Factors associated with patient absenteeism for scheduled endoscopy

AIM: To identify risk factors to help predict which patients are likely to fail to appear for an endoscopic procedure. METHODS: This was a retrospective, chart review, cohort study in a Canadian, tertiary care, academic, hospital-based endoscopy clinic. Patients included were: those undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy, colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy and patients who failed to appear were compared to a control group. The main outcome measure was a multivariate analysis of factors associated with truancy from scheduled endoscopic procedures. Factors analyzed included gender, age, waiting time, type of procedure, referring physician, distance to hospital, first or subsequent endoscopic procedure or encounter with gastroenterologist, and urgency of the procedure. RESULTS: Two hundred and thirty-four patients did not show up for their scheduled appointment. Compared to a control group, factors statistically significantly associated with truancy in the multivariate analysis were: non-urgent vs urgent procedure (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.06, 2.450), referred by a specialist vs a family doctor (OR 2.76, 95% CI 1.31, 5.52) and office-based consult prior to endoscopy vs consult and endoscopic procedure during the same appointment (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.33, 3.78). CONCLUSION: Identifying patients who are not scheduled for same-day consult and endoscopy, those referred by a specialist, and those with non-urgent referrals may help reduce patient truancy.

Impact of Metabolic-Syndrome Risk Factors on the Absenteeism of Health Workers from a Brazilian University Hospital

Objective: Analyzing the association between Metabolic Syndrome (MS) risk factors and work absenteeism due to illnesses among University Hospital employees in Salvador City, Bahia, Brazil. Methods: Cross-sectional study comprised 1173 Bahia Federal University Hospital employees: 57.3% of them were federal employees (statutory officers) and 42.7% were civil servants (CLT employees). Participants were in the age group 41.5 years: 69.4% were female and 30.6% were male. Results: MS prevalence in employees reached 6.6%;women accounted for 69.7% of the total. The percentage increases with age and has similar proportion among directcare providers and ancillary supports personnel, 40.8% and 39.5%, respectively. The risk factor analysis showed 25% hypertension, 54.6% weight excess (18.4% obese and 36.2% overweight patients), 20% hypercholesterolemia, 9.9% hypertriglyceridemia and 6.5% diabetes mellitus prevalence. Absenteeism longer than one day within the studied population reached 40.1%. Osteoarticular diseases were the most common reason for absenteeism, accounting for 50.7% of it: 62.6% of whom were either overweight or obese. The mean cost with absenteeism per employee was R$5492.87 ($2347.00 US Dollars), and it corresponds to annual cost of R 2,587,139.53 ($1,105,610.00 US Dollars). The highest cost with absenteeism caused by illnesses was recorded for female workers;for federal employees who were patient caregivers, who worked in the Pediatric Centre and who worked at night shifts. Conclusion: The high Metabolic Syndrome risk factors and overweight incidence are responsible for the increased costs faced by hospitals due to high absenteeism rates.

Descriptive Epidemiology for <i>Mycoplasma pneumoniae</i>Infection Using (Nursery) School Absenteeism Surveillance System, and Proposal for Countermeasures

Objective: We present descriptive epidemiology of Mycoplasma infection using the (Nursery) School Absenteeism Surveillance System ((N)SASSy) in addition to national official sentinel surveillance for infectious diseases (NOSSID). It is expected to be helpful for early detection and response to outbreak of Mycoplasma infection and also to be useful for antimicrobial resistance measures. Method: The study period was 2010-2014 seasons. The study area was the whole of Ibaraki prefecture, Japan. NOSSID reports the number of patients with Mycoplasma pneumonia from 13 sentinel hospitals. We compare the number of patients and the incidence rate of NOSSID with the same information in (N)SASSy. Result: In NOSSID, the largest number of patients by age was 27 patients of one year old in 2012. (N)SASSy showed that the incidence rate in the elementary schools is high in 2011 and 2012. Especially, the second grade students were the highest. Discussion: Even though Mycoplasma infection is well known as a pediatric disease, we showed that second grade was the highest in incidence at first. Because (N)SASSy is timely and real-time information collection, evaluation and sharing countermeasures with (nursery) schools, public health centers, and physicians are useful for students and nursery school children, and communities. Conclusion: Because mycoplasma infection is common pediatric infectious diseases and because some patients rarely develop severe infections, we must prevent larger outbreaks. (N)SASSy can provide timely intervention at the initial phase of outbreak by monitoring situations in (nursery) schools and comparing data to baseline information.

The Risk and Protective Factors of School Absenteeism

Absenteeism from school in children and adolescents is a problem that impacts the social, emotional and educational development of the children (Haarman, 2011). While absenteeism can be seen as a short-term condition, prolonged absenteeism during childhood may be a predictor of lasting issues that may persist into adulthood (King, Ollendick and Tonge, 1995), such as “school dropout, delinquency and occupational and relationship problems” (Kearney and Bensaheb,?2006), and economic deprivation and social, marital, occupational and psychiatric problems (Kearney and Graczyk, 2014). Early absenteeism has been associated with school dropout, further?disconnecting the children from school based health programs and leading the children into economic deprivation, and marital, social and psychiatric problems in adulthood (Kogan, Luo, Murry and Brody, 2005). Furthermore, absenteeism may be an indication of “suicide attempt, perilous sexual behaviour, teenage pregnancy, violence, unintentional injury, driving under the influence of alcohol, and alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, and other substance abuse” (Kearney, 2008). The purpose of this article is to provide a review of the literature on protective and risk factors for school absenteeism in youths aged 5 to 18 years old, with focus on articles published after 2004. First, the definition of absenteeism will be discussed, followed by the prevalence and demographic of this phenomenon, the protective and risk factors of school absenteeism, and a review of intervention strategies.

Extensive Medical Absenteeism among Secondary School Students: An Observational Study on Their Health Condition from a Biopsychosocial Perspective

An adequate approach to reducing school absenteeism should focus on medical absenteeism as this is the most prevalent form of school absenteeism. The objective of this study is to explore the health condition of pre-vocational secondary students with extensive medical absenteeism from a biopsychosocial perspective. Data were obtained from medical assessments and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires (SDQs) of students with medical absence above threshold criteria (i.e. reported sick four times in 12 school weeks or more than six consecutive school days) who were referred to a youth health care physician. The results showed that the students had a mean absence rate of 14% in 12 school weeks. Of all students, 43.5% had a diagnosed disease and 81.5% had problems such as physical complaints not yet diagnosed, psychosocial problems, lifestyle problems and sleeping difficulties. Four groups could be distinguished: 13.4% with a diagnosed disease and no problem, 30.1% with a diagnosed disease and a problem, 51.5% with a problem and no diagnosed disease and 5.1% without a diagnosed disease or problem. Significantly higher scores of the Total difficulties-scale on the SDQ were found (mean 10.5;SD 5.8) in the study group, compared to a reference group (mean 9.1;SD 4.9). In conclusion, this study shows that when using the aforementioned criteria for extensive medical absenteeism to intervene with the absence, students with a mean absence rate of 14% in 12 school weeks are identified. If there was a diagnosed disease, it was accompanied by problems about twice as often. More than half of the students’ absence was caused by problems rather than a disease. The great diversity of these problems calls for a personalized approach. A broad perspective, including medical expertise, is needed to distinguish between emerging mental and physical diseases, psychosocial and lifestyle problems.

Staff Absenteeism in Public Health Facilities of Uganda: A Study in Bushenyi District on Contributing Factors

Background: Staff absenteeism is a global challenge in health care service delivery that has not spared any country. Aim: This was to assess the factors contributing to staff absenteeism in public health facilities in Bushenyi District of Uganda. Method: This was a cross sectional study conducted for a period of 3 months in which data were collected using a questionnaire and interviews. Results: Majority of participants were females (66.4%) which 50% in the age of 31 - 45 years. The study showed that residing outside the health facility (42.1%) i.e. walking distances over 10 km to get to work was a challenge. Family conflicts, overstay in one workstation without rotations to other major health facilities and drug abuse as well as inadequate supervision were major contributing factors to absenteeism (P Conclusion: Staff absenteeism in rural communities is a major challenge that needs a multi-sectorial approach for its effective management, thus showing a need to revise policy in the health sector.

Prevalence of Menstrual Pain among Saudi Nursing Students and Its Effect on Sickness Absenteeism

Background: Primary menstrual pain is a well-known gynecological disorder among adult females including nursing undergraduate students. Nursing students tend not to seek medical treatment. As a result, this affects their quality of academic life and also absenteeism rate is increased. Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of menstrual pain and its effect on sickness absenteeism on nursing student. Methods: This is a descriptive survey research design study by means of using a validated and modified questionnaire. Questionnaire information regarding menstrual pain severity, history and absenteeism were included. The research took place in the collage of nursing at the largest University in the world, Princess Nourah Bint Abdelrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 100 single, female, unmarried undergraduate nursing students (Year 1, 2, 3, 4) were recruited by personal invitation during lectures. Result: The prevalence of menstrual pain was 92%. Most of the nursing students 27% had menstrual pain of moderate grade 5 - 6 and 38% of nursing students did not take pain medication for it. Lecture and collage absenteeism due to menstrual pain was present in 9% and 30% respectively. Finally, there was no significant correlation between menstrual pain and age of menarche, age and height. Conclusion: Menstrual pain is widely common prevalent among nursing undergraduates. As a result, it affects the quality of students’ day-to-day life routine. The majority of nursing students’ rarely seeks medical treatment. Providing health and patient education to improve awareness on managing menstrual period might help in avoiding students’ absence from classes.

Analysis of Measured Employees’ Absenteeism in the Forensic Science Laboratory

A detailed analysis of the measured absenteeism data for employees in a forensic science laboratory (FSL) is presented. About 134 employees out of 172 were used as a sample. The factors assumed to affect absenteeism included differences in gender, departments/units, period of the year, skill-levels and professions. The data were collected throughout a calendar year, using a biometric system infrastructure incorporating fingerprint capturing device, IP camera, database server and software (Bio Star Version 1.62). The calendar was used to establish the total working days and hours while employee absenteeism data in percentage were established by computation of days and hours absent for a given period, based on days or hours attended. Equations were derived to determine the absenteeism ratios expressed in percentage (Abd and Abh). The absenteeism ratio, Abh, was observed to be the most appropriate parameter. The business development department (BDD) shows the lowest Abh compared to other departments. Female employees show higher Abh and lower Abd than male employees, while accountants show lowest absenteeism compared to Employees in professional level who had highest absence rate compared to skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled employees. Most hours were lost during September-December compared to the rest of the year. The results reveal higher employee absenteeism in the FSL affecting its performance.

An Analysis of Health Factors Affecting Employees’ Absenteeism: Influences of HDL Cholesterol and Blood Sugar Levels

Background: Workers’ health condition is an important issue. It affects not only the well-being of workers but also the firms and society as a whole through medical costs and productivity losses due to absenteeism and presenteeism. Data and Methods: Data were obtained from 1136 employees at an operational site of a large corporation. The dataset contained both medical checkups and working record information. Health factors affecting long-term absence (over three days in three months) were analyzed. Logistic regression models and the procedure for selecting proper covariates based on likelihood test statistics and the Akaike information criterion were used. Results: Among health factors, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and blood sugar levels were important in the selected model. For HDL-C, the odds ratio (OR) based on one standard deviation difference was 0.75 with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.59 - 0.95. For blood sugar, the OR was 1.20 with a 95% CI of 1.01 - 1.42. Improving HDL-C and blood sugar levels would reduce long-term absence by 25% and 20%, respectively. Conclusion: Controlling HDL-C and blood sugar levels is important to reduce long-term absenteeism. These factors can be improved by modifying eating habits. Since the operational site has its own company cafeterias, which most employees use, nutritional intervention is relatively easy with little or no cost. It may be worthwhile to implement nutritional intervention, especially for patients with low HDL-C or high blood sugar levels. Limitations: The results of this study were based on one operational site of a corporation. The employees were mainly operators working inside the building. The results may be different from other types of jobs and working conditions, such as fieldwork. Analyses of different types of jobs and working conditions are necessary.

Performance analysis of surface plasmon resonance sensor with high-order absentee layer

A surface plasmon resonance （SPR） sensor with a high-order absentee layer on the top of metallic film is proposed. The performance of the SPR sensor with NaCl, MgO, TiO2 or AlAs high-order absentee layer is analyzed theoretically. The results indicate that the sensitivity and the full width at half maximum of those SPR sensors decrease with the increasing of the order of absentee layer, but the variation of the figure of merit （FOM） depends on the refractive index of absentee layer. By improving the order of absentee layer with high-refractive-index, the FOM of the SPR sensor can be enhanced. The maximum value of FOM for the SPR sensor with high-order TiO2 （or AlAs） absentee layer is 1.059% （or 2.587%） higher than the one with one-order absentee layer. It is believed the proposed SPR sensor with high-order absentee layer will be helpful for developing the high-performance SPR sensors.

Effect of workplace violence on health workers injuries and workplace absenteeism in Bangladesh

Background Workplace violence(WPV)is an emerging problem for health workers(HWs)and a global concern in health systems.Scientific literatures infer that WPV against HWs is often attributed to workplace injuries and absenteeism,leading to a series of adverse consequences.Therefore,this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of workplace injuries and absenteeism due to WPV among Bangladeshi HWs and its association with factors related to health facilities,work environments,and rotating shift work.Methods This study used participants who had experienced WPV,including medical doctors,nurses,or any form of medical staff.A total of 468 victim HWs were added in the analytical exploration.Participants were generated from our previous cross-sectional study of 1081 Bangladeshi HWs.A logistic regression model was used to find the association between workplace injuries and absenteeism due to WPV among HWs and associated factors.Results The prevalence of workplace injuries and absenteeism due to WPV among HWs were 14.10%(95%CI 11.23-7.57)and 22.44%(95%CI 18.87-26.45),respectively.Injury incidence was higher among males(17.67%)and young HWs(20.83%).Workplace absenteeism was more common among male HWs(25%)and those working in public hospitals(23.46%).The magnitude of injuries and absenteeism varied significantly by hospital departments.Workplace injury was significantly higher among HWs who worked in the emergency(AOR=21.53,95%CI 2.55-181.71),intensive care(AOR=22.94,95%CI 2.24-234.88),surgery(AOR=17.22,95%CI 1.96-151.39),and gynecology&obstetrics departments(AOR=22.42,95%CI 2.25-223.07)compared with other departments.The burden of work-related absenteeism was significantly associated with HWs who worked in the emergency(AOR=4.44,95%CI 1.56-12.61),surgery(AOR=4.11,95%CI 1.42-11.90),and gynecology and obstetrics departments(AOR=5.08,95%CI 1.47-17.50).Conclusions This study observed a high prevalence of workplace injuries and absenteeism among HWs due to WPV across hospital departments,including emergency,surgery,intensive care and gynecology&obstetrics units.Policymakers should incorporate suitable strategies into Bangladesh’s national health policy to combat violence in healthcare settings.

缺席审判与违法所得没收程序的差异化构建与调适--以节省司法资源与追回国家资产为视角

缺席审判程序与违法所得没收程序在主要功能、适用对象上存在明显竞合。同时,二者在竞合的表象后面,在适用案件范围和适用条件上呈现出弱层次性,而在程序性质和证明标准上存在本质差别。缺席审判程序是刑事对人之诉,对案件的证明标准与普通案件无异;违法所得没收程序是对物之诉,带有强烈的民事程序属性,对案件的证明标准相对较低。二者存在的上述差异,尤其在证明标准方面的差异,为司法实践的程序选择适用提供了客观衡量基准。在具体程序选择问题上,检察机关可构建基于政策和法律的二元考量模式。此外,两种程序的竞合关系及存在的证明标准差异也使得二者具有互相转换的理论可行性。立足于当前司法实践和立法现状,可在补全各程序的必备条件后进行程序转换,这不仅可节省司法资源和追回国家资产,也有利于“一体构建追逃防逃追赃机制”。基于诉审关系,两种程序转换的主体应为检察机关。

ICU护士领悟社会支持与隐性缺勤的相关性研究

目的:调查重症监护室(ICU)护士隐性缺勤与社会支持的现状,并分析两者间的相关性。方法:采用便利抽样法于2023年1月—2月选取宁夏地区399名ICU护士为研究对象,采用一般资料调查表、领悟社会支持量表和中文版斯坦福隐性缺勤量表调查ICU护士领悟社会支持、隐性缺勤现状及相关性。结果:ICU护士领悟社会支持得分为(58.95±17.80)分、隐性缺勤总得分为(17.33±7.41)分,隐性缺勤与家庭支持、朋友支持、其他支持及领悟社会支持总分呈负相关(P<0.01);多因素分析结果显示,健康状况、工作满意度和其他支持为ICU护士隐性缺勤的主要影响因素,合计可以解释总变异的23.4%。结论:宁夏地区ICU护士隐性缺勤处于较高水平,领悟社会支持处于中等水平,领悟社会支持与隐性缺勤呈负相关。管理者亟需关注ICU护士身心健康,调动其社会支持,降低ICU护士隐性缺勤发生率。

感染科护士工作满意度在医院伦理氛围与隐性缺勤中的中介效应

目的了解感染科护士医院伦理氛围现状,探讨医院伦理氛围对感染科护士隐性缺勤的影响,分析护士工作满意度在医院伦理氛围和隐性缺勤之间的中介效应。方法运用便利抽样法于2022年10月至2023年4月选取河南省三级甲等医院感染科护士215人,采用自行设计的一般资料调查表、斯坦福隐性缺勤简式量表、汉化版医院伦理氛围量表、护士工作满意度调查问卷对符合纳入标准的感染科护士进行问卷调查。结果护士隐性缺勤总分为(18.81±5.11)分、医院伦理氛围总分为(93.77±27.40)分、护士工作满意度总分为(129.92±27.43)分。隐性缺勤与医院伦理氛围呈负相关(r=-0.610,P<0.001),隐性缺勤与工作满意度呈负相关(r=-0.499,P<0.001),工作满意度与医院伦理氛围呈正相关(r=0.392,P<0.001)。护士工作满意度在医院伦理氛围与隐性缺勤中起间接中介作用(β=-0.136,P<0.001),中介效应占比为21%。结论感染科护士工作满意度在医院伦理氛围与隐性缺勤间发挥中介作用,可通过提高护士工作满意度降低隐性缺勤率。

三级医院高年资护士工作疏离感与团队心理安全气氛、隐性缺勤的相关性研究

目的:探讨三级医院高年资护士工作疏离感与团队心理安全气氛、隐性缺勤的相关性。方法:选取2022年6月-2023年6月在青岛市8所三级医院工作的263名高年资护士,采用自行设计一般资料调查表、护士工作疏离感问卷、团队心理安全气氛量表及隐性缺勤量表对三级医院高年资护士进行问卷调查,查找影响三级医院高年资护士工作疏离感的因素。结果:单因素分析结果显示性别、学历、职称、工龄、年度考核情况及有无职务/科室兼职是影响三级医院高年资护士工作疏离感的因素(P<0.05),相关性分析显示三级医院高年资护士工作疏离感与团队心理安全气氛量表各个维度得分及总得分呈显著负相关(r=-0.957~-0.686,P<0.01);与隐性缺勤量表各个维度得分及总得分呈显著正相关(r=0.732~0.939,P<0.01),多因素分析结果显示性别、职称、有无职务/科室兼职、团队心理安全气氛及隐性缺勤是影响三级医院高年资护士工作疏离感的因素。结论:女性、正高职称、无职务/科室兼职、团队心理安全气氛水平低及隐性缺勤行为严重的三级医院高年资护士工作疏离感水平高,护理管理者应重视此类护士的职业规划与身心健康,降低其工作疏离感水平。

中国不在村承包者的形成机理分析

当前,中国不在村承包者与中国历史上的大地主、发达国家的不在地主都存在显著不同,其因规模狭小而不会成为食利阶层、因提高了农地利用效率而得到肯定。利用独立调查数据对不在村承包者的形成进行实证分析发现,调研样本中的不在村承包者占比为6.7%。使用probit模型、cloglog模型、工具变量法等计量工具,验证了打工时间多、打工距离远能够显著提高其形成概率的假设,该结论具有稳健性,并主要在男性、老一代农民工和典型农村地区成立。因此,应促进城市化和市民化,打破地域界限,破除农民工长时间和长距离外出打工的各种约束和歧视,促进劳动力市场信息的高效传导,完善特别针对外出农民工的社会保障体系。

成长型思维培育与大学生旷课心理干预的研究

当代大学生由于目标与动力缺失、抗挫折能力较差、缺乏自我掌控能力、被“捷径”思维误导等原因,产生旷课倾向,而旷课问题从根源上可以归结为心理层面与思维模式的问题。教育心理学家卡罗尔提出“成长型思维”理论,该理论对旷课心理干预起到积极作用,通过“一个中心四基点”的旷课心理干预模式,即:以心理健康为中心,以激发学习动力、调整固定型评价体系、提高学业抗挫折能力、提高学习掌控力四个方面为基点,从而帮助大学生逐渐了解、调整、并主动训练自身的思维模式,完成固定型到成长型的转变,进而从心理干预角度降低旷课情况。

新疆护理人员职业性肌肉骨骼疾患所致缺勤的现状调查

目的了解新疆二、三级医院护理人员职业性肌肉骨骼疾患(WMSDs)的患病现状,分析WMSDs引起缺勤的状况,为职业卫生行政管理部门以及医疗卫生管理部门的管理提供依据。方法采用整群抽样的方法,抽取新疆70家医院的10 665名护理人员,采用WMSDs调查问卷调查WMSDs患病率以及WMSDs引起的缺勤状况。结果护理人员三个时间层面WMSDs患病率为67.92%(曾患病率)、61.20%(年患病率)、28.98%(周患病率);近1年因WMSDs请假的缺勤率为6.81%,因腰部WMSDs缺勤率占比最高(5.32%);不同年龄、工龄、婚姻及生育状况、工作科室的护士近1年因WMSDs所致缺勤率差异有统计学意义(均P<0.01)。结论新疆护理人员职业性肌肉骨骼疾患患病率较高,因WMSDs缺勤率低于一般职业人群,可能与重视程度不高、数据上报保守等有关。建议管理者及护理人员提高对WMSDs的重视程度,做好职业防护。

学校因病缺课监测系统传染病疫情发现效果评价

目的评价学校因病缺课监测系统在学校传染病疫情发现工作中的效果,为进一步完善学校传染病疫情早期预警工作提供科学依据。方法通过学校因病缺课监测信息与国家疾病监测信息报告系统传染病报告信息进行核对,确定监测哨点学生传染病发病情况及传染病患者缺课登记情况,同时对2个系统报告传染病患者的及时性进行比较。结果因病缺课监测系统传染病患者登记的比例为60.8%;未登记者中有74.2%的患者是由于节假日或休息时间就诊而未缺课,有28.8%缺课而未被记录。传染病患者缺课记录日期比医院网报日期平均早1.1d。结论单纯的因病缺课监测并不能发现学校所有的传染病患者,应建立因病缺课和晨午检相结合的日报告监测系统,并与国家疾病监测信息报告系统互为补充。

2014—2015学年上海市中小学生因病缺课监测结果的初步分析

目的了解2014—2015学年上海市中小学生因病缺课的流行特征和原因,为制定切实有效的学生健康干预措施提供科学依据。方法收集2014—2015学年上海市中小学生因病缺课系统监测数据,采用统计描述和行列表χ2检验方法,描述2014—2015学年上海市中小学生因病缺课流行特征,并比较不同性别、不同学段学生因病缺课原因构成差异。结果 2014—2015学年上海市中小学生总因病缺课率为0.31%,首次缺课422 469人次。冬季学生因病缺课率较高。首次缺课个案中,男生比例高于女生,小学生比例高于初中、高中学生。因症状缺课是首次缺课的主要原因,占90.76%,多为发热和呼吸系统症状;因传染病、伤害、其他疾病缺课分别占首次缺课病例的2.70%、1.54%和5.00%。不同性别、不同学段的学生因病缺课原因构成有显著差异。结论上海市学校因病缺课系统在学校卫生管理工作中发挥了重要作用,应继续挖掘监测数据,及时了解学生因病缺课动态,完善症状监测及传染病预警体系。