A discourse analysis of health provider interactions with parents who are reluctant to vaccinate

ObjectiveVaccine hesitancy is a persistent barrier to vaccination uptake, and health professionals report interactions with such parents to be difficult. Using discourse analytic techniques, we examine the foundation of a therapeutic relationship: the display of empathy and attempts to build rapport, in consultations between immunisation specialists and vaccine reluctant parents.MethodsConsultations between consenting clinicians and parents in two Specialist Immunisation Clinics in Australia were recorded. Twelve conversations between the clinicians and parents were analysed using interactional sociolinguistic (IS) discourse analytic methods.ResultsThis paper takes a case study approach by citing two interactions that exemplify the interactional work of the consultants as they strive to engender mutual understanding and goodwill, noting examples of discursive choices that demonstrate empathy and the building of rapport.ConclusionAwareness of discourse strategies that interweave relational and clinical goals enable a more nuanced understanding of communication skills that support a guiding partnership in vaccine related decisions with parents.Practical implicationsThrough highlighting the strategic interactional work that displays empathy and builds rapport, we can inform educational approaches and build a repertoire of communication choices that strengthen the communication skills of health professionals.     

T1~T2期乳腺癌保乳术后化疗后程同步大分割放疗前瞻性Ⅰ期临床研究

目的 前瞻性评估T1~T2期乳腺癌保乳术后化疗后程大分割放疗的不良反应和耐受性，以及在缩短治疗时间、减轻患者经济负担等方面的价值。方法 共入组20例T1~T2期乳腺癌保乳术后患者，所有患者于末次多西他赛化疗前开始大分割放疗。观察急性放射反应、治疗完成率及无病生存率、住院时间及住院费用等。结果 治疗完成率100%。主要不良反应为血液学毒性（白细胞减少）及皮肤反应，患者均可耐受。中位随访时间为30.1个月，随访率100%。美容效果良好率100%。平均总治疗时间为4周，总住院治疗费用节省约1万元。21个月无病生存率为100%。结论 T1~T2期乳腺癌保乳术后可耐受同步大分割放化疗，局部控制好，美容效果佳，且具有较高的卫生经济学价值。     

Musculoskeletal pain,depression, and stress among Latino manual laborers in North Carolina

The jobs of Latino manual laborers place their mental and physical health at risk. This study evaluates the associations among musculoskeletal pain, mental health, and work organization in Latino manual laborers. Farmworkers and nonfarmworkers (n = 189) in North Carolina were interviewed for self-reported musculoskeletal pain, depressive symptoms, stress, work safety climate, and precarious job status. More nonfarmworkers than farmworkers had neck and shoulder pain, but they did not differ in other areas of musculoskeletal pain. Depressive symptoms had a significant association with neck and shoulder pain (p < .05). Precariousness had a significant association with back pain (p < .05). Farmworker participants had H-2A visas and were afforded some protection compared to nonfarmworker manual workers. Research is needed to improve policy that relieves pain and improves mental health for all Latino manual workers.     

Exploring the impacts of organisational structure,policy and practice on the health inequalities of marginalised communities: Illustrative cases from the UK healthcare system

This paper explores how organisational structure, policies and practices in healthcare can inadvertently disadvantage marginalised populations (e.g. individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds) and reinforce health inequalities. We draw upon three diverse UK healthcare settings (long term care institutions, high security hospitals and community pharmacies) to illustrate how systemic injustices negatively impact on access to care, treatment and health outcomes. The first case study considers the care of older people within nursing homes; specifically the disempowering effects of this service structure and impacts of choice reduction upon health and their access to health provision. The second case study explores the impact of security restrictions upon patients within high security hospitals, focusing particularly on the maintenance of relationships and support networks outside of the hospital. The third and final case study, draws upon a national community pharmacy medicine management service to illustrate ways in which policies and guidelines inadvertently obstruct patients' engagement with the service within a community setting. We draw upon these settings to highlight inequalities within different contexts and to illustrate the ways in which well intended services can inadvertently disadvantage marginalised communities in multiple ways.     

Nutritional therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent primary liver cancer and presents together with cirrhosis in most cases. In addition to commonly recognized risk factors for HCC development, such as hepatitis B virus/hepatitis C virus infection, age and alcohol/tobacco consumption, there are nutritional risk factors also related to HCC development including high intake of saturated fats derived from red meat, type of cooking (generation of heterocyclic amines) and contamination of foods with aflatoxins. On the contrary, protective nutritional factors include diets rich in fiber, fruits and vegetables, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and coffee. While the patient is being evaluated for staging and treatment of HCC, special attention should be paid to nutritional support, including proper nutritional assessment and therapy by a multidisciplinary team. It must be considered that these patients usually develop HCC on top of long-lasting cirrhosis, and therefore they could present with severe malnutrition. Cirrhosis-related complications should be properly addressed and considered for nutritional care. In addition to traditional methods, functional testing, phase angle and computed tomography scan derived skeletal muscle index-L3 are among the most useful tools for nutritional assessment. Nutritional therapy should be centered on providing enough energy and protein to manage the increased requirements of both cirrhosis and cancer. Supplementation with branched-chain amino acids is also recommended as it improves response to treatment, nutritional status and survival, and finally physical exercise must be encouraged and adapted to individual needs.     

Implementation of Recommendations for Long-Acting Contraception Among Women Aged 13 to 18 Years in Primary Care

ObjectiveClinical specialty societies recommend long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) as first-line contraception for adolescent women. We evaluated whether a combined educational and process improvement intervention enhanced LARC placement in primary care within an integrated health care system.MethodsThe intervention included journal clubs, live continuing education, point-of-care guidelines, and new patient materials. We conducted a retrospective cohort study across 3 time periods: baseline (January 2013?September 2015), early implementation (October 2015–March 2016), and full implementation (April 2016–June 2017). The primary outcome was the proportion of LARCs placed by primary care clinicians among women aged 13 to 18 years compared with gynecology clinicians.ResultsKaiser Foundation Health Plan of Colorado cared for approximately 20,000 women aged 13 to 18 years in each calendar quarter between 2013 and 2017. Overall, LARC placement increased from 7.0 per 1000 members per quarter at baseline to 13.0 per 1000 during the full intervention. Primary care clinicians placed 6.2% of all LARCs in 2013, increasing to 32.1% by 2017 (P < .001), including 45.5% of contraceptive implants. Clinicians who attended educational sessions were more likely to adopt LARCs than those who did not (17.9% vs 6.4% respectively, P = .009). Neither overall LARC placement rates (relative risk, 1.9; 95% confidence interval, 0.7?5.6) nor contraceptive implant rates (relative risk, 3.0; 95% confidence interval, 0.9?9.8) increased significantly in clinicians who attended educational activities.ConclusionsThis multimodal intervention was associated with increased LARC placement for adolescent women in primary care. The combination of education and process improvement is a promising strategy to promote clinician behavior change.     

The combined relations of gender,enculturation, and depressive symptoms with health risk behaviors in Mexican-Americans: a moderated mediation analysis

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The present study investigated the relationships of enculturation and depressive symptoms with health risk behavior engagement in Mexican-American college students and examined how these relationships differed by gender. Previous research has noted consistent gender differences in health risk behavior (e.g. alcohol use, substance use, and risky sexual behavior) among Latina/os, and emphasized the role of U.S. acculturation in this difference. Research examining the role of heritage cultural retention (i.e. enculturation), and including the added influence of mental health variables, such as depressive symptoms, is currently lacking. This study sought to address this gap.

Design: A large sample (N?=?677) of Mexican-American college students from four universities (located in New York, California, Florida, and Texas) completed an online questionnaire assessing health risk behaviors and corresponding variables.

Results: We found that males who endorsed more behavioral enculturation and depressive symptoms were more likely to engage in health risk behavior than all others in the sample. Contrary to previous literature, no relationship was found between behavioral enculturation and health risk behavior in females.

Conclusion: The current study found behavioral enculturation to be associated with depressive symptoms, and in turn with health risk behaviors among the males in our sample. Additional research will be needed to identify the mechanism underlying the relationship between enculturation and depressive symptoms as well as between depressive symptoms and risky behavior.     

广东省家庭医生式服务试点地区居民健康行为及影响因素分析

目的了解广东省家庭医生式服务试点地区居民健康行为及影响因素,为开展健康教育提供依据。方法2015年7—10月抽样选取1010名家庭医生式服务试点地区居民进行问卷调查,以吸烟、饮酒、早餐、吃水果、锻炼及睡眠等6项行为为调查内容,同时选用P-CAT量表测量基层医疗服务质量。结果 6项行为方式共赋值12分,被调查者平均得分(8.72?0.65)分,得分从高到低依次为吃早餐、限酒、不吸烟、体育锻炼、吃水果和睡眠。多重线性回归分析结果显示:女性、已婚或慢性病患者的健康行为优于各对应组;收入对健康行为有正面影响;基层医疗服务可及性、服务提供综合性对健康行为有正向影响。结论试点地区居民整体健康行为较好。健康教育和健康促进应聚焦于合理膳食、锻炼及睡眠等健康行为;男性、单身或离异及低收入群体是重点关注的对象;提高基层医疗服务可及性和服务提供综合性有利于促进居民的健康行为。