O consumo de drogas e álcool constitui cada vez mais um problema social e de saúde pública, pelas consequências negativas que provocam no desenvolvimento emocional e físico dos indivíduos. Existem poucas referências na literatura avaliando o uso destas substâncias por portadores de doença falciforme (DF). Estes pacientes apresentam crises álgicas severas, recorrentes, frequentemente controladas por opióides. O comprometimento da qualidade de vida predispõe a ocorrência de transtornos psiquiátricos não-psicóticos, como depressão por exemplo, tornando o grupo vulnerável ao uso abusivo de substâncias. Objetivos: avaliar o consumo de álcool e drogas em pacientes portadores de DF acompanhados pelo Centro de Referência de Doença Falciforme (CRAF) do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), estimar o percentual de pacientes em tratamento da doença falciforme que fazem uso abusivo de álcool e drogas, e colaborar com o estudo que avaliará a efetividade de um centro de referência multidisciplinar para esta população. Métodos: estudo transversal, de uma amostra de conveniência, com 139 pacientes portadores de DF acompanhados no CRAF do HCPA. Resultados: a prevalência do uso abusivo foi de 1,5% para o álcool e 3,0% para o tabaco, e não se identificou o uso abusivo de outras substâncias, inclusive opióides. O padrão para o uso de substâncias não foi influenciado pela exposição ou por transtornos psiquiátricos não-psicóticos. Conclusão: São necessários mais estudos para reforçar estes achados, mas demonstra-se a segurança do uso de analgésicos opióides para o manejo das crises dolorosas apresentadas pelos portadores de DF. / Drug abuse is increasingly becoming a social and public health problem, because of the negative consequences that such abuse causes on the emotional and physical development of individuals. There are few references in the literature evaluating the use of these substances by individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD). These patients have severe and recurrent pain crises, frequently needing opioids drugs to control it. The compromised quality of life can predispose this population to the occurrence of non-psychotic psychiatric disorders such as depression, making them vulnerable to substance abuse. Objectives: To evaluate the level of consumption of alcohol and drugs in patients with SCD followed by Sickle Cell Disease Reference Center (CRAF) at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre; to estimate the percentage of patients in treatment of SCD who abuse alcohol and drugs, and to collaborate with the study evaluating the effectiveness of the CRAF. Methods: cross-sectional study of a convenience sample of 139 patients with SCD treated at CRAF. Results: the prevalence of abusive use of the studied population was 1.5% for alcohol and 3.0% for tobacco, and no abusive use of any other substance, including opioids, was identified. It was verified that the pattern for substance use was not influenced by exposure to substances or the presence of non-psychotic psychiatric disorders. Conclusion: More studies are needed to reinforce these findings, but they suggested that the use of opioid analgesics for the management of SCD painful crises is safe and do not induces substance abuse.

O consumo de drogas e álcool constitui cada vez mais um problema social e de saúde pública, pelas consequências negativas que provocam no desenvolvimento emocional e físico dos indivíduos. Existem poucas referências na literatura avaliando o uso destas substâncias por portadores de doença falciforme (DF). Estes pacientes apresentam crises álgicas severas, recorrentes, frequentemente controladas por opióides. O comprometimento da qualidade de vida predispõe a ocorrência de transtornos psiquiátricos não-psicóticos, como depressão por exemplo, tornando o grupo vulnerável ao uso abusivo de substâncias. Objetivos: avaliar o consumo de álcool e drogas em pacientes portadores de DF acompanhados pelo Centro de Referência de Doença Falciforme (CRAF) do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), estimar o percentual de pacientes em tratamento da doença falciforme que fazem uso abusivo de álcool e drogas, e colaborar com o estudo que avaliará a efetividade de um centro de referência multidisciplinar para esta população. Métodos: estudo transversal, de uma amostra de conveniência, com 139 pacientes portadores de DF acompanhados no CRAF do HCPA. Resultados: a prevalência do uso abusivo foi de 1,5% para o álcool e 3,0% para o tabaco, e não se identificou o uso abusivo de outras substâncias, inclusive opióides. O padrão para o uso de substâncias não foi influenciado pela exposição ou por transtornos psiquiátricos não-psicóticos. Conclusão: São necessários mais estudos para reforçar estes achados, mas demonstra-se a segurança do uso de analgésicos opióides para o manejo das crises dolorosas apresentadas pelos portadores de DF. / Drug abuse is increasingly becoming a social and public health problem, because of the negative consequences that such abuse causes on the emotional and physical development of individuals. There are few references in the literature evaluating the use of these substances by individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD). These patients have severe and recurrent pain crises, frequently needing opioids drugs to control it. The compromised quality of life can predispose this population to the occurrence of non-psychotic psychiatric disorders such as depression, making them vulnerable to substance abuse. Objectives: To evaluate the level of consumption of alcohol and drugs in patients with SCD followed by Sickle Cell Disease Reference Center (CRAF) at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre; to estimate the percentage of patients in treatment of SCD who abuse alcohol and drugs, and to collaborate with the study evaluating the effectiveness of the CRAF. Methods: cross-sectional study of a convenience sample of 139 patients with SCD treated at CRAF. Results: the prevalence of abusive use of the studied population was 1.5% for alcohol and 3.0% for tobacco, and no abusive use of any other substance, including opioids, was identified. It was verified that the pattern for substance use was not influenced by exposure to substances or the presence of non-psychotic psychiatric disorders. Conclusion: More studies are needed to reinforce these findings, but they suggested that the use of opioid analgesics for the management of SCD painful crises is safe and do not induces substance abuse.

Magister Public Health - MPH / Background: Globally, neonatal mortality (i.e. deaths occurring during the first month of life) accounts for 44% of the 11 million infants that die every year (Lawn, Cousens Zupan, 2005). Early detection of illness and referral of mothers and infants during the peri-natal period to higher levels of care can lead to substantial reductions in maternal and child mortality in developing countries. Establishing effective referral systems from the community to health facilities can be achieved through greater utilization of community health workers and improved health seeking behaviour. Study design: The Good Start Saving Newborn Lives study being conducted in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal, is a community randomized trial to assess the effect of an integrated home visit package delivered to mothers during pregnancy and post delivery on uptake of PMTCT interventions and appropriate newborn care practices. The home visit package is delivered by community health workers in fifteen intervention clusters. Control clusters receive routine health facility antenatal and postpartum care. For any identified danger signs during a home visit, community health workers write a referral and if necessary refer infants to a local clinic or hospital. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of this referral system by describing community health worker referral completion rates as well as health-care seeking practices and perceptions of mothers. A cross- sectional survey was undertaken using a structured questionnaire with all mothers who had been referred to a clinic or hospital by a community health worker since the start of the Good Start Saving Newborn Lives Trial. Data collection: Informed consent was obtained from willing participants. Interviews were conducted by a trained research assistant in the mothers home or at the study offices. Road to Health Cards were reviewed to confirm referral completion. Data was collected by means of a cell phone (mobile researcher software) and the database was later transferred to Epi-info and STATA IC 11 for analysis. Descriptive analysis was conducted so as to establish associations between explanatory factors and referral completion and to describe referral processes experienced by caregivers. Significant associations between categorical variables were assessed using chi square tests and continuous variables using analysis of variance. Results: A total of 2423 women were enrolled in the SNL study and 148 had received a referral for a sick infant by a CHW by June 2010. The majority (95%) of infants were referred only once during the time of enrolment, the highest number of which occurred within the first 4 weeks of life (62%) with 22% of these being between birth and 2 weeks of age. Almost all mothers (95%) completed the referral by taking their child to a health facility. Difficulty in breathing and rash accounted for the highest number of referrals (26% and 19% respectively). None of the six mothers who did not complete referral recognised any danger signs in their infants. In only 16% of cases did a health worker give written feedback on the outcome of the referral to the referring CHW. Conclusion: This study found high compliance with referrals for sick infants by community health workers in Umlazi. This supports the current primary health care re-engineering process being undertaken by the South African National Department of Health (SANDOH) which will involve the establishment of family health worker teams including community health workers. A key function of these workers will be to conduct antenatal and postnatal visits to women in their homes and to identify and refer ill children. Failure of mothers to identify danger signs in the infant was associated with non-completion of referral. This highlights the need for thorough counseling of mothers during the antenatal and early postnatal period on neonatal danger signs which can be reinforced by community health workers. Most of the referrals in this study were neonates which strengthens the need for home visit packages delivered by community health workers during the antenatal and post-natal period as currently planned by the South African National Department of Health.Recommendations: This study supports the current plans of the Department of Health for greater involvement of CHWs in Primary Health Care. Attention should be given to improving communication between health facilities and CHWs to ensure continuity of care and greater realization of a team approach to PHC. / South Africa

Please read the abstract in the dissertation Copyright / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Although the importance of early identification and intervention of infants at risk for communication delays and disorders have been advocated and emphasized in literature, case finding and service delivery in rural areas in South Africa appears to be problematic. The implementation of early communication intervention (ECI) within public service delivery has been proposed in the past. The primary health care (PHC) package had to be considered as a possible vehicle to be utilized for the implementation of ECI functions in rural communities. Against this background the existing identification methods and referral systems, utilized in Ditsobotla sub-district, were described in the current study to determine the limitations in case finding, and the feasibility of the implementation of ECI functions in collaboration with other PHC programmes. A descriptive dominant-less-dominant model provided the design to describe the identification process and teamwork in Ditsobotla sub-district. Data triangulation was utilized to improve reliability and validity of results which entailed a rating scale, face-to-face interviews with PHC personnel (participants in Group 1) and face-to-face interviews with PHC programme managers (participants in group 2). The results indicated that the capacity of facilities and human resources to support the implementation of ECI functions vary within the sub-district. Therefore an incremental implementation of ECI functions is feasible in collaboration with the existing PHC package. The current identification methods and referral systems are limited and a great need for collaboration exists. ECI functions need to be implemented formally within the PHC package and guidelines for such an implementation are provided. Furthermore the identification process to be introduced needs to form part of the incremental implementation of ECI functions. The implications are discussed in terms of ECI service delivery in rural South Africa. The proposed process of incremental implementation of ECI functions in rural areas, i.e. Ditsobotla sub-district, within the PHC package is provided. The need to develop identification methods, referral systems and guidelines for the implementation of ECI in PHC are emphasized. Future practice-based research is recommended in order to improve ECI service delivery in rural areas in South Africa. Copyright / Dissertation (MCommunication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / Unrestricted

Introduktion Röntgenremissen ligger till grund för röntgensjuksköterskan och radiologens planering och utförande av undersökning. Det är av stor vikt att remitterande läkare skriver en informativ och relevant remiss för att röntgensjuksköterskor ska ha möjlighet att utföra ett patient- och personalsäkert arbete som samtidigt är effektivt. Tidigare forskning visar att bristfälliga remisser förekommer runt om i världen. Syfte Att undersöka och sammanställa röntgensjuksköterskans upplevda brister i akuta konventionella röntgenremisser. Metod Kvantitativ enkätstudie med fem deltagande röntgensjuksköterskor från ett sjukhus i norra Sverige. Kartläggning av vilka brister som kan finnas i röntgenremissen utan någon djupare statistisk analys. Resultat Av de besvarade 71 remisserna, 33 från hälsocentral och 38 från annan remittent upplevdes 32 remisser tillfredsställande. Brister förekom i 39 remisser varav 17 remisser från hälsocentral och 22 remisser från annan remittent. Vissa remisser ansågs tillfredsställande trots brister. Slutsats Studien visar att allvarliga brister i remisser till akut konventionell röntgen förekommer i olika utsträckning. Brister i remisser leder till mer arbete för röntgensjuksköterskan när möjligheterna att planera och prioritera försämras. / Introduction The x-ray referral is the basis for the radiographer and radiologist’s planning and execution of a radiographic study. It is of critical importance that the referring physician writes an informative and thorough referral for the radiographer to conduct at safe and efficient study from a staff and patient perspective. The literature on the subject shows that suboptimal referrals occur throughout the world. Purpose To study and compile the radiographers experienced deficiencies of acute conventional x-ray referrals. Method A quantitative survey study with 5 participating radiographers at a hospital located in the north of Sweden. Results Among the 71 referrals included in the study, 33 from primary care and 38 from a different referring medical professional 32 were noted as satisfactory. Deficiencies occurred in 39 referrals, 17 from primary care physicians and 22 from other medical professionals. Some referrals were considered satisfactory even though they contained some deficiency. Conclusion The study shows that severe errors are occurring in a significant number of referrals to the emergency conventional x-ray unit. Deficiencies in referrals leads to more work for the radiographer when the opportunities to plan and prioritize deteriorate.

Master of Public Health - MPH / Background: According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 340 000 children between 0-14years of age are living with HIV in South Africa as of 2019. Decentralization of HIV services was included in South Africa’s paediatric guidelines since 2010 in a bid to improve access to care. The current study sought to address the paucity of Eastern Cape (EC) data on the outcomes of down-referred paediatric antiretroviral therapy (ART) patients. These outcomes included retention in care (RIC) and virological suppression after 12 months Methodology: This retrospective analysis was conducted in the Buffalo City Municipality (BCM) district of the EC. The study population included HIV positive males and females, 0-14 years of age at transfer, who were initiated on ART at a tertiary or a regional hospital and subsequently down-referred, between June 2013 and June 2017. Data were collected from electronic databases at the facilities (Tier.net), patient files and patient registers. A descriptive analysis was performed using SPSS Statistics software version 26. Results: In total, 80.1% of patients successfully down-referred to a primary healthcare (PHC) facility, in a median of 42 days. Of those, 95.4% of patients were retained in care at 6 months and 93.1% at 12 months after arrival, with a median of 4 scheduled monthly visits missed. For those with results, virological suppression was maintained in 96.7% of patients at 6 months, 92.2% at 12 months and 96.2% for the entire post-transfer period of 2-14 months. In the 2-14 months post down-referral only 76.9% of patients had at least one viral load (VL) result and 50.3% had one CD4 result. For those with results, immune response (IR) to ART was maintained in 100% of patients at 6 months, 94.3% at 12 months and 97.7% in the 2-14 month period post successful down-referral. Conclusions: This study confirmed that loss to follow-up (LTFU) and treatment interruption at the point of transfer are significant risk factors for paediatric ART patients. This study also demonstrated high levels of RIC once patients had successfully down-referred. However, missed clinic visits suggest possible treatment interruptions for many patients post down-referral. While good virological and immunological responses to ART were maintained at the PHC facilities, suboptimal VL and CD4 monitoring was highlighted by the low proportion of available results. Therefore, while there are a number of issues to address, this study confirms that down-referral is a feasible option for up-scaling paediatric HIV care in the EC.

One of the biggest responsibilities of today’s marketing managers is to use their financial and labour resources in the most efficient way. However, any kind of traditional marketing method which is designed and spread by the seller is both costly and less influential on customer’s buying behaviour. Word of Mouth, which can simply be explained as any marketing action that leads to earn customer recommendation, (Word of Mouth Marketing Association) helps organizations to burst their sales revenues while decreasing their marketing budgets. WOM is considered as more transparent, more credible and more relevant by customers. Besides, it is a cheaper way of advertisement for organizations due to its organic spread characteristic. Therefore, marketers should focus on creating strategic marketing actions that will keep WOM effect at the peak level. This research attempts to disprove the common belief that, WOM cannot be controlled by the seller itself. Especially, the effort will be put on Business to Business relationships, which are usually considered more unreactive to WOM communication. In order to achieve that, author will provide a four-step WOM analysis framework to its readers. First, transactions mapping will be utilised to see possible areas of WOM development. Afterwards, WOM actors of the market will be identified and customer decision cycle elements will be disclosed in order to understand the WOM potential of a particular market. Final step of the framework will be the calculation of Customer’s Total Value which is composed of their Lifetime and Referral Values. Research also includes an online survey, whose results are converted to numerical data in order to determine Customers´ Referral Value. In the final part, Telefónica Data/Capacity Services´ customers will be ranked according to their total values and a Customer Value Matrix will be created. Customers will be segmented into four main groups named as Champions, Affluents, Advocates and Misers; all of which have different buying and WOM characteristics. Ultimately, tailored WOM strategies will be advised in order to maximize each group’s total value.

This study deals with sport's controversial dependence on the gambling market. The aim of the study is to analyse the comments of authorities, organisations and associations regarding the governmental public inquiry (SOU 2017:30) A re-regulated gambling market. The method used to collect and analyse data was a literature review in the form of a qualitative content analysis. The gambling market brings enormous amounts of money to the Swedish sports movement. The gambling policy that has been pursued in Sweden has encouraged the gambling market to return profit money to the sports movement. The problem has thus been to be able to apply national laws to foreign gambling companies. The advent of the Gambling Act (2018:1138) brought some significant changes, most notably the introduction of the licensing system and the 18 percent excise tax.  The results of the study show that the advent of the Gambling Act (2018:1138) has provided the opportunity for the state to collect taxes from foreign gambling companies and to be able to work more effectively against gambling abuse. Furthermore, it means creating a balance to meet the demand in the gambling market as well as being able to provide a high level of consumer protection.

This prospective descriptive study describes the referral patterns to the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital. The study was conducted from 1st July to 31st December 1987 and entailed the collection of all referral letters presented (9288) to the hospital and the analysis of a sample of these letters (4702). The results indicated: * The patients are similar in terms of age and sex to those attending the Outpatients Department except that relatively fewer referred patients are Black. * The private sector, i.e. general practitioners, is the largest referral agency followed by Day Hospitals. * Most patients were ref erred to the Outpatients Department without an appointment. * Of the specialist clinics, the surgical clinics, i.e. Ophthalmology and Ear, Nose and Throat Clinics, were utilised the most. * The majority of patients (84,90%) were not admitted. * The contact made by the hospital with referral agents was poor (only in 30,30%). * The quality of information in referral letters was generally poor and did not contribute to patient care. Recommendations are made to the hospital and relevant health authorities.