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Occupational safety and health in developing countries

Abrams HK

P N G Med J, 1984 Mar;27(1):24-31.
PMID: 6595901
Matched MeSH terms: Allied Health Personnel/education
The impact of organisational communication satisfaction on health care professionals' work engagement

Abu Dalal HJ, Ramoo V, Chong MC, Danaee M, Aljeesh YI

J Nurs Manag, 2022 Jan;30(1):214-225.
PMID: 34590378 DOI: 10.1111/jonm.13476

AIM: To assess the impact of organisational communication satisfaction (OCS) on the work engagement of health care professionals (HCPs).
BACKGROUND: Organisational communication can influence employees' work engagement, which is an essential component of an organisation's effectiveness. However, these concepts have not been broadly investigated in health care organisations.
METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was administered to 235 HCPs in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. The SPSS statistical software (version 25) and partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) were used to analyse the collected data.
RESULTS: The HCPs reported a moderate level of OCS (M = 4.96, SD = 0.94) and work engagement (M = 5.56, SD = 0.96). The impact of OCS on work engagement was found to be positive and statistically significant (β = .524, p health care manpower.
IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Strategies for improving the quantity and quality of organisational communication must be prioritized to strengthen work engagement among HCPs. These strategies include management's role in and ways of communicating essential information about their organisations to HCPs.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Personnel
Fulltext Level of Physical Activity and Its Associated Factors among Primary Healthcare Workers in Perak, Malaysia

Abu Saad H, Low PK, Jamaluddin R, Chee HP

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 08 16;17(16).
PMID: 32824361 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17165947

Physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle have been linked to the occurrence of non-communicable diseases. This study's purpose was to determine physical activity levels and sedentary behaviours among primary healthcare workers in Perak, Malaysia, as well as associated factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted at 12 health clinics in Perak, Malaysia, to determine physical activity levels, sedentary behaviours and factors associated with physical inactivity among primary healthcare workers. Each respondent completed a self-administered questionnaire relating to socio-demographic characteristics, including anthropometric measurements such as body mass index, waist circumference and body fat percentage, and the English and Malay version of the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. A total of 261 primary healthcare workers participated in this study; 45.6% were classified as physically inactive, spending a median of five hours daily engaged in sedentary behaviours. In terms of metabolic equivalent min per week, male workers had significantly higher physical activity than females. Self-reported health status and longer sitting times were significantly associated with physical inactivity. Logistic regression showed that poor health status was 1.84 times less likely to be associated with physical activity (p = 0.036, Confidence Interval = 1.04-3.24). Due to the high prevalence of physical inactivity, action is needed to increase physical activity among healthcare workers.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Personnel*
The impact of a nursing spiritual care module on nursing competence: an experimental design

Abusafia AH, Khraisat AMS, Tableb OK, Al-Mugheed K, Alabdullah AA, Abdelaliem SMF

BMC Palliat Care, 2024 Jan 22;23(1):21.
PMID: 38246991 DOI: 10.1186/s12904-024-01356-z

PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the impact of the Nursing Spiritual Care Module on the competence of nurses in providing spiritual care in the context of Malaysia.
METHOD: This study employed an experimental design and involved a total of 122 nurses, with 59 in the experimental group and 63 in the control group. Participants were selected from palliative care wards associated with Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia. Nurses in the experimental group underwent a two-week educational module on nursing spiritual care, while nurses in the control group attended a single lecture on spiritual care provided by the hospital.
RESULTS: The results indicated no significant differences in sociodemographic characteristics between the two groups. A significant difference in spiritual care competence within the intervention group and the control group over time (p-value = 0.001), between the two groups (p-value = 0.038), and in the interaction between time and group (p-value = 0.001).
CONCLUSION: The Nursing Spiritual Care Module is crucial in aiding nurses and healthcare professionals in cultivating the appropriate and wholesome attitudes and practices necessary to address the spiritual needs of patients.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Personnel
Fulltext Maternal, neonatal, and child health in southeast Asia: towards greater regional collaboration

Acuin CS, Khor GL, Liabsuetrakul T, Achadi EL, Htay TT, Firestone R, et al.

Lancet, 2011 Feb 05;377(9764):516-25.
PMID: 21269675 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62049-1

Although maternal and child mortality are on the decline in southeast Asia, there are still major disparities, and greater equity is key to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. We used comparable cross-national data sources to document mortality trends from 1990 to 2008 and to assess major causes of maternal and child deaths. We present inequalities in intervention coverage by two common measures of wealth quintiles and rural or urban status. Case studies of reduction in mortality in Thailand and Indonesia indicate the varying extents of success and point to some factors that accelerate progress. We developed a Lives Saved Tool analysis for the region and for country subgroups to estimate deaths averted by cause and intervention. We identified three major patterns of maternal and child mortality reduction: early, rapid downward trends (Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand); initially high declines (sustained by Vietnam but faltering in the Philippines and Indonesia); and high initial rates with a downward trend (Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar). Economic development seems to provide an important context that should be coupled with broader health-system interventions. Increasing coverage and consideration of the health-system context is needed, and regional support from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations can provide increased policy support to achieve maternal, neonatal, and child health goals.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Personnel/education
Fulltext Attitudes of medical students towards euthanasia in a multicultural setting

Adchalingam K, Kong WH, Zakiah MA, Zaini M, Wong YL, Lang CC

Med J Malaysia, 2005 Mar;60(1):46-9.
PMID: 16250279

A cross-sectional survey of 400 medical students of multicultural backgrounds at the University of Malaya was conducted to understand their attitudes towards euthanasia and factors related to medical decisions and ethical reasoning concerning the prolongation of life, the right to die and euthanasia. The student respondents completed self-administered questionnaires that comprised of twelve questions with multiple stems addressing personal perceptions, knowledge, attitudes, and decisions about euthanasia and the relief of suffering. The majority of respondents (52%) were for the withdrawal of active therapy in a patient suffering from a terminal painful disease while 48% of them were against it. Seventy-one percent of the students involved in the study were against the idea of active euthanasia i.e. the administration of a lethal injection. However, 27% of the respondents felt that there was a moral justification to assist patients to die. Thirty-two percent of the respondents favoured the legalization of euthanasia in Malaysia while 67% of them were strongly against it. The majority (61%) of respondents would not practice euthanasia as a doctor nor would they have performed on themselves if or when it became legal. The main issue surrounding euthanasia that concerned the respondents was the misuse of it by unethical practitioners and they felt that further debate on the matter was essential, both within the local and international communities.

Matched MeSH terms: Attitude of Health Personnel*
Towards reinforcing telemedicine adoption amongst clinicians in Nigeria

Adenuga KI, Iahad NA, Miskon S

Int J Med Inform, 2017 08;104:84-96.
PMID: 28599820 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2017.05.008

Telemedicine systems have been considered as a necessary measure to alleviate the shortfall in skilled medical specialists in developing countries. However, the obvious challenge is whether clinicians are willing to use this technological innovation, which has aided medical practice globally. One factor which has received little academic attention is the provision of suitable encouragement for clinicians to adopt telemedicine, in the form of rewards, motivation or incentives. A further consideration for telemedicine usage in developing countries, especially sub-Saharan Africa and Nigeria in particular, are to the severe shortage of available practising clinicians. The researchers therefore explore the need to positively reinforce the adoption of telemedicine amongst clinicians in Nigeria, and also offer a rationale for this using the UTAUT model. Data were collected using a structured paper-based questionnaire, with 252 physicians and nurses from six government hospitals in Ondo state, Nigeria. The study applied SmartPLS 2.0 for analysis to determine the relationship between six variables. Demographic moderating variables, age, gender and profession, were included. The results indicate that performance expectancy (p<0.05), effort expectancy (p<0.05), facilitating condition (p<0.01) and reinforcement factor (p<0.001) have significant effects on clinicians' behavioural intention to use telemedicine systems, as predicted using the extended UTAUT model. Our results showed that the use of telemedicine by clinicians in the Nigerian context is perceived as a dual responsibility which requires suitable reinforcement. In addition, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating condition and reinforcement determinants are influential factors in the use of telemedicine services for remote-patient clinical diagnosis and management by the Nigerian clinicians.

Matched MeSH terms: Attitude of Health Personnel*
Disaster management: Emergency nursing and medical personnel's knowledge, attitude and practices of the East Coast region hospitals of Malaysia

Ahayalimudin N, Osman NN

Australas Emerg Nurs J, 2016 Nov;19(4):203-209.
PMID: 27545578 DOI: 10.1016/j.aenj.2016.08.001

BACKGROUND: Disaster management is critical, as its insight could diminish the impact of a disaster, and participation of emergency medical personnel is crucial. This study explores emergency medical personnel's knowledge, attitude and practice towards disaster management.
METHODOLOGY: This study utilised a cross-sectional study design, and the data collected from 194 emergency nursing and medical personnel (staff nurses, doctors and assistant medical officers), using a questionnaire.
RESULTS: Majority of the personnel had an adequate knowledge and practices, and portrayed a positive attitude towards disaster management. Amongst the sociodemographic factors studied, gender and education level were significantly associated with increased knowledge and practice scores. Working experience, involvement in disaster response and attended disaster training had a significant association with higher practice scores. None of the sociodemographic factors studied had an effect on attitude scores.
CONCLUSION: Despite the diversity of their backgrounds, respondents exhibited their adequate knowledge and practice, and had positive attitudes towards disaster management. It is substantial for emergency nursing and medical personnel, to inhibit the severity of the impacts of the disasters. Their knowledge, attitude and practice studies could assist in the implementation of programmes relevant to disaster management to ensure their preparedness to assist the affected communities.

Matched MeSH terms: Attitude of Health Personnel
Fulltext Are healthcare workers ready for Ebola? An assessment of their knowledge and attitude in a referral hospital in South India

Ahmad A, Khan MU, Jamshed SQ, Kumar BD, Kumar GS, Reddy PG, et al.

J Infect Dev Ctries, 2016 Aug 02;10(7):747-54.
PMID: 27482807 DOI: 10.3855/jidc.7578

INTRODUCTION: The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic to be a public health emergency of international concern. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at the highest risk of infection, as they may come into contact with patients' blood or fluids. This study was conducted to assess knowledge and attitudes of HCWs towards EVD in India.
METHODOLOGY: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in a multispecialty public sector referral hospital of Telangana, India. Knowledge and attitude of HCWs were evaluated using a pre-validated questionnaire. A sample of 278 participants was selected to participate in this study. The Chi-squared test was used to assess the relationship between attitudes and demographic characteristics. Logistic regression was used examine the association between knowledge and study variables.
RESULTS: Of 257 participants who responded (92.4% response rate), 157 (61.1%) were females. The majority of the respondents were physicians (n = 117, 45.5%). Radio and television were the major sources of information about EVD reported by participants (89%). Overall knowledge of HCWs was poor (mean knowledge score: 6.57 ± 2.57). Knowledge of physicians and experienced workers (≥ 10 years) was significantly higher than their respective groups. The overall attitude of the participants was positive (mean attitude score: 1.62 ± 0.57). Significant positive correlations between knowledge and attitude were observed.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that participants lack basic understanding of EVD. We recommend future studies be conducted across India to identify and subsequently bridge the knowledge gaps among HCWs.

Matched MeSH terms: Attitude of Health Personnel*; Health Personnel*
Fulltext Japanese Encephalitis in Assam, India: Need to Increase Healthcare Workers' Understanding to Improve Health Care

Ahmad A, Khan MU, Gogoi LJ, Kalita M, Sikdar AP, Pandey S, et al.

PLoS One, 2015;10(8):e0135767.
PMID: 26296212 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135767

INTRODUCTION: Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a major cause of high morbidity and mortality in several states across India. However, in 2014, a sharp rise was observed in the number of cases of JE in north-eastern Assam state, and 51% of the total cases of JE in India were reported from the Assam in the same year. In this regard, a study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of healthcare workers in Darrang, a district of Assam highly affected by JE.
METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted for 2 months among HCWs in the major district hospital of Darrang, Assam. A pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants. Convenience sampling approach was used to collect data from different departments of the hospitals. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were used to express the results.
RESULTS: The knowledge of HCWs regarding JE was poor with a mean knowledge score of 11.02±2.39 (out of 17), while their attitudes were positive with a mean attitudes score of 43.16± 2.47 (ranging from 13 to 52). Overall, 40.4% and 74.3% of participants demonstrated good knowledge and positive attitudes respectively. Cut-off score for good knowledge and positive attitudes toward JE was set as ≥12 and >40 respectively. Older participants (40-49 years) and experienced workers (>10 years) were significantly associated with good knowledge as compared to their referent group (p<0.05), while knowledge of nurses and other orderlies were significantly lower than physicians (p<0.01). Similar factors were associated with the positive attitudes of the participants with the exception of experience. Television was the major source of information regarding JE reported by HCWs (79%).
CONCLUSION: Although the knowledge was not optimized, HCWs exhibited positive attitudes towards JE. Future research is required to design, implement and evaluate interventions to improve the knowledge of JE among HCWs.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Personnel/psychology*
Fulltext The correlation between Environment of Care, patient satisfaction and willingness to recommend in a teaching hospital setting

Ahmad Badruridzwanullah Zun, Mohd Ismail Ibrahim, Ariffin Marzuki Mokhtar, Ahmad Sukari Halim

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(106):7-7.
MyJurnal

Introduction: The Environment of Care (EoC) is less being the highlight as one of the important components in hospi-tal administration. The EoC is the interface between the patient and the organisation and it provides both a practical and safe area in which to provide patient care. The study aims to determine the correlation between the environment of care, patient satisfaction and willingness to recommend. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in one of the teaching hospitals in Malaysia. A Malay validated Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Provider and System (HCAHPS) questionnaire was used. The multistage sampling was applied. 13 wards represent medical, surgical and O&G based wards were selected randomly. Systematic random sampling method was used for pa-tient selection. Number of samples for each ward was calculated proportionately based on the average number of discharge patient monthly. The global rating item in HCAHPS was used to determine satisfaction level. Data was collected and analysed using SPSS version 22.0. Results: 547 respondents were involved in the study with 61.6% of them were female. Majority of respondents were young adult less than 60 years old. 36.9% of the respondents had positive experience with cleanliness of the ward meanwhile 26.7% had positive experience with quietness of the ward. 57.6% of the respondents were satisfied with the services and 64.5% were willing to recommend the hos-pital to others. There was a significant correlation between environment of care, satisfaction level and willingness to recommend. Conclusion: The healthcare facility needs to concentrate on creating a positive experience on EoC component as this can influence satisfaction level and willingness to recommend the hospital.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Personnel
Fulltext Associated factors of job satisfaction among healthcare workers in health clinics under Petaling District Health Office jurisdiction

Ahmad Faizul Abd Rahman Sazli, Ahmad Azuhairi Ariffin

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(104):103-103.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Low job satisfaction among healthcare workers may lead to high turnover intention, poor job perfor-mance, high absenteeism, and low patient satisfaction. Global and local needs for health workforce are increasing in trend to meet current health demands. Addressing job satisfaction of the healthcare workers is a practical way to uti-lise the available human resources optimally. The main aim of this study is to determine job satisfaction level and its associated factors among healthcare workers in health clinics under the Petaling District Health Office jurisdiction in Selangor, Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among healthcare workers in ten health clinics in Petaling District from April until May 2019. Simple random sampling method proportionate to the number of staffs from each health clinics was done. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used. Results: The response rate was 93%. Majority of the respondent were female (83%), married (82%), diploma holder (41%), nurses (33%) and working in health clinics with specialists (93%). The job satisfaction mean score for the studied population was 4.46 (SD = 0.72). Self-rated physical health and mental stress status were significantly associated with job satisfaction (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The job satisfaction level of the studied population was comparable to other local studies and higher than studies from Iran, Ethiopia and China. Extra attention should be given to healthcare workers with poor physical health and poor mental stress. More objective study on physical health and mental stress is required.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Personnel
Fulltext Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Evidence-Based Medicine among Emergency Doctors in Kelantan, Malaysia

Ahmad Ghaus MG, Tuan Kamauzaman TH, Norhayati MN

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2021 10 27;18(21).
PMID: 34769813 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182111297

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of high levels of knowledge, positive attitude, and good practice on evidence-based medicine (EBM) and identify the associated factors for practice score on EBM among emergency medicine doctors in Kelantan, Malaysia. This cross-sectional study was conducted in government hospitals in Kelantan. The data were collected from 200 emergency physicians and medical officers in the emergency department using the Noor Evidence-Based Medicine Questionnaire. Simple and general linear regressions analyses using SPSS were performed. A total of 183 responded, making a response rate of 91.5%. Of them, 49.7% had a high level of knowledge, 39.9% had a positive attitude and 2.1% had good practice. Sex, race, the average number of patients seen per day, internet access in workplace, having online quick reference application, and attitude towards EBM were significantly associated with EBM practice scores. It is recommended that appropriate authorities provide emergency doctors with broader access to evidence resources. EBM skill training should be enhanced in the current medical school curriculums.

Matched MeSH terms: Attitude of Health Personnel
Perceptions of interprofessional education among Malaysian clinical healthcare students

Ahmad MS, Asban MA, Mohd Salleh NSA, Mohd Sarmin N', Abd Rahman ANA

Spec Care Dentist, 2023;43(6):815-823.
PMID: 36018716 DOI: 10.1111/scd.12770

INTRODUCTION: Interprofessional education (IPE), which is aimed at improving the quality of patient care and overall health outcome, has been advocated to prepare future healthcare professionals for collaborative practice OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of IPE among clinical healthcare students at a Malaysian institution METHODS: A validated questionnaire, developed from previous studies, was distributed online to selected final year students of 10 clinical programs from medical, dental, pharmacy and health sciences faculties (n = 501). Quantitative data was analyzed via chi-square test (significance value p

Matched MeSH terms: Attitude of Health Personnel
Fulltext Is Assisted Reproductive Technique Shari’aa-compliant? A case study at a fertility centre in Malaysia

Ahmad Murad Z, Zailin Shah Y, Mansor S, Ahmad Irfan IH, Abdullah L

International Medical Journal Malaysia, 2014;13(2):21-27.
MyJurnal

Introduction: To investigate the questions that Muslim patients, embryologists, paramedics, clinical counsellor and doctors may have pertaining to the compliance of Assisted Reproductive Technique (ART) to Shari’aa.

Methods: As a preliminary study, an open-ended survey was administered to participants. Participants for the survey comprised of 21 patients, 2 embryologists, 2 doctors, 4 paramedics and 1 counsellor.

Results: Data analysis showed that most of the participants posed questions that fall into six classifications which are: Munakahat (Family Law), social Hukm, Fiqh Ibadah, Fiqh Qadha (Islamic Hukm), General Fiqh and Usul Fiqh.

Conclusion: It is clear that even though the participants were rather familiar with some of the existing Fatwas pertaining to ART and IVF in Malaysia, there are still remaining doubts which need to be clarified. This indicates that there are challenges faced in seeking and providing ART treatment to Muslim patients. This needs to be addressed perhaps in the form of Shari’aa-compliant guidelines to provide a clear explanation of each process and procedure in fertility treatment.

Matched MeSH terms: Allied Health Personnel
Guidelines adherence and hypertension control at a tertiary hospital in Malaysia

Ahmad N, Hassan Y, Tangiisuran B, Meng OL, Abd Aziz N, Ahmad FU, et al.

J Eval Clin Pract, 2013 Oct;19(5):798-804.
PMID: 22583820 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2753.2012.01852.x

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Existing literature suggests that doctors' poor adherence with guidelines is one of the major contributing factors to suboptimal control of hypertension. This study aims to evaluate doctors' adherence with Malaysian clinical practice guideline (CPG 2008) in a tertiary care hospital, and factors associated with guideline adherence and hypertension control.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at Hospital Pulau Pinang, Penang, Malaysia. Prescriptions written by 26 enrolled doctors to 650 established hypertensive outpatients (25 prescriptions per enrolled doctor) were noted on visit 1 along with patients' demographic and clinical data. The noted prescriptions were classified either as compliant or non-compliant to CPG (2008). Five hundred twenty (80%) of the enrolled patients (20 patients per enrolled doctor) were followed for one more visit. Blood pressure (BP) noted on visit 2 was related to the prescription written on visit 1. SPSS 16 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) was used for data analysis.
RESULTS: Three hundred forty-nine (67.1%) patients received guidelines compliant pharmacotherapy. In multivariate analysis, hypertension clinic had significant negative association with guidelines adherence. Two hundred sixty-five patients (51%) were at goal BP on visit 2. In multivariate analysis, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and guidelines adherence had significant positive, while renal disease, diabetes mellitus and diabetic clinic had significant negative association with hypertension control.
CONCLUSIONS: An overall fair level of adherence with guidelines and better control of hypertension was observed. Guidelines compliant practices resulted in better control of hypertension. The gaps between what guidelines recommend and clinical practice were especially seen in the pharmacotherapy of uncomplicated hypertension and hypertension with diabetes mellitus and renal disease.
KEYWORDS: Malaysia; adherence; guidelines; hypertension
Study site: Cardiology, nephrology, diabetic and hypertension clinics, Hospital Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Matched MeSH terms: Attitude of Health Personnel
Empowerment, job satisfaction and organizational commitment: a comparative analysis of nurses working in Malaysia and England

Ahmad N, Oranye NO

J Nurs Manag, 2010 Jul;18(5):582-91.
PMID: 20636507 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2834.2010.01093.x

AIMS: To examine the relationships between nurses' empowerment, job satisfaction and organizational commitment in culturally and developmentally different societies.
BACKGROUND: Employment and retention of sufficient and well-committed nursing staff are essential for providing safe and effective health care. In light of this, nursing leaders have been searching for ways to re-engineer the healthcare system particularly by providing an environment that is conducive to staff empowerment, job satisfaction and commitment.
METHODS: This is a descriptive correlational survey of 556 registered nurses (RNs) in two teaching hospitals in England and Malaysia.
RESULTS: Although the Malaysian nurses felt more empowered and committed to their organization, the English nurses were more satisfied with their job.
CONCLUSION: The differences between these two groups of nurses show that empowerment does not generate the same results in all countries, and reflects empirical evidence from most cross cultural studies on empowerment.
IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nursing management should always take into consideration cultural differences in empowerment, job satisfaction and commitment of nursing staff while formulating staff policies.

Matched MeSH terms: Attitude of Health Personnel
Fulltext Doctors' knowledge of hypertension guidelines recommendations reflected in their practice

Ahmad N, Khan AH, Khan I, Khan A, Atif M

Int J Hypertens, 2018;2018:8524063.
PMID: 29721335 DOI: 10.1155/2018/8524063

Aim: To evaluate doctors' knowledge, attitude, and practices and predictors of adherence to Malaysian hypertension guidelines (CPG 2008).
Methods: Twenty-six doctors involved in hypertension management at Penang General Hospital were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Doctors' knowledge and attitudes towards guidelines were evaluated through a self-administered questionnaire. Their practices were evaluated by noting their prescriptions written to 520 established hypertensive outpatients (20 prescriptions/doctor). SPSS 17 was used for data analysis.
Results: Nineteen doctors (73.07%) had adequate knowledge of guidelines. Specialists and consultants had significantly better knowledge about guidelines' recommendations. Doctors were positive towards guidelines with mean attitude score of 23.15 ± 1.34 points on a 30-point scale. The median number of guidelines compliant prescriptions was 13 (range 5-20). Statistically significant correlation (rs = 0.635, P < 0.001) was observed between doctors' knowledge and practice scores. A total of 349 (67.1%) prescriptions written were guidelines compliant. In multivariate analysis hypertension clinic (OR = 0.398, P = 0.008), left ventricular hypertrophy (OR = 0.091, P = 0.001) and heart failure (OR = 1.923, P = 0.039) were significantly associated with guidelines adherence.
Conclusion: Doctors' knowledge of guidelines is reflected in their practice. The gap between guidelines recommendations and practice was seen in the pharmacotherapy of uncomplicated hypertension and hypertension with left ventricular hypertrophy, renal disease, and diabetes mellitus.
Study site: Cardiology, nephrology, diabetic, and hypertension clinics of Hospital Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Matched MeSH terms: Health Personnel
Clinical pairing revisited: a study at the University of Malaya, Malaysia

Ahmad NA, Naimie Z, Lui JL, Aziz AA, Abdullah M, Abu Kasim NH, et al.

J Dent Educ, 2012 Oct;76(10):1377-83.
PMID: 23066138

This study is part of ongoing educational research conducted by the Department of Conservative Dentistry, University of Malaya, Malaysia, to evaluate the perception of clinical pairing. A thirteen-question survey was distributed to 148 dental students after they had experienced four-handed dentistry. The objectives were to identify the advantages, disadvantages, and the acceptance of the implementation of clinical pairing from the students' point of view. The responses from the open-ended questions were categorized into six main themes (areas of interest): quality-related (Q), patient-related (PT), partner-related (P), lecturer-related (T), infection control (IC), and learning environment (L). Data analysis was done using SPSS version 18. Results indicated that the students perceived they possessed enough knowledge regarding clinical pairing. However, it was found that they still preferred to work independently as compared to working in pairs. The benefits of clinical pairing may not be viewed in the same vein by both dental students and teachers. The quality-related theme was perceived by students as the main advantage of clinical pairing, whilst the partner-related theme was perceived otherwise. The study also revealed that students may have some preconceived notions about pairing that may have impaired their acceptance. As a consequence, some reluctance was seen in their responses.

Matched MeSH terms: Attitude of Health Personnel
Inclining Trend of the Researchers Interest in Antimicrobial Stewardship: A Systematic Review

Ahmad NJ, Althemery AU, Haseeb A, Yusuf RF, Hassali AA, Khan AH

J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2020 01 29;12(1):11-15.
PMID: 32801595 DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.JPBS_186_19

Introduction: The implementation of antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs) can improve the treatment of infections and can decrease the adverse events that result from antibiotics use. In the last decades, there is an increasing interest of the researchers in the implementation of ASPs.
Materials and Methods: The articles published in different journals were retrieved by searching many research databases such as Cochrane library, Europe PMC, PubMed, and Web of Science; we searched these databases for all published articles till November 2018.
Results and Discussion: The searching results using Cochrane library showed an increase in the number of randomized clinical trials that related to the keyword of "antimicrobial stewardship" specially in the last 5 years. Using Europe PMC, we found 6178 results. From these results, there are 3874 free full texts. In addition, there are 2132 original articles in PubMed and by searching Web of Science database till November 8 there are 3085 results. These results show that the number of trusted published articles was increased continuously; this shows the increasing interest of the researchers in ASPs. These researches will help health-care providers to use antibiotics appropriately and to overcome the barriers of implementing ASPs.
Conclusion: The results of this study show that the researchers had high levels of interest in participating in research activities related to the appropriate use on antibiotics and the implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Personnel

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