Healthcare Professionals In India Research Articles

Unmasking the Unspoken: The Epidemic of Suicide among Healthcare Professionals in India

In the bustling corridors of hospitals and the serene confines of clinics, healthcare professionals stand as pillars of strength and compassion, dedicated to healing others. Yet, behind the façade of white coats and stethoscopes lies a silent crisis that demands urgent attention the alarming prevalence of suicide among healthcare workers.

Addressing The Healthcare Workforce Shortage in India: Strategies for Recruitment and Retention

Human resources in the health sector operating at suboptimal levels are a significant barrier to India's goal of providing medical care for all, especially since India is one of the most populous countries with limited healthcare resources. The study explores the mechanisms adopted to tackle the recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals in India, concentrating on rural and underserved localities. We included 20 studies identified through extensive literature research using multiple databases. This analysis highlights strategies, financial and educational interventions, regulatory interventions, and personal and professional support to influence workforce distribution in healthcare. The results indicate that the most successful way to solve the healthcare workforce shortage is through a multifaceted solution, engaging in multiple strategies. The study recommends that policymakers and healthcare organizations enhance recruitment and retention efforts in the Indian healthcare sector.

Resuscitation following trauma & role of trauma training programmes in emergency settings: A literature review & survey.

Background & objectives Traumatic injuries, especially in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs), present significant challenges in patient resuscitation and healthcare delivery. This study explores the role of trauma training programmes in improving patient outcomes and reducing preventable trauma-related deaths. Methods A dual approach was adopted, first a literature review of trauma training in LMICs over the past decade, along with a situational assessment survey. For the review of literature, we searched the PubMed database to identify key challenges and innovative practices in trauma training programmes in LMIC's. The survey, conducted among healthcare professionals in various LMICs, collected direct insights into the challenges and the status of trauma training programmes in these countries. Results The literature review analysed 68 articles, with a significant focus on the African subcontinent (36 studies), underscoring the region's emphasis on research on trauma training programmes. These studies mainly targeted physicians, clinicians, postgraduate trainees in surgical or anaesthesia fields and medical students (86.8%), highlighting innovations like simulation-based training and the cascading training model. In our survey, we received 34 responses from healthcare professionals in India, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Nepal and Pakistan. Around 52.9 per cent reported the absence of established trauma training programmes in their settings. The majority of respondents advocated for hands-on, simulation-based training (94.1%) and emphasised the need for structured training programmes (85.3%), feedback sessions (70.6%) and updated protocols (61.8%). This combined data underlined the critical gaps and potential improvements in trauma training programmes and resuscitation practices in LMICs. Interpretation & conclusions Effective trauma care in LMICs requires the establishment of comprehensive, tailored training programmes. Key interventions should include subsidization of pre-existing trauma courses and the adoption of World Health Organization Guidelines for essential trauma care, implementation of trauma quality improvement and review processes and the incorporation of focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST) in emergency departments. These steps are crucial for equipping healthcare workers with vital skills and knowledge, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement in the realm of trauma care.

Challenges, Recommendations, and Epidemiology of Pulmonary Embolism in India: A Narrative Review.

An embolized clot that travels to the lungs from the legs or, less commonly, other parts of the body (known as deep vein thrombosis or DVT) causes pulmonary embolism (PE), which is characterized by obstruction of blood flow to the pulmonary artery. As PE has the propensity to masquerade as various illnesses affecting both the cardiovascular (CV) and the respiratory system, it is crucial to identify PE at the earliest. Appropriate diagnosis of PE may lead to earlier treatment and improved patient outcomes. While pulmonary angiography remains the established gold standard for diagnosing PE, the contemporary standard of care for this condition is the computed tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA). Anticoagulation therapy is the fundamental strategy for managing PE, with the forefront of treatment being the use of novel and upcoming oral anticoagulants known as non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs). The NOACs provide a practical single-drug treatment strategy, which does not hinder the patient's lifestyle and domestic responsibilities. Although PE may be fatal, early detection may lead to effective management. Despite that, mortality and morbidity associated with PE are very high in India. The awareness among Indian healthcare professionals about PE should be improved, and unified pan-country diagnostic and management guidelines should be formulated to tackle the country's PE burden.

A Comprehensive Legal Practice Strategy to Address Violence against Health-care Professionals

Abstract As dentistry has moved into the 21st century, the emphasis on ethics has increased. The general public has become more or rather over-mindful and attentive to their surroundings, especially in the medical field. Assaults against health-care professionals in India have increased dramatically over the past few years. It has therefore become the need of the moment to learn how to tackle the problem of workplace violence and medicolegal issues that may arise. All professionals in the health-care community must stay updated on the current scenarios, laws, and regulations. Knowledge of “what not to do” has become more significant rather than “what to do.” This article highlights the problem of violence against health-care professionals and the methods that can be used to prevent and stop it.

Birth Defects with the Use of Valproate: An Impact on the Prescribing Pattern amongst the Health Care Professionals in India

Birth Defects with the Use of Valproate: An Impact on the Prescribing Pattern amongst the Health Care Professionals in India

Adoption of Technology by Healthcare Personnel: An Institutional Survey.

In the current era, technology has a significant influence on healthcare outcomes. Despite that, there are significant barriers and concerns toward the adoption of digital laboratory reporting systems among healthcare professionals in India. The aim of the study was to understand the overall attitude, barriers, and motivators toward the adoption of technology by healthcare personnel. The study was conducted through a single-center and prospective questionnaire survey among physicians and surgeons of various specialities, with 107 participants. The electronic laboratory system at the institution, called "AADI," could be accessed across any computer terminal and through a web-based application that could be downloaded on any mobile device. The results of the study revealed that 98 out of 107 (91.59%) healthcare professionals used the digital platform regularly to access laboratory results, while only 9 (8.4%) did not use it. The mean satisfaction score of the users was 4.62 ± 0.51. The study showed that most users found the digital system to be more secure and reliable, which led to significant time savings compared to the paper-based system. The study also found that age was a determinant of usage, with younger healthcare professionals using the application more frequently. Overall, the study suggests that digital laboratory reporting systems have significant benefits, and further efforts are needed to increase adoption in healthcare establishments in India.

Knowledge attitude and practice of materiovigilance among healthcare professionals in tertiary care hospitals

Background: Materiovigilance (Mv) refers to the systematic monitoring and evaluation of medical devices in order to assess their performance and safety during all stages of their life. The purpose of Mv is to identify and avoid any potential hazards or issues linked with medical equipment. In brief, Mv plays an important role in ensuring the performance and safety of medical equipment. It consists of the systematic observation, the collection, and analysis of data on occurrences and adverse events related to medical equipment. The study was conducted to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding Mv among healthcare professionals in tertiary care hospitals. Methods: Self-prepared and validated questionnaires were distributed among healthcare Professionals in India through online forms from December 2022 to July 2023, a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was used, with convenience sampling utilized. Responses from 220 subjects were analyzed. Results: The primary objective of this study was to assess the demographic details of the Healthcare Professionals as well as the distribution of knowledge, Attitude, Practice on Mv, in a list of 220 responses, 40% of them know about the Mv. Remaining 60% of them they don’t know about the Mv. Total 220 responses, 76.8% of the Healthcare professionals suggested to thought about the Mv, remaining 23.1% were disagreed. 75 out of 220 healthcare professionals acknowledged to seeing the reporting form and experiencing AE in their patients, while the remaining 145 denied it. Conclusions: This study determined the knowledge, attitude and practice of Mv among healthcare professionals in tertiary care hospitals. According to the current study, the majority of healthcare professionals were knowledgeable and supportive of Mv, however they are not as effective in practice.

Impact of COVID-19 outbreak on healthcare workers in a Tertiary Healthcare Center in India: a cross sectional study

Numerous speculations have continually emerged, trying to explore the association between COVID-19 infection and a varied range of demographic and clinical factors. Frontline healthcare workers have been the primary group exposed to this infection, and there have been limited global research that examine this cohort. However, while there are a few large studies conducted on Indian healthcare professionals to investigate their potential risk and predisposing factors to COVID-19 infection, to our knowledge there are no studies evaluating the development of long COVID in this population. This cross-sectional study systematically utilized the demographic and clinical data of 3329 healthcare workers (HCW) from a tertiary hospital in India to gain significant insights into the associations between disease prevalence, severity of SARS-Cov-2 infection and long COVID. Most of the study population was found to be vaccinated (2,615, 78.5%), while 654 (19.65%) HCWs were found to be SARS-CoV-2 positive at least once. Of the infected HCWs, 75.1% (491) did not require hospitalization, whereas the rest were hospitalized for an average duration of 9 days. A total of 206 (6.19%) individuals were found to be suffering from long COVID. Persistent weakness/tiredness was the most experienced long-COVID symptom, while females (1.79, 1.25–2.57), individuals who consumed alcohol (1.85, 1.3–2.64) or had blood group B (1.9, 1.33–2.7) were at a significantly higher risk for developing long COVID.

Unwind the Prevalence of Caffeine Intake and Risk of Hypertension among Indian Healthcare Professionals

Introduction: The most widely used psycho-stimulant substance with a lengthy history of use across the globe is caffeine. In general, consuming little to moderate amounts of caffeine is safe and advantageous. Health care being a demanding job, requires one to be awake and diligent all the time, hence a lot of health care professional resort to caffeine to combat long shifts and heavy workload. Aim: To unravel the prevalence of caffeine consumption and risk of hypertension among Indian health care professionals. Materials and Methods: This study recruited 245 Indian health care professionals aged 19 to 45 years. The data was procured using a questionnaire directed to test their addiction to caffeine and their awareness to risk of Hypertension (HTN). Simran Kaur, UG Student, MMIPR, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana, Ambala, Haryana, India. Neha Kashyap, Assistant Professor, MMIPR, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana, Ambala, Haryana, India. Unwind the Prevalence of Caffeine Intake and Risk of Hypertension among Indian Healthcare Professionals Abstract ID-UG 12. Results: A total of 54.2% healthcare professionals consume caffeine on regular basis. It was observed that more than 34% health care professionals consume more than four drinks and unaware of the negative effects of caffeine despite experiencing symptoms of excessive caffeine consumption. Conclusion: In the present study, the authors concluded that more awareness of the harmful effects of drinking caffeine and the likelihood of getting hypertension is desperately needed to reduce the risk of acquiring any of the numerous cardiovascular conditions.

Uncovering the keys to well-being: calling, mindfulness, and compassion among healthcare professionals in India amidst the post-COVID crisis

Uncovering the keys to well-being: calling, mindfulness, and compassion among healthcare professionals in India amidst the post-COVID crisis

Violence against Health-Care Professionals

Abstract As dentistry has moved into the 21st century, the emphasis on ethics has increased. The general public has become more or rather over mindful and attentive to their surroundings, especially toward the medical field. Assaults against health-care professionals in India have increased dramatically over the past few years. It has, therefore, become the need of the moment to learn how to tackle the problem of workplace violence and medicolegal issues that may arise. It is necessary for all professionals in the health-care community to stay updated on the current scenarios, laws, and new regulations. Knowledge of “what not to do” has become more significant rather than “what to do.” This article highlights the problem of violence against health-care professionals and the methods which can be used to prevent and stop it.

Acceptance of Annual Booster Doses of COVID-19 Vaccines Among Indian Healthcare Professionals: A Pan-India Cross-Sectional Survey.

Introduction The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) posed significant challenges to global health, leading to the declaration of a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Vaccination efforts have effectively reduced severe outcomes and mortality, but breakthrough infections and new variants are of concern. In response, annual booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines are being considered to maintain immunity. Healthcare professionals, as frontline workers, play a pivotal role in vaccination campaigns. This study explores their attitudes toward and willingness to accept annual COVID-19 booster doses in India. Methods A pan-India cross-sectional survey was conducted among healthcare professionals, including faculty, resident doctors, interns, and nursing staff, across Indian medical and nursing colleges. Convenience sampling was used to collect responses via an online questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed demographics, vaccine status, attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination, and willingness to accept annual booster doses. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify predictors of booster dose acceptance. Results A total of 535 participants responded from 28 states and 8 union territories of India. Most were 34.2 years (± 11.1 SD), and 372 (69.5%) had taken Covishield (Serum Institute of India, Pune, India) as their primary vaccine. While 525 (98.1%) had taken the first dose and 518 (96.8%) of them had taken the second dose, only 333 (62.2%) had received a booster. Around 318 (60%) of healthcare professionals were willing to accept an annual booster dose. The mean attitude score toward annual booster doses was 75.4 (range: 28-111). Healthcare professionals' trust in government recommendations and medical experts significantly influenced their willingness to accept annual booster doses. Conclusion This study provides insights into the attitudes of healthcare professionals in India toward annual COVID-19 booster doses. At the same time, a significant proportion showed a willingness to accept boosters.

COVID-19’s Social and Economic Impact on Health Care Professionals in India

Novel Corona Virus or COVID 19 is from the family Coronaviridae, known to mankind since 1962 when it was first isolated from a patient of a respiratory illness. These are pleomorphic viruses containing varying size peplomers (80- 160nM). They have very high rates of mutation due to constantly developing transcription errors & RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) jumps. These viruses are zoonotic pathogens affecting mostly animals including cattle, dogs, cats & bats. However these animal viruses can spread to humans causing pandemics like SARS & COVID19. They can cause wide range of infections from asymptomatic stage to cases requiring management at intensive care units. The first notable disease caused by Coronaviridae viruses was severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in China in 2002- 2003. After a decade there was an outbreak in Middle East countries causing thousands of deaths and causative CoV was named as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The present corona virus pandemic, which erupted in Dec 2019 from Wuhan sea food market and was later labelled as 2019 novel corona virus (nCOVID 19) by world health organisation, is posing as a major healthcare challenge across the globe. It is rapidly spreading across the globe taking millions of lives and causing chaos. It has severely jeopardized the world economy causing global recession.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of materiovigilance among nurses and healthcare technicians in a tertiary care hospital: A questionnaire-based survey

Materiovigilance is “the coordinated system of identification, collection, reporting, and analysis of any untoward occurrences associated with the use of medical devices. This aims to safeguard the well-being of patients by not only preventing the recurrence of these Medical Device Adverse Events but also by taking necessary actions for safety improvements or recalls of such devices. The increasing importance of evaluating the awareness and reporting practices of Medical Device Adverse Events among Indian Healthcare Professionals, the present study was conducted to assess the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Materiovigilance among nurses employed in a tertiary care hospital. This study is questionnaire-based survey which is designed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practice of medical professionals. Our study found that nurses and healthcare technicians in a tertiary care hospital possessed adequate knowledge about different facets of Materiovigilance and maintained a positive attitude towards reporting adverse events associated with medical devices. However, we also noted that the translation of this knowledge and attitude into effective practice of reporting Medical Device Adverse Events was lacking within the participants.

Creating and sustaining a digital community of practice for quality improvement in South-East Asia during the COVID-19 pandemic

IntroductionEnsuring quality of care in Low and Middle Income countries (LMICs) is challenging. Despite the implementation of various quality improvement (QI) initiatives in public and private sectors, the sustenance of...

A Review on Violence Against Health Care Professionals in India and Its Impact

Background: Workplace violence (WPV) is an emerging and contextually relevant public health problem among healthcare professionals (HCPs) globally, including in India. It is now recognized as a significant occupational hazard and an emergency public health problem. This study reviewed to identify the concept and prevalence of WPV, its trend, consequences, impact on healthcare professionals, and preventative measures in the Indian Context. Methods: We searched Pub Med, Google Scholar, Scopus and other source, for the published articles between 2014 and 2022. Results: We included 25 studies in total. Doctors and nurses are victims in Emergency Rooms, Intensive Care Units, and Outpatient departments (OPD). The majority of incidents across all contexts involved verbal violence. Patients and visitors are perpetrators of WPV and has impacts on service. Waiting time, poor communication, infrastructural issues, and negative media coverage are predisposing factors to WPV against HCPs. Conclusion: While WPV showing increased trends, there is a need for a more systemic approach to reducing violence in the workplace that incorporates accountability at various tiers.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE DATA-DRIVEN REVOLUTION IN INDIAN HEALTH MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL

Health Management Information System (HMIS) is a complete government web-based portal designed to manage healthcare data nationally in India. On 23rd October 2008, the government of India dispatched this national-level portal to screen the progress of the National Health Mission so that this HMIS portal could provide a structured report and monitor data over some time, which could help formulate the new national-level policy. This study was conducted through primary and secondary data collection and consisted of a graphical analysis of data observed from April 2008 to March 2020. Various stages of development of national-level HMIS were considered and studied. The Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) levels among the Indian healthcare professionals about the Nation Health Portal were studied. Other than that, the analysis provided information on the coverage and usage of health data reporting to national-level HMIS in India. Various underlying causes for data capturing methods and errors in HMIS were identified in the study. The existing challenges and limitations regarding using HMIS were discussed based on statistical analysis and results. The exciting advancements and standardization efforts in enhancing the quality of Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) are poised soon to make a significant impact on integrating national-level data for maximizing the effectiveness of healthcare systems. India must go a long way in the race for a data-driven revolution in health care. Note that the National level Health portal is a great initiative by the government of India.

Formula milk companies and allergy healthcare professionals in India.

India is a low-middle income country with a population of 1.4 billion and home to one quarter of the world's children. Exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months and continued breastfeeding until at least 2 years as per global recommendations are common practice. The Indian government and associated organisations have strived to protect breastfeeding, which is important in a country with high under-5 mortality, malnutrition and stunting. Allergic disease is under-recognised in India, but despite the absence of a dedicated allergy medical specialty, awareness of allergy is increasing among healthcare practitioners and in the general population. In high-income countries, overdiagnosis of allergy has become recognised as an issue in recent years. Allergy healthcare professionals have also attracted criticism for close relationships with the formula industry, which appear to have contributed to excessive use of specialised formula products and undermining of breastfeeding. Specialised formula has been used unnecessarily for preventing allergy, based on fraudulent and selectively reported science; and for managing normal infant symptoms which are mislabelled as milk allergy. This forms part of a broader formula industry corporate strategy to widen the boundaries of illness in order to expand sales and markets. In India, allergic disease management is hindered by limited understanding of the disease entity among practitioners, low access to diagnostics, limited healthcare resources, high exposure to air pollution and a large, diverse population. Data specific to India on allergic disease prevalence and interpreting allergy diagnostics are incomplete. The knowledge gaps mean allergy management in India is often extrapolated from guidance developed in high-income countries with low breastfeeding rates. As the allergy specialty develops in India, local guidance and practice will need to recognise the threat that current allergy practice poses to India's normative infant feeding culture, and ensure that breastfeeding continues to be supported at all levels.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Psychological Well-Being of Health Care Professionals in India

Abstract Introduction and Objective Health care professionals (HPs) have been at the forefront facing the pressures and uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic, and thus have a higher psychological vulnerability. The incidence of psychological distress, which can negatively affect an HP's work efficiency and long-term well-being, has not been studied in depth in India. Materials and Methods A multicentric study was conducted using the digital means of communication across Max Healthcare between June and August 2020. HPs in the department of oncology, including doctors, nurses, and other support staff, were invited to voluntarily participate in the self-administered online survey. A total of 87 HPs in oncology (41 doctors, 28 nurses, and 18 in other fronts) were assessed using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Outcome of interest was psychological distress (defined as a GHQ-12 score >15). Results The overall incidence of psychological distress among HPs in oncology during the COVID-19 pandemic was 17.20%. Significantly higher levels of psychological distress were observed among HPs with a history of psychiatric illness (p = 0.003), and among HPs with a work experience of less than 10 years (p = 0.017). Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the psychological well-being of HPs in India. This study implicated the recognition of the psychological well-being of HPs in oncology as an unmet need during the COVID-19 pandemic, further recommending efforts toward increasing accessibility of mental health services for them.