Women Health Care Professionals Research Articles

Institutional Culture of Belonging and Attrition Risk Among Women Health Care Professionals

Institutional Culture of Belonging and Attrition Risk Among Women Health Care Professionals

Addressing the health human resources crisis: Strategies for retaining women health care professionals in organizations.

Globally, healthcare systems are contending with a pronounced health human resource crisis marked by elevated rates of burnout, heightened job transitions, and an escalating demand for the limited supply of the existing health workforce. This crisis detrimentally affects the quality of patient care, contributing to long wait times, decreased patient satisfaction, and a heightened frequency of patient safety incidents and medical errors. In response to the heightened demand, healthcare organizations are proactively exploring solutions to retain their workforce. With women comprising over 70% of health human resources, this study seeks to gain insight into the unique experiences of women health professionals on the frontlines of healthcare and develop a conceptual framework aimed at facilitating organizations in effectively supporting the retention and advancement of women in healthcare frontline roles. We used grounded theory in this qualitative study. From January 2023 to May 2023, we conducted individual semi-structured interviews with 27 frontline HCWs working in Canada and representing diverse backgrounds. The data underwent thematic analysis, which involved identifying and comprehending recurring patterns across the information to elucidate emerging themes. Our analysis found that organizational, professional, and personal factors shape women's intentions to leave the frontline workforce. Reevaluating organizational strategies related to workforce, fostering a positive work culture, and building the capacity of management to create supportive work environment can collectively transform the work environment. By creating conditions that enable women to perform effectively and find satisfaction in their professional roles, organizations can enhance their ability to retain valuable talent.

CERVICAL CANCER AND ITS SCREENING: KNOWLEDGE, PRACTICES OF SCREENING AND VACCINATION AMONG SELECTED WOMEN HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS IN HOSPITALS OF KOLKATA, INDIA

Introduction: Cervical cancer is a major killer among women in less developed countries. It is a preventable disease if screened regularly and women are vaccinated. But late detection leads to poor outcomes and morbidity. The objective was to assess knowledge about Cervical cancer and its practices of screening and vaccination among women health care professionals. Methods: It was a descriptive, cross-sectional survey carried out through an online questionnaire among women healthcare professionals of 21-65 years in various hospitals in Kolkata city, India. Results: 72% (203) Participants had good knowledge, 19%(54) have moderate and 9%(25) had poor knowledge about Cervical cancer, its screening tests, and high-risk factors. Only 34(12.4%) had been completely vaccinated against Human papillomavirus (HPV). Also, 189(67%) women in this group never had a Papanicolaou (PAP) test. Conclusion: Most of the women had good knowledge about Cervical cancer, practices of screening and vaccination, but had not undergone screening or vaccination. A positive uptake towards Cervical cancer screening and vaccination protocols for themselves shall help them in better health promotion towards their clientele. More emphasis needs to be paid to disseminating health information and the importance of screening and vaccination. We need to recognize the need to include the HPV vaccine in the National Immunization Schedule. HPV vaccination and HPV-based PAP screening have the potential to reduce Cervical cancer incidence in the coming decades if implemented on a global basis.

Clinical considerations for menopause and associated symptoms in women with HIV.

Worldwide, more women with HIV are aging and entering menopause. Although a limited number of evidenced-based care recommendations are published, formal guidelines for the management of menopause in women with HIV are not available. Many women with HIV receive primary care from HIV infectious disease specialists, without any detailed assessment of menopause. Women's healthcare professionals specializing in menopause may have limited knowledge regarding the care of women with HIV. Clinical considerations for menopausal women with HIV include distinguishing menopause from amenorrhea because of other etiologies, early assessment of symptoms, and recognizing unique clinical, social, and behavioral comorbidities to facilitate care management.

Maternity and Childcare Domain of Women in Medical Profession

Globally, maternity and childcare has been a serious issue for women in the reproductive age group belonging to any socio-economic strata with any educational background. Despite this obvious observation in society, the elephant in the room has been ignored for centuries. The subject of maternity and childcare in the lives of women health care professionals (WHP) is compelling for discussion, since the last two decades have witnessed a progressive trend in the representation of women in the medical profession. Over 50% of undergraduate medical students in India are girls, [1] leading to a substantial increase in the female medical workforce in hospitals and communities working as residents or junior consultants in their reproductive years. Many developed nations have addressed maternity and childcare issues at a policy level for all professions which has given immense support to families with pregnant women and young children. However, such policies are not uniform globally and they are definitely suboptimal in developing and underdeveloped countries. Maternity and childcare issues can act as major deterrents in pursuing a successful and fulfilling medical profession which in turn lead to loss of human resources, skills, and intellectual contribution.

Symposium on Women Health Care Professionals and Researchers Support (June 2022)

Symposium on Women Health Care Professionals and Researchers Support (June 2022)

The Motherhood Penalty in Obstetrics and Gynecology Training.

Since 2017, the number of women enrolled in medical schools in the United States has increased steadily. For the average female graduate, residency training will coincide with peak childbearing years. Despite increasingly well-defined parental leave policies in other industries, there is no standardized approach across graduate medical education programs. Physician mothers, particularly those in surgical specialties, have also been shown to be at increased risk for major pregnancy complications and postpartum depression. In addition, despite excellent initiation rates, the majority of breastfeeding trainees struggle with low milk supply, and as few as 7% of physician mothers continue to breastfeed for 1 year. Although the medical field routinely advocates for the benefits of parental leave and breastfeeding for our patients, significant and comprehensive change is needed to ensure that graduate medical education trainees can follow physician-recommended postpartum guidelines without meaningful implications for their careers. In February 2020, the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology changed its leave policy, allowing residents to take up to 12 weeks of paid or unpaid leave in a single year for vacation, parenting, or medical issues without extending their training. This change represents an important first step, and, as comprehensive women's health care professionals, our specialty should be leaders in normalizing family building for physicians-in-training. A culture change toward an environment of support for pregnant and parenting trainees and access to affordable, extended-hour childcare are also critical to enabling physicians at all levels to be successful in their careers.

Symposium on Women Health Care Professionals and Researchers Support (June 2021)

Symposium on Women Health Care Professionals and Researchers Support (June 2021)

Causes of Occupational Stress among Women Healthcare Professionals (Nurses) in Private Hospitals

Occupational stress has become an issue of great concern over the last decade. It represents an important concern among healthcare workers due to its crucial contribution in attaining maximum job output and optimal quality of working life. The study aims at identify the factor causing occupational stress among women health care professionals and to compare the occupational stress among women health care professionals based on category of employees. Both primary and secondary data were collected for the study. Primary data were collected using questionnaire method and secondary data were collected from reports, books, magazines and websites. The research study was based on primary data. The sample respondents were selected using purposive random sampling i.e. purposively nurses working in private hospitals of Palayamkottai in Tirunelveli city. The data collected were analysed using various statistical tools like percentage analysis, ANOVA, t-Test, Weighted Average Score and Ranking. The major findings of the study are selected sample respondents are under the age group of 20-30 years. Majority of the respondents have completed diploma in nursing. The nurses working in private hospitals are satisfied about their job but not satisfied about the shift working time. The researcher found that there is significant difference among marital status and causes of occupational stress also there is no significant association between age and occupational stress and there is a significant association between working hours and occupational stress. The researchers conclude that women health care professionals are more stressful.

Symposium on Women Health Care Professionals and Researchers Support (June 1, 2019)

Symposium on Women Health Care Professionals and Researchers Support (June 1, 2019)

Symposium on Women Health Care Professionals and Researchers Support (June 2, 2018)

Symposium on Women Health Care Professionals and Researchers Support (June 2, 2018)

Development of a Mobile App for Family Planning Providers.

To provide an overview of lessons learned during the development process of an app for iOS and Android based on national recommendations for providing quality family planning services. After a review of existing apps was conducted to determine whether an app of clinical recommendations for family planning existed, a team of clinicians, training specialists, and app developers created a resource app by first drafting a comprehensive content map. A prototype of the app was then pilot tested using smart tablets by a volunteer convenience sample of women's healthcare professionals. Outcomes measured included usability, acceptability, download analytics, and satisfaction by clinicians as reported through an investigator-developed tool. Sixty-nine professionals tested a prototype of the app, and completed a user satisfaction tool. Overall, user feedback was positive, and a zoom function was added to the final version as a result of the pilot test. Within 3 months of being publicly available, the app was downloaded 677 times, with 97% of downloads occurring on smart phones, 76% downloads occurring on iOS devices, and 24% on Android devices. This trend persisted throughout the following 3 months. Clinicians with an interest in developing an app should consider a team approach to development, pilot test the app prior to wider distribution, and develop a web-based version of the app to be used by clinicians who are unable to access smart devices in their practice setting.

Pills on the World Wide Web: reducing barriers through technology

Oral contraceptive pills are safe, effective, and available without a prescription in most countries. Despite support from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to provide oral contraceptives as an over-the-counter medication, US women are still required to have a prescription to obtain them. Use of online applications and the Internet has made most things easier to obtain in our society and this includes contraceptive methods. Several online ventures are now underway to enable US women to obtain oral contraceptives without visiting a medical provider's office. Women's health care professionals should encourage these novel approaches, as they will improve contraceptive access. As US women experiment with innovative health care models, providers will need to lead, follow, or be left behind.

Human Papillomavirus and Cervical Cancer Knowledge, Health Beliefs, and Preventative Practices in Older Women

To explore knowledge of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer, health beliefs, and preventative practices in women 40 to 70 years. Cross-sectional descriptive. Three urban ambulatory Obstetrics and Gynecology offices connected with a teaching hospital's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Mid-Atlantic section of the United States. A convenience sample of 149 women age 40 to 70. To assess HPV and cervical cancer knowledge, health beliefs, and preventative practices a self-administered survey, the Awareness of HPV and Cervical Cancer Questionnaire was distributed to women as they waited for their well-woman gynecologic exam. The mean knowledge score was 7.39 (SD=3.42) out of 15. One third of the questions about the relationship of HPV and risks for cervical cancer were answered incorrectly by more than 75% of these women. Although most appreciate the seriousness of cervical cancer, they believed themselves not particularly susceptible. There is a need for HPV and cervical cancer awareness and education for women older than age 40. Women's health care professionals are well positioned to act as a catalyst to improve HPV and cervical cancer knowledge, health beliefs, and preventative practice to ensure optimum health promotion for all women.

Women’s Health Care Minimum Data Set: Pilot Test and Validation for Use in Clinical Practice

Basic elements of the structure, process, and outcomes of midwifery practice have not been fully determined, particularly in the areas of women's gynecologic and primary health care. The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) supported the development of clinical data sets to describe structure, process, and outcomes of midwifery practice for use by clinical practitioners. The Woman's Health Care Minimum Data Set was developed using a panel of expert midwives and other women's health care professionals, as well as literature resources. Students of the Graduate Midwifery Program at Philadelphia University performed pilot testing of the Woman's Health Care Minimum Data Set as a service to the profession of midwifery while applying concepts learned in their research methods courses. Each student (n = 19) recruited a midwifery practice in which she had a clinical affiliation, and gathered data sets on the previous 30 consecutive women's health care encounters by CNMs or CMs (n = 569). Item analysis and refinement were done. Criterion-related validity and construct-related validity of the Woman's Health Care Minimum Data Set were explored through comparison with the medical record and through the testing of plausible hypotheses. The Woman's Health Care Minimum Data Set has the potential to be an important instrument in documenting and understanding the evolving nature of the practice of primary women's health care by midwives and other women's health care providers.

The choice of elective cesarean delivery in obstetrics: a voluntary survey of Canadian health care professionals

To survey Canadian health care professionals about their willingness to offer elective cesarean delivery and to evaluate how their knowledge of obstetric-related pelvic-floor injury influences their practice. A voluntary questionnaire was distributed to health care professionals attending the 58th Annual Meeting of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada in 2002. Appropriate statistical analysis was used. One hundred and sixty-two questionnaires were completed. One hundred respondents were female (62%). Twenty-three percent (37/162) of respondents approved elective cesarean delivery after informed request in nulliparous women without an obstetrical indication. Males were more likely than females to perform cesarean delivery in these circumstances (34% versus 16%; OR 2.7, CI 1.2, 6.0). When questioned about the impact of mode of delivery on bladder and bowel continence, the number of respondents who answered "usually" or "always has a detrimental effect" were: vaginal birth, 16%; forceps, 20%; and cesarean delivery "reduces bladder and bowel problems", 44%. Males were more likely to emphasize a protective effect of cesarean delivery (55% versus 38%; OR 1.9, CI 1.0, 4.0). Health care professionals would opt for cesarean delivery for themselves when forceps delivery was the alternative more often than they would offer cesarean delivery to their patients (OR 1.98, CI 1.1, 3.5). While a significant number of women's health care professionals are prepared to offer cesarean delivery to nulliparous women, informed choice seems to motivate the offer rather than a conviction that cesarean delivery will protect the pelvic floor.

HIV Vaccine Acceptability among Women at Risk: Perceived Barriers and Facilitators to Future HIV Vaccine Uptake

The purpose of this study is to explore perceived barriers and facilitators to the uptake of future U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved HIV vaccines among women at elevated risk for HIV. We conducted four client focus groups (N = 41) and one focus group of women's health care professionals (N =9). Participants were recruited from diverse community agencies and health care clinics in Los Angeles using purposive, venue-based sampling. Data were analyzed using narrative thematic analysis and Ethnograph qualitative software. Barriers to HIV vaccine uptake included fear of vaccine-induced HIV infection, reproductive side effects, injection concerns, gendered roles and power dynamics, HIV stigma, discrimination, affordability, and mistrust. The provision of affordable and accessible HIV vaccines, ideally through routine care, along with culturally tailored, gender-specific HIV vaccine intervention and policy, can ensure the full potential of HIV vaccines to empower women to protect themselves against HIV infection.

Risk factors for surgical-site infections following cesarean section.

To identify risk factors associated with surgical-site infections (SSIs) following cesarean sections. Prospective cohort study. High-risk obstetrics and neonatal tertiary-care center in upstate New York. Population-based sample of 765 patients who underwent cesarean sections at our facility during 6-month periods each year from 1996 through 1998. Prospective surgical-site surveillance was conducted using methodology of the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System. Infections were identified during admission, within 30 days following the cesarean section, by readmission to the hospital or by a postdischarge survey. Multiple logistic-regression analysis identified four factors independently associated with an increased risk of SSI following cesarean section: absence of antibiotic prophylaxis (odds ratio [OR], 2.63; 95% confidence interval [CI95], 1.50-4.6; P=.008); surgery time (OR, 1.01; CI95, 1.00-1.02; P=.04); <7 prenatal visits (OR, 3.99; CI95, 1.74-9.15; P=.001); and hours of ruptured membranes (OR, 1.02; CI95, 1.01-1.03; P=.04). Patients given antibiotic prophylaxis had significantly lower infection rates than patients who did not receive antibiotic prophylaxis (P=02), whether or not active labor or ruptured membranes were present. Among the variables identified as risk factors for SSI, only two have the possibility to be changed through interventions. Antibiotic prophylaxis would benefit all cesarean patients regardless of active labor or ruptured membranes and would decrease morbidity and length of stay. Women's healthcare professionals also must continue to encourage pregnant women to start prenatal visits early in the pregnancy and to maintain scheduled visits throughout the pregnancy to prevent perinatal complications, including postoperative infection.

Cosmetic breast augmentation surgery: a critical overview.

Despite the ban on silicone gel breast implants in 1992, the last decade witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of cosmetic breast augmentation procedures performed in the United States. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, over 132,000 women in this country underwent the procedure in 1998. This is an underestimate of the actual number of breast augmentations performed annually, as increasing numbers of nonsurgeon physicians are now performing cosmetic surgery. Given the rising number of women who now seek cosmetic breast augmentation surgery, it is likely that women's healthcare providers will be asked by their patients about breast augmentation. This review is designed to provide an overview of the medical and psychological literature on cosmetic breast augmentation. We begin with a history of breast augmentation, including an overview of the controversy of silicone breast implants and the Institute of Medicine's report on their safety published in 1999. We also discuss the psychological characteristics of breast augmentation patients, reviewing both preoperative and postoperative studies. We conclude with suggestions for future research as well as a discussion of the clinical relevance of this area for women's healthcare professionals.

African American Administrators in Community/Migrant Health Centers

Community and migrant health centers (CHC/MHCs) play a secondary role as avenues for the development of minority and women health care professionals, groups traditionally underrepresented in administrative and managerial positions within the health care system. This paper focuses on the role of CHC/MHCs in eliminating the barriers that typically limit the professional advancement of these groups. In a survey of both rural and urban CHC/MHC administrators, it was found that CHC/MHCs have higher percentages of minorities in top management positions than general management but do not necessarily reflect the minority composition of those being served. Of the CHC/MHC administrators, 20 percent were African American, less than the population served (31 percent) but greater than the percentage of African Americans in the general U.S. population (12 percent). This suggests that CHC/MHCs have partially met the original goal of upward mobility and that there is room for improvement.