The Correlation Between Self-Care Behavior with Application of Eastern Wisdom and Resilience Among Village Health Volunteers: A Cross-Sectional Study in Southern Thailand

The job of village health volunteers (VHVs) is to coordinate between Thai government departments and the public. Such work can lead to boredom, discouragement, and physical and mental exhaustion. Therefore, strengthening the positive ability of VHVs can help them cope with fatigue. It is essential to continue supporting VHVs; consequently, it is necessary to incorporate Eastern wisdom into healthcare provided for village health volunteers. Purposive sampling was used in this descriptive research to study the relationship between self-care behaviors by applying Eastern wisdom to support and enhance the mental strength of the VHVs. The sample consisted of 77 VHVs in Southern Thailand. Demographic data questionnaire, self-care behavior questionnaire by applying Eastern wisdom, and resilience questionnaire were used to collect data. Pearson’s correlation was used to analyze data. The relationship between self-care behavior by applying Eastern wisdom and resilience was found to have a statistically significant positive correlation (r = .246, p < .05). The relationship between self-care behavior by applying Eastern wisdom and resilience in this study was weak, but there was a positive correlation. Thus, health care providers should promote and integrate Eastern wisdom into self-care activities with VHVs.

Healthcare providers’ perspectives on integrating NCDs into primary healthcare in Thailand: a mixed method study

Background In response to an increased health burden from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), primary health care (PHC) is effective platform to support NCDs prevention and control. This study aims to assess Thailand’s PHC capacity in providing NCDs services, identify enabling factors and challenges and provide policy recommendations for improvement. Methods This cross-sectional mixed-method study was conducted between October 2019 and May 2020. Two provinces, one rich and one poor, were randomly selected and then a city and rural district from each province were randomly selected. From these 4 sites in the 2 provinces, all 56 PHC centres responded to a self-administrative questionnaire survey on their capacities and practices related to NCDs. A total of 79 participants from Provincial and District Health Offices, provincial and district hospitals, and PHC centres who are involved with NCDs participated in focus group discussions or in-depth interviews. Results Strong health infrastructure, competent staff (however not with increased workload), essential medicines and secured budget boost PHC capacity to address NCDs prevention, control, case management, referral and rehabilitation. Community engagement through village health volunteers improves NCDs awareness, supports enrolment in screening and raises adherence to interventions. Village health volunteers, the crucial link between the health system and the community, are key in supporting health promotion and NCDs prevention and control. Collaboration between provincial and district hospitals in providing resources and technical support enhance the capacity of PHC centres to provide NCDs services. However, inconsistent national policy directions and uncertainty related to key performance indicators hamper progress in NCDs management at the operational level. The dynamic of urbanization and socialization, especially living in obesogenic environments, is one of the greatest challenges for dealing with NCDs. Conclusion PHC centres play a vital role in NCDs prevention and control. Adequate human and financial resources and policy guidance are required to improve PHC performance in managing NCDs. Implementing best buy measures at national level provides synergies for NCDS control at PHC level.

Applying Kabeer's Social Relations Approach to Village Health Volunteers in Rural Papua New Guinea

<p>In this thesis I explore the effectiveness and sustainability of the Village Health Volunteer system within the East Sepik Women and Children's Health Project (ESWCHP), Papua New Guinea. The ESWCHP is a well-established project that provides a health infrastructure for primary health care services in rural areas of the East Sepik Province. The ESWCHP supports Church Health Services, and village women who volunteer (Village Health Volunteers) to provide primary care in rural village settings. In 2006, I undertook research to assess the impact of the ESWCHP. The assessment showed that rural people were very supportive of the Project and that it had made a significant, positive difference to health in rural villages. There was however, an overwhelming response to the research from Village Health Volunteers (VHVs) with requests for a greater level of support from rural people and the ESWCHP (in terms of training, payment, and status) and greater consistency of medical supplies. In this qualitative thesis research, I revisited the 2006 data using a combined theoretical frame of gender and development, participatory development and Sen's capability approach. I developed a detailed method based on Kabeer's Social Relations Approach (1994) to guide the process of interpretation, analysis and representation of memories, notes, and data. Through the analysis of social relations, I examined questions concerning the effectiveness of the VHV system in the face of escalating maternal death rates and epidemic levels of HIV/AIDs, and its sustainability. The analysis showed that the ESWCHP was facing compounding gender inequalities that put sustainability of the VHV system at risk. The analysis also showed that on the basis of key health indicators, the ESWCHP health infrastructure with its current heavy reliance on VHVs was neither successful nor effective. Research is urgently needed to identify a sustainable and effective model of rural health care to address the rapidly escalating maternal death and HIV rates of rural people in PNG.</p>

Applying Kabeer's Social Relations Approach to Village Health Volunteers in Rural Papua New Guinea

<p>In this thesis I explore the effectiveness and sustainability of the Village Health Volunteer system within the East Sepik Women and Children's Health Project (ESWCHP), Papua New Guinea. The ESWCHP is a well-established project that provides a health infrastructure for primary health care services in rural areas of the East Sepik Province. The ESWCHP supports Church Health Services, and village women who volunteer (Village Health Volunteers) to provide primary care in rural village settings. In 2006, I undertook research to assess the impact of the ESWCHP. The assessment showed that rural people were very supportive of the Project and that it had made a significant, positive difference to health in rural villages. There was however, an overwhelming response to the research from Village Health Volunteers (VHVs) with requests for a greater level of support from rural people and the ESWCHP (in terms of training, payment, and status) and greater consistency of medical supplies. In this qualitative thesis research, I revisited the 2006 data using a combined theoretical frame of gender and development, participatory development and Sen's capability approach. I developed a detailed method based on Kabeer's Social Relations Approach (1994) to guide the process of interpretation, analysis and representation of memories, notes, and data. Through the analysis of social relations, I examined questions concerning the effectiveness of the VHV system in the face of escalating maternal death rates and epidemic levels of HIV/AIDs, and its sustainability. The analysis showed that the ESWCHP was facing compounding gender inequalities that put sustainability of the VHV system at risk. The analysis also showed that on the basis of key health indicators, the ESWCHP health infrastructure with its current heavy reliance on VHVs was neither successful nor effective. Research is urgently needed to identify a sustainable and effective model of rural health care to address the rapidly escalating maternal death and HIV rates of rural people in PNG.</p>

Effective Role of Village Health Volunteers (VHVs) in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic Emergencies in Thailand

This study included a discussion of the critical role VHVs played in the control, prevention, and monitoring of the Covid-19 pandemic in Thailand, as well as a review of related literature, with 11 of 59 topics chosen. The purpose of this study was to investigate and improve VHV competence in the control, prevention, and monitoring of the Covid-19 pandemic. The outcomes of the study indicated that VHVs were important in efficiently managing, preventing, and monitoring the Covid-19 pandemic from 2020 until the present. As a result, in addition to maximizing the potential of VHVs, it is important to be varied, knowledgeable, and up to date on current events. However, the most cost-effective utilization of resources is referred to as "Sufficiency Healthcare, High Benefit, Most Economical" when utilizing the concepts of sufficiency economics.

Penanggulangan Sampah Masker Medis Sekali Pakai dengan Pendekatan “Village Health Volunteers” di Kota Surabaya Pada Masa Pandemi Covid-19

This article aims to find out that a Village Health Volunteer approach can be an innovation in handling disposable medical mask waste in the city of Surabaya which incidentally cannot be recycled. This causes it to have the potential to transmit disease if disposable medical masks are reused. The problem in this study is focused on disposable medical mask waste that has not been handled properly from the government side, the community itself and future estimates if left continuously will cause the environment to become worse due to the risk of cross-contamination or biological hazards if polluting the environment. The research method used is literature review. The results of this study explain that the Village Health Volunteer approach can be a way between the government and the community to work together in dealing with health, in this case the handling of disposable medical mask waste. During this pandemic, the use of disposable medical masks by the public has increased so that the waste of disposable medical masks has increased and the risk of cross-contamination or biological hazards by disposable medical mask waste has increased healthy.

Knowledge of Rational Drug Use Among Village Health Volunteers in a Municipal Hospital in Thailand

Village health volunteers (VHVs) are key factors to improve and maintain health status in the Thai population, especially in rural areas. Knowledge in rational drug use of VHVs is essential to help Thai people use medicines appropriately. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the literacy of VHVs relating to rational drug use in a municipal hospital, Nakhon Si Thammarat province, Thailand. The literacy score was assessed using the questionnaire that was developed based on the Rational Drug Use Manual by the Ministry of Public Health. This questionnaire consists of 5 aspects, including the understanding of drug labels, advertisement evaluation, drug purchasing and using, understanding the meaning of medical terms, and access to drug information. The results were analyzed and described as frequency and percentage. Of all 139 VHVs who participated in the questionnaires, the average score of rational drug use literacy was 16.51 (SD = 5.79) out of 28 (58.96%), which was defined as poor level. Considering by aspects, it was found that the scores in the drug label literacy and understanding of the medical terms were at good levels. Drug purchasing and using aspect was at a moderate level. The advertisement assessment aspect was at a poor level. In conclusion, the results in this study indicated that VHVs in a municipal hospital, Nakhon Si Thammarat province, Thailand, should strengthen the knowledge relating to evaluation of advertising media and purchasing and using of drugs.