No description available.

Anxiety disorders are among the most common and undertreated mental health disorders in the US (World Health Organization, 2001). Utilizing an online, correlational design and a sample of approximately100 American employees with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), this study will examine the impact of perceived organizational support (POS) on the help seeking behaviors of employees with GAD. It is predicted that POS will be positively correlated with likelihood of treatment seeking among employees with GAD, and negatively correlated with treatment seeking delay. It is further predicted that perceived mental health stigma will mediate the relationship between POS and these treatment-seeking behaviors. This research may hold significant implications for individuals suffering from GAD, as well as organizations that employ these individuals, as it may shed light on critical correlates of help seeking, and how organizations can promote treatment-seeking behaviors.

<p>Background: Malaria is the leading cause of death of Uganda&rsquo / s children under 5 years of age and the number-one cause of illness in adults in Uganda. The success of malaria treatment strategies is closely linked to the behavior of patients and caretakers of young children. In the case of malaria this includes accessing appropriate treatment for&nbsp / suspected malaria in time. In Bungokho Sub County, in spite of the efforts by district health workers and the Ministry of Health to implement the malaria control, prevention and treatment strategies, pregnant women and caretakers of children under 5 years of age continue to present late for treatment in the health units resulting in possible avoidable&nbsp / death or disability. Aim and objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the factors that lead to late presentation of children and pregnant women with malaria for treatment at health units. This was done by exploring the perceptions of caregivers of children under five years and pregnant women on the community&rsquo / s knowledge and understanding of the&nbsp / symptoms and treatment of malaria / and describing perceptions of caregivers and pregnant women on health care provision at the health units and alternative treatment for malaria. Methods :The study was conducted in Bungokho Health sub-district, in Mbale district, Eastern Uganda over a two month period in 2009. It was a descriptive exploratory study using qualitative research methods. Four focus groups were carried out, two with caregivers of children under 5 years and two with pregnant women, with each focus group consisting of eight participants. Two caregivers and two pregnant women were identified from the focus groups for further indepth interviews. Four in-depth interviews were conducted with health unit staff from Bungokho HCVI. Notes were taken and observations made during the focus groups and interviews. The proceedings were audio-taped and recordings used to expand and clarify notes. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze the data and identify recurrent themes from the focus group discussions and&nbsp / interviews of the reasons for late presentation for malaria treatment. Results: All caregivers were women, a significant majority of whom were peasants who had not gone beyond the primary education. Caregivers were aware of the general symptoms of malaria but associated more serious or dangerous symptoms with other causes including&nbsp / witchcraft. Pregnant women, on the other hand, seemed to have sound knowledge of both the general and dangerous symptoms of malaria and were likely to attend the health&nbsp / units timeously for reatment. Religious beliefs and practices, particularly belief in the healing ability of prayers prevented early reporting of malaria cases to health units leading&nbsp / to late presentation. Alternative treatment of malaria from traditional herbalists was also sought by the communities particularly when the intensity of malaria was at its peak during the rainy season. Poverty in the community seemed to play a big role in shaping community preference for treatment sources, as well as early presentation to the health&nbsp / units. It was found that the anticipated cost of laboratory tests and sundries at the health units deterred caregivers from taking children under five to health units. There was therefore a strong reliance (and preference for) community medicine distributor&rsquo / s (CMDs) because of free services and easy access. Lack of support from spouses (in particular husbands) coupled with the rude behavior of health workers towards caregivers and pregnant women discouraged visits to health units. The long waiting time and intermittent drug stock-outs also created a negative perception of service at the health units. Conclusions and recommendations: There is need for further sensitization of communities on the need to seek prompt treatment for children under five years of age at the health units (that is, within 24 hours of the onset of fever). Training and supervision of CMDs should be strengthened to ensure consistent supply of drugs, correct dosage of anti-malarial medication and improvements in the referrals to the health units. In order to improve&nbsp / service delivery at the health units, there is need to review and strengthen human resource management of the health units, including staffing requirements and management&nbsp / practices, such as support and supervision, patient care standards and client feedback mechanisms. It is also important that there are adequate stocks of anti-malarial drugs&nbsp / and laboratory supplies at health units.</p>

<p>Background: Malaria is the leading cause of death of Uganda&rsquo / s children under 5 years of age and the number-one cause of illness in adults in Uganda. The success of malaria treatment strategies is closely linked to the behavior of patients and caretakers of young children. In the case of malaria this includes accessing appropriate treatment for&nbsp / suspected malaria in time. In Bungokho Sub County, in spite of the efforts by district health workers and the Ministry of Health to implement the malaria control, prevention and treatment strategies, pregnant women and caretakers of children under 5 years of age continue to present late for treatment in the health units resulting in possible avoidable&nbsp / death or disability. Aim and objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the factors that lead to late presentation of children and pregnant women with malaria for treatment at health units. This was done by exploring the perceptions of caregivers of children under five years and pregnant women on the community&rsquo / s knowledge and understanding of the&nbsp / symptoms and treatment of malaria / and describing perceptions of caregivers and pregnant women on health care provision at the health units and alternative treatment for malaria. Methods :The study was conducted in Bungokho Health sub-district, in Mbale district, Eastern Uganda over a two month period in 2009. It was a descriptive exploratory study using qualitative research methods. Four focus groups were carried out, two with caregivers of children under 5 years and two with pregnant women, with each focus group consisting of eight participants. Two caregivers and two pregnant women were identified from the focus groups for further indepth interviews. Four in-depth interviews were conducted with health unit staff from Bungokho HCVI. Notes were taken and observations made during the focus groups and interviews. The proceedings were audio-taped and recordings used to expand and clarify notes. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze the data and identify recurrent themes from the focus group discussions and&nbsp / interviews of the reasons for late presentation for malaria treatment. Results: All caregivers were women, a significant majority of whom were peasants who had not gone beyond the primary education. Caregivers were aware of the general symptoms of malaria but associated more serious or dangerous symptoms with other causes including&nbsp / witchcraft. Pregnant women, on the other hand, seemed to have sound knowledge of both the general and dangerous symptoms of malaria and were likely to attend the health&nbsp / units timeously for reatment. Religious beliefs and practices, particularly belief in the healing ability of prayers prevented early reporting of malaria cases to health units leading&nbsp / to late presentation. Alternative treatment of malaria from traditional herbalists was also sought by the communities particularly when the intensity of malaria was at its peak during the rainy season. Poverty in the community seemed to play a big role in shaping community preference for treatment sources, as well as early presentation to the health&nbsp / units. It was found that the anticipated cost of laboratory tests and sundries at the health units deterred caregivers from taking children under five to health units. There was therefore a strong reliance (and preference for) community medicine distributor&rsquo / s (CMDs) because of free services and easy access. Lack of support from spouses (in particular husbands) coupled with the rude behavior of health workers towards caregivers and pregnant women discouraged visits to health units. The long waiting time and intermittent drug stock-outs also created a negative perception of service at the health units. Conclusions and recommendations: There is need for further sensitization of communities on the need to seek prompt treatment for children under five years of age at the health units (that is, within 24 hours of the onset of fever). Training and supervision of CMDs should be strengthened to ensure consistent supply of drugs, correct dosage of anti-malarial medication and improvements in the referrals to the health units. In order to improve&nbsp / service delivery at the health units, there is need to review and strengthen human resource management of the health units, including staffing requirements and management&nbsp / practices, such as support and supervision, patient care standards and client feedback mechanisms. It is also important that there are adequate stocks of anti-malarial drugs&nbsp / and laboratory supplies at health units.</p>

Atrial fibrillation is a common arrhythmia encountered in the emergency department. In the United States, newly diagnosed cases of atrial fibrillation is projected to be 2.6 million cases in 2030 and the annual prevalence of atrial fibrillation is expected to be 12.1 million in 2030 (Colilla et al., 2013). Patients may present to the emergency department for treatment of atrial fibrillation with a variety of symptoms and therefore makes diagnosing atrial fibrillation based on symptomatology challenging for the clinician. The primary goal of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project is to describe symptoms of atrial fibrillation in patients that seek medical treatment in the emergency department. Methods: This descriptive study contains secondary analysis of existing data derived from structured interviews that took place at two academic medical centers. This analysis included 74 patients that presented to the emergency department with symptoms suspected of acute coronary syndrome and were later diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. Descriptive statistics were used to synthesize data, while inferential statistics (bivariate tests) were used to compare symptoms between the age groups. Results: The mean age of subjects was 70 + 13 years, ranging 31 to 92 years. The majority of subjects were men (75.7%) and whites (90.5%). The most common symptoms reported by study subjects included chest discomfort (n = 50; 67.6%), followed by generalized weakness (n = 39; 52.7%) and shortness of breath (n = 39; 52.7%), and palpitations/ funny beating of the heart (n = 36; 48.6%) and unusual fatigue/ tiredness (n = 36; 48.6%). Sweating was the only symptom that was statistically significant in the younger adult group than in the older adult age group. Conclusion: The symptoms identified in this DNP project can be used to aid in identifying patients that present to the emergency with symptomatic atrial fibrillation. Further efforts for the assessment of atrial fibrillation should focus on the dissemination of common although nonspecific symptoms to facilitate the inclusion of atrial fibrillation as part of the differential diagnosis.

Masters of Public Health - see Magister Public Health / Background: Malaria is the leading cause of death of Uganda's children under 5 years of age and the number-one cause of illness in adults in Uganda. The success of malaria treatment strategies is closely linked to the behavior of patients and caretakers of young children. In the case of malaria this includes accessing appropriate treatment for suspected malaria in time. In Bungokho Sub County, in spite of the efforts by district health workers and the Ministry of Health to implement the malaria control, prevention and treatment strategies, pregnant women and caretakers of children under 5 years of age continue to present late for treatment in the health units resulting in possible avoidable death or disability. Aim and objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the factors that lead to late presentation of children and pregnant women with malaria for treatment at health units. This was done by exploring the perceptions of caregivers of children under five years and pregnant women on the community knowledge and understanding of the symptoms and treatment of malaria; and describing perceptions of caregivers and pregnant women on health care provision at the health units and alternative treatment for malaria. Methods :The study was conducted in Bungokho Health sub-district, in Mbale district, Eastern Uganda over a two month period in 2009. It was a descriptive exploratory study using qualitative research methods. Four focus groups were carried out, two with caregivers of children under 5 years and two with pregnant women, with each focus group consisting of eight participants. Two caregivers and two pregnant women were identified from the focus groups for further indepth interviews. Four in-depth interviews were conducted with health unit staff from Bungokho HCVI. Notes were taken and observations made during the focus groups and interviews. The proceedings were audio-taped and recordings used to expand and clarify notes. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze the data and identify recurrent themes from the focus group discussions and&nbsp; interviews of the reasons for late presentation for malaria treatment. Results: All caregivers were women, a significant majority of whom were peasants who had not gone beyond the primary education. Caregivers were aware of the general symptoms of malaria but associated more serious or dangerous symptoms with other causes including witchcraft. Pregnant women, on the other hand, seemed to have sound knowledge of both the general and dangerous symptoms of malaria and were likely to attend the health units timeously for reatment. Religious beliefs and practices, particularly belief in the healing ability of prayers prevented early reporting of malaria cases to health units leading to late presentation. Alternative treatment of malaria from traditional herbalists was also sought by the communities particularly when the intensity of malaria was at its peak during the rainy season. Poverty in the community seemed to play a big role in shaping community preference for treatment sources, as well as early presentation to the health units. It was found that the anticipated cost of laboratory tests and sundries at the health units deterred caregivers from taking children under five to health units. There was therefore a strong reliance (and preference for) community medicine distributor's (CMDs) because of free services and easy access. Lack of support from spouses (in particular husbands) coupled with the rude behavior of health workers towards caregivers and pregnant women discouraged visits to health units. The long waiting time and intermittent drug stock-outs also created a negative perception of service at the health units. Conclusions and recommendations: There is need for further sensitization of communities on the need to seek prompt treatment for children under five years of age at the health units (that is, within 24 hours of the onset of fever). Training and supervision of CMDs should be strengthened to ensure consistent supply of drugs, correct dosage of anti-malarial medication and improvements in the referrals to the health units. In order to improve service delivery at the health units, there is need to review and strengthen human resource management of the health units, including staffing requirements and management practices, such as support and supervision, patient care standards and client feedback mechanisms. It is also important that there are adequate stocks of anti-malarial drugs&nbsp; and laboratory supplies at health units. / South Africa

Few studies regarding treatment seeking behaviour related to Malaria have been conducted in Uganda, and most of the studies regarding use of mosquito nets that have been conducted are quantitative. There is thus a need for qualitative studies for a deeper understanding of the complex issue of coping with malaria in a resource limited setting. The aim of this study is to understand sociocultural and structural factors influencing the coping with malaria in rural Uganda. Focus is on the local experiences, perceptions and hardships regarding seeking treatment for malaria and preventative measures like the use of mosquito nets. A theoretical framework based on Political ecology of health, with a focus on human agency, is used to analyse these issues. The village Nyakasojo in Kasese district was selected for a field study. The main source of information was open-ended interviews conducted in March 2020. The study showed that the main reason for not using mosquito nets was lack of access to nets and easily torn nets, rather than unwillingness to use mosquito nets. Further, the study showed that the unequal access to healthcare in combination with livelihood vulnerability forces people to wait before seeking treatment and/or taking half doses of antimalarials, probably leading to unnecessary malaria transmission. A more holistic approach to malaria control would be beneficial, including the aspect of treatment in addition to the present narrower focus on prevention.

Despite the availability of effective drugs to prevent malaria during pregnancy using intermittent preventive treatment with Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine or Fansidar and insecticide bed net, use of these methods are still little used in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Tanzania. As a result, many pregnant women are at risk of malaria consequences such as maternal anemia and low birth weight babies, which increase the rate of infant mortality. Data from the Demographic Health Survey for Tanzania HIV/AIDs and the Malaria Indicator Survey 2011-2012 were used in a cross-sectional design guided by the health belief model. Logistic regression examined the association between (a) preventive treatment-seeking behavior and (b) SES, malaria media exposure, knowledge of malaria signs and symptoms, perceived seriousness of malaria, and knowledge of malaria preventive measures. After controlling for transportation, family responsibility, and age, significant associations (p < 0.05) were found between SES, malaria media exposure, knowledge of malaria signs and symptom, perceived seriousness of malaria, knowledge of malaria preventive measures, and treatment-seeking behavior. This study contributes to positive social change by helping design and implement policies and programs to improve the knowledge of Tanzanian pregnant women about the risk of malaria infection and the benefits of preventive treatments. Interventions to reduce malaria infection during pregnancy will reduce the associated morbidity and mortality of both mothers and infants; as a result, families and communities will be healthier and prevent unnecessary medical cost of malaria.

No description available.

Unique barriers prevent parents in rural areas from seeking mental health services for their children. The implementation of innovative models of service delivery may reduce these barriers' impact on rural parents' treatment seeking. The purpose of this study was to determine: 1) parents' willingness to use innovative service delivery models; 2) barriers that parents perceive to seeking treatment in each of the 4 service delivery models, and; 3) the relationship between perceived barriers and willingness to seek help in the context of 4 service delivery models. Surveys were distributed to parents of children attending school in several counties in rural Appalachia. Results showed that parents perceived different barriers for different service models and that perceived barriers affected willingness differently depending on the model asked about. These results suggest that the use of innovative models (e.g., telehealth) may be acceptable in rural areas as alternatives to traditional mental health services.