What do dental college clinicians know about oral cancer and its risk factors? An assessment among final year students, interns and faculty members in saudi arabia

The ability of health care professionals to perform oral cancer examination depends partly on their knowledge of the disease and its risk factors. This study aimed to assess and compare the knowledge of final year students, interns and faculty members regarding oral cancer and its risk factors. A 35-item questionnaire about knowledge of oral cancer and its risk factors was distributed among participants from Jazan University?s Dental School. A minimum score of 18 was the cut-off point for an acceptable total score of oral cancer knowledge [OCTS]. Descriptive statistics described the relations between demographics variables and knowledge levels of participants. The differences between OCTS, diagnostic-clinical examination knowledge [DCK] and supportive knowledge [SK] and sex and occupation were analyzed using independent t-test and ANOVAs respectively. A total of 72 students, 68 interns and 88 faculty members completed the questionnaires (N = 228); with an average age of 23.8 ± 0.9 years, 25.1 ± 1.5 years and 40.6 ± 9.1 years with 55.1% males. OCTS was 20.2 ± 3.6 out of 35. No significant difference between OCTS and participants? sex was found (t (203) = 1.342, p = .181, 95% CI for difference -.302 ?? 1.589). No significant differences in OCTS between students, interns and faculty members (F (2, 225) = 2.116, p = .123). A significant difference in SK between final year students, interns, and faculty members was founded (F (2, 194) = 5.62, p = .004). Knowledge of oral cancer and its risk factors among Jazan Dental School?s final year students, interns and faculty members is acceptable. However, due to the high rate of oral cancer in Jazan, emphasizing knowledge of oral cancer and its risk factors in the curriculum of Jazan Dental School is required

Stigma of People with HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Literature Review

The aim of this literature review is to elucidate what is known about HIV/AIDS and stigma in Sub-Saharan Africa. Literature about HIV/AIDS and stigma in Sub-Saharan Africa was systematically searched in Pubmed, Medscape, and Psycinfo up to March 31, 2009. No starting date limit was specified. The material was analyzed using Gilmore and Somerville's (1994) four processes of stigmatizing responses: the definition of the problem HIV/AIDS, identification of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), linking HIV/AIDS to immorality and other negative characteristics, and finally behavioural consequences of stigma (distancing, isolation, discrimination in care). It was found that the cultural construction of HIV/AIDS, based on beliefs about contamination, sexuality, and religion, plays a crucial role and contributes to the strength of distancing reactions and discrimination in society. Stigma prevents the delivery of effective social and medical care (including taking antiretroviral therapy) and also enhances the number of HIV infections. More qualitative studies on HIV/AIDS stigma including stigma in health care institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa are recommended

Community perceptions and practices of treatment seeking for childhood pneumonia: a mixed methods study in a rural district, Ghana

Abstract Background The World Health Organization recommends community case management of malaria and pneumonia for reduction of under-five mortality in developing countries. Caregivers’ perception and understanding of the illness influences the care a sick child receives. Studies in Ghana and elsewhere have routinely shown adequate recognition of malaria by caregivers. Similarly, evidence from Asia and some African countries have shown adequate knowledge on pneumonia. However, in Ghana, little has been documented about community awareness, knowledge, perceptions and management of childhood pneumonia particularly in the Dangme West district. Therefore this formative study was conducted to determine community perceptions of pneumonia for the purpose of informing the design and implementation of context specific health communication strategies to promote early and appropriate care seeking behaviour for childhood pneumonia. Methods A mixed method approach was adopted. Data were obtained from structured interviews (N = 501) and eight focus group discussions made up of 56 caregivers of under-fives and eight community Key Informants. Descriptive and inference statistics were used for the quantitative data and grounded theory to guide the analysis of the qualitative data. Results Two-thirds of the respondents had never heard the name pneumonia. Most respondents did not know about the signs and symptoms of pneumonia. For the few who have heard about pneumonia, causes were largely attributed to coming into contact with cold temperature in various forms. Management practices mostly were self-treatment with home remedies and allopathic care. Conclusion The low awareness and inadequate recognition of pneumonia implies that affected children may not receive prompt and appropriate treatment as their caregivers may misdiagnose the illness. Adequate measures need to be taken to create the needed awareness to improve care seeking behaviour

Patient Education and Counseling 56 (2005) 240-248 Long-term efficacy of a checklist to improve patient education in cardiology

Abstract In a randomised controlled trial a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) checklist intended to prepare coronary artery disease (CAD) outpatients for a medical check-up visit at the cardiologist was evaluated. The checklist was mailed to patients in preparation to their visits after 1, 4 and 10 months following patients' discharge from hospitalisation for CAD. It was hypothesised that the intervention would result in lower state anxiety, better patient-doctor communication, more knowledge of CAD and greater patient satisfaction, while it would not result in longer visits. Repeated measurements analyses of covariance showed that experimental patients (N = 46) were less anxious before the first visit. This visit was shorter than in the controls, though the third visit was longer. Control patients (N = 59) showed more CAD knowledge than experimental patients at the first and third visit. Experimental patients found the checklist useful, though its value diminished at subsequent visits. Using the checklist thus decreased anxiety prior to the first visit and the duration of that visit, while negatively affecting knowledge. No conclusions about long-term effects could be drawn, due to the likelihood of type II and type III errors. Process evaluation indicated that the approach used is not sufficiently stimulating for patients to use as a preparation to every visit

Evaluation of factors associated with bulk milk somatic cell count and total plate count in Indonesian smallholder dairy farms

Increasing milk quality in smallholder dairy farms will result in a greater quantity of milk being delivered to milk collection centers, an increased milk price for farmers and consequently an improved farmers’ livelihood. However, little research on milk quality has been performed on smallholder farms in Southeast Asia. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors associated with somatic cell count (SCC) and total plate count (TPC) in Indonesian smallholder dairy farms. One dairy cooperative in West Java, Indonesia was selected based on its willingness to participate. All 119 member farmers in the cooperative, clustered in six groups, were interviewed and a bulk milk sample from all farms was collected in April 2022. Risk factors associated with dairy farms’ SCC and TPC were investigated using multivariable population-averaged generalized estimating equations (GEE) models. The mean geometric SCC and TPC from these farms were 529,665 cells/mL of milk and 474,492 cfu/mL of milk, respectively. Five risk factors including manure removal frequency, receiving mastitis treatment training, washing the udder using soap, number of workers, and ownership of the pasture area were associated with SCC. Two risk factors, manure removal frequency and dairy income contribution, were associated with TPC. These findings can therefore be used as a starting point to improve udder health and milk quality in Indonesia and other countries where smallholder farmers play a significant role in milk production

Nurses' perceptions of adolescents accessing and utilizing sexual and reproductive healthcare services in Cape Town, South Africa: a qualitative study

This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publicationBackground: In Sub-Saharan Africa access to and utilization of sexual and reproductive healthcare is unsatisfactory. Consequently, rates of teenage pregnancy and unsafe abortions among adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa, including in South Africa remain a public health challenge. The aim of this study was to explore nurses' views on and perceptions of adolescent girls' barriers and needs to accessing and utilizing sexual and reproductive healthcare services. Methods: Twenty-four purposively selected healthcare workers from nine public healthcare facilities in Cape Town, South Africa participated in this qualitative descriptive study. Data were collected through nine group discussions, and audio-recorded with hand-written notes taken during the discussions. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, following the Tesch's eight steps for coding and analysing qualitative data. Results: Sexual and reproductive healthcare nurses are generally supportive of adolescents who ask for and use contraceptives. Non-compliance to family planning regimens and repeated requests for termination of pregnancies were perceived by nurses as irresponsible behaviours which are particularly frustrating to them and not in concordance with their personal values. The subsequent nurse-adolescent interactions sometimes appeared to hinder access to and utilization of sexual and reproductive healthcare services by adolescents. Conclusions: Nurses perceive certain behaviours of adolescent girls as irresponsible and warrant their negative attitudes and reactions toward them. The negative attitudes and reactions of nurses potentially further compromises access to and utilization of sexual and reproductive healthcare services by adolescent girls in South Africa and requires urgent attention. Adolescent-friendly clinic hours together with youth-friendly nurses is likely to encourage adolescent girls to access sexual and reproductive healthcare services and improve the use thereof