Competence of Health Care Professionals from the Eyes of Patients Living with Hepatitis C and the caregivers in Karachi, Pakistan

Vol. 1 No. 4

Year: 2012

Issue: Nov-Jan

Title: Competence of Health Care Professionals from the Eyes of Patients Living with Hepatitis C and the caregivers in Karachi, Pakistan 

Author Name: Noureen Shehzad Jiwani, Raisa Begum Gul 

Synopsis: 

As a chronic disease, Hepatitis C impedes patients’ physical, psychosocial, financial, and emotional wellbeing throughout their illness. Competence of health care professional, especially their communication skills and attitude towards Hepatitis C may help to ease or add to the burden of this disease for patients and their families. Although few studies are available about the interactions of health care professionals with hepatitis C patients and their caregivers, little is known about this phenomenon in the developing countries including Pakistan. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of hepatitis C patients’ and the caregivers with health care professionals in a Pakistani context. Using descriptive exploratory design, data were collected through in-depth interviews, from ten patients with hepatitis C and eight caregivers. Interviews were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim; manual content analysis was performed for extracting themes and categories. Findings of the study reveals that health care professionals for few patients were very supportive however, for majority of the participants lack competence in dealing with patients having hepatitis C and the caregivers. Study findings suggest that appropriate understanding of hepatitis C is critical for health care professionals of Pakistan, not only to alleviate patients and caregivers suffering but also to reduce the prevalence of hepatitis C. 

Awareness About Hepatitis Disease Among Youth In Coastal Areas Of Colachel And Muttom, Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu

Vol. 1 No. 4

Year: 2012

Issue: Nov-Jan

Title: Awareness About Hepatitis Disease Among Youth In Coastal Areas Of Colachel And Muttom, Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu 

Author Name: Mofanato S.K.Kala kumari, V. Jurist Lionial Kumar 

Synopsis: 

‘Health is Wealth’. Health is the fundamental human right. It is the duty of the community to provide a proper environment for helping each individual to be healthy. This will include the supply of safe drinking water, adequate measures for disposal of excreta, avoidance of air pollution and control of communicable diseases. Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver caused by infection with virus or by drugs and alcohol. It causes ill health and severe liver damage and leads to cirrhosis of the liver and the liver cancer. Hepatitis disease spread through contaminated water, food, blood transfusions, organ transplantations, injection, drug use, children sharing the bed of the hepatitis affected children, contaminated syringes and needles. Hepatitis virus is severe than AIDS virus. Colachel and Muttom are situated near seashore, population in overcrowded; sanitation facilities are not well developed. So it is necessary to investigate whether the coastal people of Colachel  and Muttom have the knowledge about the dreadful hepatitis disease and its prevention. The investigators conducted the study “Awareness About Hepatitis Disease Among Youth in Coastal Areas with reference to Colachel and Muttom. The investigators recommended that Awareness Programmes about Hepatitis disease should be conducted in the Coastal areas of Colachel and Muttom”.

Whether a video awareness programme is effective in increasing the knowledge of primary school teachers regarding ADHD? An experimental study

Vol. 1 No. 4

Year: 2012

Issue: Nov-Jan

Title: Whether a video awareness programme is effective in increasing the knowledge of primary school teachers regarding ADHD? An experimental study 

Author Name: Renjulal Yesodharan, Asha K Nayak 

Synopsis: 

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed behavioural disorder of childhood. For working effectively with students diagnosed with ADHD, teachers need to be knowledgeable not only about the etiology, diagnosis, and prognosis of the disorder; they also need to know how to implement educational interventions that have been shown to have positive outcomes for students with ADHD. The study aims to assess the existing knowledge and belief of primary school teachers regarding ADHD. Furthermore, the study evaluates the effectiveness of a video awareness programme in terms of gain in knowledge score regarding ADHD. This is a pre- experimental study that was conducted in Block Resource Centre, Udupi. Primary school teacher’s knowledge regarding ADHD was measured by using KADDS. A  Pre-test was conducted before giving awareness video program and a post-test was conducted after 7 days. The effectiveness of the video awareness was analysed by paired t test. The average knowledge of primary school teachers regarding ADHD was 14.78 ± 4.038  There was a significant improvement in the knowledge of primary school teachers regarding ADHD after viewing video awareness program (10.267 ± 4.290, t=18.538 p <0.001). The study finding suggests the primary school teachers had inadequate knowledge regarding ADHD and video awareness programme on ADHD is an effective method to improve knowledge on ADHD.

Determination of nursing manpower requirement for hemodialysis unit of a referral hospital of north India: A holistic approach

Vol. 1 No. 4

Year: 2012

Issue: Nov-Jan

Title: Determination of nursing manpower requirement for hemodialysis unit of a referral hospital of north India: A holistic approach 

Author Name: Jogindra Vati, Sunita Sharma , H S Kohli 

Synopsis: 

Safety of patients has become the matter of prime importance. Safe staffing is required in order to render the quality patient care and to cope with expanding role of nurses. Despite its importance, empirical evidence related to optimal nursing staff requirement for hemodialysis (HD) unit is lacking in Indian scenario. Hence an attempt has been made to determine nursing manpower (bedside nurses) for this unit. After getting approved from Institute ethical committee and head of department, a total 525 patients (both routine and emergency) including patients on ventilator (n=30), who underwent HD and patients for Internal Jugular vein (IJV) Catheterization (n=47) were observed for 30 days in the month of August 2009 through pretested check list developed by Delphi method of three rounds. Thus work measurement and consultative approach was used to identify the type and frequency of nursing activities required in HD unit. Total 53 nursing activities including 27 HD related, 4 ventilators related, 13 IJV related, 6 ward-related and 3 week-end related activities were identified. Maximum 93.2% of time was spent on HD related activities. On the average 648 minutes are required to carry out all activities and 28138.3 minutes per week. After calculation and keeping in mind 30% nurses for leave reserve, the data revealed that 17 bedside nurses (without meal break) are required for HD unit with 10 HD stations and one table for patients undergoing IJV catheterization. Thus this study has highlighted the need for deploying more nurses; since at present two nurses in the morning and one nurse in the evening duty are posted. It has also provided the empirical evidence for framing practice standards for nursing care of patients undergoing HD and IJV catheterization and a base for calculating nursing manpower for this specialty unit.

Health and Human Development Nexus in Nepal

Vol. 1 No. 4

Year: 2012

Issue: Nov-Jan

Title: Health and Human Development Nexus in Nepal 

Author Name: Mukesh Kumar Mishra, Vinod Mishra , Farhat N.Siddiquie 

Synopsis: 

The dimensions of human development are quite broad. It does have association with many indicators. This study analyzes the links between health and human development in terms of human development indices and survival progress (i.e. life expectancy, infant mortality, under-five mortality). Secondary data from Nepal Demographic Health Survey and Human Development Reports in particular has been used for the analysis. The analysis reveals that one of the major development concerns is people, that is, healthy people. Good health is obviously an important determinant for optimal development. In general, the health status of the people is improving in Nepal. The survival progress indicators has gradually but positively changed between 1996 to 2006 but still there are many challenges as well to maintain optimum health and human development in Nepal. The millennium development goals can only be achieved if improvement in health facilities and human development indicators is given priority in Nepal. 

Do Schools Have an Ethical Responsibility to Provide Primary and/or Emergency Care?

Vol. 1 No. 4

Year: 2012

Issue: Nov-Jan

Title: Do Schools Have an Ethical Responsibility to Provide Primary and/or Emergency Care? 

Author Name: Ruth Rosenblum 

Synopsis: 

Schools and school nurses are frequently asked to care for medically fragile students who have complex medical needs including administration of emergency medications given by injection or per rectum. Since all children are entitled to a free and public education in the least restrictive environment, school personnel must be prepared to accept these students and deliver safe, appropriate care at school. This paper explores whether schools have an ethical responsibility to provide primary and/or emergency care at school. Legal precedent to date has supported children receiving necessary care; however school administration and school nurses sometimes question the ability to safely provide the care.  Additionally, in many cases nurses are mandated to train unlicensed personnel to perform these procedures.  If schools have an ethical responsibility to provide medical care, then does the legal liability override the ethical duty? The Lagana-Duderstadt Deontological-Ethical Model is used to explore this question.

Transitioning to practice: A nursing student peer mentoring leadership initiative

Vol. 1 No. 3

Year: 2011

Issue: Aug-Oct

Title: Transitioning to practice: A nursing student peer mentoring leadership initiative 

Author Name: Margaret Bagnardi 

Synopsis: 

The current changes and challenges for the future of our healthcare system necessitates a renewed look at what the Baccalaureate prepared Registered Nurse (RN) looks like for the 21st century. There is urgency as we face increasing healthcare costs, inconsistent utilization of services and a demand for better, less costly and better organized healthcare for the nation. Nurses need to be the leaders in all facets of care from the patient bedside to administrative settings, and these leadership traits need to be nurtured early on in Registered Nurses’ education.A national survey “Bridging the Preparation Gap” (The Advisory Board Company, 2008) indicated that new graduate nurses scored the lowest in the areas of delegation of tasks, ability to anticipate risk, ability to prioritize, conflict resolution, and ability to keep track of multiple responsibilities. Fostering these leadership skills can be accomplished by introducing concepts early in the students’ nursing education, empowering them to perceive themselves as future leaders, and defining and creating a safe environment for them to practice those skills.