Influence of religion on healthcare professionals’ beliefs toward teenage sexual practices in Malaysia

Background: Teenagers are influenced by their surroundings, and this may also include their sexual behavior or societal responses to this type of behavior. It is important to understand the complexity of religious mandates and sociocultural disapproval of premarital sex from the perspectives of healthcare professionals. Methods: This qualitative study aimed to explore the influence of religion on healthcare professional’s beliefs toward providing sexual and reproductive health information and treatment. An interview topic guide was used in the in-depth interview of 32 healthcare professionals in several health clinics in Malaysia. The data were transcribed and entered into the NVivo 11 software. Thematic analysis was used to evaluate the data. Results: The findings show that some healthcare professionals positively incorporated Islamic beliefs into sexual health education session but excluded the contraception information. This study also highlights the strategies used by healthcare professionals (discourse on risk, being selective, maintaining their own honor) when providing sexual health services to teenagers. Conclusion: These findings revealed how religion perpetuates a “moral” approach in the provision of sexual health services that potentially affects teenagers’ access to healthcare

The strategies used by the school health team during the delivery of sexual health information to unmarried adolescents in Malaysia

Background: Adolescents’ sexual health is vital to overall health and well-being to achieve sustainable development goals. Yet, research on the strategies used by Malaysian school health teams regarding their experiences of providing sexual health information to adolescents is sparse. Objective: This study was conducted to explore the experiences of school health teams in Malaysia who provide unmarried adolescents with sexual health information either during school health visits or at health clinics, with a particular interest in the strategies they use to educate these young people. Methods: This qualitative study used semi-structured interview data from twenty participants from four multidisciplinary school health teams. The participants included staff nurses, medical officers, and family medicine specialists. The transcripts were analysed for common themes. Results: Four main themes were identified: discourse on risk, being selective, using scare tactics and maintaining own honour. The findings indicate that the interactions between school health teams and unmarried adolescents were not always ‘adolescent friendly’. The school health teams tended to use discourses of ‘risk’ or scare tactics to encourage abstinence in the adolescents they advised. Staff were also selective about the information they gave, prioritising notions of ‘maintaining honour’ over ‘safer sex’ messages. Conclusion: This study revealed how school health teams perceived sexual health education to be about moral issues and social attitudes. Influenced by both culture and religion, the sexual health services provided were underpinned by a ‘moral’ approach and promoted abstinence. However, most of the nurses in this study held the belief that sexual health knowledge acts as an encouragement for sexual activity. Thus, as part of school health teams, nurses need to embrace evidence that improved sexual health education may delay sexual initiation and prevent unintended pregnancy and HIV/STDs

Healthcare professionals’ experiences of delivering sexual and reproductive health services to adolescents: a literature review

Abstract This literature review was conducted systematically to identify the gap in knowledge and practice related to the provision of sexual health to adolescents worldwide. The search was limited to peer-reviewed articles published between 2002 and 2018. Thirty-two relevant articles were identified and reviewed for quality assessment by using the Hawker critical appraisal tool. The studies were conducted in Africa, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and the United States of America (USA). The review findings suggested that potential tensions exist between the desire to prevent unwanted pregnancies and the provision of adolescent-friendly sexual health services in societies which disapprove of adolescents’ premarital sexual activity, contraception use and abortion services. Healthcare professionals should be aware of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services as their professional responsibility and the need to manage their own conflicts with regard to fulfilling their role

An overview of adolescents sexual and reproductive health services provision in Malaysia

Safer sex provision, including contraception information and services, should be made available to adolescents regardless of their marital status in strategies to reduce the incidence of unintended teenage pregnancies and the spread of STIs. In Malaysia, this information is still not being delivered formally to adolescents even though unintended teenage pregnancies and the practice of “baby dumping” are serious public health issues. The aims of this article are to describe the Malaysian context in terms of the need for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information and treatment for unmarried adolescents. The article presents the key aspects of Malaysian society and the potential influence on the provision and delivery of sexual and reproductive health information and treatment to unmarried Malaysian adolescents that can be a reference for healthcare professionals especially school health nurses. The article also describes the establishment of sheltered homes, baby hatches and unregulated adoption processes as the initiatives being taken to address the issue of unintended teenage pregnancies. This article suggests that the policy and laws that require parental consent for accessing the services need to be reviewed and revised to ensure that specific services are available to adolescents in a safe environment that maintains confidentiality

The application of antimicrobial stewardship knowledge to nursing practice : A national survey of United Kingdom pre-registration nursing students

© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/AIM: To assess student nurses understanding and skills in the application of antimicrobial stewardship knowledge to practice. DESIGN: Quantitative. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey. RESULTS: Five hundred and twenty three student nurses responded across 23 UK universities. Although students felt prepared in competencies in infection prevention and control, patient-centred care and interprofessional collaborative practice, they felt less prepared in competencies in which microbiological knowledge, prescribing and its effect on antimicrobial stewardship is required. Problem-based learning, activities in the clinical setting and face-to-face teaching were identified as the preferred modes of education delivery. Those who had shared antimicrobial stewardship teaching with students from other professions reported the benefits to include a broader understanding of antimicrobial stewardship, an understanding of the roles of others in antimicrobial stewardship and improved interprofessional working. CONCLUSION: There are gaps in student nurses' knowledge of the basic sciences associated with the antimicrobial stewardship activities in which nurses are involved, and a need to strengthen knowledge in pre-registration nurse education programmes pertaining to antimicrobial management, specifically microbiology and antimicrobial regimes and effects on antimicrobial stewardship. Infection prevention and control, patient-centred care and interprofessional collaborative practice are areas of antimicrobial stewardship in which student nurses feel prepared. Interprofessional education would help nurses and other members of the antimicrobial stewardship team clarify the role nurses can play in antimicrobial stewardship and therefore maximize their contribution to antimicrobial stewardship and antimicrobial management. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION: There is a need to strengthen knowledge from the basic sciences, specifically pertaining to antimicrobial management, in pre-registration nurse education programmes. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution. IMPACT: What Problem Did the Study Address? Nurses must protect health through understanding and applying antimicrobial stewardship knowledge and skills (Nursing and Midwifery Council 2018); however, there is no research available that has investigated nurses understanding and skills of the basic sciences associated with the antimicrobial stewardship activities in which they are involved. What Were the Main Findings? There are gaps in student nurses' knowledge of the basic sciences (specifically microbiology and prescribing) associated with the antimicrobial stewardship activities in which nurses are involved. Problem-based learning, and activities in the clinical setting, were reported as useful teaching methods, whereas online learning, was seen as less useful. Where and on Whom Will the Research Have an Impact? Pre-registration nurse education programmes. REPORTING METHOD: The relevant reporting method has been adhered to, that is, STROBE.Peer reviewe

Four-year longitudinal impact evaluation of the action for children UK neglect project : outcomes for the children, families, action for children, and the UK

Neglect has a devastating impact on children and is the most pervasive form of child maltreatment in the United Kingdom. The study purpose was to establish outcomes for neglected children following structured assessment and intervention to ascertain what worked and why it worked. This prospective cohort study included 85 cases of neglected children under 8 years of age from 7 centers across the United Kingdom. Data were collected between 2008 and 2012 through serial quantitative recording of the level of concern about neglect. Serial review of qualitative casefile data was undertaken for detail of assessment, interventions, and evidence of outcomes for the child. Data analysis was undertaken by paired t-test, Chi Square, descriptive statics for categorical data, and, for narrative data, identification of recurring factors and patterns, with correlation of presenting factors, interventions, and outcomes. Paired t-test demonstrated significant decrease in overall Action for Children Assessment Tool scores between assessment (M = 43.77, SD = 11.09) and closing the case (M = 35.47,SD = 9.6, t(84) = 6.77, p < 0.01). Improvement in the level of concern about neglect was shown in 79% of cases, with only 21% showing no improvement. In 59% of cases, concern about neglect was removed completely. Use of the assessment tool fostered engagement by parents. The relationship between lack of parental engagement and children being taken into care was statistically significant, with a large effect size (χ2 10.66, df1, p = 0.0001,OR = 17.24). When parents refused or were unable to respond positively to the intervention, children benefited from an expedited move into care

Risk factors and impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in candidates for liver transplantation

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may cause significant symptoms and have an impact on survival. Smoking is an important risk factor for COPD and is common in candidates for liver transplantation; however, the risk factors for and outcomes of COPD in this population are unknown. We performed a prospective cohort study of 373 patients being evaluated for liver transplantation at 7 academic centers in the United States. COPD was characterized by expiratory airflow obstruction and defined as follows: prebronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second/forced vital capacity < 0.70. Patients completed the Liver Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire 1.0, which included the Short Form-36. The mean age of the study sample was 53 ± 9 years, and 234 (63%) were male. Sixty-seven patients (18%, 95% confidence interval 14%–22%) had COPD, and 224 (60%) had a history of smoking. Eighty percent of patients with airflow obstruction did not previously carry a diagnosis of COPD, and 27% were still actively smoking. Older age and any smoking (odds ratio = 3.74, 95% confidence interval 1.94–7.23, P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for COPD. Patients with COPD had worse New York Heart Association functional class and lower physical component summary scores on the 36-Item Short Form but had short-term survival similar to that of patients without COPD. In conclusion, COPD is common and often undiagnosed in candidates for liver transplantation. Older age and smoking are significant risk factors of COPD, which has adverse consequences on functional status and quality of life in these patients

Investigation of hospital discharge cases and SARS-CoV-2 introduction into Lothian care homes

Background The first epidemic wave of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Scotland resulted in high case numbers and mortality in care homes. In Lothian, over one-third of care homes reported an outbreak, while there was limited testing of hospital patients discharged to care homes. Aim To investigate patients discharged from hospitals as a source of SARS-CoV-2 introduction into care homes during the first epidemic wave. Methods A clinical review was performed for all patients discharges from hospitals to care homes from 1st March 2020 to 31st May 2020. Episodes were ruled out based on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) test history, clinical assessment at discharge, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data and an infectious period of 14 days. Clinical samples were processed for WGS, and consensus genomes generated were used for analysis using Cluster Investigation and Virus Epidemiological Tool software. Patient timelines were obtained using electronic hospital records. Findings In total, 787 patients discharged from hospitals to care homes were identified. Of these, 776 (99%) were ruled out for subsequent introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into care homes. However, for 10 episodes, the results were inconclusive as there was low genomic diversity in consensus genomes or no sequencing data were available. Only one discharge episode had a genomic, time and location link to positive cases during hospital admission, leading to 10 positive cases in their care home. Conclusion The majority of patients discharged from hospitals were ruled out for introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into care homes, highlighting the importance of screening all new admissions when faced with a novel emerging virus and no available vaccine