Contraceptive Agents ; Health Personnel ; Primary Health Care ; Philippines

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Ensuring the total well-being of healthcare workers (HCWs), including their mental health and psychological well-being, is an essential aspect in the delivery of patient care and the preservation of the health workforce. This study aimed to determine the level of mental well-being and emotional state of HCWs in terms of depression, anxiety, and stress using the DASS-21 scale in a tertiary government hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines and to identify the job-related factors that may be associated with these outcomes.

This is an analytical, cross-sectional study among HCWs involved in direct patient care in a tertiary government hospital in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data collection was conducted from February to March 2022 through an online self-administered questionnaire, which included the Demand-Control-Support Questionnaire (DCSQ), and the 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). This was sent to doctors, nurses, and allied medical workers actively working in the clinical areas. All responses were collected and analyzed.

Three hundred sixty-four healthcare workers were included in the study. Majority were single (62.62%), living with immediate family (50.82%), and working in a COVID-designated area (62.09%). High prevalence of depression (49.18%), anxiety (61.54%), and stress (30.22%) was found among the HCWs. Work in high infection/COVID-designated areas was significantly associated with anxiety and stress, and high-job demand was significantly associated with all three mental health states compared to low job-demand.

Focus should be placed on modifying the condition of high job demand among healthcare workers working in hospitals. This includes ensuring optimum staffing levels and patient to HCW ratio which avoids HCWs from being subjected to high workloads and time pressures that subsequently increase risk for stress, anxiety, and depression.

OBJECTIVES

While many healthcare workers (HCWs) contracted COVID-19 during the pandemic, more information is needed to fully understand the potential for adverse health effects in this population segment. The aim of the present study is to examine the association between healthcare worker status and neurologic and clinical outcomes in COVID-19 infected inpatients.

Using the nationwide database provided by the retrospective cohort Philippine CORONA study, we extracted relevant data and performed a secondary analysis primarily focusing on the presentation and outcomes of healthcare workers. Propensity score matching in a 3:1 ratio was performed to match HCWs and non-HCWs. We performed multiple logistic and Cox regression analyses to determine the relationship between HCWs and COVID-19 clinical outcomes.

We included 3,362 patients infected with COVID-19; of which, 854 were HCWs. Among the HCWs, a total of 31 (3.63%) and 45 (5.27%) had the primary outcomes of in-hospital mortality and respiratory failure, respectively. For both overall and 3:1 propensity-matched cohorts, being an HCW significantly decreased the odds of the following outcomes: severe/critical COVID-19 at nadir; in-hospital mortality; respiratory failure; intensive care unit admission; and hospital stay >14 days.

We found that being an HCW is not associated with worse neurologic and clinical outcomes among patients hospitalized for COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION

This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between work stress and dysglycemia among healthcare workers engaged in shift work at a level 1 government hospital in Antipolo City, Philippines.

Work stress was assessed using the Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) Questionnaire, and dysglycemia was measured through a 75g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).

A total of 126 healthcare workers aged 20–55 years participated Results showed that 65.1% of participants experienced work stress, with nurses reporting the highest prevalence (43.9%). Dysglycemia was present in 33.3% of participants, predominantly in the form of impaired glucose tolerance. Despite the high prevalence of both work stress and obesity (61.9%), no statistically significant associations were found between work stress and dysglycemia (p = .51), gender and work stress (p = .59), occupation and work stress (p = .059), or obesity and dysglycemia (p = .70).

The findings suggest that while work stress is common among healthcare workers, especially nurses, it may not directly predict dysglycemia in relatively young and active populations. However, the long-term metabolic risks associated with chronic occupational stress should not be overlooked. Future longitudinal studies with larger samples are recommended to better assess causality and guide workplace wellness programs.

BACKGROUND

This study explored the indigenous knowledge practiced by the traditional Panday in the care of pregnant Meranaw mothers during intrapartum care and how it is perceived by the midwives and the mothers. In analyzing their perspectives, qualitative method of research known as descriptive exploratory research design was utilized. The study gathered insights from 51 individuals.

Data collection methods included interview and observations through thematic content analysis. Four themes emerged: traditional Panday, practices in intrapartum care, midwives' perceptions of traditional Panday, reasons for home births among mothers, and suggested policies and programs for traditional Panday, and mothers.

Data revealed that most traditional Panday, exhibit satisfactory intrapartum care practices, which closely resemble those used in hospitals, indicating their capability to conduct safe home births. Some traditional Panday, demonstrate remarkable skills, such as identifying fetal position and even turning breech babies into the cephalic position during critical labor stages. The integration of herbal methods and Islamic practices, such as the recitation of Azan to the baby's ear, further distinguishes their approach. Regarding midwives' perspectives, opinions varied, with some viewing traditional Panday, as dependable partners, while others perceive them as threats to maternal safety. However, most midwives advocate for finding solutions and improving access to care rather than viewing traditional Panday, as obstacles.

Mothers' preference for home births is attributed to factors such as comfort, privacy, and financial considerations. Traditional Panday, are valued for their modest fees and cultural sensitivity, as they prioritize the well-being and modesty of women in their care.

BACKGROUND

According to the World Health Organization, in 2016, there were more than 1.9 billion adults who were overweight. Of these, over 650 million were obese. Physical inactivity is one of the major risk factors for several non-communicable diseases. Healthcare workers who have direct contact with patients often influence their behaviors. However, health care workers who educate their patients but they themselves do not practice what they recommend, may be one of the barriers that can affect patient education and influence.

This research paper aimed to investigate the motivation to participate in physical activity among healthcare workers and to determine the association between the profile of respondents with the different types of motivation.

There was a total of 250 randomly selected respondents who were included in the study. Data were gathered through a self-administered questionnaire utilizing the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) and the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-2). Descriptive statistics was used to summarize sociodemographic information, physical activity levels and BREQ-2 profiles. T-test was used to analyze differences in gender while analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for levels of physical activity and professional category.

Female healthcare professionals have a higher average in amotivation (mean=0.56) while males have a higher average in intrinsic (mean=2.82) motivation. Nurses and ancillary services have higher average amotivation scores than physicians.

Health care workers who have high classification in physical activity have the highest average scores in terms of relative autonomy index, introjected, identified, and intrinsic scores. This demonstrates a positive association between motivation from internal regulation and increased physical activity.

In the realm of mental health promotion and public mental health, a consistent acknowledgment has prevailed, recognizing the imperative to enhance mental well-being while concurrently preventing mental illnesses. Such recognition extends to the pivotal role that healthcare providers’ overall health plays in their capacity to deliver comprehensive and quality patient care. This study embarked on a journey to illuminate the mental well-being landscape of healthcare workers within the ambit of Chong Hua Hospital, spanning the tumultuous peripandemic period and beyond. Employing a quantitative research design, the standardized Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) was methodically administered to discern the intricate threads of mental well-being. The study’s findings stand poised to serve as the cornerstone for the crafting of an institutional mental health program, meticulously tailored to the diverse needs of healthcare workers within the hospital. Results revealed that resident doctors and the PGIs while generally reporting a high level of mental well-being in the peripandemic period, a sizeable proportion of these medical healthcare workers still succumbed to manifesting poor mental well-being. The paper also proved that married and those who contracted the infection were a notable cohort who recorded a significantly poorer mental well-being. The need to prioritize well-being immediately and after the pandemic so that services are sustained cannot be overemphasized hence the myriad of recommendations for a comprehensive and sustainable institutional mental health program was proposed in this paper.

INTRODUCTION

Burnout is becoming more common among healthcare professionals, notably during the COVID-19 pandemic. It can result in lower performance and effectiveness at work as well as employment withdrawal, all of which affects the standard of healthcare services provided.

In order to ascertain the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation-based interventions (MMBIs) in reducing burnout among healthcare workers, a systematic review and meta-analysis was done.

Two investigators searched records in CENTRAL, PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Preprints, Grey Literature, and cross-referencing to acquire articles using search terms related to “mindfulness meditation”, “healthcare workers”, and “burnout”. Inclusion criteria included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and nonrandomized controlled trials (NRTs) that assessed the effectiveness of MMBIs on burnout as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) among healthcare workers in the hospital setting. Study selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment were done by the investigators independently. Analysis was done using RevMan 5 software, forest plots were generated, and subgroup analyses were done.

Of 25,453 identified records, 28 studies were included. The studies were rated with low to unclear selection bias and high risk of performance bias. MMBIs were associated with significant reduction on the emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment subscales with pooled mean differences of -2.60 (95% CI = -3.64, -1.55), -0.51 (95% CI = -0.77, -0.26), and 0.82 (95% CI = 0.24, 1.39), respectively. On subgroup analyses, the types of MMBI implemented had no influence in the intervention effect noted on all subscales among RCTs but had significant influence among NRTs. Reduction of burnout was noted to be higher in nurses compared with physicians and mixed healthcare workers. Overall quality of evidence for RCTs was low to moderate and very low to low for NRTs.

The results suggest that MMBIs can reduce the burnout symptoms of healthcare workers. To address the high risk of bias of included studies and improve quality of evidence, future research should be done with high-quality RCTs.

BACKGROUND

Healthcare workers’ (HCWs) willingness to report to work despite personal risk is a requisite for an effective pandemic response. At present, there are no local studies that have examined the factors affecting willingness to report to work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To determine the factors associated with willingness to report to work during COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare workers in a tertiary government hospital.

This was a cross sectional study among the nursing staff (nursing attendants, nurses), doctors (residents, fellows), medical technologists, radiologic technologists, and respiratory technicians in a tertiary government hospital, who were employed from January 2021 to January 2022. Data was collected through an online questionnaire and was analyzed using SPSS.

A total of 311 participants included in the study. The median age of the respondents was 34 (29-46) years old. More than a third of the workers were nurses (37%) followed by residents and fellows (34%), nursing attendants (19%), radiologic technologists, medical technologists, and respiratory technicians (10%). Over 4 out of 5 were assigned in a non-COVID area while 11% were assigned in the COVID area. The odds of willingness to report to work is 60% lower among males compared to females. On the other hand, the odds of willingness to report to work was 78% lower among nurses and 84% lower among residents and fellows compared to medical technologist, radiologic technologists, and respiratory therapists. The median rating of the staff on willingness to report to work was 80% (60-90), and 73% of respondents were willing to report to work during the entire COVID-19 pandemic.

Factors that were associated with willingness to report to work were female gender and occupation (radiologic technologists, medical technologists, respiratory technicians).

OBJECTIVES

While the chronically overburdened state of public school teachers in the Philippines is well-established, little is known about how they specifically provide ‘care’ and attend to their students’ health in the workplace. This article addresses that knowledge gap by illustrating the many forms of ‘health work’ undertaken by public school teachers on a daily basis, and analyzing the concrete challenges they face in doing such work. In so doing, this article provides a qualitative construction of school teachers as ‘health workers’ in the country.

This article draws from two focus group discussions conducted in Southern Luzon and Eastern Visayas between November 2018 to May 2019, as part of a multi-sited study on the health-related challenges faced by lowand middle-income Filipinos. A total of 19 teachers participated in those two discussions. We used the principles of thematic analysis to code and analyze the discussion transcripts.

Teachers regularly fulfill various tasks that can be considered health work, including measuring students’ anthropometrics; supervising and administering government programs like deworming, feeding programs, and vaccinations; providing first-aid and various forms of immediate medical attention; addressing students’ mental and psychological health concerns; and working with students’ families in ways that resemble social work. However, the study participants largely considered themselves unqualified to do health work, often sacrificed their own personal health and interpersonal relationships to take on the additional burden of health work, and felt they received insufficient institutional support.

Doing health work not only takes away from actual teaching time, but also comes at the expense of teachers’ own health. Hiring the appropriate personnel to conduct health work and improving legal safeguards are possible solutions to ameliorating the present working conditions of teachers. Yet, the larger and more long-term conversation demands the prioritiziation of teachers’ well-being and overall quality of life, and recognizing the cruciality of a healthy work-life balance for them. Future studies should involve more diverse geographic sites and teacher populations, and utilize more focused forms of analysis (e.g., comparative, policy-driven).