Correlates of overdose among 2711 people who use drugs and live in 7 rural US sites

BACKGROUND

Overdose rates in rural areas have been increasing globally, with large increases in the United States. Few studies, however, have identified correlates of non-fatal overdose among rural people who use drugs (PWUD). The present analysis describes correlates of nonfatal overdose among a large multistate sample of rural PWUD.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional analysis of data gathered via surveys with PWUD recruited through seven Rural Opioid Initiative (ROI) sites. Descriptive analyses were conducted to assess the prevalence of past 30-day overdose. Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate a series of multivariable models quantifying relationships of select factors to past-month overdose; factors were selected using the Risk Environment Framework.

RESULTS

The multisite sample included 2711 PWUD, 6% of whom reported overdosing in the past 30 days. In the fully adjusted model, houselessness (AOR=2.27, 95%CI[1.48, 3.48]), a positive test result for Hepatitis C infection (AOR=1.73 95%CI[1.18, 2.52]) and heroin/fentanyl use (AOR= 8.58 95%CI [3.01, 24.50]) were associated with an increased risk of reporting past 30-day overdose, while having a high-school education or less was associated with reduced odds of overdose (AOR=0.52, 95% CI[0.37, 0.74]).

CONCLUSION

As in urban areas, houselessness, Hepatitis C infection, and the use of heroin and fentanyl were significant correlates of overdose. Widespread access to overdose prevention interventions - including fentanyl test strips and naloxone - is critical in this rural context, with particular outreach needed to unhoused populations, people living with Hepatitis C, and people using opioids.

Exploring the County Level Mortality Pattern Variations in Rural Areas of Iran (2006- 2016)

BACKGROUND

Mortality rate in rural areas is a useful measure of the health of the population and the function of the health system, which varies over space and time. The objective of this research is to explore the spatial and temporal variations in the rural mortality rate in Iran at the county level in 2006, 2011 and 2016.

METHODS

data were gathered from the rural population and mortality statistics published by the Statistical Centre of Iran and the National Organization for Civil Registration. Global spatial patterns were assessed using the Global Moran's I and local clusters through the Local Moran' I.

RESULTS

Spatial distribution of rural mortality rate shows that during the years under study the number of counties with a lower rate has increased. The counties with rate of less form continuous areas in the southwest, central and east regions. The excess risk map reveals significant variations in both value and extent. Also, the values of Moran's index increased from 0.1848 in 2006 to 0.4041 in 2016, which indicates the strengthening of the cluster spatial pattern of the overall rural mortality rate. Local patterns have undergone substantial changes over space and time.

CONCLUSION

The findings indicate significant spatial and temporal variations in rural mortality rates in Iran. Policymakers can use this information to plan and enhance healthcare infrastructure in specific counties. The findings serve for evaluating the effectiveness of health policies, enabling policymakers to make informed decisions, allocate resources efficiently and design targeted interventions for improved public health outcomes.

Construction and usability of community health nursing database in rural north-eastern Thailand

INTRODUCTIONS

Digitization could be incorporated in rural areas of resource-poor countries because information gathered by nurses working on-site could be better used.

BACKGROUND

For effective management of community health information, the usage and maintenance of digital records are important. Digitization of information provides essential information for informing health policy.

AIM

To develop a sustainable database to effectively collect and manage community health information and nursing practice.

METHODS

This study used a mixed method design. Phase 1 involved the development of a database system through repeated systematic focus group discussions with community health nurses. Phase 2 involved a practical trial examination of the developed system with both objective and subjective evaluations.

RESULTS

A nursing database system was developed with templates designed for the major health problems of communities. The templates were composed of multiple-choice items and a free-text field that allowed records to be more detailed than handwritten records and maintained in standardized formats. This enables accumulation of data that were less likely to be influenced by the variance of ability in each nurse.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

A multifaceted evaluation of the database system suggested that it could improve the efficiency of information management and contribute to the improvement of nursing care quality through standardization of the recording pattern.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY

The nursing database will enable high-quality information storage that will potentially better inform health and healthcare policies as well as enable visualization of data concerning nursing care challenges and activities within the relevant communities. This information is essential for policy development and implementation in areas of human and fiscal resource allocations and meeting training/education needs.

Enabling factors for specialist outreach in western KwaZulu-Natal

Background

There exists a major disparity in access to specialist care between patients in urban and rural areas. Specialists are a scarce resource and are concentrated in urban areas. Specialist outreach attempts to fill the gap in service provision for patients situated remotely. While there is international evidence that multifaceted specialist outreach has achieved varying levels of success, factors that influence the effectiveness of outreach have not yet been fully elucidated in South Africa.

Aim

This study attempts to uncover some of the factors that enable good multifaceted specialist outreach.

Setting

The study was conducted in hospitals in western KwaZulu-Natal province. This health area is served by a tertiary hospital and 20 peripheral hospitals; three of these are regional level and the majority are district level hospitals. Specialist outreach emanates from the tertiary hospital.

Methods

Specialists providing outreach services from the tertiary hospital and medical officers at seven receiving hospitals were interviewed to explore perceptions regarding factors that might enable successful specialist outreach. Framework analysis on the transcribed interviews was carried out using NVivo version 11.

Results

A major positive finding concerns the relationships formed between outreach specialists and doctors at the recipient hospitals. The management of the programme with respect to structure, dependability, data management, transport provision, communication technology and public health systems was also seen as beneficial in specialist outreach.

Conclusion

Specialist outreach plays an essential role in providing equality in health care. To enable effectiveness, it is important to make full use of the multifaceted nature of this intervention.

Policy interventions to improve rural retention among neurosurgeons in Iran: A discrete choice experiment

BACKGROUND

Health workforce shortages in rural and remote areas are a global challenge that almost every health system has to deal with. This study aimed to discover neurosurgeons' job preferences and propose policy interventions that could possibly increase their retention in rural, remote, or underserved areas.

METHODS

A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted in November 2014 with a sample of Iranian neurosurgeons selected from five contrary's provinces representing the geographical diversity. Job attributes included income, dual practice opportunities, workload, proximity to family, clinical infrastructure, housing, educational facilities, and work location. Probit regression model was used to estimate the importance of different job attributes and examine the extent to which neurosurgeons were willing to tradeoff between monetary and nonmonetary attributes.

RESULTS

Findings indicated that increased salary, permission to undertake dual practice and access to adequate clinical infrastructure were the most important retention policies. Provision of subsidized housing and educational facilities also increased neurosurgeons' attraction and retention in rural areas.

CONCLUSION

A range of policy interventions focusing on both monetary and nonmonetary incentives are required to increase neurosurgeons' retention in rural, remote, or underserved areas.

The effect of participatory women's groups on infant feeding and child health knowledge, behaviour and outcomes in rural Bangladesh: a controlled before-and-after study

BACKGROUND

Despite efforts to reduce under-5 mortality rates worldwide, an estimated 6.6 million under-5 children die every year. Community mobilisation through participatory women's groups has been shown to improve maternal and newborn health in rural settings, but little is known about the potential of this approach to improve care and health in children after the newborn period.

METHODS

Following on from a cluster-randomised controlled trial to assess the effect of participatory women's groups on maternal and neonatal health outcomes in rural Bangladesh, 162 women's groups continued to meet between April 2010 and December 2011 to identify, prioritise and address issues that affect the health of children under 5 years. A controlled before-and-after study design and difference-in-difference analysis was used to assess morbidity outcomes and changes in knowledge and practices related to child feeding, hygiene and care-seeking behaviour.

FINDINGS

Significant improvements were measured in mothers' knowledge of disease prevention and management, danger signs and hand washing at critical times. Significant increases were seen in exclusive breast feeding for at least 6 months (15.3% (4.2% to 26.5%)), and mean duration of breast feeding (37.9 days (17.4 to 58.3)). Maternal reports of under-5 morbidities fell in intervention compared with control areas, including reports of fever (-10.5% (-15.1% to -6.0%)) and acute respiratory infections (-12.2% (-15.6% to -8.8%)). No differences were observed in dietary diversity scores or immunisation uptake.

CONCLUSIONS

Community mobilisation through participatory women's groups can be successfully adapted to address health knowledge and practice in relation to child's health, leading to improvements in a number of child health indicators and behaviours.

Addressing the shortage of health professionals in rural China: issues and progress Comment on "Have health human resources become more equal between rural and urban areas after the new reform?"

Maldistribution of health professionals between urban and rural areas has been a serious problem in China. Urban hospitals attract most of the health professionals with serious shortages in rural areas. To address this issue, a number of policies have been implemented by the government, such as free medical education in exchange for obligatory rural service.

Consanguinity and neonatal death: a nested case-control study

OBJECTIVE

Although numerous studies have found higher rates of abortion and still births following consanguinity (familial marriages), the question of whether consanguinity significantly increases the risk of neonatal death has inadequately been addressed.This study aims to evaluate familial marriage effects on neonatal death in rural areas in Iran.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this nested case-control study, 6900 newbornswho were born in rural areas of Kohgiluyeh and Boyerahmad Province (South-West of Iran)were followed till the end of neonatal period, and neonatal death was the outcome of interest. Subsequently 97 cases and 97 controls were selected in study cohort by using risk set sampling model. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (OR) were estimated by usinga conditional logistic regression model.

RESULTS

In the final model, prematurity (OR = 5.57), low birthweight (LBW) (OR = 7.68), consanguinity (first cousins) (OR = 5.23), C-section (OR = 7.27), birth rank more than 3 (OR = 6.95) and birthsinterval less than 24 months (OR = 4.65) showed significant statistical association with neonatal mortality (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

According to our findings, after adjusting the effects of other significant risk factors, familial marriageto first cousins is considered asan important risk factor for neonatal death.