Seed aid for seed security: advice for practitioners

No. 2 presents an overview of the Country Case Studies undertaken to guide the design of the tools presented in Briefs 8 to 10 as well as to examine the effects of different types of interventions. The case studies were undertaken in Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda and Zimbabwe. No. 3 introduces the general concept of seed security and differentiates parameters of availability, access, and seed and variety quality, as well as distinguishing chronic from acute stress. Briefs 4 and 5 consider focused topics that cut across seed assistance and seed security. No. 4 addresses issues of relief and agobiodiversity: the importance of diversity in stabilizing systems and the possible effects of various relief approaches in maintaining, enhancing, or undermining such diversity. No. 5 focuses on the opportunities and risks of using seed aid to move beyond the status quo ante by introducing seed of new varieties (or indeed, new crops altogether). Briefs 6 and 7 present short overviews of practice. No. 6 looks at the range of seed systems routinely used by small farmers in Africa and highlights the escalating importance of local markets . Effective interventions depend on a solid understanding of such standard seed procurement practices. No. 7 sketches the current major seed- system based response options , and reflects on their appropriateness in relation to the stresses on hand. The last set of briefs focus on tools and guidance. No. 8 examines how effective interventions depend on sound and timely assessment, which requires both a tool to assess seed system security and the knowledge and skill to use it. No. 9 starts to bring the cycle to a close by giving guidance on evaluating seed-aid projects , suggesting the types of evaluation needed and their content. The final brief then looks to the future and suggests a checklist for the development of proposals for seed assistance . It is this last which builds on the range of lessons learned

Protected engagement time on older adult mental health wards: A thematic analysis of the views of patients, carers, and staff

© 2017 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc. During protected engagement time (PET), ward routines are adjusted so that staff can spend time together with patients without interruption. The aim of PET is to increase staff and patient interaction on wards, and ultimately patient well-being. Although PET has been implemented on inpatient wards within the UK, including older adult wards, there is no systematic evidence as to how PET is carried out or how it is experienced by staff, patients, and families. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 28 participants (8 patients, 10 family members, and 10 ward staff) from three different wards with PET, and transcriptions were analysed using thematic analysis. Three themes were identified: (i) the patient is at the heart of care; (ii) PET depends on staff; and (iii) tensions in how PET operates. There was support in our sample for the principles of PET and its potential for a positive impact on patient well-being. However, the implementation of PET was identified as challenging, highlighting an existing tension between an individual's needs and the wider needs of patients on the ward as a whole. The impact of PET was generally described as being dependent on how PET was organized and the level of staff commitment to PET. Participants emphasized that if PET is to be successful, then it should be a fluid process that fits in with the local context

Report of annual survey of community long term care (CLTC) consumer experience and satisfaction

The study was designed to explore the nature and extent of CLTC Participant experience and satisfaction with the services received from CLTC

Seed system security assessment: Zimbabwe

This report presents the results of a Seed System Security Assessment in Zimbabwe, implemented during July 2009

New Hampshire comprehensive health care information system: children\u27s health insurance programs in New Hampshire; access, prevention, care management, utilization, and payments (state fiscal year 2011)

Report providing a detailed evaluation and analysis of enrollment, access to care, effectiveness, and utilization of various children\u27s\u27 health insurance programs in N.H

A qualitative exploration of mental health service user and carer perspectives on safety issues in UK mental health services

Background Service user and carer perspectives on safety issues in mental health services are not well known and may be important in preventing and reducing harm. The development of the Yorkshire Contributory Factors Framework—Mental Health (YCFF‐MH) provides a broad structure within which to explore these perspectives. Objective To explore what service users of mental health services and their carers consider to be safety issues. Design, setting and participants Qualitative interviews with 13 service users and 7 carers in the UK. Participants were asked about their experiences and perceptions of safety within mental health services. Perceived safety issues were identified using framework analysis, guided by the YCFF‐MH. Results Service users and carers identified a broad range of safety issues. These were categorized under ‘safety culture’ and included psychological concepts of safety and raising concerns; ‘social environment’ involved threatened violence and sexual abuse; ‘individual service user and staff factors’ dominated by not being listened to; ‘management of staff and staffing levels’ resulting in poor continuity of care; and ‘service process’ typified by difficulty accessing services during a crisis. Several examples of ‘active failures’ were also described. Discussion and conclusions Safety issues appear broader than those recorded and reported by health services and inspectorates. Many safety issues have also been identified in other care settings supporting the notion that there are overlaps between service users and carers’ perspectives of safety in mental health services and those of users in other settings. Areas for further research are suggested

Protecting the health of health care workers : a global perspective

"Fundamental elements for the provision, organization, and establishment of occupational health and safety (OHS) services for health care workers in rural/remote areas and developing countries include adequate resources, a strong safety culture, recognition of occupational health professionals, collaborative practice, and capability for communication and local risk analysis. First, however, assessment of existing OHS services is required. Adaptable needs assessment tools designed for use by local health care workers should allow progression from analysis to action. Essential elements of these tools include utility, recognition of the surrounding political, health care, and physical environments, and clear definition of the roles and responsibilities of users to act upon findings and implement solutions. Securing adequate financial, physical, and human resources for occupational health and safety requires critical analysis of topics such as health care culture, political motivation, health care worker migration, and national and international financing. It is necessary to reshape attitudes towards valuing the health of health care workers. This includes acknowledging occupational health professional accreditation and educating health care students about OHS. It is also crucial to create awareness of workers' health among health care managers and administrators and to develop their knowledge and capability to support OHS. Resources such as the Pan American Health Organization's (PAHO) document "Workers' Health and Safety in the Health Sector: A Manual for Managers and Administrators" are valuable assets. Suggestions for collaborative practice include the formation and use of local OHS committees that involve decision makers, administrators, and health care workers. Communication strategies involve the free flow of information between policy makers, educators, employers, research laboratories, and health care workers. Mobile occupational health clinics and portable libraries are two examples of innovative methods of communication and information dissemination. Risk analyses allow occupational health practitioners to target local services to the most needed areas. Point prevalence surveys and workplace audit tools are effective methods to collect this data in remote and resource poor settings. Priorities for prevention of blood-borne and air-borne disease transmission include education and comprehensive protocols and guidelines. Adequate, up-to-date, and ongoing OHS education and training for health care workers is essential. Protocols and guidelines should direct practice and uphold internationally endorsed standards while being responsive to local realities and needs. Protocol and guideline development and implementation must also involve the multiple stakeholder groups such as infection control, public health, funders, administrators, and health care workers. Immunizations and adequate access to post exposure management are vital for secondary prevention. Information such as prevalence and incidence rates of diseases endemic to the local area, transmission patterns and trends, and population projections are necessary to make informed decisions about vaccination priorities. Adequate institutional support for post exposure prophylaxis and follow-up consultations is also vital to ensure the quality of appropriate care following workrelated injuries. " - NIOSHTIC-2Publication authors, contributors, and workshop participants -- Acknowledgements -- Abbreviations -- Workshop overview -- Introduction -- Section One: Organization and provision of occupational health services in health care -- Section Two: Establishing occupational health programs -- Section Three: Primary prevention for blood-borne and air-borne pathogens -- Section Four: Immunizations and post exposure follow-up -- Concluding remarks -- Appendix A: Workshop agendaRebman, R., (Ed.). Rodri\ucc?guez Guzma\ucc?n, J.; Dybka, L.; Watson, R.; Lavoie, M.; Yassi, A.; Gamage, B.; Pugh, S.; Lehtinen, S.; Tennassee, M.; Nophale, L.E. (2008)."This synthesis report stems from a one-day pre-conference workshop, "Occupational Health Services for Health Care Workers in Rural/Remote Areas and Developing Countries." The workshop was part of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) Conference on Health Care Worker Health / 2007 State-of-the-Art Conference (SOTAC) held from 26 to 28 October 2007 in Vancouver, Canada. For this conference, ICOH and the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) joined together to share research and understanding on protecting the health of health care workers." - p. 1"February 2009."Also available via the World Wide Web as an Acrobat .pdf file (956.69 KB, 58 p.).Includes bibliographical references (p. 47-48)

A telephone survey to determine the experiences of children and their parents/carers, following the initiation of a new medicine

Objective: To determine what issues are experienced during the first few weeks of therapy by patients, and their parents/carers, when a child/young person has been prescribed a new medicine. Method: One hundred patients aged ≤18 years of age prescribed a new medicine for ≥6 weeks were recruited from a single UK National Health Service specialist paediatric hospital outpatient pharmacy. Six weeks after the first dispensing of their new medicine the patient or their parent/carer received telephone follow-up by a researcher and verbally completed a questionnaire containing both open and closed questions. Patient or parent/carer experiences were identified and analysed using thematic analysis and descriptive statistics. Results: Eighty-six participants were available for telephone follow-up. Six (7%) had not started their medicine. Paediatric patients and their parents/carers experienced a range of issues during the first few weeks after starting a new medicine. These included additional concerns/questions (24/80, 30%), administration issues (21/80, 26.3%), adverse effects (29/80, 36.3%) and obtaining repeat supplies (12/80, 15%). The Morisky Medication Adherence Scale indicated that 34/78 (43.6%) participants had a high adherence rating, 35/78 (44.9%) medium and 9/78 (11.5%) a low rating. Conclusions: Paediatric patients and their parents/carers experience a range of issues during the first few weeks after starting a new medicine. Further research is required to determine the type of interventions that may further support medicines use in this group of patients