'Everything's adaptable': A qualitative study of how nurses make decisions in sustained home-visiting care with mothers and children experiencing adversity.

AIMS: To explore nurse decision-making processes in the delivery of sustained home-visiting care for mothers of young children who are experiencing adversity. DESIGN: Qualitative descriptive research design using focus group interviews. METHODS: Thirty-two home-visiting nurses participated in four focus group interviews exploring their decision-making in the care they provide to families. The data were analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis approach. RESULTS: Four steps of a recurring stepwise decision-making process were identified: (1) information gathering; (2) exploring; (3) implementing; (4) checking. The facilitators and barriers to effective decision-making processes were also identified and included elements relating to good relationship skills, a good attitude, high quality training and mentoring and resources. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that a recurring stepwise process of decision-making requires both analytical and intuitive approaches. The intuition required by home-visiting nurses is to sense unvoiced client needs and identify the right time and way to intervene. The nurses were engaged in adapting the care in response to the client's unique needs while ensuring the fidelity of the programme scope and standards. We recommend creating an enabling working environment with cross-disciplinary team members and having well-developed structures, particularly the feedback systems such as clinical supervision and case reviews. Enhanced skills to establish trusting relationships with clients can help home-visiting nurses make effective decisions with mothers and families, particularly in the face of significant risk. IMPACT: This study explored nurse decision-making processes in the context of sustained home-visiting care, which has been largely unexplored in the research literature. Understanding the effective decision-making processes, particularly when nurses customize or individualize the care in response to the client's unique needs, assists with the development of strategies for precision home-visiting care. The identification of facilitators and barriers informs approaches designed to support nurses in effective decision-making.

Does customised care improve satisfaction and positively enable parents in sustained home visiting for mothers and children experiencing adversity?

BACKGROUND: The Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting program (MECSH) is a structured nurse-delivered program designed to address health inequities experienced by families experiencing significant adversity. There is strong evidence for the effectiveness of this program, but limited research exploring the practice and process elements that are core to positive parent outcomes. This study aimed to examine the relationship between customised care related to the mother's risk factors and parent satisfaction and enablement in the delivery of a MECSH-based program. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used. Program delivery data collected as part of a large randomised controlled trial of a MECSH-based sustained nurse home visiting program in Australia (right@home) were analysed. This study used the data collected from the intervention arm in the trial (n = 352 women). Parent satisfaction was measured at child age 24 months using the modified short-form Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire. Parent enablement was measured at child age 24 months by a modified Parent Enablement Index. Customised care was defined as appropriate provision of care content in response to four maternal risks: smoking, mental health, domestic violence and alcohol and drugs. Logistic analysis was performed to assess the impact of customised care on parent satisfaction and enablement while adjusting for covariates such as sociodemographic factors. A significance level of 95% was applied for analysis. RESULTS: Our results indicated high levels of satisfaction with the care provided and positive enablement. There were several sociodemographic factors associated with satisfaction and enablement, such as language spoken at home and employment experience. The mothers who received customised care in response to mental health risk and domestic violence had significantly greater satisfaction with the care provided and experienced an increase in enablement compared to those who did not receive such care. CONCLUSION: This study contributes to the existing body of empirical research that examines the relationship between care processes and client outcomes in the delivery of home visiting services. It is essential for the sustained nurse home visiting service model to be flexible enough to cater for variations according to family circumstances and needs while maintaining a core of evidence-based practice.

Parent satisfaction with sustained home visiting care for mothers and children: an integrative review.

AIM: To synthesise and analyse the existing literature regarding parent satisfaction with sustained home visiting care for mothers and children. BACKGROUND: Sustained home visiting is a service delivery mechanism of both prevention and intervention, in which people receive structured support services within their home environment over an extended period of months or years. For the purposes of this paper, sustained home visiting refers to in-home nursing support to address health inequities for mothers and young children. Sustained home visiting programs have been found to support improved health, wellbeing, and developmental outcomes for children and families. However, there is limited knowledge with regards to the level of parent satisfaction with care provided at home, and the factors and elements of care parents perceive to be critical to their satisfaction. It is important for healthcare practitioners to understand what practices and process parents consider to be a priority in securing their ongoing engagement. DESIGN: Integrative review. DATA SOURCES: PubMed/Medline, CINAHL, Embase, and PsycINFO. METHODS: A multi-step approach was used to search and retrieve peer-reviewed studies from the databases. Study selection, data extraction, data synthesis and critical appraisal were undertaken by two independent researchers. RESULTS: A total of 13 studies met the inclusion criteria, including nine quantitative and four qualitative studies. The review found that parents provided with home visiting interventions had higher levels of satisfaction with care than those who received routine or facility-based care. Service dose was a factor associated with parent satisfaction, however, the direction of impact on parent satisfaction was mixed. Other elements of care parents perceived as important to service satisfaction included the nurse-client relationship, being treated with respect, empowerment, and emotional support. CONCLUSION: While it is critically important that home visiting practitioners provide evidence-based care and interventions, it is equally important that services are delivered in the context of positive and empowering relationships. Further research is recommended to understand the care process and mechanisms that enhance parent satisfaction and positive experiences, providing optimal quality of care.

Variations in sustained home visiting care for mothers and children experiencing adversity.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the variations in care received by mothers and families within a sustained home visiting program. We sought to identify the extent to which there were variations in home visiting care in response to the program schedule and families' risk factors. DESIGN AND SAMPLE: Data collected within the right@home program, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) for a sustained nurse home visiting intervention in Australia, were analyzed. A total of 352 women comprised the intervention arm of the trial. MEASUREMENTS: Visit content in the home visiting program, sociodemographic data, and families' risk factors were used for analysis. RESULTS: Our results confirmed that the majority of women received scheduled content on time or within an acceptable timeframe, except for the sleeping program. Women with identified risks were significantly more likely to receive content related to those risks than women without those risks (smoking: Odds Ratio [OR] = 15.39 [95%CI 3.7-64.7], mental health: OR = 15.04 [1.8-124.0], domestic violence: OR = 4.07 [2.0-8.3], and drugs and alcohol: OR = 1.81 [1.1-3.0]). CONCLUSIONS: The right@home program had high compliance with the scheduled content. Capacity development in responding to mothers with the risk of domestic violence and drugs and alcohol is recommended. Further research is required to explore the relationship between variations in care and critical outcomes.

Health problems and utilization of health services among Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals in Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: Access to and utilization of health services have remained major challenges for people living in low- and middle-income countries, especially for those living in impaired public health environment such as refugee camps and temporary settlements. This study presents health problems and utilization of health services among Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMNs) living in the southern part of Bangladesh. METHODS: A mixed-method (quantitative and qualitative) approach was used. Altogether 999 household surveys were conducted among the FDMNs living in makeshift/temporary settlements and host communities. We used a grounded theory approach involving in-depth interviews (IDIs), focus group discussions (FGDs), and key informant interviews (KIIs) including 24 IDIs, 10 FGDs, and 9 KIIs. The quantitative data were analysed with STATA. RESULTS: The common health problems among the women were pregnancy and childbirth-related complications and violence against women. Among the children, fever, diarrhoea, common cold and malaria were frequently observed health problems. Poor general health, HIV/AIDS, insecurity, discrimination, and lack of employment opportunity were common problems for men. Further, 61.2% women received two or more antenatal care (ANC) visits during their last pregnancy, while 28.9% did not receive any ANC visit. The majority of the last births took place at home (85.2%) assisted by traditional birth attendants (78.9%), a third (29.3%) of whom suffered pregnancy- and childbirth-related complications. The clinics run by the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) (76.9%) and private health facilities (86.0%) were the most accessible places for seeking healthcare for the FDMNs living in the makeshift settlements. All participants heard about HIV/AIDS. 78.0% of them were unaware about the means of HIV transmission, and family planning methods were poorly used (45.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the health of FDMNs living in the southern part of Bangladesh is poor and they have inadequate access to and utilization of health services to address the health problems and associated factors. Existing essential health and nutrition support programs need to be culturally appropriate and adopt an integrated approach to encourage men's participation to improve utilization of health and family planning services, address issues of gender inequity, gender-based violence, and improve women empowerment and overall health outcomes.

Lifestyle interventions for type 2 diabetes management among migrants and ethnic minorities living in industrialized countries: a systematic review and meta-analyses.

The objective of this systematic review was to determine the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions to improve the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among migrants and ethnic minorities. Major searched databases included MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE (via Ovid) and CINAHL. The selection of studies and data extraction followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. In the meta-analysis, significant heterogeneity was detected among the studies (I2 >50%), and hence a random effects model was used. Subgroup analyses were performed to compare the effect of lifestyle interventions according to intervention approaches (peer-led vs community health workers (CHWs)-led). A total of 17 studies were included in this review which used interventions delivered by CHWs or peer supporters or combination of both. The majority of the studies assessed effectiveness of key primary (hemoglobin (HbA1c), lipids, fasting plasma glucose) and secondary outcomes (weight, body mass index, blood pressure, physical activity, alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, food habits and healthcare utilization). Meta-analyses showed lifestyle interventions were associated with a small but statistically significant reduction in HbA1c level (-0.18%; 95% CI -0.32% to -0.04%, p=0.031). In subgroup analyses, the peer-led interventions showed relatively better HbA1c improvement than CHW-led interventions, but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.379). Seven studies presented intervention costs, which ranged from US$131 to US$461 per participant per year. We conclude that lifestyle interventions using either CHWs or peer supporters or a combination of both have shown modest effectiveness for T2DM management among migrants of different background and origin and ethnic minorities. The evidence base is promising in terms of developing culturally appropriate, clinically sound and cost-effective intervention approaches to respond to the growing and diverse migrants and ethnic minorities affected by diabetes worldwide.

Community health workers for non-communicable disease prevention and control in Nepal: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The increasing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Nepal underscores the importance of strengthening primary healthcare systems to deliver efficient care. In this study, we examined the barriers and facilitators to engaging community health workers (CHWs) for NCDs prevention and control in Nepal. DESIGN: We used multiple approaches including (a) review of relevant literature, (b) key personnel and stakeholders' consultation meetings and (c) qualitative data collection using semistructured interviews. A grounded theory approach was used for qualitative data collection and the data were analysed thematically. SETTING: Data were collected from health facilities across four districts in Nepal and two stakeholder consultative meetings were conducted at central level. PARTICIPANTS: We conducted in-depth interviews with CHWs (Health Assistants, Auxiliary Health Workers, Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) (n=5); key informant interviews with health policymakers/managers (n=3) and focus group discussions (FGDs) with CHWs (four FGDs; total n=27). Participants in two stakeholder consultative meetings included members from the government (n=8), non-government organisations (n=7), private sector (n=3) and universities (n=6). RESULTS: The CHWs were engaged in a wide range of public health programmes and they also deliver NCDs specific programmes such as common NCDs screening, provisional diagnosis, primary care, health education and counselling, basic medication and referral and so on. These NCD prevention and control services are concentrated in those districts, where the WHO, Package for prevention and control of NCDs) program is being implemented. Some challenges and barriers were identified, including inadequate NCD training, high workload, poor system-level support, inadequate remuneration, inadequate supply of logistics and drugs. The facilitating factors included government priority, formation of NCD-related policies, community support systems, social prestige and staff motivation. CONCLUSION: Engaging CHWs has been considered as key driver to delivering NCDs related services in Nepal. Effective integration of CHWs within the primary care system is essential for CHW's capacity buildings, necessary supervisory arrangements, supply of logistics and medications and setting up effective recording and reporting systems for prevention and control of NCDs in Nepal.

Non-communicable disease (NCD) corners in public sector health facilities in Bangladesh: a qualitative study assessing challenges and opportunities for improving NCD services at the primary healthcare level.

OBJECTIVE: To explore healthcare providers' perspective on non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention and management services provided through the NCD corners in Bangladesh and to examine challenges and opportunities for strengthening NCD services delivery at the primary healthcare level. DESIGN: We used a grounded theory approach involving in-depth qualitative interviews with healthcare providers. We also used a health facility observation checklist to assess the NCD corners' service readiness. Furthermore, a stakeholder meeting with participants from the government, non-government organisations (NGOs), private sector, universities and news media was conducted. SETTING: Twelve subdistrict health facilities, locally known as upazila health complex (UHC), across four administrative divisions. PARTICIPANTS: Participants for the in-depth qualitative interviews were health service providers, namely upazila health and family planning officers (n=4), resident medical officers (n=6), medical doctors (n=4) and civil surgeons (n=1). Participants for the stakeholder meeting were health policy makers, health programme managers, researchers, academicians, NGO workers, private health practitioners and news media reporters. RESULTS: Participants reported that diabetes, hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were the major NCD-related problems. All participants acknowledged the governments' initiative to establish the NCD corners to support NCD service delivery. Participants thought the NCD corners have contributed substantially to increase NCD awareness, deliver NCD care and provide referral services. However, participants identified challenges including lack of specific guidelines and standard operating procedures; lack of trained human resources; inadequate laboratory facilities, logistics and medications; and poor recording and reporting systems. CONCLUSION: The initiative taken by the Government of Bangladesh to set up the NCD corners at the primary healthcare level is appreciative. However, the NCD corners are still at nascent stage to provide prevention and management services for common NCDs. These findings need to be taken into consideration while expanding the NCD corners in other UHCs throughout the country.

Prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity and their associated risk factors in Nepalese adults: Data from a Nationwide Survey, 2016.

INTRODUCTION: Over the past few decades, the total population of Nepal has increased substantially with rapid urbanization, changing lifestyle and disease patterns. There is anecdotal evidence that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and associated risk factors are becoming key public health challenges. Using nationally representative survey data, we estimated the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity among Nepalese adults and explored socio-demographic factors associated with these conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used the Nepal Demographic Health Survey 2016 data. Sample selection was based on stratified two-stage cluster sampling in rural areas and three stages in urban areas. Weight and height were measured in all adult women and men. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using Asian specific BMI cut-points. RESULTS: A total of 13,542 adults aged 18 years and above (women 58.19%) had their weight and height measured. The mean (±SD) age was 40.63±16.82 years (men 42.75±17.27, women 39.15±16.34); 41.13% had no formal education and 60.97% lived in urban areas. Overall, 17.27% (95% CI: 16.64-17.91) were underweight; 31.16% (95% CI: 30.38-31.94) overweight/obese. The prevalence of both underweight (women 18.30% and men 15.83%, p<0.001) and overweight/obesity (women 32.87% and men 28.77%, p<0.001) was higher among women. The older adults (≥65 years) (aOR: 2.40, 95% CI: 1.92-2.99, p<0.001) and the adults of poorest wealth quintile (aOR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.62-2.59, p<0.001) were more likely to be underweight. The younger age adults (36-45 years) (aOR: 3.05, 95% CI: 2.61-3.57, p<0.001) and women (aOR: 1.53, 95% CI 1.39-1.68, p<0.001) were more likely to be overweight or obese. Also, all adults were twice likely to overweight/obese (p<0.001). No significant difference was observed for overweight/obesity by ecological regions and place of residence (urban vs. rural). CONCLUSION: These findings confirm co-existence of double burden of underweight and overweight/obesity among Nepalese adults. These conditions are associated with increased risk of developing NCDs. Therefore, effective public health intervention approaches emphasizing improved primary health care systems for NCDs prevention and care and using multi-sectoral approach, is essential.