Objectives: The present paper is intended to measure uncertain dynamics of an economy by restructuring the Cobb-Douglas paradigm of the renowned Solow-Swan model. The purpose of study is further boosted innovatively by subsuming the perception of logistic growth with Allee effect in the dynamics of physical capital and labor force.
Methods: Fractional order derivative and neutrosophic fuzzy (NF) theory are applied on the parameters of the Cobb-Douglas equation. Distinctively, cogitating fractional order derivative to study the change at each fractional stage; single-valued triangular neutrosophic fuzzy numbers (SVTNFN) to cope the uncertain situations; logistic growth function with Allee effect to analyze the factors in natural way, are the significant and novel features of this endeavor.
Results: The incorporation of the aforementioned theories and effects in the Cobb-Douglas equation, resulted in producing maximum sustainable capital investment and maximum capacity of labor force. The solutions in intervals located different possible solutions for different membership degrees, which accumulated the uncertain circumstances of a country.
Conclusion: Explicitly, these notions add new facts and figures not only in the dynamical study of capital and labor, which has been overlooked in classical models, but also left the door open for discussion and implementation on classical models of different fields.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The study will be modelled according to the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behaviour and Behaviour Change Wheel techniques, and use the DoTTI framework to identify needs, solutions and testing of a preliminary mobile app, respectively. In phase 1 (design and development), a focus group discussion (FGDs) of 5-8 individuals will be conducted with an estimated 60 women with GDM and 40 HCPs (doctors, dietitians and nurses). Synthesised data from the FGDs will then be combined with content from an expert committee to inform the development of the mobile app. In phase 2 (testing of early iterations), a preview of the mobile app will undergo alpha testing among the team members and the app developers, and beta testing among 30 women with GDM or with a history of GDM, and 15 HCPs using semi-structured interviews. The outcome will enable us to optimise an intervention using the mobile app as a diabetes prevention intervention which will then be evaluated in a randomised controlled trial.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The project has been approved by the Malaysia Research Ethics Committee. Informed consent will be obtained from all participants. Outcomes will be presented at both local and international conferences and submitted for publications in peer-reviewed journals.
METHODS: We identified providers from 5 countries where national HPV vaccination programs were at various stages of implementation: Argentina, Malaysia, South Africa, South Korea, and Spain. Providers authorized to administer adolescent vaccines completed an in-depth survey, reporting perceptions of barriers and facilitators to initiating and completing HPV vaccination, and logistical challenges to HPV vaccination.
RESULTS: Among 151 providers, common barriers to HPV vaccination initiation across all countries were parents' lack of awareness (39%), concerns about vaccine safety or efficacy (33%), and cost to patients (30%). Vaccination education campaign (70%) was the most commonly cited facilitator of HPV vaccination initiation. Common barriers to series completion included no reminder system or dosing schedule (37%), loss to follow-up or forgetting appointment (29%), and cost to patients (25%). Cited facilitators to completing the vaccine series were education campaigns (45%), affordable vaccination (32%), and reminder/recall systems (22%). Among all countries, high cost of vaccination was the most common logistical challenge to offering vaccination to adolescents (33%).
CONCLUSIONS: Incorporating provider insights into future HPV vaccination programs could accelerate vaccine delivery to increase HPV vaccination rates globally.
METHODS: A total of 129 newly diagnosed patients with cancer were consecutively sampled. Reliability and validity of the questionnaire were tested using translation validity, test-retest reliability, Principal Component Analysis, Cronbach's alpha coefficient for domains and item-total correlation.
RESULTS: The questionnaire indicates excellent test-retest reliability. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) is 0.60 for the two-factor structure of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire of the Bahasa Malaysia version which consists of cognitive illness representation and emotional illness representation.
CONCLUSION: The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire in the Bahasa Malaysia version is a useful tool to use among patients with cancer in Malaysia context despite moderate psychometric properties. This is based on the premise that the questionnaire can be used as a quick tool to assess illness perceptions among Malaysian with cancer in routine oncology practice.
METHODS: This study included children who had LAIE (with angle of 40 prism dioptres or greater), aged 5 and 17 years who had attended the Ophthalmology Clinic, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia from March to September 2016. The children and their parents or guardians were interviewed face-to-face using a validated semi-structured interview guide. Interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Content analysis was performed using the NVivo 12 software.
RESULTS: A total of 30 children and 30 parents were interviewed. The most common problems identified by the children were social interactions (73.3%, 22 children), visual functions (60.0%, 18 children), emotions (60.0%, 18 children), physical issues (40.0%, 12 children) and difficulties regarding treatment options (26.7%, eight children). The parents reported that their children were more affected in terms of visual functions (100.0%, 30 parents), social interactions (56.7%, 17 parents), emotions (43.3%, 13 parents), physical issues (20.0%, six parents), and difficulties regarding treatment options (16.7%, five parents).
CONCLUSION: The major problems that the children with LAIE identified were social interactions, while the parents observed that problems with visual functions was the most common issue encountered by their children. This suggests that the children affected have different perspectives from their parents and require support.
AIMS: This study aimed to widely explore consumers' perceptions and attitudes toward cosmetics within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out among adults in Selangor, Malaysia. Thirty-three questions divided into three dimensions (socio-demographic parameters, assessment of perception, and assessment of attitude) were developed and validated to be answered by cosmetics consumers. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was done using SPSS.
RESULTS: A response rate of 87% was achieved, and the mean age of participants was 33 ± 7.2. The overall perception of consumers indicates low levels of perception and moderate level of attitude toward cosmetic products. There was a positive correlation and high relationship between participants' perception and attitude (p = 0.001, r = 0.72). A significant association was observed between demographic data of respondents and their attitude and perception toward cosmetic products. Participants were unaware that sharing of cosmetic products could lead to bacterial infection and possibly increased the chance of contracting COVID-19.
CONCLUSION: This study displayed a nonchalant perception and attitude of Malaysian adults toward cosmetic products by focusing on aesthetics rather than health safety. Therefore, it is recommended to raise awareness on the composition and effects of cosmetic products, increase the practice of hygiene and dissuade the sharing of cosmetics to reduce transmissions of COVID-19.
DESIGN: This longitudinal qualitative study was informed by the Normalisation Process Model and involved audiotaped semi-structured individual interviews with front-line clinicians before (Time 1) and after (Time 2) the PIPC intervention. The Framework Method was used in the thematic analysis of pre/post interview transcripts.
SETTING: Two government-operated primary care clinics in Penang, Malaysia.
PARTICIPANTS: 17 primary care medical, nursing and allied health staff recruited purposely to achieve a range of disciplines and a balanced representation from both clinics.
INTERVENTION: Psychiatrists, accompanied by medical students in small numbers, provided one half-day consultation visit per week, to front-line clinicians in each clinic over an 8-month period. The service involved psychiatric assessment of patients with suspected CMDs, with face-to-face discussion with the referring clinician before and after the patient assessment.
RESULTS: At Time 1 interviewees tended to equate CMDs with stress and embraced a holistic model of care while also reporting considerable autonomy in mental healthcare and positively appraising their current practices. At Time 2, post-intervention, participants demonstrated a shift towards greater understanding of CMDs as treatable conditions. They reported time pressures and the demands of key performance indicators in other areas as barriers to participation in PIPC. Yet they showed increased awareness of current service deficits and of their potential in delivering improved mental healthcare.
CONCLUSIONS: Despite resource-related and structural barriers to implementation of national mental health policy in Malaysian primary care settings, our findings suggest that front-line clinicians are receptive to future interventions designed to improve the mental healthcare capacity.
METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among community pharmacists in Lahore from 1 November 2017 to 31 December 2017. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Non-probability convenience sampling was performed to select community pharmacists. Descriptive statistics were applied and Mann-Whitney U-tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed to compare independent groups using SPSS v.20.0. A P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Perception and practice scores were determined to access community pharmacist knowledge regarding AMS. A score of 0.5-1 was considered to be very good.
RESULTS: The overall response rate was 70.9%. Sex, age, work experience and education level did not significantly influence the perception and practices of community pharmacists. Experienced pharmacists showed a better response to AMS. The majority of pharmacists strongly agreed that they educate patients on the use of antimicrobials and resistance-related issues.
CONCLUSION: It was concluded that community pharmacists in Lahore have good perception regarding AMS and they are practicing it well. But there are several gaps in their practices that must be filled, such as dispensing without a prescription and dispensing for a longer duration than prescribed. Additionally, there should be strict implementation of guidelines for dispensing antibiotics in order to rationalise antibiotic use and decrease antimicrobial resistance.
DESIGN: A qualitative study involving eight focus groups and twelve in-depth interviews. Focus groups and interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. An inductive thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the data.
SETTING: Four secondary schools in Perak and Selangor states (two urban and two rural schools) in Malaysia.
PARTICIPANTS: Focus groups were conducted with seventy-six adolescents aged 13-14 years, and in-depth interviews were conducted with four headmasters, four PA education teachers and four food canteen operators.
RESULTS: Stakeholders thought that adolescents' misperceptions, limited availability of healthy options, unhealthy food preferences and affordability were important challenges preventing healthy eating at school. Low-quality physical education (PE) classes, limited adolescent participation and teachers' commitment during lessons were perceived as barriers to adolescents being active at school. Affordability was the main challenge for adolescents from rural schools. Stakeholders perceived that a future school-based intervention should improve the availability and subsidies for healthy foods, provide health education/training for both adolescents and PE teachers, enhance active adolescent participation in PE and develop social support mechanisms to facilitate engagement with PA.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide important insights into developing school-based lifestyle interventions to improve healthy eating and strengthening PA of Malaysian adolescents.
METHODS: Data were obtained from Malaysian Community Salt Survey (MyCoSS) which is a nationally representative survey with proportionate stratified cluster sampling design. A pre-tested face-to-face questionnaire was used to collect information on socio-demographic background, and questions from the World Health Organization/Pan American Health Organization were adapted to assess the KPP related to sodium intake. Dietary sodium intake was determined using single 24-h urinary sodium excretion. Respondents were categorized into two categories: normal dietary sodium intake (< 2000 mg) and excessive dietary sodium intake (≥ 2000 mg). Out of 1440 respondents that were selected to participate, 1047 respondents completed the questionnaire and 798 of them provided valid urine samples. Factors associated with excessive dietary sodium intake were analyzed using complex sample logistic regression analysis.
RESULTS: Majority of the respondents knew that excessive sodium intake could cause health problems (86.2%) and more than half of them (61.8%) perceived that they consume just the right amount of sodium. Overall, complex sample logistic regression analysis revealed that excessive dietary sodium intake was not significantly associated with KPP related to sodium intake among respondents (P > 0.05).
CONCLUSION: The absence of significant associations between KPP and excessive dietary sodium intake suggests that salt reduction strategies should focus on sodium reduction education includes measuring actual dietary sodium intake and educating the public about the source of sodium. In addition, the relationship between the authority and food industry in food reformulation needs to be strengthened for effective dietary sodium reduction in Malaysia.
METHODS: A structured self-administered questionnaire was developed at Najran University and provided to the participants for data collection. The data collected included information on risk perception and incorporation of measures for protection against COVID-19 to gauge the attitude of dentists during this period. Also, clinical implementation of various protective measures was reviewed.
RESULTS: Of the n = 322 dentists that answered the questions, 50% were general dentists and 28.9% were dentists working at specialist clinics, while the remaining 21.1% of dentists were employed in academic institutions. Among the newer additions to the clinic, 36.3% of dentists answered that they had added atomizers to their practices, followed by 26.4% of dentists that had incorporated the use of UV lamps for sterilization. We found that 18.9% dentists were using HEPA filters in their clinics, while 9.9% of dentists were making use of fumigation devices to control the risk of infection. One-way ANOVA was also carried out to demonstrate that there was a statistically significant difference (p = 0.049) between groups of dentists utilizing HEPA filters, UV lamps, atomizers, and fumigation devices to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV2 across their workplaces.
CONCLUSION: Dentists are aware of recently updated knowledge about the modes of transmission of COVID-19 and the recommended infection control measures in dental settings. A better understanding of the situation and methods to prevent it will ensure that the dental community is able to provide healthcare services to patients during the pandemic.
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.