Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Medical Residents towards Healthcare Ethics in the Islamic Hospital, Jordan

Objective: To assess the baseline knowledge, attitudes and practices of medical residents in the Islamic Hospital in Amman, Jordan towards healthcare ethics. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 111 medical residents in the Islamic Hospital in the period from February to April 2017. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire, and Pearson’s chi-square test was used to test the statistical significance of differences between male and female medical residents at P values <0.05. Results: The majority of the respondent medical residents (76.6%) were aware of the content of the Hippocratic Oath. Ethical dilemmas at some point during clinical practice were reported by 68.0% of medical residents; however, only 6.3% reported encountering such dilemmas on a daily basis. Books, lectures and Media were the most frequent sources used by medical residents for learning about healthcare ethics, while supervisors, chiefs of residents and heads of departments were the most frequently preferred for consultation on both ethical and legal problems. The majority (91%) of respondents showed an interest in learning healthcare ethics. However, gaps in knowledge and negative attitudes were observed. Statistically significant differences between male and female residents were found in the issues related to paternalism in case of disagreement with patients/ families, seeking consent for surgeries but not for tests or medications as well as disclosure of tuberculosis-positive status.   Conclusions: There are some gaps in knowledge and negative attitudes towards healthcare ethics among medical residents, where some residents are even unaware of the content of the Hippocratic Oath. Because a substantial proportion of medical residents encounter ethical problems at some point during their clinical practice, there is a necessity to incorporate ethics education into medical curricula, which should be directed at practical real-world dilemmas. Future physicians must learn how to adhere to the four basic principles of healthcare ethics (autonomy, beneficence, justice and nonmaleficence) early in their career. Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, Medical resident, Ethics, Jordan

Barriers in knowledge and attitudes regarding organ donation among Urban Jordanian population

Low organ donation rates are a major obstacle to the expansion of transplant opportunities in the Middle East. Awareness and opinion about organ donation affect willingness to donate. This study aims to evaluate public attitudes and knowledge about deceased organ donation (DOD) in Jordan in support of larger efforts to increase donor rates. A mixed qualitative and quantitative approach was used. Qualitative, one-on-one interviews were used to create a quantitative survey, which was administered to randomly-selected individuals over a 5-month period. The questionnaire used series of statements to evaluate knowledge and attitude about DOD on a scaling system and converted to scores (0-4). A total of 15 qualitative interviews and 500 quantitative surveys (78.4% response rate) were completed. Only 78 (15.6%) knew they could donate their organs after death. Only 49 (9.8%) were registered as donors, although 373 (74.6%) knew about the registration process. Internet (52.2%) and social media (51.0%) were the most common sources of information. The overall knowledge score was moderately high at 68.8% (2.75 ± 1.31). Misconceptions persisted about body disfigurement, diagnostic accuracy of brain-death, and waiting list equity. The total attitude score was moderately positive at 65.8% (2.63 ± 0.02). Public awareness campaigns (85.3%, 3.42 ± 0.95) and regulatory legislation (78.8%, 3.15 ± 0.99) were considered especially positive, while negative attitudes about religious approval and paid donation were present. Female respondents had significantly higher scores on organ donation significance (P = 0.007) and overall attitude (P = 0.035) than males. The results of this study demonstrate knowledge gaps, misconceptions, and negative opinions on topics related to organ donation in Jordan. However, participants recognized the importance of educational campaigns and regulatory legislation and would likely benefit from information from health-care providers and religious leaders

Responding to cholera outbreaks in Somalia in 2017–2019

Background: Somalia reported repeated cholera outbreaks between 2017 and 2019. These outbreaks were attributed to multiple risk factors which made response challenging. Aims: To describe lessons from the preparedness and response to the cholera outbreaks in Somalia between 2017 and 2019. Methods: We reviewed outbreak response reports, surveillance records and preparedness plans for the cholera outbreaks in Somalia from January 2017 to December 2019 and other relevant literature. We present data on cholera-related response indicators including cholera cases and deaths and case fatality rates for the 3 years. Qualitative data were collected from 5 focus group discussions and 10 key informant interviews to identify the interventions, challenges and lessons learnt from the Somali experience. Results: In 2017, a total of 78 701 cholera cases and 1163 related deaths were reported (case fatality rate 1.48%), in 2018, 6448 cholera cases and 45 deaths were reported (case fatality rate 0.70%), while in 2019, some 3089 cases and 4 deaths were reported in Somalia (case fatality rate 0.13%). The protracted conflict, limited access to primary health care, and limited access to safe water and proper sanitation among displaced populations were identified as the main drivers of the repeated cholera outbreaks. Conclusions: Periodic assessment of response to and preparedness for potential epidemics is essential to identify and close gaps within the health systems. Somalia’s experience offers important lessons on preventing and controlling cholera outbreaks for countries experiencing complex humanitarian emergencies

Identifying Barriers to Umbilical Cord Blood Banking in Jordan: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Obstetricians

Background: The expansion of umbilical cord blood (UCB) banking necessitates a greater understanding among obstetricians in order to responsibly inform parents about UCB collection and storage. Gaps in knowledge can compromise public UCB banking efforts and result in missed opportunities and public misguidance about UCB banking. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was disseminated among obstetricians in Amman, Jordan. The questionnaire aimed to evaluate obstetricians’ knowledge of and attitude toward UCB storage and applications, as well as current practice patterns. Results: Ninety-six obstetricians responded (55% response rate), most of whom were Jordanian (71%), female (83%), resident physicians (59%), and working in either private (43%) or public (42%) hospitals, with an average of 6.5 years in practice. Only 26% had personal experience in UCB collection, and 20% had received education on UCB collection. Nearly 75% said their hospitals lacked standard operating procedures, guidelines, or infectious disease screening for UCB units. Overall knowledge about UCB was moderate, and the internet was the most common information source (54%). Overall attitudes were positive, especially in desire to expand personal knowledge about UCB, integrate information into medical residency curricula, and establish a public UCB bank in Jordan. However, many believed that ethical (61%) and religious (56%) controversies surround UCB donation. Conclusion: This study identifies deficiencies in quality control and experience in UCB collection in Jordan, as well as areas of inadequate knowledge and ethical controversies among obstetricians. These issues contribute to public misinformation and limit public UCB donation programs, and requires improved medical education on this topi

Effectiveness of interactive teaching intervention on medical students' knowledge and attitudes toward stem cells, their therapeutic uses, and potential research applications

Background: Stem cell science is rapidly developing with the potential to alleviate many non-treatable diseases. Medical students, as future physicians, should be equipped with the proper knowledge and attitude regarding this hopeful field. Interactive teaching, whereby the teachers actively involve the students in the learning process, is a promising approach to improve their interest, knowledge, and team spirit. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an interactive teaching intervention on medical students' knowledge and attitudes about stem cell research and therapy. Methods: A pre-post test study design was employed. A six-session interactive teaching course was conducted for a duration of six weeks as an intervention. Pre- and post-intervention surveys were used. The differences in the mean scores of students' knowledge and attitudes were examined using paired t-test, while gender differences were examined using an independent t-test. Results: Out of 71 sixth-year medical students from different nationalities invited to participate in this study, the interactive teaching course was initiated by 58 students resulting in a participation rate of 81.7%. Out of 58 students, 48 (82.8%) completed the entire course. The mean age (standard deviation) of students was 24 (1.2) years, and 32 (66.7%) were males. The results showed poor knowledge about stem cells among the medical students in the pre-intervention phase. Total scores of stem cell-related knowledge and attitudes significantly improved post-intervention. Gender differences in knowledge and attitudes scores were not statistically significant post-intervention. Conclusions: Integrating stem cell science into medical curricula coupled with interactive learning approaches effectively increased students' knowledge about recent advances in stem cell research and therapy and improved attitudes toward stem cell research and applications. Keywords: Arab; Attitudes; Education; Interactive teaching; Jordan; Knowledge; Medical curriculum; Stem cells; Students

Stem cell‐related knowledge and attitudes among physicians in Jordan

Background: Rapid advancement of stem cell (SC) therapies provides both opportunities and risks for patients and physicians alike. Physicians have a role in counselling patients about unproven SC therapies, requiring a basic level of knowledge and access to information about SCs. Objective: This study sought to assess SC-related knowledge of and attitudes among physicians in Jordan to elucidate areas of deficiency that can be addressed. Methods: A cross-sectional survey, comprising questions on demographics and SC knowledge and attitudes, was designed as a scoring system to evaluate physicians' knowledge and attitudes. Participants were recruited from 10 major hospitals in Jordan over 3 months between February and April 2019. The internal consistency of the scoring scales was calculated using Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient. Gender differences were evaluated with an independent t-test. Results: In total, 382 physicians in Jordan completed the survey (59.9% response rate). They demonstrated a low/moderate level of overall SC knowledge (51.3%), but most lacked confidence in their ability to answer patients' questions about SC therapies (64.7%). However, the total attitude score was moderate/high positive (66.8%) and most were interested in learning more about SCs (80.8%). Male physicians reported significantly more knowledge than females (P < .0001). Conclusions: This study reveals Jordanian physicians' hesitancy to counsel patients about SC therapies, largely because of gaps in knowledge. However, overall attitudes toward SC research and therapies are positive. The results of this study demonstrate a need to cover SC-related information in medical curricula in Jordan, as well as to support initiatives to regulate SC tourism in Jordan