Allied health professional services for oncology outpatients: an Australian comparative study

Psychosocial interventions used by the allied health team are now seen as making an important contribution to improving the psychological and functional statues of the increasing numbers of patients coping with cancer. However, there is a call from within the Allied Health Professionals (AHP) literature for empirical research to ensure that service delivery is supported by a reliable understanding of the needs of consumers. The present discussion responds to such a call by presenting the comparative findings from two independent studies looking at the needs of oncology out-patients for AHP services in Australia. The first study was completed at the Oncology Day Care Ward at the Mater Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland. The Brisbane research was subsequently repeated at the Mater Hospital, Newcastle, New South Wales. It is the comparative findings from the two projects that are presented here. The impetus for both studies came from a keen desire by the AHP teams of both hospitals to better understand quality of life issues in relation to their oncology outpatients in order to be able to provide appropriate and effective services. The same research instrument was used for both studies so the data are directly comparable. It is the hope and expectation that these findings will be useful to inform the work of other AHP teams who are engaging in the challenging but rewarding task of understanding and meeting the needs of oncology patients and their families for holistic care.     

Allied health: economic, social, or service instrument?

Allied health as a concept has been studied by economists, educators, and others, but rarely has it been dealt with as an historical and social phenomenon. Examining the development of what is called allied health, one can see a picture of how the American health care system has evolved and, perhaps, a glimmer of its future. This article looks at some of the economical, educational, social, and public policy issues from which allied health has emerged and provides a perspective on where it could lead.     

基础职业卫生服务简介

ILO/WHO职业卫生联合委员会于2003年12月9～12日在日内瓦发布了由国际职业卫生协会主席Jorma Rantanen教授起草的有关基础职业卫生服务（basic occupational health service,BOHS）的工作文件.我们初读学习后,认为BOHS概念和设想对调整我国职业卫生服务的思路、扩大服务面、提高服务水平是非常重要的.为此,我们根据这个文件对BOHS提出的背景、内容、提供模式、资金来源等作一简要介绍.     

Quality management and operational research initiatives in a health service context

Explores the history of quality management, commenting on the work of many of the quality "gurus". Considers the relationship between quality management and the management science of operational research.     

Mexico: health promotion initiatives

Mexico is currently undergoing a Health Sector Reform to address the country's epidemiologic and demographic changes, deep socio-economic inequalities and their consequences on health. The Government and a diversified set of actors, mainly NGOs, are taking up health promotion initiatives.     

Allied health professional students' perceived level of comfort in clinical situations that have sexual connotations

This study examined the anticipated level of comfort of 1,132 higher education students enrolled across physical therapy, occupational therapy, medical radiation sciences, rehabilitation counseling, leisure and health sciences, and behavioral health science professional courses. Participants were asked to indicate their anticipated level of comfort for a range of clinical interactions that have sexual implications. More than half of the students anticipated that they would not feel comfortable in dealing with the issues raised in 9 of the 19 sexually themed items. Significant gender differences were identified for some of these items. These gender differences should be taken into account when developing sexuality curricula. Feelings of discomfort when interacting with clients could impede appropriate therapeutic interventions. Further research investigating the nature and cause of discomfort in clinical settings is required. Studies that examine the usefulness of sexuality education programs in increasing practitioner comfort also should be carried out.     

Allied health representation: a call for action

The Coalition of Allied Health Leadership (CAHL) 2000 Representation Team sought 1) to secure Federal advisory appointments for allied health professionals and 2) to connect allied health representatives with Federal advisory committees, councils, boards, and other deliberative bodies. Among the deliberative bodies providing recommendations on a broad range of issues to the President of the United States and the Executive Branch, there are over 1,000 advisory committees, councils, and boards, with more than 20,000 members. Recommendations made by the deliberative bodies include those related to health care. The literature and Web sites reveal allied health professionals have little or no representation on the bodies that represent allied health professionals and their constituents. These findings provide insights into Federal-level deliberative bodies to which allied health professionals have access or on which they warrant representation. This article reports background information, including the CAHL 2000 Representation Team objectives; an overview of federal advisory committees; recommendations for gaining access to deliberative bodies and active participation in fulfillment of Healthy People 2010 goals; and continued commitment to such representation by the CAHL and allied health professionals.     

Humanization health at emergency service in a public hospital: comparison on social representation of professional before and after training

This article presents the results of a study of the type before and after training in Shelter with Risk classification compared to the humanization of social representations of health among 111 health professionals in an emergency hospital. Data collection was performed using the technique of free evocation and analysis was done using the EVOC software. The results showed changes in the symbolic meaning attributed to terms inducers towards incorporation of the right perspective in the representation of the Unified Health System, the translation of Humanization in health as Shelter, and the progression of understanding the Shelter, the humanistic focus to the qualification of processes of care of the users demand at emergencies. The results indicate that the differences found in the core before and after training were due to an apprenticeship, which based in peripheral elements, was able to question the core elements and interchange between the central and peripheral system, recognizing the functional complementarity between these two systems and the relationships between representations and practices. However, the method does not assert the persistence of such changes in the social representations of the objects studied in depth or measure the changes in daily practices.