Journal of evaluation in clinical practice
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Evidence-based practice (EBP) can improve health care in underprivileged countries. Bolivia's EBP movement is nascent and the factors contributing to better implementation in nursing are unknown. ⋯ There is a dearth of EBP knowledge among Bolivian nurses stemming from a lack of preparation in EBP environments, including EBP training opportunities. This situation affects nurses' professional dimensions of relational work, power, and collaboration. Collaborative research among educators, professional nursing societies, and local and international organizations could provide initiatives for implementing EBP, based on local health profiles.
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Decision-making in musculoskeletal health care is complex, with discrepancy among clinical providers and variation in the per cent of referrals for specialist care. To date, there is an increased focus on specialist referrals, risking overuse of expensive testing and contributing to unnecessary treatment. ⋯ Therefore, this preliminary report offers a start towards clarifying key factors and an approach for implementing improved shoulder clinical care decision-making which could then be adapted and applied to other body sites.
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Low-income women disproportionately experience preventable, adverse neonatal outcomes. Prior to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion, many low-income women became eligible for coverage only after becoming pregnant, reducing their access to healthcare before pregnancy and creating discontinuities in care that may delay Medicaid enrollment. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of the ACA Medicaid expansion on neonatal outcomes among low-income populations in Oregon. ⋯ This study provides evidence that expanding Medicaid coverage may have positive effects on LBW and preterm birth, which could lead to important long-term impacts on childhood and later-life health outcomes. States that have not expanded their Medicaid programs might improve neonatal outcomes among low-income populations by extending insurance coverage to low-income adults.
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Little is known about hesitancy to receive the COVID-19 vaccines. The objectives of this study were (1) to assess the perceptions of healthcare workers (HCWs) and the general population regarding the COVID-19 vaccines, (2) to evaluate factors influencing the acceptance of vaccination using the health belief model (HBM), and (3) to qualitatively explore the suggested intervention strategies to promote the vaccination. ⋯ Awareness campaign can focus on enhancing the vaccine perceived benefit, debunking misconceptions, and increasing the disease perceived severity. Additionally, the public health leaders need to minimize the perceived barriers by providing the vaccines and appeasing people concerns about their storage, effectiveness, and adverse events.
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Universal health care (UHC) is primarily a financing concern, whereas primary health care (PHC) is primarily concerned with providing the right care at the right time to achieve the best possible health outcomes for individuals and communities. A recent call for contributions by the WHO emphasized that UHC can only be achieved through PHC, and that to achieve this goal will require the strengthening of the three pillars of PHC - (a) enabling primary care and public health to integrate health services, (b) empowering people and communities to create healthy living conditions, and (c) integrating multisectoral policy decisions to ensure UHC that achieves the goal of "health for all." "Pillars" - as a static metaphor - sends the wrong signal to the research and policy-making community. ⋯ Health systems are socially constructed organizational systems that are "functionally layered" in a hierarchical fashion - governments and/or funders at the top-level not only promote the goals of the system (policies) but also constrain the system (rules, regulations, resources) in its ability to deliver. Hence, there is a need to focus on two key system features - political leadership and dynamic bottom-up agency that maintains everyone's focus on the goal to be achieved, and a limitation of system constraints so that communities can shape best adapted primary care services that truly meet the needs of their individuals, families, and community.