Disability training for health workers: A global evidence synthesis

BackgroundHealth worker training on disability is a recognized component of achieving high standards of health for people with disabilities, given that health worker’s lack of knowledge, stigma, and negative attitudes towards people with disabilities act as barriers to high quality health care.ObjectiveTo understand the published literature on training health workers about disability.MethodsWe searched five databases for relevant peer-reviewed articles published between January 2012 and January 2021. Studies that focused on training health care workers to improve knowledge, confidence, self-efficacy, and competence to support people with physical, sensory, or intellectual impairments were included. Data about the details of the intervention (setting, participants, format, impact assessments, etc.) and its effects were extracted.ResultsThere is an array of highly local tools to train health workers across stages of their training and careers (preservice, in-service, and continuing professional development). Studies involving people with disabilities in the training, community placements, simulations, or interactive sessions were found to be most effective in improving knowledge, confidence, competency, and self-efficacy.ConclusionsAs part of initiatives to build inclusive health systems and improve health outcomes for people with disabilities, health workers around the world need to receive appropriate and evidence-based training that combines multiple methods and involves people with disabilities. To monitor progress on the impact of training, there should also be a standardized measure of impact on core outcomes.     

全球卫生的现状和发展

全球化进程的飞速发展带来全球性健康问题, 使全球卫生成为世界关注的热点。我国“一带一路”倡议的提出, 加强了中国和亚非欧大陆的经贸往来, 同时也增加了诸如传染病传播扩大、疾病谱和生活方式改变等健康风险, 为我国对全球卫生发展的研究带来挑战。本文从全球卫生历史出发, 对全球卫生研究现状及未来发展做简要评述。我国的全球卫生研究起步较晚, 存在诸多不足, 在“一带一路”的倡议和实践中, 应抓住机遇, 应对挑战, 为“健康中国”的建设和促进全球健康做出贡献。     

Disability after encephalitis: development and validation of a new outcome score

Objective

To develop a simple tool for assessing the severity of disability resulting from Japanese encephalitis and whether, as a result, a child is likely to be dependent.

Methods

A new outcome score based on a 15-item questionnaire was developed after a literature review, examination of current assessment tools, discussion with experts and a pilot study. The score was used to evaluate 100 children in Malaysia (56 Japanese encephalitis patients, 2 patients with encephalitis of unknown etiology and 42 controls) and 95 in India (36 Japanese encephalitis patients, 41 patients with encephalitis of unknown etiology and 18 controls). Inter- and intra-observer variability in the outcome score was determined and the score was compared with full clinical assessment.

Findings

There was good inter-observer agreement on using the new score to identify likely dependency (Κ = 0.942 for Malaysian children; Κ = 0.786 for Indian children) and good intra-observer agreement (Κ = 1.000 and 0.902, respectively). In addition, agreement between the new score and clinical assessment was also good (Κ = 0.906 and 0.762, respectively). The sensitivity and specificity of the new score for identifying children likely to be dependent were 100% and 98.4% in Malaysia and 100% and 93.8% in India. Positive and negative predictive values were 84.2% and 100% in Malaysia and 65.6% and 100% in India.

Conclusion

The new tool for assessing disability in children after Japanese encephalitis was simple to use and scores correlated well with clinical assessment.     

Non-communicable diseases and global health governance: enhancing global processes to improve health development

This paper assesses progress in the development of a global framework for responding to non-communicable diseases, as reflected in the policies and initiatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank and the UN: the institutions most capable of shaping a coherent global policy. Responding to the global burden of chronic disease requires a strategic assessment of the global processes that are likely to be most effective in generating commitment to policy change at country level, and in influencing industry behaviour. WHO has adopted a legal process with tobacco (the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control), but a non-legal, advocacy-based approach with diet and physical activity (the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health).     

Disability and voting

BackgroundFor millions of people with disabilities in the United States, exercising the fundamental right to vote remains a challenge. Over the last few decades, the U.S. government has enacted several pieces of legislation to make voting accessible to individuals with disabilities.ObjectiveWe examine trends in self-reported voting rates among people with and without disabilities to uncover evidence for the effects of these policies on political participation. We also explore what policy change is necessary to encourage people with disabilities to vote by investigating whether the participation rates vary by the types of disabilities.MethodsWe analyze the Current Population Survey (CPS) data in the years of presidential elections for the period of 1980–2008.ResultsOur analysis shows that the population aged 18–64 with work-preventing disabilities has been persistently less likely to vote compared to the corresponding population without such disabilities. In addition, individuals with cognitive and mobility impairments have the lowest rates of electoral participation. The gap in the likelihood of voting in-person between people with and without disabilities is considerably larger than the gap in the likelihood of voting by-mail, regardless of the types of impairments that they have.ConclusionsThe participation gap between people with and without disabilities did not decrease over the last three decades despite the presence of federal laws that aimed at removing barriers for voting.     

Butchdom and Disability

Sexuality and Disability -     

Disability and humiliation

This paper describes how diabled people have coped with humiliations imposed by able-bodied people.     

全球新冠疫苗研发与接种策略进展

WHO于2023年5月5日宣布新型冠状病毒感染(corona virus disease 2019,COVID-19)疫情不再构成国际关注的突发公共卫生事件。全球疫情相对稳定,但是各国仍不能放松对COVID-19的警惕。接种新冠疫苗仍是有效的预防手段。本文主要围绕当前全球新冠疫苗研发进展、不同国家疫苗接种策略调整情况等进行对比分析,并结合WHO推荐对新冠疫苗接种策略的最新指导意见,分析探讨全球新冠疫苗研发及各国疫苗接种策略对我国的启示,提出适合我国国情的针对性疫苗接种建议。     

Syphilis and Spinal Disability

Syphilis is an important sexual related infection. The recent rises of syphilis have been among men having sex with men, but the incidence among heterosexuals has also risen. Syphilis has a medical correlation to disability. Syphilis can lead to spinal disability. Syphilitic thoracic aortic aneurysm and spinal gumma are the two important conditions. Syphilis can also superimpose the paraplegic case to additional neuroarthropathy.