The prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is increasing worldwide and even in Malaysia. Hence, the knowledge of adiponectin with regards to gestational diabetes mellitus is a key contributor to disparity in maternal and neonatal morbidities. This study aimed to assess nurses' knowledge of adiponectin and its association with gestational diabetes and obesity in pregnancy. A cross-sectional survey was employed. Respondents were selected by purposive sampling using a pre-tested, structured questionnaire. Ninety one nurses (100%) were aware that obesity increased adverse health outcome among pregnant women, but some confusion exits among nurses about adiponectin with regards to pregnancy. Most of the nurses lack condence in providing care to pregnant women with many (82.4%) addressed the need for education on this topic. In the one-way ANOVA analysis, nurses' knowledge score was significantly associated with education level (p<0.001) and working experience in maternity units (p<0.001). This study demonstrates gaps in the knowledge of adiponectin and its association with obesity and pregnancy. Continuous nursing education for nurses on adiponectin and obesity-related issues in early pregnancy should be strengthened to enhance knowledge and confidence in providing quality antenatal services.
Keywords : Nurses, adiponectin, obesity, pregnancy, gestational diabetes
Adequate consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids are essential during pregnancy because they play an important role in the development offetal brain and retina. The rate of growth remains high during the first year of life. Omega-3 is converted inside the body into longer chain polyunsaturated fatty acids docosahexanoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). DHA and EPA are primarily derived from fish and algae. DHA is essential for the growth and functional development of the brain in infants. DHA is also required for the maintenance of normal brain function in adults. The inclusion of adequate amount of DHA in the diet improved learning ability, whereas deficiencies of DHA are associated with deficits in learning. DHA is readily taken up by the brain in preference to other fatty acids. The turnover of DHA in the brain is very fast, more so than is generally realized. The visual acuity of healthy, full-term, formula-fed infants is increased when their formula includes DHA. However, health professionals and the general public in Malaysia may not be aware about the importance, sources or the quantities required for these essential fat components in foods. This review discusses the benefits of omega-3 consumption with particular emphasis during pregnancy and the first year of life. This review will also attempt to discuss sources of omega-3 fatty acids in Malaysia with the aim to achieve the recommended nutrient intakes foromega-3 fatty acids.
Keywords: Omega 3 fatty acids, Lactation in Pregnancy, Sources of Omega-3 FA
Excellence in academic and practical skills is the main goal of most nursing educators. It is a tool to measure the level of success of the nurse educators. Concept mapping care plan is related to the expectation that today's nursing students must master a constantly expanding body of knowledge and apply complex skills in rapidly changing environment. Concept mapping care plan was developed by researcher and validated by ten expert panels using three rounds of Delphi technique. It was used to evaluate academic performance of nursing students at clinical practice. Concept mapping care plan is a good assessment tool to nursing educators to prepare nursing students for better critical thinking and expected to function effectively after graduation. The goal of concept mapping care plan as a teaching strategy during the clinical practices, help the students to integrate the knowledge from theory and implementing this knowledge in the clinical setting. Researcher believes that concept mapping care plan can be as a replacement of nursing process that have been practiced before in the clinical setting. In addition, through concept mapping care plan provides an opportunity for students to broaden their knowledge and become more creative.
This article define and discuss the issue of plagiarism by nursing students either in academic or clinical settings. It describes and explore the scenario of plagiarism among nursing students and implications for the qualification of the students. Currently, prevention is required to avoid negative culture in nursing education due to plagiarism.
This study sought to investigate understanding of obesity among registered nurse e-PJJ student semester 9 UiTM in Puncak Alam, in Selangor, Malaysia. A survey research design was used for the study. 100 nurses were randomly selected from 130 nurses in e-PJJ student semester 9. Study of this population was done by systematic sampling. The target groups for this study are matrons, sisters and staff nurses. 100% nurses showed understanding of obesity. Eating habits of the nurses contributed to this obesity. It was recommended among others, that nurses should practice theoretical knowledge base and the need to more opportunities for physical activities at hospital sites was emphasized.
Keywords: Obesity, Registered Nurses, Knowledge and attitude
Effective and skilful communication is crucial and an important element in the quality of nursing care. This enables nurses to assess patients' needs and provide them with the appropriate physical care, emotional support, knowledge transfer and exchange of information. However, nurses find it difficult to communicate effectively and therapeutically with their patients. Aim: To identify the nurses' and adult inpatients' perceptions of barriers to effective nurse-patient communication. Methodology: A descriptive study was used to collect data from nurses (n=40) and adult inpatient (n=63) in multidisciplinary wards in a private hospital in Malaysia. Two sets of self-administered questionnaire for the two different groups of participants, the patients and nurses were used. Data were analysed using the SPSS version 20.0. Results: Nurses and adult in patient perceived heavy workload, dialect and negative attitudes towards nurses as main barriers that hinders effective communication among nurses and patients. Conclusion: Communication places an important part in patients' satisfaction of care and the ability of the nurse to provided patient centred care. Nurses should take in to account those communication barriers that affect the patients and be confident enough to take the first step to initiate communication and be able to handle patients' dynamic emotions.
Sociocultural contexts of motherhood have been found to have a link with postnatal depression. Malaysia has a wide-range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds that offers a wonderful chance to understand the different role of cultures and postnatal practices in relation to postnatal depression. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the link between the Malaysian healthcare system, social and cultural context, the existing health policy and postnatal depression. This paper highlights that while there are different levels of nurses who work collaboratively to manage pregnant and postnatal mothers in the maternal and child health clinic, the focus of their care is more on physical health. The international guidelines for diagnosing PND were not commonly used within the clinics, although the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has been widely used within psychiatric setting in Malaysia. There is no formal mechanism or assessment to detect PND in the clinics. There were no guidelines found that specifically focused on the management of PND. It is questionable whether the current approaches to promote and manage maternal mental health in Malaysia have a sense of cultural-based strategies. These significant gaps call for empirical evidence that explicitly focussed on the experiences and perceptions of PND in Malaysia.
The article review was to identify, discuss, explore, critically analyze and evaluate the scenario of Human ImmunodeficiencyVirus (HIV) among women in nursing perspective taking into account global perspective. The current aim is to reduce the number of HIV globally, especially among women. Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is considered as a disease state of hopelessness and imminent death. HIV and AIDS status demotivate the women emotionally in physical, social, and emotional perspectives. HIV-positive women portray of AIDS is deeply discrediting; with physical failure, moral failure, and social ostracism.
This case study illustrates an ongoing therapeutic dilemma which continues to place the patient's welfare at risk. The safety predicament is associated with the transfusion of blood or their products to the correct patient. Predictably, healthcare scholars declare that when clinical practice is ineffective, a “theory-practice gap” is typically responsible. Within this paradigm there is often a gap between theoretical knowledge and its application in clinical practice. Most of the evidence relating to the non-integration of theory and practice makes the premise that environmental factors will influence learning and practice outcomes, hence the "gap". However, it is the author's belief, that to "bridge the gap" between theory and practice an additional component called “Ethics” must be appreciated. This introduces a new concept “theory-practice-ethics gap” which must be considered when reviewing some of the unacceptable appalling outcomes in health care practice
Advanced nursing practice involves higher level of knowledge and skills of nurses to perform autonomous practice in clinical settings in order to meet the needs of individuals, families and communities. Advanced practice in nursing is also known as adjusting boundaries for future practice, pioneering and developing new roles of nurses in clinical practice, research and education. Advanced practice of nursing in the developed countries are recognized with different nomenclatures such as advanced nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, specialized nurse practitioner, nurse practitioner, certified nurse practitioner and advanced practice registered nurse. Malaysia is one of the pioneering Asian countries to introduce clinical nurse specialist in hospital settings, which is a stepping stone for the development of advanced nursing practice.
Keywords: Nurses in Malaysia, Clinical Nurse Practitioner, Advanced Nurse Practice
The evolution of nursing profession and education has taken its pace over the past years. Therefore, with the changes in nursing education over the years, the level of professional socialization among the students has become an area of interest. The objectives of this pilot study were to explore and compare the level of professional socialization between the diploma and degree nursing students (first year and final year) using the measuring tool of NPVS-R as well as to identify the demographic variables related to the level of professional socialization among the nursing students. From this pilot study, it was found that there was no significant difference in the level of professional socialization between the diploma and degree nursing students (p = 0.133). With regards to the demographic variables related to the level of professional socialization, significant difference was found only for the variable of father's educational level (p = 0 .035).
Keywords: Professional Socialization, Diploma and Degree Nursing Students, Nursing Education
LBW infants are at risk not only due to neonatal complications but also by other risk factors (eg. congenital anomalies associated with LBW). This research is motivated by the high incidence of LBW in Tasikmalaya City Hospital each year. The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between demographic factors in this case the mother's age, maternal education level, socio-economic level with the incidence of LBW. The research hypothesis has a relationship between maternal age, maternal education level, socioeconomic level, pregnancy with LBW incidence. The benefits of research provide a basis for evidencebased practice to nursing practitioners, that there is a relationship between demographic factors (maternal age, education level and socioeconomic level) with the incidence of LBW. Quantitative research method was used with cross sectional approach. The data was processed using univariate and bivariate analysis. The results of the study show no significant relationship between the factors of maternal age, education level, socioeconomic level with the incidence of LBW in Tasikmalaya City Hospital with p value > 0.05 for all variables. From the present study it is suggested that nurses should improve health education so that people can understand better about the risk of LBW.
Patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases are known as
high-risk groups for developing chronic kidney disease (CKD). Adequate related knowledge among them
helps to increase their awareness towards CKD and adapt healthy attitude and practices for CKD
prevention, which will result in better health outcomes. This study aimed to identify the patients'
knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) towards the risks for CKD. This cross-sectional study used a selfadministered
survey questionnaire on 103 adult male and female patients at four general surgical and
medical wards in a teaching hospital using convenient sampling method. The data were computed using
STATA version 12. Data on KAP were obtained through the Chronic Kidney Disease Screening Index
questionnaire. The majority of respondents had poor knowledge (69.9%, n=72), but most of them had good
attitude (68.9%, n=71) and good practices (88.3%, n=91) towards the risk of CKD. Significant associations
were indicated between education level, occupation and monthly family income with knowledge (p-value <
0.05). Significant associations were also indicated between age, sex, marital status and occupation with
their attitude (p-value < 0.05). Meanwhile, marital status was found to be significantly associated with the
practices towards the risk for CKD (p-value=0.008).
Poor knowledge on the risk of getting CKD among hospitalized adults in this study implied the need for
improvement in the public understanding towards the risk for CKD.
Introduction: Worldwide, cervical cancer is the fifth most common cause of death caused by cancer
following other types of cancer (Parkin, Louie & Clifford, 2008). In Malaysia, cervical cancer is the third
most common cancer among women and the fourth most prevalent cause of death (Parkin et al., 2010;
Ministry of Health, Malaysia, MOH, 2006). Many studies indicated that knowledge of cervical cancer
would improve screening coverage and preventive practices among women. It is important for young
females to have appropriate knowledge and practices regarding cervical cancer and its prevention, since
they are vulnerable to get this kind of preventable disease.
Methodology: Adescriptive cross-sectional quantitative study design was used to find out the knowledge,
attitude and practices about cervical cancer and its prevention among the university female students in
Malaysia. Self-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. The questionnaire
focused on the demographic characteristics, knowledge on causes, risks, attitude and practice regarding
prevention of cervical cancer.
Findings: In general, the respondents had moderate and low level of knowledge regarding cervical cancer
and risks factors. Majority (76%) of respondents knew that HPV vaccine could prevent occurrences of
cervical cancer. Most of the respondents did not know about the risks and symptoms of cervical cancer.
However, nearly two-third (72%) had positive attitude on cervical cancer whereas approximately one-third
(28%) showed their negative attitude towards cervical cancer. Regarding attitude statements, nearly all
statements were showed positive attitude except the fact that they were examined by male doctors for Pap
smear. Most of respondents (73% Vs 93% respectively) had never been vaccinated against cervical cancer
before, and never experienced the Pap smear test before.
Conclusion: In conclusion, the knowledge and practices regarding cervical cancer among the female
students at the study area were generally insufficient. There is a need for health education program among
them to increase their knowledge, awareness, and practices on cervical cancer and its prevention so as to
enhance the cervical screening rates among them and prevent occurrences of cervical cancer in their later
lives.
Burnout can be conceptualized in three different aspects consisting of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. It can lead to increment of the turnover rate, absenteeism and low organizational commitment. Stress and job dissatisfaction will lead to psychological distress and burnout. Nurses are one in the health care profession that is susceptible to burnout because they are dealing with patient management and service care delivery. The aim of this study is to determine whether nurses working in Clinical Training Centre (CTC), Faculty of Medicine, University Teknologi MARA (UiTM) are experiencing burnout. A descriptive study design with convenient sampling technique using self-reported questionnaires adapted from Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was conducted involving 120 of nurses in CTC. High levels of burnout were identified in 83.3% of the respondent in the area of depersonalization and 42.5% of the respondent in the area of reduced personal achievement. Marital status was significantly associated with emotional exhaustion (p
Background: The prevalence of asthma among children is common. In Malaysia, the clinical observations have demonstrated that many children with asthma were not properly assessed and did not get proper treatment. Hence, poor asthma control could cause disruption to the child's ability to get enough sleep, to pay attention, to participate in school activities and thus affecting their quality of life.nagement
Aim: The objective was to determine the effect of PAEP to change the quality of life of children, parents' mapractice and parents' technique of using an inhaler for their asthmatic children.
Methods: The study design was a one group pre-test-post-test intervention study. The respondents consisted of 78 parents with asthmatic children, aged between 8 to 12 years old. Parents were required to answer the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory Questionnaire, Management Behaviour Survey for Familial Caregivers and skills of inhaler technique using the checklist at the Paediatric Clinic Hospital USM. Following that were given a date to attend PAEP and were assessed two months later for postintervention. The analysis for PedsQL, Management Behaviour Survey for Familial Caregivers and skill of inhaler technique was done by using paired t-test. A total of 70 parents completed the study.
Results: The study showed that the mean age for children with asthma was 9.31 years. PedsQL pre-intervention scores were 75.8%, and post-intervention 82.8%. The Mean of Management Behaviour Surveyfor Familial Caregivers scores increased from 53.16 to 62.33 pre-intervention and post-intervention, respectively. While the mean skill scores for inhaler user had increased from 3.43 to 7.13 for the MDI with a spacer. The findings showed statistical significance with P-values (<0.001) for PedsQL, Management Behaviour Survey for Familial Caregivers and skill scores for inhaler use.
Conclusion: The PAEP had improved the children's quality of life, parents management practice andinhaler skills among parents with asthmatic children.
Keywords : Prevalence, asthma, quality of life
Study site: Paediatric clinic, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kelantan, Malaysia
Family members' satisfaction has become an important measurement in determining the quality of care of patients in the critical care setting. The aims of the study were to determine the satisfaction level of family members, to determine the reliability of family satisfaction and its subscales, to identify mean of each question and their subscales. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 30 family members who accompanied patients during intensive care admission. The study was conducted in a critical care setting in
a high dependency unit (HDU) and cardiac intensive care unit (CCU), Hospital University Sains Malaysia (Hospital USM). The data was collected from October 2012 to January 2013. The Critical Care Family Satisfaction Survey (CCFSS) Malay version was used to measure family satisfaction in addition to the collection of demographic data. The statistical analysis used a descriptive approach. Ethical approval was obtained prior to data collection. Majority of the respondents were female: 23 (76.7%). Mean age was 35.67 years (SD=12.83) and the score of overall satisfaction level was 78.80 (SD=13.88). The Cronbach's alpha was 0.96. A majority of the respondents, 19 (63.3%) were satisfied with the care provided. This study showed that a majority of family members were slightly satisfied with the care that was provided in a critical
care setting at HUSM. It also showed that families play an important role in giving support and hope to patients.
Study site: HDU and CCU, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kelantan, Malaysia
Diabetes Mellitus has become one of the major and rising diseases affecting population all around the world. The most common complication that rises from the Diabetes Mellitus is diabetic foot ulcer. The increasing rate in diabetic foot ulcer among elderly has become a challenge that continues to rise and worsen. This study is conducted to determine the knowledge and practice of foot care and also the relationship between socio demographic data with knowledge of foot care among diabetic elderly in UKM Medical Centre (UKMMC). This is a quantitative cross-sectional descriptive study. A total of 81 respondents are being participated in this study. More than half of the study participants are female and majority of them are 60-74 years old. The result showed a significant relationship between gender and marital status with the knowledge of foot care among elderly diabetic patient in UKMMC. The present study showed that there was no significantly relationship between age, occupation, monthly income, duration of diabetes, body image and level of education with the knowledge and the level of foot care. In conclusion, the result of this study will help the health organization, hospital, nurses and care giver to take more responsibilities of foot care for diabetic elderly individuals.
Study site: Elderly patients from orthopaedicf emale or male ward, surgical ward, medical ward, orthopaedic clinic and medical clinic, Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (PPUKM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Introduction: Critical thinking is an important element in nursing practice as well as being a vital educational outcome in any nursing curriculum. Critical thinking can influence the outcome of patient care and patient satisfaction. Objective: To determine the level of critical thinking ability among nursing students in two nursing colleges and its differences according to social demographic variables. Method: This was a cross sectional descriptive study design in which Critical Ability Scale for College Students were used to collect data from 158 nursing students in two private nursing colleges in Malaysia. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling. Results: The mean overall score for critical thinking ability was 70.6±6.98 with scores ranging from 56 to 89. The mean score of the subscales was 3.63±0.50 for intellectual, eagerness and health skepticism abilities, 3.63±0.42 for intellectual honesty ability, 3.61± 0.41 for prudence ability and 2.68±0.64 for objectivity ability. There are no significant differences between the independent variables and level of critical thinking ability. Conclusion: A high critical thinking ability score was reported with intellectual, eagerness and health skepticism being the highest subscale. The way forward requires academicians and clinicians to work together to ensure a transfer of knowledge and skills from the classroom to the clinical environment in order to develop and enhance the ability to think critically in making clinical decision and produce thinking nurses for the future.
Medication errors could bring serious consequences to patients. Reporting medication error is a strategy to
mitigate such incidence from happening. Unfortunately, some nurses do no report the errors due to certain
factors. Determining the factors influencing unreported medication errors will ensure imperative actions
that are to be taken to curb this issue. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and perceived
causes of unreported medication errors among nurses in a public hospital in Selangor. A descriptive and
cross-sectional study was carried out in 26 wards from various disciplines and the sample involved 234
nurses. The data were gathered through self-reported questionnaires consisting of three sections. The first
section covered demographic characteristics, the second section aimed to obtain information on the
frequency of medication error incidents and the last section aimed to obtain information on nurses'
perceptions of barriers in reporting medication errors. The findings of this study indicated that there was a
significant relationship between level of education and the nurses' perceptions of barriers in reporting
medication errors. The study recommended that providing enough education, initiating a non-punitive
culture may help increase voluntary reporting of medication errors among nurses to strengthen the
reporting system and to avert medication errors in the future.