Work Perspective Research Articles

Vaccinating the Frontlines: A Qualitative Exploration of Hospital Healthcare Worker Perspectives on Influenza and COVID-19 Immunization.

Although they face higher occupational risk of contracting viral respiratory infections, hospital healthcare worker vaccine hesitancy persists. While most studies have used survey methods to quantify the prevalence of and reasons for healthcare worker vaccine hesitancy, this study employs a qualitative approach to understand their attitudes and beliefs associated with influenza and COVID-19 vaccination. To understand frontline healthcare worker experiences and perspectives on influenza and COVID-19 vaccination, 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted in summer/fall 2022 with staff recruited from two Johns Hopkins hospitals in Maryland. An in-depth, key informant interview was conducted with an expert in public health audience engagement. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed for thematic and Framework analysis using NVivo software (QSR International, Melbourne, Australia). Healthcare workers engaged in little influenza vaccine information seeking due to their familiarity with the disease and low perceived disease severity. Approximately half (n=16) of healthcare workers reported no vaccine hesitancy towards influenza or COVID-19 vaccines. No physicians or physician assistants expressed any vaccine hesitancy, while most nurses expressed some (n=10). More than half of the women (n=14) expressed COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy compared to none of the men. Structural factors including hospital tier, unit assignment, and professional role influenced perceived risk of disease exposure and subsequent healthcare worker vaccination decisions. Institutional policies, including mandates and a pro-vaccine environment encouraged vaccination uptake. Healthcare workers reported being more receptive to vaccine messaging that focused on protection from disease, scientific and public health data and their heightened occupational exposure to pathogens. Despite their medical knowledge, healthcare workers are susceptible to vaccine hesitancy. Strategies to address specific concerns are needed and can be informed by our findings. A flexible and multi-pronged approach that considers individual anxieties, workplace structures, and the need for open communication with tailored messaging is necessary to promote vaccine acceptance in healthcare settings. What is already known on this topic: Healthcare worker vaccine hesitancy has been associated with many factors including race, gender, age and concerns about vaccine safety.What this study adds: Much of the research on healthcare worker vaccine hesitancy has used surveys and questionnaires giving a broad description of the prevalence and patterns of vaccine hesitancy in the healthcare workforce. This qualitative study examines vaccine behavior (rather than merely intent) through a cross comparison of healthcare workers' experiences and attitudes towards influenza and COVID-19 vaccination.How this study might affect research, practice or policy: Study findings can be used to help tailor vaccine messaging to hospital healthcare workers which could offset concerns regarding vaccine efficacy and risk, to promote vaccine uptake.

The complex emergencies arising from Cawston Park Hospital

PurposeThree deaths at Cawston Park Hospital shed a bright light on Norfolk’s services for people with learning disabilities and autism, including those operated by the company that ran the hospital. The purpose of this paper is to review Norfolk County Council's current position from the unique aspect of a senior manager wihtin the system.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reviews the unique perspective of a social worker from within the system.FindingsThe process of making change included engagement and action concerning such thorny challenges as the pressures on community services; the undervaluing of care-giving as a career; and the continuing admissions to specialist mental health services at a time when hospital discharges are being expedited.Originality/valueNorfolk’s investment in improving its services involves the adoption of a human rights approach; a capital programme to facilitate new developments; nurturing care-giving as a career; and bringing a clearer evidence base to this work programme.

Challenges and Realities of the New Social Work Professionals

The objective of this study is to identify the challenges and realities faced by new social work professionals in the province of Guayas, from the perspective of future social workers. To this end, a quantitative research study with a descriptive design was proposed. The results of the study indicate that social work is a profession that presents important challenges, including a lack of knowledge about its functions. Notwithstanding the aforementioned challenges, the field of social work is expansive and can be managed and transformed in a manner that is beneficial to professionals, thereby expanding their job opportunities and improving the assignment of their functions to those that they should really perform and not those that are currently assigned to them due to a lack of knowledge. To this end, the need for a comprehensive training program that is adjusted to the reality and current needs of the profession, as well as for continuous training, is highlighted. Furthermore, the importance of generic and specific competencies that are constantly evolving and of a strong vocation of service is underscored.

Job satisfaction of managers of small business units in the perspective of remote work - pilot research

Job satisfaction of managers of small business units in the perspective of remote work - pilot research

Rehabilitation and health care and its role in the development of Health Awareness From a social work perspective

عادة ما نفكر بالصحة من حيث ما نفعله بأجسامنا، كمقدار التمارين الرياضية التي نقوم بممارستها والغذاء الذي نأكله، وكيفية الوقاية من مسببات الامراض، ولكن المجموعة الاجتماعية التي ننتمي اليها ومدى سيطرتنا على حياتنا يؤثران في صحتنا أيضا. وتعد الرعاية الصحية ضرورة أساسية وملحة ، بل انها عنصر لا غنى عنه لبقاء وتنمية الانسان والاستمتاع بالحياة، وفي العصر الحديث أصبح النظر الى الرعاية الصحية على انها حق لكل انسان ومن ثم فأنها تستمد شرعيتها من حقيقة انها تشبع احدى الحاجات الأساسية للفرد. ومن ثم فأن نجاح أي جهد تنموي يعتمد بالدرجة الأساس على سلامة الانسان الجسمية والنفسية والعقلية واستثمار ذلك من اجل تحقيق التنمية والامن الصحي. ومن هنا أصبح لزاما على الدول والمؤسسات الصحية من دعم برامج الرعاية الصحية لكافة افراد المجتمع، وتوفير جميع الخدمات الصحية، خاصة للفئات الضعيفة وغير القادرة على تحمل التكاليف المادية.

Challenges of Frontline health workers on reduction of anaemia among adolescents: A Qualitative enquiry

Purpose: High prevalence of anaemia is a severe public health problem in several low- and middle-income countries like India. In adolescents, anaemia has been linked to impaired physical and mental development and increases reproductive morbidities among adolescent girls during their womanhood. To tackle this high prevalence, number of government programs have been launched in India. However, a slow decline in the prevalence of anaemia has been reported in Indian adolescents over the recent past. Therefore, it is important to unfold the issues in reduction of prevalence of anaemia and the current study was carried out to identify challenges in reducing anaemia among adolescent girls. Methods: 33 frontline health workers were recruited from 6 randomly selected villages (out of 6, 2 villages were having population less than 2000, 2 villages were having population 2000 to 5000 and 2 villages were having more than 5000 population) of Kashi Vidyapeeth block, Varanasi. between January 2022 to April 2022. In-depth, face-to-face interviews were carried out in local language using an interview guide. All the interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcribed data was analysed manually for theme extraction. This study was granted ethical permission by the Institutional Ethics Committee. Results: Following major themes were extracted during the data analysis: (i) Poor knowledge about adolescent health-related issues; (ii) non-adherence to program guidelines; (iii) Irregularity in the supply chain; (iv) Beneficiary’s lack of interest in only education about anaemia in the community; (v) Excessive administrative burden; (vi) Dissatisfaction in terms of monetary remuneration. Conclusions: The emerging findings throw light on the knowledge & perspective of Frontline health workers about program guidelines and also highlights the different challenges in implementing anaemia prevention strategies faced by them at the grass root level.

The Role of Social Workers in Advancing Sustainable Development Goals: Green Social Work Perspectives

This paper aims to investigate the role of social workers in the sustainable development process. It extends the discussion on the ethical considerations that many social workers face when focusing on direct interventions, which are often based on traditional social care approaches. This focus can lead to the neglect of social welfare provision due to the prioritization of community intervention schemes. To understand these circumstances, this research involves a review of existing literature across Indonesia. A comprehensive analysis of the literature reveals that it is essential for conducting research, as it highlights the lack of numerous practitioners dedicated to maintaining a balance between nature and human life. The findings indicate that green social work perspectives are not effectively applied to interventions involving groups or individuals, and there is a notable lack of awareness among policymakers regarding the need to reformulate social welfare production, which contributes to environmental exploitation. In light of these findings, we recommend that policymakers and social workers prioritize addressing environmental damage within development programs. Keywords: Green social work, sustainable development, community interventionStudi ini berusaha menggali topik atas peran pekerja sosial dalam proses pembangunan berkelanjutan. Apa yang dianggap bahwa etika pekerja sosial yang berfokus pada narasi direct-intervention cenderung mengutamakan pendekatan social care approach, namun isu lingkungan menjadi narasi penting dalam proses intervensi komunitas sebagai langkah afirmatif dalam penyelenggaraan kesejahteraan berbasis green social work. Untuk mengetahui tools tersebut, studi ini merupakan analisis literature perkembangan yang terjadi pada konteks Indonesia. Dari sekian banyak referensi yang dijadikan sumber primer penelitian, peneliti menemukan bahwa serangkaian proses pembangunan masih lemahnya para praktisi dalam memproteksi keselarahan antara alam dan manusia. Ini mengindikasikan bahwa green social work masih tersegmentasi pada intervensi komunitas dan individu, namun belum menyentuh kesadaran para pemangku kepentingan sehingga eksploitasi alam masih kerap ditemukan. Dengan pemetaan tersebut, studi ini dapat menjadi rekomendasi praktis para pekerja sosial dan policymaker dalam merumuskan analisis dampak lingkungan pada perencanaan pembangunan agar tidak terjadi kembali eksploitasi alam dan kerusakan lingkungan. Kata kunci: Green social work, pembangunan berkelanjutan, intervensi komunitas

Professional Boundaries in Working with Young People: The Perspectives of Child and Youth Care Workers in Durban, South Africa

Professional Boundaries in Working with Young People: The Perspectives of Child and Youth Care Workers in Durban, South Africa

Cyber Game-Based Learning for DoD CEs

Cyber competition and conflict remain an enduring concern for the Department of Defense (DoD). Positive control of cyberspace is crucial across the vast diversity of military operations and supporting activities. People play an important role in cyber prevention, detection, and remediation, but they receive relatively little training outside of the annual Cyber Awareness Challenge. While this gamified training is a reasonable baseline, it primarily addresses cybersecurity from the office worker's perspective. Other career fields within the DoD may benefit from specialized training in cybersecurity, in particular the civil engineering (CE) community supporting critical infrastructure protection. This paper surveys a range of contemporary cyber serious games and assesses each for potential inclusion into CE training. Furthermore, it suggests game elements and characteristics that are likely to benefit the CE community.

“We need to confirm at least from two or three”: Healthcare workers’ discretion as gatekeepers in the context of the Ethiopian abortion law

IntroductionWomen’s access to legal and safe abortion is a vital means to reduce unsafe abortion, which in turn is known to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. In 2005, Ethiopia enacted a relatively permissive abortion legislation. However, there is evidence that access to abortion care services may be challenging and controversial even if progressive abortion laws are in place. This article examines women’s access to abortion services from the perspective of healthcare workers in a rural setting in Ethiopia. Drawing on Lipsky’s theory of street-level bureaucrats, the article discusses healthcare workers’ discretion and the substantial authority they hold as gatekeepers to safe abortion services.MethodsThe study draws upon a qualitative, interpretative methodological approach, with in-depth semi-structured interviews with healthcare workers as the key method of data generation. The data was analyzed and interpreted thematically. Healthcare workers’ perspectives were examined with reference to the national abortion legislation and guidelines.ResultsThe findings reveal that healthcare workers make decisions on behalf of the women who seek abortion, and they involve parents and partners in abortion-related decision-making processes. Moreover, they assess the social context of the pregnancy such as the marital and economic statuses of the abortion-seeking women in ways that restrict women’s access to legally-endorsed abortion services.ConclusionsHealthcare workers’ practices in this rural area were found to challenge the basic provisions laid out in Ethiopia’s abortion legislation. Their negative discretion of the legislation contributes to the substantial barriers Ethiopian abortion-seeking women face in gaining access to legal abortion services, despite the presence of a progressive legal framework and guidelines.

Representations of corporate growth and work conditions from the perspective of industrial workers

O crescimento empresarial tem sido objeto de atenção uma vez que ampliar os negócios parece evidenciar o sucesso das práticas organizacionais. Todavia, este fenômeno precisa ser examinado considerando que, numa perspectiva crítica, o processo implica politização para evitar naturalizações e considerar os diversos agentes e influências a ele associado. Neste artigo, o objetivo é analisar as representações sociais do crescimento empresarial sob a ótica dos trabalhadores, o que foi feito mediante uma pesquisa qualitativa baseada nas trajetórias profissionais de trabalhadores industriais da região metropolitana de Belo Horizonte, tratadas por meio de análise do discurso. Os principais resultados sugerem que os trabalhadores percebem as alterações no contexto e suas consequências para as empresas, o que resultou na decisão de crescimento empresarial. Todavia, os discursos são ambíguos, variando da adesão à ideia de que nada resta além de se adaptar, ao combate aos efeitos sociais do crescimento.

Community health worker perspectives: examining current responsibilities and strategies for success

BackgroundCommunity health worker (CHW) interventions have demonstrated positive impacts globally, with the COVID-19 pandemic further highlighting the potential of CHWs at the frontline to support prevention, outreach, and healthcare delivery. As the workforce expands, understanding the work and capabilities of CHWs is key to design successful interventions. This study examines the perspectives of experienced CHWs in Chicago about their current work and strategies for success.MethodsAs part of a community-academic partnership in Chicago, semi-structured interviews were completed with individuals who held positions aligned with CHW. Interviews were conducted between January and April 2022. Questions focused on participants’ work and factors contributing to their effectiveness to gain insights into workforce strategies for success to be applied in healthcare and community settings. De-identified transcripts were analyzed using inductive reasoning with codes organized into themes and subthemes under two domains identified a priori. The themes informed a logic model focused on the early stages to support the success of CHWs in their role.ResultsFourteen individuals participated in the study. The two predetermined domains in this study were: current work of CHWs and strategies for CHWs to be successful.Five themes were identified about CHWs’ current work: providing services, building alliances with clients, establishing and maintaining collaborations, collecting data, and experiencing challenges in role. From their perspectives, all these responsibilities enhance client care and support workforce sustainability efforts.Five themes emerged about strategies for the success of CHWs: background of CHWs, champions to support work of CHWs, materials to perform work of CHWs, preparation for CHW role, and characteristics of CHWs. Participants described key traits CHWs should possess to be hired, individuals who can champion and advocate for their work, and specific materials needed to fulfill responsibilities. They reported that training and familiarity with the community were integral to developing and refining the qualities and skills necessary to be effective in their role.ConclusionCHWs play an increasingly important role in enhancing healthcare delivery and improving health outcomes. This study offers a framework for policymakers, communities, and organizations to utilize for preparing CHWs to succeed in their roles.

An ontology-based framework for worker’s health reasoning enabled by machine learning

Reports of fatal and nonfatal workplace injuries depict severe circumstances involving health and safety in industries. This leads to workers staying away from work in U.S. for an average of 12 days in 2020, implicating in managerial, financial, and organizational losses. In this context, Vision-Based Deep Learning (VBDL) and Knowledge Representation and Reasoning (KRR) allow real-time data retrieval of situations along with the semantic modeling and expressivity of the real world to mitigate injuries. This article presents a framework that interoperates vision-based deep learning and ontology reasoning to identify adverse working situations, introducing a novel ontology composed of a holistic perspective of workers’ health and safety. Moreover, the article provides multi-agent framework modeling to orchestrate the components’ interoperability, describing the framework’s architecture and deployment in workrooms. As a result, a practical evaluation over five days produced 8395 axioms constituted by 1210 individuals in the ontology, which allowed a temporal analysis of harmful conditions and their multiple overlapping using SPARQL and reasoning rules, particularly relevant to understanding explanations of overexertion, physical and environmental injuries. Therefore, the proposed ontology-based framework corroborates the long-term support in identifying, assessing, and controlling risks in the industries due to a well-defined knowledge model.

Critical safety climate dimensions for improved safety behavior: perspectives of construction workers

Although extensive research has been conducted to explain the high accident rates in the Indian construction industry, studies focusing on the contributions of the prevailing safety climate as an enabler of such incidences remain sparse. Safety climate plays a crucial role in shaping workers’ safety behaviors. Therefore, eliciting the perspectives of construction workers concerning safety climate dimensions that are critical for engendering improved safety behavior will provide valuable insights into the dimensions required to sustain the desired safety performance levels on construction sites. This study adopted a sequential mixed-methods research design. Purposively selected respondents and interviewees were surveyed and interviewed at various intervals. The study established that safety climate dimensions, such as effective leadership, effective communication, consultation, training, resources, incentives, and recognition, are critical in improving safety behavior among construction workers. The results of this study have significant implications for practice and knowledge, as they provide an approach for assessing the impact of different safety climate dimensions on the safety behavior of construction workers in India. Understanding these dimensions will lead to a framework for managing these challenges and improving construction safety performance. The study reported in this paper remains one of the few studies seeking to explore the impact of safety-climate dimensions on worker safety behavior in the construction industry.

Multidimensional analysis of supervisors’ safety leadership on safety violations of construction workers: An empirical investigation

BACKGROUND: Frontline supervisors have the most frequent interactions with workers on construction projects. Although Supervisors’ Safety Leadership (SSL) is commonly practiced, its specific inter-relationship with workers’ safety violations remains unclear, especially when it comes to detailed interactions between supervisors and workers, such as supervisors’ safety coaching/safety controlling/safety caring against workers’ situational/routine safety violations. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to uncover the intrinsic relationship between SSL and safety violations from the perspective of construction workers with the help of mediating variables at both organizational and individual levels. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted to test all hypotheses based on empirical data from 346 construction workers. The path coefficient of the fitted model was then analyzed, including associated mediating effects. RESULTS: Situational safety violations are directly affected only by safety caring (β= –0.161, p < 0.05), while routine safety violations are impacted only by safety coaching (β= –0.159, p < 0.05). SSL can influence different types of safety violations through differing mediators. In particular, safety coaching acts on individuals’ routine safety violations mainly through self-efficacy (β= 0.199, p < 0.01; standardized indirect effect = –0.121, 95% CI[–0.226, –0.024]); safety controlling is more oriented to influence individuals’ situational safety violations through group safety norm (β= 0.383, p < 0.001; standardized indirect effect = –0.091, 95% CI[–0.177, –0.036]); and safety caring further influences individuals’ situational safety violations mainly through safety motivation (β= 0.581, p < 0.001; standardized indirect effect = –0.263, 95% CI[–0.418, –0.146]). CONCLUSION: The research enhances existing knowledge by clarifying the complex relationships between supervisor behavior and safety outcomes, particularly from the perceptions of construction workers towards supervisors’ actions and leadership.

Invisible struggles: unveiling the mental health implications of job insecurity among migrant hospitality workers

ABSTRACT Migrant workers in India, who are often seen as the backbone of the nation, live in highly precarious conditions, experiencing heightened job insecurity. Nevertheless, they received little attention in scholarly investigations. This study utilises the latent deprivation theory to investigate the impact of quantitative and qualitative job insecurity experienced by interstate migrant hospitality workers in India and its impact on their mental health. The study also explores the potential mediating role of employee morale in this relationship. Additionally, it investigates whether the perception of employability, which refers to the likelihood of finding alternative employment, moderates the link between job insecurity dimensions and mental health. Data was collected from interstate migrant workers employed in tourist hotels in Delhi, India. Findings revealed that both dimensions of job insecurity have been negatively associated with the mental health of these workers, with employee morale serving as a partial mediator in the relationship. Employability is found to be a crucial moderator in alleviating the negative impact of quantitative job insecurity on mental health. In light of the findings, the study offers key interventions required at the policy and organisational levels to enhance well-being while utilising the unique skills and diverse perspectives of these migrant workers.

Social workers’ experiences of the use of experts in child protection cases: a comparative study from Norway and England

ABSTRACT The use of independent experts varies by context, specifically in terms of the dynamics among experts, the child welfare services, and the legal system. This study enriches the current discussion of expertise in child protection cases, a subject that has received limited attention from the perspective of social workers. This explorative study delves into the experiences of social workers in child protection, comparing the use of independent experts in two settings: Norway and England. Comparing these two contexts allows us to better understand the different aspects of independent experts’ roles and functions and provide a nuanced picture of their varying contributions. These stories from social work practice in these settings not only inform our understanding of the dynamics within these specific contexts but also spark enquiry into the broader dynamics of expert involvement in child protection cases.

Youth Justice Staff Perspectives on Psychological Resilience Interventions and Outcomes in Young People Who Offend

ABSTRACT Interventions aimed at increasing psychological resilience are an important factor in reducing recidivism in young people. However, little is known about how practitioners understand, apply, and assess the efficacy of the interventions they deliver. This knowledge gap is concerning as case workers are at the forefront of intervention delivery, where intervention success has wide implications for the young person and society. To provide some of the first evidence in this area, we conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 12 Youth Justice case workers based in Wales (UK). We used reflexive thematic analysis to examine four pre-conceived key themes. The first theme involved understanding what resilience is in young people along with the psychological factors that promoted resilience and psychological factors that undermined it. The second theme revolved around intervention strategies used to develop resilience in young people. The third theme focused upon intervention delivery, and the final theme related to intervention outcomes that included behavioral and psychological changes. Our findings offer some of the first evidence into effective psychological based resilience interventions, methods of delivery, psychological and behavioral changes related to desistance from a case workers perspective. Potential future considerations for interventions relating to youth who continue offending are discussed.

The Professionalisation of Child and Youth Care: Perspectives of Child and Youth Care Workers in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The Professionalisation of Child and Youth Care: Perspectives of Child and Youth Care Workers in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Making Mistakes Together: Therapy Participant, Parent, and Therapist Perspectives on Music Therapy in Two Different Settings

Abstract The impact of setting and therapist perspective are explored through the shared experiences of Morgan (a therapy participant), Cheryl (a parent), and Kerry (a music therapist). Undertaken through a series of conversations, the authors identify three themes that reflect differences in the school setting and music therapy clinic where Morgan, a teenager with Down syndrome, participated in music therapy: (1) The structure and expectations of the setting, (2) the values of the setting, and (3) The perspectives of the people working in the setting. Each theme is explored in relation to these two settings, revealing important differences in the experiences and perceptions of each author. Further reflections provide opportunities for readers to consider their own perspectives with regard to music therapy service delivery, particularly in terms of how one aligns with, or is differentiated from, the setting in which they work. Plain language abstract (written by Morgan) This project is about music therapy at school and at the clinic. Readers will learn how music therapy helps Morgan. People, like teachers, should read the project to know Morgan. Music therapists should read the project to be happy and proud. Please go to Appendix A for a plain language summary of the whole article.