Community mental health care

Worldwide, mental health care has gone through foureras and four revolutions: The era of the Dark Ages of superstition when mental illnesses were thought to be an affliction of the spiritual world. This was the era of the papal-sponsored 1487 publication ‘Malleus Maleficarum’(‘Hammer of Witches’) during the period of the Inquisition, which allowed the burning of suspected witches among whom were persons with mental illness. This era ended with the revolution that led to the unchaining and moral treatment offered by Pinel in 1793. Thesecond revolution was the era of scientific understanding of the mind, demonstrated by the studies and theories of Sigmund Freud (1856 to 1939) and other collaborators, through to the invention of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the year 1938, by Cerletti and Bini

Transportation Problem for a Beverage Firm in Kumasi, Ghana

This paper seeks to find the optimal transportation cost of a beverage firm in Kumasi-Ashanti Region, Ghana, using POM-QM for Windows 4 (Software for Quantitative Methods, Production and Operation Management by Howard J. Weiss) with Vogel’s Approximation Method (VAM) as the initial method. An administered questionnaire was used for data collection from the firm.  The results of the analysis revealed that, optimal transportation cost of the beverage firm is GH?3, 174635.00 if it transports 769785, 615410 and 1014805 numbers of cases of bottles with drinks from Plant 1 to Accra, Tamale and Kumasi respectively. Again, if they transport 667887, 698463, and 633650 numbers of cases of bottles with drinks to Accra, Techiman and Sunyani from Plant 2, and also from Plant 3, with 11273 and 988727 number of cases of bottles with drinks to Accra and Koforidua respectively. The company’s transportation cost will reduce from GH?3,209,897.86 to GH?3, 174635.00 if it transports beverage (in cases) from the sources to the various destinations as in the optimal tableau (, Appendix 1, Table 3). It is believed that if the beverage firm applies this mathematical model then, it can save as much as GH?35262.86 equivalent to US$ 11,020.00 which could be used in other areas of the firm to boost production. Keywords: Transportation, Beverage firm, Optimal Tableau, Production, Optimal transportation cost

LARGE WOOD IN FLUVIAL SYSTEMS: QUANTITY, STRUCTURE AND LANDFORMS; SEDIMENT RETENTION; AND RIPARIAN SEED BANK DEVELOPMENT

PhDThis thesis investigates the characteristics and impacts of large wood accumulations within river reaches of different size and style. Four reaches were studied: (i) a wide, braided, headwater reach, characterised by dead wood (Tagliamento River, Italy); (ii) a lower gradient, wide, braided reach, characterised by resprouting wood (Tagliamento River, Italy); (iii) a low gradient, single thread reach with a natural supply of dead wood (Highland Water, UK), and (iv) a low gradient, single thread reach that has been restored by felling trees into the river (River Bure, UK). In each reach, quantities of wood, types of accumulation and their association with sediment retention, landform and propagule bank development were investigated, generating four main findings: 1. There were marked differences in the size and character of large wood accumulations among the four reaches. 2. Retention of fine sediment and organic matter by wood was observed on all four reaches, giving rise to notable spatial heterogeneity in surface sediments. 3. Sediment retention resulted in the development of different landforms among the four reaches. In the two multi-thread reaches, accretion of finer sediment around large wood led to island development. In the naturally-functioning single-thread reach, wood jams spanned the river channel, accumulating sediment and organic matter to produce unvegetated wood jams, and inducing other landforms, notably pools and bars. Such geomorphic heterogeneity was anticipated in the restored reach, but to date this has not significantly occurred. 4. Spatio-temporal variations were observed in propagule abundance and species richness within different wood-related mesohabitats. Higher abundance and species richness were associated with finer, more organic sediments retained within wood accumulations and related mesohabitats. In the restored reach such associations were not statistically significant, further indicating that responses to wood emplacement take longer than the 4 years since restoration. iv Overall, this research has strengthened the evidence concerning the differing nature of wood accumulations in rivers of different size and style, and it has demonstrated the importance of large wood for retaining organic matter and plant propagules, resources essential for riparian vegetation succession and for the success of river restoration efforts.Queen Mary, University of London studentshi

The Forest Fire Problem of Degrading Tain II Forest Reserve in Ghana: Rethinking Community Participation in Fire Management and Sustainable Forestry

Until 1983, uncontrolled wildfires were relatively uncommon especially in the forest zones of Ghana. However, the period following the 1980s has seen a significant rise in wildfires, with devastating effects on forest resources and sustainable agricultural livelihoods. Thus, the rise in wildfire incidence in Ghana since 1983 raises questions about the effectiveness of fire management strategies adopted over time. In this study, we compare the effectiveness of indigenous fire management systems before 1983 and conventional fire management systems introduced after the 1983 fires in fringed communities around the Tain II forest reserve. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) techniques were used to collect data from five communities. A total sample of 438 respondents comprising household heads and fire volunteer squads were interviewed. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Respondents were of the view that despite the current challenges associated with their use, indigenous fire management systems could be more effective in curbing wildfires than the conventional fire management systems currently being employed. It is concluded that the success or failure of wildfire management in forest-fringed zones of Ghana depends on the degree of participation of local communities and institutions and the adequacy of support given to local fire volunteer squads.Keywords: Community forestry; fire management; local participation; forest degradation; Tain II Forest Reserve; Ghan

Resilience and Compassion Fatigue Among Registered Nurses in Ghana

In the healthcare sector, nurses provide health care services to different clients which can resultin compassion fatigue. The resilience of nurses helps to provide control of compassion fatigue.The purpose of this study is to examine if there is a relationship between resilience andcompassion fatigue and also find a significant difference in resilience and compassion fatiguein terms of sex, age, and clinical experience. Correlational research design was utilized where249 registered nurses were conveniently sampled from Ghana. The study utilized a Resiliencequestionnaire Scale developed by Wagnild and Young (2010) and Professional quality of life(ProQOL) scale developed by Stamm (2010) was adapted and modified for compassion fatigue.The statistical treatments used were and Pearson Correlation, T-Test and ANOVA to addressthe research questions. The study showed that there was a high positive significant relationshipbetween resilience and compassion fatigue. There was a significant difference in age and sexon compassion fatigue however, no significant on clinical experience. Sex and clinicalexperience showed a significant difference in resilience but no significant difference when agewas considered. The results of the study suggest that registered nurses in Ghana experiencehigh compassion fatigue. In preventing the compassion fatigue of the nurse's measures shouldbe instituted to increase the resilience level of the nurses. Healthcare administrators should putin measures to reduce the compassion fatigue of the nurses. Further researchers should exploreother variables in relation to the resilience to help reduce the compassion fatigue of nurse

Nursing Students Attitude Towards Self-Care Management

Self-care management has become a theoretical discussion among health professional andstudents. As a result of its importance, the International Council for Nurses has incorporatedit in their standard of competence. Self-care encourages health and is a fundamental value ofthe scope and standards of practice. Nursing students are advised to have proper self-care. Thisstudy looked into the self-care management practices of nursing students at the AdventistUniversity of the Philippines and how they align with the institutional outcomes. Thisquantitative study conveniently samples 47 nursing students as respondents. The study adoptedthe Circle of Human Potential ' questionnaire by Dossey and Keegan (2009), which assessedself-care management in the areas of physical, relationship, emotional, spiritual, mental, andchoice. The application fo SPSS 23 was used for the descriptive and T’Test analysis asdemanded by the research questions. The results of the study revealed that there is a positiveself-care management attitude among nursing students. The ranked of self-care managementfrom highest to the least in the order of spiritual, mental, emotional, relational, choice, andphysical assessments. It further revealed that there was no significant difference in self-caremanagement when considering the gender of the students. The outcomes of the study were inaccordance with the AUP institutional outcomes of spirituality, critical thinking, professionalexpertise, service, health and wellness, and positive attitude. The study recommends thatnursing students keep up with their positive self-care management

Nurses’ Perception of Spiritual Care Practices Among Hospitalized Patients: A Basis for a Program

Throughout hospitalization, patients place emphasis on health professionals to meet theirspiritual and emotional needs. Since 1998, the National Inpatient Priority Index rankedemotional and spiritual needs as the patient's second priority. With evidence that shows theimportance of spirituality in patient’s health, nurses have a pivotal role in providing spiritualcare. The purpose of this study was to examine the perception of nurses of spiritual care practiceamong hospitalized patients. The study used a descriptive research design to examine nurses’perception of spiritual care practices among hospitalized patients. The study was conductedamong registered nurses (RN) working in Ghana. Convenient sampling technique was used toselect 180 registered nurses. The study adopted and modified Nurse Spiritual Care TherapeuticScale developed by Mamier and Taylor (2015). The results showed that the respondent’spractices in terms of spiritual assessment were scaled as sometimes (M=3.12, SD=0.85). Therespondent’s practices in terms of spiritual support were scaled as sometimes (M=2.62,SD=0.88). The respondent’s practices in terms of spiritual communication were scaled as often(M=3.55, SD=0.69). In examining the nurses' overall spiritual care practice, it was noted thatthe respondent’s practices in terms of spiritual care were scaled at sometimes (M=3.12,SD=0.707). It can be concluded that spiritual care in terms of spiritual assessment and spiritualsupport was inadequate. Nurses provided adequate spiritual communication with the patientsby actively listening to the patient’s illness story. A program under the theme “Caring beyondthe Physical” was developed to address the problem of spiritual care among nurses. It isrecommended for administrators and clinical nursing educators to utilize this research andprogram in providing ongoing training for nurses in providing spiritual care. Secondly, furtherstudies are recommended to be done to examine whether the personal profile has a significantdifference in the use of spiritual care

Psychosocial well-being and Job Satisfaction among Nurses in the Philippines

Nursing is a profession in the health care sector that is pivotal and solely focused on servinghumanity. With having to carry that burden, issues regarding mental health among nurseshave been increasing. Stress is often encountered by nurses in the workplace, whicheventually leads to burnout. Initial evidence suggests that a positive or an increase inpsychosocial well-being increases job satisfaction. The purpose of the study was to examinethe relationship between psychosocial wellbeing and job satisfaction. and examine thesignificant difference in psychological wellbeing and job satisfaction when considering age.Correlational design utilized was used where 100 registered nurses were a purposive samplefrom selected hospitals in the philippines. Psychosocial well-being was measured using CarolRyff’s Psychosocial Well-Being Questionnaire, and job satisfaction was measured using theJob Satisfaction Survey (JSS) by Paul Specter. The statistical treatment used was Pearsoncorrelation, T-Test to address the research questions. The results of the study showed thatthere was a low positive significant relationship between psychosocial wellbeing and jobsatisfaction. There was no significant difference in psychosocial wellbeing and jobsatisfaction when age was considered. The results of the study showed that registered nurseshave high psychosocial wellbeing and which makes them have high job satisfaction at theirwork environment. The study recommends that more studies should be done to identifyfactors influencing psychosocial well-being, job satisfaction, Resilience-oriented training forthe nurses are suggested to enhance resilience and protect the nurses from extensive stressand burnout as well as to benefit the organization with lower turnover rates and higher nursepatient outcome

The Integration of Intercultural Competence in Innovative Pedagogical Methodology in Nursing Education.

The global population is continuously emigrating and progressing due to the increased abilityto travel. This has resulted in upsurge escalation of cultural diversity in every country.Immigration expansion, increasing globalization and the growth of minorities have resulted incultural diversity of students in the nursing education. This, therefore, calls for the need toenhance the teaching strategies of nursing educators to meet the demands of diverse students.This correlational study aims to measure the relationship between the integration ofintercultural competence on the use of innovative pedagogical methodology. Also, it aims tomeasure the significant difference of years of teaching experience on the use of innovativepedagogical methodology. Thirty (30) nurse educators were conveniently sampled from threeuniversities in Trinidad and Tobago. The study adopted and modified Cultural DiversityQuestionnaire for Nurse Educators (CDQN) to assess the intercultural competence of nurseeducators and a self-constructed questionnaire was used for the pedagogical methodology ofnurse educators. The statistical treatment used was Pearson Correlation and ANOVA. Therelationship between intercultural competence and the use of innovative pedagogicalmethodology yielded a moderate significant positive relationship (r=0.387, p=0.008) at a95% confidence interval. In examining the differences between years of teaching experiencethe use of innovative pedagogical methodology, the study showed a non-significantdifference (p=1.35) on equal variance assumed, Therefore, this study concludes that in orderto enhance the quality of nursing education, nurse educators should pose interculturalcompetence in order to provide innovative pedagogical methods that would enhance teachingquality and facilitate cultural diversity in the classrooms. It is therefore critical for continuousprofessional development for nursing educators to include the development of interculturalcompetence and the use of innovative pedagogical methodology. Further research shouldinvestigate using qualitative research design on the challenges that nurse educators face withthe increase of cultural diversity in nursing education

Continuous Professional Development on Job Performance of Registered Nurses in Ghana

Continuous Professional Development offers nurses the opportunity to improve theirknowledge, skills and also improve their performance in the healthcare setting. The purpose ofthe study was to examine if there is a relationship between continuous ProfessionalDevelopment and Job Performance and also finds if there is a significant difference of jobperformance when sex, age, and clinical experience. Correlational research design was utilizedwhere 164 registered nurses were conveniently sampled from Ghana. The study utilized selfconstructed survey questionnaire was for continuous professional development and SixDimension Scale of Nursing Performance (SDNS) developed by Schwirian, (1978) wasadopted and modified to measure the job performances of nurses. The statistical treatmentsused were Pearson Correlation, T-Test, and ANOVA to address the research questions. Thestudy showed that there was a moderate positive significant relationship between continuingprofessional development and job. There was no significant difference in job performancewhen age, sex, and clinical experience were considered. Healthcare administrators shouldencourage and advocate for the participation of nurses in continuous learning to improve nursestheir knowledge and skills on nurses. Institution policies should be properly aligned to helpnurses in the participation of professional roles. Further research should explore other variablesin relations to continuous professional development to improve the job performance of nurses