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Fulltext Effective strategies to improve the uptake of pap smear screening in Pontian District

Norasikin Mahdan, Marwiyah Sood, Masriah Misran, Rubiah Lebar, Zaitun Ibrahim, Fatimah Awab

Q Bulletin, 2019;1(28):58-64.
MyJurnal

Pap smear screening is proven to be an effective tool for the early detection of cervical cancer. Public Health Laboratory of the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) reported that Pontian Health District achieved only 69.4% out of the 4,112 targeted Pap smear screening performed in 2014. Pontian District Health Office conducted a Quality Assurance (QA) project, aiming to increase the percentage of Pap smear screening uptake among women in Pontian district to 100%.
A cross-sectional study using questionnaires was conducted in January 2015 involving 256 women to measure their knowledge, attitude, and practice towards Pap smear screening. The results showed 93.8% of respondents have a good knowledge of Pap smear. However, only 72% agreed to do Pap smear screening while 28% refused to do the screening. The 72 women declined the Pap smear screening for various reasons, such as time constraint (27%) feeling shy (27%), perceived the procedure as painful (23%), afraid to know the result (19%) and perceived the screening as unimportant (4%). The results also revealed only 44% of the respondents received information about Pap smear screening from health staff.
Several strategies were identified to overcome the reasons; the expansion of Pap smear screening to the workplace and residences overcome time constraint issue, an innovative tool known as “Sisih Malu” to combat the shyness feeling of doing Pap smear screening, while “Celik Servik” demonstrates the procedure as simple and painless. Active promotion of Pap smear screening was also conducted by the clinics’ staff who emphasised on cervical cancer early detection, which is more treatable at an early stage. These improvement strategies were conducted from February until December 2015.
Post-intervention saw Pap smear screening in Pontian district increased to 4,936 (118.9%), exceeding the 4,152 target set for 2015 and increased 130.5% in 2016. Another survey among 99 women in January 2016 showed that a 100% willingness to undergo a Pap smear screening

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Undergraduate nursing students’ experiences of their clinical practice

LILY LIM, ZABIDAH PUTIT, CHANG CHING THON

Malaysian Journal of Qualitative Research, 2017;4(1):6-16.
MyJurnal

A qualitative study was conducted to assess the nursing students’ experiences of their clinical practice at one public university in Sarawak, Malaysia. Purposive sampling was used to recruit nine undergraduate nursing degree students at a medical faculty. An in-depth interview based on an open-ended questionnaire was used to collect data. The open-ended questionnaire was used to assess the students’ expectation, feelings, challenging experiences related to work culture, knowledge and skills in patient care, teaching learning supports, people interpersonal relationship, students’ role and their coping mechanism in clinical practice. Data were analysed using content analysis approach facilitated by Nvivo software (Version 8.) The themes emerged from the data analysis included (a) Gaining insight into the reality of clinical working environment and (b) challenges. The subthemes illustrated the students’ challenges were interpersonal relationship with people at the work place, different ward environment, theorypractice gap and insufficient clinical practice, and anxiety. The participants also reported experiencing anxiety due to challenges; however, after a period of time, they learnt to cope with them. The students were able to use different coping mechanism such as internal and external motivation, and this increased their confidence as they progressed in their learning. The learning difficulties faced by nursing students during clinical placement show that a supportive learning environment is important. This study proposed practical strategies to empower students in clinical learning and increase their self-esteem and confidence. In order to improve quality of students’ clinical education, adequate and effective work collaboration between nursing education and health care services are recommended. Future research should focus on how to create a supportive clinical learning environment in local setting

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Reducing the stigma of mental health disorders with a focus on low- and middle-income countries

Javed A, Lee C, Zakaria H, Buenaventura RD, Cetkovich-Bakmas M, Duailibi K, et al.

Asian J Psychiatr, 2021 Apr;58:102601.
PMID: 33611083 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2021.102601

Mental health disorders are a burgeoning global public health challenge, and disproportionately affect the poor. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear 80 % of the mental health disease burden. Stigma associated with mental health results in delayed help seeking, reduced access to health services, suboptimal treatment, poor outcomes and an increased risk of individuals' human rights violations. Moreover, widespread co-occurrence of physical comorbidities such as noncommunicable diseases with mental health disorders makes the treatment of both conditions challenging and worsens prognosis. This paper explores various aspects of stigma towards mental health with a focus on LMICs and assesses measures to increase help-seeking and access to and uptake of mental health services. Stigma impacts persons living with mental illness, their families and caregivers and healthcare professionals (mental health professionals, non-psychiatric specialists and general practitioners) imparting mental health care. Cultural, socio-economic and religious factors determine various aspects of mental health in LMICs, ranging from perceptions of health and illness, health seeking behavior, attitudes of the individuals and health practitioners and mental health systems. Addressing stigma requires comprehensive and inclusive mental health policies and legislations; sustainable and culturally-adapted awareness programs; capacity building of mental health workforce through task-shifting and interprofessional approaches; and improved access to mental health services by integration with primary healthcare and utilizing existing pathways of care. Future strategies targeting stigma reduction must consider the enormous physical comorbidity burden associated with mental health, prioritize workplace interventions and importantly, address the deterioration of population mental health from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Are our healthcare workers well protected during COVID-19? learning from current experiences and challenges

Siti Munira Yasin,, Kamarulzaman Muzaini, Ely Zarina Samsudin, Mohamad Ikhsan Selamat, Zaliha Ismail

Journal of Clinical and Health Sciences, 2020;5(2):4-18.
MyJurnal

The outbreak of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been declared a Public
Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization. The incidence
of this pandemic continues to rise, with 40,665,438 confirmed cases and 1,121,843 deaths
worldwide by 21 October 2020. During this public health crisis, healthcare workers are at the
frontline of the COVID-19 outbreak response, and as such are at risk of being infected and
developing job burnout while in the line of duty. This study reviews the history of COVID-19
outbreak, infection control measures in hospitals during COVID-19 outbreak, healthcare
workers’ risk of infection and other health effects from battling COVID-19, and challenges and
recommendations for protecting healthcare workers during this pandemic. At present,
healthcare workers are every country’s most valuable resources, and their safety must thus
be ensured. Strong medical leadership, clear pandemic planning, policies and protocols,
continuous educational training, adequate provision of personal protective equipment,
psychological support, and the provision of food, rest, and family support for healthcare
workers would augment a climate of safety in the workplace, ensure their wellbeing, and
improve their capacity to battle this ongoing pandemic.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Prevalence of Near-miss Events of Transfusion Practice and Its Associated Factors amongst House Officers in a Teaching Hospital

Noor NHM, Joibe KF, Hasan MN

Oman Med J, 2021 Mar;36(2):e249.
PMID: 33898061 DOI: 10.5001/omj.2021.55

Objectives: A near miss in transfusion practice is defined as a deviation from standard procedures discovered before transfusion and can lead to a transfusion error. Information on near-miss events provides pivotal data on areas of improvement to prevent actual errors in the future. Our study sought to determine the prevalence and rate of near-miss events and their associated factors amongst house officers (HO) in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Methods: The initial part of this study is a descriptive cross-sectional study involving data collection from all requests sent for group, screen, and hold (GSH) and group and cross match (GXM) tests from 2011 to 2017. The association between sociodemographic, workplace, and experience factors with near-miss events amongst HO was analyzed with a case-control study using logistic regression.
Results: We reported 83 near-miss events with a prevalence of 0.034% (95% confidence interval 0.027-0.042). The rate of near-miss events was one in every 2916 requests. The mean reporting rate was 11.9 events per year. Clinical near miss predominated at 89.2% compared to 10.8% laboratory near miss. Mislabeled events (33.7%) were more than miscollected events (10.8%). HO were implicated with most events (83.1%). Most events were predominantly in the medical and obstetrics and gynecology wards amounting to 31.3% each. We found a significant association between the ages of HO with near-miss events.
Conclusions: The prevalence of near-miss events in our hospital was relatively low. Our study has shown areas for improvement include improving sampling practices in clinical areas, adequate training of laboratory technicians, and providing proper transfusion education. Interventions such as encouraging compliance to guidelines and training in clinical and laboratory areas to minimize the risk of mistransfusion should be considered.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Factors of job satisfaction among workers exposed to occupational noise

Irniza Rasdi, Noraini Mohd Zin, Sharifah Norkhadijah Syed Ismail

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(204):141-146.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Noise was evident to reduce job satisfaction among workers which will negative impacts to workers including increase job turnover, decrease motivation and increased number of accidents. This study aims to explore job satisfaction and its risk factors among workers working in a noisy workplace. Method: The study design was cross-sectional study which involved 167 workers in a cable manufacturing factory selected by simple random sam- pling. MSQ was used to assess employee’s satisfaction with their job on seven facets and sound level meter was used to measure workplace noise level. Results: All respondents were exposed to noise above permissible exposure limit. Most workers (49%) were moderately satisfied with their work. Factors that were rated as lowest level of satisfaction were work itself (the ability to work alone) (40%) and the way company system policies are implemented (40%). Factors with the highest level of satisfaction were their freedom to implement their judgement (responsibility) (51%) and the supervision quality of their superiors (51%). The most dominant facet predicting total satisfaction level was recognition followed by advancement and company policy and administration. All variables in socio-demographical and job characteristics were not significantly associated with their level of job satisfaction except noise. Noise was significant in predicting one facet of job satisfaction which was physical work condition. Conclusion: Overall, the average level of job satisfaction among respondents were moderate and they were exposed to occupational noise which was the only significant study variable correlated with their job satisfaction.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Exclusive breastfeeding: knowledge, attitude, practice, and its determinants among Malay mothers in Ampang, Selangor

Basma Johari, Nor Azwani Mohd Shukri

International Journal of Allied Health Sciences, 2018;2(1):117-128.
MyJurnal

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for up to six months is internationally recommended due to its benefits for both maternal and infant health. However, the rate of EBF in Malaysia is still below the desirable levels. This study examined the prevalence of EBF and assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP), and determinants of breastfeeding among Malay mothers in Ampang, Selangor. Ninety-two Malay subjects who breastfed healthy children aged six to 36 months, were included in this study. Data were collected by dual-language, self-administered questionnaire (which included Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale, IIFAS), to determine KAP of mothers towards breastfeeding. Socio-demographic, psychosocial, and environmental factors related with EBF were also assessed. Linear logistic regression model was used to identify factors that may determine breastfeeding for six months (exclusively) and beyond. A total of 28% of the subjects practised EBF up to six months, 39% less than six months, and 33% continued BF beyond six months. The mean IIFAS total score was 66.1 ± 8.11, which ranged between Neutral and Positive towards Breastfeeding Practice attitudes. Higher IIFAS score is related to intended and actual exclusive
breastfeeding. Several variables were significantly related to breastfeeding for six months (exclusively) and beyond. This included maternal age of 30 years or more (OR:3.26, 95% CI:1.27–8.38); higher socioeconomic status (OR:8.50, 95% CI:1.76–41.06); higher educational level (OR:5.21, 95% CI:1.66–16.34); multi-parity (OR:3.15, 95% CI:1.17–8.47); nonworking status (OR:3.81, 95% CI:1.02–14.3); support from spouse (OR:2.39, 95% CI:1.01–5.65); availability of private rooms for breastfeeding at workplace (OR:4.30, 95% CI:1.77–10.63); and child birth place (OR:2.54, 95% CI:1.08–5.98). The right maternal knowledge and attitude play crucial roles in the success of breastfeeding. Hence, more health promotion is needed. Supports from spouse,
workplace, and hospital staff after delivery, are also essential to improve EBF statistics in Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Exploring healthcare professionals' knowledge, attitude, and practices towards pharmacovigilance: a cross-sectional survey

Hussain R, Hassali MA, Hashmi F, Akram T

J Pharm Policy Pract, 2021 Jan 04;14(1):5.
PMID: 33397478 DOI: 10.1186/s40545-020-00287-3

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) is a method of monitoring the safety of drugs and is the basic strategy for the post-marketing surveillance of the suspected drugs. Despite its importance, there is very little reporting of ADRs by healthcare professionals. The present study has evaluated the knowledge, attitude and practices of health care professionals (HCPs) regarding pharmacovigilance activities in Lahore, Pakistan.
METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was employed, and a convenience sampling was opted to collect the data among physicians, pharmacists and nurses working in tertiary care public hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan from September 2018 to January 2019.
RESULTS: Of the 384 questionnaires distributed, 346 health care professionals responded to the questionnaire (90.10% response rate). Most participants had good knowledge about ADR reporting, but pharmacist had comparatively better knowledge than other HCPs regarding ADR (89.18%) pharmacovigilance system (81.08%), its centres (72.97%) and function (91.89%). Most of the participants exhibited positive attitude regarding ADR reporting, such as 49.1% of physicians (P

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Ten - year Cardiovascular Disease Risk amongst workers in a tertiary healthcare institution in Kuala Lumpur

Norfazilah Ahmad, Santhna Letchmi Panduragan, Yee,San Khor, Kalaiarasan Gemini, Nur Atikah Bahrin, Nur Husnina Azhar, et al.

Borneo Epidemiology Journal, 2020;1(1):35-45.
MyJurnal

Strategising, which is an effective workplace intervention to curb cardiovascular disease (CVD), requires understanding of the CVD risk related to a specific working population. The Framingham Risk Score (FRS) is widely used in predicting the ten-year CVD risk of various working populations. This study aimed to use FRS to determine the ten-year CVD risk amongst workers in a tertiary healthcare setting and its associated factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted on workers who participated in the special health check programme at the staff clinic of a tertiary healthcare institution in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A set of data sheets was used to retrieve the workers’ sociodemographic and CVD risk information. The prevalence of high, moderate and low ten-year CVD risk was 12.8%, 20.0% and 67.2%, respectively. Workers in the high-risk group were older [mean age: 54.81 (standard deviation, 5.72) years], male (44%), smokers (72.7%) and having hyperglycaemia (46.7%) and hypertriglyceridemia [median triglycerides: 1.75 (interquartile range, 1.45) mmol/L]. Diastolic blood pressure (aOR 1.07, 95% CI: 1.01,1.14), hyperglycaemia (aOR 8.80, 95% CI: 1.92,40.36) and hypertriglyceridemia (aOR 4.45, 95% CI: 1.78,11.09) were significantly associated with high ten-year CVD risk. Diastolic blood pressure (aOR 1.08, 95% CI: 1.03,1.13) and hypertriglyceridemia (aOR 2.51, 95% CI: 1.12-5.61) were significantly associated with moderate ten-year CVD risk. The prevalence of high and moderate ten-year CVD risk was relatively high. Amongst the workers in the high-risk group, they were older, male, smokers and with high fasting blood sugar and triglyceride. Understanding the ten-year CVD risk and its associated factors could be used to plan periodic workplace health assessment and monitor to prevent CVD

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Home and expatriate nurses' perceptions of job satisfaction: Qualitative findings

Almansour H, Gobbi M, Prichard J

Int Nurs Rev, 2021 May 27.
PMID: 34043818 DOI: 10.1111/inr.12699

AIM: This paper is part of a larger doctoral study that investigated the impact of nationality on the job satisfaction of nurses and their intentions to leave Saudi Arabian government hospitals. The paper aims to gain an understanding of the impact of expatriate status on nurses' perceptions, by comparing the factors that influence job satisfaction among Saudi nurses to those that affect nurses recruited from other countries.
BACKGROUND: Job satisfaction is a known predictor of nurse retention. Although there is a broad understanding of the factors that affect job satisfaction, little is known about how these vary between home and expatriate nurses working in countries which rely on a multicultural migrant workforce.
METHODS: A descriptive qualitative approach was taken, in which 26 semi-structured interviews were conducted with nurses selected from different nationalities, all of whom were working in Saudi Arabian hospitals. Eight participants were Saudi Arabian, six Filipino, four Indian, four South African, two Jordanian and two Malaysian.
FINDINGS: Five themes were identified that differentiated the perceptions of expatriates regarding their job satisfaction from those of the home nurses: separation from family, language and communication, fairness of remuneration, moving into the future and professionalism.
CONCLUSION: Focusing on the enhancement of job satisfaction experienced by expatriate nurses can result in a healthier work environment and greater retention of these nurses.
IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND NURSING POLICY: To enhance nurse retention, policy makers in countries with migrant nurses should address their socio-economic needs. This includes providing both greater access to their dependent family members, and language lessons and cultural orientation to reduce linguistic and cultural challenges.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Occupational stress and personality characteristics: are they related?

Rosnah, I., Azmi, M.T.

Malaysian Journal of Community Health, 2008;14(2):78-85.
MyJurnal

Introduction: To determine association between occupational stress and personality characteristics among nurses at Maternal and Child Health Clinic in the state of Malacca, emphasizing on type of personality and personal perception of stress.
Methods : A cross sectional study was conducted among 152 nurses of Maternal and Child Health Clinics in Malacca using self administered questionnaires and selected via multistage sampling.
Results : This study showed that a total of 28.3% of the nurses were found to be stressed. Almost half (41.2%) of those who perceived that they were stressed were likely to be really stressed (p = 0.004). Therefore those who perceived themselves to be stressed should be referred for stress evaluation and further management if necessary. However selfperception of stress cannot be used as a screening tool for stress due to its lack of sensitivity (56.8%) and poor Positive Predictive Value (41.2%). Majority of the nurses were of Guardians Personality Type (98%) and 72.4% of them had extrovert trait. However there were no significant associations between stress with personality type or characteristic, most probably due to the preponderance of one personality type or characteristic. Other studied variables such as socio-demographic factors (age, gender, ethnicity, religion, marital status, educational level, body mass index, type of work place, position, duration of service and poverty level) and social factors (placement, chronic medical illness, chronic care taker, smoking status and alcohol drinker) were suggestive of an association between them and stress but were not statistically significant.
Conclusion : There is no association between occupational stress and personal characteristics among nurses in Malacca.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among assembly workers in Malaysia

Roseni Abdul Aziz, Mat Rebi Abdul Rani, Jafri Mohd Rohani, Ademola James Adeyemi

Journal of Occupational Safety and Health, 2014;11(1):33-38.
MyJurnal

Studies have identified working postures as a major risk factors associated with Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) in industries. This study investigated the prevalence of WMSD among assembly workers in Malaysia and how psychosocial factors such as personal values and workers relationship with family and superior are associated with discomfort and pain. A survey was conducted among 127 workers at assembly process in the manufacturing industry. The workers were aged 28.74±6.74 years and 64.6% of them were males. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the effect of workplace factors on WMSD at different body regions. Spearman’s rank correlation was used to investigate association between psychosocial factors and occurrence of discomfort and pain. Only occupation and job activities revealed any significant different with WMSD in the major body regions while there was no significant difference in gender, age and work duration classifications. Shoulder painis the most prevalent in terms of frequency and intensity of occurrence. Psychosocial issues that have to do with person values, effect of job on family relationship and workers rapport with superiors are all found to be associated with the discomfort and pain among the occupational group. Employers and concerned government agencies need to take more proactive steps in tackling the problem as the occurrence of WMSD will have a significant effect on the overall wellbeing of the working population.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext A study of occupational stress and coping strategies among correctional officers in Kedah, Malaysia

Mohd Zukri, I., Noor Hassim, I.

Malaysian Journal of Community Health, 2010;16(2):66-74.
MyJurnal

Introduction: The effect of stress among correctional officers at the workplace can contribute to various health problems and this also affect their work performance and motivation.
Methodology: Study was done at a prison located at the rural district in Kedah. The study was conducted by using randomized stratified sampling method. A total of 418 self administrated questionnaires were distributed. These questionnaires included socio demographic factor, family and marriage factor, Personal Stress Inventory (using Stress Symptom Scale with 52 items), work related stressors (Job Stress Survey) and Brief COPE (Coping Orientation for Problems Experienced with 28 items).
Result: Response rate was 90.9%. Stress prevalence for correctional officers was 45.8%. Socio demographic factors which have significant relation with stress status were marital status, promotion factor, age, monthly salary, duration of service and number of children (p< 0.05). Family and marriage factor which have significant relation with stress status among married officer were pressure from relatives, clean up house, sexual frustration, conflict with spouse, conflict with children, conflict due to household work and no babysitter (p< 0.05).
Discussion: The study showed that work related stressors that have influence with stress were excessive workload, working after work hours, not enough staff, disgraced words from fellow workers, competition in carrier development and excessive work stress (p< 0.05). Multiple linear regression model was done in this study and revealed factors that explained 52% of variation in stress score distributions were behavioural disengagement, no babysitter, denial, conflict with children, replace other worker’s duty, not enough time with family, competition in carrier development, venting of emotion, positive reframing and emotional support. Coping strategies that have significant effect in reducing stress symptoms are positive reframing and emotional support.
Conclusion: Stress management programs should be implemented and emphasizing on specific stressors and coping mechanism are important to reduce the risk of occupational stress among correctional officers.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Passive Smoking Mothers And Fetal Outcomes: An Experience In Maternity Hospital Kuala Lumpur 2004

Hejar, A.R, Noraihan, M. N., Liyana Mastura, M.J., Nurzoara Aisha Noorazyze, R.A.N.

International Medical Journal Malaysia, 2006;5(1):1-8.
MyJurnal

Passive smoking among pregnant mothers has been associated with numerous maternal and fetal effects. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of passive smoking on the fetal outcome among women who delivered at the Maternity Hospital Kuala Lumpur. This cross sectional study was carried out at the Maternity Hospital Kuala Lumpur in July 2004. Universal sampling of the women who delivered at the hospital was used and data was collected by interview using pre-tested questionnaire and patients’ medical records. Analysis was done by SPSS version 11.5. More than 75% were Malays, between 21 to 35 years, married, received secondary education, housewives and family income between RM 1000 – RM 1999. Seventy-seven per cent of the women were exposed to environmental tobacco smoke and majority were exposed at home and for less than 1 hour a week. There were significant relationships between duration of exposure with exposure at workplace, exposure at home and exposure in the car. Most of the babies delivered were males, term, normal weight and normal. Health education of the adverse effects of smoking to the pregnant women, spouses and family members need to be intensified by the hospital and the Ministry of Health.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Occupational heat stress of workers in a Plastic Industry, Selangor

Goh See Ben, Zailina Hashim, Rosnan Hamzah

Journal of Occupational Safety and Health, 2004;1(2):56-63.
MyJurnal

A cross sectional study to determine the exposure of heat and its biological effects on the workers in a plastic factory located in the Shah Alam Industrial Estate, Selangor, Malaysia. Forty five respondents from the polymer section in the factory were selected as the respondents. Variables measured were the environmental temperature (WBGTin), air velocity, relative humidity, body temperature, average heart and recovery heart rate. QUESTEMP°34 Area Heat Stress Monitor was used to measure the environmental temperature in °C (WBGTin) and relative humidity (%). Velocicheck Model TSI 8830 was used to measure the air velocity in meter per second (m/s) while the OMRON Blood Pressure Monitor Model T3, was used to measure average heart rate and recovery heart rate. Body temperature (°C) was measured by the Instant Ear Thermometer-OMRON Gentle Temperature Model MC509. Interviews using questionnaires were used to determine respondents’ socioeconomic background, previous risk factors on heat exposure and other information related to heat stress. Results showed that the mean environmental temperature for the exposed group was 28.75°C, the mean air velocity was 0.15 m/s and the mean relative humidity was 58.1%. These production workers were exposed occasionally to heat when loading plastic powder into the molds as well as demolding the finished plastic products from the molds. The average time of monitoring was 2 hours for intermittent exposure and 8 hours duration for overall exposure. Maximum demand for work load was measured 1 minute after work activities were stopped at the demolding section. There was a significant difference between body temperature and average heart rate before work, after 2 hours of work and after 8 hours of work ( p < 0.001). The mean recovery heart rate after 1 min was 88.0 ± 12.0 beat per min. (bpm), indicating that there is no excessive physiological demand. Body temperature (36.8 ± 0.40°C) and average heart rate after 8 hours (78 ± 12 bpm) indicated a good body control of heat exposure. Five out of six workplaces monitored had temperatures of greater than 28°C (ACGIH TLV). The workers were exposed to moderate heat stress during the study period, however, body temperature and average heart rate measurement did not reach unacceptable level of physiologic strain.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Review of ocular injuries in Malaysia

Thevi T, Reddy SC

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2017;17(1):69-77.
MyJurnal

Ocular injuries or trauma to the eye can be caused by variety of objects resulting in a spectrum of lesions in the eye. We did a Pubmed/Google/Science Direct search to review the spectrum of ocular injuries in Malaysia. In our review, we included 28 papers providing information on ocular injuries which were published from Malaysia during the period 1991-2016 in different medical journals. Prevalence was more among males with an average age of 35 years. Among adults they were more common in the workplace but in children it occurred at home. Few wore protective glasses at work. The mode of injury was due to sharp objects hitting the eye, motor vehicle and domestic accidents, firecrackers, chemicals and rarer causes like superglue and durian fruit. Prognostic factors for outcome were the initial visual acuity, length of the wound, associated factors like hyphaema, intraocular foreign body and vitreous prolapse. Missing the diagnosis of perforation of the eyeball is possible without eliciting a proper history. Protective devices must be worn to prevent injuries. Display of health education charts showing the effect of injuries in the eye and their preventive measures in health centres, private hospitals, schools, factories and sports centres will increase the awareness of public about the ocular injuries. It is important to diagnose the tissues involved in ocular trauma by the general practitioners and primary care physicians and refer the patients to the Ophthalmologist urgently for treatment to salvage vision. Compensation mechanisms should then be put forth in terms of rehabilitation and for monetary loss.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Factors associated psychological well-being of mothers with low birth weight (LBW) infants who are admitted at neonatal intensive care units (NICU)

Rusnani Ab Latif

The Malaysian Journal of Nursing, 2018;9(3):39-45.
MyJurnal

Psychological well-being is relatively complex notions with a variety of components that may contribute to it. Individuals differ in their overall levels of psychological health and well-being. Mother with low birth weight (LBW) babies required hospitalization especially in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) more exposed to the experience of anxious symptoms. Therefore, it would become a stressful event that might cause psychological distress or even emotional crisis in mother's when their infants were LBW especially premature. Health promotion is very important to prevent this problem. Health promotion efforts aimed at improving infant health status must do so by improving women's health. Improving women's health before, during, and after pregnancy is the key to reduce the human and economic costs associated with infant mortality and morbidity. To improve both women's and infants' health, efforts should include an emphasis on preventive health care services, family-oriented work site options, changes in social norms, and individual behavior modification. Therefore, it is important for health care professionals in NICU to be able to assess the factors associated psychological well-being of mother's with LBWinfant.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Prevalence and related factors of depression among healthcare personnel at primary healthcare centers

Eusof Izzudin MP, Al–Bedri A, Subramaniam V, Matthews P, Cheong AT

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2018;14(Special 2):32-36.
MyJurnal

Depressive disorders are common. As compared to the general population, healthcare personnel are hypothesized to have an above than average risk to develop this condition. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of this condition and its contributing factors amongst primary healthcare personnel.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted by universally sampling 179 primary healthcare personnel at nine primary healthcare centers across Kuala Lumpur and Selangor in May 2015. Depressive symptoms were screened using self-administered Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) questionnaire. Socio-demographic and work profile data were also assessed.
Results: 92.7% of the 179 personnel agreed to participate. Near half of the respondents were staff nurses (49%), followed by doctors (22%), assistant medical officers (10%), attendants (10%) and the remaining were pharmacists, dieticians, and laboratory technicians (9%). Depression was found to be present in 38% of the participants with one-third found to have moderate to severe depression. Bivariate analysis show that males (p=0.043), assistant medical officers (p=0.048), and working more than 10 hours per day (p=0.019) are significant risk factors. Further analysis by logistic regression shows that working more than 10 hours per day increases the odds of depression by 3.1 (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.1-8.7, p=0.03).
Conclusions: A high prevalence of depression was found within the healthcare personnel population at the primary healthcare centres studied. Being a male, employed as an assistant medical officer, and, prolonged hours at the workplace is a significant risk factor for depression.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Prevalence and predictors of overweight and obesity among women in the Gaza strip-Palestine: a cross-sectional study

El Kishawi RR, Soo KL, Abed YA, Muda WAMW

BMC Public Health, 2020 Jun 05;20(1):864.
PMID: 32503538 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-08966-1

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among women of childbearing age is considered a public health concern. Few studies have been conducted in the Gaza Strip to determine the magnitude of overweight and obesity. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity along with their associated factors among women in the Gaza Strip.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted to recruit a total of 357 mothers aged 18-50 years. Interviews were carried out among mothers to collect sociodemographic information, nutritional information, and physical activity. Anthropometric measurements [height, weight and waist circumference (WC)] were conducted with the mothers. Body Mass Index (BMI) was computed to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the associated factors of overweight and obesity.
RESULTS: The combined prevalence of overweight and obesity among mothers was (64.1%). The results of multinomial logistic regression showed the risk of overweight and obesity increased with age, the highest risk being in mothers aged > 33.0 years (OR = 2.7, 95% CI: (1.06,6.86)), and (OR = 5.72, 95% CI: (2.07,15.78)), respectively, compared to mothers aged

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Occupational safety and health management in the construction industry: a review

Jaafar MH, Arifin K, Aiyub K, Razman MR, Ishak MIS, Samsurijan MS

Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2018 Dec;24(4):493-506.
PMID: 28849991 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2017.1366129

The construction industry plays a significant role in contributing to the economy and development globally. During the process of construction, various hazards coupled with the unique nature of the industry contribute to high fatality rates. This review refers to previous published studies and related Malaysian legislation documents. Four main elements consisting of human, worksite, management and external elements which cause occupational accidents and illnesses were identified. External and management elements are the underlying causes contributing to occupational safety and health (OSH), while human and worksite elements are more apparent causes of occupational accidents and illnesses. An effective OSH management approach is required to contain all hazards at construction sites. An approach to OSH management constructed by elements of policy, process, personnel and incentive developed in previous work is explored. Changes to the sub-elements according to previous studies and the related Malaysian legislation are also covered in this review.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace

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