| 1. |
- Hernández, Alison, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Supporting the performance of rural nurses : a concept mapping study with regional health system actors in Guatemala
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: The performance of front-line health workers is critical for improving the health of vulnerable populations. Performance is a complex behavior generated through interactions between health workers, the health system and communities served. In Guatemala, where front-line nurses serve rural communities with great health needs, a concept mapping study was carried out with actors from different levels of a regional health system to develop an integrated view on how performance can be supported in this setting.Methods: The concept mapping process began with four sessions engaging a total of 93 regional and district managers, and primary and secondary care health workers in generating ideas on actions needed to support nurses’ performance. Ideas were consolidated into 30 action items, which were sorted by 12 managers and rated by a total of 135 managers and health workers from different levels. Maps depicting domains of action and dynamics in sub-groups’ interests were generated using a sequence of multivariate statistical analyses and were interpreted by regional managers.Results: The combined input of regional health system actors provided a multi-faceted view of actions needed to support performance, which were organized in six domains, including: Communication and coordination, Tools to orient work, Organizational climate of support, Motivation through recognition, Professional development and Skills development. The nature of relationships across hierarchical levels was identified as a crosscutting theme. Pattern matching and go-zone maps depicted dynamics in the interests of sub-groups of actors, indicating directions for action based on areas of consensus and difference.Conclusions: This study indicates that rural nurses’ performance is interconnected with the performance of other actors in the regional health system who require support, including managers and community-level collaborators. Organizational climate is critical for making rural nurses feel supported, and the nature of relationships across levels shapes the way actions to support performance are implemented and received. The participatory nature of the conceptmapping process enables regional health system actors to collaborate in co-production of context-specific knowledge needed to guide efforts to strengthen performance.
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| 2. |
- Nkulu Kalengayi, Faustine, 1966-
(författare)
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A world on the move : challenges and opportunities for hiv/aids and tuberculosis care and prevention among vulnerable migrant populations in Sweden
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Migration is a global phenomenon that characterize today’s globalized world. Although, the relationship between migration and health in the host countries is not always negative, many countries, including Sweden are concerned about possible spread of infectious diseases of public health significance such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB). Moreover, apart from disease profiles, migrants also have different socio-cultural backgrounds, which may challenge health care access and provision.Objectives: To investigate, identify, and delineate potential challenges of relevance in the care and prevention of communicable diseases of public health significance in general and particularly HIV/AIDS and TB among migrants from countries where these infections are endemic, and eventually generate knowledge that could inform policies and practice.Methods: Data for this thesis were collected in four of the five counties of the Northern region in Sweden. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used including a survey of 268 migrant students in two language schools (I & II); an interview study with 10 care providers caring for patients with migrant backgrounds and observations of care encounters (III) and an interview study with 15 care providers experienced in screening migrants (IV). Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were used to summarize survey data whereas a thematic analysis approach was applied to the qualitative data within the interpretive description framework.Results: The students scored on average low on both HIV/AIDS and TB knowledge and displayed misconceptions and negative attitudes towards the two diseases and infected/sick persons. Knowledge level and attitude could be predicted by prior knowledge, years of previous education and geographic origin. In contrast, no association was found between being screened and the level of TB knowledge or attitude towards TB and infected/sick persons. However, fear of being deported appeared to be the main predictor of reluctance to seek HIV/AIDS care after controlling for socio-demographic factors, knowledge level, stigmatizing attitudes and fear of disclosure. Health care providers described complex and intertwined challenges that influenced both care delivery and receipt. The challenges described included language, the socio-cultural diversity within migrant groups and between migrants and the caregivers. These often resulted in divergent perceptions and expectations about care and caring. The participants highlighted the complexities of caring for diverse patients within different institutions with conflicting policies and frameworks. They also described the difficulties the migrants face in navigating the Swedish care system.Conclusions: This thesis illuminates complex challenges in the care of migrants. The findings emphasize the need for multilevel strategies in order to remove identified barriers. This requires accommodating diversity by improving care providers’ cultural competence and migrants’ health literacy. It further requires policies and practices that emphasize health services responsiveness in order to provide equal access and equitable care. Finally, it entails revisiting existing policies and legislative frameworks to promote a change in ways of thinking about and approaching migration, HIV/AIDS and TB issues, to address the specific vulnerabilities of mobile populations in a world on the move.
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| 3. |
- Ragnarsson, Susanne, 1966-
(författare)
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Att klara skolan när huvudet dunkar och kroppen värker : en studie om återkommande smärta och skolprestation bland skolbarn
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Bakgrund Återkommande smärta är ett av de vanligaste folkhälsoproblemen bland skolbarn. Den höga förekomsten är ingen ny kunskap, trots det finns det lite beskrivet hur smärtan påverkar barnens funktion och då särskilt om det får konsekvenser för barnens skolprestationer.Syfte Det övergripande syftet med avhandlingen var att studera och värdera evidensen för ett samband mellan återkommande smärta och skolprestation. Detta utifrån smärtans frekvens, lokalisation och utbredning, samt utifrån både subjektiva och objektiva mått på skolprestation. Därutöver studerades möjlig modertorer och mediatorer .Metod Processen delades in i två steg. Steg 1 utgjordes av en systematisk litteraturöversikt (delstudie 1) som studerade den tillgängliga evidensen för sambandet mellan återkommande smärta och skolprestation bland skolbarn mellan 4 och 18 år. Samtliga delar med urval, dataextraktion, kvalitets- och evidensbedömningar utfördes systematisk. Några av de kunskapsluckor som upptäcktes i steg 1 blev grunden till Steg 2 som utgjordes av delstudie 2 och 3. Dessa studier baserades på en longitudinell totalpopulationsstudie från Umeå “The Study of Health in School-aged children from Umeå”. Urvalet bestod av 1524 respektive 1567 barn. Oberoende variabeln var återkommande smärta och beroende variablerna var upplevda problem med skolprestation, meritvärde och gymnasiebehörighet. I studie 2 och 3 analyserades data med hjälp av logistisk och linjär regression.Resultat Steg 1: av 6 387 identifierade studier inkluderades 21 studier varav 13 kunde verifiera samband mellan återkommande smärta och nedsatta skolprestationer. Sammantaget fann översikten begränsat evidens för ett samband mellan återkommande smärta och objektiv skolprestation, samt otillräcklig evidens för ett samband mellan återkommande smärta och subjektiv skolprestation. Brister i de enskilda studiernas kvalitet och design bidrog till den låga evidensen. Steg 2: visade att smärta i årskurs 6 fördubblande oddsen för upplevda problem med skolprestation i årskurs 9, vilket gällde vid olika smärtfrekvenser, lokalisationer och antal smärtställen. Skolfrånvaro, koncentrations och sömnproblem kunde inte mediera sambandet mellan återkommande smärta och upplevda problem med skolprestation. Dessutom sågs ett samband mellan återkommande smärta i veckan i årskurs 6 och meritvärde i årskurs 9. Däremot fanns inget samband mellan smärta i årkurs 6 och gymnasiebehörighet, förutom bland flickor med magsmärta. Skolfrånvaro, koncentrationsproblem och upplevda skolprestation medierade delvis sambandet mellan smärta i årskurs 6 och lägre meritvärde i årskurs 9.Slutsats Resultaten indikationer att återkommande smärta kan predicerar nedsatta betyg och en upplevelse av problem med att prestera i skolan. Resultatet kan lägga till grund för prioriteringar av preventiva insatser i skolan och inom hälso-och sjukvården och kan också bidra med underlag inför utvecklandet av insatser riktade till barn med återkommande smärta.
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| 4. |
- Rusanganwa, Vincent, 1966-, et al.
(författare)
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Clinical Referral Laboratories in Rwanda : The Status of Quality Improvement After 7 Years of the SLMTA Program
- 2018
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Ingår i: American Journal of Clinical Pathology. - : Oxford University Press. - 0002-9173 .- 1943-7722. ; 150:3, s. 240-245
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: We investigated the quality system performance in Rwandan referral laboratories to determine their progress toward accreditation.Methods: We conducted audits across five laboratories in 2017, using the Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation checklist. Laboratories were scored based on the World Health Organization grading scale (0-5 stars scale) and compared with earlier audits.Results: Between 2012 and 2017, only one laboratory progressed (from four to five stars). Four of the five laboratories decreased to one (three laboratories) and zero (one laboratory) stars from four and three stars. Management reviews, evaluation, audits, documents, records, and identification of nonconformities showed a low performance.Conclusions: Four of five laboratories are not moving toward accreditation. However, this target is still achievable by energizing responsibilities of stakeholders and monitoring and evaluation. This would be possible because of the ability that laboratories showed in earlier audits, coupled with existing health policy that enables sustainable quality health care in Rwanda.
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| 5. |
- Rusanganwa, Vincent, 1966-
(författare)
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Quality of clinical laboratory services in Rwanda
- 2022
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Introduction: Poor quality health care is a serious silent public health problem worldwide, resulting in deaths, disabilities and long hospital stays with unnecessary costs. It affects patients in all countries regardless of their level of development. Estimations show that 64 million disability-adjusted life years are lost yearly worldwide due to unsafe health care, and this phenomenon is one of the top 10 causes of mortality and disability in the world. Four out of 10 patients are harmed while getting health care in primary and outpatient health care services. Most of this unsafe care is due to errors in diagnosis, prescriptions and use of medicines. Better management of patients could be accomplished with clearer diagnostics. Clinical laboratories play a central role in the quality of health care when they provide accurate and reliable test results for timely and evidence-based diagnostic for management of patients, surveillance and control of diseases. The aim of this dissertation was to study the quality of clinical laboratory services in Rwanda to contribute to the health care quality in Rwanda and other similar settings.Methods: This dissertation is built on studies that used mainly primary data collected at five clinical referral laboratories and related hospitals (Papers I–III). To assess the quality performance of laboratories, the World Health Organization (WHO) Stepwise Laboratory Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) checklist was used to score laboratories and to analyse the trend in quality performance (Paper I). The factors explaining the status of quality performance of laboratories were explored by using qualitative data, namely key informant interviews with thematic analysis (Paper II). Physicians’ satisfaction with laboratory services was assessed by using a structured questionnaire with a Likert scale and an open-ended question. All eligible physicians from four referral hospitals (N = 507) were invited to participate in the study (Paper III) and 91% provided their feedback. Descriptive statistics and ordered logistic regression were performed and qualitative data were analysed with a thematic approach. To identify pathogenic viruses circulating in Rwanda with no available diagnosis, we sampled 11 health centres for febrile patients with acute infections whose malaria test result was negative (n = 2313). Selected arboviruses were analysed from blood samples by using polymerase chain reaction (Paper IV).Results and Discussion: In 2017, only one referral laboratory scored at the highest level, five stars, which was an increase from four stars in 2012. The other four laboratories had decreased in quality performance. The factors explaining this decrease were mainly insufficient coordination to ensure continuous quality improvement as well as lack of mentorship and regular external assessment of laboratory to identify and address gaps. Only 36% of physicians were satisfied with laboratory services in referral hospitals. Seventy per cent were satisfied with the reliability of test results, while only 19% were satisfied with the turnaround time, and improved virus diagnostics was sought. In general, paediatricians, internists and more experienced physicians were less satisfied. Over 2000 samples from acute, febrile patients were sampled in 11 health centres from different provinces of Rwanda and are now stored in a unique biobank for future analysis. The results so far show that o’nyong-nyong and Zika viruses are circulating in Rwanda.Conclusion: Despite the improvement in quality performance with the Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) programme, most laboratories showed decreased performance in their follow-up assessments compared with their exit assessment. Resuming external assessments as well as investing in leadership and planning would lead to high-quality laboratory performance, even reaching international accreditation. For sustainability, the SLMTA programme should be institutionalised, the laboratory quality management system should be integrated into the education of laboratory staff and in continuous professional development training. Extended diagnostics for infectious diseases should be considered. The achievement of quality health care, universal health coverage and global health security are not possible without quality laboratory services that guide the pathway through accurate and reliable tests results.
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