Professional Awareness Research Articles

Understanding the complex health needs of people with problematic drug/alcohol use: a qualitative enquiry

ABSTRACT Background The Northeast of England faces severe health disparities, increased drug and alcohol use, and significant inequality impacts. This study aimed to extend understanding of the health needs of people associated with drug and alcohol misuse and to identify the barriers and facilitators to meeting these specific needs. Method A mixed method approach was used, which included a tailored behavioral insights survey (n = 38) and semi-structured interviews with eight service users recruited via a Treatment and Recovery service in the Northeast of England. Quantitative data was analyzed descriptively, and qualitative data with thematic analysis. Findings The study highlighted several health priority areas, with acute mental health issues being a primary difficulty for service users. The thematic analysis generated four themes illustrating the central barriers and facilitators affecting the fulfillment of health and wellbeing needs among service users: Positive environments and supportive relationships facilitated engagement, whilst stigma, internalized norms, and practicality issues were pertinent barriers. Conclusion The results suggest the critical need for strategic changes, including the co-location of services at user-preferred centers, reducing economic challenges. While also addressing the issue of stigma, focusing on raising professional awareness and addressing personal beliefs among service users regarding healthcare services.

Awareness of audiology and speech-language pathology services among healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia.

Healthcare professionals are required to work effectively together to deliver the best healthcare services. Without awareness of other healthcare professionals' roles and responsibilities, interprofessional practice (IPP) cannot be optimally achieved. This study aimed to investigate healthcare professionals' awareness of audiology and speech-language pathology (SLP) services in Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional descriptive study consisted of two parts. The content of a 20-item paper questionnaire was firstly validated. The full-scale study addressed the aim through distributing questionnaire items among potential participants. Descriptive statistics and chi-square test were used. A total of 403 participants completed the questionnaires for the main study. Most of the participants were Saudi citizens (84.1%), aged 18 years - 40 years (84.8%) years, and lived in Riyadh region (76.2%). Allied health professionals (40.2%), physicians (22.6%), nursing (15.4%) and dentistry (11.2%) were the main group of participants working mainly at governmental hospitals (69.2%). Of the total participants, 92.6% and 95.3% reported being fully aware of the services provided by audiologists and SLPs, respectively. No statistically significant association between the specialty of participants and their familiarity with the scope of practice for SLPs and audiologists was determined. Our study examined healthcare professionals' awareness of audiology and SLP services and revealed a high level of awareness.Contribution:The existed level of awareness is expected to facilitate IPP and enhance the quality of care. Still, awareness campaigns about audiology and SLP services are needed to address the existing lack of knowledge among some healthcare professionals.

노인여가복지시설 종사자의 슈퍼비전과 조직몰입의 관계

This study analyzed the relationship between supervision, professionalism awareness, and self-leadership, which are various variablesrelated to organizational commitment that can raise the level of leisure welfare facilities for older adults. Questionnaires were distributedto 375 workers in 19 facilities in Daejeon and Chungcheongnam-do through SPSS and Amos 18.0 program. Confirmatory factor and structuralequation model analysis were used as important analysis methods. The analysis results are as follows: Firstly, the supervision of workershas a significant effect on organizational commitment. Secondly, the paths of major variables were all significant. Thirdly, the dual mediatingeffect of professionalism awareness and self-leadership was confirmed. The measures to improve workers’ organizational commitment andto provide high quality leisure services are as follows. Firstly, for enhancing the supervision for the workers, it is necessary to educatethe supervisor to balance the detailed supervision, to develop the operating system and manual of the specific supervision, and to includethe supervision in the facility evaluation. Secondly, in order to improve workers’ professionalism perception, it is necessary to provideprofessional deepening education, to examine the type of social worker qualification examination, and to create an environment to improvethe professionalism voluntarily. Thirdly, for developing their self-leadership, it is desirable to include various supports of managers,self-leadership in job training and appropriate compensation for work performance caused by self-leadership.

Opportunities and challenges to the development and deployment of vaccines for pregnant women in Germany

Maternal immunisation is a powerful tool to protect both pregnant women and their children. A new maternal RSV vaccine holds promise to protect newborns from RSV-associated illness in the first few months of life, but no official recommendation has been made in Germany. Since RSV causes a significant burden of paediatric hospital admissions, we consider it a pertinent opportunity to review barriers to maternal vaccination in Germany, which might also apply to other settings. Access to vaccination for pregnant women in Germany is shaped by an interplay of legal, regulatory, institutional, and sociocultural factors, with a less permissive clinical research environment, delays in recommendation and roll-out, and lower acceptance by healthcare professionals and the population. Actionable recommendations to improve availability and uptake include coordination with other national regulatory bodies to reduce delays, awareness and literacy campaigns for health professionals and the general public, and capacity building for vaccine clinical research.

Evaluation of telemedicine and health tourism awareness of healthcare professionals

Although electronic infrastructures save time and service effort in delivering health services, we need more information about regional service providers' attitudes and deficiencies towards these technologies. Therefore, in our study, we wanted to evaluate the attitudes of healthcare professionals towards the use of electronic infrastructure in health tourism and their awareness of the use of telemedicine in general service delivery. For this purpose, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 108 healthcare professionals, and the data obtained from the survey was analyzed. According to our results, the preference for post-examination checks and the use of electronic infrastructures in health tourism are affected by gender and education. As healthcare professionals age, their knowledge of telemedicine increases, but their preference for using technology-based infrastructure or technological devices decreases. Our implications include eliminating deficiencies in health policies by effectively matching local needs and global expectations, especially health tourism and electronic health service provision.

The adverse effects of vaping in young people

Vapes or e-cigarettes are battery operated devices that heat a liquid until it becomes a vapour, which is inhaled. Typically, e-liquids contain nicotine, different flavourings, and propylene glycol. Vaping devices are either disposable vapes or rechargeable. Vapes were initially developed as stop smoking aid but they have now become a recreational product popular among teenagers.Vaping has increased at an alarming rate among teenagers and young adults in Ireland. The European Schools Project for Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) survey 2019 showed that almost 4 in 10 Irish 16-year-olds had tried vaping and 15 % currently use them. More worrying is the dramatic rise in the use of disposable vapes in recent years. An Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) UK survey data revealed a 9-fold increase from 2021 to 2023 in their use (7.7 % to 69 %) among 11–17-year-old vapers.A combination of clever marketing by vaping companies, a strong social media presence, attractive flavours and easy accessibility has contributed to the increasing use of vapes by young people.Exposure of children and adolescents to nicotine in vaping solutions can lead to long-term negative impacts on brain development, as well as addiction. Many teenagers who vape experience poor concentration, anxiety, mood disorders and sleep disturbance. A paper from NEJM in 2022 reported a case series where chronic vaping resulted in small airway fibrosis of the airways. A systematic review conducted in 2021 concluded that teenager vapers were three to five times more likely to take up tobacco smoking when compared with non-vapers.Strong legislation is required to ban the sale of disposable vapes to teenagers along with controls on marketing online. Healthcare Professionals should ask and counsel their patients about vaping. Increased public awareness and education for Health care professionals on teenage vaping needs to be addressed.Vaping has become a global public health issue that must be addressed urgently.

TRADITIONAL BELIEFS AND PRACTICES RELATED TO PUERPERIUM, NEONATAL CARE AND BREASTFEEDING IN THE POSTPARTUM PERIOD

Objective: In this research, we aimed to determine the traditional beliefs and implemented practices of women in postpartum period regarding puerperium, neonatal, care, and breastfeeding. Method: The study was cross-sectional and descriptive and consisted of 618 women living in seven regions of Turkey between December 12,2022 and January 15,2023. The data were collected through a personal information form created by the researchers and snowball sampling method was used. Mean, standard deviation, number, percentage, and chi-square tests were used to evaluate the data. Findings: The average age of the women participating in the study was between 38.15±10.62, and the duration of the marriage was 16.59±11.54 years. Of the women, 33.3% are primary school graduates, 73% are not working, 54.4% have an income equivalent to expenses, and 86.9% have a nuclear family structure. Of them, 59.7% stated that they resorted to traditional practices related to puerperal care, 61.8% to neonatal care, and 47.9% to breastfeeding. The traditional practices that women use the most are abstinence from sexual intercourse for forty days in puerperium (66.8%), swaddling in neonatal care (75.9%), consuming hot milk, soup, etc., and increasing milk consumption during breastfeeding (62.6%). It was found that there is a significant difference between the traditional methods applied for puerperal care, neonatal care, and breastfeeding when compared by region (p<0.05). Conclusions and recommendations: It was determined that the women participating in the study applied many traditional methods related to puerperium, neonatal care, and breastfeeding. Although these methods show regional differences, they are often used. It is proposed to increase the awareness of society and health professionals specialized in their field about traditional methods and to create policies for health organizations to identify and inform, considering that these traditional methods may create differences in individuals.

Awareness and perceptions of artificial intelligence in dentistry: A cross-sectional survey among Indian dental professionals

Introduction Artificial intelligence (AI) is inevitably going to impact healthcare including dentistry and will become an essential tool in medical diagnosis and decision-making. Dental professionals must be familiar with growing trends in dentistry such as AI and its future scope. Despite the positive developments in AI research, there are divergent perspectives on its benefits and risks among stakeholders. We intended to understand the knowledge, awareness, and perceptions of dental professionals towards AI and its applications in dentistry. Methods and Material A semi-structured, 25-item Google form questionnaire consisting of closed and open-ended questions was made and the link to answer the survey was circulated among postgraduate students, dental academicians, and practitioners across India in an online mode, and the responses were collected and analyzed. Results 83.3% of participants were aware of AI and its applications. Most of the participants understood the attributes, advantages, and disadvantages of AI. Interestingly 72% of participants agreed that they have witnessed AI being used in clinical practice and 92.7% agreed to use AI for diagnosis. 65.3% expressed concern over unemployment due to AI and 85% agreed that AI has ethical issues. Over 85% of participants agreed AI should be a part of the postgraduate dental curriculum. Conclusions We found that dental professionals are updated with AI technology and showed a willingness to adopt AI into dental practice. The participants lacked a deeper understanding of AI and concerned about the potential risk of unemployment resulting from AI and trusting AI alone in dental diagnosis. Keywords: Artificial intelligence, Cross-sectional survey, Dentist, Knowledge, Perceptions.

Domains and Categories of Needs in Long-Term Follow-Up of Adult Cancer Survivors: A Scoping Review of Systematic Reviews.

The number of long-term cancer survivors increases continually. Understanding their needs is crucial to ensure an adequate follow-up. The aim of our study was to summarize the current literature concerning needs and what influences these needs. A scoping review of systematic reviews was conducted according to the recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute. Four electronic databases were searched. Of 414 retrieved papers, 11 met the eligibility criteria. Needs were aggregated into six domains (health-related information, health system, mental, practical, relationship and physical) and 15 categories. The lack of adequate information and the lack of access and/or continuity of supportive care were the most prominent needs. Female gender, younger age, a low level of family and/or social support, and higher educational level were identified as risk factors. Employment and relationship status can affect the needs both in a positive and negative way. The weeks or months after the end of the treatments are particularly critical, and needs can be emphasized during this period. The experience of cancer could also lead to positive changes. The variety of needs affects the quality of life of cancer survivors. Needs assessments should be systematically provided to ensure a better awareness of health professionals and to allow an individual, holistic, and integrated follow-up.

The relationship of legal science, education, and practice: finding a balance between fundamental legal education and practical skills

The article examines the concept of legal science, education and practice in the context of their interaction. It is noted that the main task of the domestic system of higher legal education is to find a balance between fundamental theoretical training and practical skills. Some types of legal practice require thorough knowledge in the field of both national and international law. Many universities focus on studying the legislation of other countries and foreign languages. In addition, modern political processes require revision of work programs of disciplines, for example, related to the activities of international organizations. For the future professional, we consider it important not only to consolidate theoretical knowledge and mechanical skills, but also to form legal thinking (develop analysis, argumentation, decision-making, responsibility). It is emphasized that the changes in the field of legal education are enshrined in the Report of the European Commission on Ukraine’s progress towards joining the EU, which was published in November 2023. Among other things, there are requirements: to clearly distinguish between legal education and personnel training for law enforcement agencies; strengthen law school admission requirements and law school licensing requirements; introduce a transparent distribution of state orders; review educational programs with an emphasis on ethics, practical training, EU law and international exchanges; implement EDKI. When modernizing legal education, it is also important to pay attention to the learning process, in particular, it is necessary to diversify the activities of students. In addition to traditional lectures, seminars and the previously mentioned practices, the experience of writing coursework and final qualification papers, participation in model processes is important for future lawyers, as this allows for the formation of a general and legal culture of writing and speech, a legal position in a case and the skills of conducting a discussion. It is concluded that new legal mechanisms are being formed in modern Ukraine, which is manifested, in particular, in active law-making, qualitative changes are taking place in legal awareness, including professional awareness. Under such conditions, professional legal education, which involves the formation of students’ practical skills, becomes invaluable. While preserving the training of professionals for a narrow field of legal activity, university education on the basis of domestic and European legal science should be developed at the same time. A university student will be able to become a good specialist only if he studies legal concepts, categories, constructions and ways of their expression in various legal realities. Such knowledge will not become obsolete in a few years, even if the current legislation changes.

Apert syndrome: modern aspects of diagnosis and treatment

The purpose of this review is to raise awareness of medical professionals about the features of the clinical picture, the possibilities of diagnosis (including prenatal) and therapy of patients with Apert syndrome to further improve the prognosis and improve the quality of life. Acrocephalosyndactyly is a group of rare congenital syndromes characterized by the presence of acrocephaly, craniofacial anomalies, syndactyly of the hands and feet. According to the literature, the most common form of аcrocephalosyndactyly is Apert syndrome (acrocephalosyndactyly type I, Apert syndrome, ICD 10 Q 87.0, OMIM 101200). This is a genetic disease inherited by an autosomal dominant type. CA is caused by a mutation of the fibroblast growth factor receptor type 2 gene (FGFR2) located on the long arm of chromosome 10, which leads to increased bone metabolism and impaired bone synthesis. The frequency of Apert syndrome is about 15 cases per 1,000,000 live births. Wheaton first reported this pathology in 1894, and in 1906 the French pediatrician Eugene Apert published a series of nine clinical cases with a characteristic triad of symptoms. Apert syndrome is characterized by craniosynostosis, bilateral symmetrical limb syndactyly and dysmorphic facial features. Hypoplasia of the upper jaw and bicoronal synostosis are two noticeable craniofacial defects that lead to a flat, deepened appearance of the forehead and the middle part of the face. Hypertelorism and excessive orbitality, low-set ears, flat nose and cleft palate are often found. Cardiovascular, neurological and genitourinary abnormalities may be present. Diagnosis is based on clinical criteria and molecular genetic testing. There is a possibility of prenatal detection of Apert syndrome.

Analysis of professional competency awareness based on visible network graphs

Introduction: With the advancement of society and technology, the importance of professional competency has been increasingly emphasized. This study aims to provide an in-depth analysis of the Baidu search index for “professional competency” from July 3, 2017, to October 6, 2023, across 34 provincial-level administrative regions in China.Methods: The study begins with a literature review to establish a theoretical framework. Subsequently, it delves into the fundamental concepts of complex networks, their parameters, and the principles of visible network graph algorithms. The application of system clustering and community detection algorithms is explored within this framework.Results: The empirical analysis starts with a provincial-level examination, involving the construction of visible network graphs, the exploration of scale-free networks, and discussions on regional system clustering. Following this, a nationwide analysis is conducted, focusing on the construction of visible network graphs to visualize the awareness of professional competency and studying community structures.Discussion: The findings provide insights into the awareness of professional competency across different regions. These insights are valuable for informing policy formulation and corporate decision-making, contributing to a deeper understanding of professional competency awareness and its implications.

The aspects of the use of cosmetology services nomenclature in medical organizations

Aim – to study the practice of use of the cosmetology services nomenclature in medical organizations. Material and methods. The Clinic of beauty and health "New Life" (Samara, Russia) was the base of the study. We analyzed its business practices and made a review of regulatory documents and scientific literature on the use of cosmetology services nomenclature. The analytical method and the content analysis method were applied. Results. Currently, there is a situation when one medical cosmetology service is called differently in various documents related to medical care provision: in medical documentation, in the contract for the provision of medical services, in informed voluntary consent to medical intervention and other documents, defining medical services in different terms. Conclusion. For responsible professional communication and awareness of generally accepted methods of diagnosis, treatment and prevention in the provision of medical care in the "cosmetology" profile, it is necessary to unify the terminology of cosmetology services within the current nomenclature of medical services.

Exploring the knowledge and awareness on applications of virtual reality and augmented reality technology among dental healthcare professionals - a crosssectional survey.

To assess the knowledge and awareness of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technology in dentistry. A questionnaire survey-based study was conducted using Google forms on a sample of 273 dental healthcare professionals (DHCP) from October- November 2023, after obtaining ethical approval. A validated questionnaire, divided into three sections, was used to assess the knowledge and awareness of dental healthcare professionals on virtual and augmented reality. Section A was about demographic statistics, section B assessed knowledge and awareness regarding VR and AR and section C consisted of future acceptability of VR and AR among DHCP. The frequency of each question was reported in percentages. To assess the difference of knowledge and awareness of AR and VR among different specialties of DHCP, one-way ANOVA test was applied and in case of significant results pairwise comparison was performed by post-hoc Tukey test. There was a statistically significant difference of knowledge (1.40 ± 0.49) among different dental healthcare professionals. On pairwise comparison, a statistically significant difference (p = ˂0.05) of knowledge and awareness of AR and VR was found among dental specialist and other dental health professionals. A concerning lack of knowledge and awareness among dental healthcare professionals regarding AR and VR technology in dentistry was found. Interestingly, within the spectrum of specialties, dental specialists demonstrated a comparatively higher awareness than their counterparts in other specialties. Addressing barriers, notably a lack of knowledge, is crucial for successful technology adoption in dental education and practice.

6301352 Thromboelastography (TEG) in Major Obstetric Haemorrhage: Assessment of Use during Major Haemorrhage and Healthcare Professional Awareness of TEG

6301352 Thromboelastography (TEG) in Major Obstetric Haemorrhage: Assessment of Use during Major Haemorrhage and Healthcare Professional Awareness of TEG

Veterinary anesthesia: an opportunity to reduce the environmental footprint of clinical care.

Volatile anesthetic agents are potent greenhouse gases with warming potential hundreds to thousands of times greater than CO2. As health systems, both human and veterinary, seek to reduce their environmental impacts, responsible anesthetic stewardship is a topic of great interest. Through an online survey, we explored the levels of awareness, beliefs, interest, needs, and current actions of veterinary anesthesia professionals around the climate impacts of anesthetic care. We found that even within a respondent group with specialized training and experience, there were significant knowledge gaps about anesthesia's environmental impacts. We also found there is much interest in learning more about climate-friendly anesthesia and broader sustainability initiatives for the veterinary profession. Fortunately, there already exist many ways for the profession to reduce our environmental impact while still providing excellent patient care. In this article, we explore 5 broad categories of action: (1) reducing the overall quantity of anesthetic agent used; (2) choosing lower-impact anesthetics; (3) considering the fate of the anesthetic end product; (4) expanding learning through formal education, experience, and research; and (5) reaching beyond anesthesia to implement a range of sustainability initiatives at veterinary workplaces. Together, we have an opportunity to create a healthier future for our world, our patients, and each other.

Analyzing Appraisal Resources in the Judgment Discourse of Ulysses Copyright Infringement Case

In this economic society, intellectual property protection play an important role in maintaining the national economic order and promoting social development. The infringement of intellectual property will bring great harm to the public and national interests. This study aims to analyze the appraisal resources in the court judgment of Ulysses copyright infringement case, especially from the perspective of attitude and engagement system. By adopting a descriptive and exploratory approach, the study investigates how attitude and engagement resources serve the declaratory and justificatory functions of court judgments. It is found that appreciation and judgement in attitude system are widely used in this court judgment, while affect is seldom applied for it deals with people’s personal feelings. For engagement, disclaim and entertain resources are applied from time to time in processing the judge’s objective fact analysis. It also shows that the court can effectively arrive at judgments with justice when the court professionals have better knowledge and make proper use of the appraisal resources. It is hoped that this study can arouse the awareness of legal professionals to maintain their law-based role of justice in copyright cases by the proper application of appraisal resources in their distinctive language.

Experiences and impacts of out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure on remote Aboriginal families.

Aboriginal Australians face significant health disparities, with hospitalisation rates 2.3 times greater, and longer hospital length of stay, than non-Indigenous Australians. This additional burden impacts families further through out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure (OOPHE), which includes additional healthcare expenses not covered by universal taxpayer insurance. Aboriginal patients traveling from remote locations are likely to be impacted further by OOPHE. The objective of this study was to examine the impacts and burden of OOPHE for rurally based Aboriginal individuals. Participants were recruited through South Australian community networks to participate in this study. Decolonising methods of yarning and deep listening were used to centralise local narratives and language of OOPHE. Qualitative analysis software was used to thematically code transcripts and organise data. A total of seven yarning sessions were conducted with 10 participants. Seven themes were identified: travel, barriers to health care, personal and social loss, restricted autonomy, financial strain, support initiatives and protective factors. Sleeping rough, selling assets and not attending appointments were used to mitigate or avoid OOPHE. Government initiatives, such as the patient assistance transport scheme, did little to decrease OOPHE burden on participants. Family connections, Indigenous knowledges and engagement with cultural practices were protective against OOPHE burden. Aboriginal families are significantly burdened by OOPHE when needing to travel for health care. Radical change of government initiative and policies through to health professional awareness is needed to ensure equitable healthcare access that does not create additional financial hardship in communities already experiencing economic disadvantage.

Attitudes of Polish Medical Students toward Organ Donation in Cases of Brain Death.

(1) The aim of our study was to determine the attitudes of medical students toward organ donation in the case of brain death. (2) The study was conducted among 1348 medical students from three medical universities in Poland. The research tool was the Polish version of the standardized questionnaire concerning attitudes toward organ donation and transplantation (ODT) [PCID-DTO RIOS: A questionnaire designed by the 'International Collaborative Organ Donation project about organ transplantation and donation]. (3) Some sources of information on organ donation were found to have a significant impact on the recipients' knowledge of brain death. These were books, friends, family, lectures in other centers, social media, and the Church. Medical students holding the opinion that recovery and leading a normal lifestyle after brain death is impossible were significantly more likely to donate their organs after death, not for religious reasons and not because they wanted to survive their own death. (4) The medical students in our study showed a high level of awareness and favorable attitudes toward ODT. However, the number of registered donors was low. It is important to educate students on these issues to raise the awareness of both future medical professionals and the public on organ transplantation procedures. The public should be made aware that transplantation procedures are of a high standard, and that the law protects both donors and recipients. These measures would reduce recipients' waiting time, and certainly increase the statistics of the number of life-saving and health-saving procedures.

Pre-service TESOL teachers’ professional-awareness building through reflecting on reflections of critical incidents

AbstractScholars have questioned the effectiveness of reflective practice for gaining professional awareness or attaining professional development. In addition, the prevalence of inadequate comprehensive framework for pre-service teachers’ reflective practice and insufficient support of teacher educators have been noted in the literature. Against these backdrops, the present study attempted to demonstrate how reflecting on reflections, a form of reflective practice, of Critical Incidents (CIs) contributes to building pre-service TESOL teachers’ professional awareness. The study involved ten pre-service teachers (PSTs) in reflecting on reflections of CIs during the teaching practicum. Following the interpretive phenomenological approach, the study unfolded the CIs associated with pedagogical factors, including passive participation of the students, students’ late arrival in the classroom, disobedience to teachers’ instructions, the chaotic environment in the classroom, students’ rude behavior, and disruption caused by technical glitches, and CIs associated with intrapersonal and interpersonal factors, comprising students’ emotional exhaustion and unprofessional behaviors by senior teachers. Subsequently, it illustrated how PSTs cultivated their professional awareness through reflecting on reflections of CIs. The study presented a reflective practice framework applicable to pre-service and in-service teacher education programs. It also provided practical suggestions for pre-service and novice teachers to address and overcome the CIs. Teacher educators and trainers can harness the findings to prepare PSTs to conduct interactive and productive English language classes.