Estimates and projections of Black and Hispanic personnel in selected health professions, 1980-2000.

Item 507-J-1

Decentralization of the Area Health Education Center program : orientation of regional personnel, Dallas, Texas, Sheraton-Dallas Hotel, February 20 and 21, 1974.

Mode of access: Internet.

Strategies for dealing with personnel reductions in state mental health agencies : three case studies /

"National Institute of Mental Health"--Cover.

Occupational safety and health act legislation affecting the United States Postal Service [microform] : hearings before the Subcommittee on Postal Personnel and Modernization of the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth Congress, first session, on H. R. 826 ... June 6 and 7, 1979.

Reuse of record except for individual research requires license from Congressional Information Service, Inc.

Safety and health within U.S. Postal Service [microform] : joint hearings before the Subcommittee on Postal Personnel and Modernization of the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service and the Subcommittee on Health and Safety of the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth Congress, second session, January 7, 8, March 6, 1980.

Reuse of record except for individual research requires license from Congressional Information Service, Inc.

Nuclear health and safety : radiation exposures for some cloud-sampling personnel need to be reexamined : report to the Chairman, Committee on Veterans Affairs, U.S. Senate /

"B-222195"--P. [1]

Working at night and work ability among nursing personnel: when precarious employment makes the diVerence

Purpose To test the association between night work and work ability, and verify whether the type of contractual employment has any inXuence over this association. Methods Permanent workers (N = 642) and workers with precarious jobs (temporary contract or outsourced; N = 552) were interviewed and Wlled out questionnaires concerning work hours and work ability index. They were classiWed into: never worked at night, ex-night workers, currently working up to Wve nights, and currently working at least six nights/2-week span. Results After adjusting for socio-demography and work variables, current night work was signiWcantly associated with inadequate WAI (vs. day work with no experience in night work) only for precarious workers (OR 2.00, CI 1.01- 3.95 and OR 1.85, CI 1.09-3.13 for those working up to Wve nights and those working at least six nights in 2 weeks, respectively). Conclusions Unequal opportunities at work and little experience in night work among precarious workers may explain their higher susceptibility to night work

Comparison of tafenoquine (WR238605) and primaquine in the post-exposure (terminal) prophylaxis of vivax malaria) in Australian Defence Force personnel

On return from duty in North Solomons Province (including Bougainville Island), Papua New Guinea, 586 Australian Defence Force personnel received either primaquine (14-d) or tafenoquine (3-d) post-exposure malaria prophylaxis. Within 12 months, 6 of the 214 volunteers receiving primaquine and 7 of 378 receiving tafenoquine had developed vivax malaria. Overall, volunteers preferred the shorter course of tafenoquine.

Normal values for pelvic organ descent in health nulligravid young caucasian women

Translabial ultrasound is increasingly being used for the assessment of women presenting with pelvic floor dysfunction and incontinence (1,2). However, there is little information on normal values for bladder neck descent, with the two available studies disagreeing widely (3,4). No data has so far been published on mobility of the central and posterior compartment which can now also be assessed by ultrasound (5). This study presents normal values for urethral, bladder, cervical and rectal mobility in a cohort of young, stress continent, nulliparous nonpregnant women. Methods 118 nonpregnant nulliparous Caucasian women between 18 and 23 years of age were recruited for an ongoing twin study of pelvic floor function. Translabial ultrasound assessment of pelvic organ mobility was undertaken supine and after bladder emptying (6,7). The best of at least three effective Valsalva manoeuvres was used for evaluation, with no attempts at standardization of Valsalva pressure. Parameters of anterior compartment mobility were obtained by the use of on-screen calipers; cervical and rectal descent were evaluated on printouts. All examinations were carried out under direct supervision of the first author or by personnel trained by him for at least 100 consecutive assessments. Results The median age of participants in this study was 20 (range 18- 23). Mean body mass index was 23 (range 16.9- 36.7). Of 118 women, 2 were completely unable to perform a Valsalva manoeuvre despite repeated efforts at teaching and were excluded from analysis, as were ten women who complained of urinary stress incontinence, leaving 106 datasets. Average measurements for the parameters ‘retrovesical angle at rest’ (RVA-R) and on Valsalva (RVA-S), urethral rotation, bladder neck mobility, cysto-cele descent, cervical descent and descent of the rectal ampulla are given in Table 1.

The main benefits associated with health and safety management systems certification in Portuguese small and medium enterprises post quality management system certification

The purpose of this study is to characterize how Portuguese Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) view the Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMSs) certification process, after receiving the Quality Management System (QMS) certification. References were based on the ISO 9001 standard for a QMS and OHSAS 18001 for OHSMS. The method used to evaluate the implemented systems, was by form of questionnaire. Those questioned had to have a certified quality management system, an implemented OHSMS and be a SME. The questionnaire was sent to 300 SMEs; 46 responses were received and validated. Of them, only 12 SMEs had the OHSMS certificate according to OHSAS 18001. Within those 12 companies that participated: 7 SMEs are from the industrial sector; 3 belong to the electricity/telecommunications sector and 2 SMEs are from the trade/services activity sector. The size of the sample was small, but corresponds to Portuguese reality. Moreover, 34 SMEs did not have the OHSMS certificate. The questionnaire requested the main reasons for SMEs to opt for non-certification and it was related with high costs, while the main reasons to certificate were, among others, needed to eliminate or minimize risks to workers. The main benefits that Portuguese SMEs have gained from the referred certifications have been, improved working conditions, ensuring compliance with legislation and better internal communication about risks and hazards. Also presented are the main difficulties in achieving an OHSMS certification including high certification costs, difficulties motivating personnel, difficulties in changing the company’s culture and increased bureaucracy.

Health education: the role and functions of the specialist and the generalist

Education for health is a process in which all public health and medical care personnel are involved. People learn both formally (planned learning experiences) and informally (unplanned learning experiences). Since the patient, the client, the consummer and the community expect public health and medical care personnel to assist them with health and disease issues and problems, the response of the professional "educates" the customer whether the professional intends to educate or not. Therefore, it is incumbent on all public health and medical care professionals to understand their educational functions and their role in health education. It is also important that the role of the specialist in education be clear. The specialist, as to all other specialists, has an in-depth knowledge of his area of expertise, i.e., the teaching/learning process; s/he may function as a consultant to others to enhance the educational potential of their role or s/he may work with a team or with communities or groups of patients. Specific competencies and knowledge are required of the health education specialist; and there is a body of learning and social change theory which provides a frame of reference for planning, implementing and evaluating educational programs. Working with others to enhance their potential to learn and to make informed decisions about health/disease issues is the hallmark of the health education specialist.

Health financing changes in the context of health care decentralization: the case of three Latin American countries

OBJECTIVE: The results of an evaluative longitudinal study, which identified the effects of health care decentralization on health financing in Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru are presented in this article. METHODS: The methodology had two main phases. In the first, secondary sources of data and documents were analyzed with the following variables: type of decentralization implemented, source of financing, funds for financing, providers, final use of resources, mechanisms for resource allocation. In the second phase, primary data were collected by a survey of key personnel in the health sector. RESULTS: Results of the comparative analysis are presented, showing the changes implemented in the three countries, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each country in matters of financing and decentralization. CONCLUSIONS: The main financing changes implemented and quantitative trends with respect to the five financing indicators are presented as a methodological tool to implement corrections and adjustments in health financing.

Evaluation of a program to reduce back pain in nursing personnel

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a program designed to reduce back pain in nursing aides. METHODS: Female nursing aides from a university hospital who had suffered episodes of back pain for at least six months were included in the study. Participants were randomly divided into a control group and an intervention group. The intervention program involved a set of exercises and an educational component stressing the ergonomic aspect, administered twice a week during working hours for four months. All subjects answered a structured questionnaire and the intensity of pain was assessed before and after the program using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Student's t-test or the Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test for independent samples, and Chi-square test or the Exact Fisher test for categorical analysis, were used. The McNemar test and the Wilcoxon matched pairs test were used to compare the periods before and after the program. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant decrease in the frequency of cervical pain in the last two months and in the last seven days in the intervention group. There was also a reduction in cervical pain intensity in the two periods (2 months, 7 days) and lumbar pain intensity in the last 7 days. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that a program of regular exercise with an emphasis on ergonomics can reduce musculoskeletal symptoms in nursing personnel.