Electronic medical records (EMRs) have been proven to be effective tools for improving the safety and quality of healthcare despite their relatively low usage rate in hospitals. The long-term development by EMRs depends on the continued use of healthcare professionals. In this study, technology continuance theory (TCT) was used to evaluate the short-term and long-term continuance acceptance of EMRs among healthcare professionals. Data were gathered by surveying 195 medical professionals in Iran. The data were analyzed using the partial least squares (PLS) technique. The analysis showed that the TCT provided a deep understanding of user continuance intention toward EMRs. In addition, the findings illustrated that the determinants of continuance intention vary between short-term and long-term users. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.
Matched MeSH terms: Attitude of Health Personnel*; Attitude to Computers
Sentiment analysis techniques are increasingly exploited to categorize the opinion text to one or more predefined sentiment classes for the creation and automated maintenance of review-aggregation websites. In this paper, a Malay sentiment analysis classification model is proposed to improve classification performances based on the semantic orientation and machine learning approaches. First, a total of 2,478 Malay sentiment-lexicon phrases and words are assigned with a synonym and stored with the help of more than one Malay native speaker, and the polarity is manually allotted with a score. In addition, the supervised machine learning approaches and lexicon knowledge method are combined for Malay sentiment classification with evaluating thirteen features. Finally, three individual classifiers and a combined classifier are used to evaluate the classification accuracy. In experimental results, a wide-range of comparative experiments is conducted on a Malay Reviews Corpus (MRC), and it demonstrates that the feature extraction improves the performance of Malay sentiment analysis based on the combined classification. However, the results depend on three factors, the features, the number of features and the classification approach.
Matched MeSH terms: Attitude/ethnology*; Attitude to Computers
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*; Attitude to Computers
INTRODUCTION: Family presence (FP) during resuscitation is an increasingly favoured trend, as it affords many benefits to the critically ill patient's family members. However, a previously conducted study showed that only 15.8% of surveyed Malaysian healthcare staff supported FP during resuscitation.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study used a bilingual self-administered questionnaire to examine the attitudes and perceptions of the general Malaysian public toward the presence of family members during resuscitation of their loved ones. The questionnaires were randomly distributed to Malaysians in three different states and in the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur.
RESULTS: Out of a total of 190 survey forms distributed, 184 responses were included for analysis. Of the 184 respondents, 140 (76.1%) indicated that they favoured FP during resuscitation. The most common reason cited was that FP during resuscitation provides family members with the assurance that everything possible had been done for their loved ones (n = 157, 85.3%). Respondents who had terminal illnesses were more likely to favour FP during resuscitation than those who did not, and this was statistically significant (95.0% vs. 73.8%; p = 0.04).
CONCLUSION: FP during resuscitation was favoured by a higher percentage of the general Malaysian public as compared to Malaysian healthcare staff. This could be due to differences in concerns regarding the resuscitation process between members of the public and healthcare staff.
Matched MeSH terms: Attitude of Health Personnel; Attitude to Health*
Two studies examined correlates of belief in a Jewish conspiracy theory among Malays in Malaysia, a culture in which state-directed conspiracism as a means of dealing with perceived external and internal threats is widespread. In Study 1, 368 participants from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, completed a novel measure of belief in a Jewish conspiracy theory, along with measures of general conspiracist ideation, and anomie. Initial analysis showed that the novel scale factorially reduced to a single dimension. Further analysis showed that belief in the Jewish conspiracy theory was only significantly associated with general conspiracist ideation, but the strength of the association was weak. In Study 2, 314 participants completed the measure of belief in the Jewish conspiracy theory, along with measures of general conspiracist ideation, and ideological attitudes. Results showed that belief in the Jewish conspiracy theory was associated with anti-Israeli attitudes, modern racism directed at the Chinese, right-wing authoritarianism, and social dominance orientation. General conspiracist ideation did not emerge as a significant predictor once other variables had been accounted for. These results suggest that there may be specific cultural and social psychological forces that drive belief in the Jewish conspiracy theory within the Malaysian context. Specifically, belief in the Jewish conspiracy theory among Malaysian Malays appears to serve ideological needs and as a mask for anti-Chinese sentiment, which may in turn reaffirm their perceived ability to shape socio-political processes.
Nutritional supplement (NS) use has increased among the general population, athletes, and fitness club participants and has become a widespread and acceptable behavior. The objective of this study was to determine the differences in sociodemographic, health-related, and psychological factors between NS users and nonusers. A case-control study design was used, whereby participants included 147 NS users (cases) and 147 nonusers (controls) age 18 yr and above who exercised at least 3 d/wk in 24 fitness clubs in Tehran. A self-administered pretested and validated questionnaire was used to collect data. The results showed that on average, NS users were younger (29.8 ± 9.5 yr) than nonusers (35.5 ± 12.2 yr). Logistic-regression analysis showed that NS use was significantly associated with moderate or high physical activity level (PAL), smoking, gender, eating attitude, and age. In conclusion, NS users were more likely to be female, younger, and smokers; to have moderate or high PAL; and to be more prone to eating disorders than nonusers.
Diarrhea is a common complication in patients receiving enteral nutrition (EN), and understanding this problem among patients and healthcare professionals is required. The aim of the study was to investigate patients', nurses', and dietitians' definitions of diarrhea during EN, the attitudes of nurses and patients toward it, and the management practices of nurses and dietitians in response to diarrhea during EN.
Matched MeSH terms: Attitude of Health Personnel*; Attitude to Health*
BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis treatment guidelines recommend calcium and vitamin D supplementation for both prevention as well as treatment, however, compliance with these guidelines is often unsatisfactory. This study investigated the opinion of Asian physicians and Asian patients regarding vitamin D and calcium and patients' use of both.
METHODS: Physicians selected from Malaysia, Taiwan, Philippines, Korea and Singapore were asked to grade the significance of vitamin D and calcium in the treatment of osteoporosis and their patients' use of these supplements. In addition, physicians recruited seven eligible osteoporotic women to answer a questionnaire to determine their use of vitamin D and calcium, and their attitudes and beliefs regarding these supplements.
RESULTS: In total, 237 physicians and 1463 osteoporosis patients completed the questionnaire. The results revealed that 22% of physicians in Malaysia, 12% in Taiwan, 72% in the Philippines, 50% in Korea and 24% in Singapore rated the importance of vitamin D supplementation as being extremely important. For calcium, 27% of physicians in Malaysia, 30% in Taiwan, 80% in the Philippines, 50% in Korea and 38% in Singapore rated the importance as being extremely important. Forty-three percent of patients in Malaysia, 38% in Taiwan, 73% in the Philippines, 35% in Korea and 39% in Singapore rated the importance of vitamin D as being extremely important. For calcium, 69% of patients in Malaysia, 58% in Taiwan, 90% in the Philippines, 70% in Korea and 55% in Singapore rated the importance as being extremely important. In addition, results of the patient questionnaire revealed that only a very small number regularly took both supplements. In addition, the results indicated that, with the exception of patients from the Philippines, the majority of patients had no or infrequent discussion with their physician about vitamin D and calcium.
CONCLUSIONS: There is generally suboptimal appreciation by both physicians and patients of the importance of vitamin D and calcium for maintenance of bone health as reflected in the low number of patients who reported regularly taking these supplements. Recognition of this problem should translate to appropriate action to improve education for both physicians and patients, with a goal to increase use of these supplements among Asian patients with osteoporosis.
Matched MeSH terms: Attitude of Health Personnel/ethnology*; Attitude to Health/ethnology*
Since the introduction of problem-based learning (PBL) into medical education in the late 1960s, several new and old medical schools have adopted this approach the main attraction of which includes the promotion of student-centered and life-long learning, team spirit, communication skills and enquiry. With an ever-increasing information base and changing attitudes in the health sciences, these are highly desirable characteristics of the health worker of the future, who will be required to grapple with these phenomenal changes. From medical education, the PBL approach has inevitably spread to other disciplines, especially the health-related disciplines. In the Asia-pacific region (Malaysia in particular), PBL was introduced into medical education in the early 1970s, but the growth has been slow; the reasons are discussed. Only recently (in the 1990s) have more medical and non-medical schools started to adopt PBL. The management of the Pantai Institute of Health Science and Nursing decided to adopt PBL for the Nursing curriculum. A one-day introductory workshop was, therefore, organized to expedite the process. Post-workshop feedback obtained through a five-point Likert scale questionnaire indicated a successful outcome. The workshop process is, therefore, documented as reference especially for Nursing colleges in places where PBL expertise is in short supply.
The "golden ratio" is considered as a universal facial aesthetical standard. Researcher's opinion that deviation from golden ratio can result in development of facial abnormalities.
Urbanization requires the conversion of natural land cover to cover with human-constructed elements and is considered a major threat to biodiversity. Bee populations, globally, are under threat; however, the effect of rapid urban expansion in Southeast Asia on bee diversity has not been investigated. Given the pressing issues of bee conservation and urbanization in Southeast Asia, coupled with complex factors surrounding human-bee coexistence, we investigated bee diversity and human perceptions of bees in four megacities. We sampled bees and conducted questionnaires at three different site types in each megacity: a botanical garden, central business district, and peripheral suburban areas. Overall, the mean species richness and abundance of bees were significantly higher in peripheral suburban areas than central business districts; however, there were no significant differences in the mean species richness and abundance between botanical gardens and peripheral suburban areas or botanical gardens and central business districts. Urban residents were unlikely to have seen bees but agreed that bees have a right to exist in their natural environment. Residents who did notice and interact with bees, even though being stung, were more likely to have positive opinions towards the presence of bees in cities.
Perception of healthcare providers who worked with family medicine specialists (FMSs) could translate into the effectiveness of primary healthcare delivery in daily practices. This study examined perceptions of public healthcare providers/professionals (PHCPs) on FMSs at public health clinics throughout Malaysia. This was a cross-sectional study in 2012-2013 using postal method targeting PHCPs from three categories of health facilities, namely health clinics, health offices and hospitals. A structured questionnaire was developed to assess PHCP's perception of FMS's clinical competency, safety practice, ethical and professional values, and research involvement. It consists of 37 items with Likert scale of strongly disagree (a score of 1) to strongly agree (a score of 5). Interaction and independent effect of the independent variables were tested and adjusted means score were reported. The participants' response rate was 58.0% (780/1345) with almost equal proportion from each of the three public healthcare facilities. There were more positive perceptions than negative among the PHCPs. FMSs were perceived to provide effective and safe treatment to their patients equally disregards of patient's social background. However, there were some concerns of FMSs not doing home visits, not seeing walk-in patients, had long appointment time, not active in scientific research, writing and publication. There were significant differences in perception based on a respondent's health care facility (p
A comparative study was carried out to assess Year I and Year III student nurses' attitudes and knowledge of the elderly. Significantly more Year I students disagreed that the elderly had a capacity to learn (chi 2 = 11.08, p = 0.0006). Year III students were significantly more likely to obtain information about the elderly from the mass media, agencies, and relatives but not from health personnel. Nearly all respondents (96.25%) in the study wanted to know more about the elderly. Only 3 of the 14 questions on ageing revealed significant differences in knowledge between the two groups. The basic course in gerontology should be expanded and revised to dispel erroneous attitudes, allow better understanding of the ageing process, and ensure entry-level competence in caring for older people.
The objective of this study was to evaluate possible factors associated with discontinuing use of TCu 380A IUDs due to personal reasons among 2748 users. Overall, a total of 88 subjects discontinued using the TCu 380A IUD within 12 months postinsertion for personal reasons. The most common reasons were planned pregnancy (32%) and husband or family opinion against IUD use (26%). The gross cumulative 12-month life table discontinuation rate for all personal reasons was 4.0 per 100 women. Having no education and/or living in a rural area were the sociodemographic characteristics associated with an increased risk of discontinuation for personal reasons. Effective and regular counseling about IUD use, especially among illiterate women, may help prevent IUD discontinuations related to personal reasons.
Institutional aspects of flood hazards significantly affect their outcomes in Malaysia. Institutional arrangements to deal with floods include: legislative activity, organisational structures, attitudes and sub-culture, and policies and instruments. When assessed in terms of four specific criteria, institutional aspects of flood hazards are found to be largely inadequate. Disaster reduction programmes are over-dependent on a reactive approach based largely on technology and not even aimed at floods specifically. Structural flood reduction measures are the predominant management tool and, although the importance of non-structural measures is recognised, thus far they have been under-employed. Current laws and regulations with regard to flood management are also insufficient and both the financial and human resources of flood hazard organisations are generally found to be wanting. Finally, economic efficiency, equity and public accountability issues are not adequately addressed by institutional arrangements for flood hazards.
In a 6-month study period, 170 pharmacist interventions in an intensive care unit (ICU) were analysed. Of the interventions, 68.8% were solicited and 31.2% were initiated by the pharmacists. The majority of the interventions were initiated by specialists (69.4%) followed by the medical officers (15.9%) and nurses (9.4%). Most of the interventions occurred during the grand rounds (75.9%), followed by ward visits (12.9%) and communication through the satellite pharmacy (10.5%). The most frequent type of intervention made was for indication or therapeutic efficacy followed by general product information, drug regimen, laboratory assessment, disease state, pharmaceutical availability and adverse drug reaction or side effect. It was also found that 83.7% of pharmacists' suggestions were accepted, 6.4% were accepted with changes, and 9.9% were not accepted. The majority of the interventions were made by direct verbal communications followed by telephone and written communications. In conclusion the study indicates that pharmacist therapeutic recommendations form an important integral element of patient care in an ICU.
The suitability of physiology topics taught in the first-year dental curriculum needs to be investigated in the light of the view of the present generation of clinical and preclinical teachers, and students. This was studied in the University of Malaya in order to propose a rational physiology curriculum with proper identification of priority topics. Oral physiology, blood and the cardiovascular system were found to be the most relevant for dental students. Among the systems, high and low priority topics were identified and their relative importance is discussed.
A KAP study on dengue/dengue haemorrhagic fever (DF/DHF) was carried out in three areas in the Federal Territory. The three areas were selected based on their ethnic group composition and were Jinjang North (Chinese), Kampung Bahru (Malays) and Sentul (Indians). Houses were selected by a systematic sampling method and house-to-house interviews were carried out with a pre-tested, predesigned questionnaire. 546 (87.62%) of the households responded.
Perceived Benefits and Risks: A survey data set towards Wolbachia-infected Aedes Mosquitoes in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Introduction: The paper presents data collected using measures of perceived benefits, perceived risks, trust in key players, attitude towards nature versus material, attitude towards technology, religiosity, and attitude towards the Wolbachia-infected Aedes mosquitoes (WiAM) technique. The validated questionnaires were used to randomly survey targeted stakeholders in the Klang Valley, Malaysia, who had been asked to voluntarily participate in face-to-face interviews. Completed questionnaires were received from 399 respondents (adults above 18 years old) and comprised two stakeholder groups: scientists (n = 202), and the public (n = 197). The detailed findings serve numerous opportunities to examine the social acceptance of Wolbachia-infected Aedes mosquitoes, to ensure the development of policy and action plans, and to encourage further study by other researchers interested in the measures and data presented.