PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Contacting Clients”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Events and experiences impacting the development of clinical self confidence: a study of the first year of client contact.

Research was conducted to identify the events and experiences influencing the development of clinical self-confidence during the first year of client contact for beginning marriage and family therapists. Thirty-nine recent graduates of a master's degree training program participated in a semistructured interview in which they were asked to describe the influences on their clinical self-confidence. Through qualitative analysis, four event and experience categories emerged as exerting the most influence on confidence at this stage of professional development: supervision, contact with clients, contact with peers, and personal life stress. The authors recommend providing strength-focused supervision, acknowledging the effects of client contact, encouraging peer contact, and attending to personal life stress.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Patterns of sex worker-client contacts and their implications for the persistence of sexually transmitted infections.

Sex workers (SWs) and their clients are often identified as being central in transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Little is known about how patterns of contact between SWs and their clients influence the persistence of STIs. We developed an individual-based simulation model to explore how variation in number of client contacts per SW, whether clients repeatedly visited the same SW, and the relative sizes of the SW and client populations influence the endemic prevalence of gonorrhea and herpes simplex virus type 2 infection. Persistence of either infection was more likely if clients visited many different SWs, regardless of variation in the SW-client contact rate, and also resulted in a higher endemic prevalence in both populations and a greater likelihood of persistence of infection at lower levels in the general population. The size of the SW population (relative to the total population) was found to be most important in determining the overall prevalence of infection.

Female↗
PubMed2005

Pervasive alienation: on seeing the invisible, meeting the inaccessible and engaging 'lost to contact' clients with major mental illness.

Increasing integration of services for adults with severe mental health problems has highlighted the challenges to services posed by clients who are difficult to engage. There is a dearth of studies on direct work with individuals who are reclusive and difficult to contact, in contrast with the bulk of literature where the patient and network are present and available. This paper describes the work of a busy CMHT with such clients; barriers to collaborative work are explored and some of the team's strategies to overcome these barriers are delineated. Long, slow and persistent contact is observed to be a core feature of the work. The paper goes on to examine the fit between the realities of ongoing work with such clients and the available therapeutic and service discourses.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Case management: a week in the life of a clinical case management team.

This paper describes the work of a clinical case management core team (four nurses and an occupational therapist) during the course of a week. Information was gathered through non-participant observation of the team by two independent researchers. Transcripts produced from the data recorded were examined. From this, seven categories of activity were identified: planned client contact; unplanned client contact; family/carer contact; liaison; administration; team information sharing and supervision, training and personal development. These categories were felt to encompass the range of activities practised by the team. The amount of time that case managers spent engaged in these core functions was calculated. Detailed examples are presented. Results are discussed with reference to Kanter's components and principles of clinical case management.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

The implications of HIV/AIDS for a range of workers in the Scottish context.

Although there have been a great many surveys of staff members' attitudes to HIV/AIDS, there has been relatively little research which has focused on their actual responses to and experiences of AIDS-related work (Barbour, 1994a). In addition, much of the published work on AIDS workers assumes that the demands of this work are self-evident, contingent upon client contact, and unique to this area of work. The research findings presented here suggest that these assumptions may be unfounded and certainly do not provide a complete picture of what AIDS work involves for staff members. Although some of the stressors reported by workers related to concerns explored in existing literature they did not always experience these anticipated demands as being especially problematic. Workers also reported experiencing problems in responding to demands from more unexpected quarters, such as organizational aspects of the work, rather than those stemming from the nature of contact with clients. Moreover, many of the demands were not unique to HIV/AIDS, but are features of other types of work. In devising training programmes for AIDS workers educators need to be alert to the often overlooked potential of pre-existing training programmes in operation in other specialties. Many of the demands cited by workers as problematic related to the newness of such demands in the light of their own employment histories rather than to HIV/AIDS work itself, suggesting that individualized training packages might be more appropriate. In relation to the retention of staff, it is crucial that the many rewards which pertain to this area of work are acknowledged and capitalized upon.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Multicenter study of the lactational amenorrhea method (LAM) III: effectiveness, duration, and satisfaction with reduced client-provider contact.

The objective of this effort was to assess the use and efficacy of the Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM) with reduced numbers of client-provider contacts. A co-sponsored multicenter study of LAM was performed to test the efficacy and acceptability of the method under "post-marketing" conditions, with investigator-initiated contact occurring only twice: at the time of intake and then again at month 7 of postpartum. These data are assumed to provide an assessment of LAM's use, efficacy, and performance that more closely reflects the prevailing conditions of these populations during normal use. Three hundred and sixty-two subjects were recruited through centers that had participated in the previous, more contact-intensive studies. Using a cooperatively developed protocol, data were gathered prospectively on at least 10 and up to 50 LAM acceptors at nine sites, and entered and cleaned on site. Data were further cleaned and analyzed at the Georgetown University Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) and the Department of Nutrition at the University of Connecticut. Using country-level and pooled data, descriptive statistics and life tables were produced. LAM efficacy in this sample is 100% because there were no pregnancies at any of the participating sites. Satisfaction with the method was high, and the rate of continuation on to another method after LAM was 66.7% at 7 months postpartum. Of the women who had never used family planning prior to LAM, 63.0% went on to use another method of family planning in a timely manner. LAM can be highly effective as an introductory postpartum family planning method when offered in a variety of cultures, health care settings, and industrial and developing country locales. Under conditions of limited client-provider contact, LAM remains effective and leads to acceptance of another method by about two-thirds of the acceptors. Women are able to use LAM effectively without extensive counseling or follow-up, with a high level of user satisfaction.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Sexual contact with clients: assessment of social workers' attitudes and educational preparation.

The purpose of this study was to assess social work students' attitudes about sexual contact with clients and their perceptions about their training and education in this area. The sample included 349 social work students in their final semester of an MSW program. There were relatively high levels of approval for sexual contact between social workers and clients in certain circumstances. Approval was not limited to circumstances in which professional relationships were terminated, were brief, or had involved only concrete services. Students with less social work experience and who thought class content on sexual ethics was inadequate were more likely to approve of sexual contact between social worker and client. Students did not feel that they had received adequate education or training on sexual ethics, and many felt unprepared to handle sexual feelings from or toward a client. Implications for education, training, and practice, and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

How much does heterosexual commercial sex contribute to India's HIV epidemic?

Through a search, we identified five models of India's HIV epidemic, all of which articulate the hypothesis that heterosexual commercial sex drives India's HIV epidemic. All five models assume more female sex workers (FSWs) than have been mapped (counted), and more than can be inferred from men's sexual behaviour. With best and highest plausible evidence-based estimates (15-20% of 300,000-700,000 FSWs are HIV-positive; FSWs have 570 client contacts per year; clients use condoms with 60-75% of FSW contacts; and the rate of HIV transmission from FSWs to clients is 0.0011-0.002 per unprotected contact), FSWs and clients account for 2-15% of HIV-infected adults, far less than model-based estimates of 44-68%. Overestimating the contribution of commercial sex to India's HIV epidemic misleads prevention programmes to ignore other risks, and promotes the stigmatizing assumption that HIV infection is a sign of immoral behaviour.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2000

Hitting the target: the equitable distribution of health visitors across caseloads.

BACKGROUND: Health visitors in the United Kingdom work mainly with pre-school children and their mothers. Their distribution across the population is largely historical, highly variable and relates poorly to indicators of population need. METHODS: A range of largely routine data sources were used to describe the nature, variation and statistical determinants of the workload of individual health visitors in Sheffield, England, in 1996-1997. Regression models were tested relating measures of need and deprivation to the total number of client contacts. RESULTS: Caseloads were smaller in the most deprived areas, with wide variation. Most (93 per cent) contacts were with mothers and young children. Health visitors visited the clients designated as highest priority on average 4.7 times more often than routine clients. The main reasons for high priority ratings were child protection concerns, maternal mental health problems, child development and health concerns, and first-time mothers in the postnatal period. Half of all client contacts were with low-priority families for routine child health surveillance or were client initiated. Models based on the number of children under five and any one of a range of measures of social deprivation account for 57-59 per cent of variation in workload and could be used to allocate resources more equitably. CONCLUSIONS: Although most health visitors apparently subscribe to the principle of targeting, the extent varies widely. Constraints on targeting are routine child health surveillance reviews, and client demands. More equitable allocation of health visitors and more explicit targeting policies might increase the effectiveness of the health visiting service.

Child↗
PubMed1976

The problem of early outpatient terminations from community mental health centers: a problem for whom?

This study examined the relationship between the number of client contacts with a mental health center and the client's evaluation of the services. Responses to 3 structured ratings of the center's services and free response comments were obtained from 130 former outpatients. None of the structured evaluation ratings was related to the number of contacts, but clients with several contacts were more negative in their free response comments. In addition, clients who had dropped out of therapy evaluated services as highly as clients whose therapy reached a normal termination. These results question the traditional assumptions that early terminations usually occur because of client dissatisfaction and represent treatment failures.

Community Mental Health Centers↗
PubMed2003

HIV prevention with jail and prison inmates: Maryland's Prevention Case Management program.

Prevalence of HIV infection and AIDS cases is higher among inmates of correctional facilities than among the general population, especially for female inmates. This creates a strong need for effective HIV prevention with this population. Maryland's Prevention Case Management (PCM) program provides individual or group counseling to inmates nearing release to promote changes in risk behavior. Pretest and posttest surveys assess changes in perceived risk, condom attitudes, condom use self-efficacy, self-efficacy to reduce injection drug risk and other substance use risk, and behavioral intentions during participation in the program. Client contact logs, kept by counselors, document the number and duration of sessions, and the specific modules, completed by participants. Over a 4-year period, PCM records identified 2,610 participants in the program. Pre-intervention and postintervention data were available for 745 participants, with client contact log records available for 529 (71%) of these individuals. Significant, positive changes were found in self-reported condom attitudes, self-efficacy for condom use, self-efficacy for injection drug use risk, self-efficacy for other substance use risk, and intentions to practice safer sex post-release. Inmate populations are a crucial audience for HIV/AIDS testing, treatment, and prevention efforts. The Maryland PCM program has documented positive changes in participants' attitudes, self-efficacy, and intentions related to HIV risk, over a 4-year period.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Civil commitment as a "street-level" bureaucracy: case-load, professionalization and administration.

This article applies street-level bureaucracy theories to "coping" patterns of behavior that developed in an involuntary commitment system. Daily procedures and routines of five Nebraska county boards of mental health and the attitudes of their members were studied. The results showed that the urban, high case-load, professionally-oriented board informally modified statutory procedures significantly to reduce face-to-face client contact, limit the scope of its decisions, and displace responsibility for the most ambiguous decisions to the treatment facility and board psychiatrist. Rural, low case-load, less professionally-specialized boards also modified the statutory procedures, but conducted the commitment process in a far more ambiguous, open-ended, and tense system with substantial face-to-face client contact. Both urban and rural boards had multifaceted role definitions; rural boards, however, had a more open-ended perception of their functions, and attempted more actively to modify antisocial behavior and redirect board subjects to sources of social counseling. Therefore, understanding street-level "coping" behavior in an actual commitment context is important to develop realistic changes in civil commitment systems and to preclude informal procedures that reduce a commitment system's effectiveness or undermine a proposed patient' s rights.

Administrative Personnel↗
PubMed2000

Predictors of secondary trauma in sexual assault trauma counselors.

This study evaluated psychological distress, secondary trauma intensity, and specific components of secondary trauma in 89 sexual assault trauma counselors (SATC). Results indicated that some SATC were experiencing secondary trauma based on measures of psychological distress and PTSD-like symptoms. The study also examined whether personal trauma history, greater counseling experience, emergency room work as primary client contact type, counseling satisfaction levels, and demographic variables significantly predicted self-reported psychological distress and PTSD-like symptoms. Results supported the hypothesis that personal trauma history and younger age significantly predicted self-reported psychological distress. Results also supported hypotheses that personal trauma history, younger counselor age, and lower counseling satisfaction levels significantly predicted higher levels of secondary trauma intensity. Contrary to prediction, exposure to trauma survivors, emergency room work as primary client contact type, and education did not significantly predict psychological distress or secondary trauma intensity. Findings were robust even when SATC currently in psychotherapy or taking medication were conservatively excluded in follow-up analyses. Research and training implications are discussed [International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, 2000, 2(4), 229-240).

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Residential program characteristics for completion of treatment by adolescent drug abusers.

The relationship to treatment outcome (as measured by the National Institute of Drug Abuse Client-Oriented Data Acquisition Process [NIDA-CODAP] Reasons for Discharge classification) of specific characteristics and elements of 22 drug-free residential programs for adolescents is reported. Admission and discharge data were obtained from NIDA-CODAP on 2,532 adolescents in the 22 programs. A partial cross-validation study was conducted by analyzing separately for two annual client subsamples. The program, not the individual client, was the unit of analysis. When three differences between programs in their client populations were "partialed out" the following characteristics of programs were found to predict positively to outcome (a lower treatment failure rate) to a statistically significant degree: the number of years that the counselors had worked in the programs; the number of volunteer staff in direct service (client contact); the proportion of clients receiving bodily and mental relaxation techniques: the counselors' perceptions that their programs accept or encourage relatively more spontaneous personal expressiveness, including expression of anger by clients, in staff-client relationships, but encourage less client "autonomy" (to be self-sufficient and independent with regard to making their own decisions); the counselors report that providing practical assistance in solving clients' real-life problems is useful. There was a high degree of replication of these findings across the two annual subsamples of clients. These findings for adolescents in residential programs are compared with findings reported in a parallel study of treatment outcome for adolescents in outpatient programs.

Adolescent↗