Community Development and HIV/STI-Related Vulnerability Among Female Sex Workers - Assignment Example

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Annotated Bibliography: Community development and HIV/STI-related vulnerability among female sex workers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by Kerrigan, Telles, Torres, Overs and Castle (2008) and Patients' Waiting Time and Doctors' Idle Time in the Outpatient Setting By Fetter and Thompson (1966) Name Course Instructor’s Name Date Community development and HIV/STI-related vulnerability among female sex workers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by Kerrigan, Telles, Torres, Overs and Castle (2008) The article entitled “Community development and HIV/STI-related vulnerability among female sex workers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil” written by Kerrigan, Telles, Torres, Overs and Castle (2008) published in the Health Education Research proffered issues pertinent to the application of The Sonagachi Project of Kolkata, India, “a model community development and human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted infection (HIV/STI) prevention intervention among female sex workers” (Kerrigan, Telles, Torres, Overs, & Castle, 2008) outside the South Asian location and within the Rio de Janeiro female sex workers in Brazil. The purpose of the authors in writing the discourse was to document the process, applicability, effectivity and challenges of integrating the crucial elements contained in the Sonagachi model in terms of ongoing HIV/STI educational programs within the community development activities for the identified target group, the female sex workers in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The authors explained the three-pronged approach proposed by the Sonagachi model that aimed to reduce the risks associated with HIV/STI through communication of behaviour change, distribution of condoms, and STI management. Further, an identification of the five intervention areas deemed crucial components of the model were acknowledged as the framework that made the Sonagachi model “a UNAIDS Best Practice Model for HIV/STI prevention among sex workers” (UNAIDS, 2002; UNAIDS, 2000; cited in Kerrigan, Telles, Torres, Overs, & Castle, 2008, p. 138). These five intervention areas were comprehensively studied by Bandyopadhyay Ray, and Banerjee (2002) as an oral presentation number and by Bandyopadhyay, Mahendra, and Kerrigan (2003) as a final report for the Horizons Program of the Population Council/ USAID. The study was participated by female sex workers totaling 499 during the pre-intervention survey and 537 at post-intervention survey. Five community development components were evaluated and measured during the pre- and post-intervention phases. The findings revealed that from among the five community development measures, four were significantly associated with HIV/STI preventive behavior. These measures were: social cohesion and mutual aid, social participation and access to material and social resources. The preventive behavior exemplified the use of consistent condom among participating sex workers and their clients, “indicating the importance of community-building and community-bridging interventions for this population group” (Kerrigan, Telles, Torres, Overs, & Castle, 2008, p. 144). One of the strengths is that the authors were effective in defining their objective for the study and have structure their discourse in a comprehensible and clear manner with appropriate sub-headings and tabular illustration of data. Substantial theoretical background provided the framework for understanding the rationale and process for the study. However, the eminent weakness lies in the data analysis that contained fairly comprehensive statistical explanations on the findings that is gruelling to the readers, most especially for those without statistical background. Overall, the authors have successfully achieved their defined objective and were commendable in identifying limitations of the study in terms of the use of the pre/post design, sole reliance on reported outcomes directly linked to condom use, and the limited time frame, which could be addressed in future research on the same field of endeavor. One definitely learned that through proper interventions presented in the form of enhancing educational awareness, prevention or minimization of health risks are ultimately achieved. References Bandyopadhyay, N., Mahendra, V., & Kerrigan, D. (2003). The Role of Community Development Approaches in Ensuring the Effectiveness and Sustainability of Interventions to Reduce HIV Transmission through Commercial Sex: Case Study of the Sonagachi Project, Kolkata, India. Washington, DC: Horizons Program of the Population Council/USAID. Bandyopadhyay, N., Ray, K., & Banerjee, A. (2002). Operationalizing an Effective Community Development Intervention for Reducing HIV Vulnerability in Female Sex Work: Lessons Learned from the Sonagachi Project in Kolkata, India. Barcelona, Spain: XIV International AIDS Conference. Kerrigan, D., Telles, P., Torres, H., Overs, C., & Castle, C. (2008). Community development and HIV/STI-related vulnerability among female sex workers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Health Education Research, Vol. 23, No. 1, 137-145. UNAIDS. (2000). Female Sex Worker HIV Prevention Projects:Lessons Learned from Papua New Guinea, India and Bangladesh. Geneva, Switzerland: UNAIDS Case Study. Best Practices Collection. UNAIDS. (2002). Technical Update: Sex Work and HIV/AIDS. Geneva, Switzerland: UNAIDS Best Practices Collection. Patients' Waiting Time and Doctors' Idle Time in the Outpatient Setting By Fetter and Thompson (1966) The article entitled “Patients' Waiting Time and Doctors' Idle Time in the Outpatient Setting” written by Fetter and Thompson (1966) and published in the Health Services Research aimed to evaluate the effect of patients’ waiting time when queuing for a doctor’s appointment and the doctors’ idle time while waiting for patients. As explicitly indicated, the authors aimed to present a “study of patients' waiting time, and its relationship to doctors' idle time, in various types of ambulatory care facilities” (Fetter & Thompson, 1966, p. 66). The study was likewise previously delved into from Bulletin of New York Academy (1965) and Nuffield Provincial Hospitals (1955). The major points highlighted in the article were focused on the factors that were contributory to influencing patients’ waiting time and the doctors’ idle time. The authors initially narrated an overview of the dilemma through the English experience; and later delved into studies conducted by the Yale Program in Hospital Administration, in conjunction with the Department of Industrial Administration. A study conducted by Bailey ( ), in conjunction with the Nuffield (1955) study, emphasized that “patient waiting times were particularly sensitive to variations in appointment intervals and that they were lengthened considerably by a physician's tardiness” (Fetter & Thompson, 1966, p. 68). The method used indicated the need to determine changes in any of the seven identified variables as significantly affecting both patients’ waiting time and doctors’ idle time through a simulation model of an outpatient clinic. Four different experiments varying levels of loads and variables were conducted to determine the effects and outcomes. The authors concluded that “it is not possible to map all possible consequences of varying the policy and operating features of outpatient clinics” (Fetter & Thompson, 1966, p. 89). The diversity in experiments generated mixed inputs and the extent of affecting the physicians’ productivity, aside from merely focusing on patients’ waiting time and doctors’ idle time. The authors proposed an interesting study which could provide valuable information on the relationship between patients’ waiting time and doctors’ idle time. However, there are weaknesses in terms of clarity in structure and format of the discourse, in identifying objectives, hypothesis, and in presenting relevant results. There were graphical illustrations that lacked accompanying explanations to increase the readers’ understanding for their presentation. Further, some tabular illustrations are presented in pages that did not accompany the narrative discourse rendering their presentation inappropriate. Likewise, no transitions were provided to prepare the readers for the rationale of the experiments and the results were not summarized to assist the readers’ comprehension for the outcomes. The only strength actually was the interesting subject where the readers could empathize with. Despite the intent to present a comprehensive study on the subject, due to the lack of effectiveness in structure and presentation, the interest of the readers is lost along the pages of the discourse. Overall, one finds that the authors failed to achieve their stipulated objective of presenting a study of patients’ waiting time and doctors’ idle time that would reveal a conclusive and clearly stipulated outcome. The conclusions were actually ambiguous, as well as the structure of the information and data that were presented. One potential reason for the ineffective structure and presentation was that the article was published in 1966 way before the technological breakthroughs of computer software programs that provide vast applications in word processing were available. References Bailey, N. T. J. (1952).”Study of queues and appointment systems in hospital outpatient departments with special reference to waiting times.” J. Royal Statist. Soc. 41 (Series B): 185-198. Fetter, R., & Thompson, J. (1966). Patients' Waiting Time and Doctors' Idle Time in the Outpatient_Setting. Health Services Research, 66-90. Kerrigan, D., Telles, P., Torres, H., Overs, C., & Castle, C. (2008). Community development and HIV/STI-related vulnerability among female sex workers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Health Education Research, Vol. 23, No. 1, 137-145. The expanding role of ambulatory services in hospitals and health departments. (1965). Bull. N.Y. Acad. M. 41 (No. 1): 5-12. Read More