The subject of my diploma thesis is the processing of project documentation of the construction part for the realization of the new build private health centre Proficlinic in the outskirts of České Budějovice. It is a two-storey partially basement building. On the first floor there is a pharmacy with the preparation of cytostatics, surgery x-ray and facilities for staff. On the underground floor there are technical facilities for new buildings and storage facilities. On the second floor there are individual surgeries and day care center of oncology. The ceilings are made of prestressed panels. The roof of the building is flat single-skinned.

The main goal of the Strategy for the Reform of Psychiatric Care, published in 2013 by the Ministry of Health of the Czech republic, was to improve the quality of life of people suffering from mental illness. One of the results of this strategy was the emergence of new mental health centres. These mental health centres are meant to provide individualized social and health care to people with mental illness in order to prevent or minimize their hospitalization. The service is ensured by multidisciplinary teams which include professionals such as psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, and social workers. Case management is supposed to be a dominant form of the service provided. The theoretical part of the thesis describes the historical context of the case management and its recent exploitation in the mental health centres in the Czech republic. The empirical part focuses on a particular multidisciplinary team applying the case management method. Through qualitative research, it aims to identify the different parts of the case management and the constraints and obstacles of its application. The analysis of the data collected brings the definition of the key problem areas the team is facing. The final part of the thesis provides recommendations for further development and proposes steps...

This cross-sectional exploratory and descriptive quantitative study explored the factors that impact on feeding practices of infants 0-12 months, encountered in the Child Welfare Clinic in Tema Manhean Health Centre and to determine the possible factors that lead to malnutrition. The population for this study comprised all infants who attended the Child Welfare Clinic at the Tema Manhean Health Centre. Three hundred and ninety infants participated in this study. Data was collected by means of a structured questionnaire and analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20. Findings of the study revealed that a larger number of the mothers were still breastfeeding at the time of data collection. All infants aged six months or older were given complementary foods. Some of the factors found to be associated with infant malnutrition included education of mother, employment status of mother, marital status, cultural practices and parity. / Health Studies / M.A.(Public Health)

Healthcare waste management is very important due to its hazardous nature that can cause risk to human health and the environment. The study wished to determine the amount of healthcare waste generated in 15 public health centres and 3 hospitals and evaluate the healthcare waste management practices in Addis Ababa City Administration. The aim of the study was to develop a manual for healthcare facilities based on the findings on healthcare waste management practice, quantification and intervention. Data was obtained from questionnaires distributed to 636 randomly selected healthcare professionals, ancillary staff and managers and by means of surveying the facilities. The mean HCW generation rate was 10.64 + 5.79 kg/day, of which 37.26% (3.96 + 2.017kg/day) was general waste and 62.74% (6.68 + 4.293 kg/day) was hazardous waste from the surveyed health centres. HCW generation and quantification was not measured and documented in any of the HCFs. Quantifying HCW would help determine the type of waste as well as the HCFs that generate the highest and lowest HCW, which could have implications for resource allocation in managing HCW. Segregation of different types of wastes was not regularly done. Some HCFs had separate storage areas for HCW and separate containers for hazardous and nonhazardous waste. In some instances, however, the containers were not clearly marked. Regarding storage, some of the HCFs had interim storage sites and HCW disposal sites. Several interim storage facilities lacked security and surveillance and were not cleaned after collection. In addition, HCW remained at the interim storage facilities for more than 48 hours before final disposal. The main forms of on-site treatment of HCW before disposal were burning, crushing sharps, sterilisation and chemical disinfection. The most common treatment method used for HCW was incineration. Most HCW handlers had not received adequate training; did not wear PPE, and did not take precautionary measures, such as washing their hands and heavy duty gloves after handling HCW. The researcher developed a manual for effective HCW management and training of HCW handlers. Based on the findings, the study makes recommendations for policy, education, HCW management, including generation, segregation, storage, transportation and disposal, and further research. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

High prevalence of mental illness in South African and limited Mental Health Care (MHC) resources call for ways to supplement the overburdened system to meet the rehabilitative and supportive needs of service users as stipulated in the MHC Act no. 17 of 2002. Various psychological, social, and financial difficulties plaguing MHC users require holistic treatment intervention to help them cope with their conditions. This study explored the meaning of a Tshwane District community-based support group for MHC out-patients to help illuminate the value the group had for the members. A Social Constructionist epistemology informed the qualitative research approach. Data were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews and employing a collage-making method. The main themes illuminated by thematic analysis suggest that the group provided the members with a sense of belonging, mental and physical mobilisation and stimulation, a source of support, multiple learning experiences, and contributed to personal transformation and growth. / Psychology / M.A. (Social Science (Research Consultation))

High prevalence of mental illness in South African and limited Mental Health Care (MHC) resources call for ways to supplement the overburdened system to meet the rehabilitative and supportive needs of service users as stipulated in the MHC Act no. 17 of 2002. Various psychological, social, and financial difficulties plaguing MHC users require holistic treatment intervention to help them cope with their conditions. This study explored the meaning of a Tshwane District community-based support group for MHC out-patients to help illuminate the value the group had for the members. A Social Constructionist epistemology informed the qualitative research approach. Data were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews and employing a collage-making method. The main themes illuminated by thematic analysis suggest that the group provided the members with a sense of belonging, mental and physical mobilisation and stimulation, a source of support, multiple learning experiences, and contributed to personal transformation and growth. / Psychology / M.A. (S.S. (Research Consultation))

The legalising of abortion in many countries has given women the choice or right to decide to terminate pregnancy. The Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act (Act No 92 of 1996) was promulgated in 1997. This legislation promotes reproductive rights including to choose between having an unwanted pregnancy terminated early, safely and legally. The legislation affects both the women who choose to terminate pregnancy and the staff involved in the termination of pregnancy (TOP) procedures. This exploratory, descriptive and contextual qualitative study was designed to gain insight into the experiences of registered nurses in the procedure for termination of pregnancy and to explore recommendations based on these experiences. The researcher adopted a phenomenological approach. Participants were drawn from registered nurses providing TOP services at Soshanguve Community Health Centre near Pretoria. Registered nurses have the right to refuse to participate in TOP, those that do provide the service are exposed to emotional and psychological trauma. / Health Studies / M.A.

The aim of this study was to assess the extent on how effective was the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection at Oshakati District Health Centre. Explanatory survey was used to conduct the research. A total of 160 nurses experienced in prevention of mother-to-child transmission and women who attended antenatal care and post natal care services participated in the study. Respondents expressed unsatisfactory with the promoting involvement of male partners, high quality voluntary counselling and testing services, couple counselling and testing, integration of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy services, administration of short course of Zidovudine to pregnant mothers and the provision of antiretroviral drugs to infants. Therefore, promoting involvement of male partners, couple counselling and testing, administration of short course of Zidovudine to pregnant mothers and educating women about exclusive breastfeeding prior to delivery are some of recommendations for effective prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV infections. / Health Studies / (M.A. (Public Health))

Aim of the study is to explore the role caring practices within the nurse-patient relationship, in facilitating effective chronic pain management in the primary health care context. Objectives are to analyse the current caring practices within the nurse-patient relationship during the management of patients with chronic pain within primary health care services; explore the challenges experienced by nurses in primary health care services when managing patients with chronic pain; observe the caring practices within the nurse patient interaction for the patients suffering from chronic pain within the Primary health care setting and explain the nurses‟ caring practices when managing their chronic pain in the primary health care setting. Method The research design for this study is sequential, explanatory and mixed method, which is more appropriate due to the complexity of the phenomenon under study. Findings: Although the survey measured the caring practices subjectively which other studies had done consistently, generally nurses associated caring as their core function within the health profession. Nurses do not actively involve the patients in the development of a treatment plan and as a result the caring behaviours that are intended to benefit the patients are not realised and, thus patients report nurses as not being caring. The results indicated that lack of an inclusive treatment plan, which can only be discovered through the development of the therapeutic NPR, is not given priority in the management of patients with chronic pain Conclusions: Caring should not be seen as concrete execution of the set of activities towards the patient but rather as a joint venture between the nurse and the patient. The strength of the model developed in this study is the identification of the nurses‟ internal readiness to create a caring environment by experiencing the love, faith and hope before engaging with the patient. / Health Studies

Introduction : La vaccination est l’une des interventions de santé publique les plus efficaces et les plus efficientes. Comme dans la plupart des pays de la région Ouest africaine, le programme national de vaccination a bénéficié du soutien de nombreuses initiatives internationales et nationales dans le but d’accroître la couverture vaccinale. La politique vaccinale du Burkina Faso s’est appuyée sur différentes stratégies à savoir: la vaccination-prospection, la «vaccination commando», le Programme élargi de vaccination (PEV) et les Journées nationales de vaccination. La couverture vaccinale complète des enfants de 12 à 23 mois a certes augmenté, mais elle est restée en deçà des attentes passant de 34,7% en 1993, à 29,3% en 1998 et 43,9% en 2003. Objectif : Le but de cette thèse est d’analyser à plusieurs périodes et à différents niveaux, les facteurs associés à la vaccination complète des enfants de 12 à 23 mois en milieu rural au Burkina Faso. Méthodes : Nous avons utilisé plusieurs stratégies de recherche et quatre sources de données : - les enquêtes démographiques et de santé (EDS) de 1998-1999 et de 2003 - les annuaires statistiques de 1997 et de 2002 - des entretiens individuels auprès de décideurs centraux, régionaux et d’acteurs de terrain, œuvrant pour le système de santé du Burkina Faso - des groupes de discussion et des entretiens individuels auprès de populations desservies par des centres de santé et de promotion sociale (niveau le plus périphérique du système de santé) et du personnel local de santé. Des approches quantitatives (multiniveau) et qualitatives ont permis de répondre à plusieurs questions, les principaux résultats sont présentés sous forme de trois articles. Résultats : Article 1: « Les facteurs individuels et du milieu de vie associés à la vaccination complète des enfants en milieu rural au Burkina Faso : une approche multiniveau ». En 1998, bien que la propension à la vaccination s’accroisse significativement avec le niveau de vie des ménages et l’utilisation des services de santé, ces 2 variables n’expliquent pas totalement les différences de vaccination observées entre les districts. Plus de 37 % de la variation de la vaccination complète est attribuable aux différences entre les districts sanitaires. A ce niveau, si les ressources du district semblent jouer un rôle mineur, un accroissement de 1 % de la proportion de femmes éduquées dans le district accroît de 1,14 fois les chances de vaccination complète des enfants. Article 2: « Rates of coverage and determinants of complete vaccination of children in rural areas of Burkina Faso (1998 - 2003) ». Entre 1998 et 2003, la couverture vaccinale complète a augmenté en milieu rural, passant de 25,90% à 41,20%. Alors que les ressources du district n’ont présenté aucun effet significatif et que celui de l’éducation s’est atténué avec le temps, le niveau de vie et l’expérience d’utilisation des services de santé par contre, restent les facteurs explicatifs les plus stables de la vaccination complète des enfants. Mais, ils n’expliquent pas totalement les différences de vaccination complète qui persistent entre les districts. Malgré une tendance à l’homogénéisation des districts, 7.4% de variation de la vaccination complète en 2003 est attribuable aux différences entre les districts sanitaires. Article 3: « Cultures locales de vaccination : le rôle central des agents de santé. Une étude qualitative en milieu rural du Burkina Faso ». L’exploration des cultures locales de vaccination montre que les maladies cibles du PEV sont bien connues de la population et sont classées parmi les maladies du «blanc», devant être traitées au centre de santé. Les populations recourent à la prévention traditionnelle, mais elles attribuent la régression de la fréquence et de la gravité des épidémies de rougeole, coqueluche et poliomyélite à la vaccination. La fièvre et la diarrhée post vaccinales peuvent être vues comme un succès ou une contre-indication de la vaccination selon les orientations de la culture locale de vaccination. Les deux centres de santé à l’étude appliquent les mêmes stratégies et font face aux mêmes barrières à l’accessibilité. Dans une des aires de santé, l’organisation de la vaccination est la meilleure, le comité de gestion y est impliqué et l’agent de santé est plus disponible, accueille mieux les mères et est soucieux de s’intégrer à la communauté. On y note une meilleure mobilisation sociale. Le comportement de l’agent de santé est un déterminant majeur de la culture locale de vaccination qui à son tour, influence la performance du programme de vaccination. Tant dans la sphère professionnelle que personnelle il doit créer un climat de confiance avec la population qui acceptera de faire vacciner ses enfants, pour autant que le service soit disponible. Résultats complémentaires : le PEV du Burkina est bien structuré et bien supporté tant par un engagement politique national que par la communauté internationale. En plus de la persistance des inégalités de couverture vaccinale, la pérennité du programme reste un souci de tous les acteurs. Conclusion : Au delà des conclusions propres à chaque article, ce travail a permis d’identifier plusieurs facteurs critiques qui permettraient d’améliorer le fonctionnement et la performance du PEV du Burkina Faso et également de pays comparables. Le PEV dispose de ressources adéquates, ses dimensions techniques et programmatiques sont bien maîtrisées et les différentes initiatives internationales soutenues par les bailleurs de fonds lui ont apporté un support effectif. Le facteur humain est crucial : lors du recrutement du personnel de santé, une attention particulière devrait être accordée à l’adoption d’attitudes d’ouverture et d’empathie vis-à-vis de la population. Ce personnel devrait être en nombre suffisant au niveau périphérique et surtout sa présence et sa disponibilité devraient être effectives. Les liens avec la population sont à renforcer par une plus grande implication du comité de gestion dans l’organisation de la vaccination et en définissant plus clairement le rôle des agents de santé villageois. Ces différents points devraient constituer des objectifs du PEV et à ce titre faire l’objet d’un suivi et d’une évaluation adéquats. Finalement, bien que la gratuité officielle de la vaccination ait réduit les barrières financières, certaines entraves demeurent et elles devraient être levées pour améliorer l’accès aux services de vaccination. / Introduction: Vaccination is one of the most effective and efficient public health interventions. As in most West African countries, Burkina Faso’s national program of vaccination has benefited from the support of numerous international and national initiatives aimed at increasing vaccination coverage. Burkina Faso’s immunization policy has relied on a variety of strategies, such as door-to-door canvassing for vaccination, the “Vaccination Commando” campaign, the Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI), and National Immunization Days. While vaccination coverage of children ages 12–23 months has increased, it has nevertheless remained well below expectations, going from 34.7% in 1993 to 29.3% in 1998 and subsequently rising to 43.9% in 2003. Objective: The purpose of this thesis is to analyze, at several points in time and on different levels, the factors associated with complete vaccination of children ages 12–23 months in rural areas of Burkina Faso. Methods: To conduct this research we employed several research approaches and four sources of data: - the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) of 1998–1999 and 2003; - the Statistical Yearbooks of 1997 and 2002; - individual interviews with decision-makers at the central and regional levels, as well as with field workers in Burkina’s healthcare system; - focus groups and individual discussions with people served by the health centres, or centres de santé et de promotion sociale (the most peripheral level of the health system) and with local health workers. Quantitative (multilevel) and qualitative approaches provided answers to several questions; our key results are presented in three articles. Results: Article 1: “Individual and living environment factors associated with complete vaccination of children in rural areas of Burkina Faso: a multilevel approach”. In 1998, although the tendency toward vaccination rose significantly with household standard of living and the use of health services, these two variables did not fully explain the differences in vaccination observed between districts. More than 37% of the variation in complete vaccination was attributable to differences between health districts. At this level, even though district resources appeared to play a minor role in vaccination, a 1% increase in the proportion of educated women in the health district increased children’s chances of being completely vaccinated by a factor of 1.14. Article 2: “Rates of coverage and determinants of complete vaccination of children in rural areas of Burkina Faso (1998–2003)”. Between 1998 and 2003, complete vaccination coverage in rural areas rose from 25.9% to 41.2%. While district resources showed no significant impact on complete vaccination, and that of education diminished over time, the standard of living and the experience of using health services, on the other hand, remained the most stable explanatory factors of complete vaccination of children. However, they did not fully explain the differences in complete vaccination that persisted among districts. Despite a trend toward homogenization of districts, 7.4% of the variation in complete vaccination in 2003 was still attributable to differences between health districts. Article 3: “Local vaccination cultures: the role of health workers. A qualitative study in rural areas of Burkina Faso”. Exploration of local vaccination cultures shows that the diseases targeted by the EPI are well known to the population and are classified among diseases of the “white people” that must be treated in the health centre. People use traditional preventive measures, but they attribute the decline in frequency and seriousness of measles, whooping cough and poliomyelitis epidemics to vaccination. Post-vaccination fever and diarrhoea may be perceived either as sign of success or as a contraindication for further vaccination, depending on the views of the local vaccination culture. The two health centres in the study applied the same strategies and faced the same barriers to accessibility. In one of the health zones, vaccination is the best organized, the management committee is committed, and the health worker is more available, interacts better with mothers and makes efforts to be part of the community; this zone exhibits stronger social involvement. The health worker’s behaviour is a major determinant of local vaccination culture, which in turn influences the performance of the vaccination program. Both professionally and personally, he needs to build a relationship of trust with people that promotes their acceptance of children’s vaccination, as long as the service is available. Supplementary results: Burkina Faso’s EPI is well structured and supported by both a national political commitment and the international community. In addition to persistent disparities in immunization coverage, the program’s sustainability remains a concern shared by all the actors. Conclusion: Beyond the conclusions specific to each article, this research has enabled us to identify several critical factors that would help to improve EPI performance in Burkina Faso, as well as in comparable countries. The EPI has adequate resources, its technical and programmatic resources are well controlled, and various international initiatives backed by funding agencies have provided effective support. The human factor is crucial: when recruiting health workers, particular attention should be given to having open and empathetic attitudes toward people. There should be enough personnel at the peripheral level, and they must have an effective presence and availability. Relationships with the community should be strengthened by having management committees be more involved in organizing vaccination and by defining more clearly the role of village health workers. These points should become EPI objectives and be subject to appropriate monitoring and evaluation. Lastly, even though making vaccinations free has reduced financial barriers, there are still certain constraints that should be removed to improve access to vaccination services.