Need For Health Practitioners Research Articles

"What Is Normal?": A Qualitative Exploration of Health Practitioners' Reports of Treating Patients Presenting with Unpleasant Sexual Experiences.

Sexual health, including sexual pleasure, is fundamental to holistic health and well-being, and is considered an area of priority health in Australia. Despite the importance of sexual functioning, women experience significant gaps in sexual well-being compared to men and often do not seek medical care or treatment. Health practitioners are central to the identification and treatment of sexual dysfunction, including fostering sexual well-being for patients. Despite this, minimal research has explored health practitioners' experiences in treating reports of unpleasant sex. This study aimed to explore health practitioners' experiences, responses, and confidence in treating patients presenting for unpleasant sexual experiences. An online, mixed-methods survey was completed by 96 participants. Thematic analysis identified 11 core themes. These themes included five patient centred themes (health risks, diverse sex acts, painful vaginal intercourse, relationship breakdown and violence, unwanted sex) and six health practitioner centred themes (communication and counselling, what is normal, ongoing care and follow up, emotional response, limited practical training, and highly prevalent). Participants described a complex sexual health landscape, with social contexts impacting women's sexual experiences and engagement in treatment. Additionally, health practitioners reported the need for a biopsychosocial approach to understanding and responding to unpleasant sexual experiences for patients, while simultaneously reporting limited education in this area. Findings reflect the need for health practitioners to be cognisant of matters related to sexual function, consent, coercion, client engagement, and treatment pathways, identifying a need for greater education and holistic approaches to sexual healthcare across medical settings.

Hypertension among adult population of Herat city of Afghanistan: A cross-sectional study

Background: Hypertension as a major health problem around the world which is responsible for 7.5 million or 12.8% of all deaths yearly around the world. To date, there is a scarcity of data concerning prevalence and risk factors of hypertension in Herat province of Afghanistan. Therefore, the present study estimated the prevalence of hypertension and its predictors among Afghan adults living in Herat city.
 Methods: A cross-sectional study was administered in August 2022 among adults (N=504) in the Herat province of Afghanistan. The study examined hypertension, its risk factors among people living in Herat province of Afghanistan.
 Results: Of the 504 participants, 27.4% of them had hypertension. age group, gender, body mass index (BMI), marital status, occupation, smoking, presence of another disease, and use of social media, were among the main variables associated with hypertension among participants of the study. Multiple regression analysis indicated that age (AOR=1.036, p<0.001), BMI (AOR=1.077, p=0.003), gender (AOR=2.910, p<0.001), presence of disease (AOR=0.541, p=0.026), use of social media (AOR=0.504, p=0.007), and Borani (AOR=1.316, p=0.028) were significantly associated with presence of hypertension.
 Conclusion: The prevalence of hypertension is found high among adults living in Herat province of Afghanistan. One of the variables found to have a major impact on the prevalence of hypertension was eating Borani food. There is a need for health practitioners to assess self-care activities and blood pressure control, and educate patients the importance of hypertension monitoring and teaching practical techniques to boost their confidence and motivation to achieve a better self-care to have a healthier life.

Malaria in sub-Saharan Africa-a continuing risk for international travellers.

International travel volumes are recovering after the COVID-19 pandemic. We highlight the high risk of malaria for travellers to sub-Saharan Africa and the continued need for health practitioners to prescribe and facilitate access to affordable antimalarial chemoprophylaxis and to provide high-quality diagnostic services and therapeutic care for case management.

The association between social media use and depressive symptoms among adults in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Background:Excessive use of social media sites and applications was reported to be associated with depressive symptoms. We determined the association between social media use and depressive symptoms among adults in Riyadh and correlated the results with other studies.Methods:A cross-sectional study was performed using a self-administered survey questionnaire distributed to participants aged 13 years old and above. The Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) was used as a screening tool to measure depression. Positive and negative affective experiences were also assessed.Results:A total of 467 participants with a mean age of 27.0 ± 10.9 years were surveyed; 269 (57.6%) were males, and 198 (42.4%) were females. The mean of the total PHQ-9 score was 8.7 ± 5.8. There were 17 patients (3.6%) with no depression, 103 (22.1%) with minimal depression, 160 (34.3%) with mild depression, 113 (24.2%) with moderate depression, 47 (10.1%) with moderately severe depression, and 27 (5.8%) with severe depression. Females significantly had experienced moderate to severe depression compared to males (P = 0.040, OR = 1.48). One hundred eighty-seven respondents (40.0%) had moderate to severe depression on the three dimensions of social networking sites (SNSs) usage. The PHQ-9 score was positively significantly correlated with all three dimensions of the use of SNSs. The negative affective experiences ranked high among other affective experiences with depression, the highest mean of all the scales (5.8 ± 1.4). The positive affective experiences scored low, with contentment scoring the lowest (3.7 ± 1.9).Conclusion:A high percentage of moderate to severe depression and negative affective experiences, including anger and happiness, exists among individuals who excessively use and spend a lot more time using SNSs. A greater tendency toward depression occurs among females. Although the data from this study are self-reported, there is a need for health practitioners and family physicians to identify early signs of depression that warrants early intervention to address to mitigate and prevent the potentially harmful consequences that might happen in the future.

REVIEW ARTICLE: EPIDEMIOLOGY OF COVID’19

Purpose: To carefully review and understand the cause, distribution, progression, determinants and deterrents of COVID-19.
 Methodology: Peer reviewed data relevant to study was collected from PubMed, Google Scholar, WHO database, Research gate and Wikipedia based on pre-set inclusion and exclusion criteria.
 Findings: Covid-19 is a principally respiratory illness caused by the novel Corona Virus (SARS-CoV2). It started as an epidemic in Wuhan, China in December 2019, became a pandemic in March 2020 and have now infected almost 22 million people over 216 countries causing about three-quarter of a million deaths. It spreads primarily through droplets, aerosols or contact with contaminated surfaces. Illness is usually mild to moderate flu-like symptoms but can be asymptomatic as well as severe especially in patients with underlying co-morbidities. Testing can either be antigen based through polymerase chain reaction or antibody based. Treatment is generally supportive while the efficacy of diverse pharmacological remains controversial. Public education, early diagnosis and isolation, restriction of gatherings and movements have been the main method used worldwide to tackle this outbreak.
 Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: Emphasizes the infectivity of SARS-CoV2 virus and need for health practitioners and general public to adhere strictly to preventive measures in order to avert a global second wave of the pandemic.
 Conclusion: COVID-19 is an infectious disease that have rapidly spread from china to the world at large. A lot of efforts and policies have been made to prevent and control its spread. There’s need to adhere to guidelines in order to reduce spread and subsequent mortality especially amongst vulnerable groups. As many countries commence protocols to re-open, there’s need to do so in line with lessons learnt during this outbreak to avoid a more devastating second wave.

Support for living well with long-term conditions: How people manage.

To explore how people self-manage their long-term conditions and the support enabling them to do so. People with long-term conditions are required to engage in daily self-management with the support of health practitioners, family and friends. A qualitative interview study. Thirty-two New Zealand European and Pacific people with long-term conditions were interviewed about how they manage their condition/s at home with support from family, neighbours, agencies and general practice doctors and nurses. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, checked and analysed for thematic content. The COREQ checklist was used. Three themes emerging from the data were as follows: 'acceptance' of conditions, limitations, support and advice; 'making it work' regarding life with long-term conditions; and the need for health practitioners to 'work alongside me'. People with long-term conditions struggle with acceptance of a diagnosis and symptoms, and acceptance of help which conflicts with their need to maintain independence and personal control. They self-manage every day, learning to plan, choose what and what not to do and negotiate with others to get tasks done and maintain quality of life. They manage better with support from understanding health practitioners, especially advanced nurses, with whom they have established a positive, sustained relationship. Active support for people to self-manage has been shown to assist people to achieve their goals and improve overall health and well-being. Nurses are well positioned to provide self-management support for people with long-term conditions but require allocated time and system changes to enable this. Practitioners need to acknowledge that it is difficult for people to accept diagnoses and symptoms and provide individualised support for this process. The desire to remain independent may limit acceptance of help, making it harder for people to maintain life quality. A change in length and content of consultations is required in order for practitioners to really get to know people and provide the self-management support they need to meet their goals.

Women's Experiences of Diagnosis and Treatment of Early Menopause and Premature Ovarian Insufficiency: A Qualitative Study

AbstractEarly menopause (EM) and premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) affect an estimated 10% of women and can precipitate a wide range of physiological and personal impacts. Receiving a diagnosis of EM/POI and navigating treatment can be complex experiences for women; however, qualitative research exploring these aspects of the condition is limited. Our study aimed to increase understanding of women's lived experiences of EM/POI encompassing its medical, social, and emotional dimensions. We conducted narrative interviews with 30 women aged 28 to 51 years with spontaneous and iatrogenic EM/POI and menopausal symptoms resulting from ovarian suppression therapy, and analyzed transcripts thematically. This article examines the prominent and under-researched themes of women's experiences of navigating “diagnosis” and treatment. Diagnosis emerged as a complex and changeable process wherein women had to negotiate a diagnosis of spontaneous EM/POI and grasp the meaning and probability of iatrogenic EM/POI. Navigating treatment entailed further complexity as women grappled with the risks and efficacy of hormonal and non-hormonal medications. The findings underline the intricacies of EM/POI as a biomedical phenomenon and highlight the need for health practitioners to recognize and respond to the challenges women face in coming to terms with the condition and managing its embodied effects.

The Power of Celebrity Health Events: Meta-analysis of the Relationship between Audience Involvement and Behavioral Intentions

Audience involvement processes – such as parasocial interaction and identification – may impact an individual’s response to celebrity health events, yet to date, no synthesis of the literature exists. The present meta-analysis examined audience involvement processes and their influence on health behavior intentions in the context of celebrity health events. Fourteen studies (N = 5,718) met criteria and were analyzed using meta-analytic procedures. The weighted mean effect of the association between audience involvement and behavioral intentions was r = 0.20 (95% CI, 0.08–0.31, p <.001), indicating a statistically significant small-to-medium-sized positive association. Moderator analyses revealed that celebrity disclosures and events had greater effects than depictions of a media persona with a health condition; greater effects were also found for health behaviors not requiring a medical procedure. Our findings suggest that those who most feel a sense of attachment or affinity for a celebrity or media personae may be the ones who are most likely to modify their behavioral intentions in the wake of a celebrity health event. Results highlight the need for health practitioners to recognize the role of audience involvement in celebrity health events and to better assess how to harness these opportunities to promote healthy behaviors.

Factors affecting self-management of hypertensive patients attending family medicine clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Background/Aim:Hypertension (HBP) is a chronic disease that has become a public health problem, which has been attributed to numerous risk factors. However, despite numerous HBP management and behavioral treatment guidelines, HBP is poorly controlled among patients due to insufficient care. We conducted this study to identify the prevalence of self-management behaviors and to explore factors affecting self-management behaviors for controlling HBP among hypertensive patients.Methods:We conducted a survey using the Hypertension Self-Care Profile (HBP-SCP) and the Hill-Bone Adherence Scale among diagnosed HBP patients attending the Family Medicine clinics of King Saud Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in January 2019. All patients of Saudi nationality aged 18 years and above were included in the study.Results:A total of 187 patients responded to the survey, 95 (50.8%) males and 92 (49.2%) females. Only 93 patients (49.7%) monitor their BP at home, and 68 (36.4%) always measure their BP. Ninety-one patients (48.7%) said that measuring their BP is not important. The most common reason for not taking the anti-HBP medications is they forget to take the medications in 87 (46.5%) of patients. Seventy-two patients (38.5%) did not restrict salt intake, and 51 patients (27.3%) had no time for exercise. More than half of the patients (51.3%) were not motivated to regularly exercise and 56.7% were motivated to limit salt-intake. Confidence to exercise, check BP at home, and eat low-salt foods were also low at 52.4–53.5%. Significant factors including gender, age, BMI, duration of HBP, and presence of cardiac disease were found to be related toward behavior, motivation, and confidence to self-care.Conclusion:Compliance, behavior, motivation, and self-care among hypertensive patients visiting the primary care clinics in our representative population are low. Various factors were found to be related to poor behavior, poor motivation, and less confidence to do home BP monitoring, to exercise more, restrict salt intake, and value the control of HBP. There is a need for health practitioners to assess self-care activities and blood pressure control, and educate patients the importance of HBP monitoring and teaching practical techniques to boost their confidence and motivation to achieve a better behavior, self-care, and compliance to management.

Control and prevention of cholera transmission in low resource clinical setting

INTRODUCTION : Cholera is a serious Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEIC). The recurrence of outbreaks depicts lack of appropriate control and prevention, thereby contributing to high morbidity, mortality and socioeconomic burden. The clinical setting, aside from treatment of the infected, plays a big role in the ultimate prevention and control of the disease. AIM : This article highlights the necessary prevention and control practices in low-resource clinical settings. METHODOLOGY : We extracted relevant articles from various databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar and African Journal Online(AJOL) and summarized them. RESULT : Cholera caused by the organism, Vibrio cholera is of great global burden and majority of cases are in poor and low resource setting like Nigeria, where there are challenges with water supply and sanitation. The key preventative and control strategy in clinical setting include clinical and administrative policy toward cholera prevention and control, rapid case identification, compliance with Standard Precaution, adoption of Transmission Based Precautions for patient isolation, contact tracing and treatment, effective case referral system, cholera education and enlightenment of health workers and the community. CONCLUSION : With the current wave of cholera in many countries, there is need for health practitioners to upgrade their skills in both clinical and infection prevention and control practices. KEYWORDS : Cholera, Nigeria, Clinical setting, Infectious disease, infection control.

Intersectional identities and dilemmas in interactions with healthcare professionals: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of British Muslim gay men

Individual interviews were conducted with six self-identified Muslim gay men living in London focusing on their experience of health service use. Transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Analysis identified two major themes: the close(d) community and self-management with healthcare professionals, detailing participants’ concerns regarding the risks of disclosing sexuality; and the authentic identity – ‘you’re either a Muslim or you’re gay, you can’t be both’ – which delineated notions of incommensurate identity. Analysis highlights the need for health practitioners to have insight into the complexity of intersectional identities, identity disclosure dynamics and the negative consequences of assumptions made, be these heteronormative or faith-related.

Prevalence of Glucosamine and Omega-3 Fatty Acid Use and Characteristics of Users among Mid-Age Women: Analysis of a Nationally Representative Sample of 10,638 Women.

There has been a dramatic increase in the use of dietary supplements over the last few decades and both omega-3 fatty acids and glucosamine are two of the best-selling dietary supplements in many countries. An understanding of omega-3 fatty acids and glucosamine consumption is of significance to health care providers and for future health promotion activities. This research involved analysis of data collected from a nationally-representative sample of Australian women as part of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH). Participants' use of omega-3 fatty acids (FA), glucosamine, their demographics, health status and health care utilisation were measured. Analysis included logistic regression modelling. Of the 10,638 women in the study, 26.8% reported use of omega-3 FA and 15.9% glucosamine. Women with osteoarthritis (OR=2.529; 95% CI: 2.190, 2.921), other arthritis (OR= 1.618; 95% CI: 1.375, 1.905), and joint pain (OR= 2.699; 95% CI: 2.305, 3.160) were more likely to use glucosamine (all p<0.001). In contrast, those with diabetes (OR= 0.471; 95% CI: 0.343, 0.646) or depression (OR= 0.764; 95% CI: 0.657, 0.887) were less likely to use glucosamine (both p<0.001). Women with osteoarthritis (OR=1.481; 95% CI: 1.297, 1.691) and joint pain (OR= 1.456; 95% CI: 1.306, 1.622) were more likely to use omega-3 FA (all p<0.001). Substantial prevalence rates for use of glucosamine and omega-3 FA amongst mid-aged women highlights the need for health practitioners and policymakers to be mindful of the possible significant role of such supplement use as part of patient health-seeking behaviours.

Women’s experiences of pelvic inflammatory disease: Implications for health-care professionals

This study explored the health-care experiences of women diagnosed with pelvic inflammatory disease. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 women diagnosed with pelvic inflammatory disease. Many women felt empowered about their health post-diagnosis; however, a smaller number reported becoming hyper-vigilant towards symptoms. Infertility was the greatest concern for women. Inadequate information and treatment resulted in negative health experiences, whereas clinician honesty and concern were viewed positively. The findings highlight the need for community education encouraging early presentation for the treatment of pelvic pain and emphasise the need for health practitioners to be responsive to the psychosocial aspects of pelvic inflammatory disease.

The effect of massage on agitated behaviours in older people with dementia: a literature review

To review the literature on massage used to manage agitated behaviours in older people with dementia, assess its efficacy as a non-pharmacological approach and provide recommendations for future research. Agitation has traditionally been managed with chemical or physical restraint. There has been a growing interest in complementary therapies such as massage. A literature review. Cooper's five-stage model of synthesising research guided the review process. The search terms 'massage', 'agitation' and 'dementia' were defined, and 10 databases were searched in October 2011. No date limitations were applied, although searches were limited to articles written in English. For relevant records, full-text copies were obtained and assessed in terms of inclusion criteria and methodological quality using the Validity Rating Tool (VRT). Data were extracted using a form constructed with reference to the checklist of items to consider in data extraction, produced by the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were assessed on the VRT. One study was considered of adequate methodological quality to be included in the review. This prospective study found that massage significantly reduced levels of agitation in 52 cognitively impaired residents in two long-term care facilities. There is a severe paucity of research that considers the effects of massage on managing agitated behaviours in older people with dementia. Whilst conclusions cannot be drawn from the one study included in this review, it did provide evidence to support the use of massage as a non-pharmacological approach to managing agitation in older people with dementia. More research, of better methodological quality, is needed. There is a need for health practitioners to be aware of the limited evidence for massage as an intervention for agitation and to provide opportunities to validate massage practice.

Uterine health and women's participation in decisions to undergo hysterectomy in KwaZulu-Natal

abstract This Article focuses on uterine health care and women's participation in decisions to undergo hysterectomy. While hysterectomy is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures, not much is known about how women make decisions to undergo such surgery. In South Africa there are health policies that aim to, among other things, increase the participation of patients in decision-making about their health. The Quality in Health Care for South Africa Policy (DoH, 2007) is one such policy, and aims to increase patients’ participation and the dignity afforded to them. A sample of women who had undergone hysterectomy because of fibroids was interviewed to gain insight into their participation in deciding to undergo a hysterectomy, and on their experiences of this surgery. The women indicated that the hysterectomy relieved them of the physical pain they suffered before the surgery. However, they expressed frustration because of the lack of adequate information about the procedure as well as a lack of support before and after surgery. They indicated that although they were informed that this was a life-saving procedure, they were not informed about alternatives available to them besides the hysterectomy. They were also not informed about the surgery's possible damaging after effects. These findings indicate that there is a need for health practitioners to ensure that women are given adequate information about available options and possible side effects of the surgery. The findings also reveal that the health care system needs to provide counselling and support, particularly for African women, who may have unique socio-cultural needs.

Lower utilization of primary, specialty and preventive care services by individuals residing with persons in poor health

Since household time and financial resources for health care are primarily spent for those household members with the most urgent health needs, individuals residing with persons in poor health may be at risk of underusing health-care services. We examined whether these individuals had a lower use of primary, specialty and preventive care than those who did not reside with persons in poor health. Data collected in 2000 from a representative sample of 8,210 French individuals aged 18 years and older from 3,810 households were analysed with logistic regression models adjusted for health, demographic and socioeconomic variables. We found that individuals residing with one other survey respondent had a higher risk of not using primary care, specialty care and preventive care in the 12 months preceding the study when the health status of the other survey respondent was poorer (fair or alternatively poor versus good). Furthermore, individuals residing with two other survey respondents had a higher risk of not using primary care, specialty care and preventive care in the 12 months preceding the study when they resided with a higher number of respondents in fair or poor health (one or alternatively two versus zero). The lower use of health services by individuals residing with persons in poor health may signal a need for health practitioners to broaden the scope of care beyond their patients, and for policy makers to consider the long-term impact of this situation on the health-care system.

Library service delivery via hand-held computers--the right information at the point of care.

Today's health and medical librarians are well aware of the move towards evidence-based clinical practice which has emerged during the past decade. Hand-in-hand with this trend is the need for health practitioners to have access to the best possible evidence to help them in their clinical decision making. Libraries have a key role in the provision of information to their clients, and this means keeping abreast, not only of the various information sources available, but also the means by which those sources may be used. This paper will examine the effects that the hand-held computer is having on the work practices of our clients-library users. It is hoped that the paper will give an insight into the various types of library material which are suitable for use with hand-held devices, and an understanding of their advantages and limitations.