The effect of diabetes management on the workload of district and community nursing teams in the UK.

AIMS: The number of older people with diabetes requiring care from district nursing teams is increasing. The role of district nursing teams in diabetes management has expanded to involve diagnosis, treatment and medication administration. As the complexity of caseloads increases, the current model is likely unsustainable. This study aims to understand the current diabetes workload of district nursing teams. METHODS: An online survey was distributed via social media and key stakeholder networks to district nursing teams. Survey items were designed by the researchers prior to pilot testing with potential participants. Descriptive statistical and qualitative analyses were conducted. Data are median ± IQR. RESULTS: 159 district nursing teams completed the survey. The median caseload per team was 300 (IQR 176-407) patients including 21 with diabetes (IQR 14-40; 8.7% (4-20%)). 1.09 home visits per day per person with diabetes lasting 13.8 minutes (excluding travel time) were needed, with most requiring insulin administration. 96% of nursing teams undertake multiple daily visits for some patients. 91% reported workloads relating to diabetes management had increased over the last 2 years; 76% stated current diabetes workloads were unsustainable. More insulin usage, more referrals and a lack of ability or willingness to self-administer insulin has increased the diabetes workload. Possible solutions include better collaboration between healthcare professionals, simplification of insulin administration and glucose monitoring, better training and upskilling of healthcare assistants and promotion of self-efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes management forms an increasing component of district nursing workload and is likely to be unsustainable unless new models are found.

The role of provincial health administration in supporting district health management teams in the Democratic Republic of Congo: eliciting an initial programme theory of a realist evaluation.

BACKGROUND: In 2006, the Ministry of Health in the Democratic Republic of Congo designed a strategy to strengthen the health system by developing health districts. This strategy included a reform of the provincial health administration to provide effective technical support to district health management teams in terms of leadership and management. The provincial health teams were set up in 2014, but few studies have been done on how, for whom, and under what circumstances their support to the districts works. We report on the development of an initial programme theory that is the first step of a realist evaluation seeking to address this knowledge gap. METHODS: To inform the initial programme theory, we collected data through a scoping review of primary studies on leadership or management capacity building of district health managers in sub-Saharan Africa, a review of policy documents and interviews with the programme designers. We then conducted a two-step data analysis: first, identification of intervention features, context, actors, mechanisms and outcomes through thematic content analysis, and second, formulation of intervention-context-actor-mechanism-outcome (ICAMO) configurations using a retroductive approach. RESULTS: We identified six ICAMO configurations explaining how effective technical support (i.e. personalised, problem-solving centred and reflection-stimulating) may improve the competencies of the members of district health management teams by activating a series of mechanisms (including positive perceived relevance of the support, positive perceived credibility of provincial health administration staff, trust in provincial health administration staff, psychological safety, reflexivity, self-efficacy and perceived autonomy) under specific contextual conditions (including enabling learning environment, integration of vertical programmes, competent public health administration staff, optimal decision space, supportive work conditions, availability of resources and absence of negative political influences). CONCLUSIONS: We identified initial ICAMO configurations that explain how provincial health administration technical support for district health management teams is expected to work, for whom and under what conditions. These ICAMO configurations will be tested in subsequent empirical studies.

The work of palliative care from the perspectives of district nurses: A qualitative study.

AIM: To explore the work of palliative care from the perspectives of district nurses with a focus on the strategies they use to achieve positive outcomes for patients. DESIGN: An exploratory descriptive qualitative study. METHODS: A combination of group and individual interviews using semi-structured interviewing were used to explore district nurses' views of providing palliative care across two large urban community nursing services. RESULTS: Sixteen district nurse participants were interviewed. Three key themes were identified: "Getting what was needed" involved finding solutions, selling a story and establishing relationships. District nurses sought ways to "Stay involved" recognizing the benefit of delaying discharge for some patients. "Completing a nursing task" was a way of managing time constraints and a form of self-protection from having difficult conversations. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the importance of understanding the contextual nature of the practice setting in relation to the provision of palliative care. In doing so, it has revealed the strategies district nurses use to overcome the challenges associated with providing palliative care within a generalist workload. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: District nurses experience a tension between managing high patient workloads and remaining patient centred in palliative care. Being task focused is a way of remaining safe while managing a high volume of work and is not always a negative factor in the care they provide. However, focusing on a task while at the same time addressing other unmet needs requires a set of skills that less experienced nurses may not have. IMPACT: Palliative care education alone will not improve the quality of palliative care provided by generalist community district nurses. The practice context is an important factor to take into consideration when supporting the integration of palliative care in district nursing. NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution was made to this study. REPORTING METHOD: We have adhered to the relevant EQUATOR guidelines and used the COREQ reporting method.

Developing and transferring a children's surgical training program from India to Africa a south-to-south global initiative.

PURPOSE: The availability of children's surgical care in lower middle-income countries is lacking. The authors describe a hub and spoke global training initiative in children's surgery for adult teams from district hospitals (spokes) comprising general and orthopaedic surgeons, anaesthetists, and nurses and specialist children's surgical trainers from tertiary centres (hubs) in delivering the course. METHODS: The training course developed in Vellore, trained several sets of district hospital adult teams and trainer teams in India. Six specialist children's surgical trainer teams were invited from African countries to the course delivered in Vellore, India. The aim was to train them to deliver the course in their countries. RESULTS: Participants underwent a precourse 'train the trainer' program, observed and assessed the suitability of the district hospital training course. The program received positive feedback, government supported planning of similar courses in some of the countries and discussions in others. CONCLUSION: The availability of children's surgical care is similarly limited in the Asian and African continent, and the regions have shared challenges of disease burden, lack of access, poverty, deficient infrastructure, and trained human resources. They would benefit from this 'South to South' collaboration to impart training skills and modules to the children's surgical trainers.

Enrollment and use of a peer counselor mHealth texting program to support breastfeeding in low-income people: A pilot study in the District of Columbia.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics of postpartum people who did and did not enroll in a breastfeeding peer-counselor mobile health (mHealth) texting program as well as the issues raised through 2-way texting with peer counselors. DESIGN: Pilot intervention study involving two Special Supplemental Nutrition Programs for Women Infants and Children (WIC) sites in the District of Columbia over 1 year. SAMPLE: WIC recipients. MEASUREMENTS: Descriptive statistics, comparison of recipients who enrolled or not and qualitative content analysis of text messages. INTERVENTION: A breastfeeding peer counselor texting program entitled BfedDC involving routine 1-way programmed messages and 2-way texting capacity for recipients to engage with peer counselors. RESULTS: Among our sample (n = 1642), nearly 90% initiated breastfeeding. A total of 18.5% (n = 304) enrolled in the BfedDC texting program, of whom 19.7% (n = 60) utilized the 2-way texting feature. Message content covered seven content themes and included inquiries about expressing human milk, breastfeeding difficulties, breastfeeding frequency and duration, appointments and more. CONCLUSIONS: Although enrollment was relatively low in BfedDC, benefits included 1-way supportive texts for breastfeeding and the ability to 2-way text with peer counselors. This program aligns with the Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding and promotes breastfeeding equity in low-income people.

The specialist community practitioner district nurse's role in optimising COPD.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a long-term condition affecting all aspects of an individual's life. Specialist Community practitioner district nurses (SCPDN) manage patients with multiple co morbidities on their caseload, and as such require an extensive clinical knowledge base. COPD is a highly prevalent and complex disease; therefore, individualised holistic assessments are required to ensure patients receive personalised and evidence-based care. Care delivery must include an awareness of health interventions encompassing, screening, health promotion and prevention. The SCPDN's consideration of the physical, mental and social determinants which adversely affect the health of the individual with COPD is imperative to deliver high quality care to the individuals, families and communities.

Loneliness in older adults.

This article aims to provide an overview on loneliness in older people, with an emphasis on how insights from this body of literature can significantly contribute to the enhancement of care provided by community nurses. This review aims to provide a nuanced understanding of the factors contributing to loneliness, its impact on the physical and mental health of older individuals, and the role community nurses can play in mitigating and addressing loneliness.

[The social, demographic and professional characteristics of general practitioners and district therapists of state and private sectors of health care].

The article presents comparative analysis of demographic, social and professional characteristics of general practitioners and district therapists in state and private medical organizations. Sociological, statistical and analytical research methods were applied. The study was carried out on the basis of polyclinics of both Moscow Health Department and Moscow private health care sector. The sampling consisted of 399 questionnaires subjected to statistical processing. It is established that in state and private medical organizations, in this group of physicians prevail women 36-55 years old, born in the Russian Federation, in Moscow, married, having children and assessing one's income level as average. Most of them received their higher education in Moscow, graduated residency in therapy and have no medical category or academic degree. The professional experience consists 10 years or more. All physicians in state polyclinics hold more than one position and in private polyclinics 8.6% of physicians are underemployment. In the state sector, paternalistic model of communication with patient is preferable, in the private sector - a collegiate one. In the state sector, the collegiate management style of CEO is convenient and in the private sector - collegiate or dynamic one. In both sectors, adhocratic organizational culture is comfortable. Against the background of readiness to proceed working in current conditions, work in another sector is not excluded. The material factor is considered as main driver of professional motivation. The social, demographic and professional characteristics of general practitioners and district physicians in both sectors of health care in the main are similar, but have their own characteristics.

Challenges faced by frontline health managers during the implementation of COVID-19 related policies in India: A qualitative analysis.

Background & objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the strengths and weaknesses of the healthcare systems across the world. Many directives, guidelines and policies for pandemic control were laid down centrally for its implementation; however, its translation at the periphery needs to be analyzed for future planning and implementation of public health activities. Hence, the objectives of this study were to identify the challenges faced by frontline health managers in selected States in India during the pandemic with regard to implementation of the COVID-19-related policies at the district level and also to assess the challenges faced by the them in adapting the centrally laid down COVID-19 guidelines as per the local needs of the district. Methods: A qualitative study using the grounded theory approach was conducted among frontline district-level managers from eight different States belonging to the north, south, east and west zones of India. The districts across the country were selected based on their vulnerability index, and in-depth interviews were conducted among the frontline managers to assess the challenges faced by them in carrying out COVID-19 related activities. Recorded data were transcribed verbatim, manually coded and thematically analyzed. Results: Challenges faced in implementing quarantine rules were numerous, and it was also compounded by stigma attached with the disease. The need for adapting the guidelines as per local considerations, inclusion of components of financial management at local level, management of tribal and vulnerable populations and migrants in COVID context were strongly suggested. The need to increase human resource in general and specifically data managers and operators was quoted as definite requirement. Interpretation & conclusions: The COVID-19 guidelines provided by the Centre were found to be useful at district levels. However, there was a need to make some operational and administrative modifications in order to implement these guidelines locally and to ensure their acceptability.

Mental Health Programme in India: Has the tide really turned?

Mental disorders in India form a major public health concern and the efforts to tackle these dates back to four decades, by way of the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) and its operational arm, the District Mental Health Programme (DMHP). Although the progress of NMHP (and DMHP) was relatively slower till recently, the last 4-5 years have seen rapid strides with several initiatives, including (i) expansion of DMHPs to 90 per cent of the total districts of the country, (ii) the National Mental Health Policy and (iii) strengthening the Mental Health Legislation by way of providing explicit provisions for rights of persons with mental illnesses. Among others, factors responsible for this accelerated growth include the easily accessible digital technology as well as judicial activism. Federal and State cooperation is another notable feature of this expansion. In this review, the authors summarize the available information on the evolution of implementation and research aspects related to India's NMHP over the years and provide a case for the positive turn of events witnessed in the recent years. However, the authors caution that these are still baby steps and much more remains to be done.

Balancing burdens of infection control: Norwegian district medical officers' ethical challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: In several countries, district medical officers (DMOs) are public health experts with duties including infection control measures. The Norwegian DMOs have been key actors in the local handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The aim of the study was to explore the ethical challenges experienced by Norwegian DMOs during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the DMOs have handled these challenges. 15 in-depth individual research interviews were performed and analyzed with a manifest approach. RESULTS: Norwegian DMOs have had to handle a large range of significant ethical problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Often, a common denominator has been the need to balance burdens of the contagion control measures for different individuals and groups. In another large set of issues, the challenge was to achieve a balance between safety understood as effective contagion prevention on the one hand, and freedom, autonomy and quality of life for the same individuals on the other. CONCLUSIONS: The DMOs have a central role in the municipality's handling of the pandemic, and they wield significant influence. Thus, there is a need for support in decision-making, both from national authorities and regulations, and from discussions with colleagues.

District nurses' perspectives on health-promotive and disease-preventive work at primary health care centres: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Health promotion and disease prevention are of utmost importance for sustainable health care and primary health care. District nurses play a key role in primary health care centres, where they meet people suffering from, and/or having risk factors for, non-communicable diseases. AIM: The study aim was to describe district nurses' perspectives on their health-promotive/disease-preventive work at primary health care centres. METHODS: Interviews were conducted with 16 district nurses at primary health care centres in Sweden. An interpretive descriptive approach was employed for the analysis. FINDINGS: The district nurses integrated a focus on health-promotive and disease-preventive work into every patient encounter, which manifested through four intertwined themes: finding opportunities and striving for visibility; building relationships; considering patients' life situations; and inviting patients to share responsibility. Our findings show how, through a flexible approach, the district nurses strived for equal health and care for all, and how the care was built on a shared responsibility between the district nurse and patient, where district nurses aimed to empower patients to take action for their own health. CONCLUSION: The district nurses described health-promotive endeavours, in line with person-centred care in prioritising building relationships with patients, starting from their lived experience. They spoke of barriers, at both micro and macro levels, to health-promotive/disease-preventive work. These included language barriers, the impact of the media, and the overall organisation of primary health care. The work at primary health care centres should be restructured to clarify the district nurse's role, and to strengthen community outreach, and thereby improve individuals' access to support in lifestyle changes.

Evaluation of a co-designed educational e-resource about oral health for community nurses: study protocol.

BACKGROUND: Oral health is a crucial aspect of health and wellbeing for older people. Poor oral health has been found to significantly increase the risk of chronic health conditions and poor quality of life for older people. Nurses practicing in the community are well-placed to provide oral health care to older people in their own homes, yet there has been little research in this field to develop accessible support for them to do so. Previous literature, reviewed in an earlier phase of this work, revealed that there has, historically, been a paucity of oral health care education for nurses and very few educational resources have been developed in this field. METHODS: This study will evaluate an educational e-resource which has been co-designed by service users, carers and clinicians. In the first phase of research, evidence of promise will be evaluated by analysing quantitative data on community nurses' oral health attitudes and self-efficacy for oral health assessments of older people. In the second phase of research, facilitators and barriers to community nurses' provision of oral health care to older people and the acceptability of the educational e-resource will be evaluated. DISCUSSION: This research will investigate the potential of an educational e-resource to improve community nurses' capabilities to deliver oral health care to older people in their own homes. This research will inform both future intervention design and understanding of community nurses' knowledge and attitudes about oral health care. Facilitators and barriers to provision of this care for older people will also be explored.

'Whose role is it anyway?' Experiences of community nurses in the delivery and support of oral health care for older people living at home: a grounded theory study.

BACKGROUND: Older people who receive care at home are likely to require support with oral health care. Community nurses, who are also referred to as district or home care nurses, have an important role with this population. This is because they are the healthcare professionals who are most likely to encounter this population, who may also not be receiving regular dental care or oral health promotion. However, few studies have explored community nursing experiences in the delivery and support of oral healthcare for older people living at home. METHODS: A grounded theory approach was used to explore experiences of community nurses in the delivery and support of oral health care for older people living at home. Fifteen practising community nurses from the United Kingdom participated in one-to-one semi-structed interviews from May 2021 to December 2021. These interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using constant comparative analysis. Ethical approval was obtained for this study prior to data collection. RESULTS: Four categories emerged from the data to support development of the core phenomena. These four categories were: (1) Education, in relation to what community nurses knew about oral health, (2) Practice, with regards to how community nurses delivered oral health care to older people in their own home, (3) Confidence, with consideration to the extent to which this supported or impeded community nurses in providing oral healthcare to older people and (4) Motivation, in terms of the extent to which community nurses thought they could or should influence future practice improvement in the area. The core category was (C) Uncertainty as it was both present and central across all four categories and related to community nursing understanding about their specific role, and the role of other professionals, with reference to oral health of their patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals community nurses' uncertainty in providing oral healthcare to older adults at home. Emphasising comprehensive and continuous oral health education can boost nurses' confidence in patient support. Interprofessional collaboration and clear role definitions with oral health professionals are crucial for improving oral health outcomes in this vulnerable population.

Navigating cultural competence in district nursing.

Cultural diversity is an evolving feature of modern-day society. It is recognised that many factors contribute to culturally competent care and evidence suggests there are still inequalities in care provision to some populations. District nurses (DN) deliver care to individuals', families and communities across varying demographics, and aim to provide high quality evidencebased, person-centred care. The scope of the DN and the community nursing team's practice is far reaching and extends across generations and an array of chronic complex health conditions. Therefore, it is imperative that DNs are aware of aspects surrounding cultural diversity, to ensure they can holistically assess and manage patients on their caseloads and support teams to practice culturally competent care. This article aims to provide an outline of key areas for exploration in cultural competence. It will highlight communication, pain, end of life, nutrition and health disparities to consider barriers and challenges for district nursing practice.

Compassion fatigue in the community nursing workforce: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: compassion fatigue is a phenomenon in areas of nursing practice such as oncology, ICU, palliative care, hospice, and dementia care, but less so among community nurses (Joinson, 1992). A gap in enquiry exists around CN and compassion fatigue around end-of-life patient care. METHODS: a scoping review with narrative analysis of selected literature on compassion fatigue in nursing using CINHAL, ProQuest, Science Direct, and the Cochrane Library. FINDINGS: whilst no specific studies were located on compassion fatigue and UK community nurses. Australian, Spanish, and Taiwanese studies report of environment, care relationship duration, resources and poor organisational support being linked to a likelihood of developing compassion fatigue. CONCLUSION: compassion fatigue is under-researched in community nursing and merits further enquiry to understand the challenges posed by providing end-of-life care.

Community nurse lecturers' experiences of pre-registration nurse education: a phenomenological study.

The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of community nurse lecturers in pre-registration nurse education and to gain insight into the nature of community nursing and its profile within pre-registration nursing. A qualitative phenomenological approach explored pre-registration, adult field nurse lecturers' experiences of being community nurses and subsequently their experiences of being community nurse lecturers. Three participants audio recorded answers prompted by three questions that allowed for storytelling and prompted memory recall. The results were analysed, and the themes identified were: community nursing is vastly different to hospital nursing, with a notable heightened sense of accountability, lone working and a recognition of experience needed to be a community nurse. When reflecting on their role as lecturers, research participants recalled responses that informed the second theme: the pre-registration adult nursing curriculum was acute care focused and this was also the expectation of students. Results identified tensions between community nursing and critical care nursing, and a loss of identity to which each of them embraced in different ways.

A qualitative study of patients' experiences of living with hard-to-heal leg ulcers.

BACKGROUND: Patients with hard-to-heal leg ulcers are often older and have underlying conditions that contribute to making wound healing more difficult. Hard-to-heal leg ulcers are often treated in primary care and form a large part of the district nurse's work. AIM: To describe patients' experiences of living with hard-to-heal leg ulcers. METHODS: This qualitative study undertook 18 interviews with patients in primary care with hard-to-heal leg ulcers. FINDINGS: A total of three categories were identified: 'Living with changes in everyday life', 'Being dependent on care', and 'Experiencing and dealing with suffering'. The patients described limitations in physical activity and changes in social interaction. Suffering was described in different ways and also resulted in coping strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Living with hard-to-heal leg ulcers affects the patient's everyday life physically and mentally. Knowledge about the complexity of patients' experiences can contribute to better care and increased quality of life in a difficult situation.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE HOSPITAL DISTRICT FOR THE MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS: MEDICAL AND SOCIAL JUSTIFICATION OF THE FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC STATE OF KALUSH CENTRAL DISTRICT HOSPITAL BEFORE AND AFTER IMPLEMENTATION.

OBJECTIVE: The aim: To determine the financial and economic condition before and after the implementation of the hospital district in the Kalush Central District Hospital and to show the medical and social justification of the changes in the institution's finances. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: The object of this study was the activity of the Kalush Central District Hospital, which is a multidisciplinary medical and preventive health care facility, in which medical assistance is provided to patients in surgical, neurosurgical, traumatological, cardiological, gastroenterological, endocrinological, urological departments, in the department of miniinvasive surgery. In order to see how the implementation of hospital districts a"ected the financial condition of medical institutions, the financial statements of the institution for 2017-2018 were used to study the financial condition of the organization. During this period medical assistance was provided to more than 92,000 patients. RESULTS: Results: The reform of the health care system in 2017 took place in accordance with the developed concept of the development of medicine, which is based on the creation of hospital districts. On average, the hospital district covers about 60 kilometers of territory. Such a distance allows us to deploy a powerful network of various hospitals that are able to provide almost the entire range of medical services, starting from diagnostics and ending with urgent treatment. The hospital district is headed by an institution that coordinates the work of all institutions and recommends building such organizational and financial structures that allow the medical institution to develop and create a quality medical product. Kalush Central District Hospital coped with the reforms of medicine, the implementation of hospital districts became a significant event that changed not only the organization of the provision of medical services, but also changes in the financial and economic condition of medical institutions. In general, the financial condition of the enterprise shows that the hospital is autonomic, it is financed from its own sources of financing. CONCLUSION: Conclussions: The financial condition of the enterprise shows that the Kalush Central District Hospital is autonomous, that is, to a greater extent, it is financed from its own sources of financing. However, liquidity indicators are negative, which require more e"ective management of cash #ows so that the organization can timely repay salary arrears and pay mandatory payments for the use of material resources and energy. At the same time, a large number of patients are coming to the hospital because the income level has increased, which is definitely a positive factor. However, when planning activities for the following periods, it is necessary to take into account the need to update material and technical support, as well as to find sources of increasing sta" wages.

ANALYSIS OF MAIN TRENDS OF DEVELOPMENT OF HEALTH CARE IN UKRAINE.

OBJECTIVE: The aim: To substantiate the conceptual approaches of building a cluster model of primary medical care at the level of the hospital district in terms of the development of family medicine, in particular, the consolidation of health care institutions as the main providers of medical services in the provision of primary medical care in the hospital district and improving its efficiency. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: Methods of structural and logical analysis, bibliosemantic, abstraction and generalization were used in this work. RESULTS: Results: The analysis of the legal framework in the field of health care of Ukraine demonstrated multiple attempts to reform it in order to increase the availability and efficiency of medical and pharmaceutical services. The practical implementation of any innovative project becomes much more difficult or even impossible without a carefully developed plan. Today in Ukraine there are 1,469 united territorial communities, 136 districts, so more than one thousand primary health care centers (further written as PHCCs) have been created against, a possible 136. A comparative analysis indicates the economic validity and possibility of such changes - the creation of a single health care facility at the level of a hospital cluster to provide primary medical care. For example, the Bucha district of the Kyiv region consists of twelve territorial communities, and 11 primary health care centers (PHCCs), the latter have separate subdivisions under their control in the form of: general practice-family medicine dispensary (GPFMD), group practice dispensary (GPD), paramedic and midwifery points (PMP), paramedic points (PP). CONCLUSION: Conclusions: The implementation of a cluster model of providing primary medical care in the form of the creation of a single health care facility at the level of a hospital cluster has a number of advantages in the short term. For the patient, it is the availability and timeliness of medical care, at least at the level of the district, not the community; cancellation of paid medical services during the provision of primary medical care regardless of the place of its provision. For the subject of governance (the state) - cost reduction during the provision of medical services.