Bmc Health Serv Res
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Bmc Health Serv Res · Nov 2018
Multicenter StudyDementia and immigrant groups: a qualitative study of challenges related to identifying, assessing, and diagnosing dementia.
Along with the ageing of the general population, Europe's migrant populations are also ageing, thus posing new challenges for dementia care services, particularly if the services are to be adjusted to persons with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. From the perspective of health professionals, this study aims to explore challenges involved in identifying, assessing and diagnosing people with cognitive impairment/dementia who have different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. ⋯ Detection, treatment and care may be improved if primary care professionals strengthen their cross-cultural competences. Training in communication skills and in the use of cross-cultural assessment tools may help build competence and confidence when assessing and caring for people with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Closer collaboration among families, nurses in home-based services, dementia teams, and GPs may facilitate close monitoring of a patient over time. Such collaboration requires sufficient information exchange during transitions in the chain of care, continuity among health professionals, and a shared understanding of the goals for treatment and care.
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Bmc Health Serv Res · Nov 2018
Barriers and facilitators to the integration of mental health services into primary healthcare: a qualitative study among Ugandan primary care providers using the COM-B framework.
Uptake of clinical guideline recommendations into routine practice requires changes in attitudes and behaviors of the health care providers. The World Health Organization (WHO) has heavily invested in public health and health promotion globally by developing policy recommendations to guide clinical practice; however, clinical guidelines are often not applied. The success of the implementation of any guidelines depends on consideration of existing barriers and adequately addressing them. Therefore, exploring the context specific barriers and facilitators affecting the primary care providers (PCPs) in Mbarara district, Uganda may provide a practical way of addressing the identified barriers thus influence the PCPs action towards integration of mental healthcare services into PHC. ⋯ Efforts to achieve successful integration of mental health services into PHC need to fit in the context of the implementers; thus the need to adapt the UCG into local context, have cues to enforce implementation, and optimize the available expertize (mental healthcare providers) in the process.
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Bmc Health Serv Res · Nov 2018
Multicenter StudyAssessment of patient safety culture: a nationwide survey of community pharmacists in Kuwait.
Medication errors have been the largest component of medical errors threatening patient safety worldwide. Several international health bodies advocate measuring safety culture within healthcare organizations as an effective strategy for sustainable safety improvement. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study conducted in a Middle Eastern country at the level of community pharmacy, to examine safety culture and to evaluate the extent to which patient safety is a strategic priority. ⋯ Understanding community pharmacists' perspectives of patient safety culture within their organization is critical. It can help identify areas of strength and those that require improvement, which can help support decision about actions to improve patient safety. The current study showed that urgent attention should be given to the areas of weakness, mainly in the dimension of "Staffing, Work Pressure and Pace." The pharmacists pointed the need for adequate breaks between shifts and less distractible work environment to perform their jobs accurately.
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Bmc Health Serv Res · Nov 2018
Comparative StudyDeceased organ donation activity and efficiency in Switzerland between 2008 and 2017: achievements and future challenges.
Various actions have been taken during the last decade to increase the number of organs from deceased donors available for transplantation in Switzerland. This study provides an overview on key figures of the Swiss deceased organ donation and transplant activity between 2008 and 2017. In addition, it puts the evolution of the Swiss donation program's efficiency in relation to the situation in the neighboring countries. ⋯ Swiss donation activity and efficiency grew during the last decade. The increased donation efficiency suggests that measures implemented so far were effective. The lower efficiency of the Swiss donation program, compared to the French and Austrian programs, may likely be explained by the lower consent rate in Switzerland. This issue should be addressed in order to achieve the goal of more organs available for transplantation.
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Bmc Health Serv Res · Nov 2018
Reducing wait time from referral to first visit for community outpatient services may contribute to better health outcomes: a systematic review.
Many people wait long periods for community outpatient services. However little is known about the impact of waiting from referral to first visit on patient outcomes. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate whether waiting for community outpatient services is associated with adverse effects on patient outcomes. ⋯ This review found low-level evidence suggesting an association between early access to community outpatient services and improvement of some patient outcomes. Specifically, shorter wait times from referral to first visit for musculoskeletal pain services may improve patient work participation. Shorter wait times for cardiac rehabilitation may improve patient exercise capacity. The effects of a short wait time for other patient conditions and patient outcomes, including quality of life, psychological symptoms and patient experience, are inconclusive. The modest benefits in health outcomes observed in reducing wait time for community outpatient services suggest that other possible benefits such as increasing patient flow should be explored.