What Is Qualitative Research?

Composition and influencing factors of professionals' capacity in public health emergency rescues: a qualitative study

Objective

To explore the composition and influencing factors of professionals' capacity in public health emergency rescues.

Methods

A descriptive qualitative design was used in this study. Medical workers, managers, and members of an emergency rescue team in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, were recruited for participation through a purposive sampling method. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using a conventional content analysis method.

Findings

A total of 2 themes and 13 sub-themes emerged from the analysis: ability composition (knowledge reserve, early warning assessment, information reporting, emergency response, self-protection, personal ability, coordination and cooperation, health education) and influencing factors (educational background, region, experience, hospital level, human resources, and financial investment).

Conclusion

These findings offer a basis for the construction of a related indicator system and provide a reference for relevant departments to further optimize their emergency education and training, strengthen their emergency drills, and improve their emergency rescue abilities. The findings indicate that it is necessary to pay attention to the construction of an emergency rescue team, adjust the ratio of personnel, improve their remuneration, and promote work enthusiasm to improve the emergency rescue ability of an organization.

Screening and management of osteoporosis: a survey of knowledge, attitude, and practice among healthcare professionals in Egypt-a study by the Egyptian Academy of Bone Health

Secondary-level healthcare professionals, mainly rheumatologists and orthopedic surgeons, were invited to participate in an online survey questionnaire to assess knowledge and compliance with osteoporosis management guidelines and strategies, as well as self-reported quality of care. About 51% of the participants admit that they do not implement specific guidelines for the management of osteoporosis in their standard practice and depend on their experience and their clinical judgments. Moreover, although a good percentage (58%) had satisfactory knowledge levels in domains on the risk of osteoporotic fractures and investigations of osteoporosis, 47.5% of the participants did not score satisfactorily in questions on pharmacotherapy, especially for those patients at high risk for fractures.

INTRODUCTION

A recently published study demonstrated a treatment gap among those eligible for osteoporosis therapy in Egypt of about 82.1% in postmenopausal women and 100% in men. The current survey aimed to address some of the factors that may contribute to this wide gap.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study of secondary care healthcare professionals (both physicians and orthopedic surgeons) who were invited to complete an online questionnaire, which gathered information about physicians' socio-demographic data, knowledge, and compliance with osteoporosis management guidelines and strategies, as well as self-reported quality of care. Additionally, a knowledge score was calculated for all the participants.

RESULTS

A good percentage (58%) had a satisfactory knowledge level in domains on the risk of osteoporotic fractures and investigations of osteoporosis; however, 47.5% did not score satisfactorily in questions on pharmacotherapy, especially for those patients at high risk for fractures.

CONCLUSIONS

This work has identified some of the barriers to implementing guidelines for osteoporosis and fragility fracture management. In the meantime, it highlights the urgency of intensifying efforts to develop the knowledge and attitude of the healthcare professionals dealing with this condition in Egypt.

Improving the Management of Children with Fevers by Healers in Native Rural Areas in the South of Ecuador

BACKGROUND

Indigenous populations are represented among the poor and disadvantaged in rural areas. High rates of infectious diseases are observed in indigenous child populations, and fever as a general symptom is common.

OBJECTIVE

We aim to improve the skills of healers in rural indigenous areas in the South of Ecuador for managing children with fevers.

METHOD

We performed participatory action research (PAR) for this study with 65 healers.

RESULTS

The PAR focused on the following four phases: (1) 'observation,' eight focus groups were used. (2) 'planning' phase was developed, and with culturally reflective peer group sessions, a culturally adapted flowchart was constructed titled "Management of children with fever." In phase (3): 'action', the healers were trained to manage children with fever. Phase (4): 'evaluation', 50% of the healers used the flowchart.

CONCLUSIONS

Explicit recognition of the need for traditional healers and health professionals in indigenous communities to work together to improve health indicators such as infant mortality exists. Additionally, strengthening the transfer system in rural areas is based on knowledge and cooperation between the community and the biomedical system.

Public health nurses fostering self-help health promotion groups for older people

OBJECTIVE

Public health nurses foster self-help groups that are intended to solve health problems and improve the health of older people. This study aims to clarify how public health nurses foster such self-help groups.

DESIGN

This is a qualitative study that utilizes one-to-one semi-structured interviews.

SAMPLE

The participants comprised 11 full-time public health nurses who had experience in fostering self-help groups and had at least 5 years of experience as public health nurses.

MEASUREMENTS

Interview transcripts were created, and a qualitative analysis was performed inductively.

RESULTS

In total, 33 themes, 14 theme clusters, and four categories were extracted. The categories were as follows: coordinating with relevant occupations and residents to collect community information and solve health problems, organizing classes from health promotion to member-centered group activities, ensuring group development support and establishing a support system, and supporting leaders behind the scenes.

CONCLUSIONS

Public health nurses begin by gathering information about a given community and sharing local health problems with public health authorities and residents. The nurses build trusting partnerships with members and assign appropriate roles to them to better address their problems. Additionally, the nurses provide indirect group support by encouraging leaders as needed.

Preliminary Investigation of the Usability Characteristics Required for Wound Management Products by Semi-Structural Interview of Medical Staff

Consideration of drug usability characteristics is important during the design process. Although many wound management products have been developed in recent years, there are few studies on their usability. We investigated the needs and characteristics of wound management products required by medical professionals, so as to consider these in future development projects. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in a group of healthcare professionals. Interview responses were analyzed based on thematic analysis. Four themes common to all facilities were secondary wounds, adaptability of materials, convenience, and physicochemical properties. Economic efficiency of medical care was found to be considered only at the hospital, and quality of life of patients was found to be considered only at the home palliative care clinic. Requirements for wound management products can be affected by participants’ roles and their facility settings. However, there were needs common to all fields that all wound management products should aim to incorporate.

[Approaches for Class Preparation Using Qualitative Analysis by Coding-Survey in Technical English Course "Yakugaku-Eigo Nyumon"]

The purpose of this study was to examine how students prepare for the pharmaceutical technical English course "Yakugaku-Eigo Nyumon" by qualitative analysis. A sub-text, supplemental material was used to assist students with class preparation. Qualitative questionnaires on understanding and approaches for class preparation as well as review of class were analyzed in comparison with different academic performance levels on the final exam. The results of qualitative analysis of class preparation based on coding revealed that high-academic-performing students understood and adopted deep-processing approaches for the preparation of "English words" and "understanding of content" more often than low-academic-performing students. High-performing students attempted to not literally translate English sentences into Japanese while checking the English words with thinking and ingenuity, and to understand English sentences by drawing figures and thinking of relationships using previously learned knowledge. These approaches were not adopted by low-performing students. Furthermore, sub-text was one of the means for understanding by high-performing students, whereas it was essential for low-performing students to understand the content. Coding results on the review of class also showed that low-performing students were dependent mainly on sub-text for understanding. These results suggest that deep-processing approaches to both English and content of materials are necessary for deep understanding in "Yakugaku-Eigo Nyumon".

Interprofessionalism and interprofessional research: a challenge still to be won in Italy

Public health and pedagogical institutions have long been calling for collaborative models of assistance and training that provide inter-professional synergy and there is a broad international consensus on the importance of inter-professionalism in the field of assessment and healthcare provision (1-10). [...].