Health Professionals Worldwide Research Articles

Analyzing the role of social media in addressing public health development in india through a multi-criteria decision-making approach

Nowadays, social media plays a vital role in managing public health developments. This research study has analyzed the factors of social media enhancing public health development. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used to rank the factors, and the Decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) is used to find out the network relationship map of the role of social media in public health development. Results of AHP revealed that social media enhances public engagement and participation, collaboration of health professionals worldwide, and helps in remote monitoring of patients. Results of DEMATEL show that the development of health policies, repository of public health-related information, and prevention of health-related misinformation and fake news are classified as the topmost causal factors. Real-time monitoring of health conditions is the factor with the most significant impact on other factors. Policymakers and stakeholders should focus on improving public health through social media. Social media enhances collaboration among health professionals worldwide, and various stakeholders use it to address public health issues in the case of COVID-19.

Investigating the under-recognition of childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder among the public and mental health professionals

BackgroundChildbirth posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) poses significant challenges, impacting both mothers and infants. This work investigates whether childbirth PTSD is less recognized than PTSD caused by other index events. MethodsIn two preregistered experimens we investigated the public and professional perception of PTSD resulting from childbirth compared to other traumatic events (i.e., sexual assault, car accident, terror attack, and an earthquake). FindingsStudy 1, conducted among the general population in the U.S. revealed that a woman depicted as experiencing PTSD symptoms due to childbirth, was less likely to be recognized as suffering from PTSD than a woman with the same symptoms resulting from other traumatic events. Study 2 demonstrated that mental health professionals worldwide are also less inclined to diagnose PTSD when childbirth is the index event in comparison to other index events. DiscussionDue to the importance of social recognition in the treatment of PTSD, the findings underscore the urgent need for heightened awareness and education regarding childbirth PTSD to bridge the recognition gap among the general population and mental health professionals.

The relationship between burnout and work engagement levels of nurses and physiotherapists working during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all health professionals worldwide. This has also influenced their working lives, affecting burnout and work engagement. This study aims to investigate the relationship between burnout and work engagement among nurses and physiotherapists during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study was conducted with total 509 nurses and physiotherapists who were working at any of the private, public, or university hospitals from two large and one small cities. A Personal Introduction Form, the Maslach Burnout Scale, and the Work Engagement Scale were used in the study. Frequency, percentage, mean, and Pearson correlation analysis were used for statistical analysis. Necessary ethical approvals were taken for the research. There was a significant, moderate, negative relationship between the average scores of the nurses on the vigor and devotion dimensions and the Work Engagement Scale and their average scores on emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment, depersonalization dimensions and their average score on the Maslach Burnout Scale (p < 0.05). There was a significant, moderate, negative relationship between the scores of the physiotherapists on the Work Engagement Scale and its dimensions and their average scores on the Maslach Burnout Scale and its dimensions (p < 0.05). In our study, it was found that the burnout levels of nurses and physiotherapists had an effect on their work engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. During and after the COVID-19 process, managers should take measures to reduce the burnout levels of health professionals and increase their level of work engagement.

The effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on maternal and childhood health services in Meru County, Kenya

Background: The outbreak of coronavirus put unprecedented burden on healthcare systems, governments and health professionals worldwide. It caused a global crisis of unequalled magnitude on service delivery and accessibility of essential health services. Women and children in poor countries were most affected. In view of the foregoing, it became necessary to examine the effects of COVID -19 outbreak on Maternal Child Health (MCH) in Meru County Kenya, to recommend mitigation strategies and safeguard the gains previously made in MCH indicators. Methods: Ethical clearance for the study was sought from Meru University of Science and Technology Institute Research Ethics and Review Committee (MIRERC). Data were gathered through focus group discussions, key informant interviews and review of health records in Meru County. A period of one year before and one year after COVID-19 pandemic were compared in the nine sub-counties. Analysis was done using SPSS computer package and statistical tests carried out using 2t test. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to summarize the data. Results: There were no significant changes in the overall BCG coverage (p=.30), FIC (p=.098), proportion of pregnant adolescents 10-19 years (p=.83), pregnant women attending at least one ANC visit (p=.41) and the number of WRA who received FP commodities (p=.66). Nevertheless, the proportion of women with 4th antenatal care visit and adolescents 10 - 14 years pregnant at the first ANC visit had lower and higher mean scores during the pandemic with significant changes at p=.05 of (p=0.011) and (p=0.003) respectively. Conclusions: COVID- 19 pandemic did not fundamentally affect MCH services during the first year of the sickness in Meru County. However, the proportion of teenage pregnancies increased significantly, while the proportion of women with 4th antenatal care visit decreased.

The Unsung Struggles of Female Medical Residents: Breaking Barriers and Shaping the Future

The journey through medical residency is a tough test, especially for female health professionals worldwide. As medical field advances and more female students are getting enrolled in medical colleges, an increasing number of women are joining residency programs bringing unique perspectives and invaluable contributions. In Pakistan, female students ratio has increased tremendously in medical colleges. It is reported to be 3:1 and even 4:1 in some medical colleges1. Despite this, the ratio of female workforce remain below 50%&#x0D; due to multiple factors at social, organizational and individual level. There is restriction to work from in laws, child bearing and rearing difficulties, inequalities&#x0D; in promotions which hinder girls to join residency trai-&#x0D; ning.2

Study Regarding Professional Stress of Medical Staff in a Pharmacy Company From Constanta, Romania

Since burn-out is the second most common occupational disease after back pain in the European Union, this study aims to analyze this multidimensional reaction that negatively influences the work of health professionals worldwide. Scientific studies show that occupational burnout manifests itself much more dramatically in the medical profession than in other professions, thus reflecting the phenomenon in all its complexity. In specialized literature, studies related to the evaluation of the degree of stress among medical personnel are quite rare. This is one of the reasons for carrying out this study. The second reason is the need to highlight the degree of stress in this professional category. The assessment, made on medical staff from common pharmacies in Constanța County, Romania, consists of formulating a questionnaire that includes questions related to stress factors that occur during professional activity. The answers received are interpreted and evaluated statistically.

Perceived Social Support Among Patients and the Contribution in the Management of the Chronic Disease: A Brief Review

The management of chronic disease is perhaps the main challenge for health professionals worldwide, who are called upon to deal with a variety of individual problems, also on a psychological and social level. The role of social support in the management of chronic disease seems to be important, as according to the international literature, it is positively related to physical and mental health. Many surveys have shown that social support is related to the reduction of depression and anxiety, the adoption of healthy health behaviors, commitment to therapeutic and dietary treatment, self-care, self-management, and a better quality of life and outcome of the disease in patients with renal disease, breast cancer, and musculoskeletal disorders. The purpose of this paper is, through the results of international research, to describe the concept and the forms of social support, as well as to investigate whether it has a positive or negative impact on chronic disease management. An additional goal is to identify the strategies and interventions with which health professionals can support the patient both emotionally and practically so that the patient is able to manage stress, disorders, and other problems more effectively created by his illness, as well as by the wider family environment.

Staying in my lane: An exploration of counsellors' and psychotherapists' understanding and use of nutrition in the therapy room

AbstractIntroduction and AimsA significant body of research has found a positive association between a healthy diet and good mental health, and between an unhealthy diet and poorer mental health. Despite this, nutritional education and methods of intervention remain largely absent from psychotherapy training and practice, and mental health professionals worldwide report poor nutritional literacy. This study aims to explore how therapists understand and view diet and nutrition in the context of mental health, and whether, and how, they use this knowledge with clients.Methodology and MethodsThis qualitative study used an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach when collecting and analysing the data. Participants were from throughout Ireland, with recruitment taking place via an email call for participants. A brief pre‐interview conversation ensured respondents fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Six integrative/pluralistic psychotherapists were interviewed about their views and understanding of nutrition in relation to mental health and psychotherapy, as well as about their training, supervision and their use of diet‐related interventions with clients.FindingsFour master themes were identified: “therapist experiences and beliefs,” which relates to how participants experienced and viewed nutrition on personal and professional levels; “meanings associated with food and nutrition” by therapists, and their perception of the meanings their clients placed upon food; “boundaries and barriers” that therapists experienced or perceived when it came to discussing nutrition with clients; and “the silence around nutrition in psychotherapy,” in terms of its absence from training, supervision and peer discussions.Discussion and ConclusionsThe study highlights the importance and meaning that individuals place on nutrition for mental well‐being, while also highlighting its absence from training programmes, supervision sessions and discussions with peers and within the wider profession. The study further indicates potential boundary issues and ethical concerns as a result of the disparity between training/supervision and client needs/therapist practice.

Hearing Loss in Children: Critical Medical Education Delivered as Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).

Although early identification of pediatric hearing loss is crucial, a formal online training course has not been freely accessible to a global audience. In response, we created a novel course for health professionals worldwide. Course development occurred from February 2019 to May 2020. Seventeen multidisciplinary experts provided video lectures and demonstrations, including a tour of ear anatomy, operating footage of cochlear implant insertion, and demonstrations of children undergoing hearing testing. Content also included steps for interpreting audiograms, an overview of early screening programs, interviews with Deaf/Hard of Hearing children, and an introduction to public health/educational infrastructure. The course was hosted on Coursera and launched on May 4, 2020. The course was approved for 11.5 Continuing Medical Education (CME) and American Board of Pediatrics Maintenance of Certification (MOC)-Part 2 credits and spanned five modules comprised of 50 video learning segments: 1) Ear Anatomy, 2) Hearing Loss and Assessments, 3) Hearing Loss Diagnosis and Impact on Speech and Language Development, 4) Interventions for Hearing Loss, 5) Pediatric Vestibular System and Balance. Since its launch, 6,556 learners have enrolled and 1,540 have fully completed the course; Fifty percent were 25-34 years old, 62% were female, and 43% were from Asia. Average rating was 4.9/5 (n=180 reviews). We created a freely accessible course for a global audience that provides a broad overview of pediatric hearing loss. Our multidisciplinary approach addresses an educational gap and can serve as a model for developing other online courses.

Cough Hypersensitivity Syndrome: Why Its Use Is Inappropriate in Children.

In children and adults, chronic cough is a common symptom presenting to health professionals worldwide. It is internationally accepted that children with chronic cough should be managed with pediatric specific management guidelines. The newly proposed clinical entity of 'cough hypersensitivity syndrome' has gained significant attention in adult literature. Given the significant differences between childhood and adult chronic cough, including in respiratory physiology and anatomy, and cough sensitivity, we address the suitability of the use of cough hypersensitivity syndrome in children. We explore these differences between childhood and adult chronic cough, explain what cough hypersensitivity is and highlight why the term cough hypersensitivity syndrome should not be used in children.

Latin American research on cardiovascular diseases: A bibliometric-network approach

The increase in the global prevalence of cardiovascular diseases has raised great concern among health professionals worldwide, making the advancement of knowledge in this field even more important. The aim of the study was to perform a bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature in Latin America on cardiovascular pathologies from 2003 to 2023. The methodology was based on a bibliometric and quantitative analysis of the literature. The scientific production indicators were generated from 6660 documents selected from Scopus using keywords in English ("diseases" and "pathologies"). The number of publications devoted to the subject increased by 89% between 2009 and 2022. Brazil is the country with the highest scientific production (63.9%), and the Universidade de São Paulo with the most publications (n=1277). The journal Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia had 684 publications, with Lotufo, P.A. (n=60) being the author with the most papers. It is concluded that cardiovascular diseases are important, as they are the main cause of disability and premature death, and both have an impact on increasing the cost of medical care. As a consequence, there has been an increase in the number of medical studies dedicated to this pathology in Latin America and the rest of the world.

World Health Organization's global oral health status report: Paediatric dentistry in the spotlight.

World Health Organization's global oral health status report: Paediatric dentistry in the spotlight.

Identifying risk factors to predict violent behaviour in community patients with severe mental disorders: A retrospective study of 5277 patients in China.

Patients with Severe Mental Disorders (SMD) have a higher risk of violent behaviour than the general population. The study aimed to investigate the predictive factors for the occurrence of violent behaviour in community SMD patients. The cases and follow-up data were collected from SMD patient Information Management system in Jiangning District, Jiangsu Province. The incidence of violent behaviours was described and analyzed. Logistic regression model was used to examine the influencing factors for violent behaviours in those patients. Among 5277 community patients with SMD in Jiangning District, 42.4% (2236/5277) had violent behaviours. The stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed that the disease-related factors (including disease type, disease course, times of hospitalization, medication adherence, past violent behaviours), the demographic factors (age, male sex, educational level, economic and social living status), and the policy-related factors (like free treatment, annual physical check, disability certificate, family physician services, and community interviews) were significantly related to the violent behaviours in community SMD patients. After gender stratification, we found that male patients with unmarried status and with a longer course of disease were more likely to violent. However, we found that female patients with lower economic status and educational experience were more likely to violent. Our results suggest that community SMD patients had a high incidence of violent behaviour. The findings may provide valuable information for policymakers and mental health professionals worldwide taking a number of measures to reduce the incidence of violence in community SMD patients and to better maintain social security.

From the beginning to the highest impact factor – the journey of World Psychiatry

AbstractWorld Psychiatry, the official journal of the World Psychiatric Association, was founded in the year 2002. From the very beginning, its aims have been: a) to reach as many psychiatrists as possible worldwide, disseminating information on recent significant clinical, service and research developments, using a language that can be assimilated by most of them; b) to give voice to psychiatrists of all regions of the world, encouraging submission of research papers, commentaries and reports on innovative service modalities. The two main criteria by which an article submitted to the journal is evaluated have been from the beginning: a) its relevance to everyday clinical practice of the average psychiatrist; and b) its usefulness to foster the average psychiatrist’s professional growth. From its first issue, the journal has been freely available online. In the year 2008, World Psychiatry received its first impact factor, that was 3.896. On that same year, the publication of the Spanish edition of the journal was started. The impact factor of World Psychiatry has then increased year after year, up to the value of 79.683 reached in July 2022. For the eighth consecutive year, World Psychiatry has been no. 1 in the Clarivate’s category of Psychiatry, and for the fifth consecutive year no. 1 in the entire Clarivate’s Social Science Citation Index. All the issues of the journal are now freely available both on the PubMed system and on the WPA website. The journal reaches now, in its online or printed edition, more than 60,000 mental health professionals worldwide. One of the main factors explaining the success of the journal is the continuing attempt to identify in advance topics which are going to become very visible in the international literature and relevant to ordinary clinical practice. The journal has been recently praised by the World Health Organization for the representation of members from low/middle income countries in its Advisory Board, which was at that time 32.3%, while among the other top ten psychiatric journals it was 1.9%. Furthermore, every issue of the journal includes contributions from all continents.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Health Professionals: Identifying and Reporting Child Physical Abuse-a Scoping Review.

Health professionals play a significant role in identifying and reporting child physical abuse (CPA). However, several studies have pointed out non-reporting behavior among these professionals, evidencing difficulties identifying and reporting suspected cases. This review aimed to explore the frequency and possible barriers in identifying and reporting CPA by health professionals worldwide and to identify associated factors. This scoping review was conducted in the Pubmed, Web Of Science, Scopus, and SciELO databases between July 2019 and December 2020. Analytical and qualitative observational epidemiological studies were selected and published in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, with data on the identification and/or reporting of CPA by health professionals. Twenty studies fulfilled the criteria of this review. The studies were conducted with dentists, nurses, pediatricians, and general practitioners. The frequency of identification of CPA ranged from 50% to 89%, while the frequency of reporting ranged from 8% to 47%. This review revealed that health professionals had a low frequency of reporting of CPA, especially for dentists. In addition, several associated factors and barriers in the identification and reporting of CPA were identified in the studies. These were discussed in five main themes: training and continuing education in CPA, impact on professional practice, experiences and perceptions about child protection services, the threshold for suspicion of the professional, and the professional category.

Botanical Ingredient Forensics: Detection of Attempts to Deceive Commonly Used Analytical Methods for Authenticating Herbal Dietary and Food Ingredients and Supplements

Botanical ingredients are used widely in phytomedicines, dietary/food supplements, functional foods, and cosmetics. Products containing botanical ingredients are popular among many consumers and, in the case of herbal medicines, health professionals worldwide. Government regulatory agencies have set standards (collectively referred to as current Good Manufacturing Practices, cGMPs) with which suppliers and manufacturers must comply. One of the basic requirements is the need to establish the proper identity of crude botanicals in whole, cut, or powdered form, as well as botanical extracts and essential oils. Despite the legal obligation to ensure their authenticity, published reports show that a portion of these botanical ingredients and products are adulterated. Most often, such adulteration is carried out for financial gain, where ingredients are intentionally substituted, diluted, or "fortified" with undisclosed lower-cost ingredients. While some of the adulteration is easily detected with simple laboratory assays, the adulterators frequently use sophisticated schemes to mimic the visual aspects and chemical composition of the labeled botanical ingredient in order to deceive the analytical methods that are used for authentication. This review surveys the commonly used approaches for botanical ingredient adulteration and discusses appropriate test methods for the detection of fraud based on publications by the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program, a large-scale international program to inform various stakeholders about ingredient and product adulteration. Botanical ingredients at risk of adulteration include, but are not limited to, the essential oils of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia, Lamiaceae), rose (Rosa damascena, Rosaceae), sandalwood (Santalum album, Santalaceae), and tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia, Myrtaceae), plus the extracts of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus, Ericaceae) fruit, cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon, Ericaceae) fruit, elder (Sambucus nigra, Viburnaceae) berry, eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus, Araliaceae) root, ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba, Ginkgoaceae) leaf, grape (Vitis vinifera, Vitaceae) seed, saw palmetto (Serenoa repens, Arecaceae) fruit, St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum, Hypericaceae) herb, and turmeric (Curcuma longa, Zingiberaceae) root/rhizome, among numerous others.

Simulação in situ e suas diferentes aplicações na área da saúde: uma revisão integrativa

Abstract Introduction: The in situ simulation (ISS) consists of a training technique that takes place in the real workplace as a relevant method to promote environmental fidelity in the simulated scenario. Objective: To verify the use of the ISS in the world, to understand its applicability in healthcare. Method: This is an integrative review, which used the following guiding question: How has in situ simulation been used by health professionals? Searches were carried out in the PubMed, SciELO, LILACS and Web of Science databases, with different combinations of the following descriptors: in situ simulation, health and medicine (in Portuguese, English and Spanish) and the Boolean operators AND and OR using a temporal filter from 2012 to 2021. A total of 358 articles were found and the inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, following the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA), and also with an independent peer review, using Rayyan, leaving 190 articles for this review. Results: The results showed that the United States has the absolute majority of productions (97/51%), followed by Canada, but with a large numerical difference (18/9.5%). Most of the works are written in English (184/96.8%), are quasi-experimental studies (97/51%), and have multidisciplinary teams as the target audience (155/81.6%). The articles have 11,315 participants and 2,268 simulation interventions. The main ISS scenarios were the urgent and emergency sectors (114/60%), followed by the ICU (17/9%), delivery room (16/8.42%) and surgical center (13/6.84%). The most frequently studied topics were CPR (27/14.21%), COVID-19 (21/11%), childbirth complications (13/6.8%) and trauma (11/5.8%). Discussion: The pointed-out advantages include the opportunity for professional updating with the acquisition of knowledge, skills and competencies, in an environment close to the real thing and at low cost, as it does not depend on expensive simulation centers. Conclusion: In situ simulation has been used by health professionals worldwide, as a health education strategy, with good results for learning and training at different moments of professional training, with improved care and low cost. There is still much to expand in relation to the use of ISS, especially in Brazil, in the publication of studies and experience reports on this approach.

Epidemiological Study on the Early Detection of Mental Disorders in Young Children in Russia.

Assessing the risk of children developing mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders (MBDDs), including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), as well as achieving early detection of such disorders, has become one of the most important undertakings for public mental health professionals worldwide. This study aims to evaluate the risk of developing MBDDs and the prevalence of MBDDs among young children (18-48 months old) in Russia. A two-level epidemiological screening approach was developed and adopted for the purposes of this study. At the first level, the parents of all children between 18 and 48 months old were questioned using Russian national validated Screening Checklist for Parents for Identification of the Risk of Mental, Behavioral, and Developmental Disorders in Early Childhood in nine regions of Russia (Volgograd, Kirov, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Orenburg, Tver, Chelyabinsk, Yaroslavl, and Stavropol). At the second level, children identified at the first level of screening as being at risk of developing MBDDs were assessed by a child psychiatrist on a voluntary basis and diagnosed according to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision criteria. The present study revealed that the risk of developing MBDDs stands at 13.07% or 1,307 cases per 10,000 child population aged 18-48 months, whereas the prevalence of confirmed MBDDs is 1.51% or 151 cases per 10,000 among a Russian child population aged 18-48 months. Screening for the risk of developing MBDDs, including ASDs, in Russia among very young children is a promising area of preventive medicine. This initiative allows us to develop optimal algorithms for specialized care measures that could help prevent the development and aggravation of children mental health issues.

Associations between Overweight and Obesity and Common Mental Disorders and Eating Behaviors of Adult Women

Background: Obesity is a serious public health concern, challenging health professionals worldwide. Women with obesity have an increased risk of triggering psychological disorders, due to the weight stigma. Stigmatization of weight-related health correlates with behavior and contributes to a vicious cycle of obesogenic processes. Objective: Our objective is to analyze the association between the presence of mental suffering, risk of mental disorders, and eating behaviors in lean, overweight, and obese women. Methods: A total of 169 adult women aged between 20 and 39 years were included, and participants signed the informed consent, answered a questionnaire on eating habits, the Self Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20), the Scale of Depression, Anxiety and Stress (DASS-21), and the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire—R21 (TFEQ-R21). Results: The presence of mental suffering was higher in the lean group (26.9%) compared to the overweight and obese group (57.8%). The overweight and obese group had significantly higher scores for the SRQ, DASS, and TFEQ-R21 (p = 0.001 for all analyses), except when evaluating cognitive restraint. Several correlations among scores were found and summarized. There was no significant effect of body mass index on emotional eating, albeit body mass index exerts effects on the DASS score and on binge eating behavior, both of which present mediation effects on emotional eating. Conclusions: These results support the connection between mental health status and the presence of overweight and obesity and emphasize that mental health risks also need specific targeting in public policy.

Knowledge and Management of Sexually Transmitted Infections by General Physicians of Lahore

HIV/AIDS has affected nearly every country on the planet. The effect of this surge has brought all major modes of HIV/AIDS transmission to the attention of public health professionals worldwide. Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), which are a major mode of transmission, increases the prevalence of HIV/AIDS. The study's aim was to assess knowledge and management of sexually transmitted infections by general Physicians of Lahore. A cross-sectional survey, of 203 general Physicians in Lahore, was conducted using structured questionnaires. Descriptive analysis was used to compute means and proportions. According to the findings of this study, 23 percent of UDS and 5 percent of GPs appropriately managed GUS syndromes. However, none of the GPs were found to managed VDS. The GPs were more likely to be trained in syndromic management who managed UDS appropriately (adj. OR: 8.0; 95% CI: 3.2-20.1), and UDS was appropriately managed (adj. OR: 2.7; 95% CI: 2.0-3.6). This study reveals a significant proportion of GPs in Karachi managed STIs. This provides a fantastic opportunity to treat and counsel STI patients and their partners. However, general Physicians lack the necessary skills. As a result, GPs must be trained in STI management in order to avert the impending disaster of HIV/AIDS. This study suggested that practicing doctors, particularly those who are young and female, should get prioritized training in STI care. Even though both the public and business sectors are actively working in this direction, additional efforts are still required.