Journal Articles

Quality of Work Life among Primary Health Care Nurses in the Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia: A Crosssectional Study

Quality of work life (QWL) is defined as the extent to which an employee is satisfied with personal and working needs through participating in the workplace while achieving the goals of the organization. The purpose of this study was to assess the QWL among primary health care nurses in the Jazan region, Saudi Arabia. [from abstract]

Economic Evaluation of Task-Shifting Approaches to the Dispensing of Anti-Retroviral Therapy

The study aims to compare two task-shifting approaches to the dispensing of anti-retroviral therapy (ART): indirectly supervised pharmacist’s assistants and nurse-based pharmaceutical care models against the standard of care which involves a pharmacist dispensing ART. [adapted from abstract]

Experiences of Leadership in Health Care in Sub-Saharan Africa

Through research on health leadership in low-income settings, including sub-Saharan Africa, with attention to historical, political and sociocultural context, this study sought to characterize the experiences of individuals in key health-care leadership roles in sub-Saharan Africa. [adapted from abstract]

Postgraduate Career Intentions of Medical Students and Recent Graduates in Malawi: A Qualitative Interview Study

The aim of this study was to explore the factors influencing the career plans of medical students and recent graduates with regard to four policy-relevant aspects: emigration outside Malawi; working at district level; private sector employment and postgraduate specialisation. [from abstract]

Community Pharmacist Attitudes Towards Collaboration with General Practitioners: Development and Validation of a Measure and a Model

This study aims to develop and validate an instrument to measure pharmacist attitudes towards collaboration with general practitioners (GPs) and a model that illustrates how pharmacist attitudes (and other variables) influence collaborative behaviour with GPs. [from abstract]

Task-Shifting: Experiences and Opinions of Health Workers in Mozambique and Zambia

This paper describes task-shifting taking place in health centers and district hospitals in Mozambique and Zambia to identify the perceived causes and factors facilitating or impeding task-shifting, and to determine both the positive and negative consequences of task-shifting for the service users, for the services and for health workers. [adapted from abstract]

Experience of Community Health Workers Training in Iran: A Qualitative Study

This study aimed to analyse the community health worker (CHW) training process in Iran and how different components of training have impacted on CHW performance and satisfaction. [from abstract]

Student Perception about Working in Rural Nepal after Graduation: A Study among First and Second Year Medical Students

The present study was conducted at KIST Medical College, a private school in the Lalitpur district, to obtain information on student perceptions about working in rural Nepal after graduation. [adapted from abstract]

Prevalence and Determinants of Burnout Syndrome among Primary Healthcare Physicians in Qatar

This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of burnout syndrome among primary healthcare physicians in Qatar, and to identify its determinants. [from abstract]

Acceptance and Uptake of Voluntary HIV Testing among Healthcare Workers in a South African Public Hospital

The aim of this study is to determine factors associated with the acceptance and uptake of voluntary HIV testing among healthcare workers in a public hospital in KwaZulu-Natal. [from abstract]

Occupational Exposure to Blood-Borne or Body Fluid Pathogens among Medical Interns at Addington Hospital, Durban

Interns are a vulnerable group of healthcare workers, cited as having the highest incidence of accidental needle-stick injuries and splashes with blood or body fluids. This study compared the incidence of occupational exposure between first- and second-year interns in South Africa to estabilsh the severity of the problem. [adapted from abstract]

Cold Comfort for Healthcare Workers? Medico-Ethical Dilemmas Facing a Healthcare Worker after Occupational Exposure to HIV

This paper discusses the ethical and legal constraints on a healthcare worker who has been occupationally exposed to possible HIV infection in circumstances where the patient will not/is not in a position to give consent to be tested to establish his/her HIV status, which is a prerequisite for the healthworker to receive postexposure prophylaxis in South Africa. [adapted from abstract]

Private Healthcare Sector Doctors and HIV Testing Practices in the eThekwini Metro of KwaZulu-Natal

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among private sector doctors who manage HIV and AIDS patients in KwaZulu-Natal to collect data on private sector doctors’ HIV testing practices.

Tobacco and Alcohol Use among Healthcare Workers in Three Public Hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Healthcare workers (HCWs) can play an important role in assisting patients to stop smoking, but this role is undermined if they themselves smoke. The study determined the prevalence of tobacco smoking and alcohol use among HCWs in public hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. [from abstract]

Evaluation of General Practitioners' Routine Assessment of Patients with Diabetes in Tshwane, South Africa

The authors wished to establish the use of existing diabetes management guidelines by general practitioners in Tshwane, South Africa. [adapted from abstract]

Depression in Primary Care: The Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice of General Practitioners in Benin City, Nigeria

Poor case detection and inadequate numbers of mental health staff have been associated with increased morbidity among individuals with depression presenting to primary care. In Nigeria, as in most developing countries, general practitioners (GPs) may fill this treatment gap. This study surveyed the knowledge of and attitudes of GPs towards depression.

Biosafety Perspective of Clinical Laboratory Workers: A Profile of Pakistan

Although all occupational hazards are important, the risk of laboratory-associated infection in employees of clinical laboratories is greater than it is in many other occupations. This survey was conducted in Pakistan to assess the awareness of biosafety measures and the practices performed by laboratory technicians during their routine laboratory work. [adapted from introduction]

Improving CHW Program Functionality, Performance and Engagement: Operations Research Results from Zambia

The Community Health Worker Assessment and Improvement Matrix (CHW AIM) was designed to help assess communtiy health worker program functionality and to provide benchmarks against which to measure program improvements. This operations research activity was designed as a field intervention study that applied the CHW AIM process. [adapted from summary]

Internet-Based Learning in the Health Professions: A Meta-Analysis

This analysis summarizes the effect of Internet-based instruction for health professions learners compared with no intervention and with non-Internet interventions. [from abstract]

Medical Student Characteristics Predictive of Intent for Rural Practice

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of student characteristics previously correlated to choosing rural practice on osteopathic medical students’ intent to practice in a rural setting. [from abstract]

Experiences of Action Learning Groups for Public Health Sector Mangers in Rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The objective of this study was to pilot an action learning group program, (an informal, practically based management training program which allow trainees to reflect on their own work environment) with managers in a rural public health setting and to explore participants’ experience of the program. [adapted from abstract]

African Health Profession Regulatory Collaborative

This article describes the African Health Regulatory Collaborative for Nurses and Midwives, a four-year initiative to increase the collaboration among national stakeholders and help strengthen the capacity of health professional regulatory bodies to reform national regulatory frameworks, and discusses its importance in implementing and sustaining national, regional, and global workforce initiatives. [adapted from abstract]

Physicians in Private Practice: Reasons for Being a Social Franchise Member

Evidence is emerging on the cost-effectiveness, quality and health coverage of social franchises (established networks of private sector providers for reproductive health and other primary care services). This study of providers in the Sun Quality Health network in Myanmar explores provider motivations – both financial and non-monetary – for joining and remaining in a social franchise. [adapted from author]

Integrating a Pharmacist into the General Practice Environment: Opinions of Pharmacists, General Practioners, Health Care Consumers, and Practice Managers

Pharmacists are viewed as highly trained yet underutilised and there is growing support to extend the role of the pharmacist within the primary health care sector. This study aimed to describe the opinions of local stakeholders in South-East Queensland on the integration of a pharmacist into the Australian general practice environment. [from abstract]

Engagement of Non-Government Organizations and Community Care Workers in Collaborative TB/HIV Activities Including Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission in South Africa: Opportunities and Challenges

Using South Africa as a case study, this article reports on the engagement of non-governmental organizations and community care workers in the implementation of collaborative tuberculosis/HIV activities in rural South Africa, including extent of participation and constraints and opportunities to enhance effective participation. [adapted from abstract]

How Do Postgraduate GP Trainees Regulate Their Learning and What Helps and Hinders Them? A Qualitative Study

The aim of this study is to explore how postgraduate general medical practitioner trainees regulate their learning in the workplace, how external regulation promotes self-regulation and which elements facilitate or impede self-regulation and learning for these healthcare workers. [adapted from abstract]

Attitudes of Undergraduate Medical Students of Addis Ababa University Towards Medical Practice and Migration, Ethiopia

This study was carried out to assess the attitudes of Ethiopian medical students towards their training and future practice of medicine, and to identify factors associated with the intent to practice in rural or urban settings, or to migrate abroad. [from abstract]

Is There Really a Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow? Has the Occupational Specific Dispensation, as a Mechanism to Attract and Retain Health Workers in South Africa, Leveled the Playing Field?

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the introduction of the Occupation Specific Dispensation, which sought to improve the public services’ ability to attract and retain health workers in South Africa, thereby reducing incentives to emigrate. [adapted from abstract]

Revisting Current Barefoot Doctors in Border Areas of China: System of Services, Financial Issue and Clinical Practice Prior to Introducing Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI)

This study aimed at assessing the current situation of the health system of rural health care and evaluating the clinical competency of village doctors in management of childhood illnesses prior to implementing IMCI program in remote border rural areas. [from abstract]

Medical Students' Choices of Speciality in the Gambia: The Need for Career Counselling

This cross-sectional survey was conducted on consenting students of the first medical school in Gambia to help understand preferences for specialties by medical students, and the factors driving choices, to assist policy makers in ensuring optimal spread of personnel across disciplines. [adapted from abstract]