Professional Workers Research Articles

Community Health Workers: Improving Home Visiting Engagement of High-Risk Birthing People in Segregated Neighborhoods.

Racial and ethnic disparities in perinatal health remain a public health crisis. Despite improved outcomes from home visiting (HV) participation during pregnancy, most eligible individuals of color do not engage. Neighborhood segregation, a manifestation of structural racism, may impose constraints on engaging eligible individuals in HV. To examine whether race, ethnicity, and/or language-concordant community health workers (CHWs) increased HV engagement for birthing people in segregated neighborhoods. Program evaluation using administrative linked data from birth records, Medicaid claims, and HV program participation. Strong Beginnings (SB), a program with HV provided by CHWs working with nurses and social workers, was compared with the Maternal Infant Health Program (MIHP), a state Medicaid-sponsored HV program without CHW involvement. Data were analyzed using χ 2 tests and Poisson regressions. A total of 4560 individuals with a Medicaid-eligible birth between 2016 and 2019, including 1172 from SB and 3388 from the MIHP. Penetration (percentage of participants in HV among all Medicaid-eligible individuals across quintiles of neighborhood segregation) and dosage (the total number of home visits from both CHWs and nurses/social workers, and then restricted to those from nurses/social workers). SB penetrated more segregated neighborhoods than the MIHP (58.4% vs 48.3%; P < .001). SB participants received a higher dosage of home visits (mean [SD]: 11.9 [6.1]) than MIHP participants (mean [SD]: 4.4 [2.8], P < .001). Importantly, CHWs did not replace but moderately increased home visits from nurses and social workers (51.1% vs 35.2% with ≥5 intervention visits, P < .001), especially in more segregated neighborhoods. Community-informed HV models intentionally designed for people facing disparities may help facilitate program outreach to segregated neighborhoods with concentrated deprivation and reduce racial and ethnic disparities. An HV program provided by CHWs working with nurses and social workers was associated with an increase in penetration and dosage in segregated neighborhoods, compared with HV without CHW involvement. This underscores the value of CHWs partnering with licensed professional workers in improving HV engagement in disadvantaged communities.

Shortage of Plastic Surgeons in Lebanon: Impact of the 2019 Economic Crisis.

Lebanon's ongoing economic crisis since 2019 has seen an unprecedented migration of professional healthcare workers. This article analyzes the adequacy of registered plastic surgeons in Lebanon in 2023. A list of registered plastic surgeons was obtained from the Lebanese Order of Physicians. Registered plastic surgeons were contacted via email or phone and were asked to fill in a survey questionnaire addressing their work status. Additionally, the number of plastic surgeon graduates, between 2018 and 2022, was obtained from Lebanese medical schools. Of the 162 plastic surgeons registered with the Lebanese Order of Physicians in 2023, 158 responded to the survey (97.5%). The work settings of the active plastic surgeons fell into three categories: working in Lebanon full time, splitting work between Lebanon and abroad, and exclusively working abroad. The ratio of plastic surgeons practicing full time in Lebanon is 1.11 per 100,000 inhabitants, which is significantly below the recommended ratio of 2.01. Twenty eight percent of the plastic surgeons working in Lebanon are aged between 65 and 75 years. Meanwhile, an average of only three graduates (2018-2022) enter the workforce annually after completing training in plastic and reconstructive surgery residency. Among the various subspecialties within plastic and reconstructive surgery, aesthetic surgery was the most commonly practiced by those surveyed. There is a relative shortage of plastic surgeons in Lebanon that is compounded by a significant focus on aesthetic procedures. Implementation of strategies is needed to bridge this gap and meet the needs of the underserved people of Lebanon.

The use of modern educational technologies in the training of midwives and nurses

The article presents the experience of teachers in the training of future midwives and nurses and substantiates the need to use modern educational technologies in the educational process. Currently, the problem of training highly professional and competitive medical workers with secondary medical education in the labor market is becoming particularly relevant, since the requirements for the level of professional knowledge, skills and abilities of medical personnel are increasing every year. The main task of a teacher is not a simple transfer of knowledge, but the motivation of students to take initiative and find ways to apply the knowledge gained in solving various problematic tasks, the formation of a specialist’s personality capable of constant self-development. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that today’s students are representatives of the “digital generation”. These are people who cannot imagine themselves without the Internet, smartphone and social networks. “Buzzers” are more difficult to assimilate and remember information, because all the information is on the Internet. Many students do not know how to build and ask questions based on the material they have read. In the classroom, the teacher must comprehensively ensure the quality of the educational process using modern information technologies and active learning methods based on the principles of “learning through action”, which necessarily imply the development of independence for students. The more active the learning process, the more zoomers are involved in it. The insertion technique or technology of active reading helps students to understand, comprehend and remember the information received. The use of various technologies in practical classes in obstetrics and gynecology that immerse students in professional activities, such as: solving situational problems, case-study, performing manipulations according to an algorithm, conducting role-playing games and lesson conferences, allows you to set an incentive and simulate the conditions for the formation of a specialist’s personality in teaching a future profession. The participation of students in the organization and conduct of role-playing games increases their creative activity, contributes to the formation of professional and communicative competencies. The modern educational technologies used by us in the educational process make it possible to lay the foundation for the professional competence of a specialist, to activate the cognitive activity of students, making them active participants in the educational process, which contributes to improving the effectiveness of professional training.

Attitudes toward implementation of electronic medical record and its associated factors among health professional workers in selected public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2023: A multi-center cross-sectional study.

Electronic medical record (EMR) systems in healthcare delivery have the potential to transform healthcare in terms of saving costs, reducing medical errors, and improving data quality. This study aimed to assess the Attitudes toward implementing electronic medical records and associated factors among health professional workers in selected public hospitals in Addis Ababa. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 422 health professionals in selected hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2023. The study participants were selected using a simple random sampling technique. A binary and multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify associated factors for electronic medical record implementation. A p-value < .05 was considered statistically significant. The overall electronic medical record implementation perceived as useful by health workers is 298 (73.6%), with an allocation of enough budget [AOR = 3.196 (1.49-6.735)] has no networking or problem with internet access [AOR = 1.794(1.089-2.954)]. Electronic medical record increases workload [AOR = 2.350 (1.302-4.243)], which was significantly associated with electronic medical record implementation. According to this study, the overall perception of health professionals toward electronic medical record implementation was high. However, it would be better to build and establish strong internet connectivity and stable power supply or internet access without networking problems, allocate enough budget, and work in collaboration with hospitals and health bureaus to strengthen and support the electronic medical record in their facilities.

Risiko Penurunan Kondisi Kesehatan Mental pada Remaja Pengguna Media Sosial yang Melakukan Self-diagnose

The existence of information technology, especially internet bring increase awareness about mental health. On the other hand, the abundance of this information on internet and lack of understanding from adolescence about dynamics of mental health disorders bring negative impact of self diagnose. This research purposes to reveal the picture of self diagnose with adolescence mental health which social media user, the psychological impact, also what role social media do for the phenomenon. Methods of this research are qualitative methods with phenomenology design. Data collected with semi- structured interview with 4 participants (16-17 years old, 50% women) that already did a self diagnose and active on social media. Analysis technique use in this research is thematic research. The results are that all participants are curious about their mental health condition and sense of their mental illness symptoms, so that they search for information about their mental health from social media on the internet. This self-diagnosed behavior appears when they believe what happened to themselves are the same with mental health disorders. This what bring impact on their psychological such as worried, fear, even wakeful. Self diagnose without validation from professional mental health worker could trigger cognitive process to misunderstanding and false belief about the condition of their mental health and bring up a negative psychological impact.

STRENGTHENING OF PROFESSIONAL NURSING CARE METHODS (MAKP) TEAM NURSING METHOD IN RSUD DR. R. KOESMA TUBAN

Hospitals is health service organization unit by providing comprehensive health services that include promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative for all levels of society, often experience problems related to community dissatisfaction with the quality of hospital services which are considered unsatisfactory. Nursing service is one of the factors that determines the good and bad quality and image of the hospital. In addition to the form of service which has special characteristics, namely the implementation of continuous 24-hour service, it is also one of the most numerous health professional workers in hospital. The Professional Nursing Care Model (MAKP) which is currently becoming a trend in Indonesian nursing is the MAKP with comprehensive method of providing nursing care. MAKP is method of providing nursing care in which a professional nurse leads group of nursing staff in providing nursing care to patients through cooperative and collaborative efforts. According to an interview conducted by the residency team to one of the Heads of Room at RSUD Dr. R. Koesma, Tuban Regency, the application of MAKP uses the team method. However, in practice it is still more likely to use functional methods. After the implementation was carried out in the form of providing Socialization of MAKP Strengthening Team Methods to nurses in the Lily Room at RSUD, found the following evaluation results: The Room Nurse will apply the Team MAKP method continuously and consistently. Then, supervision will be carried out periodically so there are no more findings that result in MAKP Team's method not running optimally

Relation-aware graph convolutional network for waste battery inspection based on X-ray images

With the popularization of various electronic devices, the demand for batteries is rapidly increasing. Batteries bring convenience to our daily lives, but how to effectively achieve battery recycling is a challenge. In fact, improper disposal can cause serious environmental pollution and resource waste. Currently, it is inefficient and time-consuming to manually locate batteries from waste electronic devices by employing a large number of professional workers. Therefore, we propose an efficient solution based on deep learning and X-ray images, which can automatically detect batteries without opening waste electronic devices. Specifically, we construct a High-quality X-ray Battery Inspection dataset called HiXray-BI, which not only contains 6000 X-ray images collected from the existing dataset, but also provides 23,994 battery instances. In addition, we propose a novel deep learning model called Relation-Aware Graph Convolutional Network (RA-GCN) for X-ray waste battery inspection, which introduces a novel Multi-scale Feature Relation Module (MFRM) and Semantic Feature Relation Module (SFRM) to improve detection performance. Experimental results on the HiXray-BI dataset show that our method compares favorably with state-of-the-art methods. Our solution provides new insights into recycling waste batteries, which is beneficial for environmental protection and sustainable development.

Information System of Diploma Companion Certificate in South Aceh Polytechnic

As an institution providing higher vocational education, the South Aceh Polytechnic (POLTAS) must of course be consistent in carrying out innovations and policies regarding the development of information technology in improving services for the use of systems implemented within the campus. South Aceh Polytechnic issued a policy in 2023 regarding the issuance of Diploma Companion Certificates. The problem formulation in this research is how to build, design and collect the results of an information system that is able to adapt dynamically in assessing student activities while they are active students at the South Aceh Polytechnic, which is realized in a certificate accompanying the diploma. The aim of this research is to build a South Aceh Polytechnic Diploma Companion Certificate Information System (SISKPI), which provides information about a graduate's field of expertise to agencies or industry to obtain professional workers. This type of research is applied research with a case study at the South Aceh Polytechnic

Pola Pengembangan Sumber Daya Manusia di Andalusia Mumtaza dalam Mewujudkan Santri yang Unggul

This research aims to explore patterns of human resource development at the Andalusia Mumtaza Islamic Boarding School, Huta Baru Village and its impact on student achievement. The research method used is a qualitative descriptive approach. The research results show that although there is a shortage of professional workers, the implementation of human resource development in Islamic boarding schools is still not organized effectively. The problem of functional relationships between functions in schools is also a challenge. Improving human resources starts from planning which includes needs, development goals and implementation methods. Recruitment and training programs, such as on-the-job training, ICT and Arabic language training, are an integral part of the implementation phase. An assessment is then carried out to monitor changes in students' attitudes and behavior. Supporting factors, such as workforce, facilities and infrastructure, play an important role, but limited funds/activities are an obstacle in managing the development of the Islamic boarding school's workforce

Street-level bureaucrats in the professional context of primary care social services in Spain

PurposeThis study aims to identify the street-level approaches of professional workers in complex public social service organisations when attending to social assistance claimants.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed a multifaceted approach comprising documentary analysis, semi-structured individual interviews (17) and focus group discussions (8) with qualified frontline social workers from primary care social services in Tarragona.FindingsSocial workers embodied three specific sets of cognitive, normative and emotional dispositions when attending to people with low incomes. First, the compassionate approach conceives clients as defensive regarding social services and emotionally vulnerable because of deprivation. Second, the instructional approach frames clients as being baffled by a new, precarious, institutional and economic context. They also lack information, abilities and the proper mindset to conceive of and attain available welfare and occupational resources. Third, the enforcement approach tends to define clients as suspicious, trying to obtain an excessive and unfair advantage of the welfare system that would eventually hamper their social opportunities.Originality/valueResearch thus far has tended to define public social assistance programmes in Southern welfare state contexts as mostly inefficient and hardly relevant residual social policies. The street-level approach shows that social workers try to resist the mere administrative processing of benefits, which is a professionally troubling and organisationally unsustainable way to proceed. They attempt to help clients by providing inclusive content in order to implement their benefits.

Non‐negligible levels of implicit skin tone bias among Australian healthcare workers between 2007 and 2022: Analysis of subgroups and trends over time based on Project Implicit data

AbstractImplicit (i.e. unconscious) racial biases held by health professionals negatively affect patient–practitioner communication and health outcomes. Implicit biases are typically assessed through implicit association tests (IATs). We extracted cross‐sectional IAT data originating in Australia from two large publicly available data sets hosted by Project Implicit. In total, IATs were available from 1956 healthcare workers (1249 of European ethnicity; 829 professionals/technicians as opposed to support workers). All had participated between 2006 and 2022. Levels of implicit skin tone bias were found to be moderate according to Project Implicit guidelines and substantially greater than zero (d = 0.87). Participants of European ethnicity and older age scored higher, but there were no differences across occupation types (professional vs. support worker) or over years. Consistent with findings around the world, the findings highlight a need for interventions that could reduce implicit bias and thereby improve the healthcare experiences of people from minority groups.

Talking about relational youth work: why language matters

ABSTRACT The literature on youth work emphasises the importance of ‘relationship’ to good practice, moreover, the characteristics of the youth-work relationship have been posited as a defining feature of youth work in the British-influenced tradition. Despite this, little attention is paid to the choice of language used to describe how professional youth workers relate to young people, or how language choices reflect political framing of youth work and of power relationships within their practice. Language choice has implications for how youth workers perceive their professional identity, for how accountability is construed, and for inter-professional working. In this article we undertake a thematic analysis to identify, analyse and critique various language options, drawing on international literature, with an application focus on Irish and Australian contexts. We address the question, ‘what language choices offer most precision and clarity about youth work professional relationships in different contexts?’ We identify three main ways the relationship between youth workers and young people has been framed: as collaboration; as transaction; or, as rights-based entitlement. We conclude with discussion of how different relational language choices in youth work should be selected to be congruent with the youth work context, power relationships and purposes.

Wage Differentials and Inequality in Managerial and Professional Jobs: Quantile Regression Analysis

In the economics literature, it is vividly portrayed that there is a great deal of disparity in wages received by workers across economic activities and occupations in India. The primary purpose of this article is to identify factors determining wage differentials and to measure wage inequality in managerial and professional occupations. Using unit-level records of periodic labour force survey (PLFS) published by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), we apply quantile regression model to examine how wage distribution is determined by personal, household and labour market characteristics. Our analysis is limited to persons aged between 15 and 65 and employed in managerial and professional occupations. The findings suggest that rural–urban dichotomy, gender, technical education, social group, job contract, type of enterprise and enterprise workforce size are statistically significant across quantiles and are important in explaining the wage distribution of managerial and professional workers in India. From a policy perspective, the invigoration of gender-based measures coupled with the expansion of technical education and labour market institutions are essential for bridging the wage disparity in India. JEL Classifications: J16, J24, J31

Sustaining work ability amongst female professional workers with long COVID.

Long COVID (LC) compromises work ability (WA). Female worker WA has been more adversely impacted than WA in men. Exploration of lived experiences could elucidate the WA support required. To explore the working conditions and circumstances experienced as affecting sustained WA amongst female workers with LC, to help mitigate worklessness risks. Online semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 10 female workers self-reporting or formally diagnosed with LC who had made some attempt to return to work (RTW). Interviews were analysed using template analysis to map themes informing WA enablers and obstacles onto a biopsychosocial model of rehabilitation. All participants were professionals working in an employed or self-employed capacity. Key themes reflecting circumstances that afforded sustained WA included the autonomy over where, when and how to work indicated as facilitated by a professional role, rapid health care access, predominantly sedentary work, competent colleagues able to cover for transient reduced WA, a strong interface between specialist health and management support, and accessible organizational policies that steer health management according to equity rather than equality. Highly flexible, iterative, co-produced RTW planning, tolerant of fluctuating symptom expression appears vital. In return for providing such flexibility, participants felt that employers' workforce diversity and competence would be protected and that workers would need to reciprocate flexibility. These qualitatively derived findings of workers' lived experiences add to existing guidance on supporting WA for people struggling with LC. Moreover, the same principles seem appropriate for tackling worklessness amongst working-age adults with complex long-term health conditions.

Perceptions of the MDT towards the health needs and support for grandparents caring for AIDS orphans.

The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) crisis has orphaned many children, shifting care giving duties to grandparents. This has challenged the health of the grandparents, underscoring the need for support in caring for both the grandparents and the children orphaned due to AIDS. This study investigated the multidisciplinary team's (MDT) perceptions of health needs and support for grandparents caring for children orphaned due to AIDS. The study took place within Metropolitan area in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was used to assess health needs and support for grandparents caring for children orphaned due of AIDS. A sample of 65 MDT members comprising professional nurses, psychologists and social workers participated in the study. The assessment revealed moderate awareness (mean 2.79) among MDT regarding the health needs of grandparents caring for the orphans. Key concerns were a lack of income (mean = 4.9) and no access to health services (mean = 4.8), with low awareness and involvement in organisational support (mean = 1.8). Despite an awareness of the health needs and support perceptions among grandparents, there remains a significant gap in the availability of support structures to address these needs. The study highlights the critical necessity for developing robust support systems to enhance the well-being of grandparents, especially those caring for AIDS orphans, ensuring they receive the comprehensive care and assistance required. The study's findings provide key insights for supporting grandparents who are caring for AIDS orphans via a MDT approach.

“Get Out There, Learn Something New”: Impact of a Short Term Domestic Academic Sojourn on Social Work Students

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory study was to understand the impact of a US-based two-week domestic academic study away program on undergraduate social work students’ understanding of the scope of social work practice, identity as professional social workers, and professional interests in the field. Nine participants were interviewed two years following the program. Data from the semi-structured interviews, journals completed on the program, and reflection papers completed immediately following the program were analyzed. Findings indicated that this applied learning experience had a transformational impact on their understanding of themselves, their cultural competence, and their subsequent social work practice.

Professional, scholar, or knowledge worker? Identity construction of Chinese management researchers amid the research-practice gap.

We move beyond discussing the desirability and feasibility of bridging the research-practice gap to introducing an identity perspective to explore how Chinese management researchers make sense of the research-practice gap and what kinds of career identities are constructed. We conducted a qualitative study among 34 Chinese management researchers working at or studying for a PhD at research-oriented business schools in China. The findings show that management researchers in typical Chinese higher education institutions prefer constructing a single identity (i.e., professional, scholar, or knowledge worker identity) rather than a hybrid identity such as "academic-practitioner" as studies of their Western counterparts suggest. Moreover, before seeking and emulating role models to construct their desired career identities, researchers in China studying management reflexively search for referent groups by identifying either with a narrow disciplinary group (US mainstream management researchers or traditional intellectuals) or a broad group of knowledge workers. Furthermore, this study delineates how researchers with varying career identity narratives adopt corresponding identity work strategies (i.e., redefinition, defense, and distance) suggesting that identity work strategies do not always lead to achieving or preserving positive identity.

Gaps in cancer care in a multi-ethnic population in Sarawak, Borneo: A central referral centre study.

The state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo in East Malaysia, in working towards developing and strengthening cancer services through a holistic patient-centred approach, must focus on the comprehensive needs of cancer patients by taking into account the psycho-social, cultural and spiritual aspects of Sarawak's multi-ethnic, multi-cultural population. A 42-item survey questionnaire was developed and validated with a total of 443 patients. The perceived importance of information provided and level of patient satisfaction were assessed with a 5-point Likert scale in 10 domains (Diagnosis, Surgery, Radiotherapy, Systemic therapy, Clinical trials, Pain management, Treatment monitoring, Psychosocial support, Sexual care and fertility issues, and Financial support). A Spearman's rank correlation test was applied to determine the correlation between response in both item and domain categories for perceived importance and satisfaction. Overall, patients were more satisfied with information related to cancer diagnosis, treatment and surgery but less satisfied with information pertaining to sexual aspects of care and family planning, psycho-social support and financial support. The majority of patients were satisfied with the level of treatment-related information received but preferred the information to be delivered in more easily comprehendible formats. Sexual aspects of care and family planning, psychosocial support and treatment monitoring post-discharge were perceived as important but seldom addressed by health care professionals due to lack of professional counsellors, social workers and clinical nurse specialists. Many patients face financial toxicity following a cancer diagnosis, particularly when diagnosed with advanced cancer requiring complex multi-modality treatment. Cancer patients in Sarawak have various unmet information needs. Written information and educational videos in local indigenous languages may be more suitable for Sarawak's multi-ethnic population. Sexual aspects of care and family planning are challenging but essential topics to discuss, in particular due to the high prevalence of breast and cervical cancer amongst young women of reproductive age in Sarawak. Financial assessment and information on support services offered by government and non-government organisations should be provided to eligible patients. A holistic needs assessment of each patient at time of diagnosis and support through their cancer journey requires a multi-disciplinary team of medical, nursing and allied health professionals including clinical nurse specialists, pharmacists, counsellors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, dieticians and social workers.

Conference Proceedings From the 26th Bangkok International Symposium on HIV Medicine

The first Bangkok International Symposium on HIV Medicine was launched in January 1998 with the aim to provide up-to-date information on HIV to professional heathcare workers in Thailand and surrounding countries who cannot afford to attend conferences abroad. After several virtual conferences during the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the second face-to-face meeting held in Bangkok from 17 to 19 January 2024. There were a total of six plenary sessions each morning and two afternoon workshops on Wednesday and Thursday. The symposium had expert speakers from Thailand, Australia, Taiwan, India, Malaysia, the UK, the USA, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam.

What Skills Pay More? The Changing Demand and Return to Skills for Professional Workers

What Skills Pay More? The Changing Demand and Return to Skills for Professional Workers