The economic impact of COVID-19 pandemic on physicians/health care work force in Egypt

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted healthcare workers physically, psychologically, and economically. The industry has struggled financially with the cancellation of elective procedures and hesitancy from patients to seek medical help. Thus, this study aimed to assess the economic and work burden of COVID-19 on the health workforce in Egypt. Methods a cross-sectional survey was conducted in Egypt from October 2020 to May 2021. A purposive sample of 763 healthcare workers (HCWs) from Egyptian governorates was included. HCWs were asked to fill out a self-administered questionnaire on Google Forms and printed copies. The questionnaire link was shared on social media forums. Results a total of 763 HCWs responded. Females were 88.2% and more than half were 33 or less years old. Physicians constituted 42.5%, while paramedics 57.5%. The governmental sector represented 61.2%, private sector 14.7% and those who combined both 24.1%. Regarding specialties affected, pediatricians, dermatologists, and nephrologists reported a considerable drop in their regular private work rate, while radiologists were not affected regarding workload or income by the closure. The HCWs acknowledge that COVID-19 has put extreme stress on the healthcare workforce physically, mentally, and financially in a pre-existing challenging environment. The results can help evidence-based decisions by policymakers in Egypt

Emotional intelligence trends in nursing education: review the literature

The high demand for nursing work to encounter death or disease, dealing with a high volume of work in a short amount of time, working under intense pressure, and ignoring established authority all contribute to the high levels of stress on nurses. The undisputable significance of emotional intelligence in the sphere of nursing education has led in a rapid increase in the number of emotional intelligence courses and training program that offer a broad range of educational different outcomes to the students. There is a lack of studies regarding to improve teaching and learning in Libyan nursing educational institutions. Quite a few emotional intelligence (EI) assessment studies were found that simply contain criteria and dimensions of EI in the literature study. The aim of this study is to review the emotional intelligence studies in nursing education. This evaluation encompasses a range of publications released throughout the time frame of 2019 to 2023. The findings showed that there is a need for including emotional intelligence program in curriculum of nursing education. In addition, the findings indicated that EI intervention program could boost student academic achievements and alleviate work stress to nurse profession. The discussion chiefly emphasizes on the contemporary issues that are being confronted by the field, as well as the openings for research that exist in the area

The role of social-psychological support in breastfeeding promotion among young mothers: literature review

Breastfeeding promotion is vital for improving neonatal health and reducing mortality rates, particularly in developing countries. The World Health Organization advocates for exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life due to its substantial benefits for infant growth, development, and immunity. Understanding the determinants of exclusive breastfeeding, such as maternal knowledge and practices, is crucial for devising effective interventions to enhance breastfeeding rates among mothers. Social-psychological interventions, including family and peer support, have demonstrated efficacy in increasing breastfeeding frequency by addressing behavioral changes in new parents. Psychological factors such as self-efficacy, postnatal depression, and stress significantly influence breastfeeding decisions. Additionally, cultural norms, social media, and healthcare professionals are critical in shaping breastfeeding practices. This literature review examines the influence of these factors and interventions, underscoring the need for comprehensive strategies to promote breastfeeding, especially among novice and young mothers. Peer support programs, education-based initiatives, and postnatal support are highlighted as effective approaches. The study emphasizes the importance of tailored socio-psychological interventions and calls for further research to address existing gaps and strengthen the validity of findings, ultimately aiming to enhance breastfeeding outcomes and the overall well-being of mothers and infants

Noise exposure and hearing threshold levels of rice mill workers

Industrial noise is generally one of the risk factors for occupational and environmental safety and health. Noise is a risk factor for decreased hearing threshold value in addition to other factors such as age, working period. This study used a cross-sectional design that aimed to identify the hearing threshold level (HTL) of rice mill workers exposed to hazardous noise in Karanganyar Regency, and investigate the relationship with other factors such as age, tenure. Audiometric data from 92 participants were collected through audiometric examination by qualified personnel using an audiometer in a quiet environment. The test was conducted after the participants had rested completely for >14 hours after their last exposure to workplace noise. The results showed that all participants had worked in a noise-hazard work zone for >1 year. The participants' ages ranged from 28 to 57 years. The average hearing threshold in the right ear was 36.71 dB and the average hearing threshold in the left ear was 39.55 dB. The hearing loss associated with work experience was greater than that caused by noise intensity age. Noise intensity, age and working experience were significant to the workers' ear hearing threshold values. Multivariate test results show that noise intensity is the most influential factor (>60%) on HTL. HTL among industrial workers should be assessed regularly. At the health policy level, these workers need to start being protected when they start working

Teen caregivers living with schizophrenic fathers in West Java

Adolescents with fathers who have schizophrenia are more likely to experience emotional dysregulation, negative decisions, a failure to form an identity, inconsistency in decision-making, and failure to adapt. This study is aimed to investigate the lived experiences of adolescents who live with a father who has schizophrenia in an urban area of Bandung City, West Java. The qualitative phenomenological approach was used in this study. In-depth interviews were conducted with six adolescent participants, aged 13 to 22, who live in Bandung City with a father diagnosed with schizophrenia. The Colaizzi method was then used to analyze the interview transcripts. Data analysis produced eight major themes: i) dealing with psychosocial problems and moral dilemmas, ii) a lack of closeness between father and children, iii) exposures to violence inside and outside the home, iv) getting the wisdom behind the catastrophe, v) changing roles and responsibilities, vi) a lack of social support, vii) difficulties to share personal issues, and viii) seeking to build a better future. The adolescents still have opportunities to continue building a better future. Improving health promotion and education programs to manage negative emotions and developing Self-Help Groups for adolescents whose fathers have schizophrenia is thus necessary

Spatial analysis and forecasting map of diarrhea incidents in Banjar District

Diarrhea is a common disease in the community and can be fatal if treatment is delayed. Banjar District has recorded the highest prevalence of diarrhea in South Kalimantan for the past few years, making it one of the causes of death in toddlers. This study aims to conduct spatial analysis using Moran's I index and local indicators of spatial association (LISA). Diarrhea case predictions are made using the multiplicative decomposition time series method. The data used in this study are diarrhea case data from 20 sub-districts in Banjar District during the period 2016-2022. Although no global autocorrelation was found in Banjar District, there were two sub-districts that showed local autocorrelation. The prediction results show a decreasing trend in diarrhea cases in most sub-districts. Health interventions can be focused on areas with high risk, such as hotspot areas and areas predicted not to experience a decrease in diarrhea cases

Development of disaster nursing competency assessment instruments

It is important to ensure that nurses have sufficient skills and knowledge to handle emergency situations. This competency assessment can help improve nurses' readiness to face disasters and emergency situations that may occur. To develop an unobtrusive (observation) instrument for assessing disaster nursing competency which refers to the International Council of Nurses (ICN) disaster nursing competency framework, especially earthquake and volcano disasters. The starting date for the design of the disaster nursing competency assessment instrument was 2023. Then, the implementation of the research to test the instrument, which had been validated by experts using disaster nursing practice simulations, was conducted for a month from February to March 2023. The research design uses Design-Based, the sample criteria were active student status, emergency nursing, and disaster management courses. The total number of respondents was 80 students, and in the initial stage of testing the instrument during disaster simulation observations, a limited sample of 20 respondents was taken at random and assessed by five lecturers as raters. The instrument development stage started with the specification of the ICN disaster nursing competency assessment instrument. The Aiken index for the unobtrusive observation technique instrument with competency assessment rubric is high, valid, and met reliability requirements. Multifaceted analysis compared students, items, and lecturers from small and large samples. The analysis reveals that students' difficulty levels vary according to the assessing lecturer, with some mastering all items and others only mastering specific ones

Particulate matter 2.5 pollution, perception, and mental stress

Multivariate mediation analyses were used to relate perceptions of particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) pollution level directly and indirectly to mental stress of residents in Bangkok, Thailand. PM2.5 induced concerns about respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, health, and unemployment served as mediators of the indirect effects. This study decomposed full perception into correct perception (actual PM2.5 level) and misperception so that the effects of perception and its components can be examined separately. The data were daily time series, beginning July 30, 2016, and ending September 30, 2023. Unobserved perception, PM2.5 induced concerns, and mental stress were proxied by Google’s relative search volume indexes. Correct perception was the actual PM2.5, whereas misperception was the regression residual of the full perception on the actual PM2.5. In the full sample, full perception and misperception had significant indirect effects, whereas correct perception had a significant direct effect. Respiratory disease was the main contributor to the significant indirect effect, although concern itself was not significant. For the COVID-19 subsample, full perceptions showed significant total, direct, and indirect effects. The significant indirect effect was explained by concerns regarding respiratory diseases and health. Correct perception had a significant direct effect; its indirect effect was small and nonsignificant. The results for misperceptions were similar to those for perceptions

Nurses’ attitude towards communication with intubated conscious patients: an online survey

The lack of communication causes dissatisfaction and distress among conscious intubated patients, which may result in treatment refusal. This preliminary study sought to identify attitudes of nurses towards communication with conscious intubated patients. Thus, possible solutions to improve the communication challenges if exist by finding the attitude of nurses on communication with conscious intubated patients may be explored. Preliminary survey was conducted among selected nurses through convenient sampling method. Questionnaire self-developed, validated were distributed and analyzed descriptively. Almost all respondents believed that conscious patients do want to communicate during intubated period and eighty two percent of the respondents agreed that communication with conscious intubated patients is possible. Seventy five percent respondents have tried to communicate using both verbal and non-verbal methods but 70% have faced challenges. Though only thirty seven percent of the respondents have been taught how to communicate with the intubated conscious patients, sixty four percent of respondents have never asked for any tools for communication. To overcome the communication challenges majority 103 (82.4%) of the respondents stated the requirement of standardized communication tool. The result indicates a need to develop standardized communication tool to ease communication with conscious intubated patients

Revalidation of the global health questionnaire-12: factor analysis and demographic correlation

Global health questionnaire-12 (GHQ12) is the most common instrument used to measure mental health. However, the factor structure of the GHQ12 has not been fully explored. This study aims to assess the factorial structure of the GHQ12 and explore demographic factors associated with mental wellbeing in a population of prospective biology teachers in Indonesia. This cross-sectional survey was conducted for two weeks in July 2023 by recruiting 1186 students who were predominantly female (85.92%), over 20 years old (68.79%), only studying without working (90.47%), and third year (33.81%). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to extract and assess the suitability of the resulting models. GHQ12 scores were also reviewed concerning demographic characteristics using comparison tests. Two factors including depression and social dysfunction accounted for 58.78% of the variance. This two-factor model was confirmed to fit the actual data. Additionally, we found differences between men and women on both factors and total scores. In addition, there are differences between students who only study and those who work on depression factors. This study suggests that the factor structure of the GHQ12 is a valid and reliable measurement for evaluating the mental health of prospective biology teachers