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Fulltext A qualitative exploration and a Fuzzy Delphi validation of high-risk scaffolding tasks and fatigue-related safety behavioural deviation among scaffolders

Mohd Yusoff H, Heng PP, Hj Illias MR, Karrupayah S, Fadhli MA, Hod R

Heliyon, 2024 Aug 15;10(15):e34599.
PMID: 39157346 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34599

BACKGROUND: Most construction mishaps were caused by scaffolding incidents despite implementing various safety measures, and the association with human factors like fatigue has been widely reported. This study aims to identify all high-risk task sequences involved during the erection of the most commonly used scaffold; the deviation from the standard protocol led to a substandard fatigue state, followed by content validation using the Fuzzy Delphi Method.
METHODS: Qualitative exploration was conducted via focal group discussions (FGDs) involving 30 certified experts. The findings generated from FGDs were further validated by utilising the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) by consulting 19 experts with extensive practical experience and leadership roles in scaffolding safety.
RESULTS: The FGDs identified a total of 7 constructs and 50 items for task sequences involved in the tubular scaffold erection, namely construct Instruction (3 items), Preparation (3 items), Foundation (10 items), First Lift (8 items), Working Platform (7 items), Guardrails (5 items) and Second Lift (14 items). In the FDM validation process, the experts' consensus for each construct was fulfilled with a threshold value (d) ≤ 0.2; thus, all constructs were accepted. Experts' consensus for all items achieved an expert agreement of 75 % and above. Items ranking was conducted using average fuzzy numbers. The highest average fuzzy number documented was 0.8, while the lowest was 0.588. None of the items with the lowest ranking was discarded as all items perfectly fulfilled the second prerequisite and obtained excellent experts' agreement.
CONCLUSIONS: The tool generated will help guide the development of a protocol for scaffolding safety management.
Fulltext Prevalence and symptoms of Long Covid-19 in the workplace

Mohd Yusoff H, Yew SQ, Mohammed Nawi A, Htwe O, Mohd Tohit N, Mohamed Z, et al.

Occup Med (Lond), 2025 Apr 04;75(1):33-41.
PMID: 39800813 DOI: 10.1093/occmed/kqae128

BACKGROUND: The symptoms of Long coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) are heterogeneous, creating uncertainty for employers regarding the diagnosis. The prevalence of Long Covid-19 in the workforce is also unknown. Furthermore, workers affected by Long Covid-19 encounter considerable difficulties in ensuring work safety and returning to their jobs due to this condition.
AIMS: This review is aimed to identify the prevalence of Long Covid-19 in the workplace and to determine the various symptoms of Long Covid-19 experienced by the workers.
METHODS: A meta-analysis was conducted to calculate the pooled estimates for the prevalence of Long Covid-19. Heterogeneity among the estimates was evaluated using the I² statistic.
RESULTS: The pooled prevalence of Long Covid-19 among workers across the 11 studies was 38% (95% CI 23-56). A total of 43 symptoms associated with Long Covid-19 were identified in the workplace, with the top five symptoms being dyspnoea at moderate activity (51%, 95% CI 39-62), mental symptoms (38%, 95% CI 6-87), dyspnoea at mild activity (35%, 95% CI 25-47), fatigue (26%, 95% CI 3-78) and effort intolerance (24%, 95% CI 15-35).
CONCLUSIONS: The review indicates a significant burden of long-lasting symptoms within the workforce. The top five reported symptoms of Long Covid-19 were dyspnoea during mild and moderate activities, mental symptoms, fatigue and effort intolerance.
Fulltext Doctors' Mental Health in the Midst of COVID-19 Pandemic: The Roles of Work Demands and Recovery Experiences

Mohd Fauzi MF, Mohd Yusoff H, Muhamad Robat R, Mat Saruan NA, Ismail KI, Mohd Haris AF

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 10 08;17(19).
PMID: 33050004 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17197340

The COVID-19 pandemic potentially increases doctors' work demands and limits their recovery opportunity; this consequently puts them at a high risk of adverse mental health impacts. This study aims to estimate the level of doctors' fatigue, recovery, depression, anxiety, and stress, and exploring their association with work demands and recovery experiences. This was a cross-sectional study among all medical doctors working at all government health facilities in Selangor, Malaysia. Data were collected in May 2020 immediately following the COVID-19 contagion peak in Malaysia by using self-reported questionnaires through an online medium. The total participants were 1050 doctors. The majority of participants were non-resident non-specialist medical officers (55.7%) and work in the hospital setting (76.3%). The highest magnitude of work demands was mental demand (M = 7.54, SD = 1.998) while the lowest magnitude of recovery experiences was detachment (M = 9.22, SD = 5.043). Participants reported a higher acute fatigue level (M = 63.33, SD = 19.025) than chronic fatigue (M = 49.37, SD = 24.473) and intershift recovery (M = 49.97, SD = 19.480). The majority of them had no depression (69.0%), no anxiety (70.3%), and no stress (76.5%). Higher work demands and lower recovery experiences were generally associated with adverse mental health. For instance, emotional demands were positively associated with acute fatigue (adj. b = 2.73), chronic fatigue (adj. b = 3.64), depression (adj. b = 0.57), anxiety (adj. b = 0.47), and stress (adj. b = 0.64), while relaxation experiences were negatively associated with acute fatigue (adj. b = -0.53), chronic fatigue (adj. b = -0.53), depression (adj. b = -0.14), anxiety (adj. b = -0.11), and stress (adj. b = -0.15). However, higher detachment experience was associated with multiple mental health parameters in the opposite of the expected direction such as higher level of chronic fatigue (adj. b = 0.74), depression (adj. b = 0.15), anxiety (adj. b = 0.11), and stress (adj. b = 0.11), and lower level of intershift recovery (adj. b = -0.21). In conclusion, work demands generally worsen, while recovery experiences protect mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic with the caveat of the role of detachment experiences.
Fulltext In Vitro Antifungal Activities against Moulds Isolated from Dermatological Specimens

Mohd Nizam T, Binting RA, Mohd Saari S, Kumar TV, Muhammad M, Satim H, et al.

Malays J Med Sci, 2016 May;23(3):32-9.
PMID: 27418867 MyJurnal

This study aimed to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of various antifungal agents against moulds isolated from dermatological specimens.
In Vitro Antifungal Susceptibility of Neoscytalidium dimidiatum Clinical Isolates from Malaysia

James JE, Santhanam J, Lee MC, Wong CX, Sabaratnam P, Yusoff H, et al.

Mycopathologia, 2017 Apr;182(3-4):305-313.
PMID: 27815659 DOI: 10.1007/s11046-016-0085-5

Neoscytalidium dimidiatum is an opportunistic fungus causing cutaneous infections mostly, which are difficult to treat due to antifungal resistance. In Malaysia, N. dimidiatum is associated with skin and nail infections, especially in the elderly. These infections may be mistaken for dermatophyte infections due to similar clinical appearance. In this study, Neoscytalidium isolates from cutaneous specimens, identified using morphological and molecular methods (28 Neoscytalidium dimidiatum and 1 Neoscytalidium sp.), were evaluated for susceptibility towards antifungal agents using the CLSI broth microdilution (M38-A2) and Etest methods. Amphotericin B, voriconazole, miconazole and clotrimazole showed high in vitro activity against all isolates with MIC ranging from 0.0313 to 1 µg/mL. Susceptibility towards fluconazole and itraconazole was noted in up to 10% of isolates, while ketoconazole was inactive against all isolates. Clinical breakpoints for antifungal drugs are not yet available for most filamentous fungi, including Neoscytalidium species. However, the results indicate that clinical isolates of N. dimidiatum in Malaysia were sensitive towards miconazole, clotrimazole, voriconazole and amphotericin B, in vitro.
Fulltext Medical Experts' Agreement on Risk Assessment Based on All Possible Combinations of the COVID-19 Predictors-A Novel Approach for Public Health Screening and Surveillance

Ibrahim MS, Naing NN, Abd Aziz A, Makhtar M, Mohamed Yusoff H, Esa NK, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022 Dec 10;19(24).
PMID: 36554487 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192416601

During the initial phase of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there was a critical need to create a valid and reliable screening and surveillance for university staff and students. Consequently, 11 medical experts participated in this cross-sectional study to judge three risk categories of either low, medium, or high, for all 1536 possible combinations of 11 key COVID-19 predictors. The independent experts' judgement on each combination was recorded via a novel dashboard-based rating method which presented combinations of these predictors in a dynamic display within Microsoft Excel. The validated instrument also incorporated an innovative algorithm-derived deduction for efficient rating tasks. The results of the study revealed an ordinal-weighted agreement coefficient of 0.81 (0.79 to 0.82, p-value < 0.001) that reached a substantial class of inferential benchmarking. Meanwhile, on average, the novel algorithm eliminated 76.0% of rating tasks by deducing risk categories based on experts' ratings for prior combinations. As a result, this study reported a valid, complete, practical, and efficient method for COVID-19 health screening via a reliable combinatorial-based experts' judgement. The new method to risk assessment may also prove applicable for wider fields of practice whenever a high-stakes decision-making relies on experts' agreement on combinations of important criteria.
Fulltext A Review on Safety Practices for Firefighters During Photovoltaic (PV) Fire

Ramali MR, Mohd Nizam Ong NAF, Md Said MS, Mohamed Yusoff H, Baharudin MR, Tharima AF, et al.

Fire Technol, 2023;59(1):247-270.
PMID: 35637789 DOI: 10.1007/s10694-022-01269-4

In recent years, it is evident that there is a surge in photovoltaic (PV) systems installations on buildings. It is concerning that PV system related fire incidents have been reported throughout the years. Like any other electrical power system, PV systems pose fire and electrical hazards when at fault. As a consequence, PV fires compromised the safety of emergency responders. Therefore, the objective of this review is to evaluate the elements of firefighters' safety practices and subsequently collate the best safety practices for local fire rescue and firefighters in the event of PV fires. Out of 264 documents, only 20 publications were identified as 'closely related' and were systematically reviewed to evaluate firefighter safety practices from a scholarly perspective. Only 3% of the 20 publications reviewed, discussed the safety practices during PV fires. Thirteen safety practice key points were extracted from the reviewed documents, with nine critical findings highlighted as the hallmark of safety practices during PV fire for firefighters. The lack of academic journals discussing the fire safety aspects proves that there is a low interest in this field which is in dire need of further study and exploration to adhere with the PV population in ensuring a reliable emergency operation to minimize losses or injuries due to accidents.
Fulltext Factors Associated with Health-Related Quality of Life amongst Employees in a Malaysian Public University

Abdul Manaf MR, Mohammed Nawi A, Mohd Tauhid N, Othman H, Abdul Rahman MR, Mohd Yusoff H, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2021 10 17;18(20).
PMID: 34682645 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182010903

The current academic landscape has overwhelmed faculties and with demands to adopt tech-savvy teaching modes and accelerate scholarly works, administrative duties, and outreach programs. Such demands have deteriorated the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among university employees. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with HRQoL among university employees in a Malaysian public university. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 397 employees from the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) between April and June 2019. A self-administered questionnaire that consisted of socio-demographic items, risky health behaviors, health-related information, and validated scales for measuring employees' physical inactivity, psychological states, and HRQoL was utilized. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated using SPSS version 23.0. Hierarchical multiple linear regression models were yielded to determine the factors associated with different domains of HRQoL. Mediation analysis was conducted using PROCESS MACRO (Model 4). Statistical significance was set to p < 0.05. Physical HRQoL scored the highest, while environmental HRQoL had the lowest score among the employees. Physical HRQoL was influenced by age, service duration, comorbid conditions, BMI, chronic diseases, and anxiety. Factors associated with psychological HRQoL were age, service duration, depression, and stress. Age, service duration, and chronic diseases affected employees' social relationship HRQoL, while environmental HRQoL was associated with age, occupation type, chronic diseases, and depression. Socio-demographics, risky health behaviors, health profiles, and psychological attributes were significantly associated with employees' HRQoL. Age was the only positively correlated factor across all HRQoL domains, while other factors deteriorated employees' HRQoL.
Exploring key-stakeholder perceptions on non-communicable disease care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya

Sureshkumar S, Mwangi KJ, Gathecha G, Marcus K, Kohlbrenner B, Issom D, et al.

Pan Afr Med J, 2023;44:153.
PMID: 37455892 DOI: 10.11604/pamj.2023.44.153.38616

INTRODUCTION: over one third of total Disability-Adjusted-Life-Years lost in Kenya are due to non-communicable diseases (NCD). In response, the Government declared significant commitment towards improving NCD care. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the burden on the already overstretched health systems in Kenya. The aims of this study are to assess whether health care providers perceived NCD care to be optimal during the pandemic and explore how to improve responses to future emergencies.
METHODS: this cross-sectional online survey included healthcare personnel with non-clinical roles (public health workers and policy-makers) and those delivering health care (doctors and nurses). Respondents were recruited between May and September 2021 by random sampling, completed by snowball sampling.
RESULTS: among 236 participants (42% in clinical, 58% in non-clinical roles) there was an overall consensus between respondents on NCD care being disrupted and compromised during the pandemic in Kenya. Detracted supplies, funding, and technical resources affected the continuity of NCDs' response, despite government efforts. Respondents agreed that the enhanced personnel capacity and competencies to manage COVID-19 patients were positive, but noted a lack of guidance for redirecting care for chronic diseases, and advocated for digital innovation as a solution.
CONCLUSION: this paper explores the perceptions of key stakeholders involved in the management of NCDs in Kenya to improve planning for future emergency responses. Gaps were identified in health system response and preparedness capacity during the pandemic including the perceived need to strengthen NCD services, with solutions offered to guide resilience efforts to protect the health system from disruption.
Fulltext An Online Survey of the Perceptions of Clinical and Non-Clinical Professionals on Healthcare for Non-Communicable Diseases and COVID-19 Measures During the Pandemic in Malaysia

Sureshkumar S, Mustapha F, Yusoff H, Mwangi KJ, Marcus K, Kohlbrenner B, et al.

Int J Public Health, 2023;68:1605861.
PMID: 37304500 DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2023.1605861

Objectives: This study assesses the opinions of health professionals in Malaysia on the disruption of non-communicable disease (NCD) services during the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to January 2022. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey with 191 non-clinical public health workers and clinical health service workers in Malaysia from November 2021 to January 2022. Participants were recruited by the Malaysian Ministry of Health using major networks including key experts and practitioners. Secondary respondents were subsequently enrolled through snowballing. Results: The most notable issues raised by the survey participants relate to NCD service disruption, the redirection of NCD care resources, and NCD care being overburdened post-pandemic. Respondents also reported accounts of resilience and prompt reaction from the healthcare system, as well as calls for innovation. Conclusion: Most respondents perceived that the challenges arising from COVID-19 were mostly managed well by the healthcare system, which was able to provide the necessary services to NCD patients during this health emergency. However, the study identifies gaps in the health system response and preparedness capacity, and highlights solutions for strengthening NCD services.

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