinnati where gentrification was concentrated in only a few blocks within gentrifying tracts nor in Phoenix with its limited amount of up-scale high-density apartments/condominiums and numerous vacant parcels. We conclude that cities with different urban morphologies need different methods to detect evidence of gentrification in the built environment.

Sand and dust storms: a growing global health threat calls for international health studies to support policy action.

Sand and dust storms increasingly threaten global environmental and public health. To date, 150 countries are directly affected, with more than 100 classified as non-dust source regions. With climate change, these storms are expected to become more frequent and severe. Despite international awareness and initiatives, such as those led by the UN, crucial knowledge gaps continue to hinder effective, evidence-based public responses to sand and dust storms. In this Viewpoint, we review existing gaps in health research and highlight four key research priorities: the comprehensive health effects of sand and dust storms, including short-term and long-term exposures, diseases, regions, and health outcomes; the key particle sizes and toxic components of particles during sand and dust storms; the design of multicentre studies accounting for region-specific exposure patterns; and research on health outcomes attributable to particulate matter mixtures dominated by windblown dust versus other sources. We urgently call for international, collaborative, and multidisciplinary health studies considering sand and dust storm exposure characteristics and for the adoption of scientifically robust epidemiological methods in these studies.

The ACTION VAD registry: A collective five-year experience.

The Advanced Cardiac Therapies Improving Outcomes Network (ACTION) began in 2018 as a collaborative learning health system committed to improving outcomes in pediatric heart failure, including children and adults with congenital heart disease, supported with ventricular assist devices (VADs). This report describes patient and device characteristics, and outcomes through 1-year post-implant. The ACTION VAD registry report was created from data submitted to the ACTION learning network from April 2018 to June 2023. It includes 1,430 devices implanted in 1,220 pediatric patients (≤18) from 57 sites across North America. Males comprised 55% of the registry patients. The median age was 3.7 years with a median implant weight of 13.6kg; 36% of the cohort was <10kg. Nearly 40% of patients had a primary diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD). Patients with CHD represented 26% of VAD implants in 2018 which increased to 42% in 2023 (p=0.03). At implant, 25% of patients were supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), 4.9% with dialysis, and 54% were mechanically ventilated. Paracorporeal pulsatile pumps comprised 40.2% of implants, followed in incidence by paracorporeal continuous flow (28.5%), and implantable continuous flow (24.1%). The number of patients in the VAD Registry patients increased from 102 in 2018 to 256 in 2022, partly reflecting increased center participation in ACTION. Overall survival on support at 1 year was 79.2%, and the incidence of stroke was 13.7%. Infants demonstrated the poorest outcomes, with a 1-year survival of 72.9% and a higher incidence of stroke (20.8%). The 5-year ACTION VAD experience highlights the growing collaboration in the pediatric VAD community and changes in clinical practice. More work is needed to improve survival and limit adverse outcomes, especially in younger patients.

Establishing and Sustaining Academic and Local Health Collaborations: A Case Study of Practice-Based Teaching and Workforce Development

Establishing and Sustaining Academic and Local Health Collaborations: A Case Study of Practice-Based Teaching and Workforce Development

Remote Monitoring And Population Health Collaboration For Improving Heart Failure Outcomes

Remote Monitoring And Population Health Collaboration For Improving Heart Failure Outcomes

China-UK Global Health Collaboration Project on Strengthening Public Health Capacity in Sierra Leone.

Since 2016, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has continued to conduct project to assist Sierra Leone in improving its public health capacity and building a laboratory for bacteriological and parasitic diseases. Firstly, we can understand the epidemiological characteristics, etiological characteristics and drug resistance of important infectious diseases in Africa through this project, and provide services and guarantees for the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. Secondly, the project is to carry out scientific research cooperation on the monitoring and detection capacity of major infectious diseases, biosecurity, and prevention and control technologies for important infectious diseases. Thirdly, in order to implement the concept of "building a community with a shared future for mankind", it is important to improve the capacity of Sierra Leone and West Africa to prevent and control infectious diseases, maintain global health security, and participate in global health governance. This article reviews the implementation of the project, and summarizes the experience and shortcomings, in order to help readers achieve better results in future project practice.

Pets Diseases and Public Health: Zoonosis, Transmission and Treatment: A Review

Zoonotic infections transferred from pets to humans constitute an escalating public health issue exacerbated by the surge in pet ownership worldwide, especially in urban environments. Companion animals operate as reservoirs for several diseases, including viruses, germs, and parasites, which can be transmitted to humans, presenting substantial dangers to animal and human health. This review examines the transmission dynamics, prevention, and treatment techniques associated with zoonotic diseases in companion animals, focusing on the influence of veterinary practices, environmental factors, and human-animal interactions. The main aim of this review is to consolidate existing knowledge, pinpoint significant gaps in the field, and offer insights into successful techniques for managing zoonotic risks linked to pets. The review examines trends and conclusions from recent studies, concentrating on growing zoonotic hazards and the efficacy of preventative methods, including immunization, parasite management, and veterinary surveillance. Literature indicates substantial disparities in zoonotic disease prevalence influenced by regional, social, and environmental factors. Urbanization is a significant component in the proliferation of zoonotic illnesses, as high pet populations and heightened human-animal interactions intensify transmission risks. Moreover, despite advancements in veterinary diagnostics and therapies enhancing the management of zoonoses, there persists a necessity for stronger integration of One Health strategies and more focused research in resource-limited environments. This review culminates in recommendations for future research, specifically regarding the influence of cultural practices on pet care, the effects of climate change on zoonotic transmission, and the significance of cross-sector collaboration in public health and veterinary domains.

Shaping Health Security Strategy: The Influence of CSIS on US Policy Formulation

Think tanks have long been viewed as an important player in the policy-making of US government. However, in an era of global health threats, less attention has been given on how they engage in health security issues thus affecting policy-making of the government. This study first reviews the historical and evolving paradigms of health security, tracing its conceptual development from its roots in the mid-20th century to its contemporary relevance. Taking the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a well-known and comprehensive think tank of the United States, as the research subject, this study then explores its role in the formulation of health security policies of the United States. The study reveals that CSIS significantly influences the health security policies of the United States by conducting strategic analyses, offering evidence-based recommendations, and serving as a critical platform for dialogue between health experts, policymakers, and government officials. By bridging research and practical policymaking, CSIS not only provides actionable insights but also facilitates inter-agency collaboration and global health security strategies.

Policies and strategies to control antimicrobial resistance in livestock production: A comparative analysis of national action plans in European Union Member States.

Policy strategies targeting imprudent antimicrobial use (AMU) in livestock farming have been established at the global and country levels, recognising the risks associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This study evaluates the strategies addressing AMU and AMR in animal farms and the food supply chain in EU Member States using a multimethod approach. Our aim is to contribute to the debates surrounding the goals set by the EU Commission and the 'Strategic framework for collaboration on antimicrobial resistance: Together for One Health'. We first review the policies, strategies and specific legislation in the European Union (EU) and Member States about AMU/AMR in livestock production. We then evaluate the national action plans for AMU reduction in the EU using the progressive management pathway tool from the FAO. Finally, we assess the measures that affect AMU reduction by applying a system generalised method of moments to a 8-year panel of the same countries. According to our results, efforts to reduce AMU could be focused on controlling excessive AMU in the pig sector. Further veterinary training on AMU/AMR and improvements in the performance of the veterinary sector, as well as strengthening the development of multisector and One Health collaboration and coordination, can also contribute to achieving better standards in AMU reduction in the livestock sector and, consequently, for AMR control.

Evaluation of the Queensland JEV vaccine program response to the 2022 Australian outbreak.

In 2022, the largest ever virgin soil outbreak of Japanese encephalitis (JE) occurred in Australia resulting in 45 reported human cases of JE, with seven fatalities. Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) was detected in 84 piggeries across Australia. In response, states implemented targeted vaccination programs for those individuals at the highest risk of JEV exposure. A mixed methods approach, including geospatial mapping of JEV vaccine distribution in Queensland, a case series of Queensland human cases and interviews with Queensland Health staff, assessed the JEV vaccination response program. Five notified human cases were reviewed, with three having occupational outdoor risk and local travel-related exposure. Vaccine coverage ranged from 0 to 7.4 doses per 100 people after 12months of the program. The highest uptake was in southern Queensland, where 95% of the state's commercial pig population is located. The vaccination program was limited by a heavy reliance on general practitioners, vast geographical distribution of eligible populations, difficulties mobilising and engaging eligible cohorts, and suboptimal One Health collaboration. Population and climate factors make it possible for the virus to become endemic. Targeted vaccination programs remain an important strategy to protect people at the highest risk of exposure, however, program improvements are required to optimize vaccine accessibility.

BUILDING A CHINA - AFRICA COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE: PATHWAYS AND PRACTICE

Building a China-Africa Community with a Shared Future requires a nuanced understanding of its concept and the broader vision of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind. By tracing historical and contemporary drivers, this exploration identifies five strategic pathways: fostering cultural exchange, promoting inclusive economic growth, strengthening collaboration in poverty reduction and public health, establishing a Peace and Security Forum, and advancing climate-focused environmental initiatives. Successfully navigating international complexities and Africa’s internal diversity demands enhanced dialogue and respect for African development autonomy. This endeavour holds transformative potential, rooted in political trust, economic partnership, and shared prosperity, to address global challenges.&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Article visualizations:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="/-counters-/soc/0447/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Effectiveness of a nurse practitioner-led collaborative health care model on self-care, functional status, rehospitalization and medical costs in heart failure patients: A randomized controlled trial.

Heart failure is a serious and common condition that has garnered significant attention in the global public health domain. It often results in impaired function and reduced cardiac function status, leading to difficulties in self-care and diminished quality of life. To effectively address these complex challenges, the collaborative health care model has been proposed. This approach has proven effective in reducing rehospitalization and lowering medical costs. To evaluate the effects of a nurse practitioner-led collaborative health care model on the self-care, functional status, rehospitalization and medical costs of patients with heart failure. A randomized controlled trial design. Cardiology department of a regional teaching hospital in Southern Taiwan. 100 patients diagnosed with heart failure. Patients diagnosed with heart failure were recruited through random allocation and. randomly assigned to two groups. The control group included 50 patients who received routine nursing guidance; the experimental group also included 50 patients who participated in a 12-week collaborative health care program. Key outcomes, including self-care, functional status, rehospitalization, and medical costs, which were evaluated at 12, 16, and 20weeks post-discharge. The intervention of the collaborative healthcare program significantly impacted self-care, functional status, rehospitalization, and medical costs. Significant improvements in self-care and functional status were observed at 20weeks (Self-Care: β=31.52, 95% CI: 25.96 to 37.07, p<0.001; Functional Status: χ2=22.42, p<0.001). Regarding rehospitalization, the average rehospitalization duration for the experimental group significantly increased compared to 1.45months for the control group, with the experimental group averaging 3.00months at the 20-week follow-up. Moreover, the experimental group also demonstrated a reduction in rehospitalization medical costs, particularly with significant effects observed in the early stages of intervention (β=-6147.94, 95% CI: -10,763.99 to -1531.88, p=0.009). The use of a nurse practitioner-led collaborative health care model significantly improved self-care, function status and reduced rehospitalization while effectively lowering medical costs for patients with heart failure. Through professional team communication and collaboration, this approach provides more effective and comprehensive care, enhances patient self-management capabilities, and improves overall treatment outcomes. These results hold significant implications for clinical practice and provide empirical support for future heart failure care programs, warranting their widespread implementation in clinical settings. This study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov under the identifier NCT04860596 on April 22, 2021, and participant recruitment was initiated in April 2023. Effectiveness of a Nurse Practitioner-Led Collaborative Care Model: Reduces rehospitalization and medical costs, while improving self-care and functional status in heart failure patients. A Randomized Controlled Trial. #HeartFailure #HealthCare #SelfCare.

Efficacy of Home-School Collaboration in Enhancing College Students' Mental Health.

To investigate the efficacy of home-school collaboration in enhancing college students' mental health. The convenience sampling method was used to select 500 students studying at University as survey participants. By designing a questionnaire, college students' mental health, self-identity, satisfaction and the status quo of home-school collaborative education were investigated. Pearson's correlation analysis was conducted to explore the relationships among these factors. Furthermore, the PROCESS model was used to study the mediating effect, which was tested using the Bootstrap sampling method. Cronbach's coefficient α was above 0.7 for each index in the questionnaire, indicating good reliability. After excluding invalid questionnaires, 463 valid ones remained, with a validity rate of 97.1%. College students' mental health and self-identity were found to be positively correlated with home-school collaboration in terms of total scores and scores for each dimension. The highest degree of correlation was observed for identity moratorium and identity foreclosure, with a correlation coefficient of 0.479. Satisfaction and college students' self-identity contribute to the relationship between home-school collaboration and college students' mental health in the paths 'home-school collaboration → satisfaction → college students' mental health' and 'home-school collaboration → college students' self-identity → college students' mental health,' respectively. Additionally, satisfaction and college students' self-identity for the action path 'home-school collaboration → satisfaction → college students' self-identity → college students' mental health,' reflecting the impact of home-school collaboration on college students' mental health. Home-school collaboration positively influences the development of college students' mental health. Satisfaction and college students' self-identity have a chain mediating effect on the relationship between home-school collaboration and college students' mental health.

Setting the foundation for a national collaborative learning health system in acute TBI rehabilitation: CARE4TBI Year 1 experience

AbstractIntroductionA learning health system (LHS) approach is a collaborative model that continuously examines, evaluates, and re‐evaluates data eventually transforming it into knowledge. High quantity of high‐quality data are needed to establish this model. The purpose of this article is to describe the collaborative discovery process used to identify and standardize clinical data documented during daily multidisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation that would then allow access to these data to conduct comparative effectiveness research.MethodsCARE4TBI is a prospective observational research study designed to capture clinical data within the standard inpatient rehabilitation documentation workflow at 15 TBI Model Systems Centers in the US. Three groups of stakeholders guided project development: therapy representative work group (TRWG) consisting of frontline therapists from occupational, physical, speech‐language, and recreational therapies; rehabilitation leader representative group (RLRG); and informatics and information technology team (IIT). Over a 12‐month period, the three work groups and research leadership team identified the therapeutic components captured within daily documentation throughout the duration of inpatient TBI rehabilitation.ResultsData brainstorming among the groups created 98 distinct categories of data with each containing a range of data elements comprising a total of 850 discrete data elements. The free‐form data were sorted into three large categories and through review and discussion, reduced to two categories of prospective data collection—session‐level and therapy activity‐level data. Twelve session data elements were identified, and 54 therapy activities were identified, with each activity containing discrete sub‐categories for activity components, method of delivery, and equipment or supplies. A total of 561 distinct meaningful data elements were identified across the 54 activities.DiscussionThe CARE4TBI data discovery process demonstrated feasibility in identifying and capturing meaningful high quantity and high‐quality treatment data across multiple disciplines and rehabilitation sites, setting the foundation for a LHS coalition for acute traumatic brain injury rehabilitation.

Joint Crisis Plan in Mental Health Settings: A Reflective Process More than an Intervention Tool?

Coercion in mental health is challenged, prompting reduction interventions. Among those, the Joint Crisis Plan (JCP), which aims to document individuals' treatment preferences in case of future de-compensation, regardless of the potential loss of discernment, has been identified as a key path to study. Identified challenges related to its implementation highlight the need to adapt this intervention to the local context. Considering that in Quebec (Canada), the JCP is not widely used, but the scientific literature supports its adoption and corroborates its potential impact on reducing coercion, this study evaluates the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of the JCP among psychiatric and forensic inpatient settings. A pilot mixed-methods study was conducted through 16 individual interviews with inpatients and healthcare providers, combined with a pre-post analysis of seclusion and restraint use and the violence prevention climate (VPC) based on healthcare providers' (n = 57) and inpatients' perspectives (n = 53). Although the challenging implementation of the JCP complicated the evaluation of its effects on seclusion and restraint use, a moderate change (d = 0.40) in the VPC was identified based on healthcare providers' perspectives. Qualitative findings are also insightful to understand the acceptability and feasibility of the JCP use. A tension emerged between the perspectives of inpatients and healthcare providers: while inpatients valued the reflective process of completing the plan, providers focused more on its technical aspects. The results support the integration of the JCP into patient care pathways, as it provides a tool to amplify patients' voices, promote patient empowerment, facilitate open dialog on alternatives to coercion, and foster more collaborative and humane mental health care.