Social Prescribing (SP) is an approach which aims of improving health and well-being and connecting patients to community services. Examples of these services include physical activity and cultural activities. Despite its benefits, SP has still not been fully implemented in Portugal. This case study is part of a larger study on Social Prescribing Local System (SPLS) implementation, which comprised a quantitative approach, a pilot study and a qualitative approach, and aims at exploring patients' and healthcare workers' perspectives on SP. The study was carried out to understand the motivations of different stakeholders for participating in the pilot project, the anticipated benefits for patients, healthcare professionals, and the health unit, as well as their perceptions and experiences within the scope of the SP project. Data collection was carried out in December 2020 through semi-structured individual interviews and a focus group. A total of seven participants were included, of which one patient, one museum representative and five healthcare professionals. Different common dimensions related to SP emerge, including health and well-being, social interaction and community engagement, accessibility and inclusivity, motivation and adherence, collaboration and coordination, and education and awareness. The patient considered the adequacy of the activity to the patient's state of health and capabilities, adoption of a phased approach, with a focus on progress, in order to promote long-term adherence as facilitators. For the museum, disseminating its activities to healthcare professionals and patients through different channels such as posters at the health center, social media pages, and training sessions can significantly enhance visibility and engagement, while direct phone contact and digital publications can further promote adherence, ensuring a comprehensive and coordinated approach to patient participation and institutional benefit. Healthcare professionals identified several benefits, including reduction of social isolation and sedentarism, as well as a means of strengthening the therapeutic relationship with patients. The design and implementation of SP programs should be participative and involve all stakeholders participating in the process. Barriers to adherence included time for activity and the associated costs or prerequisites, availability of activities and lack of perceived interest in health.

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship among higher vocational college (HVC) students’ social support (SS), learning burnout (LB), and learning motivation (LM), and to further explore the influence regulation mechanism. By analyzing the questionnaire survey data of 500 HVC students, this study found some important conclusions. First, a positive correlation is found between SS and LM, whereas LB exhibits a negative correlation with LM. Second, regression analysis results indicate significant influences of SS and LB on LM, with the latter serving as a partial intermediary between SS and LM. Lastly, analysis of group disparities reveals noteworthy distinctions in SS, LB, and LM across students of varying grades. These discoveries underscore the pivotal roles of SS and LB in molding the LM of HVC students, offering valuable insights for educational practices and policy recommendations. This study benefits the understanding of the key factors in the learning process of HVC students and provides a new direction for further research.

This study aims to identify gaps in Indonesia’s national social health insurance scheme (Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional or JKN) in meeting the right to health for disabled persons in the country and to propose strategies to mitigate the gaps. This study employed descriptive qualitative methodologies. A questionnaire survey and structured interviews were undertaken from the period of October to December 2021, with a purposive sample of 317 disabled persons at their working age. Data collection also included on-site observations to sample of healthcare providers in six provinces and focused group discussions with key stakeholders. This study found that JKN is the primary source of hope for disabled persons. Nevertheless, approximately ten percent of disabled persons have been omitted from the scheme. Moreover, respondents of the survey expressed notably lower satisfaction level compared to the national average. Meanwhile, 25% of them also reported that JKN did not cover certain disability-specific benefits. The findings suggest that the national social health insurance scheme is not well prepared to offer disability-inclusive services. Thereby, policymakers should implement various interventions to improve the admission processes for disabled persons and to develop a system to identify disabled members based on their specific disabilities. Additionally, stipulating standards for disability-friendly minimum services for healthcare providers and incorporating the standards into the credentialing systems, providing regular training on disability-friendly services for healthcare personnel, also enhancing benefits coverage for disabled members in the Indonesian Case Base Groups (INA-CBGs) are the necessary strategies to mitigate the gaps.

How can social enterprises implement Total Quality Management (TQM) to tackle urgent social issues within their organizational framework while also ensuring their continued viability? To address this question, this study aims to explore the organizational approach to the adoption and implementation of TQM practices and their efficacy in mitigating pressing social challenges and maintaining financial sustainability. It adopts a qualitative multiple-case research design involving 3 social enterprises to explore the research phenomenon. Following qualitative research analysis process using NVivo, our findings highlight a prevalent, short-term outlook in managing TQM, hindering the full potential of TQM to achieve both social impact and organizational sustainability. More specifically, they expose a significant dissonance within the case organizations’ TQM implementations: the contrast between the current state, indicative of what it is, and the ideal state, indicative of what it should be. Altogether, the study advocates leveraging TQM for long-term excellence and alignment in social enterprises (as opposed to short-term mediocrity and disarray), thereby facilitating the achievement of both social impact and financial sustainability.

Objectives: The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the stress on blood banks and deprived the blood sources due to the containment measures that restrict the movement and travel limitations among blood donors. During this time, Malaysia had a significant 40% reduction in blood supply. Blood centers and hospitals faced a huge challenge balancing blood demand and collection. The health care systems need a proactive plan to withstand the uncertain situation such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigates the psychosocial factors that affect blood donation behavior during a pandemic and aims to propose evidence-based strategies for a sustainable blood supply. Study design: Qualitative design using focus group discussion (FGD) was employed. Methods: Data were acquired from the two FGDs that group from transfusion medicine specialists (N = 8) and donors (N = 10). The FGD interview protocol was developed based on the UTM Research Ethics Committee’s approval. Then, the data was analyzed using Nvivo based on the General Inductive Approach (GIA). Results: Analysis of the text data found that the psychology of blood donation during the pandemic in Malaysia can be classified into four main themes: (i) reduced donation; (ii) motivation of donating blood; (iii) trends of donation; and (iv) challenges faced by the one-off, occasional, and non-donors. Conclusions: Based on the emerging themes from the FGDs, this study proposes four psycho-contextual strategies for relevant authorities to manage sustainable blood accumulation during the pandemic: (1) develop standard operating procedure for blood donors; (2) organize awareness campaigns; (3) create a centralized integrated blood donors database; and (4) provide innovative Blood Donation Facilities.