Background The quality-of-care assessment is an important indicator of the efficiency of a healthcare system. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), despite the implementation of the holistic care model for the treatment of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) victims, little is known about the client’s perception of this model and its outcome. This study aimed to examine the expected and perceived satisfaction of service recipients through the One-Stop-Center model of health care in eastern DRC. Methodology This descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study was conducted at Panzi Hospital (PH), in eastern DRC. Data were collected by a mixed-methods approach, 64 Victims of Sexual Violence participated in individual (in-depth) interviews and 150 completed the Survey. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used to compare the mean item scores of sexual violence victims’ satisfaction. Results The findings from our qualitative analysis demonstrated that the victims admitted at PH had various expectations and needs on arrival depending on their social identity and residence locations. For instance, the VSVs coming from remote areas with ongoing armed conflicts mentioned concerns related to their security in the post-treatment period and the risks of re-victimization that this could incur. Conversely, those who came from the urban neighborhood, with relative security raised various concerns related to their legal reparation and ongoing access to other support services. With scores above 4, victims of sexual violence were extremely satisfied with the overall care provided and wished that PH could continue to support them mentally and financially for an effective reintegration into their communities. The Kruskal–Wallis analysis confirmed statistically significant differences (p < 0.1) in satisfaction with legal support based on the victims' residential locations, social support based on their age groups, occupational therapy based on their religious denominations, and accommodation based on their professional activity. Conclusions Results of this study suggest that victims’ satisfaction with support services is based on either the organizational frameworks of clinical or support services within the hospital and the victims’ social environment.
Summary Mental Health and Psychosocial Support are integral components of the multisectoral programs addressing wartime sexual violence. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, an integrated framework known as the one-stop centre model was implemented at Panzi Hospital for delivering medical, legal, psychosocial, and socioeconomic support services for wartime sexual violence survivors. While recent developments broadly described this model with more focus on its medical pillar, there is limited knowledge on how its psychosocial support component can be harnessed in addressing wartime sexual violence. This article explored the roles and ethics of psychosocial support in integrated health services based on the research data from 11 in-depth interviews with the psychosocial support workers and desk reviews. Findings The findings of this study indicated that the roles and ethics of psychosocial workers in addressing wartime sexual violence are limited by the lack of adequately trained staff members, low professional status, and complex ethical challenges. In this case, psychosocial support draws more from virtue ethics and moral constructivism and less from professional utilitarianism and deontology. While both approaches are integral to providing support services, combining them is necessary for the complementarity and consistency of therapeutic processes. The study's findings also demonstrated the lack of professional social work and mental health interventions in the Congo and suggested coordinated actions engaging social work education, policy, and research developments. Applications We conclude that the roles and ethics of psychosocial support should be of serious concern to decision-makers, practitioners, and educators.
Background: The quality-of-care assessment is an important indicator of the efficiency of a healthcare system. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), despite the implementation of the holistic care model for the treatment of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) victims, little is known about the client’s perception of this model and its outcome. This study aimed to examine the expected and perceived satisfaction of service recipients through the One-Stop-Center model of health care in eastern DRC.Methodology: This descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study was conducted at Panzi Hospital (PH), in eastern DRC. Data were collected by a mixed-methods approach, 64 Victims of Sexual Violence (VSVs) participated in individual (in-depth) interviews and 150 completed the Survey.Results: The findings from our qualitative analysis demonstrated that the VSVs admitted at PH had various expectations and needs on arrival depending on their social identity and residence locations. For instance, the VSVs coming from remote areas with ongoing armed conflicts mentioned concerns related to their security in the post-treatment period and the risks of re-victimization that this could incur. Conversely, those who came from the urban neighborhood, with relative security raised various concerns related to their legal reparation and ongoing access to other support services. Based on their origins, the result from the quantitative analysis demonstrated the overall satisfaction of the client with the support services, 86% (p<10%) mentioned their satisfaction with the home visiting or follow-up of the support workers during and after the treatment and 88% (p<10%) of respondents mentioned the social support received both at the hospital and in their communities. In relation to the holistic care model, 89 % (p<5%) of clients mentioned that the healthcare services they received from the PH exceeded their expectations and wished that PH could continue supporting them mentally and financially for an effective reintegration into their communities.Conclusions: Results of this study suggest that victims’ satisfaction with support services is based on either the organizational frameworks of clinical or support services within the hospital and the victims’ social environment.
The South-Kivu province, located in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has not been spared by the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of March 2022, South Kivu had registered 1682 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Different response measures had been used to maintain the disease. The effects of the response measures had worsened the state of poverty and vulnerability among the population. This study aimed to assess the results of the COVID-19 pandemic on the subjective well-being of South-Kivu households and the impact of resilience strategies on the well-being of these households. The data were collected thrice in 474 households, from August 2020 to February 2021, and analyzed using the structural equations model. We found that 85% of households lost their purchasing capacity, 98% were afraid of being infected with COVID-19 and 54% complied with health measures. The results showed that the resilience strategies adopted by families had increased their subjective well-being. In general, during the third round, the health (84%), socioeconomic (97%) and psychological (97%) dimensions of resilience had a positive impact (68%) on the subjective well-being of South-Kivu households. This study suggests that, in addition to the adaptive resilience strategies developed by families, there is a need to develop proactive and early warning measures for unforeseen pandemics that could lead to health crises.
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