METHODS: Six children were recruited and underwent Bonebridge transcutaneous bone conduction implant surgery. The patients' audiometric thresholds for air conduction, bone conduction and sound-field tests were assessed pre-operatively and at six months post-operatively. Patients' satisfaction was assessed at six months post-operatively with the Hearing Device Satisfaction Scale.
RESULTS: No major complications were reported. Mean aided sound-field thresholds improved post-operatively by more than 30 dB for 0.5-4 kHz (p 0.05). All patients were satisfied (scores were over 90 per cent) with the implant in terms of functional outcome and cosmetic appearance.
CONCLUSION: Bonebridge transcutaneous bone conduction implant surgery is safe and effective among children with congenital aural atresia with conductive hearing loss.
METHODS: Thirty-five research organizations from Europe, North-Africa, Western Asia, and the Americas promoted the survey through their networks to the general society, in 7 languages (English, German, French, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, and Slovenian). Questions were presented in a differential format with questions related to responses "before" and "during" confinement conditions.
RESULTS: 1047 participations (54% women) from Asia (36%), Africa (40%), Europe (21%), and others (3%) were included in the analysis. Findings revealed psychosocial strain during the enforced COVID-19 home confinement. Large decreases (p < 0.001) in the amount of social activity through family (-58%), friends/neighbors (-44.9%), or entertainment (-46.7%) were triggered by the enforced confinement. These negative effects on social participation were also associated with lower life satisfaction (-30.5%) during the confinement period. Conversely, the social contact score through digital technologies significantly increased (p < 0.001) during the confinement period with more individuals (+24.8%) being socially connected through digital technology.
CONCLUSION: These preliminary findings elucidate the risk of psychosocial strain during the early COVID-19 home confinement period in 2020. Therefore, in order to mitigate the negative psychosocial effects of home confinement, implementation of national strategies focused on promoting social inclusion through a technology-based solution is strongly suggested.
Objectives: This study aimed to determine post-treatment oral cancer patients' concerns and its relationship with patients' clinical characteristics, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), psychological distress and patient satisfaction with the follow-up consultation.
Methods: A total of 85 oral cancer patients were recruited from a three-armed pragmatic RCT study on the patient concerns inventory for head and neck cancer (PCI-H&N), which was conducted at six hospital-based oral maxillofacial specialist clinics throughout Malaysia. Malaysians aged 18 years and above and on follow-ups from 1 month to 5 years or more were eligible. Patients completed the PCI-H&N, functional assessment of cancer therapy -H&N v4.0 and Distress Thermometer at pre-consultation and satisfaction questionnaire at post-consultation. The data were analysed descriptively; multiple linear regression and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine possible predictors of patients' HRQoL and psychological distress.
Results: 'Recurrence or fear of cancer coming back' (31.8%) was most frequently selected. 43.5% of patients selected ≥4 concerns. A significantly high number of concerns were associated with patients of '1-month to 1-year post-treatment' (n = 84%; p = 0.001). A significant association existed between 'time after treatment completed' and patients' concerns of 'chewing/eating', 'mouth opening', 'swelling', 'weight', 'ability to perform', 'cancer treatment' and 'supplement/diet-related'. 'Chewing/eating' was predicted for low HRQoL (p < 0.0001) followed by 'appearance' and 'ability to perform recreation activities' (personal functions domain). Patients with high psychological distress levels were 14 times more likely to select 'ability to perform recreation activities' and seven times more likely to select 'feeling depressed'. No significant association was identified between patients' concerns and patients' satisfaction with the consultation.
Conclusion: Routine follow-up consultations should incorporate the PCI-H&N prompt list to enhance patient-centred care approach as the type and number of patients' concerns are shown to reflect their HRQoL and psychological distress.TRIAL REGISTRATION: NMRR-18-3624-45010 (IIR).
METHODS: A total of 208 dentists from DSC nationwide completed an online questionnaire in June 2022. Demographic data and information on dentists' expanded roles were retrieved. Responses on dentists' satisfaction and perceived barriers were collected using a 5-point ordinal scale. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare the mean rank differences for CS. Factors influencing CS were analysed using multiple logistic regression (MLR) (P < .05).
RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 32.68 ± 2.48 years. Almost half (49.0%) of the respondents were attached to a non-hospital-based clinic. The majority (72.0%) of them were permanently attached to the DSC. About half of the dentists (51.0%) strongly agreed that they received no financial incentives for their expanded role at the MOH DSC. Dentists attached at a non-hospital-based clinic (P = .046), working with more than 15 years of experience (P = .013), and having 12 to 18 months' duration of attachment (P = .014) were more satisfied. MLR analysis revealed that non-Malay respondents (odds ratio [OR], 1.54; P = .035) and those who applied for scholarships more than 3 times (OR, 1.85; P = .050) were more satisfied. In contrast, more than 19 months at the DSC decreased CS (OR, 0.44; P = .029).
CONCLUSIONS: Despite having a similar organisational structure, DSC dentists had different satisfaction levels. Dentists' ethnicity, duration of attachment, and frequency of applying for scholarships influenced their CS. Future career advancement plans in the MOH should consider these important influencing factors to ensure the delivery of quality health care from their personnel.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) or venous thromboembolism (VTE) on long-term anticoagulant therapy attending the cardiology clinic and anticoagulation clinic of the University Malaya Medical Centre from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2018. Patient QOL was assessed by using the Short Form 12 Health Survey (SF12), while treatment satisfaction was assessed by using the Perception of Anticoagulation Treatment Questionnaire 2 (PACT-Q2).
Results: A total of 208 patients were recruited; 52.4% received warfarin and 47.6% received DOAC. There was no significant difference in QOL between warfarin and DOAC based on SF12 (physical QOL, P=0.083; mental QOL, P=0.665). Nevertheless, patients in the DOAC group were significantly more satisfied with their treatment compared to the warfarin group based on PACT-Q2 (P=0.004). The hospitalisation rate was significantly higher in the warfarin group than the DOAC group (15.6% versus 3.0%, P=0.002). Clinically relevant minor bleeds and severe bleeding events were non-significantly higher in the warfarin group than the DOAC group (66.7% versus 40.0%, P=0.069).
Conclusion: Compared to warfarin, treatment of NVAF and VTE with DOAC showed comparable QOL, higher treatment satisfaction, lesser hospitalization, and a non-significant trend toward fewer bleeding episodes.
Methods: This is a comparative cross-sectional study on two cohorts of pre-clinical medical students who were selected by multiple mini interviews and personal interview, respectively. Their personality traits, emotional intelligence, perceived educational environment, and perceived stressors were measured using different measurement tools.
Results: Multiple mini interviews and personal interview demonstrated a similar ability to recruit medical students with a high level of emotional intelligence. The main advantage of personal interviews over multiple mini interviews in terms of personality traits is that it recruited candidates who had a higher level of conscientiousness trait. The main advantage of multiple mini interviews over personal interview on the educational environment is that medical students chosen by multiple mini interviews had a higher level of satisfaction with social aspects of medical training. Regardless of admission processes, the medical students were equally vulnerable to psychological distress due to various stressful events throughout medical training particularly related to academic loads.
Conclusions: This study provided evidence to support the outcomes that multiple mini interviews and personal interview have on medical students' emotional intelligence, personality traits, perceived educational environment, and perceived stressors during the pre-clinical medical training. Interestingly, personal interview had a better outcome on conscientiousness while multiple mini interviews had a better outcome on the social aspect.