Empirical study on the factors influencing the successful aging of the middle-aged and older adult community volunteers.

Background: The pursuit of successful aging is currently the most important research and policy issue in an aging society. Participating in voluntary services can help middle-aged and older adults recognize the positive value and benefits of social participation, feel a sense of happiness and accomplishment, and improve their overall life satisfaction, which can also contribute to successful aging. This study wants to understand whether the participation motivation and expectation confirmation of middle-aged and older adult volunteering will affect their continuous participation behavior and successful aging because of the satisfaction of actual participation? Objective: This study explores the factors related to middle-aged and older adult volunteering participation and their impact on successful aging. Methods: Middle-aged and older adult volunteering from the East Taiwan Community Development Association and community care centers were taken as the research objects. Convenience sampling was used to select volunteers who were over 45 years old (inclusive) and have participated in voluntary services over five (inclusive) times in the last 6 months. Respondents completed the questionnaire through self-completion or face-to-face interviews with the interviewer. The measurement tools include engagement motivation, expectation validation, satisfaction, ongoing engagement, and successful aging. Results: A total of 536 questionnaires were distributed of which 498 were valid and 38 invalid. The questionnaire recovery rate was 92.91%. Statistical findings include: (1) Those who perceived that their health was good had a better successful aging status than those who perceived that their health was normal. (2) The volunteering participation motivation and expectation confirmation of middle-aged and older adults significantly affected their volunteer participation satisfaction. (3) Participation motivation and expectation confirmation predicted 50.8% of satisfaction. (4) Satisfaction predicted 47.1% of continuous participation. (5) Continuous participation and satisfaction had a predictive power of 65.1% for successful aging. Conclusion: This study confirms that the motivation and expectation of middle-aged and older adult to participate in volunteering will affect their continuous participation behavior and successful aging status through satisfaction. The research results can be used as a reference for the practical work plan of volunteering.

Telehealth care system for chronic disease management of middle-aged and older adults in remote areas.

BACKGROUND: With the global spread of the coronavirus disease pandemic, governments have become more interested in applying telehealth technology in 2020. OBJECTIVE: This study integrates the technology acceptance model and information system success model to explore the influence of satisfaction, attitudes, and continued use of telehealth systems among middle-aged and older people in remote areas. METHODS: The study participants were patients over 40 years (inclusive) who lived in remote townships in eastern Taiwan, were diagnosed with diabetes or hypertension, and used the telehealth care system. In total, 545 questionnaires were returned, resulting in a recovery rate of 99%. RESULTS: Accepting the hypothesized structural equation model, this study found that information, system, and service quality were influenced by the mediating effect of perceived ease of use and the perceived usefulness of the technology acceptance model. The use of telehealth care systems among chronic patients increased significantly.

The Impact of Health Promotion Activities on the Physiological, Psychological, and Social Functions of Inpatients With Chronic Mental Illness.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the impact of the participation of patients with chronic mental illness in health promotion activities on their physical, psychological, and social functions. METHODS: This study included inpatient with chronic mental illness from a hospital in Eastern Taiwan. According to the experimental research design, the selected subjects were randomly divided into a health promotion group and a control group, with 60 people in each group. The health promotion team conducts health promotion activities twice a week, each for approximately 50 minutes, over the course of eight weeks (16 times in total). The measurement instrument adopts the Adult Mental Health Scale (AMHS) scale. Five experts and scholars in related fields are invited to conduct expert validity. RESULTS: Using independent sample t-tests to analyze the changes in the two groups after 8 weeks, the physical, psychological and social problems of the health promotion group were significantly improved compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: Health promotion activities can alleviate the physical illness, anxiety, irritability, depression, and social distress of chronic hospitalized mental patients, and can also increase their positive and optimistic mood. It can provide chronic mental health care institutions to plan patients' physical activities or exercises.

The Effect of Emotional Labor on the Physical and Mental Health of Health Professionals: Emotional Exhaustion Has a Mediating Effect.

(1) Background: Workers who perform emotional labor for an extended period are prone to emotional exhaustion; in particular, when the work exceeds the range of one's emotional resources, it will produce job burnout. This study investigated the effects of emotional labor and emotional exhaustion on the physical and mental health of health professionals. (2) Methods: This study was cross-sectional and the sampling criteria were health professionals from August 2020 to July 2021, including rehabilitators, nutritionists, clinical psychologists, radiologists, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, medical examiners and audiologists. A questionnaire was used to collect data on participants' emotional labor, emotional exhaustion, physical health and mental health. A total of 120 valid questionnaires were obtained. (3) Results: Significant positive correlations were found between emotional labor and emotional exhaustion, physical and mental health and anxiety. A hierarchical regression analysis found that the effect of emotional labor on physical and mental health increased the predictive power to 59.7% through emotional exhaustion, and emotional exhaustion had a mediating effect on the relationship between emotional labor and physical and mental health. (4) Conclusions: This study provides a reference for managers of medical institutions to care for employees' work stress and physical and mental health, which will help institutions build a friendly and healthy workplace.

The relationship between organizational climate, job stress, workplace burnout, and retention of pharmacists.

OBJECTIVES: This study explored the relationship between organizational climate, job stress, workplace burnout, and retention of pharmacists. This study adopted a cross-sectional design and conducted a questionnaire survey of pharmacists working at three teaching hospitals (a district teaching hospital, a regional teaching hospital, and a medical center). METHODS: The sampling criteria were a license to practice pharmacy and a willingness to sign a written consent form to participate in this study. RESULTS: One hundred ten questionnaires were distributed, of which 101 contained valid responses, yielding a valid return rate of 91.82%. A significant correlation was evident between organizational climate, job stress, workplace burnout, and retention. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that demographic variables, organizational climate, job stress, and workplace burnout had a predictive power of 55.6% for retention (F = 9.712***, P < .001). Organizational climate had a significant positive correlated with retention (ß =  0.401*, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study can help hospitals to create a friendly and healthy workplace, instruct hospital managers how to improve their organizational climates, and reduce pharmacists' job stress and workplace burnout, thereby enhancing the quality of pharmacy service and medication safety and eventually improving pharmacists' intention to stay.

Exploring the Impact of a Telehealth Care System on Organizational Capabilities and Organizational Performance from a Resource-Based Perspective.

This study explored the effects of information technology (IT) resources-in conjunction with IT infrastructure and organizational resources-on organizational capabilities and performance. The study further analyzed the mediating effect of organizational capabilities on the relationship between IT resources and organizational performance. A cross-sectional research design was adopted, and questionnaire copies were administered to senior care supervisors of Taiwanese day care centers, care institutions, and hospitals. In total, 328 valid questionnaire responses were obtained. The study results are summarized as follows: (1) A direct effect analysis revealed that IT infrastructure significantly affected service performance and financial performance; organizational resources significantly affected service performance but did not significantly affect financial performance. (2) A mediation model analysis indicated that organizational capabilities exerted a mediating effect on the relationship between IT resources and organizational performance. These results can serve as a reference for medical care organizations in developing strategies for reviewing internal IT resources, integrating internal and external capabilities, creating a competitive advantage, and boosting their performance.

The protective effects of vitamin E on lung injury caused by high temperature and PM in COPD rats / 中国应用生理学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effects of vitamin E on the respiratory function impairment in rats with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) after exposed to high temperature and PM.@*METHODS@#Fifty-four 7-week-old SPF male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 9 experimental groups (n=6). The rat COPD model was established by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and smoke exposure. After modeled, the rats were tracheal instilled with PM (0 mg/ml, 3.2 mg/ml) and intraperitoneally injected with vitamin E at the dose of 40 mg/kg (20 mg/ml). Part of rats (high temperature groups) were then exposed to high temperature (40℃), once (8 h) a day for three consecutive days. After the last exposure, the lung function of rats was detected. The expression levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) were detected by corresponding ELISA kits.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the control group, exposure of high temperature and PM could inhibit the lung function of COPD rats significantly (P＜0.05); the level of MCP-1 was increased significantly in PM-exposure groups (P＜0.05); iNOS was increased significantly in the groups of high temperature (P＜0.05). Compared with the single-PM exposure groups, TNF-α in lung was decreased in the normal temperature health group and high temperature COPD group (P＜0.05) after treated with vitamin E; MCP-1 was decreased in all vitamin E-treated groups (P＜0.05); the decreased iNOS only appeared in the group of high temperature with vitamin E treatment.@*CONCLUSION@#High temperature and PM could aggravate the inflammation of COPD rats. As an antioxidant, vitamin E may protect the lung from the damage effects.

Clinical effect of Levosimendan and Qiliqiangxin Capsule in congestive heart failure and influence in serum levels of NT-proBNP and Hcy / 药物评价研究

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of Levosimendan and Qiliqiangxin Capsule in congestive heart failure and influence in serum levels of NT-proBNP and Hcy.Methods 92 cases of patients with congestive heart failure in our hospital from January 2014 to June 2016 were selected and divided into observation group and control group,46 cases in each group.Patients in the control group were treated with Levosimendan on the basis of conventional treatment,and the observation group were treated with Levosimendan and Qiliqiangxin Capsule.Compared the clinical effect,safety,and the change of serum levels of NT-proBNP and Hey before and after treatment.Results The total effective rate of observation group were higher than control group,but the difference was no significant.After treatment,the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF),stroke volume (SV) in two groups were significantly higher than that before treatment,the left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) were significantly lower than before treatment (P ＜ 0.05);and the LVEF and SV of the observation group were significantly higher than the control group,LVEDD was significantly lower than the control group (P ＜ 0.05).After treatment,serum levels of NT-proBNP and Hey of two groups were significantly better than before (P ＜ 0.05),and the observation group were better than control group (P ＜ 0.05).The difference in the adverse reaction rate was no significant.Conclusion The clinical curative effect of Levosimendan and Qiliqiangxin Capsule in congestive heart failure is distinct,which can effectively improve the clinical symptoms of patients,the cardiac function,serum levels of NT-proBNP and Hcy.

Clinical effect of Levosimendan and Qiliqiangxin Capsule in congestive heart failure and influence in serum levels of NT-proBNP and Hcy / 药物评价研究

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of Levosimendan and Qiliqiangxin Capsule in congestive heart failure and influence in serum levels of NT-proBNP and Hcy.Methods 92 cases of patients with congestive heart failure in our hospital from January 2014 to June 2016 were selected and divided into observation group and control group,46 cases in each group.Patients in the control group were treated with Levosimendan on the basis of conventional treatment,and the observation group were treated with Levosimendan and Qiliqiangxin Capsule.Compared the clinical effect,safety,and the change of serum levels of NT-proBNP and Hey before and after treatment.Results The total effective rate of observation group were higher than control group,but the difference was no significant.After treatment,the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF),stroke volume (SV) in two groups were significantly higher than that before treatment,the left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) were significantly lower than before treatment (P ＜ 0.05);and the LVEF and SV of the observation group were significantly higher than the control group,LVEDD was significantly lower than the control group (P ＜ 0.05).After treatment,serum levels of NT-proBNP and Hey of two groups were significantly better than before (P ＜ 0.05),and the observation group were better than control group (P ＜ 0.05).The difference in the adverse reaction rate was no significant.Conclusion The clinical curative effect of Levosimendan and Qiliqiangxin Capsule in congestive heart failure is distinct,which can effectively improve the clinical symptoms of patients,the cardiac function,serum levels of NT-proBNP and Hcy.

Prevalence of High Blood Pressure and its Relationship with Body Weight Factors among Inpatients with Schizophrenia in Taiwan.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to document the prevalence of high blood pressure (BP) and to explore its relationship with weight among inpatients with schizophrenia. Additionally, other possible risk factors impacting BP levels in relation to patients' demographic characteristics and use of atypical antipsychotic drugs and medications to reduce blood pressure were analyzed. METHODS: Using medical records, demographic data, and results of physical examination, this cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence of hypertension and high BP and its association with body weight among 1,030 inpatients with schizophrenia in a large psychiatric facility in Taiwan. RESULTS: The prevalence of high BP and hypertension were found to be higher among inpatients with schizophrenia in Taiwan in comparison with those of the general population in line with the latest evidence. Hypertension was significantly associated with body mass index; meanwhile, other risk factors, including age, gender, length of hospital stay, time since initial schizophrenia diagnosis, medications used to reduce blood pressure, and atypical antipsychotics, were identified. However, body mass index was the most effective predictor of blood pressure in the study. CONCLUSION: The findings of this research shed light on the importance of developing effective weight and blood pressure monitoring and management programs for inpatients with schizophrenia. There is also a need for clinical nurses to employ multiple behavioral intervention strategies to minimize risks of high BP in patients with schizophrenia. We recommend that clinical nurses carefully monitor and control BP among inpatients with schizophrenia.

[The development and effectiveness of telecare from an integrated technological, humanistic and management perspective].

A decreasing birthrate coupled with a growing elderly population has lead to an increased focus on elderly-centric issues such as long-term care and senior healthcare. Recent advances in information, communication and biomedical technologies have combined to allow the development of various types of telemedicine technology designed to enhance or expand patient services and care. To date, most telecare studies have focused on the development of underlying technologies rather than on patient (customer) perceptions regarding service mechanisms. The lack of the latter makes obtaining an effective understanding of the actual needs and problems of the elderly population difficult, and limits the potential for clinical implementation of study findings and further knowledge development. This article reviews important articles in the literature on telecare and evaluates the effectiveness of telecare-related technologies. Three key aspects associated with eight sub-indictors were identified. These included the aspects of technology (system quality); humanism (institutional trust and privacy risk); and management (service quality, cost benefit, satisfaction, use intention, and influence on health). An integrated perspective combining social and technological aspects is needed to facilitate increasing utilization of and satisfaction with telecare. Simply implementing new systems built around this innovative technology is not sufficient, and may be counterproductive. This article was written to help stimulate deeper exploration and insights into academic theory and clinical practice in order to help shape and create a better vision of aging in place.

Epidemic situation analysis of human brucellosis in Inner Mongolia during 1952 to 2007 / 中国地方病学杂志

Objective To explore the possible factors associated with twice human brucellosis epidemics in Inner Mongolia during 1952 to 2007 to provide scientific tactics for prevention and control brucellosis. Methods Surveillance data and literature about human brucellosis during 1952 to 2007 in Inner Mongolia was collected, descriptive analysis of human brucellosis incidence on distribution in the regions and among occupations was carried out during 1952 to 2007. Results In Inner Mongolia, the first epidemic of human brucellosis peak appeared in the early 1960s, spreading to 12 regions, at an incidence of 55.28/100 000 in 1961, 72.9% of the Brucella infected people were herdsman;another epidemic peak seriously hit middle and eastern regions after 2000, the incidence being 38.44/100 000 in 2005;51.9% and 28.7% of the new brucellosis cases were respectively peasant and herdsman. Conclusions In Inner Mongolia, animal husbandry industry has been rapid developed since the early 1990's, resulting frequent livestock trade without quarantine, at the same time the public health system doesn't match the development, so the epidemic situation of brucellosisbecomes more and more serious after mid-90's, and has reached the peak during 2004 and 2007.