Transforming access to care for serious mental disorders in slums (the TRANSFORM Project): rationale, design and protocol.

This paper introduces the TRANSFORM project, which aims to improve access to mental health services for people with serious and enduring mental disorders (SMDs - psychotic disorders and severe mood disorders, often with co-occurring substance misuse) living in urban slums in Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Ibadan (Nigeria). People living in slum communities have high rates of SMDs, limited access to mental health services and conditions of chronic hardship. Help is commonly sought from faith-based and traditional healers, but people with SMDs require medical treatment, support and follow-up. This multicentre, international mental health mixed-methods research project will (a) conduct community-based ethnographic assessment using participatory methods to explore community understandings of SMDs and help-seeking; (b) explore the role of traditional and faith-based healing for SMDs, from the perspectives of people with SMDs, caregivers, community members, healers, community health workers (CHWs) and health professionals; (c) co-design, with CHWs and healers, training packages for screening, early detection and referral to mental health services; and (d) implement and evaluate the training packages for clinical and cost-effectiveness in improving access to treatment for those with SMDs. TRANSFORM will develop and test a sustainable intervention that can be integrated into existing clinical care and inform priorities for healthcare providers and policy makers.

Formative evaluation of a training intervention for community health workers in South Africa: A before and after study.

BACKGROUND: Community Health Workers (CHWs) have a crucial role in improving health in their communities and their role is being expanded in many parts of the world. However, the effectiveness of CHWs is limited by poor training and the education of CHWs has received little scientific attention. METHODS: Our study was carried out in two districts of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. We developed and piloted an inexpensive (two day) training intervention covering national government priorities: HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted disease and Tuberculosis; and Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. Sixty-four CHWs consented to participate in the main study which measured knowledge gains using a modified Solomon design of four different testing schedules to distinguish between the effects of the intervention, testing and any interaction between intervention and testing. We also measured confidence, satisfaction and costs. RESULTS: Following the training intervention, improvements in knowledge scores were seen across topics and across districts. These changes in knowledge were statistically significant (p<0.001) and of large magnitude (over 45 percentage points or four standard deviations). However, the CHWs assigned to the test-test-train schedule in one district showed high gains in knowledge prior to receiving the training. All CHWs reported high levels of satisfaction with the training and marked improvements in their confidence in advising clients. The training cost around US$48 per CHW per day and has the potential to be cost-effective if the large gains in knowledge are translated into improved field-based performance and thus health outcomes. CONCLUSION: Training CHWs can result in large improvements in knowledge with a short intervention. However, improvements seen in other studies could be due to test 'reactivity'. Further work is needed to measure the generalisability of our results, retention of knowledge and the extent to which improved knowledge is translated into improved practice.

The 'experimental public' in longitudinal health research: views of local leaders and service providers in rural South Africa.

BACKGROUND: The concept of 'experimental public' has been recently applied to publics involved in clinical trials. This term could also be applied to publics involved in longitudinal research such as health and demographic surveillance systems. The ethics of practice and public engagement with these experimental publics are of key importance and include issues of informed consent, confidentiality, collection of body tissue samples and fair local benefit. METHODS: Individual (n = 11) and focus group (n = 5) qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 56 local leaders and service providers regarding their views about research activities in a longitudinal health research study site run by the MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt) in rural South Africa. Deductive and inductive thematic analysis was undertaken using NVivo software to identify the emergent themes. RESULTS: There was an understanding of the usefulness of collecting demographic data, but reasons for gathering other contextual data such as on food security, as well as the reasons for collection of blood was less clear. While appreciation was expressed for feedback of individual results such as blood pressure levels during home-based data collection, there were requests for more results from biomarkers, and for these to be given at home, rather than at the clinic. There were reports of indirect refusals, and offers by leaders to assist in reducing refusal rates. There were concerns about confidentiality, especially in the publication of results. Some leaders would have liked to receive more individual level data for planning of services, although they understood this would breach confidentiality. Service providers were concerned about the withdrawal of some services post intervention trials. CONCLUSIONS: This experimental public has, over time, developed a nuanced understanding of the reasons for research and the procedures undertaken. Discussions concerning fair benefit ranged from requests for more individual clinically-relevant results for participants, to understanding how research results could assist in planning of public health services at local and national levels. The concerns illustrate the complexity of the ethics of practice which has implications for policy, practice and governance for those working in longitudinal health research sites globally.

Clinical effectiveness of manual therapy for the management of musculoskeletal and non-musculoskeletal conditions: systematic review and update of UK evidence report.

BACKGROUND: This systematic review updated and extended the "UK evidence report" by Bronfort et al. (Chiropr Osteopath 18:3, 2010) with respect to conditions/interventions that received an 'inconclusive' or 'negative' evidence rating or were not covered in the report. METHODS: A literature search of more than 10 general medical and specialised databases was conducted in August 2011 and updated in March 2013. Systematic reviews, primary comparative studies and qualitative studies of patients with musculoskeletal or non-musculoskeletal conditions treated with manual therapy and reporting clinical outcomes were included. Study quality was assessed using standardised instruments, studies were summarised, and the results were compared against the evidence ratings of Bronfort. These were either confirmed, updated, or new categories not assessed by Bronfort were added. RESULTS: 25,539 records were found; 178 new and additional studies were identified, of which 72 were systematic reviews, 96 were randomised controlled trials, and 10 were non-randomised primary studies. Most 'inconclusive' or 'moderate' evidence ratings of the UK evidence report were confirmed. Evidence ratings changed in a positive direction from inconclusive to moderate evidence ratings in only three cases (manipulation/mobilisation [with exercise] for rotator cuff disorder; spinal mobilisation for cervicogenic headache; and mobilisation for miscellaneous headache). In addition, evidence was identified on a large number of non-musculoskeletal conditions not previously considered; most of this evidence was rated as inconclusive. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, there was limited high quality evidence for the effectiveness of manual therapy. Most reviewed evidence was of low to moderate quality and inconsistent due to substantial methodological and clinical diversity. Areas requiring further research are highlighted.

The right to traditional, complementary, and alternative health care.

BACKGROUND: State parties to human rights conventions and declarations are often faced with the seemingly contradictory problem of having an obligation to protect people from harmful practices while also having an obligation to enable access to culturally appropriate effective healing. As people increasingly migrate across the globe, previous distinctions between 'traditional' and 'complementary and alternative medicine' practices are being transcended. There are connections across transnational healing pathways that link local, national, and global movements of people and knowledge. OBJECTIVE: This paper contributes to the development of the concept and practice of the right to health in all its forms, exploring the right to traditional, complementary, and alternative health (R2TCAH) across different contexts. DESIGN: The paper draws on four settings - England, South Africa, Kenya, and Jordan - and is based on key informant interviews and a literature review undertaken in 2010, and updated in 2013. The paper begins by reviewing the international legal context for the right to health. It then considers legal and professional regulations from the global north and south. RESULTS: Additional research is needed to establish the legal basis, compare regulatory frameworks, and explore patient and provider perspectives of regulation. This leads to being able to make recommendations on how to balance protection from harm and the obligation to ensure culturally appropriate services. Such an exploration must also challenge Western theories of human rights. Key concepts, such as individual harm, consent, and respect of the autonomy of the individual already established and recognised in international health law, could be adopted in the development of a template for future comparative research. CONCLUSIONS: Exploration of the normative content of the right to health in all its forms will contribute to supporting traditional, complementary, and alternative health service users and providers in terms of access to information, non-discrimination, clarification of state obligations, and accountability.

Factors affecting staff morale on inpatient mental health wards in England: a qualitative investigation.

BACKGROUND: Good morale among staff on inpatient psychiatric wards is an important requirement for the maintenance of strong therapeutic alliances and positive patient experiences, and for the successful implementation of initiatives to improve care. More understanding is needed of mechanisms underlying good and poor morale. METHOD: We conducted individual and group interviews with staff of a full range of disciplines and levels of seniority on seven NHS in-patient wards of varying types in England. RESULTS: Inpatient staff feel sustained in their potentially stressful roles by mutual loyalty and trust within cohesive ward teams. Clear roles, supportive ward managers and well designed organisational procedures and structures maintain good morale. Perceived threats to good morale include staffing levels that are insufficient for staff to feel safe and able to spend time with patients, the high risk of violence, and lack of voice in the wider organisation. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing employee voice, designing jobs so as to maximise autonomy within clear and well-structured operational protocols, promoting greater staff-patient contact and improving responses to violence may contribute more to inpatient staff morale than formal support mechanisms.

Inside 'Inside View': reflections on stimulating debate and engagement through a multimedia live theatre production on the dilemmas and issues of pre-natal screening policy and practice.

BACKGROUND: The role of applied theatre in engaging both lay and professional publics with debate on health policy and practice is an emergent field. This paper discusses the development, production performance and discussion of 'Inside View'. OBJECTIVES: The objectives were to produce applied theatre from research findings of a completed study on genetic prenatal screening, exploring the dilemmas for women and health professionals of prenatal genetic screening, and to engage audiences in debate and reflection on the dilemmas of prenatal genetic screening. METHODS: 'Inside View' was developed from a multidisciplinary research study through identification of emergent themes from qualitative interviews, and development of these by the writer, theatre producer and media technologist with input from the researchers. FINDINGS: Inside View was performed in London and the Midlands to varied audiences with a panel discussion and evaluation post performance. The audiences were engaged in debate that was relevant to them professionally and personally. Knowledge translation through applied theatre is an effective tool for engaging the public but the impact subsequently is unclear. There are ethical issues of unexpected disclosure during discussion post performance and the process of transforming research findings into applied theatre requires time and trust within the multidisciplinary team as well as adequate resourcing.

Views of relatives, carers and staff on end of life care pathways.

More people die in hospital than at home (Department of Health (DH) 2008). Yet, many people do not want to die in hospital, which can be an inappropriate environment for end of life care. The government's end of life care strategy (DH 2008) and the NHS (2009) end of life care programme (EOLCP) state that people should be able to choose where they die. This article reports on the findings of a study on end of life care of decisions by patients, relatives and care professionals, and their perceptions of care pathways in the last 48 hours of life. It also highlights the challenges that must be overcome in acute and community settings for the aims of the EOLCP to be met.

Understanding and managing hypertension in an African sub-district: a multidisciplinary approach.

AIMS: To use a multidisciplinary approach to describe the prevalence, lay beliefs, health impact, and treatment of hypertension in the Agincourt sub-district. METHODS: A multidisciplinary team used a range of methods including a cross-sectional random sample survey of vascular risk factors in adults aged 35 years and older, and rapid ethnographic assessment. People who had suffered a stroke were identified by a screening questionnaire followed by a detailed history and examination by a clinician to confirm the likely diagnosis of stroke. Workshops were held for nurses working in the local clinics and an audit of blood pressure measuring devices was carried out. RESULTS: Some 43% of the population 35 and over had hypertension. There was no relationship with gender but a strong positive relationship with age. Illnesses were classified by the population as being either African, with personal or social causes, or White/Western, with physical causes. The causes of hypertension were stated to be both physical and social. Main sources of treatment were the clinics and hospitals but people also sought help from churches and traditional healers. Some 84% of stroke survivors had evidence of hypertension. Few people received treatment for hypertension, although good levels of control were achieved in some. Barriers to providing effective treatment included unreliable drug supply and unreliable equipment to measure blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: Hypertension is a major problem among older people in Agincourt. There is potential for effective secondary prevention. The potential for primary prevention is less clear. Further information on diet is required.

Use of applied theatre in health research dissemination and data validation: a pilot study from South Africa.

This article reports on a pilot study of the use of applied theatre in the dissemination of health research findings and validation of data. The study took place in South Africa, as part of the Southern Africa Stroke Prevention Initiative (SASPI) and was based at the University/Medical Research Council Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (also known as the Agincourt Unit). The aim of SASPI was to investigate the prevalence of stroke and understand the social context of stroke. It was decided to use an applied theatre approach for validating the data and disseminating findings from the anthropological component of the study. The pilot study found that applied theatre worked better in smaller community groups. It allowed data validation and it elicited ideas for future interventions resulting from the health research findings. Evaluation methods of the impact of applied theatre as a vehicle for the dissemination and communication of research findings require further development.

The rise of injecting drug use in East Africa: a case study from Kenya.

Studies on injecting drug use in East Africa are reviewed. The existing studies document the spread of heroin injection in Kenya and Tanzania, both countries where HIV rates are high. No data from Uganda on injecting drug use was found by the authors. A case study of the growth of heroin injection in a Kenyan coastal town is presented. The need for needle-exchange programmes and other prevention services is discussed.

'You ain't going to say...I've got a problem down there': workplace-based prostate health promotion with men.

Prostate health has emerged as a key health issue for men. Nearly 10,000 men die from prostate cancer each year and many more live with non-cancerous, but debilitating, prostate conditions. Despite the widespread prevalence, evidence suggests that men lack knowledge about male cancers and conditions, and are more likely to ignore signs and delay seeking help. Health promotion with men in the workplace is, therefore, increasingly being advocated as an important way of providing men with health information and encouraging them to see a health professional where appropriate. However, there has not been a developed account of men's views on health promotion within the workplace. This paper presents the findings of a small-scale qualitative study that explored men's perceptions and experiences of three different workplace-based health promotion interventions to improve prostate health awareness and their attitudes towards the workplace as an appropriate setting for promoting men's health. This paper shows that men generally welcomed a workplace-based health promotion campaign targeted specifically at them. However, the masculine 'culture' of the workplace, where concerns about health were likely to be met with ridicule rather than concern, was one important factor in understanding these men's views of different health promotion interventions.

Meeting the needs of parents around the time of diagnosis of disability among their children: evaluation of a novel program for information, support, and liaison by key workers.

OBJECTIVE: Key worker programs for families of children with disabilities, to promote information provision, emotional support, and liaisons among different agencies, have long been advocated but not extensively implemented. We report the impact on the experiences of parents and the practices of health care professionals of a novel, hospital-based, key worker service (Community Link Team [CLT]), implemented in the pediatric ophthalmology department of Great Ormond Street Hospital (London, United Kingdom). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The CLT included 2 members, 1 of whom was present during the first outpatient assessment by the consultant ophthalmologist of any child newly diagnosed as visually impaired (corrected acuity of 6/18 or worse in the better eye) and accompanied the family during other assessments performed during that visit. A dedicated room was used by the CLT members to spend time with each family after completion of the clinical assessments. The CLT members reiterated and/or clarified clinical information already provided, specifically advised the families about visual stimulation programs and the benefits and purpose of visual impairment certification, and provided information about educational and social services. The same CLT member met the family at subsequent visits to the department and acted as the first point of contact for parents. Parents of children newly diagnosed with visual impairment and/or ophthalmic disorders at Great Ormond Street Hospital participated in a 2-stage study to assess their needs, their views about the processes of care, and their overall satisfaction. The study included a questionnaire survey with 2 standard instruments, ie, the Measure of Processes of Care, specifically developed and used to assess parents' views of the degree to which health services for a range of childhood disorders are family-centered, and the short form of the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire, used to assess overall parental satisfaction or dissatisfaction with services in the preceding year, as in other studies of parental satisfaction with pediatric services. This was followed by in-depth individual interviews with a subsample of parents who returned completed questionnaires. The views of families with experience with the new service (CLT) were compared with those without. The experiences of health care professionals before and after implementation of the service were elicited through group interviews and were compared. We recognized that any differences would be attributable to both the direct effects of the CLT, ie, actual services provided by the team, and indirect effects, ie, broader changes in approaches or practices within the department resulting from shifting roles and responsibilities regarding specific elements of management. Therefore, both the specific tasks/activities undertaken by the CLT and broader changes in practices within the department were identified. RESULTS: Seventy-nine families from the pre-CLT group and 68 from the post-CLT group (68% and 65% of those invited, respectively) participated in the questionnaire survey, of which 29 and 19 (71% and 79% of those invited), respectively, took part in interviews. The 2 groups were comparable with respect to sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Parents and health care professionals agreed that the CLT provided important information and facilitated access to specific services, while providing both emotional and social support and facilitating meetings with other families with children with similar conditions. A number of key generic components of the service were identified. First, provision, within the outpatient setting, of a dedicated "quiet room" and office space for key workers was an essential physical requirement. Second, early identification of the key workers as the parents' point of contact was essential; this was achieved in this case by the CLT members attending the first consultation, combined with their detailed debriefing of families at the end of the outpatient visit. Third, the adoption of certain tasks by the key workers, including some previously undertaken by ophthalmologists, helped to define the liaison role of the program. These tasks included discussing the process and benefits of visual impairment certification, contacting the advisory teacher for the visually impaired, and providing written reports to educational and social services; analogous tasks would exist for other disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: Research on the needs of families of visually impaired children has been limited but indicates that, as with other childhood disabilities, the greatest needs during the critical period around diagnosis are for information, especially about educational and social services, and emotional support from professionals, informal and formal social networks, and support groups. Although not widely implemented or studied, key worker programs for families of visually impaired children, particularly in the context of multidisciplinary visual impairment teams, have been advocated, on the basis of their potential to facilitate coordination of health, educational, and social services. The model of such provision evaluated in this study reflects the fact that it was established as an outpatient service in a tertiary referral center for pediatric ophthalmology in the United Kingdom, with the specific structure and specialized roles for health care professionals that this requires. Different models might be more suitable in other settings in the United Kingdom or elsewhere. However, the important general lessons learned should guide implementation of such services for families of children with other disabilities. The recently launched National Service Framework for Children provides a new context and standards for meeting the needs of disabled children and their families in the United Kingdom and may also guide initiatives elsewhere. The findings of this study support implementation of programs for information provision, support, and liaison by key workers in all specialized centers for the assessment and diagnosis of children with serious visual problems. Implementation of similar services for families with children with other disabilities is likely to be equally valuable.

Advocating multi-disciplinarity in studying complex emergencies: the limitations of a psychological approach to understanding how young people cope with prolonged conflict in Gaza.

The paper looks at the limitations and strengths of using the A-cope questionnaire for measuring strategies for coping with prolonged conflict by Palestinian young people in Gaza. The scale was administered to young people between the ages of 8 and 17. The results show some gender differences in coping strategies. However, some items on the subscales are not relevant for Muslim societies or societies in situations of prolonged conflict. The authors suggest that combining an anthropological contextual perspective and qualitative data with psychological instruments is an effective way of addressing the limitations of using a single quantitative method of assessment in non-Western complex social and cultural settings.

The social diagnostics of stroke-like symptoms: healers, doctors and prophets in Agincourt, Limpopo Province, South Africa.

This paper focuses on the clinical and social diagnostics of stroke-like symptoms in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The research questions addressed here are: what are the lay understandings of stroke-like symptoms and what are the health-seeking behaviours of Tsongan Mozambican refugees and South Africans in this area? The study site is ten villages in the Agincourt sub-district of Limpopo Province which are within the health surveillance area of the Agincourt Health and Population Unit (AHPU) of the University of Witwatersrand. The population are Tsongan who speak Shangaan and comprise self-settled Mozambican refugees who fled to this area during the 1980s across the nearby border and displaced South African citizens. The latter were forcibly displaced from their villages to make way for game reserves or agricultural development and moved to this area when it was the former 'homeland' of Gazankulu. The team collected data using rapid ethnographic assessment and household interviews as part of the Southern Africa Stroke Prevention Initiative (SASPI). The main findings are that stroke-like symptoms are considered to be both a physical and social condition, and in consequence plural healing using clinical and social diagnostics is sought to address both these dimensions. People with stroke-like symptoms maintain their physical, mental and social well-being and deal with this affliction and misfortune by visiting doctors, healers, prophets and churches.