Lived Experiences of Long-Term Care Administrative Staff Responsible for the Admissions Process

The process of admission of, typically, older residents into long-term care (LTC) has been greatly examined from the perspectives of the residents and their family members/caregivers. However, the viewpoint of the administrative staff directly involved has been left relatively unexamined. This article highlights findings from a qualitative study focused on exploring the lived experiences of LTC administrative staff working with residents-to-be and families/caregivers during the admissions process. Data from semi-structured interviews with seven participants indicate that these individuals often take on roles/tasks that go beyond the scope of their official work descriptions. Participants acknowledged the heavy toll of the stressful nature of their work on their health/well-being, but often normalized the pressures as part of their professional, if not personal, responsibilities to help others. Recommendations on improving the admissions process highlighted the lack of critique of the LTC system, despite its responsibility for the challenges that shape their day-to-day work.

Space Analysis of School Violence in the Educational Setting of Peru, 2019

BACKGROUND

Schools are increasingly experiencing physical, psychological, and sexual violence, which impacts students' academic achievement and physical and emotional health. Our objective was to identify regional prevalence rates, average prevalence by aggressor type, and provincial spatial conglomerates with higher rates for each type of school violence reported in educational settings in Peru during 2019.

METHODS

An analysis was made of 12,132 cases reported through Peru's Specialized School Violence System (SíseVe). The Moran indices were calculated using provincial prevalence rates to identify conglomerates with high prevalence.

RESULTS

In the coast region, the Department of Tacna reported the highest prevalence rates for physical (99.7) and psychological (107); the Department of Amazonas, which is in the jungle, reported the highest prevalence rate for sexual violence (74.6), with teachers in public schools accounting for the majority of sexual assaults against students (56%).

CONCLUSIONS

Sexual violence predominated in the jungle zone, with a significant percentage of teachers participating in violence with sexual connotations. Physical and psychological violence prevailed in the coastal region.

High Levels of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Carriage Among Healthcare Workers at a Teaching Hospital in Addis Ababa Ethiopia: First Evidence Using mecA Detection

Background

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen and causes healthcare and community-acquired infection. Data on the extent of MRSA colonization among health-care workers (HCWs) in sub-Saharan Africa are limited. Hence, we determined the burden of MRSA colonisation among HCWs and administrative staff in Tikur Anbessa Specialised Hospital (TASH), College of Health Sciences (CHS), Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.

Methods

Using a cross-sectional study design, participants were screened for MRSA colonisation between June 2018 and August 2019 using nasal swabs. The swabs were analysed using standard laboratory methods including antibiotic resistance gene, mecA. Anonymised sociodemographic data were collected by pretested questionnaires to evaluate HCWs factors associated with MRSA carriage.

Results

A total of 588 HCWs and 468 administrative staff were screened for MRSA. Women were over-represented. Overall, 49.1% (289/588) of HCWs were nurses and 25% (117/468) of the administrative staff were cleaners or laundry workers. Overall, 138 S. aureus isolates were retrieved from the nasal swabs of both groups (16.3%, 96/588 from HCWs). The burden of MRSA colonisation was 4.8% (28/580, 95% CI: 3.1–6.5%) among HCWs compared to 0.2% (1/468, 95% CI: 0.18–0.6%) of administrative staff (p value <0.05). The majority of S. aureus and all MRSA isolates were resistant to penicillin. Isolates from HCWs were more resistant to tested antibiotics than administrative staff (P-value <0.05).

Conclusion

This is the first report in Ethiopia on MRSA colonization using mecA and revealed that; (i) overall carriage rates of MRSA in HCWs are comparable with observations reported in some other countries and (ii) HCWs exhibit a higher burden of MRSA carriage than administrative staff. Our data support strategic screening of MRSA and antimicrobial stewardship for better intervention measures.

Incorporating Administrative Staff in Trans-Affirmative Care Training: A Cognitive-Behavioral Learning Approach

Administrative staff play an integral role in providing trans-affirmative health care. However, few trans-affirmative education and training interventions have been developed for non-medical health care staff. In this short report, we describe the development and piloting of a trans-affirmative care training intervention designed expressly for administrative staff. Based on our piloting, we put forth recommendations for the inclusion of administrative staff in trans-affirming education and training in health care systems. We hope to stimulate further development and evaluation of our approach, as well as changes in policies, so as to create more inclusive, trans-affirming health care systems.

The Mediating Role of Organizational Learning in the Relationship of Organizational Intelligence and Organizational Agility

Objectives

Organizational learning is defined as creating, absorbing, retaining, transferring, and application of knowledge within an organization. This article aims to examine the mediating role of organizational learning in the relationship of organizational intelligence and organizational agility.

Methods

This analytical and cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015 at four teaching hospitals of Yazd city, Iran. A total of 370 administrative and medical staff contributed to the study. We used stratified-random method for sampling. Required data were gathered using three valid questionnaires including Alberkht (2003) organizational intelligence, Neefe (2001) organizational learning, and Sharifi and Zhang (1999) organizational agility questionnaires. Data analysis was done through R and SPSS 18 statistical software.

Results

The results showed that organizational learning acts as a mediator in the relationship of organizational intelligence and organizational agility (path coefficient = 0.943). Also, organizational learning has a statistical relationship with organizational agility (path coefficient = 0.382).

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that the improvement of organizational learning abilities can affect an organization's agility which is crucial for its survival.