Professional Demographic Characteristics Research Articles

Use of cervical traction for managing neck pain: A cross-sectional survey of physiotherapists in India

BackgroundNeck pain remains the fourth leading cause of disability and work loss, and a multimodal treatment approach is effective in reducing neck pain and disability. PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the use of cervical traction for managing neck pain by Physiotherapists in India, including how and when the traction is used, the modes and parameters of traction, any additional interventions given with traction, and the influence of professional demographic characteristics in decision making in traction usage. Study designA cross-sectional survey. MethodologyA random sample of approximately 2500 musculoskeletal physiotherapists was surveyed, and the data was presented in a descriptive form. Chi-square analyses were used to identify the association between responders’ qualifications and traction usage. ResultsFrom the total physiotherapist approached 18.52% (n = 463) responses were obtained, and 62% (n = 287) respondents reported that they would use traction in their clinical practice. Out of 92.3% of responders indicated using traction for radiculopathy, 78.7% of respondents used traction for patients with neck pain without radiculopathy. It is used as a combination therapy by 58.8% for radiculopathy and 52.2% for stiffness. There was no association between the responder's qualification and traction usage (χ2 = 0.707, p = 0.40). Traction is used in combination with other physiotherapeutic techniques. ConclusionTraction use was consistent with the proposed criteria identifying patients likely to benefit. However, disregarding current guidelines, physiotherapists also use traction for non-radicular neck pain. Various traction delivery modes and parameters were used within a comprehensive plan of care incorporating multiple interventions.

Further education of secondary school teachers in the context of their professional development

This monograph focuses on further education of secondary school teachers as a relevant part of teachers’ professional development and the relevant circumstances that currently surround it. The objective of the theoretical part was to define and describe all relevant concepts, constructs, terms and categories that relate to the empirical part of the work and also form the basis of the whole work. The empirical part presents the results of the survey which had two specific objectives. The first was to describe and analyse the relevant factors and conditions for the further education of secondary school teachers today. The second objective was to identify the links between teachers’ attitudes towards further education, motivation and preferences for further education on the one hand and professional demographic characteristics on the other. The professional demographic characteristics were gender, age, length of experience, teacher’s professional field of study and type of school.

PERFIL DEMOGRÁFICO, FORMAÇÃO E EXPERIÊNCIA PRÁTICA DE PROFISSIONAIS EXECUTANTES DA CATETERIZAÇÃO INTRAVENOSA PERIFÉRICA NO BRASIL

ABSTRACT Objective: to describe the demographic profile, training and practical experience of professionals who perform peripheral intravenous catheterization in Brazil. Method: this is a descriptive cross-sectional study, carried out in the five macroregions of Brazil with 2,584 nursing professionals who worked in direct care of patients undergoing peripheral intravenous catheterization, using a questionnaire containing professional demographic characteristics, training and experience. Data collection took place between July 2021 and May 2022. Descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA test, Pearson’s chi-square test for k independent samples and Tukey’s multiple comparison test and adjusted residuals were used. Results: most nursing professionals resided in the southeast macro-region and were women. The mean age of nurses was 39.52 (±8.74) years, technicians, 39.66 (±9.22), and nursing assistants, 40.61 (±10.57). The mean training time for nurses was 11.83 (±8.18) years, for nursing technicians, 10.81 (±7.62), and for nursing assistants, 11.19 (±8.33). During the training process, most professionals received lessons in pharmacology, vascular access devices and venous catheterization. The mean number of devices inserted by nurses, in a 12-hour shift, was lower than the mean inserted by technicians and nursing assistants. Conclusion: nurses are not recognized as professionals legally responsible for the peripheral intravenous catheterization procedure, and intravenous therapy implementation is predominantly carried out by technicians and nursing assistants. The training process is incipient.

Fellows in Training Wellness in Allergy and Immunology: AAAAI Workgroup Report

Physician health and wellness can be negatively affected by burnout, which in turn can lead to multiple potential professional and personal issues. Burnout issues can start in medical school and progress during residency and fellowship, and throughout a physician's career. A previous survey of allergists and immunologists reported a burnout rate of 35%. However, there are currently few data regarding health and wellness specifically for fellows-in-training (FIT) in allergy and immunology. This workgroup report was developed to assess health and wellness among FIT in our specialty. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology electronically distributed an anonymous questionnaire using the validated mini-Z survey to a total of 388 allergy and immunology FIT. In addition to the mini-Z items, the survey queried personal and professional demographic characteristics and included open-ended wellness questions. A total of 82 FIT completed the survey, yielding a 24% response rate. The burnout rate was 39%, which is lower than the national average among US physicians. Overall job satisfaction was 82%, and 72% reported satisfactory or better control over workload. Our results identify FIT-specific concerns in our specialty that can be used to develop tailored interventions to improve wellness and minimize burnout among this group. However, future surveys are needed to continue to address allergy and immunology FIT-specific wellness challenges.

Teachers' Personal and Professional Demographic Characteristics as Predictors of Students' Academic Performance in English

Teachers' Personal and Professional Demographic Characteristics as Predictors of Students' Academic Performance in English

Teachers’ Personal and Professional Demographic Characteristics as Predictors of Students’ Academic Performance in English

This study aimed at investigating the effects of teachers’ personal and professional demographic characteristics on students’ academic performance in English. To achieve this aim, the researcher used a sample of 37 English secondary teachers and 400 students in the District of Plaridel, Schools Division Office of Bulacan during the academic year 2018-2019. The researcher used the descriptive-correlational method of research, which used a researcher-made questionnaire as the primary data gathering technique. The results of the regression analysis show that the eight (8) variables of the personal demographic characteristics and the four (4) variables of the professional demographic characteristics affect students’ academic performance in English to a various extent as shown by the non-zero coefficients. Results of the analysis of variance of the regression of personal and professional demographic characteristics on students’ academic performance revealed an Fvalue of .955 with a p-value of .490 and an F-value of 1.197 with a p-value of .331. Since the associated probability of the F-value is higher than alpha (0.05), the null hypothesis has to be sustained. This means that all variables of the personal and professional demographic characteristics do not exert significant effects on students’ academic performance in English. Conclusions were drawn and recommendations were offered.

Australian health professionals’ perceptions about the management of return to driving early after stroke: A mixed methods study

ABSTRACT Background Stroke can affect a person’s ability to drive a motor vehicle. In Australia, there is a 4-week restriction in driving after stroke and a 2-week restriction after transient ischemic attack. Concerns exist as to whether people discharged home from the acute setting receive education about these driving restrictions. Objectives This study sought to investigate health professionals’ knowledge about, and responsibilities for patients return-to-driving (RTD) education after stroke and TIA. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was designed and included questions about health professional demographic characteristics and knowledge and opinions of RTD guidelines. An open-ended question at the end of the survey enabled respondents to provide additional, free text information. Descriptive analyses were used to describe respondents’ demography and characteristics. Chi-square analysis was used to compare responses across the different professional groups. Significance was tested using a p-value of 0.05. Data obtained from the free text question were analyzed through an inductive thematic approach. Results A total of 455 health professionals responded to the survey, with 45% being occupational therapists. Only 22% of health professionals correctly selected the 4-week restriction period after stroke and 27% selected the 2-week restriction period for those with TIA. Occupational therapists were identified by 85% of respondents as the profession responsible for providing RTD education, followed by doctors (72%). Health professionals lack clarity in RTD guidelines and often defer the responsibility of managing RTD to others. Conclusions Education of health professionals in RTD guidelines is recommended to improve the processes of care after stroke.

Attitudes of California Registered Nurses About Abortion

ObjectiveTo describe attitudes about abortion among registered nurses (RNs) licensed in California and to determine if demographic characteristics were associated with these attitudes. DesignCross-sectional, one-time survey. SettingOnline between 2015 and 2017. ParticipantsNurses with active RN licenses in California (N = 2,500). MethodsAn anonymous survey was sent to a random sample of 2,500 RNs with active California licenses between 2015 and 2017 to assess their personal and professional demographic characteristics and their attitudes toward abortion. Using scores on the Abortion Attitudes Scale, we dichotomized participants into proabortion and antiabortion categories. We used chi-square tests to determine differences based on demographic characteristics. ResultsData from 504 RNs licensed in California are included in this analysis. Most respondents identified as female (n = 462, 92%), older than 50 years of age (n = 379, 75%), married (n = 364, 72%), White (n = 354, 70%), and Christian (n = 322, 64%). They were more likely to have negative attitudes toward abortion care if they identified as Christian (p < .001) and more positive attitudes if they identified as White (p < .001) independent of identifying as Christian. ConclusionsRespondents had a complex range of attitudes about abortion. In some cases, these attitudes aligned and/or conflicted with stated religious orientation. This study highlights the demographic characteristics that are associated with the attitudes and beliefs about abortion among RNs licensed in California.

AAAAI Work Group Report: Physician Wellness in Allergy and Immunology

Physician health and wellness can be negatively impacted by burnout, which, in turn, can lead to medical errors and early retirement. Burnout issues can start in medical school and progress during residency, fellowship, and throughout a physician's career. Previous studies have reported burnout rates between 45% and 54% for US physicians in general. However, there is currently little data regarding health and wellness specifically in the field of allergy and immunology. This workgroup report was developed to assess health and wellness in our specialty. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) electronically distributed an anonymous questionnaire using the validated mini-Z survey to a random sample of 1035 fellows and members. In addition to the mini-Z items, the survey queried personal and professional demographic characteristics, and included open-ended wellness questions. A total of 138 fellows and members of the AAAAI completed the survey, yielding a 13% response rate. The burnout rate was 35%, which is lower than the national average among US physicians, and is overall encouraging. However, there is room for improvement. Limitations of the study include a small sample size as well as evolving definitions of burnout. Our results identify specialty specific concerns and can be used to inform the development of tailored interventions to improve wellness and minimize burnout. However, future surveys with a larger sample size are needed toobtain a more robust data set on allergy and immunology specific wellness challenges.

The Influence of Selected Personal and Professional Demographic Characteristics on the Income Level of Private Farmers in the Ukraine

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of selected demographic characteristics and animal production measures on the income of private farmers in the Ukraine. A proportional random sample was drawn from the three Oblasts selected for inclusion in the study based on the total number of private farmers in the accessible population. This sample included 250 farmers from each of the two larger Oblasts and 150 from the smaller Oblast. These farmers were selected for personal interviews by raion specialists. A survey was designed to collect necessary information. Raion specialists received a one-day training session to learn personal interview techniques. Most of the farmers, (83.4%) had a degree of technical college or above, and the average age of farmers was 45.8. Swine was the animal commodity that was included on the largest number of private farms (33.5%), and milk cows accounted for the largest portion of the farmers’ annual income (4089.94 Hryvnia - ₴). Three factors contributed significantly to a model explaining the total income of private farmers in the Ukraine. These factors included Milk Cow production, Swine production, and Educational level of the farmer. Further research is needed to examine the animal production on a broader scale particularly in the other regions of the country and with emphasis on the economies of size in the different animal commodities. Given the importance of the educational level in total income of farmers, programs should be designed to enable farmers to pursue higher levels of education.

Demographic features and attitudes of program directors of combined internal medicine and pediatrics residencies.

Combined residency training in internal medicine and pediatrics has proliferated greatly in the last ten years. This survey of program directors (N = 55) of such residency programs reports their personal and professional demographic characteristics as well as their perceptions about aspects of combined training. The directors were more often affiliated with Internal medicine (33 directors [60%]), 47 (85%) were men, their mean age was 44 years, they had been out of medical school for a mean of 19 years, the mean time served as program director was 2.6 years, and 32 (58%) had completed a fellowship. The programs had existed for an average of 4.2 years, the mean entering class size was 2.8 persons, and the mean number of graduates per program was 4.2. We report directors' perceptions of why students choose combined training, why the programs have proliferated, and how these residents differ from family medicine residents. We comment on curriculum design and the goals of combined internal medicine-pediatrics residency training programs.