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This paper aims to identify human rights violations of patients during the early periods of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana by investigating the experiences of people on how health-care professionals discharged their responsibilities during the time in question.

Explanatory design of the mixed methods approach was adopted, with the intention of collecting both quantitative and qualitative data sequentially, and then integrating the results at the interpretation stage. The approach enriched the quality of data collected as it offered the advantage of shedding light on the primary motivations and reasons for attitudes and behaviours and helped to provide an in-depth understanding of how individuals interpret the happenings around them and their experiences. Thus, although some amount of quantitative method was used in the data collection, the core of this paper is based on the qualitative interpretations.

The study reveals that health-care professionals, especially those in the Tema Metropolis, undermined certain fundamental human rights of patients during the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes failure to provide information to patients about treatment options and potential risks of medications; failure to seek the informed consent of patients before performing medical procedures; denial of access to medical files of patients for transfer; and inability or failure to provide medical ambulances services to patients on time.

Although many publications on human rights dimensions and health protective issues on COVID-19 pandemic are available on a global scale, still little information pertaining to experiences of individuals with health-care professionals during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in Ghana through the lens of patient’s rights exists. This paper, therefore, fills an important gap in health-care management information, critical for policy decision-making processes regarding patient’s rights in times of pandemic control.

The purpose of this paper is to report on the use and content of written guidance produced by mental health services in England and Wales describing hospital leave for informally admitted patients.

Guidance on leave was requested from National Health Service (NHS) mental health trusts in England and health boards in Wales (n = 61) using a Freedom of Information submission. Data were analysed using content analysis.

In total, 32 organisations had a leave policy for informal patients. Policies varied considerably in content and quality. The content of policies was not supported by research evidence. Organisations appeared to have developed their policies by either adapting or copying the guidance on section 17 leave outlined in the Mental Health Act Codes of Practice for England and Wales (Department of Health, 2016; Welsh Government, 2016). Definitions of important terms, for example, leave and hospital premises, were either absent or poorly defined. Finally, some organisations appeared to be operating pseudo-legal coercive contracts to prevent informal patients from leaving hospital wards.

Research should be undertaken to explore the impact of local policies on the informal patient’s right to life and liberty.

All NHS organisations need to develop an evidence-based policy to facilitate the informal patient’s right to take leave. A set of national standards that organisations are required to comply with would help to standardise the content of leave policies.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to examine the use and content of local policies describing how informal patients can take leave from hospital.

A new triage method, MBCE (Medical Bio Social Ethics), is presented with social justice, bio, and medical ethics for critical resource distribution during a pandemic. Ethical triage is a complex and challenging process that requires careful consideration of medical, social, cultural, and ethical factors to guide the decision-making process and ensure fair and transparent allocation of resources. When assigning priorities to patients, a clinician would evaluate each patient’s medical condition, age, comorbidities, and prognosis, as well as their cultural and social background and ethical factors.

A statistical analysis shows no interactions among the ethical triage factors. It implies the ethical components have no moderation effect; hence, each is independent. The result also points out that medical and bioethics may have an affinity for interactions. In such cases, there seem to be some ethical factors related to bio and medical ethics that are correlated. Therefore, the triage team should be careful in evaluating patient cases. The algorithm is explained with case histories of the selected patient. A group of triage nurses and general medical practitioners assists with the triage.

The MBCE triage algorithm aims to allocate scarce resources fairly and equitably. Another ethical principle in this triage algorithm is the principle of utility. In a pandemic, the principle of utility may require prioritizing patients with a higher likelihood of survival or requiring less medical care. The research presents a sensitivity analysis of a patient’s triage score to show the algorithm’s robustness. A weighted score of ethical factors combined with an assessment of triage factors combines multiple objectives to assign a fair triage score. These distinctive features of the algorithm are reasonably easy to implement and a new direction for the unbiased triage principle.

The idea is to make decisions about distributing and using scarce medical resources. Triage algorithms raise ethical issues, such as discrimination and justice, guiding medical ethics in treating patients with terminal diseases or comorbidity. One of the main ethical principles in triage algorithms is the principle of distributive justice.

This study aims to describe patients presented in an interprofessional, virtual education program focused on the mental health of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), as well as present interprofessional recommendations for care.

In this retrospective chart review, descriptive statistics were used to describe patients. Content analysis was used to analyze interprofessional recommendations. The authors used the H.E.L.P. (health, environment, lived experience and psychiatric disorder) framework to conceptualize and analyze the interprofessional recommendations.

Themes related to the needs of adults with IDD are presented according to the H.E.L.P. framework. Taking a team-based approach to care, as well as ensuring care provider knowledge of health and social histories, may help better tailor care.

This project draws on knowledge presented in a national interprofessional and intersectoral educational initiative, the first in Canada to focus on this population.

The mental healthcare is experiencing an ever-growing surge in understanding the consumer (e.g., patient) engagement paradox, aiming to vouch for the quality of care. Despite this surge, scant attention has been given in academia to conceptualize and empirically investigate this particular aspect. Thus, drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) paradigm, the study explores how patients engage with healthcare service providers and how they perceive the quality of the healthcare services.

Data were collected from 279 respondents, and the derived conceptual model was tested by using Smart PLS 3.2.7 and PROCESS. To complement the findings of partial least squares (PLS)-based structural equation modeling (SEM), the present study also applied fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to identify the necessary and sufficient conditions to explore substitute conjunctive paths that emerge.

Findings show that patients’ perceived intimacy (PI), cohesion and privacy enhance the quality of mental healthcare service providers. The results also suggest that patients’ PI, cohesion and privacy have indirect effects on the perceived quality of care (PQC) by the service providers through consumer engagement. The fsQCA results derive that the relationship among conditions leading to patients’ perception of the quality of care in regard to mental healthcare service providers is complex and is best reflected as multiple and conjectural causation configurations.

The findings from this research contribute to the advancement of studies on patients’ experiences by empirically examining the unique dynamics of interaction between consumers (patients) and mental healthcare service providers, thereby enriching both the literature on social interactions and the understanding of the consumer–provider relationship.

The results of this study provide practical implications for mental healthcare service providers on how to combine the study variables to enhance the quality of care and satisfy more patients.

A significant research gap has ascertained the inter-relationship between PI, cohesion, privacy, engagement and PQC from the perspective of mental healthcare service providers. This research is one of the primary studies from a managerial and methodological standpoint. The study contributes by combining symmetric and asymmetric statistical tools in service marketing and healthcare research. Furthermore, the application of fsQCA helps to understand the interactions that might not be immediately obvious through traditional symmetric methods.

Left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is a structural interventional cardiology procedure that offers several possibilities for the application of additive manufacturing technologies. The literature shows a growing interest in the use of 3D-printed models for LAAO procedure planning and occlusion device choice. This study aims to describe a full workflow to create a 3D-printed LAA model for LAAO procedure planning.

The workflow starts with the patient’s computed tomography diagnostic image selection. Segmentation in a commercial software provides initial geometrical models in standard tessellation language (STL) format that are then preprocessed for print in dedicated software. Models are printed using a commercial stereolithography machine and postprocessing is performed.

Models produced with the described workflow have been used at the Careggi Hospital of Florence as LAAO auxiliary planning tool in 10 cases of interest, demonstrating a good correlation with state-of-the-art software for device selection and improving the surgeon’s understanding of patient anatomy and device positioning.

3D-printed models for the LAAO planning are already described in the literature. The novelty of the article lies in the detailed description of a robust workflow for the creation of these models. The robustness of the method is demonstrated by the coherent results obtained for the 10 different cases studied.

To explore the perceptions of surgical team members in a tertiary hospital in Jordan toward the factors influencing patient safety culture (PSC).

This was a qualitative descriptive study intended to characterize the factors that influence PSC. Interviews were conducted with health-care providers in the operation room (OR) in a tertiary Jordanian hospital. Participants included surgeons, anesthetists, nurses and senior surgical residents who had worked for three years minimum in the OR. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.

A total of 33 interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis of the content yielded four major themes: (1) operational factors, (2) organizational factors, (3) health-care professionals factors and (4) patient factors. The respondents emphasized the role of the physical layout of the OR, implementing new techniques and new equipment, and management support to establish a safety culture in the operating room setting.

The present research study will have implications for hospitals and health-care providers in Jordan for developing organizational strategies to eliminate or decrease the occurrence of adverse events and improve patient safety in the OR.

The purpose of this paper is to critique and evaluate need-driven dementia compromised behavior theory and the health behavioral model using Meleis’ (2010) criteria of theory evaluation.

Theory critique using Meleis’ (2010) criteria of theory evaluation.

This paper provides a conclusion about each theory in terms of agitation in the elderly. Meleis’s (2010) criteria will be used for both theories to evaluate different components such as the relationship between structure and function, diagram of the theory, circle of the contagiousness, usefulness and external components.

The critique of the two theories broadened the nurses’ understanding of the connection between the NDB model and the behavior symptoms, including agitation and its related issues. Further studies need to be conducted to shed light on the other aspects of the behavioral symptoms in elderly with dementia that supports the results of this study, like its specific causes, trigger factors and other intervention strategies. Nurses should be able not only to understand the patient’s behavior symptoms but also to decode them into communication signals to meet their needs in a more effective way.

Whistleblowing is one of the most imperative instruments to unveil wrongdoing. The purpose of this study is to explore the whys and wherefores of undertaking the act of whistleblowing by Indian nurses. This study also delves into the reasons that would stimulate the nurses' whistleblowing intentions and, on the contrary, the reasons that would keep them silent on encountering any wrongdoing.

This study incorporates interpretative phenomenological analysis, a qualitative method aiming to provide a detailed examination of the personal lived experiences of the nurses. This technique helps to understand the individual perspective of nurses. It, thus, allows the researchers to generate common themes from the data giving insightful and in-depth knowledge about the same.

The findings of this study suggest that nurses felt a sense of morality and responsibility toward the hospital, which motivated them to raise their voices to the concerned authorities within their organizations before reaching out to external agencies. The other motivators include peer and management support regarding the surety that appropriate action would be taken if reporting is done against the wrongdoer. On the other side, job loss or fear of harassment from peers and supervisors demotivates and discourages them from involving in the act of whistleblowing, especially in cases where they had dependents.

This study implies that hospitals/health-care units should provide an affirmative organizational culture to the nurses through sensitivity training that spreads awareness and a sense of responsibility. Also, setting favourable examples would help nurses gain motivation from the organization's past experiences. Having independent agencies to investigate whistleblowing complaints can be more encouraging than in-house management. Additionally, assurances by the government to protect the interest of the nurses who blow the whistle through anonymous whistleblowing and stringent rules for the job security of whistleblowers need to be aligned.

This study highlights the whistleblowing intention of Indian employees of the health-care sector, that is, nurses, which is the pioneer research work in the Indian context. In India, the profession of nurses is subjugated by females; hence, this study would contribute to the literature by looking at whistleblowing through gender predisposition. As the work of nurses is wholly based on patient advocacy, the ethical dilemma of raising their voices or remaining silent is very natural. This study brings about specific concerns related to the whistleblowing of women nurses and talks about the solutions that can be undertaken to encourage them to engage in the act of whistleblowing.

Despite technological advancements to enhance patient health, the risks of not discovering the correct interactions and trends in digital health are high. Hence, a careful policy is required for health coverage tailored to needs and capacity. Therefore, this study aims to explore the adoption of a cognitive computing decision support system (CCDSS) in the assessment of health-care policymaking and validates it by extending the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model.

A survey was conducted to collect data from different stakeholders, referred to as the 4Ps, namely, patients, providers, payors and policymakers. Structural equation modelling and one-way ANOVA were used to analyse the data.

The result reveals that the behavioural insight of policymakers towards the assessment of health-care policymaking is based on automatic and reflective systems. Investments in CCDSS for policymaking assessment have the potential to produce rational outcomes. CCDSS, built with quality procedures, can validate whether breastfeeding-supporting policies are mother-friendly.

Health-care policies are used by lawmakers to safeguard and improve public health, but it has always been a challenge. With the adoption of CCDSS, the overall goal of health-care policymaking can achieve better quality standards and improve the design of policymaking.

This study drew attention to how CCDSS as a technology enabler can drive health-care policymaking assessment for each stage and how the technology enabler can help the 4Ps of health-care gain insight into the benefits and potential value of CCDSS by demonstrating the breastfeeding supporting policy.