Dataset Information

Public health professionals' perceptions toward provision of health protection in England: a survey of expectations of Primary Care Trusts and Health Protection Units in the delivery of health protection.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Effective health protection requires systematised responses with clear accountabilities. In England, Primary Care Trusts and the Health Protection Agency both have statutory responsibilities for health protection. A Memorandum of Understanding identifies responsibilities of both parties, but there is a potential lack of clarity about responsibility for specific health protection functions. We aimed to investigate professionals' perceptions of responsibility for different health protection functions, to inform future guidance for, and organisation of, health protection in England.

Methods

We sent a postal questionnaire to all health protection professionals in England from the following groups: (a) Directors of Public Health in Primary Care Trusts; (b) Directors of Health Protection Units within the Health Protection Agency; (c) Directors of Public Health in Strategic Health Authorities and; (d) Regional Directors of the Health Protection Agency

Results

The response rate exceeded 70%. Variations in perceptions of who should be, and who is, delivering health protection functions were observed within, and between, the professional groups (a)-(d). Concordance in views of which organisation should, and which does deliver was high (> or =90%) for 6 of 18 health protection functions, but much lower (< or =80%) for 6 other functions, including managing the implications of a case of meningitis out of hours, of landfill environmental contamination, vaccination in response to mumps outbreaks, nursing home infection control, monitoring sexually transmitted infections and immunisation training for primary care staff. The proportion of respondents reporting that they felt confident most or all of the time in the safe delivery of a health protection function was strongly correlated with the concordance (r = 0.65, P = 0.0038).

Conclusion

Whilst we studied professionals' perceptions, rather than actual responses to incidents, our study suggests that there are important areas of health protection where consistent understanding of responsibility for delivery is lacking. There are opportunities to clarify the responsibility for health protection in England, perhaps learning from the approaches used for those health protection functions where we found consistent perceptions of accountability.

SUBMITTER: Cosford PA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1712342 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Public health professionals' perceptions toward provision of health protection in England: a survey of expectations of Primary Care Trusts and Health Protection Units in the delivery of health protection.

Cosford Paul A PA O'Mahony Mary M Angell Emma E Bickler Graham G Crawshaw Shirley S Glencross Janet J Horsley Stephen S SS McCloskey Brian B Puleston Richard R Seare Nichola N Tobin Martin D MD

BMC public health 20061207

<h4>Background</h4>Effective health protection requires systematised responses with clear accountabilities. In England, Primary Care Trusts and the Health Protection Agency both have statutory responsibilities for health protection. A Memorandum of Understanding identifies responsibilities of both parties, but there is a potential lack of clarity about responsibility for specific health protection functions. We aimed to investigate professionals' perceptions of responsibility for different healt ...[more]

PMID: 17156421

Similar Datasets

Project description:OBJECTIVE:To estimate obesity prevalence among healthcare professionals in England and compare prevalence with those working outside of the health services. DESIGN:Cross-sectional study based on data from 5?years (2008-2012) of the nationally representative Health Survey for England. SETTING:England. PARTICIPANTS:20?103 adults aged 17-65 years indicating they were economically active at the time of survey classified into four occupational groups: nurses (n=422), other healthcare professionals (n=412), unregistered care workers (n=736) and individuals employed in non-health-related occupations (n=18?533). OUTCOME MEASURE:Prevalence of obesity defined as body mass index ?30.0 with 95% CIs and weighted to reflect the population. RESULTS:Obesity prevalence was high across all occupational groups including: among nurses (25.1%, 95%?CI 20.9% to 29.4%); other healthcare professionals (14.4%,?95% CI 11.0% to 17.8%); non-health-related occupations (23.5%,?95% CI 22.9% to 24.1%); and unregistered care workers who had the highest prevalence of obesity (31.9%, 95% CI 28.4% to 35.3%). A logistic regression model adjusted for sociodemographic composition and survey year indicated that, compared with nurses, the odds of being obese were significantly lower for other healthcare professionals (adjusted OR (aOR) 0.52, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.75) and higher for unregistered care workers (aOR 1.46,?95% CI 1.11 to 1.93). There was no significant difference in obesity prevalence between nurses and people working in non-health-related occupations (aOR 0.94,?95% CI 0.74 to 1.18). CONCLUSIONS:High obesity prevalence among nurses and unregistered care workers is concerning as it increases the risks of musculoskeletal conditions and mental health conditions that are the main causes of sickness absence in health services. Further research is required to better understand the reasons for high obesity prevalence among healthcare professionals in England to inform interventions to support individuals to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

Project description:BackgroundSexual violence is a global public health issue. It is a form of gender-based violence commonly experienced by women accessing mental health services. The biomedical model has been the dominant model of care in acute psychiatric units, however, there has been a global movement towards more gender-sensitive and trauma-informed models. To date, only a small amount of research has focused on evaluating these models of care and health professionals' experiences of providing this care. The aim of this study is to gain an in-depth understanding of healthcare professionals' perceptions of how Gender Sensitive Care (GSC) is enacted across acute psychiatric inpatient units for women who are survivors of sexual violence.MethodsThis study used case study methodology and the Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) conceptual framework. NPT is a practical framework that can be used to evaluate the implementation of complex models of care in health settings. It included semi-structured interviews with 40 health professionals, document and policy reviews, and observations from four psychiatric inpatient units within a large Australian public mental health organisation. Data were examined using thematic and content analysis.ResultsThemes were developed under the four NPT core constructs; 1) Understanding GSC in acute psychiatric units: "Without the corridors there's not a lot we can do", 2) Engagement and Commitment to GSC in acute psychiatric units: "There are a few of us who have that gender sensitive lens", 3) Organising, relating and involvement in GSC: "It's band aid stuff", 4) Monitoring and Evaluation of GSC in acute psychiatric units: "We are not perfect, we have to receive that feedback".DiscussionMany health professionals held a simplistic understanding of GSC and avoided the responsibility of implementing it. Additionally, the competing demands of the biomedical model and a lack of appraisal has resulted in an inconsistent enactment of GSC.ConclusionsHealth professionals in this study enacted GSC to varying levels. Our findings suggest the need to address each NPT construct comprehensively to adequately implement GSC.

Project description:INTRODUCTION:Penile transplantation, in its infancy, has the potential to reestablish functional outcomes for men with penile loss and disfigurement. However, significant bioethical considerations are pertinent, and systematic discussions are necessary to safely progress implementation. AIM:To determine the attitude of health practitioners toward the penile transplant and identify the key aspects of concern pertinent to the operation and clinical care. METHODS:Health care professionals from the United States responded to either email invitation, web link, or social media post on Facebook to complete a questionnaire investigating perceptions and attitudes toward penile transplantation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Respondents' attitude toward penile transplantation, their own perceived important functions of the penis, and concerns about performing a penile transplantation. Respondents' previous exposure to visceral transplants, to penile disfigurement, and information about penile transplants were used as independent factors in analysis. RESULTS:Among 412 health care professionals who responded to the questionnaire, 95.9% were in favor of visceral organ transplant, but only 64.3% were in favor of penile transplantation. The results showed that 61.3% of respondents first learned about the penile transplant from mass media, whereas only 37.5% had been exposed through a scientific journal, formal lecture, or a professional colleague. Younger health professionals and those exposed through professional forums surrounding penile transplantation were more likely to be in favor of the procedure (P < .001). The most important functions of the penis were identified by respondents as being sexual function (role in sexual activity) and gender identity (being a man) with rates of 86.4% and 85.3%, respectively (P < .001). Barriers identified by respondents included the use of immunosuppression and the potential subsequent effect on healthcare resource utilization. Reading an excerpt about penile trauma in war during the questionnaire improved acceptance of penile transplantation (P = .05). CONCLUSION:Penile transplantation is accepted by most health professionals surveyed. Younger respondents and those informed through professional outlets are more favorable toward penile transplantation. Anticipated limitations include the risk of immunosuppression, lack of available donors, and the effect on healthcare utilization. Najari B, Flannigan R, Hobgood J, et al. Attitudes Toward Penile Transplantation Among Urologists and Health Professionals. Sex Med 2018;6:316-323.

Dataset Information

Public health professionals' perceptions toward provision of health protection in England: a survey of expectations of Primary Care Trusts and Health Protection Units in the delivery of health protection.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Public health professionals' perceptions toward provision of health protection in England: a survey of expectations of Primary Care Trusts and Health Protection Units in the delivery of health protection.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets