Subjective well-being in dentists and dental students : the role of personailty and motivation

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UK healthcare support workers and the COVID-19 pandemic: An explorative analysis of lived experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Support workers are an underrepresented profession that receives less attention with a high degree of responsibilities. The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of healthcare support workers within the care sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a qualitative semi-structured interview study using an interpretative phenomenology (IP) framework. Fifteen (15) support workers were interviewed while all COVID-19 restrictions from the government were still in place. We identified five main themes: (1) challenging experiences; (2) coping mechanisms; (3) emotions and behaviors arising from the COVID-19 pandemic; (4) external interest on support worker’s health; (5) take-home message from the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization selected for the research is a good representative of how care organizations operate within the UK both in terms of policies and staff selection

The feasibility of identifying health inequalities in social prescribing referrals and declines using primary care patient records [version 2; peer review: 1 approved, 2 approved with reservations]

Background Social prescribing (SP) is part of universal personalised care and available to everyone in the UK National Health Service. However, emerging evidence suggests access disparities in social prescribing. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using primary care records to access and analyse data on social prescribing. Our secondary aim was to compare characteristics of patients who are offered referral, referred to or decline referral for social prescribing to explore possible inequalities in access to social prescribing. Methods Patient records (n=3086) were extracted from 11 GP practices across Northwest England for accepted, offered and declined social prescribing referrals. Patient demographics collected included sex, age, ethnicity, mental and physical health diagnoses. Patient characteristics in social prescribing referrals were compared to the overall practice population (practice information from Public Health England). Referral and decline rates were compared by group (e.g. male/female decline rates). Results GP referral data showed inconsistent recording of wider determinants of health. Patient age, sex and mental and physical health conditions were consistently recorded. Other variables (marital status, interpreter need, education, disability, sexual orientation, non-English language, nationality) were recorded only sporadically and could not be used for analysis.  Practices varied in referral patterns.. Our preliminary findings identified under-referring of younger age groups and Asians, and higher declined referrals among individuals with physical health diagnoses. Conclusions Recording discrepancies meant that many patient factors could not be used to identify trends in social prescribing referrals and declines and assess equity. Primary care data recording must be consistent to understand SP referral trends and inequalities relating to the wider determinants of health. Preliminary results suggest some patient groups may be underrepresented in SP referrals, however this requires further investigation

Do core self-evaluations and trait emotional intelligence predict subjective well-being in dental students?

We examined unique associations between surface personality traits of emotional intelligence, core self-evaluations, and subjective well-being in dental students. A cross-sectional study of 218 undergraduates showed that trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) and core self-evaluations (CSE) predicted subjective well-being controlling the Big Five personality traits. Structural equation modeling showed that trait EI and the neuroticism component of CSE better predicted affective components of subjective well-being, and cognitive CSE traits (self-esteem, self-efficacy, and locus of control) better predicted life satisfaction, the cognitive component of subjective well-being. These findings demonstrate the utility of a parallel-process approach that specifies differential prediction of cognitive and affective subjective well-being components

Sustaining Resilience of Healthcare Workers and Leaders During a Pandemic: A Protocol to Support Coping During the Covid-19 Pandemic

One way healthcare organisations can support their staff is through supervision. Supervision is typically defined as a process in which professionals receive support and guidance from more experienced colleagues. In this brief review, we propose, based on collected narrative data, a tailored protocol for supporting support workers during a pandemic. This protocol can be used by management teams (e.g., senior support workers, team leaders, registered managers, operations managers) without any prior experience of supervision. It provides an easy step-by-step guide that simplifies the process whilst maintaining the depth needed to ensure effective supervision

Healthcare support workers’ lived experiences and adaptation strategies within the care sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. A meta-ethnography review

Support workers are an “invisible” part of the health sector often working during pandemics to support clients. This meta-ethnography screened 167 articles out of 211 results identifying 4 qualitative studies that explored the support worker’s experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Redundancy approach” was used to map non-essential criteria and the analysis was informed by the interpretative meta-ethnography method. Eight key themes identified from studies in UK and USA. The themes identified are: (1) job role; (2) marginalized profession; (3) impact of work; (4) concerns surrounding PPE; (5) transportation challenges; (6) level of support and guidance; (7) a higher calling and self sacrifice; (8) adaptation strategies. Adaptation strategies include purchasing their own masks, to policy and agency adaptation, cleaning, talk walks, meetings with colleagues or within the company. The adaptation strategies aim at tackling emotional distress and raise the level of appreciation that society or organizations show to the support workers

The feasibility of identifying health inequalities in social prescribing referrals and declines using primary care patient records

Background Social prescribing (SP) is part of universal personalised care and available to everyone in the UK National Health Service. However, emerging evidence suggests access disparities in social prescribing. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of accessing and analysing data on social prescribing from primary care records. Our secondary aim was to examine exposure to social prescribing and compare characteristics of patients who decline/accept social prescribing referrals to explore possible health inequalities in access to social prescribing. Methods Patient records (n=3086) were extracted from 11 GP practices across Northwest England for accepted, offered and declined social prescribing referrals. Patient demographics collected included sex, age, ethnicity, mental and physical health diagnoses. Patient characteristics in social prescribing referrals were compared to the overall practice population (practice information from Public Health England). Decline and acceptance rates were compared by group (e.g. male/female decline rates). Results GP referral data showed inconsistent recording of wider determinants of health and variations in referral patterns on a practice-to-practice basis. Some variables had very poor rates of recording and did not yield useful information. Patient age, sex and mental and physical health conditions were consistently recorded. Other variables such as disability and housing status showed sporadic GP recording across our dataset. Our preliminary findings identified underrepresentation of younger age groups and Asians, and higher declined referrals among individuals with physical health diagnoses. Conclusions The differing referral patterns between practices and recording discrepancies meant that many patient factors could not be used to assess trends in social prescribing referrals and declines. Preliminary results suggest that some patient groups may be underrepresented in referral data, however this needs further research and investigation. Consistency is required in social prescribing data recording in primary care. Data on wider determinants is needed to assess variations in referrals and declines and explore inequalities

The feasibility of identifying health inequalities in social prescribing referrals and declines using primary care patient records

Background Social prescribing (SP) is part of universal personalised care and available to everyone in the UK National Health Service. However, emerging evidence suggests access disparities in social prescribing. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of accessing and analysing data on social prescribing from primary care records. Our secondary aim was to examine exposure to social prescribing and compare characteristics of patients who decline/accept social prescribing referrals to explore possible health inequalities in access to social prescribing. Methods Patient records (n=3086) were extracted from 11 GP practices across Northwest England for accepted, offered and declined social prescribing referrals. Patient demographics collected included sex, age, ethnicity, mental and physical health diagnoses. Patient characteristics in social prescribing referrals were compared to the overall practice population (practice information from Public Health England). Decline and acceptance rates were compared by group (e.g. male/female decline rates). Results GP referral data showed inconsistent recording of wider determinants of health and variations in referral patterns on a practice-to-practice basis. Some variables had very poor rates of recording and did not yield useful information. Patient age, sex and mental and physical health conditions were consistently recorded. Other variables such as disability and housing status showed sporadic GP recording across our dataset. Our preliminary findings identified underrepresentation of younger age groups and Asians, and higher declined referrals among individuals with physical health diagnoses. Conclusions The differing referral patterns between practices and recording discrepancies meant that many patient factors could not be used to assess trends in social prescribing referrals and declines. Preliminary results suggest that some patient groups may be underrepresented in referral data, however this needs further research and investigation. Consistency is required in social prescribing data recording in primary care. Data on wider determinants is needed to assess variations in referrals and declines and explore inequalities

Racism, Discrimination, and Harassment in Medical Schools in the UK: A Scoping Review

Background: Discrimination, racism, harassment, stereotyping, and bullying are a significant issue for medical students as they create a hostile environment with detrimental effect on student wellbeing and educational experience. Findings suggest that though prevalent, reporting of these experiences is rare and perceived as ineffective. Objectives: This scoping review aims to map the trends, types, and nature of discrimination, harassment, bullying, stereotyping, intimidation, and racism reports in undergraduate medical education in the UK since 2010 and to determine areas of focus for undertaking full systematic reviews in the future. Method: A search was conducted using the MEDLINE, AHMED, CINHL, and EMBASE electronic databases from 2010 up to February 2022 in English. Only primary research papers (e.g., cohort studies, cross-sectional studies, and case series) that report the words/phrases discrimination (including gender and racial), harassment (including verbal, sexual, academic, and physical), bullying, stereotype, intimidation, and racism within medical education in the UK after 2010, following the Equity Act 2010, were eligible for inclusion. Results: Five relevant articles relating to discrimination, harassment, bullying, stereotyping, intimidation, and racism in medical schools in the UK were included. Three themes were identified across these studies. Conclusions: The data suggest that there is a high prevalence rate of discrimination, harassment, and stereotyping being experienced by ethnic minority undergraduate medical students in the UK. There is underreporting due to perceived and structural barriers. The identified studies suggest that less progress has been made in these areas