Dataset Information

Surgeons and preventive health: a mixed methods study of current practice, beliefs and attitudes influencing health promotion activities amongst public hospital surgeons.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Little is known about the participation of surgeons in preventative health activities in the non-admitted hospital care setting. The aim of this study was to identify which preventive health activities surgeons practice and to explore their attitudes towards preventive health.

Methods

A mixed methods study was conducted using a sequential explanatory design. Quantitative results were obtained from a self-reported clinician survey (n?=?16) and a Generalized Estimating Equation was used to assess the relationship between dependent (preventive health practice) and independent (confidence and knowledge in preventive health practice, years of practice, and attitudinal factors) variables. Using a building approach to integration, results from the quantitative analyses informed design of the interview guide. Surgeons' beliefs and attitudes were explored using in-depth, semi structured interviews with a purposeful sample of surgeons (n?=?14). Responses were collected, independently coded and analysed using a qualitative descriptive approach.

Results

In accordance with a contiguous narrative approach to integration, the quantitative and qualitative findings are reported separately. The clinician survey found that the surgeons carried out preventive health activities at low levels. Preventive health advice was predominantly verbal in nature, and few surgeons provided written material or referred patients to additional services. The GEE analyses indicated that the following factors best predicted the tendency to undertake preventive health activities: years of clinical practice (p?=?0.041), and the perceived work priority placed on preventive health (p?=?0.008). Interviews generated four themes that influenced the tendency of surgeons to undertake preventive health activities: perceptions of their role in preventive health, perceived motivation of patients, hospital structure, and facilitating factors. In regards to enabling factors that are likely to increase preventive health practice, surgeons unanimously advocated for referral pathways into specialist behaviour change programs that they could facilitate within their relatively brief consulting time.

Conclusions

The findings suggests that the majority of public hospital surgeons engage in routine preventive health advice at a low level. The high volume of non-admitted surgical consultations undertaken annually, coupled with medium to high self-reported knowledge and confidence in addressing behavioural risk factors, support an increased involvement of surgeons in preventive health practice.

SUBMITTER: Barrett S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6555744 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Surgeons and preventive health: a mixed methods study of current practice, beliefs and attitudes influencing health promotion activities amongst public hospital surgeons.

Barrett Stephen S Begg Stephen S Sloane Andrea A Kingsley Michael M

BMC health services research 20190606 1

<h4>Background</h4>Little is known about the participation of surgeons in preventative health activities in the non-admitted hospital care setting. The aim of this study was to identify which preventive health activities surgeons practice and to explore their attitudes towards preventive health.<h4>Methods</h4>A mixed methods study was conducted using a sequential explanatory design. Quantitative results were obtained from a self-reported clinician survey (n = 16) and a Generalized Estimating Eq ...[more]

PMID: 31170990

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Project description:BackgroundAmong all cancers, breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer and the leading cause of mortality among women in developing countries including Palestine. Community pharmacists are trusted and easily accessible healthcare providers who could be engaged in breast cancer health promotion. This study was conducted with the aim of exploring knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and barriers toward breast cancer health promotion among community pharmacists in the Palestinian territories.MethodsThis study was conducted in a cross-sectional design using a questionnaire among community pharmacists. Knowledge of community pharmacists of breast cancer was tested using a 26-item knowledge test. Attitudes and beliefs of the community pharmacists with regard to breast cancer promotion were explored using 14 items. Barrier to breast cancer health promotion were explored using 9 items.ResultsData were collected from 200 community pharmacists. The median knowledge score was 69.2 % with and IQR of 15.2 %. Of the community pharmacists, 67.5 % scored 50 % and above in the knowledge test. Multivariate logistic regression showed that community pharmacists who were female in gender were more likely to score 50 % and above in the knowledge test compared to the community pharmacists who were male in gender (OR = 4.73, 95 % CI of 2.26-9.89). The community pharmacists had positive attitudes toward breast cancer health promotion. There was a significant moderate positive correlation between knowledge and attitudes scores (Spearman's rho = 0.37, p-value < 0.001). Lack of reimbursement, lack of enough personnel, lack of time, and fear of offending the patients were the main barriers to breast cancer health promotion (percentage of agreement > 60.0 %).ConclusionsThis study shed light on the role of community pharmacists in breast cancer health promotion. Pharmacists had good knowledge of breast cancer and positive attitudes toward promoting the health of patients with breast cancer. Further studies are still needed to determine how to integrate community pharmacists in the team of healthcare providers caring for patients with breast cancer.

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Dataset Information

Surgeons and preventive health: a mixed methods study of current practice, beliefs and attitudes influencing health promotion activities amongst public hospital surgeons.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Surgeons and preventive health: a mixed methods study of current practice, beliefs and attitudes influencing health promotion activities amongst public hospital surgeons.

Similar Datasets

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