Clinical teaching: Maintaining an educational role for doctors in the new health care environment

Context and objectives: Good clinical teaching is central to medical education but there is concern about maintaining this in contemporary, pressured health care environments. This paper aims to demonstrate that good clinical practice is at the heart of good clinical teaching. Methods: Seven roles are used as a framework for analysing good clinical teaching. The roles are medical expert, communicator, collaborator, manager, advocate, scholar and professional. Results: The analysis of clinical teaching and clinical practice demonstrates that they are closely linked. As experts, clinical teachers are involved in research, information retrieval and sharing of knowledge or teaching. Good communication with trainees, patients and colleagues defines teaching excellence. Clinicians can 'teach' collaboration by acting as role models and by encouraging learners to understand the responsibilities of other health professionals. As managers, clinicians can apply their skills to the effective management of learning resources. Similarly skills as advocates at the individual, community and population level can be passed on in educational encounters. The clinicians' responsibilities as scholars are most readily applied to teaching activities. Clinicians have clear roles in taking scholarly approaches to their practice and demonstrating them to others. Conclusion: Good clinical teaching is concerned with providing role models for good practice, making good practice visible and explaining it to trainees. This is the very basis of clinicians as professionals, the seventh role, and should be the foundation for the further development of clinicians as excellent clinical teachers.

Young love: Romantic concerns and associated mental health issues among adolescent help-seekers

Over 50% of young people have dated by age 15. While romantic relationship concerns are a major reason for adolescent help-seeking from counselling services, we have a limited understanding of what types of relationship issues are most strongly related to mental health issues and suicide risk. This paper used records of 4019 counselling sessions with adolescents (10–18 years) seeking help from a national youth counselling service for a romantic relationship concern to: (i) explore what types and stage (pre, during, post) of romantic concerns adolescents seek help for; (ii) how they are associated with mental health problems, self-harm and suicide risk; and (iii) whether these associations differ by age and gender. In line with developmental-contextual theory, results suggest that concerns about the initiation of relationships are common in early adolescence, while concerns about maintaining and repairing relationships increase with age. Relationship breakups were the most common concern for both male and female adolescents and for all age groups (early, mid, late adolescence). Data relating to a range of mental health issues were available for approximately half of the sample. Post-relationship concerns (including breakups) were also more likely than pre- or during-relationship concerns to be associated with concurrent mental health issues (36.8%), self-harm (22.6%) and suicide (9.9%). Results draw on a staged developmental theory of adolescent romantic relationships to provide a comprehensive assessment of relationship stressors, highlighting post-relationship as a particularly vulnerable time for all stages of adolescence. These findings contribute to the development of targeted intervention and support programs.

Trial of the Primary Care Practice Improvement Tool: Building organisational performance in Australian general practice and primary health care

Objective: To nationally trial the Primary Care Practice Improvement Tool (PC-PIT), an organisational performance improvement tool previously co-created with Australian primary care practices to increase their focus on relevant quality improvement (QI) activities. Design: The study was conducted from March to December 2015 with volunteer general practices from a range of Australian primary care settings. We used a mixed-methods approach in two parts. Part 1 involved staff in Australian primary care practices assessing how they perceived their practice met (or did not meet) each of the 13 PC-PIT elements of high-performing practices, using a 1–5 Likert scale. In Part 2, two external raters conducted an independent practice visit to independently and objectively assess the subjective practice assessment from Part 1 against objective indicators for the 13 elements, using the same 1–5 Likert scale. Concordance between the raters was determined by comparing their ratings. In-depth interviews conducted during the independent practice visits explored practice managers’ experiences and perceived support and resource needs to undertake organisational improvement in practice. Results: Data were available for 34 general practices participating in Part 1. For Part 2, independent practice visits and the inter-rater comparison were conducted for a purposeful sample of 19 of the 34 practices. Overall concordance between the two raters for each of the assessed elements was excellent. Three practice types across a continuum of higher- to lower-scoring practices were identified, with each using the PC-PIT in a unique way. During the in-depth interviews, practice managers identified benefits of having additional QI tools that relate to the PC-PIT elements. Conclusions: The PC-PIT is an organisational performance tool that is acceptable, valid and relevant to our range of partners and the end users (general practices). Work is continuing with our partners and end users to embed the PC-PIT in existing organisational improvement programs.

Chinese immigrants to Finland: A qualitative study of housing, employment, access to health care and child care as sociological dimensions in their settlement process

The Master’s thesis is qualitative research based on interviews of 15 Chinese immigrants to Finland in order to provide a sociological perspective of the migration experience through the eyes of Chinese immigrants in the Finnish social welfare context. This research is mainly focused upon four crucial aspects of life in the settlement process: housing, employment, access to health care and child care. Inspired by Allardt’s theoretical framework ‘Having, Loving and Being’, social relationships and individual satisfaction are examined in the case of Chinese interviewees dealing with the four life aspects. Finland was not perceived as an attractive migration destination for most Chinese interviewees in the beginning. However, with longer residence in Finland, the Finnish social welfare system gradually became a crucial appealing factor in their permanent settlement in Finland. And meanwhile, social responsibility of attending their old parents in China, strong feelings of being isolated in Finland, and insufficient integration into the Finnish society were influential factors for their decision of returning to China. Social relationships with personal friends, migration brokers, schools, employers and family relatives had great influences in the four life aspects of Chinese immigrants in Finland. The social relationship with the Finnish social welfare sector is supportive to Chinese immigrants, but Chinese immigrants do not heavily rely on Finnish social protection. The housing conditions were greatly improved over time while the upward mobility in the Finnish labour market was not significant among Chinese immigrants. All Chinese immigrants were satisfied with their current housing by the time I interviewed them while most of them had subjective feelings of being alienated in the Finnish labour market, which seriously prevented them from integrating into the Finnish society. In general, Chinese immigrants were satisfied with the low cost of accessing the Finnish public health care services and affordable Finnish child day care services and financial subsidies for children from the Finnish social welfare sector. This research also suggests that employment is the central basis in well-being. Support from the Finnish social welfare sector can improve the satisfaction levels among immigrants, especially when it mitigates the effects of low-paid employment. As well, my empirical study of Chinese immigrants in Finland shows that Having (needs for materials), Loving (needs for social relations) and Being (needs for social integration) are all involved in the four concrete aspects (housing, employment, access to health care and child care).

Unraveling the helix of change : An activity-theoretical study of health care change efforts and their consequences

M.A. (Educ.) Anu Kajamaa from the University of Helsinki, Center for Research on Activity, Development and Learning (CRADLE), examines change efforts and their consequences in health care in the public sector. The aim of her academic dissertation is, by providing a new conceptual framework, to widen our understanding of organizational change efforts and their consequences and managerial challenges. Despite the multiple change efforts, the results of health care development projects have not been very promising, and many developmental needs and managerial challenges exist. The study challenges the predominant, well-framed health care change paradigm and calls for an expanded view to explore the underlying issues and multiplicities of change efforts and their consequences. The study asks what kind of expanded conceptual framework is needed to better understand organizational change as transcending currently dominant oppositions in management thinking, specifically in the field of health care. The study includes five explorative case studies of health care change efforts and their consequences in Finland. Theory and practice are tightly interconnected in the study. The methodology of the study integrates the ethnography of organizational change, a narrative approach and cultural-historical activity theory. From the stance of activity theory, historicity, contradictions, locality and employee participation play significant roles in developing health care. The empirical data of the study has mainly been collected in two projects, funded by the Finnish Work Environment Fund. The data was collected in public sector health care organizations during the years 2004-2010. By exploring the oppositions between distinct views on organizational change and the multi-site, multi-level and multi-logic of organizational change, the study develops an expanded, multidimensional activity-theoretical framework on organizational change and management thinking. The findings of the study contribute to activity theory and organization studies, and provide information for health care management and practitioners. The study illuminates that continuous development efforts bridged to one another and anchored to collectively created new activity models can lead to significant improvements and organizational learning in health care. The study presents such expansive learning processes. The ways of conducting change efforts in organizations play a critical role in the creation of collective new practices and tools and in establishing ownership over them. Some of the studied change efforts were discontinuous or encapsulated, not benefiting the larger whole. The study shows that the stagnation and unexpected consequences of change efforts relate to the unconnectedness of the different organizational sites, levels and logics. If not dealt with, the unintended consequences such as obstacles, breaks and conflicts may stem promising change and learning processes.

Independent and mediating organizational commitment effects of trust in leadership on employees' job satisfaction and : a study within social and health care sector

The purpose of this study was to examine whether trust in supervisor and trust in senior management enhance employees' job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and whether trust mediates the relationship between perceived justice and these outcomes. Trust in supervisor was expected to mediate the effects of distributive justice and interactional justice, and trust in senior management was expected to mediate the effects of procedural justice. Theoretical background of the study is based on the framework for trust in leadership developed by Dirks and Ferrin (2002). According to the framework, perceived fairness of leaders' actions helps employees to draw inferences about the basis of the relationship and about leaders' characters. This allows trust formation. Reciprocation of care and concern in the relationship and confidence in leaders' characters are likely to enhance employees' job satisfaction and organizational commitment. This study was conducted with cross-sectional data (A/ = 960) of employees from social and health care sector. Hypotheses were studied using correlation analysis and several hierarchical regression analyses. Significances of the mediations were assessed using the Sobel test. Results partially supported the hypotheses. Trust in leadership was positively related to job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Trust in senior management mediated the relationship between procedural justice and the outcomes. Some support was also found for the mediating effect of trust in supervisor in the relationship between distributive justice and organizational commitment. Due to high correlation between trust in supervisor anil interactional justice, it wasn't possible to study the mediating e fleet of trust in supervisor in the relationship between interactional justice and the outcomes. Against expectations, results indicated that trust in senior management had a mediating effect in the relationship between distributive justice and organizational commitment, and in the relationship between interactional justice and organizational commitment. Results also indicated that trust in supervisor had a mediating effect in the relationship between procedural justice and organizational commitment.

Differential cellular recognition pattern to M. tuberculosis targets defined by IFN-gamma and IL-17 production in blood from TB plus patients from Honduras as compared to health care workers: TB and immune responses in patients from Honduras

Background: A better understanding of the quality of cellular immune responses directed against molecularly defined targets will guide the development of TB diagnostics and identification of molecularly defined, clinically relevant M.tb vaccine candidates. Methods: Recombinant proteins (n = 8) and peptide pools (n = 14) from M. tuberculosis (M.tb) targets were used to compare cellular immune responses defined by IFN-gamma and IL-17 production using a Whole Blood Assay (WBA) in a cohort of 148 individuals, i.e. patients with TB + (n = 38), TB- individuals with other pulmonary diseases (n = 81) and individuals exposed to TB without evidence of clinical TB (health care workers, n = 29). Results: M.tb antigens Rv2958c (glycosyltransferase), Rv2962c (mycolyltransferase), Rv1886c (Ag85B), Rv3804c (Ag85A), and the PPE family member Rv3347c were frequently recognized, defined by IFN-gamma production, in blood from healthy individuals exposed to M.tb (health care workers). A different recognition pattern was found for IL-17 production in blood from M.tb exposed individuals responding to TB10.4 (Rv0288), Ag85B (Rv1886c) and the PPE family members Rv0978c and Rv1917c. Conclusions: The pattern of immune target recognition is different in regard to IFN-gamma and IL-17 production to defined molecular M.tb targets in PBMCs from individuals frequently exposed to M.tb. The data represent the first mapping of cellular immune responses against M.tb targets in TB patients from Honduras.

Finding space to mental health : promoting mental health in adolescents (12 to 14 year olds): preliminary results of the intervention's effectiveness

Resumen: La salud mental y el bienestar son fundamentales para nuestra capacidad colectiva y individual como seres humanos de pensar, de exteriorizar los sentimientos, de establecer y mantener relaciones, para estudiar, para perseguir las actividades de ocio, para tomar decisiones diarias y para disfrutar de una vida plena. Una adolescencia saludable es un prerrequisito para una vida adulta saludable. Sin embargo, la realidad actual presenta un panorama preocupante. La formación del capital mental individual y colectivo - especialmente en las primeras etapas de la vida - está siendo retenida por una serie de riesgos evitables para la salud mental (World Health Organization [WHO], 2013). Los adolescentes del sur de Europa (región que ha sido más severamente afectada por la crisis financiera; e.g., Portugal) son señalados como un grupo extremadamente vulnerable, ya que su salud mental fácilmente podría ser influenciada por las dificultades económicas de sus padres y la escasez de solidaridad social (European Parliament, 2012). La promoción de la salud mental de los adolescentes es considerada como una preocupación fundamental (WHO, 2005a, 2013). En este ámbito, las intervenciones centradas en la promoción de la literacía de la salud mental han revelado importantes ventajas en la prevención, reconocimiento, intervención precoz y la reducción del estigma (Pinfold, Stuart, Thornicroft & Arboleda-Florez, 2005; Pinfold, Toulmin, Thornicroft, Huxley, Farmer & Graham, 2003; Schulze, Richter-Werling, Matschinger & Angermeyer, 2003; Stuart, 2006). En consonancia con los marcos de promoción de la salud mentales propuestos por la Organización Mundial de la Salud (2005a), tenemos que involucrar a jóvenes en los ambientes donde interactúan (Burns, 2011). Las escuelas son implícitamente uno de los locales más importantes para la promoción de la salud mental de los adolescentes (Barry, Clarke, Jenkins & Patel, 2013; WHO, 2001). El proyecto “Abrir Espacio para la Salud Mental – Promoción de la salud mental en adolescentes (12-14 años)” tiene como objetivo incrementar literacía de la salud mental en los jóvenes. En el primer año se ha desarrollado un instrumento de evaluación - Mental Health Literacy questionnaire (MHLq) - y la intervención para la promoción de la salud mental. La intervención consiste en 2 sesiones, 90 minutos cada una, implementadas con intervalo de una semana. Siguen una metodología interactiva, utilizando dinámicas de grupo, videos, música y discusión. El estudio de la eficacia de la intervención se lleva a cabo mediante un análisis pre y pos-test con el MHLq, utilizando un grupo experimental y un grupo de control. Este artículo presenta los resultados preliminares de la eficacia de la intervención de promoción de la salud mental en una muestra de 100 adolescentes portugueses (12-14 años). El pos-test mostró un incremento de los niveles de conocimientos de salud mental y estrategias de autoayuda. Los resultados sugieren que la intervención desarrollada parece ser adecuada al objetivo propuesto y refuerzan la creencia de que intervenciones escolares, sistemáticas y sostenibles, para la promoción de la salud mental con jóvenes, es un enfoque prometedor para la promoción de la literacía de la salud mental (Schulze et al., 2003; Rickwood et al., 2005; Corrigan et al., 2007; WHO, 2010).

O engenho por dentro: cartografia das práticas cotidianas de cuidado em saúde mental dos auxiliares e técnicos de enfermagem na perspectiva da integralidade

Discutem-se os processos de trabalho e de produção do cuidado dos auxiliares e técnicos de enfermagem do Núcleo de Atenção à Crise do Instituto Municipal de Assistência à Saúde Nise da Silveira, no contexto da desinstitucionalização, e seus efeitos na integralidade do cuidado. O foco de análise repousa sobre o cuidado cotidiano prestado por esses profissionais nas unidades de internação psiquiátrica. Buscou-se realizar uma reflexão sobre os aspectos contemporâneos do cotidiano da assistência psiquiátrica e o papel dos hospitais psiquiátricos no atendimento aos pacientes agudos. Para tal objetivou-se, especificamente: contextualizar o IMNS no cenário de saúde mental no município do Rio de Janeiro; descrever as práticas assistenciais de auxiliares e técnicos de enfermagem no cuidado aos pacientes agudos internados; e discutir as práticas de cuidado no contexto da reorientação do modelo hospitalar e suas repercussões na integralidade da assistência em saúde, buscando contradições e aproximações com o discurso da política de saúde mental vigente. Foram abordadas na fundamentação teórica: as questões da prática da equipe de saúde sob o eixo da integralidade, em especial da equipe de enfermagem, e a relação trabalho/saúde/cotidiano na construção dos processos de trabalho e de produção do cuidado da assistência prestada. Como abordagem teórico-metodológica que possibilitou alcançar o objetivo proposto, realizou-se estudo exploratório, de natureza qualitativa, na perspectiva da cartografia, tendo na observação participante seu principal elemento de coleta de dados. O mapeamento das práticas rotineiras de cuidado evidenciou que estas são predominantemente pautadas no modelo asilar, no qual auxiliares e técnicos desempenham suas atividades diárias de modo distanciado dos pacientes e de suas necessidades. Esses profissionais não são vistos como elementos da equipe de saúde mental, e assim, desprestigiados em relação à política de formação e capacitação em saúde mental, assumem o cuidado aos pacientes institucionalizados de modo pouco estruturado, sem levar em consideração os anseios e sofrimentos dos usuários. Acolhimento, vínculo e integralidade fizeram parte do discurso oficial de reorganização da assistência, num contexto macroestrutural, mas ainda não se materializam nas práticas assistenciais da unidade de saúde pesquisada. A importância do estudo está pautada no fornecimento de subsídios para a formulação e implantação de ações que auxiliem na melhoria da gestão do trabalho em saúde mental. Sua justificativa se faz na medida em que essa área é permeada por conflitos e questões que interferem decisivamente na qualidade dos serviços prestados.

A experiência de planejamento em saúde mental na Cidade do Rio de Janeiro: um planejamento sem métodos?

O movimento de Reforma Psiquiátrica possibilitou que uma política de saúde mental, substitutiva ao hospital psiquiátrico e de base comunitária pudesse ser, de fato, implementada no país. Tal movimento, junto a uma série de acontecimentos e construções argumentativas, permitiu uma mudança de paradigma e a efetiva construção de uma rede territorial de cuidados em saúde mental. Este estudo dedica-se a analisar o uso do planejamento na trajetória de implementação da política de saúde mental na cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Para tal, foram entrevistados atores que participaram da construção da gestão municipal no período entre 1993 e 2008. Foi possível, a partir destas entrevistas, reconhecer alguns momentos nos quais os atores realizaram cálculos que precederam e presidiram as suas ações. Analisamos a coerência destes cálculos com os propósitos de transformação da assistência psiquiátrica, com os métodos escolhidos para tal e com as instituições, usando algumas contribuições teóricas de Carlos Matus e Mario Testa. Observou-se uma experiência planejadora densa, com um pensamento de natureza estratégica e com cálculos complexos, mas que não foram realizados a partir de métodos definidos a priori.

Configuração de rede de assistência em saúde mental em município de pequeno porte: o caso de Piraí.

O presente estudo analisa a rede pública de assistência em saúde mental no município de Piraí no estado do Rio de Janeiro. A proposta da reforma psiquiátrica em curso no Brasil, gerou a constituição de uma rede extra hospitalar de cuidados, que têm nos CAPS, os Centros de Atenção Psicossocial, os serviços de saúde mental de base territorial, um dos principais representantes deste percurso de mudanças. Utiliza-se o CAPS de Piraí, como referencial, já que esta Unidade é designada como prestadora de assistência direta, através de procedimentos em saúde, bem como referência para as demais ações de saúde mental no município, vinculadas à atenção básica e o hospital geral. O resgate da história da reorientação de ações no município, através da pesquisa documental e o levantamento de dados acerca do perfil de assistência prestada no CAPS permite a análise acerca da demanda e oferta de serviços , em sua relação com a normatização proposta pelo ministério da saúde para as ações nesta área e os paradigmas da integralidade e da desinstitucionalização. O produto desta análise destaca as mudanças significativas ocorridas nos últimos anos no cotidiano da assistência, a potência do CAPS na ruptura de paradigmas em saúde e a necessidade do avanço em práticas avaliativas em saúde mental, como instrumento de qualificação de ações para a área.

A saúde mental do adolescente entre duas políticas públicas: o Programa Saúde do Adolescente (PROSAD) e a política de saúde mental

Este estudo trata da saúde mental do adolescente a partir da formulação das políticas de Saúde do Adolescente (PROSAD) e de Saúde Mental, buscando compreender os debates que então se travaram em torno das questões relativas à adolescência, especialmente em relação à assistência à saúde mental, e identificando as concepções e interpretações que se apresentavam no posicionamento dos formuladores no processo de implementação das políticas no período entre 1989 e 2005. Para tal, analisamos documentos oficiais e discursos produzidos pelas políticas e realizamos entrevistas com coordenadores, gestores, ex-gestores e atores-chaves implicados em suas formulações e processos. Destacamos que, apesar de encontrarem condições de possibilidades como Políticas Nacionais no mesmo período marcado por profundas mudanças no país, onde destacamos a instituição do SUS , elas assumem modelos de intervenção e recortam seu objeto diferentemente e em momentos distintos, o que resulta em descompassos e hiatos que guardam certa relação com as formas de inserção nesse processo de mudança na saúde. Quando a análise se volta para a aparente intercessão das políticas no que diz respeito à saúde mental do adolescente, percebemos que dentro da perspectiva de responder ao conjunto das necessidades de cuidado da população adolescente no país, a maioria das situações que dizem respeito à saúde mental não se situa em uma e nem em outra, mas num entre as duas políticas. O entre, como lugar construído e político, aponta para uma realidade que é mais complexa do que os recortes que as políticas operam. Isso não quer dizer que as políticas públicas analisadas não se encontrem; no entanto, os encontros ou as parcerias estabelecidas acontecem, em determinados momentos, voltados para ações e projeto específicos. Contudo, é possível reconhecer movimentos de aproximação entre saúde mental e atenção básica no sentido de aumentar a capacidade de oferecer o cuidado para os adolescentes, apontando caminhos para um trabalho de saúde mental mais amplo, que comporte as diferentes faces do sofrimento, orientado pela noção de integralidade.