Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics Associated with Improvements in Quality of Life for Participants with Opioid Use Disorder

Background: The Houston Emergency Opioid Engagement System was established to create an access pathway into long-term recovery for individuals with opioid use disorder. The program determines effectiveness across multiple dimensions, one of which is by measuring the participant’s reported quality of life (QoL) at the beginning of the program and at successive intervals. Methods: A visual analog scale was used to measure the change in QoL among participants after joining the program. We then identified sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with changes in QoL. Results: 71% of the participants (n = 494) experienced an increase in their QoL scores, with an average improvement of 15.8 ± 29 points out of a hundred. We identified 10 factors associated with a significant change in QoL. Participants who relapsed during treatment experienced minor increases in QoL, and participants who attended professional counseling experienced the largest increases in QoL compared with those who did not. Conclusions: Insight into significant factors associated with increases in QoL may inform programs on areas of focus. The inclusion of counseling and other services that address factors such as psychological distress were found to increase participants’ QoL and success in recovery.

Prostate-Specific Antigen Screening According to Health Professional Counseling and Age in the United States

Background. In 2018, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommended that PSA screening for prostate cancer involve men aged 55–69, based on a personal decision following consultation with a health professional. PSA screening in men aged 70 or older should only occur if symptoms exist. This study identifies the association between having a PSA test in the past two years and whether or not there was consultation with a health professional about the benefits and/or harms of PSA screening. Methods. Analyses were based on data involving men aged 40 years or older, who responded to PSA related questions in the 2018 BRFSS survey. Results. Approximately 32.0% (14.6% for ages 40–54, 41.7% for ages 55–69, and 49.8% for ages 70 years and older) of respondents had a PSA test in the past two years. Approximately 81.7% of these men had talked with a health professional about the benefits and/or harms of PSA screening, with 42.4% having discussed the benefits and harms, 54.6% having discussed the benefits only, and 3.0% having discussed the harms only. The odds of a PSA test in the past two years in men having talked with a health professional about the benefits and harms of the test versus no talk are 10.1 (95% CI 9.3–10.8), in men who talked with a health professional about the benefits only versus no talk are 10.8 (95% CI 10.0–11.6), and in men who talked with a health professional about the harms only versus no talk are 3.9 (95% CI 2.9–5.1). Conclusion. PSA screening is most common in men aged 70 or older, which is counter to the US Preventive Task Force recommendation. Most men having a PSA test have talked with a health professional about the test, but the talks tended to focus on just the benefits of screening and not both potential benefits and harms.

Heritage Keepers: The Perils in Textile Conservation

One of the most frequent professional afflictions in Conservators-Restorers is the onset of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The conservation of textiles is recognizably vulnerable to these problems. However, the assessments of the ergonomic conditions for these workers are rare or even non-existing. The present study focuses on a group of conservators-restorers of textiles and relies on the use of a Nordic Questionnaire for musculoskeletal disorders coupled with a Quick Exposure Check for the task of consolidation on a horizontal table to determine the severity and exposure levels to WMSDs. All surveyed workers reported numbness, pain or discomfort in the last 12 months for the neck region, while 67% reported the same afflictions for the back, shoulders/arms and hands/wrist. In the same time period, half of the workers used pain relievers in order to maintain their professional activity. For the textile consolidation task, the neck and back areas showed high and very high levels of exposure, respectively, and the results place these workers at a high-risk for WMSDs due to cumulative stress. Mitigation strategies are proposed but these should be paired with professional counseling. Although preliminary, this study is the first of its kind to assess the ergonomic impact of the profession in Portugal and presents a methodology that can be used to perform similar evaluations in other workplaces and/or other specialties in the Conservation and Restoration sphere, both nationally and internationally.

Digital Counseling and Guidance of Students – Real and Effective Support During the Pandemic Periods

This paper brings to the readers' attention the theoretical dimensions and emphasizes the practical dimensions of professional counseling and career guidance - an activity complementary to the vocational training activities, but imperative in the harmonious insertion of young people on the labor market, as revealed by presenting a good practice model. Thus, the research part of the paper reveals a high level of satisfaction / self-knowledge / relationship in the social environment, obtained by students, as a result of their participation in a professional counseling and career guidance program, conducted online. This is an aspect that leads us to conclude that career counseling activities, regardless of how they are carried out (onside / online, group / individual), have a defining importance for the further professional evolution of students / young people.

Exploring the “New Normal”: Older Adults’ Coping Strategies During COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 stay-at-home orders resulted in social isolation and psychosocial challenges for older adults around the world. To understand their lived experiences during the pandemic, we conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with 15 older adults living in community settings. Qualitative thematic analysis of the collected data identified themes and patterns of the “new normal” for these participants: ways of living, communication with family and friends, sense of autonomy, psychological responses, coping strategies, and perceived social support. This presentation focuses on participants’ coping strategies. Participants used common coping strategies, customized to the unique challenges of stay-at-home orders. We categorized coping strategies as problem-focused, meaning-focused, and emotion-focused. Participants’ problem-focused strategies aimed to reduce the risk of infection. Meaning-focused strategies included purposeful errands such as going to grocery stores. Emotion-focused strategies emphasized connecting with support networks (e.g., via Zoom) and efforts to maintain psychosocial and emotional well-being (e.g., seeking professional counseling). They also employed self-enhancing comparisons to increase self-concept and self-esteem. At the beginning of the pandemic, some temporarily used distraction/avoidance strategies such as eating comfort food and avoiding news about COVID-19 to maintain a positive emotional state. Our findings imply the applicability of frameworks such as life course perspective and selective optimization with compensation to highlight the successful adaptive strategies developed by older adults through experience. We argue against the ageist view of older adults as vulnerable. Rather, this study suggests that older adults can flexibly employ resilient coping strategies crafted over a lifetime of experiences in response to crises.

Small Animal Veterinarians' Communication With Dog Owners From a Motivational Interviewing Perspective

Veterinary communication skills are fundamentally important in animal practice. Despite client-centered communication being recommended as the optimal medical communication style, a paternalistic approach is still common in veterinary medical encounters with pet owners. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a client-centered, evidence-based counseling method aiming to strengthen a person's motivation and commitment to behavior changes. In this exploratory study, the aim was to investigate Swedish small animal veterinarians' use of client centered communication with dog owners regarding dental home care in dogs. This was achieved by analyzing the use of MI-techniques among veterinarians without previous training or knowledge of the method. Individual telephone calls, reflecting a veterinary clinical scenario, between small animal veterinarians (n = 8) and a trained professional actor playing a dog owner were recorded and coded according to an MI coding protocol (MITI 4.2.1). In the present study, the degree of spontaneously used MI was low. From an MI-communication perspective, with a simulated dog owner, the veterinarians predominantly relied on asking questions, giving information, and persuasive talk. The veterinarians dominated the conversations and made minimal attempts to involve the dog owner resulting in a power imbalance between veterinarian and client. As the degree of spontaneously used MI was found to be low, MI-training may be required in order to apply the method in professional counseling. The veterinarians' communication pattern suggested a paternalistic communication style, when attempting to motivate a client to brush his or her dog's teeth. We suggest that Motivational Interviewing (MI) has a potential to improve veterinary communication and adherence to medical recommendations if introduced and implemented in veterinary practice.