Health & social care in the community
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Health Soc Care Community · Jan 2007
Health needs of prisoners in England and Wales: the implications for prison healthcare of gender, age and ethnicity.
This paper aims to provide evidence of the healthcare needs of prisoners in relation to gender, age and ethnicity, drawing from a larger systematic overview of the policy and research literature concerning primary care nursing in prisons in England and Wales. The literature overview shaped the initial stages of a research project funded by the Department of Health to examine the views and perspectives of prisoners and nurses working in prisons, and to identify good primary care nursing in the prison environment. At total of 17 databases were searched using search terms related to primary healthcare in prisons (health, nurs*, primary care, healthcare, family medicine, prison*, offender*, inmate*) with terms truncated where possible in the different databases. ⋯ All papers were critically appraised for quality using standardised tools. Findings from the literature overview show that prisoners are more likely to have suffered some form of social exclusion compared to the rest of society, and there are significantly greater degrees of mental health problems, substance abuse and worse physical health in prisoners than in the general population. Women, young offenders, older prisoners and those from minority ethnic groups have distinct health needs compared to the prison population taken as a whole, with implications for the delivery of prison healthcare, and how these needs are met effectively and appropriately.
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Health Soc Care Community · Jan 2007
From retirement village to residential aged care: what older people and their families say.
The majority of older Australians, some of whom live in retirement villages, wish to remain living in their own home, receiving care in the community when their health and/or other circumstances change. Current statistics show that 3.7% of people aged 65 years and over live in a retirement village in Australia. However, residential aged care will still be required for some highly dependent members of the older population. ⋯ In-depth interviews with 33 older people and 48 family members were conducted to illuminate the key issues and factors which influence the move of older people from retirement villages to residential aged care. Analysis of the data revealed the move to be influenced by: health-related crises; the creation of doubt as to ability to cope in the retirement village; the need for more or different care or support services; the desire for independence; assumptions about being able to move into the residential aged care facility co-located with the retirement village; availability of a place; navigating the system; and desirable aspects of a residential aged care facility. The findings of the study provide a description of the transition process from the perspectives of those directly affected, and contribute to the development of best practice in the provision of support to residents living in retirement villages and the community in general.
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Health Soc Care Community · Nov 2006
Comparative StudyA comparison of interprofessional perceptions and working relationships among health and social care students: the results of a 3-year intervention.
A longitudinal quantitative study in an English faculty of health and social care explored the effects of a pre-qualifying interprofessional curriculum for students from 10 professional programmes. Students on the interprofessional curriculum completed questionnaires containing four attitude scales on entry to the faculty, during their second year and at the end of their final year. At qualification, 581 students (76.9% of those qualifying) completed scales concerning their communication and teamwork skills, their attitudes towards interprofessional learning, their perceptions of interaction between health and social care professionals, and their opinions about their own (inter)professional relationships. ⋯ This suggests that interprofessional education does not inhibit the development of profession-specific attitudes. Students who qualified on the interprofessional curriculum were more positive about their own professional relationships than those who qualified on the previous uniprofessional curricula. These data suggest that experiencing an interprofessional curriculum has an effect on students' attitudes at qualification, particularly with regard to their positive perception of their own professional relationships.
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Health Soc Care Community · Nov 2006
Smoking after the age of 65 years: a qualitative exploration of older current and former smokers' views on smoking, stopping smoking, and smoking cessation resources and services.
The aim of this study was to explore older current/former smokers' views on smoking, stopping smoking, and smoking cessation resources and services. Despite the fact that older smokers have been identified as a priority group, there is currently a dearth of age-related smoking cessation research to guide practice. The study adopted a qualitative approach and used the health belief model as a conceptual framework. ⋯ Most of the former smokers believed that stopping smoking in later life had been beneficial to their health. In conclusion, members of the primary care team have a key role to play in encouraging older people to stop smoking. In order to function effectively, it is essential that they take account of older smokers' health beliefs and that issues, such as knowledge of smoking cessation resources, are addressed.
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Health Soc Care Community · Sep 2006
ReviewWhole-system approaches to health and social care partnerships for the frail elderly: an exploration of North American models and lessons.
Irrespective of cross-national differences in long-term care, countries confront broadly similar challenges, including fragmented services, disjointed care, less-than-optimal quality, system inefficiencies and difficult-to-control costs. Integrated or whole-system strategies are becoming increasingly important to address these shortcomings through the seamless provision of health and social care. ⋯ The review finds a somewhat positive pattern of results in terms of service access, utilisation, costs, care provision, quality, health status and client/carer satisfaction. It concludes with the identification of common characteristics which are thought to be associated with the successful impact of these partnership initiatives, as well as a call for further research to understand the relationships, if any, between whole-system models, services and outcomes in integrated care for elderly people.