http://www.omjournal.org/fultext_PDF.aspx?DetailsID=544&type=fultext

Objective: To illustrate the patient safety culture in Oman as gleaned via 12 indices of patient safety culture derived from the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSPSC) and to compare the average positive response rates in patient safety culture between Oman and the USA, Taiwan, and Lebanon. Methods: This was a cross-sectional research study employed to gauge the performance of HSPSC safety indices among health workers representing five secondary and tertiary care hospitals in the northern region of Oman. The participants (n=398) represented different professional designations of hospital staff. Analyses were performed using univariate statistics. Results: The overall average positive response rate for the 12 patient safety culture dimensions of the HSPSC survey in Oman was 58%. The indices from HSPSC that were endorsed the highest included ‘organizational learning and continuous improvement’ while conversely, ‘non-punitive response to errors’ was ranked the least. There were no significant differences in average positive response rates between Oman and the United States (58% vs. 61%; p=0.666), Taiwan (58% vs. 64%; p=0.386), and Lebanon (58% vs. 61%; p=0.666). Conclusion: This study provides the first empirical study on patient safety culture in Oman which is similar to those rates reported elsewhere. It highlights the specific strengths and weaknesses which may stem from the specific milieu prevailing in Oman

Vipassana meditation: A naturalistic, preliminary observation in Muscat

Objectives: To assess the effects of Vipassana meditation on the physical and psychological health in a multi-ethnic population in the city of Muscat. Method: The subjects were participants of a Vipassana meditation course taught in a ten-day residential retreat. Self-assessments of health-related parameters and physical and psychological symptomatology were collected from them before and immediately after the course. A control group was tested for a similar time interval. Results: Immediately after their 10-day training, the Vipassana participants assessed themselves significantly higher compared to their levels prior to the course, suggesting that the 10 days’ practice had significantly improved their physical and psychological well-being. The control group did not exhibit such changes. Conclusion: The present preliminary findings, juxtaposed with the results of studies from other parts of the world, suggest that the practice of Vipassana meditation may help mitigate psychological and psychosomatic distress. Key words: Vipassana, meditation, stress, physiological, psychological, Oman

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Parental Factors in School Children Aged Nine to Ten Years in Muscat, Oman

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and specific parental risk factors that may contribute to the development of ADHD in children. Methods: The study was conducted in Oman among fourth-grade students (aged nine to 10 years). A standardized Arabic version of the National Initiative for Children’s Health Quality Vanderbilt Assessment Scale (Teachers questionnaire) was used to determine the presence of ADHD. Parental factors such as socioeconomic status, education, and occupation were documented. Results: The prevalence rate of ADHD was 8.8%. Poor maternal education status, low familial socioeconomic status, and paternal occupation were significantly associated with an increased risk of ADHD. Conclusions: This was the first study that examined familial and parental characteristics of children with ADHD as potential risk factors for the condition. Such psychosocial factors could be employed to further the development of more proficient preventative measures and remedial services

Resistência do solo à penetração, após o tráfego com dois tipos de pneus utilizando-se um equipamento para ensaio dinâmico Soil penetration resistance after the traffic with two types of tyres using the dynamic test equipment

Com este trabalho objetivou-se, principalmente, avaliar a resistência do solo à penetração, em função do tipo de pneu (diagonal e radial) e da carga vertical, utilizando-se um equipamento de ensaio de pneu agrícola individual, e verificar os efeitos nas camadas do solo pela passagem do pneu. O equipamento utilizado foi projetado para ser acoplado na traseira do trator e acionado pela tomada de potência afim de realizar ensaios de pneus em condições de campo, sendo ainda, constituído, de uma caixa de transmissão mecânica de trator e instrumentos eletrônicos de medição. Este trabalho foi desenvolvido no Núcleo de Engenharia Rural da Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA/UNESP) em Botucatu. Os dados obtidos no experimento foram analisados considerando-se o delineamento experimental em blocos, no esquema de parcelas subdivididas, tendo na parcela os pneus (radial e diagonal) e na subparcelas as cargas (10.000, 13.000, 16.000 e 19.000 N) com cinco repetições. O pneu radial mostrou vantagem em relação ao diagonal, por apresentar menores valores de índice de cone. As cargas mais elevadas provocaram maiores valores de índice de cone e seus incrementos, nas camadas de 0 a 10 e de 10 a 20 cm.<br>The main objective of this research was to evaluate the soil cone index results as a function of tyre type (radial and bias tyres) and tyre load using a single wheel testing equipment and verifying the effect on the layers after tyre traffic. This equipment was projected for linking at the rear of a tractor and was activated by the power with the purpose of testing individual tyre under field conditions and constituted of a mechanical transmission box and electronic instruments of measurement. This study was conducted at the Agricultural Tyre Testing Center - NEMPA of Rural Engineering Department, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, UNESP, Botucatu, SP. The data obtained were analyzed considering a random block experimental design in split plot with tyre in the main plot (radial and bias tyres) and tyre load (10.000 N, 13.000 N, 16.000 N and 19.000 N) in the split plots with five repetitions. The radial tyre showed advantage in relation to bias tyre showing small cone index values. The highest loads provoked largest cone index values and its increments in the layers of 0 to 10 cm and 10 to 20 cm

Probability of major depression classification based on the SCID, CIDI, and MINI diagnostic interviews: A synthesis of three individual participant data meta-analyses

Introduction: Three previous individual participant data meta-analyses (IPDMAs) reported that, compared to the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM (SCID), alternative reference standards, primarily the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), tended to misclassify major depression status, when controlling for depression symptom severity. However, there was an important lack of precision in the results. Objective: To compare the odds of the major depression classification based on the SCID, CIDI, and MINI. Methods: We included and standardized data from 3 IPDMA databases. For each IPDMA, separately, we fitted binomial generalized linear mixed models to compare the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of major depression classification, controlling for symptom severity and characteristics of participants, and the interaction between interview and symptom severity. Next, we synthesized results using a DerSimonian-Laird random-effects meta-analysis. Results: In total, 69,405 participants (7,574 [11%] with major depression) from 212 studies were included. Controlling for symptom severity and participant characteristics, the MINI (74 studies; 25,749 participants) classified major depression more often than the SCID (108 studies; 21,953 participants; aOR 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.11-1.92]). Classification odds for the CIDI (30 studies; 21,703 participants) and the SCID did not differ overall (aOR 1.19; 95% CI 0.79-1.75); however, as screening scores increased, the aOR increased less for the CIDI than the SCID (interaction aOR 0.64; 95% CI 0.52-0.80). Conclusions: Compared to the SCID, the MINI classified major depression more often. The odds of the depression classification with the CIDI increased less as symptom levels increased. Interpretation of research that uses diagnostic interviews to classify depression should consider the interview characteristics.</p