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Oct 2018 DOI 10.14302/issn.2474-3585.jpmc-18-2405
Zhang ChunyuCorresponding author
Department of Health Reform & Development, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, PR China.
Excessive overtime work, which is a serious problem among Chinese physicians, is the primary reason for night clinic closure policies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of such policies on physicians’ workload and satisfaction. Physicians at the hospital, which closed its night clinic in 2017, were selected as the intervention group, and those at another hospital, which still operates a night clinic, were chosen as the control group. In total, 829 participating physicians self-reported their characteristics and responded to questions on three effect indicators: weekly hours worked, work–family balance, and job satisfaction; the index years were for 2016 and 2017. A pre–post-with-control-group study design and the difference-in-difference (DID) methodology were employed to evaluate the effect of night clinic closure. After adjusting for physicians’ characteristics, the effect of all variables, except hours worked per week, on work–family balance and job satisfaction remained significant. Although the adjusted effect on hours worked per week was not significant, our results suggest that minor policy changes that reduce the workload of physicians may nonetheless benefit this group. However, as the satisfaction scores remained low, other policies should be implemented to relieve the workload and improve satisfaction among physicians.
Feb 2026 DOI 10.14302/issn.2693-1176.ijgh-25-5735
Ruth Piloya ChristineCorresponding author
Background In Northern Uganda’s patriarchal communities, women play vital yet underrecognized roles in environmental conservation. There is limited research examining the socio-cultural roles women play in society in northern Uganda. This study, conducted in Gulu District, examined the socio-cultural functions performed by women in safeguarding natural resources. Methods This study employed an analytical cross-sectional design involving 395 women aged 18–49 in Gulu District, selected for its patriarchal context. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed with SPSS, applying descriptive and inferential statistics. Key variables included women’s roles in environmental conservation and barriers to participation. Ethical approval and informed consent were obtained to ensure research integrity. Results The study found that women in Gulu District play vital socio-cultural roles in environmental conservation, particularly as custodians of indigenous knowledge (Mean = 4.42), active participants in tree planting (Mean = 4.11), and conservers of ecosystems (Mean = 4.04). However, their involvement in advocacy (Mean = 3.46) and decision-making (Mean = 3.20) was perceived as limited, reflecting the constraints of a patriarchal society. Additionally, evolving gender roles have negatively impacted women’s engagement, with 47.6% citing excessive domestic workload and 44.1% reporting reduced participation in conservation activities. These findings highlight both the significance of women’s contributions and the structural barriers that hinder their full involvement in environmental governance. Conclusion Despite these challenges, women’s contributions remain central to sustainable environmental stewardship. The study recommends targeted sensitization and training programs to promote gender equality and community acceptance of women’s leadership in environmental governance.
Sep 2025 DOI 10.14302/issn.2768-0207.jbr-25-5706
Nakamura YusukeCorresponding author
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a transformative force across many sectors, with healthcare representing both one of the most promising and most challenging areas of application. This review summarizes current and future applications of AI in healthcare, focusing on its potential to improve diagnosis, therapy, chronic disease management, and overall patient care, while also alleviating physicians’ workload. Recent literature demonstrates that AI systems can reduce diagnostic errors/delays by mitigating cognitive biases, support imaging and pathology through improved accuracy and speed, and prevent prescribing errors by integrating pharmacogenomic and clinical data into decision-support systems. In chronic disease management, AI-powered wearable devices enable continuous monitoring and early detection of conditions such as atrial fibrillation, thereby reducing the risk of stroke and long-term disability, particularly in elderly people. Therapeutic applications include AI-driven drug discovery, personalized oncology, and tailored medicine that integrates multi-omics and lifestyle data. Beyond direct medical intervention, AI contributes by automating routine tasks, optimizing workflows, and facilitating greater patient–clinician interaction. Despite these benefits, significant challenges remain, including issues of data quality, privacy, security, equity, and the need for transparency and trust in “black box” systems. Looking ahead, the integration of multimodal data, digital twins, and robotics is expected to advance more comprehensive, equitable, and human-centered care. We conclude that, when applied ethically and responsibly, AI should not replace clinicians but rather serve as a powerful partner that enhances medicine by restoring empathy and humanity.
Oct 2022 DOI 10.14302/issn.2641-4538.jphi-22-4333
Hezagira EmeryCorresponding author
Public Health Department, Mount Kenya University Rwanda
The motivations and barriers experienced by community health workers (CHWs) during the delivery of maternal and child health (MCH) services are less documented in Rwanda. This study aimed to explore the barriers and facilitators of implementing MCH care as perceived by CHWs. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted, and Semi-structured interviews with flow-up probing questions were used to collect data. A number of 24 interviews were conducted with CHWs from three selected sectors of the Gicumbi district including four supervisors of CHWs from each selected health center and one at the district hospital. Three focus group discussions with CHWs from each site were also conducted. Ethical approval was obtained from Mount Kenya University and permission to collect data from the study sites was granted. NVIVO software was used for analysis, and then the content analysis was adopted to identify themes merging from the interviews and focus group discussions. The study findings revealed emerged factors that facilitate the CHWs to deliver MCH services to their communities: liking their work, trust by the community, respect from the community, the willingness to help, desire to gain knowledge, being human, and sacrifice for the wellness of the community. On another hand, the findings indicated that the work of CHW has various barriers including working many hours, lack of equipment, lack of knowledge, unsatisfactory salary, heavy workload, lack of working space, lack of facilitation for communication, family conflicts, lack of specified working time, and believes.
Feb 2019 DOI 10.14302/issn.2578-8590.ipj-19-2653
Habibzadeh NasimCorresponding author
PhD in Sport Science, Department of Sport Science, Teesside University
The brain is one of the most complicated body segments which processes almost all activities in human body. Excessive physical and mental overloads can cause brain fatigue and may put the brain health at risk of various disorders. Strategies such as reducing the workloads and performing mediation and walking provide opportunities for brain to relax and reconstruct its capability again.
Aug 2017 DOI 10.14302/issn.2470-5020.jnrt-17-1530
Suslo RobertCorresponding author
Gerontology Unit, Public Health Department, Health Sciences Faculty, Wroclaw Medical University,
It is crucial for the society, the government and the medical community to retrieve the full and reliable statistical information on malignant brain neoplasms (C71-C71.9 ICD-10) to adjust the medical financing, staff and equipment properly. In order to retrieve information useful for public health policies, data from the years 2006-2012 concerning relevant cases registered by the Polish public healthcare insurance provider Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia in Lower Silesia region of Poland (NFZ) and by the Polish national neoplasms registry Krajowy Rejestr Nowotworow (KRN) were analyzed. The number of new malignant brain neoplasms cases registered by the KRN has risen slightly in the years 2006-2012. At the same time the number of cases reported by the NFZ rose dynamically, which means a significant increase in medical care intensity, and thus also workload on the medical facilities and stuff associated with the care for grossly the same amount of brain malignant neoplasms patients and, supposedly, their longer survival times. It indicates that the level of public financing of the malignant neoplasms of brain treatment shall be adjusted adequately. The study revealed growing popularity among reporting Polish physicians of the least specific malignant neoplasms of brain ICD-10 categories, despite the rapid diagnostic techniques development and availability. It is alarming since the medical statistics data quality in the field of malignant brain neoplasms is deteriorating that way and proper evaluation of treatment costs and planning future financial allocations by both the public healthcare insurance provider NFZ and the Polish government becomes difficult.
Jun 2017 DOI 10.14302/issn.3070-5835.jcpn-17-1580
Ronit Calderon-MargalitCorresponding author
Objective. To describe the attitudes and behavior of registered nurses in their professional interaction toward unlicensed assistive personnel (UAPs) and to identify areas to develop policy for an effective nursing development and workforce planning. Background: One of the challenges health care systems have been addressing is the integration of the UAPs into the nursing care delivery systems. Study Design: Aphenomenological study involving registered nurses, staff and managerial positions. Data were collected using an in-depth semi-structured interview. Findings: Nurses report an increased task management workload which may lead to a decline in the quality of nursing care. Structural factors that are related to nurses and to UAPs were mentioned as affecting the quality of their professional and collaborative interaction. Conclusions: Training nurses to work with UAPs while developing their communication and managerial skills may improve the quality of care and increase their level of satisfaction.